There are only one or two symphonic rock bands that can get away with incorporating flute and strings into their music. The obvious are Camel and Kayak. The Norwegian Pictorial Wand`s `A Sleepers Awakening` opens with a track that breathes the afore mentioned bands atmosphere.

A calm, soundscapeish intro with flute followed by a narrator (this double album is a conceptual piece) and gentle acoustic guitars. With the second track the power increases. Again Kayak comes into mind. The choruses are slightly more poppy, but the expressive vocal melodies are close to the ‘Nostradamus’ album. I refer to the Dutch symphonic rockers to give you an idea of the sound of Pictorial Wand. Not because I consider the band to be a copy cat.
What amazes me is that this double album turned out to be a debut of a solo artist. The man plays guitars and synthesizers. He was wise enough though to ask a couple of guest musicians to help him out on his grand adventure. There are a few vocalists, amongst whom three female singers.

What strikes me is the fact that the vocals are well chosen. They truly fit the music and each other. I remember some Ayreon albums where the huge contrast in the vocal range was somewhat disturbing.
Another thing I would like to point out is the compositions. The music stands out because Pictorial Wand sets one certain atmosphere for each and every track. Some of you might consider this to be boring, I prefer it over the ever-changing moods and melodies with which most progressive bands try to distinguish themselves. There are few things I’m not that fond of. The structure of the album as an entirety could have been slightly better as could the narrator sections. The sound quality is slightly lacking in the dynamics, although I must admit that the somewhat high levels suit the compositions well.

Overall a pretty good album with enough room for improvement. Already looking forward to the second album.