Review: Keys – The Grand Seduction

Escape Music (July 19^th 2024)

Reviewer: Chris O’Connor

As soon as I heard this was coming out, I knew I had to be the one to review it, as I am a huge fan of keyboard wizard Mark Mangold (American Tears/Touch/Drive, She Said, The Sign, Flesh & Blood). Now the great man has teamed up with vocalist Jake E (Cyhra/ex-Amaranthe) in this hugely exciting new project. If you are a fan of Pomp Rock, then this album is simply a ‘must have’ for your collection.

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 guitar/synth(?) in the mix, and being frank, the drums do sound distinctly programmed and frankly … cheap – ahem. 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. Keys are Joined by Emanuel Bagge (additional vocals/keyboards), Irwan Fabrien (renowned keyboard and guitar sound designer), drum guru Alex Landenburg (Cyhra, Kamelot) and Adde Larsson.

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, I just wish the drums were more realistic, as it does detract a little … sighs.

‘All I Need’ features a sledgehammer ‘guitar’ riff, which is very cool, and a cool 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 almost ambient 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. Again, this would have been amazing with a ‘real’ rhythm section, whilst here, it is merely good, due to the at best ‘steadfast’ drum programming – a truly frustrating moment and something of a missed opportunity.

‘Thought We Had Forever’ is a straight-ahead Melodic rocker, again, frustratingly, the programmed drums just sound cheap and nasty – rendering the song ‘good’ when it should have been ‘great’. Finally, ‘The World Is Ours’ is another moody track, the ‘acoustic guitars’ sound artificial (which of course they are), which grates. It’s an almost melancholic song, that with a full band would have been magnificent, when now it is at best very good. Sighs.

I really genuinely like ‘The Great Seduction’, but it is a flawed masterpiece. I feel here that – to use an idiom made famous by Alexander Pope – I am damning it with faint praise. I have loved Mark Mangold’s work for decades now, and that’s not about to change – HOWEVER – this album could have been HUGE, but because of the use of plugins and cheap drum programs, it just semi-fails at the last minute. Please be assured, there genuinely IS a lot to love here, but due to corner-cutting, its otherwise magnificence is nearly torn away. If there is to be second album, can we please have a real drummer? Pretty please?

 Tracklist: 

1. Grand Seduction
2. All I Need
3. Shining Sails
4. Switchblade
5. Vortex
6. Skin And Bones
7. Turn To Dust
8. Crazy Town
9. Thought We Had Forever
10. The World Is Ours

Line-up:

Jake E. – Vocals

Mark Mangold – Keys

Emanuel Bagge – Additional vocals and keys

Irwan Fabrien – Keyboard- guitar sound designer

Alex Landenburg – Drums

Adde Larsson – Drums

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