BAND: KNIGHT AREA
ALBUM: REALM OF SHADOWS
LABEL: THE LASER'S EDGE
RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 2009                       RATING  90/100 
GENRE: SYMPHONIC ROCK
PRODUCER: GERBEN KLAZINGA & GIJS KOOPMAN
WEBSITE: http://www.knightarea.com/
MYSPACE PAGE: http://www.myspace.com/knightarea
REVIEWER: GUILLAUME "ROPIE" DRESEN

Despite this album was already released in september 2009, I still wanted you all to be aware of this excellent album!
"Realm Of Shadows" is the third full album for the Dutch symphonic rock band Knight Area. The band was founded in 2004 after Gerben Klazinga released the first Knight Area album “The Sun Also Rises”. This album was a solo project of Gerben, who wrote all the music, but many musicians participated in the recordings of the album.
The album was a worldwide success and as a consequence Gerben formed a band to play live. Followed by a new album “Under A New Sign” that was released in 2007.

From the first view on the CD cover I expected a more darker sound, but I was surprised by the bright and friendly sound of Knight Area. The only dark elements are the drums by Pieter van Hoorn and the bass guitar by Gijs Koopman.
I enjoyed the good guitar riffs en solo’s by Mark Vermeule for example in “Antagony”. His style often reminds me of Steve Rothey from Marillion. The melodic keyboardsound from Gerben Klazinga completes the good songs. Mark Smit is not a brilliant singer but he is able enough to carry the tracks with his vocals.
The album was recorded en produced by Gerben Klazinga and Gijs Koopman in their own studio “Knight Area Studios Holland”, and had been mastered by Grammy Winner Bob Katz.
The sound of Knight Area is a good eighties symphonic rock like IQ,  Rush and even a bit of Genesis in their good years. The band is playing like one team and it seems like the guys push each other to a higher level.
You can have a 54 minute long journey through the fantasy of this album and they saved the 11:15 minutes masterpiece "Occlusion" for the great final.
This album can be played everytime of the day, but be careful that you don't get addicted the way I am now!

TRACKLISTING: 
01 Ethereal (6.51)
02 Antagony (7.52) *
03 Two of a Kind (5.11)
04 Momentum (2.21)
05 Awakening (2.50)
06 Dark Souls (5.29)
07 Realm of Shadows (5.51)
08 A Million Lives (6.52) *
09 Occlusion (11.15)*

* Ropie's favourite tracks
 

LINE UP: 
Gerben Klazinga: Keyboards
Mark Smit: Vocals
Mark Vermeule: Guitars
Gijs Koopman: Bass Guitar
Pieter van Hoorn: Drums