Formed by former Isopoda bassist Arnold de Schepper with three of his sons and their school friend, this Flanders quintet are one of those rare, generation-straddling affairs.
I mean, who really wants to be in a band with their dad? Evidently these boys do, and as such they succeed in marrying the maturity and songwriting nous of the original prog era (Isopoda were known as ‘The Belgian Genesis’ back in the day, and Fossil Evolution grew out of their last line-up in 2013) with the energy and eclecticism of the 21st century. The ‘war is hell’ theme of the opening track Beautiful Colours has a touch of The Final Cut about it, and the Floydian flavours continue to surface in the sublimely yearning melody of The Voice Inside. The smoky new version of Isopoda’s Considering is sumptuous, soothing stuff, but don’t get too comfy because every so often you’re hit with more jarring juxtapositions to keep you on your toes, such as the hypnotic offbeat time signature of Next Time. Meanwhile the harmony-flecked anthemics of the album’s title track are offset by the blunt lyrical observation: ‘Don’t be a pain the ass and you’ll open every door.’ Wise words from father to son…
