8Weekly
Nine Paths staat bol van de energie, het spelplezier spettert uit de boxen en de sound klinkt volwassener dan ooit. De toegankelijkheid voor het grotere publiek zit hem vooral tussen de noten: dat wil zeggen dat het niet direct aanwijsbaar is maar wel voelbaar en hoorbaar. De kwaliteit die Knight Area ten toon spreidt is wederom van een internationale klasse, die met de toegenomen toegankelijkheid alleen maar kan leiden tot een groter verdiend succes.
Classic Rock Magazine
But there’s just something about Knight Area’s music that is truly mesmerising. Endearingly, their sound isn’t cynically contrived but genuinely created with a passionate ambition. Succinctly put, the undeniable brilliance of Nine Paths vastly outweighs their floodlit flaws.
ProgWereld
Het mag duidelijk zijn dat KA met “Nine Paths” zijn basisprincipes niet overboord heeft gezet. De composities zijn zoals altijd beresterk, we krijgen ook hier oorstrelende gitaarsolo’s en meer dan ooit wervelende toetsentapijtjes te horen. Ook de vertrouwde maar ook nieuwe Taurus Pedals horen we regelmatig langskomen. Mark Smit zet wat mij betreft zijn beste prestatie ooit neer en een belangrijk pluspunt over het geheel is dat “Nine Paths” productioneel aanzienlijk beter klinkt dan zijn voorgangers.
Ytsejam
Like Dream Theater without the blatant metal mantra, Spock’s Beard focused on prog, throwing the pop aside – Knight Area have built themselves on the all auras of art rock, taking the classic heyday ideology into modern schematics as they have heralded the next wave of true prog. Another Job well done!
Underground Empire
Es wäre den Niederländern zu vergönnen, wenn sie damit so etwas wie ihr ›Kayleigh‹ feiern könnten, um eventuell auf diesem Weg die ihnen schon längst zustehenden Lorbeeren einfahren zu können. Absolut empfehlenswert!
OOR
Nee, over Knight Area hoeven we ons geen zorgen te maken. Die vinden op eigen kracht feilloos de weg omhoog!
DPRP
With one or two exceptions Nine Paths is another triumph for Knight Area with the stunning Eversince You Killed Me and The River easily compensating for the disappointing Please Come Home. The former in particular is reminiscent of Marillion, Pendragon and IQ at their classic best. In between the songs are diverse and tuneful with a variety of inventive guitar and synth exchanges to keep prog aficionados satisfied.
Zware Metalen
Als het nog niet duidelijk was dat Knight Area goed bezig is, dan is het dat nu met Nine Paths wel. Uitstekende progressieve rock/metal van eigen bodem en absoluut aan te raden.
Prog Archives
Despite ‘Nine Paths’ being their fourth studio release to date, I have never heard of Knight Area before, and this album has proved to be something of an introduction for me to the group’s music. This melodic trend in prog rock has been around for quite a while, and as any dedicated progger will tell you; there is a wide range of opinions that fans have about this. All the same, Knight Area approaches their sound confidently, and churns out an impressive batch of songs, or ‘paths’ here. A great album, follow its path!
Metal Temple
“Nine Paths” has very high production values, with a very crisp and clear sound to it. The four studio albums from this band have been produced in a very short time, but it is clear that they have learnt a lot from their time in the studio, and produce this good quality album.
Rock Report
The new album counts nine (long) songs and on one of them, “Please Come Home”, we can hear Charlotte Wessels from Delain duetting with Smit. A nice track, but the album as a whole is a pleasant one altogether. So, if you like neo-prog as much as I do, you can’t do wrong by checking out this Dutch band in the vein of IQ, Marillion and Pendragon.
Alternative Matter
Nine Paths is a very solid album in the best symphonic/progressive rock tradition. Most of the songs are a joy to listen to and they’re brought with pride and conviction.
Prog Archives
If you like progressive rock like it used to be (i.e. complex and elaborated, yet accessible and melodic), Nine Paths is an excellent pick. One of the best records from 2011.
Prog Rock Music Talk
Knight Area’s fourth studio album, Nine Paths, is an affectionate throw back to the best of early 70s prog rock. That is not to say that the album feels dated. The smooth production and flawless mixing give the album a decidedly contemporary sound that is to be experienced as much as listened to. If Dream Theater, early Rush and pre-90125 Yes had a baby, it would sound a lot like Knight Area.
Rock Portaal
Wat meteen opvalt is de ruimte die het complete instrumentarium krijgt. En die ruimte nemen vooral Gerben Klazinga op keyboards en Mark Vermeule op gitaar. Wanneer je daarnaast Gijs Koopman op bass en Pieter van Hoorn op drums inzet voor een stevige basis hoeft Mark Smit met zijn vocalen het geheel alleen maar af te maken.
Beholder Media
As stated before, this is progressive rock in the style of the 60s and 70s (think Rush, Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd, etc.) and man is it good. With classic songwriting and soaring melodies, “Nine Paths” is an impressive album. Also commendable are their laid-back music rhythms which barely exist in prog these days. It’s the kind of music you can smoke a joint to (if that’s your thing), and lie on the patio to while looking at the stars. It’s fairly chill stuff and its elegance is unmatched – exactly what the genre needs.
Background Magazine
On their fourth studio album Knight Area again produced a high international level of progressive rock music. They can easily compete with all the big names in the prog rock scene. Nine Paths is highly recommended to people who love the music of Pallas, Pendragon, Arena, Genesis and Yes. I think Nine Paths is a superb album that must be heard by all people who call themselves prog heads.
Sea of Tranquility
As ever Pieter van Hoorn (drums) and Gijs Koopman (bass and Taurus pedals) hit home hard with their rock solid approach, although neither is constrained into their positions, with room to roam and flourish given and taken in abundance. Add to that the ever so sweet vocals of Smit – think a less easy-ozy Yogi Lang (RPWL) – and there’s simply no denying that Knight Area have conjured up a glorious concoction capable of beguiling and captivating those of a traditional, Neo and Metal Prog nature. Delain vocalist Charlotte Wessels shows up to embellish to heady potion on “Please Come Home”, but in truth you don’t need any other reason to invest in this album other than its sheer class and beauty.
Media Mikes
“Nine Paths” is a blistering assault on the musical senses as the album covers a variety of sounds that all may not be heard without multiple listenings. The album was one part Dream Theater and one part Europe. Mark Smit has a very melodic sounding voice that lends itself very well alongside the key work Gerben Klazinga on tracks such as “The River”.While songs like “Pride and Joy” feature the fantastic bass and guitar grooves of Gijs Koopman and Mark Vermeule. Though the album is a progressive rock album there was a very jazz/easy listening element to the album which I thought was an interesting approach.