Direction - 2023 - Ailes

(51:54; Unicorn Digital)

Track list:
1. Protocole 3:51
2. Decollage 5:53
3. Contemplation 8:49
4. Alerte 0:19
5. Risquer l'Adieu 30:22
6. Le Salut 2:40

Line-up:
Marco Paradis - guitars, piano, keyboards, vocals
Serge Tremblay - vocals, bass, piano, keyboards, vocals
Jean-Claude Tremblay - drums
Merci Cyr - backing vocals
Elisabeth Cyr - backing vocals


Prolusion.
Canadian band Direction started out some 25 years ago, and released their first studio album back in 2002. For the next decade or so the band was an active unit, releasing new albums every few years at a regular pace, and then they disappeared from view as far as a recording band were concerned for a decade and a bit. This year Direction returned with the album "Ailes", their first studio album in 12 years, and like with the majority of their previous productions the album was released through Canadian label Unicorn Digital.

Analysis.
It is the progressive rock aspect inside the progressive music universe that is explored on this album, and this is an album with a rather solid placement inside of this general orientation, albeit with perhaps a little bit of a subtle metal tendency here and there.

That being said, many of the compositions here are shorter affairs that actually explore rather different territories, creations added for effect and variety presumably, and as I get the association that there is a thematic thread that runs through this album that may be a deciding factor here too. As such there are only two actual compositions here that stays inside the progressive rock context, but as those two songs have a combined playtime of 36 minutes that is obviously still a dominant aspect of this production.

Both of these songs alternate between different specific orientations quite a bit. The first of them, 'Decollage', pivots between hard progressive rock, a more atmospheric laden variety of the form and passages with more of a neo-progressive rock orientation. The much longer 'Risquer l'Adieu' uses the expanded playtome of 30 minutes to incorporate a few more nuances to the aforementioned trifecta of style variations and also expands the style palette with acoustic interludes and sequences with a bit more of a classic hard rock touch of the kind that isn't too far removed from the likes of Deep Purple.

The songs that stick closer to the progressive rock ideals here are decent efforts, with the short 'Decollage' coming across as a bit more vital than the mammoth length 'Risquer l'Adieu'. This has less to do with the quality of the actual songwriting however, as the latter song is much more interesting in both diversity and structure. But rather this has a lot to do with the mix and production, and the longer compositions suffering a lot more from soundscapes that do have a rough edge to them in addition to a bit of a closed in feel, and the individual instruments don't really come across as the clearest or in a manner that emphasize their stronger attributes either. Which are all aspects that harm the more sophisticated, diverse and longer composition to a greater extent than the shorter and more concise creation.

Conclusion.
Direction's return to the progressive rock scene with 'Ailes' isn't one that I suspect will make a great impact, as the mix and production qualities in particular isn't quite at the level people expect in 2023. That a number of the songs stay on the outskirts or even outside of a progressive rock context also gives this album a little bit of an identity problem, even if the total playtime of those songs isn't the longest. It is still a decent production with some strong points though, and those who find a blend of atmospheric laden and hard progressive rock that includes both neo-progressive rock and hard rock tangents to be interesting strikes me as the audience that will best appreciate what this album has to offer.


Olav "Progmessor" Björnsen, April 2023

Links:
https://legroupedirection.com/
https://www.unicorndigital.net/