"Nine Paths"is the fifth album (4 studio, 1 live) from the Dutch Prog Rockers KNIGHT AREA. Having only formed in 2004, the band has already churned out a lot of high quality music. Described as a combination of Retro-Prog and Neo-Prog, they show the best of both of these genres with a 70s / 80s vibe, and a lot of emotion put into the lyrics and music.

The first thing that struck me as I was listening to this album was how talented every musician in the band is. They all get their time to shine on this CD, even the drummer, Pieter van Hoorn who gets a little solo after the end of the last song, "Angel's Call". Keyboardists certainly aren't a rare thing in the world of Prog Rock, but the work of Gerben Klazinga is something to be admired. Mark Smit's vocals are also very impressive, always conveying the right amount of emotion and power that the lyrics call for. A brilliant example of this is the ballad of the album, "Please Come Home", where he duets with Charlotte Wessels of the Prog Metal band DELAIN. Smit puts his all into every word of this track, and I think it is the stand out song of the album. Last, but by no means least, the fretwork of Mark Vermeule (guitar) and Gijs Koopman (bass) really brings the album together.

There are only two songs on "Nine Paths" which are shorter than 5 minutes - "Clueless" and "Pride And Joy". The first song I mentioned is a solid offering, despite being one of the shortest, and manages to stay true to the Prog spirit of the album. "Pride And Joy" is a very short instrumental, at only 2 minutes and 43 seconds, but it's got a good tune to it, and it breaks up the album nicely, maybe allowing more casual listeners of the genre to not be overwhelmed. "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.

"Nine Paths"is a very solid offering from KNIGHT AREA, sixty minutes of good Prog music. I wouldn't recommend to anyone who wasn't already a fan of the genre, but those who are, and those who are fans of the band, should definitely check this out.