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"Let’s cut to the chase: the music produced by Oblivion Sun for its
debut release is as good, if not better, than anything Happy The Man
ever produced, and leaves little doubt that this album belongs among the
best releases of 2007. Formed by Happy the Man alumni Stan Whitaker
(guitars) and Frank Wyatt (keyboards), Oblivion Sun retains the best
elements of previous incarnation Pedal Giant Animals and fine tunes its
fusion of progressive rock, jazz, metal and funk. The compositions are
uniformly excellent, recalling vintage Happy the Man without succumbing
to pure homage, finding a delightful balance between retro and
progressive. The band explores various genres with great aplomb, from
the crunchy Crimson-like delivery of “No Surprises” to a bouncy nod to
William Collins on “Bootsy.” Magically working the keys alongside Wyatt
is newcomer Bill Plummer, who fits the mold perfectly, while bassist
Dave DeMarco and drummer Chris Mack give the music some needed punch.
This is one crack band of musicians; they have, without doubt, created
an instant classic." — Mark Newman
Progression Magazine (spring 2008)
Frank Wyatt og Stan Whitaker fra
Happy The Man fryktet at det ville ta for lang tid før HTM fikk spilt
inn de nye komposisjonene deres. Derfor dannet de sin egen gruppe,
Oblivion Sun. Likheten mellom Oblivion Sun og modergruppa er tydelig nok
fra første stund, da albumet begynner med den majestetiske og samtidig
gladfunky «Fanfare», selv om gruppa fort bryter med sitt antatte mønster
på rockelåta «The Ride». Men etter hvert smelter fusion og rock sammen i
et moderne progressivt lydbilde som lyder utpreget og erketypisk
amerikansk. Ikke noe galt I det; Oblivion Suns lydbilde er høyst
profesjonelt. Alt klinger veldig bra, alle arrangementer er veldig
smidige og flott utførte. Hvis Oblivion Sun har noen agenda, annet enn å
spille inn det som Happy The Man ikke hadde tid til, så må det være å
framstå litt – om bare litt – mer som et rockeband og et progband enn
det Happy The Man pleide å være. Derfor er
Oblivion Sun
rik på gitarriff og
taktskifter, og fri for smooth jazz/fusion-ballader Totalt sett lyder
Oblivion Sun som ganske mye jeg har hørt før fra den amerikanske
Tarkus Magazine #44
Take guitarist / vocalist Stanley Whitaker
and keyboardist / saxman Frank Wyatt from Happy The Man, add keboardist
Bill Plummer, bassist Dave DeMarco, and drummer Chris Mack, and stir!
The result is the band Oblivion Sun. Oblivion Sun plays symphonic,
melodic progressive music with bits of jazz, rock, and funk thrown in
the mix. Let's go track by track and have Whitaker, Plummer, and Wyatt
walk us through their self titled debut..."John A. Wilcox"
Progsheet Track by Track
“Oblivion Sun” is
without a doubt one of the progressive highlights of 2007, being an
album that deals in an authentic fashion with melodic themes and which
stays clear of musical clichés. The group may well prove to be a
sensation on-stage — " Wouter Bessels,
progWereld
Read the entire review here:
Dutch,
English
"These are great times for the lovers of Happy The Man. The mother
ship lies still due to logistic problems, indeed, yet Frank Wyatt
and Stan Whitaker seem to be reborn."
Read the entire review
from iO Pages reviewer
René Yedema.
Dutch, English
"Jetzt muss ich noch was zu den Parallelen zu
Happy The Man loswerden. Natürlich hört man dem Album an, wo es
herkommt. Das mir bisher vorliegende Happy The Man Debüt jedenfalls
wirkt dennoch weniger zugänglich, teilweise auch weniger
ausgeglichen als Oblivion Sun. In einer Metapher gesprochen: Vom
Baum zum Möbel. Soll heißen: Oblivion Sun ist die Variante für die,
die Echtholzmöbel lieben, Naturfreunde gehen dann doch lieber in den
Wald." Thorsten Gürntke
Babyblaue
Prog Reviews
"This album was
a great surprise. Especially the fun and pleasure these guys must
have had during the recording process really comes across."
Leo Koperdraat,
DPRP
"Oblivion Sun is a move forward for these talented musicians, but
it is in line with what can be expected from them and, in my
opinion, this is a good thing." Read entire review at
ProGGnosis.com
"A clear winner for Happy the Man fans and fans of superior
symphonic rock and beyond." Read more at
Waysidemusic.com
"Happy The Man may be gone but they live on with Oblivion Sun.
You won't be disappointed." Read more at
TheLasersEdge.com
"Oblivion Sun bravely takes the torch from classic progressive
rock bands....and is now offering its own take on it [but] you won't
find the extended [song] lengths typical of progressive music. It
says something that Oblivion Sun could capture the glory of prog
rock...without diluting or unnaturally condensing the sound."
Kristopher Upjohn - Pinebluff Commerical, Pinebluff, AR
The members of Oblivion Sun play like they’ve been together for
years. Oblivion Sun is an accessible record that should please young
and old progheads alike. - Michael Popke,
Sea of Tranquility.org
"Tales of Young Whales"...sees Whitaker pulling off a monumental
solo that will leave fans of Allan Holdsworth smiling mightily.This
is one great debut. - Pete Pardo,
Sea of Tranquility.org
"I love prog rock when it is the real thing, and these guys are
the real thing." - Simon Barrett,
Blogger
News Network"
"Finally, a band that knows how to create contemporary
Moog-fueled progressive rock just like the masters used to
make." - Jeffery Morgan, Village Voice and Detroit's
Metro Times
"2007 release by this Happy The Man offshoot is all HTM fans
had hoped for! Will there ever be another HTM studio album? I
don't know but I can say that it a l m o s t doesn't matter!"
- ZNR Records.
Read entire review here.
"Oblivion
Sun have served up a 9-track/45 min slice of essential symphonic
prog that tips it's hat to it's past, yet forges ahead towards,
hopefully, a bright future. Highly recommended."
Progressive Ears
"This is a stunning release from some of
Americas best musicians. They deliver the gods with great
conviction. It will for sure blow you away. The amazing compositions
run from complex to beautiful sounding, easy to full speed."
-
Prog Planet (Album of the month, Feb 2008!)
"It is a great album, with many superb themes
and the talent
of these musicians are quite remarkable, as every tune, every
arrangement, perfect production and delivery are top notch!"
-
Prog Planet
"Oblivion Sun have put together a remarkable
debut. This is a band, as all members really stand out over the
course of the CD. I am thanking my lucky stars that Frank Wyatt and
Stan Whitaker decided to continue to make music, and took the time
to find the right musicians to join them. Oblivion Sun have created
music that is exciting, fresh, melodic, and played to perfection. I
can't wait to hear more!" -
Progressive World
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