Escape Music has announced upcoming release of the much anticipated second KEYS album titled “The Grand Seduction”, today featured in exclusive at all.
KEYS is the brainchild of legendary keyboardist Mark Mangold (Touch, Drive She Said, Cher, etc) and singer Jake E (Cyhra, Amaranthe and others), with Emanuel Bagge (Sweden’s Got Talent Finalist) on additional vocals and keys, Irwan Fabrien (noted ”keyboard guitar” sound designer) with help of drum guru Alex Landenburg (Kamelot, Cyhra and others).
The music on “The Grand Seduction” run the gamut from scathing pomp AOR & progressive melodic forays to catchy melodic rock anthems. These artfully crafted songs are ripe with scathing synths, organ and “keyboard guitar” pyrotechnics, dazzling time signatures, bombastic choruses and huge guitar riffs played on keyboard guitar.
As Mark and Jake are first and foremost award winning songwriters they never lose sight of the composition and melodies, though couched in the very signature and hard to pigeon hole sound (isn’t that the whole point?) of this band and Jake’s 4 octave vocal range.
Where to begin with the album? Well, musically, this is a Pomp fan’s dream, with colossal bombastic keyboards, powerful guitars, sensational vocals – what more could any self-respecting fan ask for? Criticisms? There could have been a little more bass in the mix, and being frank, most the drums do sound distinctly programmed.
Aside from those niggles, and the understanding it was very clearly produced on a small budget, it’s honestly hard to find much to complain about at all.
I genuinely listen to most ‘The Grand Seduction’ with a smile on my face, it’s very ‘old-school’ but is conversely pleasingly modern with it. My first thoughts about influences, were that Keys somehow fuse Angel, Deep Purple (mk III), Touch, Boston, Asia, Trillion, ELP, Saga, Dio era Rainbow, Dream Theater, and Starcastle into one amazing musical melange.
As soon as the title track erupts from the speakers, it is clear that musically speaking, Mark Mangold is having the time of his life – allowing his amazing skills to run riot.
I used the word bombastic earlier, and it really is the truth, here he has allowed his musical vision to fly, and the end result is massively impressive. Mark’s skills in using his keyboards to emulate guitars is remarkable to me, I had no idea such a thing was possible – and I defy you to listen, and not be almost certain that you are actually listening to the real article.
Vocalist Jake E. has a powerful and extremely pleasing voice, if you’re a fan of melodic rockers Cyhra, then you will already know what a vocal powerhouse he is. Here, Jake’s voice soars effortlessly, and it’s clear that he really has been the perfect choice to front this wonderful Pomp band.
The opening (and title) track is ten minutes of organ-istic (sorry about that) Pomp heaven. ‘All I Need’ features a sledgehammer ‘guitar’ riff which is very cool, and a strong chorus to boot. ‘Shining Sails’ is very Rainbow/Starcastle, while ‘Switchblade’ is a more mid-paced number, very Pomp (that word again) in sound and feel.
‘Vortex’ is a more urgent number, that almost brings Dio era Black Sabbath to feel, before the glorious chorus lifts odd with colossally melodic style, and is a fitting ‘closer’ to the first half of the album.
‘Skin And Bones’ opens the second half with real style – this is a moody piece, with Jake E. again showing what a vocal gem he is. ‘Turn To Dust’ is almost minimalist, featuring atmospheric keys with Jakes’s impassioned vocals soaring with enormous style.
‘Crazy Town’ is one of the most straight-ahead rockers on the album with a stamping rhythm driving it.
‘Thought We Had Forever’ is a straight-ahead Melodic rocker, that would have been benefited by a bigger rhythm section, especially the drums – rendering the song ‘good’ when it should have been ‘great’.
Finally, ‘The World Is Ours’ is another midtempo track, with ‘acoustic guitars’ effects. It’s an almost melancholic song, quite retro Seventies.
If you are a fan of Pomp Rock, then this album is simply a ‘must have’ for your collection. There’s progressive, melodic rock, even some AOR, and lots, lots of KEYS. Perhaps the use of a drummer all over the recording instead of programming would have benefited the whole product, but heck, this band is named KEYS, and that’s you’ll find in spades.
Highly Recommended
01 – Grand Seduction
02 – All I Need
03 – Shining Sails
04 – Switchblade
05 – Vortex
06 – Skin And Bones
07 – Turn To Dust
08 – Crazy Town
09 – Thought We Had Forever
10 – The World Is Ours
Jake E. – Vocals
Mark Mangold – Keys
Emanuel Bagge – Additional vocals and keys
Irwan Fabrien – Keyboard guitar sound designer
Alex Landenburg – Drums
Adde Larsson – Drums
KEYS (Mark Mangold) – The Grand Seduction [Escape Music] (2024)
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