Style: prog rock, jazz fusion (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Camel, The Flower Kings, Caravan
Review by: Andy
Country: United Kingdom
Release date: 3 February, 2023
If you peruse any number of progressive rock forums without scanning the underground yourself, you would, understandably, likely come to the conclusion that modern progressive rock either doesn’t exist or is at least not worth listening to in favor of relistening to albums quickly turning half a century old. Zopp certainly don’t deviate very far from the seminal prog rock legends in sound nor style, yet what they lack in creativity, they make up for with solid performances and songwriting. Zopp is today’s prog rock for the curmudgeonly elitist of the genre, the old guard who haven’t liked a prog rock album not by Wobbler since Pink Floyd’s The Wall marking the end of the 70s.
Falling under the general Canterbury scene label, Zopp utilize some jazz fusion influence and occasionally more interesting flashes of Zeuhl. Hammond and Mellotron and all the other familiar, comforting textures of ye olde progressive rock are pleasantly present from the opening little track “Amor Fati,” which brings the fanfare with French horn to announce the presence of the first longer track, “You.” Dueling synths, organs, and pianos rock hard, and the wide range of other instruments keeps the palette engaging for a while. Like the rest of this album, “You” is something you’ve undoubtedly heard before if you’ve stumbled into our blog, but it’s still undeniably played well and, importantly, sounds (for the most part) clear, warm, and organic. Considering Zopp man Ryan Stevenson himself wanted to go for more of a DIY production, he’s clearly skilled. Even the bass often plods along nicely in the foreground.
Prog metal sax god Jørgen Munkeby himself makes an appearance, infusing a funkiness not far afield from Snarky Puppy into his contribution on “Bushnell Keeler.” In the instrumental track, he becomes the voice and does so more convincingly than the actual vocalists–this is where the album flourishes. Stevenson’s own vocals thankfully don’t try too hard to eke out crappy falsettos, but they do feel almost a tad too laidback–or at least he pushes himself too far down in the mix, burying any punch and obscuring the performance.
Unfortunately, parts of the nostalgia fest get grating after too many listens like the active “Reality Tunnels” keeping a bit too much buzz in the low end, making the bass feel almost artificial rather than the organic sound earlier in the record. Moreover, since I do feel as if I’d already heard chunks of this album from Camel or Caravan or even newer acts like Jordsjø or Daal, my enthusiasm to listen again and again dwindles. Perhaps a bit more of a novelty factor, a single more inventive instrument or modern songwriting technique, would benefit Zopp.
Dominion tries to bring back the album to a giddy peak in the finale epic, “Toxicity,” a fourteen minute track that shows off Zopp’s songwriting capabilities. Unlike many a prog rock album that suffers under its own bloat either becoming a veritable Frankenstein of stitched together song ideas or simply getting boring, “Toxicity” expertly navigates its runtime by jumping its excellent, effortless transitions (like the sax break at just before ten minutes). Zopp’s vision fluidly comes together throughout the piece of a new renaissance of progressive rock for the modern internet-goer who gets off by posting their King Crimson vinyl on Reddit. Dominion is honest prog rock for the modern age, and if Stevenson’s songwriting chops on “Toxicity” are anything to go by, their third album might just be their best yet.
As Zopp is an incredible pastiche, a reminder that even in the year 2023 a person can make solid, enjoyable prog rock to throw on with your dad (or granddad if they’re cool), in the end sometimes an accomplished modern reinterpretation of the genre’s classics hits the spot.
Recommended tracks: Bushnell Keeler, Toxicity
You may also like: iNFiNiEN, Jordsjø, Daal, All Traps on Earth, Wobbler
Final verdict: 6/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram
Label: independent
Zopp is:
– Ryan W Stevenson (composer, keys, guitar, voice)
– Andrea Moneta (drums and percussion)
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