New Releases: MYSTERY - Delusion Rain (2015)

  For those who aren't familiar with the band 'Mystery', I should say that  they are a Canadian band, and they have been active since the mid '80's. The band released its first album in 1992 and break up in 2000. After a 5 year break, they returned in 2005 with many changes in their line up, and a different sound. Since then, they released 4 studio albums, with Delusion Rain being their latest one.
  Personaly speaking, I discovered 'Mystery' almost 4 years ago, and I really liked them. Almost immediately, I bought the 2 albums that I could find at the time, which were 'Beneath the Veil of Winter's Face'  (2007) and 'One Among the Living' (2010). I liked these albums a lot, and when 'The World is a Game' came out in 2012, I bought it without a second thought. The same thing happened with 'Delusion Rain' this year.
  There was a surprise waiting for me though. The first thing I realised, was that their very good singer David Benoit, was not in the band anymore. For health problems I think, he was replaced by Jean Pageau. That put my mood down a little bit, but that lasted for only a few minutes. Once I started listening to the album, I realised that the new singer is equally good, and matches their sound just like their previous one. (But I like Benoit's voice better).
 Let's take a closer look at the album now:
  Well, it consists of 6 songs, and has a total running time of almost an hour. As you can understand, all songs are kind of long ones. The shortest one is 'If you see her' (6.10), and the longest one is the album's epic 'The Willow Tree' (19.30). The latter is definetely the CD's highlight with the many changes it has in its music and tempo. It starts as a ballad, then shift to a fast tempo and a long instrumental passage. The same themes are repeated like the ballad and the acoustic part, so it's like a back and forth of acoustic and electric moments.Despite the singer's replacement, the sound of the band remained the same, and that is something surely pleasing for me. The band retained its mellow, melodic & melancholic sound, which is kind of their 'trademark' in my opinion. 
Another thing I should mention, is the excellent production of the album! The sound is clear and loud with each instrument bursting in the speakers. As for their 'influences', once more they remind something like a mix between Pink Floyd and Pallas. Not always of course, but in some specific parts.
 I totally recommend 'Delusion Rain' to the fans of Neo-Prog (or 'modern Progressive Rock' if you like), and to all those who can enjoy a well structured and melodic Rock album.
                        My rating would be: 3.5 out of 5.0 stars.
By clicking the following link, you will be able to listen to the album's opening song. 
Enjoy! :-)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkMFXY-tZjg