The Ceres Phenomenon - 2025 - The Ceres Phenomenon

(73:00; Freia Music)

Here we have a “new” band which has been created by musicians who one way or another have known each other for a very long time indeed. Singer Ruud Stoker, keyboard player Julian Driessen and drummer Mike Boekhout have all been in Timelock for decades, while they were also all in Dreamcarnation, and Ruud and Julian were both in The Last Detail (while Julian is also known for being in the renowned Ywis and For Absent Friends). So where does guitarist/bassist Ron Koel fit in? Apparently, he was at school with Julian, and when they caught up at a reunion decided to record some music together and he ended up playing on the bonus tracks on the 2023 reissue of Timelock’s 2008 album, ‘Buildings’. It all seems very incestuous indeed if you ask me…

The guys started working on this album during Covid, and it is based on a science fiction story written by Ruud, set in the year 5930, regarding signals originally heard on Earth in 3953. The album has been released in a 64-page book which contains the full story, lyrics and actual pictures of Ceres (by NASA), so a significant investment has been made, but does the music stand up to it? Given the background of all those involved it is no surprise that this is solid Neo Prog, indeed, I would have been shocked if it was anything else which means the guitar is always going to be fairly close to the front, and there is no doubt that Ron is a real find as he has definitely risen to the occasion and certainly does not sound out of place standing next to guys who have been playing and recording together for such a long time.

I am not sure the story really works as well as it might, as the lyrics feel quite forced at times as there is a great deal to get through given the complexity, plus English is not Ruud’s first language and that can often cause issues with rhyming and timing, which is what we have here at times. Musically the arrangements are very powerful indeed, and consequently the vocalisations suffer, which means I often found the instrumental passages more enjoyable than those when Ruud was singing, and given I have been listening to his vocals for well over 30 years, that is quite a statement. Eventually, I found this quite a difficult album to listen to, even though in many ways it is mainstream Neo, as there are times when it feels as if the lyrics and vocal melodies are not fully aligned with the accompaniment.

It is an interesting concept album, and a great deal of work has gone into the book, but unless you are a major fan of Timelock et al, then this will possibly pass you by. 

Kev Rowland, January 2026

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/CeresPhenomenon/