Apogee - 2018 - Conspiracy of Fools

(69:55; Progressive Promotion Records)

Track list:
1. Conspiracy of Fools 13:08
2. Incomprehensible Intention 14:15
3. Override Our Instincts 12:56
4. Losing Gentle Control 4:58
5. Colors and Shades 11:46
6. The Whispering from Outside 12:52

Line-up:
Arne Schäfer - vocals, bass, guitars, keyboards
Ebi Graef - drums, percussion


Prolusion.
German project Apogee is the creative vehicle of composer and musician Arne Schäfer, and for close to 30 years albums released under this moniker has been a staple of the German progressive rock scene with a total of 11 albums released at the time of writing. The album "Conspiracy of Fools" dates back to 2018, and was released through German label Progressive Promotion Records.

Analysis.
Just where you would place Apogee as a project in terms of specific style and orientation, as Schäfer's material tends to incorporate elements from a few different subsets of the form. For my sake I have always considered the music of this project inside of or close to a symphonic progressive tradition, albeit one that often will have a bit of an atmospheric style of delivery rather than a flamboyant one. That is very much the case also on this now five year old production.

Just about all the compositions here are long ones, and that is a bit of a specialty for Apogee as far as I can recall. With five tracks clocking in at above 10 minutes this is a production that will fill the need of those who prefer their progressive rock to be epic in length. Most of them have been made following certain patterns. Usually a song will feature one section where we get an ebb and flow movement where the song moves back and forth between a gentler section with a more sparse arrangement and a richer, tighter and more vibrant one where the electric guitar and keyboards combine into a dominant force. We will often have an interlude at some point exploring a more sensitive but often richly layered setting, and this interlude will fairly often feature the Mellotron in some variety as a provider of those alluring nervous and atmospheric laden textures this instrument is renowned for. And at last we will in most cases also get a part of the composition that starts off in a careful manner and then gradually builds into a richly layered and majestic arrangement that will reach a peak of intensity.

The quality of the compositions or the music as such have never been an issue with the music released under the Apogee moniker. The vocals have been a divisive element however, and while this issue seems to have improved markedly on the more recent Apogee albums that aspect is an issue on this album from 2018. Just how much of an issue this will be obviously depends on the individual listener, but for me at least this is a detrimental aspect of this production.

Conclusion.
With Apogee you always know that you will get well developed compositions that will provide an interesting listen through landscapes that ebb, flow and develop in manners that maintain listener interest in an elegant and well thought out manner. Having a bit of an affection for symphonic progressive rock also tends to be an advantage when listening to an Apogee album. The make or break for this album, as with so many other productions from this artist, is whether or not you find the vocals to be enjoyable. For those who like the vocals and otherwise find the music to be within their sphere of interest, this album will be a rewarding and enjoyable experience throughout.

Olav "Progmessor" Björnsen, January 2023

Links:
http://apogee.versus-x.de/
https://www.progressive-promotion.de/