Halcyon Phase
„Critical Misunderstandings On The Precipice“
CD, Digipack. Folk Rock, a bit Prog. Canada 2024

Halcyon Phase consists of singer/songwriter Frank Smith and multi-instrumentalist Philip Victor Bova. The two music veterans joined forces and released their first album, "Tendrils," in 2021. This was followed in 2024 by "Critical Misunderstandings On The Precipice" (CMOTP), a folk-rock album with progressive elements.

"CMOTP" describes the state of our world. Human relationships. Action and inaction in difficult moments of our history. Love songs, breakup songs, social injustice, climate change, rampant AI, and addiction. The common thread running through the album is the rapid transience of time, aging and the great entropy of the mind.

Thirteen well produced songs grace this album. As highlights, I'd immediately recommend the opening track, "Mean Street." It has something dark about it and, with its complexity, it could be rooted in prog rock for me. "AI World," a rock song, though not unusual, captivates with how the lyrics seamlessly integrate with the rhythm. Highlight number two. "Not Enough," with its rhythmic breaks, is highlight number three. Overall, the remaining songs are well structured melodically and lyrically, with a rather relaxed tempo. Even the ballads avoid being cheesy, which is quite an achievement – ​​see "The Room Spins Around." The curious listener can discover the rest for themselves. The (guest) musicians and singers are all highly skilled and well-chosen.

Drums – Gord Finley
Electric Guitar, Lead Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, 12-String Acoustic Guitar, Keyboards, Piano, Harmony Vocals – John Fraser Findlay
Recorded, Produced, Mixed and Mastered – Philip Victor Bova
Electric Bass, Keyboards, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, 12-String Acoustic Guitar – Phillip Victor Bova
Words, Music, Lead Vocals – Frank Smith
Additional male and female Vocals – Shannon Ross, Tara Holloway, Kellylee Evans, Mike Belanger, Jeremy Abboud

Folk-rock almost does this album justice, and I'm not a big folk-rock fan, to be clear from the start. However, after repeated listens, this album has really grown on me. It's not "pure" folk-rock; it incorporates elements of prog and psychedelic moments. The production is also very clean; the musicians clearly know what they're doing. I especially appreciate how the lyrics are woven into the songs. Recommended not just for folk-rock fans.

All photos are from my CD, which was provided to me by Halcyon Phase. The rights to all images, logos, texts, and fonts shown in the photos naturally belong to their respective copyright holders.

No AI was used in the making of this Review.
©23.03.2026