Ricochet - Among The Elements (German Prog Metal, Full Album, 1996)

Genre:Melodic/Progressive Metal Studio Album, released in 1996 Songs / Tracks Listing 1. Holy Bell 2. Among The Elements 3. Angels 4. Life 5. I Need An Answer 6. Visions End 7. I Can’t Follow 8. Avalon Location:Hamburg Karl-René Jobig Vocals Jan Keimer Drums Heiko Holler Guitars Björn Tiemann Keyboards Sören Hückel Bass Ricochet biography RICOCHET is a Melodic Prog Metal band from Hamburg/Germany founded in the early 90s by Jan Keimer (drums), Björn Tiemann (keyboards), Heiko Holler (guitar), Sören Hückel (bass) and René Jobig (vocals). The cooperation began with a strong orientation at their idols Dream Theater and Marillion which is definitely audible in their music. However the band’s own style has become clearer over the years. All the band members were also dedicated to other projects and could expand their musical horizon. Keyboard player Tiemann for example had a long collaboration with Kingdome Come. In 1996 RICOCHET released its debut, entitled “Among The Elements“, which could reach considerable sales especially in Europe. The band worked hard for that with numerous gigs. They toured with Yngwie Malmsteen and played on several festivals which expanded their fanbase more and more. But after a while two members left the band. Bass player Hückel could be substituted quickly by Hans Strenge. But to find an appropriate vocalist was a great challenge for the band. It took two years, with temporary thoughts about continuing without a singer, until Christian Heise finally became the new vocalist of RICOCHET. His voice guarantees the necessary spread between melancholy and aggressivity and he is also able to deliver new inspirations to the music. Now listening to RICOCHET and viewing their live performances it’s clear that they are playing together for a long time. The band has seen consistent progression and in 2005 they released “Zarah - A Teartown Story“, a concept album about the short and painful life of a young girl. Each song has its own significance within the concept, and expresses a certain mood and situation. Recommended to fans of Melodic Prog Metal similar to Dream Theater and Fates Warning Among The Elements Ricochet Progressive Metal 5 stars It’s a shame that this album got so little attention when it was released in 1996. To me this is a little gem in the melodic/neo-prog rock sector and even 12 years after its release I am still surprised by the quality of the songs. The songs range from catchy melodic rock tunes (I Can’t follow) over beautifully orchestrated piano-driven ballads (Angels) to elaborate prog rock monoliths (Among The Elements). Noticeable are the outstanding vocal melodies interpreted by René Jobig (there are some really memorable chorus lines on this album, which is something not many prog rock bands manage to put down on their records) and the beautifully warm keyboard/piano sounds by Bjorn Tiermann. It is quite hard to come up with any comparisons because this excellent blending of a pop appeal to vocal melodies, a warm AOR production and complex progressive rock song structures is quite unique, but I guess the band can be stated to sound like some sort of a mixture between the early-Hoghart-era Marillion and some of the catchier Arena tunes. Highly recommended! pics Album:Among the Elements 1996 All music lyrics by Ricochet Video by Neuregel