Review: Active Heed - Visions From Realities (2013)

Artist: Active Heed
Album: Visions From Realities
Year: 2013
Label: Self released

Review: Diego Camargo

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Thoughts: Active Heed is, in fact, a musical project  whose leader is the Italian, Umberto Pagnini. After writing the songs he called a bunch of musicians to help him put his work on a CD. The base of musicians that played in Visions From Realities (2013) consists of the trio Lorenzo Poli (bass, guitars and keyboards), Giovanni Giorgi (drums) and PelleK (vocals). He also had some help with the vocals by Marit Børresen and Mark Colton.

Before I start to talk about the songs from Visions From Realities (2013) I have to give a warning. This album was sent to me by the band a couple of months ago and the band knew that I only reviewed Prog Rock albums. In fact, Active Heed has been reviewed mainly in the Prog Rock circuits but I must be honest and say that the amount of Prog Rock in the album is way too little.

As soon as Visions From Realities (2013) begins with ‘Flying Like A Fly’ one can actually notice that even if Active Heed has Prog influences, they’re far from being a Prog band. In fact, as the album goes forward the only prog moments are in the songs ‘Awake?!’, ‘Now What?’ and ‘Me, Five Seconds Before’. These songs have a slightly Prog influence, but they’re more inclined to be acoustic Rock/Pop songs with nice and weird keyboards. But that’s not really enough Prog for Active Heed to be called a Prog band. In fact, I really don’t think they should be qualified as such.

As the songs go by, we notice that Pop is the big thing here. ‘With Joy’ is an acoustic ballad in its first minute and then it changes to something that… Kings Of Leon would play. And then in ‘Forest And Joy’ we have a ‘Spanish’ piece completely Pop oriented.
‘The Weakness Of Our Spinning’ is a very nice acoustic piece and ‘Without Joy’ a nice Alternative Rock song. And sometimes I have the impression that they look a bit like Green Violinist in some songs.

‘If I Will Never Be’ is a very strong track and possibly the best on Visions From Realities (2013). It has a great musical progression. But then the band goes on with ‘Me, One Second Before Johan Robeck’ and they’re completely Pop again.
To complete the album we have firstly ‘Usual Plays In Heaven – Be Kind And Talk To Me’. The first part with the mentioned female vocals and the second part has nothing to do with the first. And secondly ‘Our Vast Emptiness’ that has a kind of… Nickelback thing going on.

In general, Active Heed has a very strong debut album with Visions From Realities (2013), but not from a Progressive Rock point of view. This album shouldn’t be sold as Prog Rock cause it isn’t.
From the Progressive Rock point of view the album has very little or nothing. I’m not saying this is a bad album, cause it isn’t. Visions From Realities (2013) is a very good Rock/Pop album that has been very well played and very well produced, in fact it could be played in most FM Radios. If this is the band’s goal, they’re in the right way. But if they want to be a Prog Rock band… they’ll need to change loads of things.

The band was included in our Podcast #22 and you can listen the track 'If I Will Ever Be' HERE.