Realisea - 2026 - Scratch

(50:19; Freia Music)





















There were quite a few line-up changes before Realisea’s second album, 2022’s ‘Fairly Carefree’, which saw them stabilise as a six-piece along with six guests, and there have been a few more changes this time around as well. Brian de Graeve (vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards), Marjolein de Graeve (vocals, flute) and Christophe Rapenne (keyboards) have been on all three, Jos Uffing (drums, vocals) and Rindert Bul (guitars) were around for the last one, and the line-up is now completed by Jos de Jong (guitars) and Patrick Verheij (bass) while there is just one guest, Tamara van Koetsveld , who has appeared on all the albums so far.

Realisea was formed around Brian de Graeve, frontman and founder of progressive rock band Silhouette, and I am a fan of both bands, and rewarded the previous two Realisea albums maximum ratings, but I am finding this one somewhat more difficult to get inside. It is not the music, which is interesting and punchier with the addition of second guitar while also moving into prog folk areas and symphonic as well as the traditional neo (if there is such a thing), but rather I found myself having issues with some of the vocals. This is particularly true of opening track “Living the Dream” which is also the longest song on the album at 8:42, as while the backing harmonies work well, the same cannot be said of the lead vocals. It sounds almost as if Brian is out of his range, using a falsetto which just doesn’t sit well, and would have been better if Marjolein had taken on the role as opposed to just supporting.

That there are some fascinating songs on the album which move in very different ways is never in doubt, there are some wonderful climaxes and crescendos and Jos is doing a great job in providing the dynamics and power when needed and also when to sit back and be gentle, but for me this feels like quite an inconsistent release. There is much on here to enjoy, but also there are other times when it seems better to just skip and move on. Apparently they are planning to take this album on the road so it will be interesting to see if playing this live will assist them in cementing their sound. 

Kev Rowland, April 2026

Links:
https://realisea.com/
https://dutchmusicworks.bandcamp.com/

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