August Life

11/01/2026

A very nice review by Toine van Poorten of truemetalfan.org on Passage Of Time:

AUGUST LIFE - Passage of Time (No Dust Records)

The world is on fire and we're swamped by rage and flood in a society, where AI rules. Worst of it all, there is almost no time left to turn the tide. That's what I see, when I look at the cover of the brand new AUGUST LIFE album "Passage Of Time", which is worthy of eight songs and over fifty minutes of progressive metal. How to put these lyrical thoughts into a musical epos would almost be impossible. However, you can leave that up to AUGUST LIFE. They have the power to deliver their message in a way the fans understand what they are talking about.

Opener "Guidelines" has got the key to start this magical process. They mix their influences of QUEENSRYCHE and SAVATAGE together and spend enough time and space to let the lyrics do the talking. Their musical style is somewhat progressive, although it's not over the top. DREAM THEATER and even RUSH fans can dig in without hesitation. There is so much happening here, that even the most dedicated fans are excited to hear more. Just listen to the instrumental parts, in which drummer Richard van Leeuwen accelerates at times in a very impressive Neil Peart-kind of way. There is plenty of room for Gert Nijboer on guitars and Rene Kroon on keyboards to show their skills. It also never gets a one man's show, because the aforementioned lyrics ask for some attention as well, done by Bryan Ketelaars in his own, very impressive kind of way. Before you know it, the first twelve minutes of these first "Guidelines" are over.

They don't always need twelve plus minutes to say what's on their mind. Some songs are pretty compact, too, like "Blackened Ground", which starts off with the sound of sirens. The speed change is coming in a very natural way and the short exploding guitar eruption doesn't distract the listener from the stomping rhythm at all. This song has got a slightly catchy drive, which makes it very easy on the ears. Clearly, there's only one conclusion: all that's left behind is the blackened ground that we stand upon. However, this negative perspective is brought to you in a very powerful way.

Next up is the beautiful title track "Passage Of Time", in which the spirit of SAVATAGE (think of "When The Crowds Are Gone") is moving about. AUGUST LIFE wouldn't be AUGUST LIFE, if they would not add an adventurous mood change to it, which also turns up the speed a bit in this song. The very melodic guitar solo is packed with a lot of emotion, while the lyrics are telling the story and lift it up to a much higher level. There's a rather messy closure at the end, in which Gert Nijboer is struggling to stop his guitar from playing, before it rolls over into the groovy start of "Constructing Monsters".

The instrumental part in this song sounds truly impressive. It also contains a spoken word part. "Tidal Waves" on the other hand has a bit more room for the keyboards and it sounds slightly doomy, because of the slower pace. "Lost In Nothing" starts off with the sound of a piano and when the rest of the band is doing their thing, you will probably think again of SAVATAGE, which is no surprise at all. This is only for a short while, because this lengthy track contains a lot of RAINBOW (Graham Bonnet era) influences, mainly because of the voice of singer Bryan Ketelaars. The instrumental part near the end sounds absolutely mind-blowing, in which the band shows their musical muscles. In my thoughts, I am entering the DIO-era of RAINBOW, where lengthy instrumental extravagances were pretty usual.

The waves that are approaching now are matching very well with the title of the next track, which is called "The Water". Think of acoustic guitars, think of harmony vocals, think of YES or even PINK FLOYD or the acoustic songs of early URIAH HEEP and you will get close to what this lengthy song is all about. And when you think, that this dreamy song is over, you'd better think again. The only thing, that's left after the flood, is the sound of birds and everything else has gone. "Air To Breathe" is a reflection of all of the above, pushed into a two minute bonus track, where the soul of PINK FLOYD is wandering around, too. It will make you feel completely zen and ready for more AUGUST LIFE songs.

AUGUST LIFE is standing lonely at the top of the Dutch progressive and melodic metal. But guess what?!? This CD can be played in January, February, March, April, Mai, June, July, September, October, November and December and it's is not strictly limited to the month August alone. That's what I would call value for money. The vinyl version of the album is pressed in a beautiful darker blue vinyl album, but it missed the short bonus track at the end. Still it's a must have item for your collection.

AUGUST LIFE consists of Bryan Ketelaars on vocals, Gert Nijboer on guitars, Harry den Hartog on bass, Rene Kroon on keyboards and Richard van Leeuwen on drums.

Website: https://www.augustlife.nl and https://www.facebook.com/augustlifeband. No Dust Records: https://www.nodustrecords.com

(9,2/10- Toine van Poorten)