My personal preferences aside, the second ‘solo’ album by Sun Caged guitarist Marcel Coenen isn’t all that bad. Coenen himself states that ‘Color Journey’ is very diverse. Lion Music adds: ‘this album will take the listener through many musical landscapes’. So it does. As a matter of fact, at times one almost gets the feeling of listening to a compilation album, and just that is what I generally don’t like. The contribution of an entire army of vocalists doesn’t help here either, specially considering the fact that hardly any are very impressive.

Despite the fact that this album has got guitar written all over it, the main instrument never dominates in a negative way, that’s a good thing! Coenen tried to make an album which showed more of his song writing qualities than his guitar skills. In my opinion both are pretty well balanced.
‘Waiting’ is the strange title of the opening track, a power metal composition that truly kicks in.

Not a bad track, but nothing special either. In my opinion the instrumental compositions on ‘Color Journey’ easily top all the other songs. ‘La Bella Mira’ is a fine example of the music I for one can listen to all day. Why this one is followed by the loudest, most noisy and slightly crappy track ‘Traumatized to the Bone’ is a complete mystery and cruelly interrupts the pleasure I found on my journey.

One thing more I dislike about this release is the way in which Coenen combines short staccato guitars combined with stretched vocals. Like on ‘Patron Saint’ to name one. Overall I feel that everybody will be able to pick out three or four songs that they really like. I think that there will be hardly anyone that will enjoy the entire album.