We're extremely happy to announce that we have found a new vocalist in the person of Raymond Vermij!
Together with Raymond we're working on new material and we are looking forward to a long and fruitful cooperation. Raymond will introduce himself soon, both on the website as live on stage in January!
Preceded and inspired by the likes of Marillion, Rush, Riverside and Pink Floyd, Sound Of Strangers set out in 2016 to establish themselves as a new household name in modern (progressive) rock music.
Founded by Serge Mannee and completed by Paul Peperkamp, Henk Zorge, Paul Krempel and Oscar Alblas, Sound Of Strangers have now finished their debut album “Crossing Borders”. The album was mixed and mastered by Jeffrey Revet (Stream Of Passion) and will be released on 21 May, 2023 through Dutch Music Works.
With “Crossing Borders”, Sound Of Strangers present the first chapter in their career as a band. It's a seven-song salute to five decades of symphonic and (neo-)progressive rock - yet at the same time the album offers a glimpse of what is to come for both Sound Of Strangers and the progressive/symphonic rock genre in general.
After years of honing their craft by performing classic songs from the symphonic rock catalogue, Sound Of Strangers are now ready to leave the musical past behind and step into the musical present with their first collection of original songs, entitled “Crossing Borders”.
The music and lyrics on “Crossing Borders” have been carefully crafted and recorded between 2020 and 2022. Thematically, the album revolves around a migrant family and relates of the hardships they endure during their travels, as well as their thoughts on past, present and future. Musically, it stretches all the way from soaring guitar solos and powerful grooves to warm-blooded melodies and mesmerizing polyrhythms.
For Sound Of Strangers, “Crossing Borders” marks both their official debut as a band and a paradigm shift in their collective career due to various lineup changes taking place during or shortly after the recording sessions. However, with the addition of Oscar Alblas (Kong) and Ron Mozer (Ulysses, For Absent Friends), Sound Of Strangers now have a combined 100 years of live and studio experience, thus guaranteeing memorable live shows and loads of epic music to come.
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Hi everybody, just as we introduced all other band members earlier this year here the introduction of our new singer Raymond in the same vein:
Name:
Raymond Vermij
Instrument:
Vocals, tambourine, shaker, egg-shaker
Musical Influences:
Kinks, BeeGees , Eagles, Elton…
We're extremely happy to announce that we have found a new vocalist in the person of Raymond Vermij!
Together with Raymond we're working on new material and we are looking forward to a long and fruitful cooperation. Raymond will introduce…
Read more
The last - but not the least - member we'd like to introduce to you is the lead guitarist, Paul Krempel.
Name:
Paul Krempel
Instrument:
Guitar, synth pedals and backing vocals
Musical influences:
Rush, Marillion, Kansas, Pink Floyd and many…
The fourth member of the band we introduce is the latest addition in the line-up, Ron Mozer.
Name:
Ron Mozer
Instrument:
Keyboards
Musical influences:
I do like a lot of Genesis, Marillion ,IQ and other prog/symfo bands, but the list…
The third member and the first Paul to introduce is Paul Peperkamp, the band's bass player.
Name:
Paul Peperkamp
Instrument:
Bass guitar, bass pedals, backing vocals
Musical influences:
Rush, Led Zeppelin, Genesis and many many more!
Former/Other bands:
Several musical…
The second band member we'd like to introduce to you is our drummer, Oscar
Name:
Oscar Alblas
Instrument:
drums & percussion
Musical Influences:
Terry Bozzio, Dark Fortress, Guano Apes, Laberinto, Nynke Laverman, Meshuggah, Porcupine Tree, Eefje de…
Sound of Strangers will be interviewed at length at the Prog ‘n’ Roll radio show @ progrock.com Sunday 14 May. And of course you can listen to a couple of tracks from their upcoming album ‘Crossing Borders’.
Watch here the…
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21 May 2023 promises to become a memorable milestone in the history of Sound of Strangers. The debut album ‘Crossing Borders’ will be officially released! The album is the result of all the hard work the band has carried out…
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Sound Of Strangers' singer/guitarist and frontman Serge has decided to leave the band due to personal circumstances.
Serge has brought this band together and has contributed greatly to our upcoming album. We are incredibly grateful for this and wish him…
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Calling the faithful……grab a coffee and have a read…it’s a long one…
So where do we stand?
It was the begin of June that our keyboardist Henk had to leave us due to other directions and other blooming things in…
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DPRP [8 out of 10]
"...Crossing Borders is a very good debut album from Sound Of Strangers. The music certainly is neo-prog, and it transports you back to the days of eighties Marillion and Pink Floyd. [...] Sound Of Strangers is a welcome addition to the Dutch progressive rock scene..."
Full review read here.
MLWZ [---]
'...The whole album is balanced, with no weak points, and I am sure that the music we are dealing with on it will elevate this album to one of the top progressive rock debuts of 2023..."
Full review [in Polish] read here.
PROFILPROG [8,3 out of 10]
"... Sound of Strangers does well in melodic neo prog rock with pleasant hints of IQ, RUSH [and others]; after having sharpened their ranges for two years on classic prog themes. [...] A good album which is almost funny where the captivating melodies could be even more accentuated, but we remain on melodic neo-prog...
Fulle review [in French] read here.
PROGWERELD [---]
"...In short, Sound of Strangers has made a fine record with "Crossing Borders". [...] Those who like 'accessible' neo-prog with a 90s feel really have an excellent album in their hands with "Crossing Borders"....
Full review (in Dutch) read here.
PROGRESSIVE EARS [---]
"...I would describe them as neo prog era. It definitely touches my nostalgic prog button from that era, and it's done very well, without sounding dated. Nothing groundbreaking, but for me, I like how they sound, and the writing/performance...
Full review read here.
SEA OF TRANQUILITY [4 out 5 stars]
"...It’s unavoidable to talk of Crossing Borders and not highlight its clear love of early neo-prog bands such as IQ, Pendragon, Pallas and especially the first two-album era of Marillion, but it’s all done with such an honesty and clarity that instead of feeling like a collection of retreaded ideas, what Sound of Strangers have done here is to simply and expertly celebrate a time in music they clearly love...
Full review read here.
