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BLACK SABBATH - Black Sabbath (1970)

Sun, 5 Jul 2009 08:26:26 -0500

This debut album by Black Sabbath titled Black Sabbath is not a progressive album, but it has some progressive elements. What they did was take jazz, blues and hard rock to make something that nobody had ever heard before and make one of the most influential albums and become one of the most influential bands across Metal, Hard Rock and Progressive Rock Genres.

Black Sabbath, The title track and one of the best tracks on the album. The riffs in the song are incredible. The mood this song creates is fantastic and really prepares you for the rest of the album. This song really picks up at 4.34, moving into a faster tempo and then finishes with a bang. (10/10)

The Wizard, Starts with some very nice harmonica playing by Ozzy. Its a very bluesy / hard rock song. I also really enjoy the drum fills in this song.(8/10)

Wasp/Behind the wall of sleep/Bassicaly/N.I.B, This song is my favourite song on the album. It has a very cool bass solo to kick off N.I.B. The riffs in this song blow me away, the music is just awesome, its Iommi, Butler and Ward at there best.(10/10)

Wicked World, This song is just another great rock song with jazzy influences mainly on the drums. I really enjoy this song, i love the flat sounding bass under the riff, and the soft guitar part that leads into the solo.(9/10)

A Bit of Finger/Sleeping Village/Warning, The longest song on the album lasting 14.32 minutes long. This song has many great musical passeges and has loads of Iommi solo's, and as like the rest of the album the bass and drum work is great.(9/10)

This is just a awesome album and sould be enjoyed by all. 5 stars

by Mitch17

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TANGERINE DREAM - Tyger (1987)

Sun, 5 Jul 2009 07:03:29 -0500

Vocals are back on this TD album!

Female ones this time, and not bad at all if you would listen to the music without knowing who is playing.

If you close your eyes, attempts to listen to the music, you might be OK during the opening "Tyger" which virtually features crystal clear vocals (but no more). But gosh! The words recitation during "London" (almost fifteen minutes) is quite disturbing. It is definitely better when the instrumentation takes over (even if the band already signed better tracks, for sure).

Luckily enough, the "Alchemy Of The Heart" works fine. A full ambient and new age track which brings a lot of tranquil mood and some truly peaceful moments. By far my favourite here. Is this an indication? It is fully instrumental?and profoundly moving.

It's a kind of mixed bag feeling while listening to this album. Some parts are good, others much, much less. And I'm still not convinced about the vocal affair. Instrumental parts are the best ones and even if " 21st Century Common Man" is not their best track ever, it offers good upbeat moments.

Five out of ten for this "Tyger". Three stars.

by ZowieZiggy

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GAZPACHO - Tick Tock (2009)

Sun, 5 Jul 2009 06:17:25 -0500

GAZPACHO's new concept album worked out with profound songwriting skills once more and focussed on Jan-Henrik Ohme's sensitive vocals as usual. The band remains on the common melancholic, heart-wrenching attitude reminding me of the band 'Talk Talk' here and there, where the opener Desert Flight makes out the exception with a more heavy rocking behaviour in the whole. The well accentuated use of cello, flute and piano/organ/Mellotron adds is bringing richness to the sound.

The starting song fades into the first part of the epic The Walk consisting of a fine floating part with an oriental feeling - very impressing. By the way - this is an example that GAZPACHO's music is even working without O's vocals being dominant always. A tick-tock is present all over on the title track of course. Here we have a tension-filled epic full of diversified ingredients mixing up rocking, grooving, spacey floating, atmospheric and balladesque parts in a convincing way - chamber/opera impressions (cello, vocals) and Mellotron included. Winter is Never finally appears with melancholy pure initiated by a surprising electronical touch.

GAZPACHO again prove the ability to compose subtle well structured songs. It looks like they are having an unexhaustible reservoir of ideas and inspiration. All the instruments are perfectly appointed without any exception. This album is full of wonderful melodic themes suitable for laid back situations in your life. 4 stars because of the title track masterpiece which at least should be tried out with headphones on.

by Rivertree

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ISIS - In The Absence Of Truth (2006)

Sun, 5 Jul 2009 04:23:50 -0500

In The Absence Of Truth is the fourth full-length studio album by American post metal/ experimental metal act Isis. The album was released on the 30th of October 2006 through Ipecac Recordings and produced by Isis and Matt Bayles.

The music further explores the direction that Isis began on Oceanic (2002) and later perfected on Panopticon (2004) Which means post metal with heavy slow riffs and mellow atmospheric post rock sections. This time the vocals are mostly clean sung though and the shouting aggressive vocals are pretty sparse. The same can be said about the amount of heavy post metal parts compared to the amount of atmospheric post rock parts. While the distribution on Oceanic (2002) was 70% heavy riffs and 30% atmospheric riffs and the distribution on Panopticon (2004) was 50% heavy riffs and 50% atmospheric riffs the scale has tipped even more on In The Absence Of Truth as the distribution is now 30% heavy riffs and 70% atmospheric riffs. This will probably please some and annoy others. I enjoy that Isis has made an album that doesn�t sound exactly like its predecessors. The clean vocals are not the most convincing I�ve heard though and a bit more practise in that department could have propelled this album to a higher state. One of the things I enjoy greatly on In The Absence Of Truth is the drumming by Aaron Harris which got an almost tribal like feel to them at times ( think Tool). The songs are generally pretty long and slow building which is business as usual for Isis.

The production is a bit warmer than on previous releases.

While it�s obvious that Isis still kneel at the altar of Neurosis and probably always will, I find that the music on In The Absence Of Truth explores new ground too and Isis is still a very worthy listen for fans of the genre. My rating is somewhere between 3.5 - 4 stars but I�ll round it up to 4 stars as this album is certainly way too accomplished to receive a 3 star rating even though it�s not flawless by any means.

by UMUR

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BARRETT, SYD - The Madcap Laughs (1970)

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 23:02:17 -0500

"The Madcap Laughs" was Syd's debut album released in January of 1970.The whimsical poet is helped by his former PINK FLOYD mates Roger Waters and David Gilmour,while SOFT MACHINE members(1969) also help out on two tracks. "Terrapin" is a catchy and relaxed tune with the focus on Syd's vocals.This is the longest track as well. "No Good Trying" is a top three for me mainly because of the instrumental work of the SOFT MACHINE members.Ratledge's fuzzed out organ and Wyatt's drumming talents really add a lot while Hopper's bass is also prominant. "Love You" opens with strummed guitar before vocals,drums and piano take over.Some silly lyrics here. "No Man's Land" is another top three with SOFT MACHINE backing up.This is darker and the guitar by Barrett sounds excellent.I can picture Wyatt pounding away.Spoken words after 2 minutes. "Dark Globe" features Syd crying out the lyrics as he strums his guitar. "Here I Go" is a catchy little tune that reminds me of Kevin Ayers. "Octopus" has some energy as Syd strums his guitar and sings with passion. "Golden Hair" is slower paced and kind of dark with reserved vocals.I like it! This is my other top three tune. "Long Gone" is another great track with those organ runs and psychedelic lyrics. The next three tracks all feature vocals and acoustic guitar leading the way.The final track is "Late Night" and it's better than the last three.Electric guitar,light drums and vocals all sound really good here. A special album from a very special and talented man.Easily 4 stars

by sinkadotentree

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TANGERINE DREAM - Green Desert (1986)

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 21:32:46 -0500

This album IS another great feature of the huge and great TD discography.

Some sort of a lost gem of the seventies, released much later (but who knows!). The music which is experienced here is just SOMPTUOUS, GORGEOUS, MARVELOUS.

The title track is a pure beauty from second one to the latest. An absolute masterpiece to be honest. This is quite an astonishing band! Having released so many good albums out of an impressive range (over twenty so far).

Chapeau. Hats off. These are the only words that reflects my genuine feel about TD.

I wouldn't argue of when the original work was "invented" or released. The only aspect which is worth mentioning is that this album is just EXTRAORDINARY. The beautiful musical landscapes, the impressive wall of synths (still very much proggy during the first two pieces of music).

I am just found of "Green Desert" and "White Clouds". Much more than any songs from "Tangram" onwards. But of course, I'm fu**ing biased by all means. I am just deeply in love with these inhuman but so enjoyable beats. And "Astral Voyager" is just excellent.

Should this be compared with some lost jewel??? Oh dear! Yes!!!

This IS absolute wonder and joy. A glorious TD album. Maybe one of their best which can definitely compete with "Rubycon". Which is my all time fave from this great band.

The music proposed here is so WONDERFUL, it is so HUGE. Damned!!!

This is worth six stars or near. Just listen to the wonderful beauty of "Indian Summer". An outstanding number, a passionate release, a miracle of a melody, an endless refreshment, an absolute beauty.

What else can I bloody say?

This is an ENORMOUS prog release. No words as in my old time fave "Genesis", no great guitar as in my old time fave Floydean times, no crazyness as with Crimson, no dementia as with Tull, no such a complexity as my dear "Yes". More than this.

This album is just a MASTERPIECE. And you know that I am quite reluctant to give a five star rating. "Indian Summer" is a piece of music I can enjoy for HOURS. Listening to it in some kind of a loop.

WONDERFUL. GIANT. MIRACLE. ESTUPENDO. FANTASTIQUE. UITSTEKEND. EXTRAORDINAIRE.

by ZowieZiggy

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MESHUGGAH - Chaosphere (1998)

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 21:06:00 -0500

Ah yes, Chaosphere. Honestly, the name of the album is really the best way to describe it. A sphere of chaos...that's certainly what your head might feel like! Perhaps their most brutal album, this is the true transition point in the Meshuggah discography. While it has still has a thrashy feel, overall it is slower and except for the solos, the jazz fusion has been dropped. Instead it has been replaced with pure brutality. The riffs are heavy beyond imagination, atonal, pounding and does not let up from start to finish. Also, this is where Meshuggah started moving in the technical direction we now know.

The time signatures and all over the place and vary greatly, even in one song! The guitars may be playing in 5/16 or 17/16 while the drums are in 4/4 and the time signatures change wildly throughout the song. The amazing thing is, it all melts together! Despite all that madness when it comes together it flows like a regular 4/4!

Perhaps to a simple music lover this will seem off beat, chaotic, and terrible. No doubt it takes a higher musical mind to truly enjoy this album. If you can really grasp WHAT the band is doing then this album is a gem. Despite its crazy rhythms and time signatures it all adds up in the end. This album is a mathematical masterpiece of music. Never thought an equation could sound so good!

Before I get into the actual songs, if you are a drummer then you must listen to this album for Haake's drumming! This is where he showcases his true skill. He can play a simple 4/4 beat with the cymbal and snare, yet play in 23/16 with the bass drums! Not to mention the stop and go/technical beats he lays down with the bass. The man must have 2 brains I swear.

Concatenation. A brutal song. Starts right out with the crushing riff. It sounds like a wall of noise. Get used to it. We also Haake's technical, off beat drumming and Jens violent vocals. The middle section has a jazz inspired solo by Fredrik, being played over an absolutely brutal rhythm guitar.

New Millennium Cyanide Christ. One of their most famous songs, and one of my favorites. This song is the epitome of Meshuggah. A 4/4 cymbal rhythm over a 23/16 with the kicks, being followed by the crushing guitars. There are 5 measures in 23/16, 1 in 13/16, 9 in 3/8 and 1 in 5/8. That adds up to 64/16 OR 16 measures in 4/4!

Corridor of Chameleons. Another wonderfully brutal song with some pounding, driving bass drum work from Haake. Of course there is an awesome Fredrik solo and some manic screaming.

Neurotica. A slower, cool sounding intro with some nice bass. The next riff is really cool and sounds like it is falling off. Overall, a slower song that sounds really cool.

The Mouth Licking What You've Bled. My second favorite from the album. An insane intro quickly followed more heaviness and Haake's now famous off beat drumming. These continue throughout the song. This song has a great solo, and at :54 is one of the most intense parts, ever.

Sane. This song has one of the coolest sounding drum beats ever. It sounds reversed...there is a continuous double bass with out of whack drumming on top. God knows what signature he is playing in. After the solo there is a long, slower section and at 2:45 is one of the most sections yet!

The Exquisite Machinery of Torture. A slow, heavy intro which is soon followed by almost rap like vocals. Really great sounding. One of the most unique solos on the album is in this song.

Elastic. Ah, what is prog without a 15 minute song? This is a true progressive song with the riffs and flow changing throughout, and some nice solos. A really slow, creepy section kicks in after 4:00 and at 6:00 things really get messed up. The next 5 minutes is just a noise. A noise that will consume your soul and make most go into a mental breakdown. Then in the blink of an eye a true wall of madness barrages you. It is EVERY song on the album being played at once. Pure madness!

What to say? This is an amazing album. This is only for metal heads, the regular progger should stay FAR away. Every song is good, but none really stand out. They all sound similar, and have a similar feel. While it's good, not diverse....therefore this album can not get a 5. If you take the vocals, and pure brutality this album is a must have for most prog-metal fans. 4 stars

by JJLehto

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PARSONS PROJECT, ALAN - Eye In The Sky (1982)

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 19:49:42 -0500

APP's music never quite moved me (not even their acclaimed debut). And ultimately, I can only say that rhe worse ("Eve") was mixed with the weak ("Turn of a Friendly Card").

This one just lying in between (at best). An ultra popular hit with the title track and some pleasant pop melodies to listen to ("Children of the Moon"). Now, to tell you that these belong to the prog Walhalla would be quite in excess. Just average, and bear in mind that they do count amongst the "best" ones featured here.

The major problem is when the "project" would like to sound more complex like during the pompous "Silence And I", I would have wished more silence?This is some kind of poor attempts on a more developed song.

If you would like to experience the worse from this album (which is plenty), you'll just have to avoid the press next exercise while listening to the dreadful "You're Gonna Get Your Fingers Burned" (but "Psychobabble" is just on par unfortunately). Gosh! What an experience!

The major problem when you are pointing some poor tracks, is that it is almost a neverending story ("Mammagamma" etc.).

Actually, this album leans severely with the one star rating as far as I'm concerned. But 57% of the reviewers do rate this album as either a masterpiece of PROG music or an excellent addition to any prog rock music collection.

My HHO is that it only worth two stars. And I'm generous in terms of prog here.

by ZowieZiggy

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KAYAK - Periscope Life (1980)

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 19:00:01 -0500

This album is in line with most of the band's work.

Pleasant and easy listening prog-pop music. Crafted vocal harmonies, nice melodies, performing keys by Ton Scherpenheuvel and a global fine feeling.

But this has already been the case for several albums and actually, it is a bit of the same meal which is served here. Record after record. My absolute fave from "Kayak" being their debut of course, which was followed by a bunch of good albums.

I would include this one on the same level even if there are hardly one great song included. But there aren't any poor ones either, so!

It is hard to write a long review about this album: the music is simple, at times catchy (mostly vocals) and very much easy listening. Just grab a bunch of friends around the fireplace, get another bunch of drinks, talk about nice souvenirs and here you go!

Quite a decent work finally. Three stars.

by ZowieZiggy

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TRAFFIC - When The Eagle Flies (1974)

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 18:10:10 -0500

THE END OF AN ERA

There is nothing great to tell about this work, I'm afraid. Although not the last record of this band, it is the end of their golden days. Even if I have never been a huge "Traffic" fan, I have to admit that they released quite decent works of which my fave is their live set available on "Welcome To The Canteen".

I can't be thrilled by any of the songs featured here. These jazzy jams sounds ("Dream Gerrard") or blues-rock oriented music ("Walking In The Wind") are just numbers that don't work for me. At this time of my "Traffic" reviewing, I have to say that I am quite voiceless to see that they were switched from prog folk to eclectic.

My favourite song featured on this album is "Walking In The Wind": wonderful vocals, great bass play and is it necessary to tell that backing keys are great? I would have wished to get more like this one, but it won't be the case.

I guess that the band didn't want to stop their career on such a work and therefore came back twenty years later with a follow-up effort. But this is another story.

"When The Eagles Flies" is at best average IMHHO. Trying to find a gem is useless and even a great song is hard to find (out of seven). Two stars, no more.

by ZowieZiggy

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IT BITES - The Tall Ships (2008)

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 17:58:06 -0500

It bites more than ever!

While the 80's It Bites albums (judging from the ones I have heard so far) had a distinctively 80's sound, this new album has more of a 90's sound. On the surface it sounds rather like contemporary mainstream radio friendly rock. However, the high level of musicianship, the elaborated vocal harmonies and some of the arrangements puts this firmly in the Crossover Prog genre.

If you have been a fan of the band's 80's albums you will probably miss the original vocalist and guitarist Francis Dunnery who is no longer with the band. He is replaced here with John Mitchell of Arena fame. In Arena Mitchell just plays guitar, and he is a very good guitarist. Here he reveals himself as a fine vocalist as well. His voice would certainly not have fitted the much darker and more theatrical music of Arena, but it fits very well here. There are some slight similarities with the music of Arena here, but The Tall Ships is much more accessible and much more strongly melodic and also distinctively more light- hearted. It fits very well in the Crossover Prog genre. On some parts the band IQ also comes to mind.

The highlight of the album for me is the eight minute The Wind That Shakes The Barley. This is probably the most progressive track on The Tall Ships and it is an excellent one! It starts with a good riff played on organ, on top of that a slightly hard edged guitar riff and a strong, up tempo first chorus. This then gives way to the more laid back main verse of the song, followed again by the first chorus. About three and a half minutes into the track there is a nice first instrumental break with fast piano that introduces a different chorus. The song then positively explodes into a second instrumental break constituted by a great guitar and keyboard duel between John Mitchell and John Beck to finally repeat the first part of the song before the end. Terrific!

Other highlights are the slightly symphonic title track and the 13 + minute closer, This Is England. For Safekeeping is a nice piano-based semi-ballad. Overall, the second half of the album is stronger than the first half.

For me The Tall Ships is a good album, but I doubt that it will have a lasting impression on me. It is recommended for those who do not mind accessible Prog with some more mainstream elements.

by SouthSideoftheSky

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MESHUGGAH - Contradictions Collapse (1991)

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 17:18:11 -0500

When we listen to Meshuggah today it is tough to imagine they began as thrash metal influenced by Metaallica. However, you can hear it on this album. Contradictions Collapse is deeply rooted in thrash metal. You can hear it in the drumming and especially in the guitar riffs. However, we do see hints of what was in store. For a thrashy album there are some serious signs of technicality, use of various time signatures, and bits of jazz fusion, (in the solos). This is not a prog-metal album, I would say it is technical metal but it is a great work regardless.

This album does have a different sound from their later works. The guitars are not as heavy sounding and instead of their soul crushing, staccato, riffs this albums uses tremolo picking thrash metal riffs. However, even back in these days they use their mechanical, complex jazzy guitar solos. Fredrik is one hell of a player.

You can really hear the bass on this album, MUCH more than on later works, and I am always a fan of that. Their bassist at the time was Peter Nordin and while he may not lay down anything mind blowing, there is some great bass work here and you can REALLY hear it.

Jens vocals on this album are actually the most tolerable of any Meshuggah work. He employs a harsh, yet non pitched scream. This is perfectly tolerable for ANY fan of metal and the vocals actually fit the music quite well, as opposed to later albums where his vocals seem to just pierce everything.

My favorite part of Meshuggah. The drumming. Tomas Haake is, in my opinion, the best drummer there is right now. We all know his insane poly rhythmic drumming with complex bass patterns and pin point accuracy, not to mention some great jazzy beats. While you do hear traces of that this album features more straight forward thrash drumming, which is still impressive nonetheless.

Paralyzing Ignorance. Begins with a slow melodic intro which quickly picks up intensity. Here is some great work of Haake's drumming. A simple, slow riff begins before we are thrown into a chaotic bass section. Then the thrash begins. The rest of the song is very thrashy and their is a sweet solo in there.

Erroneous Manipulation. A nice heavy intro! For a while the song continues slow and heavy with some nice thrash bursts. The middle section is great! With some complex soloing, and even a small melodic section. Some crazy bass as well!

Abnegating Cecity. A nice thrashy song, though not extremely fast, and with some interesting solos throughout.

Internal Evidence. A sweet bass intro quickly followed by some technical drumming. Gotta love a drummer that can work some technicality into thrash! In fact this song has some of the albums most technical drumming, and some of his jazz prowess as well. Overall this song is quite progressive.

Qualms of Reality. Another nice thrashy song.

We'll Never See the Day. A fairly slow beginning that moves into a faster Metallica-esque downpicking riff. In fact this song has a VERY strong Metallica sound. However, the solos the bizzare meshuggah solo's we all love, and their is some great drumming yet again.

Greed. The beginning almost has a hardcore feel to it with the drums. Also, another great place to hear some killer bass. The song then goes into a thrashy section with some off beat drumming! It sounds like the Haake we now know. The song is pretty quick, and has a nice progression throughout.

Choirs of Devastation. An instrumental song (well not quite), this one is fairly mellow, (compared to the rest). There is a beautiful minute long opening, when some heavy riffs and great drumming kicks in. After some spoken word a REALLY groovy riff comes followed by some blazing, yet wonderful solos. Great ending. This is my favorite song from the album! A real winner here.

Cadaverous Mastication. Not one of my favorites, a good song but nothing spectacular here. The weakest on the album. Not bad really, but not good.

Overall, a great album! Obviously the regular progger should stay away from this, or any meshuggah album. However, fans of prog-metal this is a good work! It is still very thrashy so it depends on how metal your taste is. For me, this album is a solid 4 but for this site I give it 3 stars.

by JJLehto

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BROCK, DAVE - Strange Trips and Pipe Dreams (1995)

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 16:40:50 -0500

'Strange Trips & Pipe Dreams' is made up by relatively short songs but full of repetitive textures though. HAWKWIND core member Dave Brock plays all the instruments by himself. Synthesizer and guitars are caring for the dominant spacey vibe. A bunch of samples is used with the result of some really weird contributions. Furthermore you will detect typical narrations, instead of vocals which are only sparingly used and a surprising rhythm/drum work. This may have the reason that Dave Brock is not a drummer by nature but I think he's rather referring to krautrock bands like the early Kraftwerk or Can by intent.

This is immediately confirmed by the opener provided with a simple tribal rhythm which sounds electronically made. Dave Brock's spacey guitar is appearing soon backed by some decent organ impressions. Weird samples are announcing the transition to the next song initiated by a repetitive narration explaining the White Zone - excellent flow with ambient synth patterns and a guitar solo on top of it. Space is a really nice melodic but also experimental one - maybe one can say with ballad character combining acoustic/electric guitars and crazy synth additions - this time even showing vocals.

A melancholic loop is dominating Pipe Dream coming from the synthesizer only - simple but amazing anyhow - followed by the short Self which initiates a way out direction now. A jazzy piano surprises on Somethings Going On and an industrial repetitive texture coupled with digeridoo impressions! This is reflecting the transition to the weird Bosnia - the album's core track I would say. Dave Brock is obviously pointing to current problems according human relationship here - the horrable development on the Balkans.

An innocent folksy start with acoustic guitar - but then a dark mooded organ appears, military marching drums, gun fire, crazy laughs, exploding bombs and narrations - arranged in a way which leaves you impressed, no question. Parasites Are Here On Earth is moving on in a somewhat attacking mood, nearly aggressive as for the guitars for example. The drums have a hypnotic krautrocked fundament. Who is meant exactly with the title? That would be interesting to know or everyone is asked to choose his own enemy!? No vocals except a narration repeating the song title for some times.

'Strange Trips & Pipe Dreams' seems to be a well thought out album title because of the proportion of crazy elements and the reflection of an ugly situation around the world - the quarrel in Bosnia taking place in the mid 1990s. 'It's never too late' - and it's also confronting us with some dreams and hope. Dave Brock can convince even when he acts separated from his HAWKWIND origin. As for the concept and the presentation with a really unique result this one is deserving four stars in the whole.

by Rivertree

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DAVIS, MILES - In a Silent Way (1969)

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 15:57:39 -0500

Don't ask me how or why, but IN A SILENT WAY was my first ever experience of a Miles Davis album. I honestly had no expectations of the sound other than something in the grey matter of jazz, but I never expected what I actually heard. I almost felt like giving it an average rating until the surprise factor wore out and I slowly grew warm to everything.
Everything here sits on basically one idea of which there are plenty of solos and variations so that an album side is filled out. So, right off the bat, this is not for those who hate any type of jamming or those who hate pieces of music that just sit on one theme. I personally find it as the strength of the album, so much so that I pay more attention to the keyboards, bass and drums as opposed to the great trumpet and saxophone solos. Plus, I feel that there's a tight groove going on in the pieces which really puts a smile on my face.
My favourite section is the ''It's About That Time'' part of the title theme, although the ''Shhh/Peaceful'' movement is stronger (opinion only) as a whole. IN A SILENT WAY is really one of those albums of which I don't have any legitimate reason as to why I love it, but I do. This album is only for those who have the stomach for long, free-form fusion stuff. I guess I'm amongst the aforementioned ''those''.
Last words: shhhhhhhhhh...

by Sinusoid

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GORCZYCA, ANDREW - Reflections - An Act Of Glass (2008)

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 15:16:03 -0500

"Reflections - An Act of Glass" is the debut album of Andrew Gorczyca, issued four years after he passed away. Four years of hard work by his brother Chris made the album a reality; with the help of many notable musicians in the world of progressive rock.
The end result is nothing exceptional in itself though. Mostly mellow and highly melodic; the most interesting songs on this venture sounds pretty similar to what Canadian act Rush made in the late 80's, and in particular on their album "Hold Your Fire". Gorczyca's compositions aren't as intricate as the Canadians work though; clearly more lightweight and pop-oriented; but it is by no means a bad album either.
Those looking for embellished art pop should do themselves a favour and check out this disc; the story behind the album certainly adds an extra emotional tinge to the proceedings and the musicianship is top notch. Don't expect anything truly astonishing though - it's a nice piece of work with several strong songs, but it's not a venture that will enter the history books - at least not for musical reasons alone.

by Windhawk

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NICE, THE - Ars Longa Vita Brevis (1968)

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 14:45:36 -0500

Ars Longa Vita Brevis is the second full-length studio album by UK psychadelic/ progressive rock act The Nice. The Nice is often considered as one of the most important proto-prog acts of the sixties because of how they blended psychadelic rock with classical influenced piano, organ and harpsichord playing by Keith Emerson who would later become a member of prolific progressive rock act Emerson, Lake and Palmer. While the debut album by The Nice called The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack (1967) is truly a groundbreaking album the classical influences are much more pronounced on Ars Longa Vita Brevis and fans of Emerson, Lake and Palmer are adviced to take a listen to this album. There�s been a lineup change since the debut album as guitarist David O'List left the band during the recordings leaving The Nice as a three-piece without a guitarist. A real shame as David O'List brought much to their sound IMO.
The first three songs on the album are in psychadelic rock style ( with vocals) and they remind me a bit of the sound Pink Floyd had on their debut album The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn (1967). The songs are pretty good without reaching excellent IMO. The last half of the album is much more classical influenced ( with full orchestra parts) and progressive though. Intermezzo from the Karelia Suite is an 8:57 minute long interpretation of a part of the Karelia Suite by classical finnish composer Sibelius. The last song is an 18:20 minute long again classical influenced and mostly instrumental ( there are vocals) piece of music and should be considered the centerpiece of the album. Keith Emerson shows the full arsenal on this one. Pretty impressive for the time.
The production and the musicianship are excellent. While Keith Emerson clearly outshines both drummer Brian Davidson and bassist/ vocalist Lee Jackson their performances are very good too. The production is much better than on the weakly produced debut and it means that Ars Longa Vita Brevis welcomes you in and doesn�t push you away like the debut�s sound quality seems to do at times.
Ars Longa Vita Brevis is another rather groundbreaking album by The Nice but personally my enthusiam is a bit lukewarm about the compositions. The album is more interesting than it�s good IMO but I will give a 3 star rating.

by UMUR

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DEEP PURPLE - Burn (1974)

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 14:15:10 -0500

Deep Purple has always been a part of my life. Sometimes distant; sometimes close. I am a huge admirer of In Rock and Made In Japan. I also tries to get as many of their other live albums as possible. Their studio albums, with the exception of In Rock, has never tempted me before now. But I have now purchased their albums.
The title track needs no introduction. A massive anthem with a very interesting solo by John Lord in the middle part. This song also launched the careers of David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes. Both Ian Gillan and Roger Glover had departed before this album and those two, soon-to-be-greats filled their shoes. And they changed Deep Purple more in the direction of more soul and blues. This album is a mixture of everything. US arena rock in the vein of Bad Company, blues, hard rock, soul and even some jazz. John Lord makes this album pretty proggy. But it is the title track and the bluesy Sail Away and Mistreated which makes this album a good album. The rest of the songs are pretty OK, but nothing more. Mistreated is a superb song and I can understand why both Coverdale and Hughes still includes it in their respective live sets. This is a good album, but nothing more than that.
3 stars

by toroddfuglesteg

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CAJA DE PANDORA - Caja De Pandora (1997)

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 13:50:54 -0500

It's almost always a pleasure to review Latin American albums, because normally you can find much more than what can be expected form a band of a determined genre, being that it's usual to find ethnic references carefully blended with Symphonic (plus some surprises) and the final result is normally richer than what bands limited to a determined sound or style can offer,
CAJA DE PANDORA is one of this releases, the Folk references are not as clear as in other groups, but there are present, in such a way you practically don't notice them, and the strong Symphonic elements seem the main sound, but if you listen carefully there's a lot to be discovered.
Their self titled and only release starts with "Apocalipsis", a strong introduction wit lush and sometimes distorted keyboards where the skills of Alejandro Lomelin are more than evident, the only problem is that after a minute it becomes a bit repetitive until the third minute where a dramatic guitar solo by Jos� Jorge Teran G�mez who closes the track in a different mood.
"Cuento de Hadas" (Fairytale) has a strange folksy intro that I can't define if inspired in Native American, Mayan or Oriental music, and that is the beauty because the mysterious and undefined sound prepares the listener for nothing specific. But the change comes, after a short frenetic passage, the song turns into a fluid Symphonic soft track interrupted by short sections in which the atmosphere of the introduction of the song is repeated, this time with a great bass job by Antonio Castro Barrag�n. The radical changes and the different moods make of this song a great piece of art.
"Ilusi�n" (Illusion) has a jazzy and bass based intro with the fast piano enhancing the style and solid drumming by Eduardo Medina, but the song starts to gradually morph into a soft form of Symphonic, but as always with blasts of power and strong distorted guitar solos, simply brilliant.
"Requiem Para el Silencio" (Requiem for Silence) shows us again the jazzy side of CAJA DE PANDORA, if you ask me, I dare to say there's a FOCUS influence in the soft atmospheres, but without the spectacularly of Thijs Van Leer. After one minute the song changes dramatically into an elaborate Symphonic - Neo Classical fantasy of sounds and influences, but only for a short time before they return to the jazzy sections that are kept until the end with drastic and violent interruptions.
"Horizontes" (Horizons) takes us back to Symphonic territory, but his time with more energy and power but to be honest, also some AOR influences, specially in the typical 80's keyboards. At the end after a contrapuntal section, the song flows to the end with strength and power.
"Camino M�gico" (Magical Road) surprises me as one of the best tracks in the album, starts a syncopated and rhythm but soon turns into a very complex expression of Symphonic Prog with FOCUS hints, specially in the Flemish oriented guitar solos reminiscent of Jan Akkerman, special mention for Antonio Castro Barrag�n who does an outstanding percussion work.
"Reunion" is a short jazzy track with Hard Rock fugue and a fantastic piano performance and amazingly abrupt changes, and works as an intro for the dramatic and powerful "Luz en la Oscuridad" (Light in the Darkness) that reminds me of Rossini's William Tell Overture, but soon changes into a mysterious and again jazzy track with excellent management of rhythm that is enhanced by the piano.
The original version is closed with the spacey and melodically beautiful "Esperanza" (Hope), but my version has three bonus tracks that I usually omit, but in this case I will talk about them, because we're before fantastic music.
"La Gruta del Rey de la Monta�a" (The Hall of the Mountain King) may be considered a joke, because we should expect something close to Mussorgsky's famous work, but instead of a Russian Nationalist work, we get a fantastic blend of Baroque and Medieval music boosted with strong Rock passages, but in the middle starts an incredibly complex and dissonant section where each musician has the chance to prove his abilities, the only word I can use is breathtaking.
"El Tema de Pandora" (Pandora's Theme) is another Baroque & Roll fantasy, incredibly fluid and elaborate that must be enjoyed from start to end....But the grand finale is "Eclipse", a KING CRIMSON complex oriented track, one of the most experimental and interesting tracks I heard in a long time.
I usually don't like instrumental albums too much, but "CAJA DE PANDORA" is an amazing album that deserves much more attention, if not essential, at least an Excellent addition for any Prog collection.
It's a shame this excellent band stopped their career at this point........4 solid stars.

by Ivan_Melgar_M

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DREAM THEATER - Images And Words (1992)

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 11:46:41 -0500

Dream Theater's Pinnacle
Few bands on progarchives are as shrouded in controversy as Dream Theater. They have committed the ultimate taboo of combining elements from the sacred 70's prog giants with the styles of 80's hair metal. Though the band has gone on to make eight albums since this one, expand their musical horizons, and admittedly, make a few mistakes, it all comes back to "Images and Words." This is Dream Theater's finest hour.
Lets take a look-see at the line-up of this prog metal powerhouse, in case you are unfamiliar. The main men behind Dream Theater are Mike Portnoy (who since this album's release has inherited the title of God Behind The Drum Kit), and John Petrucci (virtuoso guitarist whose range of style does not come close to stopping past archetypal metal shredding). Alone, these two men represent some of the biggest talent in modern music, but the rest of the band deserves mention. James LaBrie is a singer in the vein of eighties wailers like Geddy Lee (Rush) and Steve Perry (Journey) - his voice soars above what is considered possible for human vocal cords. John Myung is a commendable bassist, though too much of his contribution is lost in the mix. My personal favorite member is the keyboardist, Kevin Moore. His masterful touch, perfect choice of tone, and use of restraint puts the finishing touch on this album with a clear sheen of professionalism. Without Kevin Moore, Dream Theater are destined for troubled times.
Dream Theater is known for pioneering a genre known as Nintendo Metal. It's true - the new-age synths and the super retro production of this album make it sound straight out of a video game's soundtrack. I swear I heard the keyboard/guitar interlude following the second verse of "Learning to Live" in Golden Sun. But fear not, this is a good thing. The producer has electronically triggered Mike Portnoy's drums and cymbals so that there is absolutely no unwanted ambient noise caught in the mix. The production here gives Dream Theater a unique sound that makes "Images and Words" a completely original piece of music.
The first two tracks of this album are their commercial successes: their top ten charter "Pull Me Under," a Metallica influenced rocker with excellent lyrics courtesy of Kevin Moore. The song does not drag throughout its eight minute length, despite limited diversity in music (by Dream Theater standards.) "Another Day" is a gorgeous ballad with a beautiful saxophone solo at the end.
Starting with "Take the Time," this album really takes off. "Take the Time," "Metropolis Pt. 1," and "Under A Glass Moon" are all excellent mini-epics with exceedingly complex middle sections. "Metropolis Pt. 1" features an instrumental bridge so eclectic and frantic that it defies belief. Combined with curious song writing and tremendous lyrics by John Petrucci, this song is one to take particular note of.
"Surrounded" and "Wait for Sleep" are keyboard-driven shorter songs that round the album out nicely. The former is an uplifting tune sandwiched between two sentimental piano/vocal segments. Mike Portnoy's drumming is inspired, he leads the band through 5 distinct phrasings of 9/8, over which the musicians operate and flow seamlessly. The latter is purely Kevin Moore contribution, nothing more than keyboards and vocals. It makes a fine introduction for the masterpiece that is to come.
"Learning to Live" is that masterpiece. In eleven minutes the band covers more musical ground than they will in the second half of their career. This is simply a wonderful song that must be heard to be understood. Prog metal newbies - this song may take a couple spins to sink in.
All in all, this is an album of masterful music that can not be compared to anything else made by modern humans. Complex beyond comprehension, at times beautiful, at times unrelenting, topped off with surreal lyrics and of imagery, "Images and Words" is the crowning achievement of Prog Metal genre. Recommended to all fans of progressive music.

by The SaidRemark

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ABIGAIL'S GHOST - D_Letion (2009)

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 11:43:47 -0500

When trying to work out a unique style ABIGAIL'S GHOST have made a step forward. With intent or not - the predecessor album 'Selling Insincerity' sounds like provided with obvious Porcupine Tree references (well done though). This time you will be aware of a heavier tendency as immediately documented with the title track for example. The songs once more are made up with sense of melody - the band's preference without a doubt besides Joshua Theriot's voice. They are mixing up Art Rock and Prog Metal elements tending to the latter with a powerful rhythm work and hard riffing guitars appearing.
Romantique Life could be mentioned as another suitable example. The song consists of some calm melodic parts but is mainly contributed with a very heavy behaviour. The band's emphasis is on the compact guitar work where instrumental solos as rare to find. And you will only detect decent keyboard/synth contributions. With the balladesque exceptions Sneak Peak and Grave Concerns ABIGAIL'S GHOST are consequently alternating between mellow and heavy, sometimes even crushing sections within the songs. The longest track Annie Enemy can be noted as a highlight here.
'D_letion' is not that spectacular but offering proper, more prog metal oriented songs anyhow which are enjoyable for sure. Fans of music made by Porcupine Tree, Riverside, Dream Theater resp. other melodic prog metal bands won't fail when looking into this - 3.5 stars.

by Rivertree

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DREAM THEATER - A Rite of Passage (2009)

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 11:00:26 -0500

This is the single from Dream Theater's newest album "Black Clouds & Silver Linings". This gets a whole bunch of criticism from people, but I actually find "A Rite of Passage" to be a fairly enjoyable song. It isn't the best song on the album, but it is a nice song with some cool riffs and chord progressions.
I love the song, but this single isn't worth the purchase for any progressive rock fan. Just buy the album. The single version is pretty lousy without the full jam near the middle, but luckily this also contains the full version. I gave the actual album very confidently 5 stars, so I highly recommend the album. It's one of my favorite Dream Theater releases, and there isn't a weak spot on it. So anyone that buys this single is almost saying they aren't going to buy the album, and only want this part of it. I wish that this single would contain something that wasn't on the album. This has only one song's single edit and full version. If this were to include a song that didn't make the album or something like that, this could be worth a four, because then it might be worth purchasing. There's no reason to buy this with its current setlist when there's an album sitting around with all this and more.
This is also a pretty straightforward song that doesn't really represent Dream Theater like some other songs on the album do. Look at the numbers as well. The album was #6 on the billboard charts, and this single didn't get nearly as far, simply because the album is far superior to the single. An excellent song, but is worth hearing in the context of the album.
This is a three star review completely: good but non-essential.

by progrocker2244

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CRACK THE SKY - From The Greenhouse (1989)

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 09:54:44 -0500

Here's a funny story about this album. When it was released, the title track "From The Greenhouse" got a fair amount of airplay on the local AOR station. The hook in the song sounded like it was lifted directly from Pink Floyd's "Have A Cigar". I was managing a popular record/CD store in Cambridge, Mass. at the time. After the first dozen or so customers came in asking for "the new Pink Floyd album", and meaning this one, I displayed the album under a sign saying "Not Pink Floyd".
Anyway, this at the time was another comeback album, with guitarist Rick Witkowski rejoining the band for the first time since "White Music" back in 1980.
The results weren't bad. Not great, but listenable. But very derivative. The lyrics are pure Palumbo. Socio-political sarcasm, with a lot of humor. At time very poignant, at times very funny. The music however is pulled from a variety of sources. The title track, as noted above, sound like Floyd, not only in the hook, but also a guitar section sounds like "Brain Damage", and the whole feel of the song is Floyd-like.
In "The Frozen Rain", "All The Things We Do, and "Can I Play For You (Ian's Song)" you could play a game of find-the-Beatles-lick. While each is a nice song, the Beatles references are too blatant. And "Monkey Boy" sound like David Bowie, right down to Palumbo trying to sound like Bowie at times.
The band even rehashes the "Crack The Sky Secret Rock Rhythm", used since their very first album, most notably on "Hold On", "Lighten Up McGraw" and many others throughout the years.
For what it is, this is not a bad album. But only slightly prog.

by Evolver

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LA OTRACINA - Blood Moon Riders (2008)

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 09:22:13 -0500

LA OTRACINA operates like a trio as usual on 'Blood Moon Riders'. Featuring guitarist Ninni Morgia they are offering an interesting blend of heavy psych, shoegaze, garage and spacey impressions. It's obvious soon: the band takes time to let the instrumental songs evolve. In opposite of providing short, compact, easily structured music this is tension-filled and experimental really - surprising breaks and turns included.
Starting with the longest one Inner Mind Journey the track is presented in a heavy psych mood mostly, the acid guitar work, powerful drums, a punching bass, tempo changes - great - with jamming character for sure and decent keyboard adds. Both parts of Ballad Of The Hot Ghost Mama are floating spacey pieces with dominant echoing guitar work. Either overdubs are used here or bassist Evan Sobel plays the second guitar. The wrapped Zunblazer is turning into a more psychedelic rocking behaviour provided with a gripping intro and a memorable melody later on. And then the closing weird straightforward rocking Drifted Memory follows, now embedded in melancholic shoegaze impressions in the vein of 'Windy & Carl'.
Concipated as a single vinyl release 'Blood Moon Riders' does not contain more than 40 minutes of music in total - enough though to consider LA OTRACINA to be a skilled band with an experimental approach. The album is made up with a high proportion of floating spacey parts and is definetely worth it to be checked out - 3 and a half stars for that.

by Rivertree

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TRIBE OF CRO - Hydroculture (1998)

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 08:47:13 -0500

The band's latest official studio effort as such if you don't count 'Virtual Vinyl' (2007) which was recorded under live circumstances nearly - only available (for free) from their website. Don't miss that when you're a fan of jamming space rock! The band remains faithful to their stylistical orientation over the course of time. Released in 1998 'Hydroculture' is lacking of usual vocals but experimenting with voice samples a lot. The music is focussing on fine sensitive but also heavy (twin) guitars, offered with a high proportion of improvisation.
The starting Be or the later presented Figwort are confirming that where the following Tocrack shows TRIBE OF CRO's experimental synthesizer skills at first. Where Science And Magic Meet is started in a heavier aggressive mood but calming down to a spacey highlight then because of the excellently accentuated interaction of both guitars later on. A song which is faded out into Life dominated by mysterious narration loops and a decent dub rhythm - great!
Surprisingly the title track with a more straightforward rocking behaviour sounds uninspired to me - never mind - some other good songs are following. For example the And The Ants Marched (On), probably derived from a longer jam session because faded in this time. Or the weird Truant based on circulating swirling synthesizer contributions and crazy voice samples.
As for similar bands Oresund Space Collective comes into my mind because most of the songs are consisting of a grooving behaviour. 'Hydroculture' is recommended showing an experimental attitude as well as fine improvised space rock - 3.5 stars.

by Rivertree

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SALMON - When The Dust Settles (2004)

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 06:59:06 -0500

One of the nicest surprises so far this year. This Dutch band is under most proggers radar, but really deserves the scene's full recognition.
The mood and style of this album reminds me a lot about Cathedral's superb debut album Stained Glass Stories. Just a lot less heavier and more baroque. The similarities to Gentle Giant is obvious and clear. But Salmon does a more minimalistic symphonic prog than both Cathedral and Gentle Giant. Genesis is an obvious reference too. Salmon does their music in an understated, subtle manner. The instruments is low-key and subtle. The songs takes time to get through. This is not an ELP album. It is the opposite end of the symphonic prog spectrum from ELP and Trace.
....Still, Salmon is very symphonic and epic. The music is also very complex. The subtle use of vocals, synth, guitars, bass and drums is very elegant. Less is more. The music contains some superb solos. The vocals too are superb. The songs are superb too. This is an album well worth checking out and I regard it as a treasure in my large collection of music. Salmon is most definate on my list of bands I need to check out.
4 stars

by toroddfuglesteg

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METALLICA - Metallica (1991)

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 05:58:20 -0500

Metallica is clasified in progressive related.. I just found, I just thought it belongs to prog metal. anyway this album (in other word called black album) is the sole album I got with Metallica. It was about 1993 when I first listen Metallica's The Unforgiven, and I much like the song. Often heard from radio at AFKN(American Forces Korean Network), then I just heard the song and never knew the artist and the song's name. The Unforgiven and Nothing else matters are two favorite songs in this album. Besides I often heard pop songs and so on. and never did I notice that I prefer Italian Prog to other genre as time goes by as I hear Italian Prog! Well that genre gives me more pleasure than others. So I give 3 stars which maybe 4 or 5 stars if I write this review at times of 90s. anyway I will find another album of Metallica just for curiosity.

by bspark

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URIAH HEEP - Wonderworld (1974)

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 05:00:17 -0500

First album I ever heard I was six years old and from that moment I started to love music. Brilliant album from a brilliant band and in my opinion the most underrated Heep album. It features the classic Heep line up. Fantastic riffs, great bass lines from Thain, organ fantastic and heavy. This album gives you everything from really heavy stuff (Suicidal man, Wonderworld, So tired) great ballads (The easy road, The shadows and the wind). This is probably the heaviest Heep album, fantastic mix of heavy metal, hard and prog rock. It also has psychedelic moments it sounds really haunting when at the end of the song Dreams you hear the parts of Sweet freedom and Dreamer specially when you know that this is the last Heep album with the classic Heep line-up and one of the best line-ups in rock music. I think that this is a must have for everyone because it contains something for everyone.

by Floyd_child

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TANGERINE DREAM - Poland - The Warsaw Concert* (1984)

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 04:13:02 -0500

This is my twentieth TD review so far and it is quite amazing to have listened to so many good albums. Their very early days were not easily accessible but the only album I could hardly cope with was the much later "Cyclone" (two stars). Besides that one, I couldn't find any album rating with less than three stars. This is quite a remarkable achievement (their music I mean) whatever will come in the future.
What's even more attractive, is that even if there were five live albums in those twenty reviews, it all has to be considered as original work since the band always played new material during these recordings (some might say improvisations).
It is again the case with this double "Live In Warsaw". Now to honest, the first part of the opening number ("Poland") is quite hermetic to my ears: too much electro-beat-related sounds for a while but these sweetly slips towards the fine and spacey music we all know (by the way, TD music and alike were referred to space-rock in the seventies).
This is fortunately also the case for the moving "Tangent" which conveys a lot of tranquillity (which I highly need these days, for personal reasons). This is one of their most melodic songs. One doesn't know if he is being sent on the boundaries of the universe or deep down the bottoms of the sea (like during "Underwater Sunlight"). At least for the first ten minutes or so.
The music turns on to a more electro-pop mood after that even with a light reggae scent! Quite abrupt for a change, but not too bad even if it is not this TD aspect that I prefer. I wouldn't say either that "Barbacane" is their most brilliant track: it is much too repetitive therefore and sounds rather uninspired (at least during the first part). It leans more on the new age trends after that (and also becomes more pleasant).
As most of my colleagues, my fave is the closing "Horizon". A full length successful track (in comparison with some partial achievements as I have outlined). It is truly comparable to their great works from the seventies and raises the quality of the whole set quite substantially. You got it all here, really. A formidable kaleidoscope of their huge contribution to prog music.
My objective rating would be seven out of ten but since the PA rating is such as it is, I'll upgrade it to four stars thanks to "Horizon".

by ZowieZiggy

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UBI MAIOR - Senza Tempo (2009)

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 04:02:59 -0500

UBI MAIOR's Senza Tempo is their second album. I got this CD after I hear first one Nostos many times. This second album is more fresh than first one I think. And while hearing the album, I was quite a good feeling of this CD, and it has a very good moments! I would like to give 4 stars on this second album that first album Nostos of course is same rating I would like to give. If you have generous mind of Italian Prog , this album is quite good . Just get it and listen, you like it and notice a different feeling than Nostos. thank you.

by bspark

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S.B.B. - Behind the Iron Curtain (2009)

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 03:12:12 -0500

Solidarity
The title of this live DVD set is not intended to imply that the members of this talented Polish band have been unaware of developments in their own country in recent years. Rather, it is simply a variation on the title of their current album "Iron Curtain". Recorded in Katowice, Poland in February 2009, this set consists of about 50% songs from the new album, and 50% songs which have already become regulars in the band's live set.
Apart from the tracks taken from "Iron curtain", pretty much all the tracks here also featured on the fine 2007 DVD "Four decades". New pieces such as the opening "Defilada" and "Camelele" sit well alongside more familiar works like "Odlot" and "Zywiec Mountain melody" from the band's earliest days.
The now settled line up of Skrzek, Apolstolis and Nemeth complete the trio who appear on stage, yet once again they succeed in creating a sound which might see other bands needing twice the number of people or more. The overall feel of the gig, which runs for around two hours, will be entirely familiar to fans of the band, with occasional vocal passages interrupting long, often unhurried instrumental passages. While the music could never be described as jazz per se, there is always a significant jazz influence in SBB's compositions. That said, there is as ever an inherent tightness to the performance throughout, which dispels any suggestion of spontaneous improvisation.
Jozef Skrzek offers some lengthy dialogue between tracks, and since both band and audience are in their home country, the conversation is naturally in Polish. It would though have been useful if subtitles in English had been added so that the (hopefully) large international audience for the DVD could have shared his words of wisdom.
The DVD contains a couple of interesting extras, including a promotional video for the new song "Camelele" and a studio documentary. The documentary is really just interviews with the three band members in the studio. Skrzek talks at length about the band's style and motivation, while drummer Gabor Nemeth focuses on how he has settled into the band and how he is able to have a greater influence during recording now. Guitarist Anthimas Apostolis on the other hand is concise in the extreme, his rather downbeat comments reflecting the difficulties of the recording process.
In terms of sound and video quality, the recording of the gig is well up to the standards set of late by Metal Mind. While there is no great excitement to the performance, the band show themselves once again to be musicians of the highest calibre who pride themselves on delivering their music professionally.

by Easy Livin

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BANDVIVIL - Junaokissei (2004)

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 02:25:57 -0500

For me one of the most wonderful discoveries in Japanese hard rock scene!
BANDVIVIL, formed in 1993, is a three-piece outfit featuring Issei Takami, a great guitarist and the leader. The formation is indeed very simple, with a guitarist, a bassist, and a drummer. But their power should be bulky as of a big band, and their songs should be delightful as lots of attractions in an amusement park. We wonder how deep their inner space should be, and in spite of our wondering we can enjoy this album full of their magic.
Trust me the important point is - no suspicion that Issei's guitar is terrific - that the rhythm section, supporting the band basis, should be steady and secure. They cannot construct the eccentric but enjoyable music-style without Jun Isobe, a strict drummer, and Naoki Sawada, a funky bassist but a serious pacesetter. :-) You can do understand this fact as above mentioned by listening to their first full album. Please enjoy!
This album has two parts - one is named Vivid and another Evil. I feel the Vivid side is brighter and more pleasant than the Evil side - although I cannot say that in a wholesale.
At first...what a dramatic development and an impressive guitar play at the injection of Jemah & She! We can be very surprised and shocked with finding their unity in their variety of sound & style. Be careful not to be crushed by their madness, eccentricity and variation. Afro has a lot of varied rhythms and phrases - with lyrical guitar and elusive drum & bass sounds. Well I guess - sorry I'm not a specialist of musical theory - it might be so difficult for them to mix both sounds as above. So amazed they can do that easily and naturally. We can mention that Issei's one-man show is the next track Eat Triplet. Based on the hard, rigid, and simply-held bass & percussion, his guitar can dance and twist with flexibility. With the heavy guitar sounds he can let us palpitate wonderfully. W.P. is a spacey and gentle tune with Issei's graceful guitarsynth. And a real rock shot with wow-wow guitar and streaming rhythm section is To King Rush. All instruments can run and jump right and left, up and down. Get Up may be a loud and cool alarm clock for us...by this track we should be burned away before getting up hahhaha. The heaviest guitar sounds are in the song E.G.F. that we always wonder the title be the abbreviation of what. Whatever, how hard the song is! But be relaxed...the last track in the side Chili Mens Ballade is very smart and soft, can let us cool and melt down. Wait, Chili Mens I suggest should mean 'crepe paper' or 'boiled and dried baby sardines' ??? So, it may be enjoyable for us. :-)
Well another side of the band - it's called Evil. Seven Spices is, as the name itself says, very dry and spicy. In Japan, we cannot live without a Shichimi-Tohgarashi (seven spices), with very hot and tongueache taste and flavour. (Of course, just kidding.) In the simple rock song Abraham Bee we can realize the Oriental (not Japanese but Indo-) flavour. Issei's guitar can shout high-tone and solemn words with various looks. In the middle part, Jun's drum can get exploded violently. Cool! San-Byou-Shi is a trad song for BANDVIVIL. Going with a swing and with a laidback style, this song should have strong passion of three talented men and previous members. We can feel not an atmosphere of Evil but of 'Will' from the song. Complex guitarsynth sounds can be around the track Hane, maybe meaning wings. Like wings of a bird, this let us fly in the sky. Comfortable stuff. A short but very avantgarde tune Strange Smoke may express an eccentric rise of smoke with the ascending current. Zoo Zoo Da Juju pushes us with its repetitive phrase of guitars and percussion. They can play so freely but so seriously...it's their attractant, like a cannabis or a morphine, not an apomorphine (a nauseous stuff). Again Issei's speedy play we can enjoy in Shuffle De Go. And keep in our mind...without such a strict rhythm section, he cannot play well at all! So understand the outfit should be the 'one'. All members let us enjoy fantastically, I wanna say. The last song Zoo Zoo Da Juju (Slight Return) is also druggie...
From start to end, we can be pleased with many delights in the toy box named BANDVIVIL! Ultraremarkably recommended.

by DamoXt7942

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MAGN�SIS - L'Immortel Opera (2005)

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 01:13:10 -0500

The band description tells us that this typical French neo band is a sort of blend of early Genesis, Marillion and Ange. And after having listened to this album a couple of times I think this is not too far from the truth. The live performace resembles Genesis mainly where the theatrical displays are concerned, the lyrics and vocal performances show the likeness of Ange but that�s mainly due to the French language in which they sing. And Marillion is the neo aspect in the comparison story but here I fail to see much resemblance I�m afraid. Because Magnesis is - as the title of this album already reveals - more of a semi-classical opera tending band and there was not much of that in Marillion I feel. The classical work Magnesis is inspired by must have something to do with Mozart because he�s the rock and roll star Magnesis will be singing about (4th and 5th track).
Anyway, the album starts with an overture, confirming my statement above. What strikes immediately is the strange and very mediocre (if not poor) production of this album. If this would have been an album from the eighties or early nineties I would have understood but this is from 2005 so what is going on here ? And it�s a pity because it�s destracting very much from the main thing which is the music itself of course. I�m not very impressed with the music either on this opener. Fortunately the album gets better later on I can reveal right now otherwise we would have a two star contender here I fear. 2,5 * for this overture.
Act 2 is called Le Pacte and starts with vocals and the same sort of heavy guitar play as on the overture. This lasts for about three minutes when acoustic guitar takes over in a lovely display. After this bit the whole orchestra takes its turn obviously one by one with some wind instruments. This is a wonderful passage that is a great example of the increasing level of musicianship and composition I was talking about in previous song. Unfortunately the last part suddenly gets very dark, on the other hand this means we are dealing with a versatile track. Also the semi-classical idea I mentioned is very present here. 3,25 *
The beautiful wind contribution from previous song also plays a part in Act 3 and I believe it�s the most enchanting feature of Magnesis. I see no wind instruments in the line-up though so I believe these parts are done by the synthesizer (?) Also this composition is intriguing and well done by Frederic Przybyl but also here the moderate production quality destracts too much. 3,5*.
Act 4 is the one that�s really about Mozart but with this track Magnesis returns to the rock �n roll style which was also partly present on Act 1. Some fine guitar here in first minutes later followed by other very nice instrumental parts. Also this is a very fine composition. The guitar in last two minutes is even mindblowing. I fail to see the connection with Mozart though. 3,75*.
Also Act 5 is about Mozart introduced with a short story followed by some nice piano. This is not semi-cassical but 100% classical for 1,5 minutes. Rest of the tracks is about 75% classical with a slightly more modern approach. Is it clarinet I hear after 3,5 minutes or is it the synthesizer ? It�s truly becoming a nagging matter now but alas no conformation to be found anywhere in the booklet. 3,5* for this finale.
All in all a great album by Magnesis and if the production (sorry, but it�s an essential element here) would have been good this album would have deserved four stars. As it is I will have to leave it at three I�m afraid.

by progrules

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DREAM THEATER - Black Clouds and Silver Linings (2009)

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 00:14:40 -0500

In the past years, dream theater released albums that was either love or hate. Some people liked the heavy stuff more and some prefered the old sound of Dream Theater. I am in the first category. I discover Dream theater with Train of thought so it's sure I like their heavy side. But it didn't mean that I don't like the old stuff. Just that I prefer the new one.
This album, I think, is a mix of the old and the new sound of DT.
The opening track, A nightmare to remember is my favourite track of the album. It has his heavy stuff and his beautiful moments. We can see the different voices that Labrie can have. He sings with aggressivity at the beginning but he has a beautiful voice in the interlude. The song sounds between progressive metal and death prog metal(extreme).
A rite of passage is very good even if it seems it was made to be a more accessible song. It has a good riff and the rythm change a lot. The chorus is good and the instrumental part is insane. The Petrucci's solo is great but jordan one sounds weird. Some part of it are good but others not. Another great song to begin this album which seem incredible after 2 songs.
Whiter brings a little bit of light in the album after 2 very dark songs.The song is slow and more emotional. The background keyborad is perfect and they did not try to prove their talent with a great performance. They kept the song simple and it's perfect.
The shattered fortress is probably the least good song of the AA sage because the best parts in the song are the parts from other songs of the saga. The song is not bad but there are not a lot of things new. There is at least a great guitar solo near the end.
After a beautoful intro, the best of times begins with a beat similar to some Rush songs. As the song progress there are different parts that are incredible. Labrie's voice is perfect for the song. The best part of the song is the ending. It is a mix of incridible drumming and a wonderful guitar solo.
I would not compare the count of tuscany with a change of season. The old one is a lot different but the count of tuscany is a great song too. Dream theater prove they can make a great song of prog without the metal element. The instrumental part at the beginning is good and the chorus is probably one of the best they ever did. There is a break in the song that is similar to the beginning of trial of tears. The slow part at the end is beautiful too. I don't know if it's my english who is bad but I don't understand why petrucci was afraid...Does the lyrics aren't enough specific?
Finally, it's another great album. It will please the old fan and the new ones. 4.5/5

by Wilgod3p

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BAIRD, KEN - Fields (1998)

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 23:29:34 -0500

I thought tonight would be the perfect time to review "Fields" considering Ken is doing a live show this evening.He asked me to come out but we were celebrating my son's birthday tonight so it didn't work out this time.So the next best thing is sitting down with one of Ken's wonderful cds and getting lost in another world for an hour.By the way our own loserboy (James Unger) was the emcee at the Baird concert tonight.As with all Baird albums we get a great combination of thoughtful lyrics to go along with Ken's intimate vocals.Sue Fraser and her beautiful voice are like the icing on the cake on this one.Great picture on the album cover of Ken getting ready to throw that 2 foot cardboard airplane out in the fields.It's hard for me to explain but this music is so down to earth and meaningful.It's about real things and everyday life. "New Universe" is a song Ken says he still plays live and if you hear it you'll know why.Kind of spacey to open before this relaxed and steady beat comes in.Vocals before a minute.Susan follows with some vocal melodies.What a great sounding track.Guitar after 4 minutes. "Little Air To Breathe" is another outstanding track.This is my favourite.I like the atmosphere as Ken comes in with reserved vocals.A nice beat with piano here.I really like when the sound gets a little fuller.Contrasts continue.Susan sings backup after 2 minutes.We get some trumpet after 3 1/2 minutes.Guitar follows.Check out the orchestral keys late that remind me of COLLAGE's "Moonshine" album. "There Is A Place" is mostly vocals and piano although we get some recorder a minute in. "Firefly" opens with recorder and strummed guitar.Vocals join in.Susan helps out and she really adds a lot to this track.A fuller sound a minute in.A bit of a Celtic vibe when the whistles come in. "Awake In The Dark" features gorgeous piano melodies throughout with vocals.Interesting lyrics on this one.Wonderful track. "No Easy Path" opens with drums,piano and vocals.Check out the piano after a minute.Nice.It then turns dark before kicking back in with those uptempo piano melodies.Penny whistles 4 minutes in. "Into Night" is the longest track at over 11 minutes.There are those COLLAGE-like orchestral keyboards again with guitar,bass and drums.Great sound! Susan comes in with Ken after a minute.Dual vocals but Susan's voice is more dominant.Themes are repeated.Some penny whistles and piano on this song too. "The Pond" is led by vocals and piano but we do get some recorder followed by some sax after 2 1/2 minutes. "3000 Blue Mountains" has no lyrics but lots of vocal melodies from Ken and Susan.This is so uplifting and moving.A real lush and rich sound too.If i go down to the beach where i live and look out over the bay to the west there is a mountain that's called Blue Mountain.Lots of skiing there in the winter,it's about a 20 minute drive. "Martin Road" is still my favourite Ken Baird album but this deserves 4 stars without a doubt.

by sinkadotentree

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AYREON - The Human Equation (2004)

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 21:55:37 -0500

Well, I guess there isn't much to say about this album, as everyone has already rated and reviewed it. Go and buy it, chances are you'll love it, thought you might turn out to be one of those who actually dislike the album, (Yes there are a few). The album is pretty classic Ayreon style (Unlike The Electric Castle wich is pretty unique), but at it's best. It has the mellow moments and the metal moments that every fan likes, plus an incredible amount of memorable passages and melodies, and lirically its more "friendly" than previous one, still it remains a sci-fi album, even thought 99% of it seems not to. I don't see the point in going track-by-track with this one, you'll already find a great number of reviews with it and most of them will tell you the same. That's about everything I have to say about this particular album, the top PM album on this website, a true masterpiece: The Human Equation.

by olastrax

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SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM - Grand Opening And Closing (2001)

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 21:28:27 -0500

This is the debut album Rio/Avant prog band "Sleepytime Gorilla Museum". No, I did not misspell the name of the band if just the band name alone gives a "what are they thinking?" feeling, the music and awful lyrics probably will as well. With a few exceptions, I generally don't like this genre of music, but this certainly didn't change my mind. Now, before it sounds like I'm giving this a one star review instead of a two, something about this album is strangely intriguing at times. While some of the songs are so unthinkably awful that I'd rather jump off a cliff, some of the songs are decent very experimental (and weird) music pieces. However, there is not a single song without its fair share of flaws. Also, only a few of the musical pieces can be called "songs". Expect almost an entire album blending psychedelic rock, prog metal, and avant garde music similar to Revolution 9. The entire album I was waiting for a song to begin, let alone one that would actually grab my attention. After listening to this, I actually thought pop music was better.
What makes this album worth two stars instead of one is its ability to occasionally fascinate me with all of its weirdness. As a result, sometimes I will voluntarily listen to this album when I'm in the mood for something very creative and different. Unfortunately, many songs are worth skipping. This album includes, for better or for worse, a lot of odd time signatures with odd starts and stops. The arrangements aren't very typical either. Just look at what the band members play! Food container, "thing", popping turtle- this is very different music! There are borderline experimental/prog metal sections in addition to lighter sections (unfortunately) with unlistenable feminine vocals. There are some points where the vocals go so high that her voice can't hold the note, and she has a voice crack. Yet, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum decided to leave that on the album. Sadly, the male vocals aren't any better. It's simply lower pitched screaming that is completely unbearable.
Well, the people who are singing the lyrics certainly don't do it well, but I can't write this review without dedicating a paragraph to the awful lyrics. None of the lyrics here can be taken seriously, and they are actually some of the worst I've ever heard. While there isn't a single good lyric in the entire album, I'll just point out some of the worst. From the song "Powerless" comes this awful quote; "Finding some shoes. Losing you feet/Finding some food. Losing your teeth". The next quote is from "Ablutions"; "She hangs her skin up by the window and looks to see that all the doors are open". I've heard more than enough times that this is an intelligent and intellectual band, but the lyrics certainly don't prove it, even if it were to be true.
"Sleep is Wrong"- This is one of the few decent songs on the album. It starts out pretty weird, but about a minute in begins a complex section that sounds very promising. It experiments with odd time signatures and an awesome complex melody. This turns into a heavy section with just a repeated note with odd starts and stops. The singing is absolutely horrendous, but the reprise of the opening is very good. It is a good song where, unfortunately, the singing ruins almost the entire experience.
"Ambugaton"- This is by far the best song on "Grand Opening and Closing". It is almost completely instrumental, so the singing can't ruin this one like it did to the last song. This isn't nearly as weird as the other tracks, and is almost a standard prog metal song. This is a great song simply because it has no awful vocals and isn't quite as experimental. I wish the whole album would be like this.
"Ablutions"- A good thing can never last. After an excellent previous track, we have this unlistenable mess. This possibly has the worst lyrics on the album, and that is no small feat. The singing begins with the awful female vocals I mentioned earlier. The melody goes way too high for her range, and she can't even hold the note. Then later, the male vocals begin screaming pointlessly, and destroy the song even more. This is a perfect example of where singing can ruin a song. The music, even though it drags on too long, isn't that bad, but the singing turns this into a disastrous mess.
"1997"- Significantly better than the last track. This has pretty bad lyrics with unnecessary profanity, but the vocals don't seem as horrible here. The screaming is actually used pretty well because it fits the tone of the song. The music is more straightforward, which I find to be a plus for this band. It still has an experimental rock/metal feel, but it is much better.
"The Miniature"- This is a very short almost classical-like piece of music. I wish that more of the album would have used this sound. While it is pretty boring, it is far better than some of the other stuff on this album.
"Powerless"- This has okay moments, but definitely didn't need to run for over 9 minutes. The brief choruses are pretty cool, but most of the song is passable at best. One minute near the end there is what sounds like a cool jam session. But just when you think something good will come out of this song, both vocalists start annoyingly screaming "LA LA LA LA LA!!!!!!". It ends oddly, and this is almost a completely terrible song, possibly the worst on the album.
"The Stain"- From the awful lyric "The man is thin and hungry because he's lazy/The seeds are sprouting in my garden" to the wannabe music, there's only one thing to say about this song. Skip it!
"Sleepytime"- This has a very strange and oddly intriguing opening that shows how both voices can sing if they actually try. After 5 minutes it gets pretty repetitive, but it introduces a new section with a cool build. This is far too long for the small amount of material that is in it, but it is a very good song. About 6 minutes in it has a guitar solo that almost reminds me of something from Yes. This is one of the better songs on the album, but of course, it isn't without its flaws.
"Sunflower"- This is almost 8 minutes long, but could easily get away with being 2 or 3. It's extremely repetitive, has no buildup, and just has a boring melody using psychedelic instruments. I never listen to this one.
Grand Opening and Closing falls into the "what could have been" category. It has some cool musical parts, but is ruined by the lyrics and singing. If this were all instrumental with some repetitive sections cut out, this could be worth a three, and maybe a four if I was feeling extra nice. It's clear there are some skilled musicians here with good ideas. You just need to get past an album where at least half of it is unlistenable, and the other half is decent at best. This album pretty much defines the two star rating: Collectors/Fans ONLY. This will only appeal to fans of the Avant prog genre. This won't convert you to the genre if you don't already like it. So, people like me, stay away from this one!
2/5 stars.

by progrocker2244

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ZAPPA, FRANK - Apostrophe (') (1974)

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 18:32:16 -0500

Anyone see how big of a hypocrite I am? I gave two stars to OVER-NITE SENSATION and yet APOSTROPHE gets three. Wow, this Sinusoid character is a complete moron.
Either that or for some strange reason the music here is something that I can get into. Maybe I have a bias towards APOSTROPHE over OVER-NITE SENSATION because I hear the former first. It doesn't matter anyway since it's a concept of personal taste really.
''Don't Eat the Yellow Snow'' is one of the better short Zappa songs I've heard and I credit the bassline for it; very groovy and simple yet in an off metre. That song along with the three that follow it are quite amusing as I tend to think of the four collectively as the ''epic that gets distracted within itself''. It goes from the setting to a duel with a fur trapper to big, fluffy pancakes...and this idiot gave OVER-NITE SENSATION a two...
The music here takes me to more places than OVER-NITE SENSATION, particularly when it gets to the jammy title track. Another spectacular bass riff with a just-as-impressive guitar solo thrown in there at a pace that I love. Only when Frank slows the tempo down a lot do I find myself bored out of my tree, so ''Stinkfoot'' is the song that least appeases me.
It really doesn't have enough to squeeze the fourth star out of me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to back to being chased out of town now.
Last words: Yummy.....fluffy.......paaaaaaaancaaaaaaaaaaakkkkkesssssssssss........

by Sinusoid

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ZAPPA, FRANK - Over-Nite Sensation (1973)

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 18:30:30 -0500

Ever have that moment where one of your friends tells this ''funny'' joke and everyone surrounding that friend absolutely laughs up a storm and you just force a few ''ha-has'' to look cool even though you really don't get it. Translate that feeling to my rating for this album and you'll understand what I mean.
I feel almost embarrassed that I don't really understand what's going on here. None of the lyrics make me laugh hysterically; my mind essentially tunes out half of the time on many of the funnier songs like ''Dinah-Moe Humm''. And why is that? There must be something wrong with the wiring in my brain because nothing musically sticks out to me on that song, or for that matter the remainder of the album.
I admit, the chorus of ''I am the Slime'', the chorus of ''Fifty-Fifty'', large bits of ''Zomby Woof'' and the last bit of ''Montana'' perk my interest. Unfortunately, I am more bored than amused/enticed/impressed/entertained. The music sound bland, nondescript and unremarkable to my ears. I am one to believe that the main focus of OVER-NITE SENSATION was the humourous content of which I have absolutely no offense to IF I can get into the music. Here, it doesn't happen that much.
Don't take my review too seriously. There's probably a good reason for the amount of five star ratings here, and it's more likely than not that you won't share my opinion. I prefer the humour content found on FREAK OUT! because I can get into the music more on that album. Then again, what does the blithering idiot called Sinusoid know about anything?
Last words: I have none.

by Sinusoid

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MESHUGGAH - Destroy Erase Improve (1995)

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 18:19:35 -0500

Considered by many to be the band's Magnum Opus, "Destroy Erase Improve" is certainly one mind blowing album. That is not even a stretch, after the first listen I thought my brain exploded. This is the album that truly defined the Meshuggah style. Crushingly heavy riffs, jazz fusion, extreme technicality, and bizzare time signature use. Truly the epitome of technical metal, (but not quite yet Prog-Metal, although it's getting there). It should be noted this album still has a thrashy feel to it, but not nearly as much as "Contradictions Collapse"
This album has all the we love and expect from Meshuggah. Crushing riffs, and insane drumming. Though it is not to the level of later albums you can clearly hear the magnificent work of Thomas Haake. His playing runs the gambit on this album. We hear double bass pounding thrash beats, to slow jazzy drumming, (that is quite beautiful) to has signature off beat, poly-rhythmic patterns.
Although we heard bits of it before, this album really expands on the jazz fusion elements. The drumming and guitar work in these parts are simply beautiful. Best examples are in Future Breed Machine, Vanished, Inside What's Within Behind, and Sublevels.
You can hear it in many of the solos as well. To a less musically traveled ear the solo's may sound like crazy metal shreds, but we here know better. The solo's are very jazzy. It also creates a very interesting juxtaposition. Not often can you hear high pitched, jazzy solos over brutally crushing guitar rhythm's.
There are 10 songs on this album. All are good. Some are stronger than others. Some are absolute winners I could always listen to, some are good but not anything spectacular. I will talk about the best few on this album.
Future Breed Machine. One of their most well known, and I see why. After a 30 second long intro that sounds like a factory the song kicks in. Overall, a pretty thrashy song, with heavy riffs and some pounding vocals. The double bass part just after 2 minutes is very intense. However, just after is one of the best parts on the whole album. This jazzy section is just wonderful. Then it's back to brutality.
Acrid Placidity. This song is a total departure from the album. It is slow, mellodic with beautiful guitar work and almost no drumming. Yup, it's all about the guitar, and words can not describe. A must listen. Interesting to note: this song was written by rhythm guitarist Marten Hagstrom. We're so used to his crushing rhythm guitar work, it is amazing to see his melodic side. And after hearing this song it is no surprise Meshuggah started moving in that direction since his entry on this album.
Suffer in Truth. A slow, bassy, double bass drum pounding intro. This song features some of the best bass guitar on the album. Not to mention some superb drumming and guitar work. It is a very mechanical song with a great feel.
Sublevels is a great song, and has one of the best intros! Also, some of Haake's best work.
Overall, a great album. Obviously not for the regular progger or even the standard metal head. This album is INTENSE. It is not the easiest to listen to, (although better than some later works). You must like this kind of music. The vocals of Jens are a drawback. His vocals have always been tough. They are not deep growls, or high pitched shrieking...just loud. They can be very piercing. It is tolerable though.
Great album. Great sound, later to be expanded. If you are a fan of more extreme metal, technical metal, and the more extreme side of prog-metal this album is a must listen. 4 stars.

by JJLehto

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PALLAS - The Dreams Of Men (2005)

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 16:16:47 -0500

Time to dream!
This album is the third in a trio of recent albums by Pallas (before these three albums there was a gap of some 12 years from their first batch of albums). Let me start by saying that all three of these albums are very good and very well worth having. But while many consider The Dreams Of Men to be the best out of the three, I am not quite as convinced about its merits as many of my fellow reviewers. For me Pallas peaked with the consistently excellent The Cross And The Crucible which is the better album in my opinion. Deciding between The Dreams Of Men and Beat The Drum is more difficult, however, as both albums contain some truly inspiring songs. Since I gave Beat The Drum three stars, that will be my rating here as well.
On the first couple of listens, I immediately liked the great opening track The Bringer Of Dreams and the wonderful Ghostdancers. But I found, at least initially, that the rest of the album did not live up to the high standards set by these two songs. However, even if I still find some minor flaws and slightly irritating moments on some of the other songs (and even if The Bringer Of Dreams and Ghostdancers still are my two favourite tracks here), The Dreams Of Men grew on me a lot over further listens. Like many Prog albums, it took some time and effort to get into it.
The Dreams Of Men is a concept album based on just that - men's dreams. However, it is a much looser concept compared to the previous The Cross And The Crucible and it is not at all the lyrical masterpiece that album was. However, there are some fine lyrics here as well.
One thing that strikes me while listening to this album is that the music seems to be almost tailor-made for the preferences of the people on this site; long songs, symphonic sound, instrumental workouts, keyboard solos, etc. All the characteristic ingredients of (Neo-) Progressive rock are here. You might suspect that the band worked hard to avoid potential criticisms of not being progressive enough (I have seen such criticisms being lodged against Beat The Drum and The Cross And The Crucible). My initial response to some of the passages on some of the songs was that maybe they are trying too hard; maybe they are moving outside of their comfort zone just to please the (Neo-) Prog community?; maybe they are applying a formula that is not truly their own? However, this negative feeling tended to fade with further listens. Pallas is still one of the most original Neo-Prog bands in my opinion, but I think that their own identity came to its right better on the previous two albums.
Another thing that strikes me is the broad array of influences. I can detect influences from World Music, New Age, Metal, Folk, etc. Some unusual sounds (compared to earlier Pallas albums) are heard here; we have fiddle on a couple of songs, a Gospel Choir, a traditional Native American singer, a female Opera singer and more! Some of these sounds work better than others. The inclusion of a fiddle on The Bringer Of Dreams and Ghostdancers appeared to be to be something of a masterstroke. It really works to great effect to enhance these songs, especially the latter. This superb, folky song is about the European emigration to America and its consequences on the Native American people. The song ends with a beautiful, short, traditional Native American a cappella vocal that really lends atmosphere to the song. This blending of traditional musical influences from both sides of the Atlantic (Britain and America) is quite brilliant and really fits with the theme of the song.
Bringer Of Dreams features all the Pallas trademarks and one of the best instrumental breaks the band has ever done which is introduced by Alan Reed whispering 'time to dream!' - possibly the most memorable line of the whole album. The album continues with Warriors which starts with a rather simplistic guitar riff that is hardly original. It sounds rather like the kind of simple riff that aspiring guitarists will learn first. However, the verses and chorus of the song are among the finest in the Pallas catalogue and make the song overall very strong.
Too Close To The Sun brings the band closer to typical (Neo-) Prog territory and is a very varied song that took some time to sink in. Messiah features the clich�d line 'I'm walking the walk, I'm talking the talk' as well as a short guitar passage that is strongly reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix! Is it perhaps a deliberative quote? This song also features a Gospel choir, all this in the same track. I have started to like this one too, but it is probably my least favourite on the album together with Mr. Wolfe.
Northern Star is a lovely, relaxing, New-Age-like guitar instrumental. Considered on its own merits it is perhaps not very interesting. It is just the kind of thing that Steve Howe, Mike Oldfield, Steve Morse and many others has been making in large quantities. However, this little instrumental becomes a perfect interlude between the surrounding, harder edged songs. With Mr. Wolfe Pallas almost enters Metal territory and they seem to be rather comfortable there and it sounds rather good, but there is nothing to make this track really stand out from the crowd. The riff on which the song is based reminds me slightly of the riff from Dream Theater's Never Enough from their Octavarium album.
Invincible continues partly in the Metal mode, this time with some slightly more aggressive bits. Here I find that Pallas, especially Alan Reed's vocals, are moving slightly outside of their comfort zone, but they mange to bring it all together in the end. While I strongly agree with the moral sentiments of the lyrics, I think that the line 'it's my life and you can't have it!' is being repeated at least one time too many.
The Last Angel finally slows things down and is a kind of symphonic, operatic semi-ballad. It has a lovely melody and an excellent vocal performance from Alan Reed. The first part reminds me of U2, but it builds towards a more symphonic sound and is then handed over to the female Opera singer to change the nature of the song. I find the song to be perhaps a little bit too long for its own good, but otherwise a fine closer and one of the album's better songs together with the first three or four tracks. But while this is the song on this album that comes closest to being a ballad, I really miss a genuine ballad on The Dreams Of Men like Who's To Blame from The Cross And The Crucible and Blood & Roses from Beat The Drum.
With a running time of well over an hour, I find this whole album slightly too long for its own good. It is a common mistake in the age of the compact disc to put too much material on an album. Some of the songs could probably have been shortened slightly. But despite its few flaws - mostly concentrated to the middle of the album - The Dreams Of Men is still a very good album. Like with Beat The Drum - which also contained some really excellent songs - I wanted to give this four stars, but these albums are not quite there.
This review is starting to get absurdly long now, so I better end it by saying that I am very happy to have discovered this great Scottish band and that their three latest albums are all very enjoyable!

by SouthSideoftheSky

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ZAPPA, FRANK - Absolutely Free (1967)

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 15:14:51 -0500

Man, talk about a vast improvement from the debut!
While Zappa's debut album sounded somewhat choppy and unrefined, his second one sounds much more cohesive and mature. As others have said, this is a concept album of sorts. However, the lyrical themes from the previous album are still here. Zappa continues to lampoon politics and pop culture of the 60s. But the music has a much more pleasing quality to my ears. Some of the jams on here get really intense and exciting, but without a loss of control or wandering off aimlessly. Invocation & Ritual Dance of the Young Pumpkin is especially really interesting. I love the way the sax dances among all the other instruments. And some of the weird vocal effects and lines really make me chuckle when I hear them. Absolutely Free is very much in the same vein of its predecessor, in that it's full of excellent 50s/60s pop and R&B, but it also serves as a bridge to some of Zappa's psychedelic experimentation he would move on later in the 60s, especially with the superb We're Only in It for the Money.
I'm really torn with this album, because I could justify giving it 3, 4, or even 5 stars. I'm not sure if this is prog or not, but it's excellent music regardless and a step up from Zappa's debut. Absolutely Free really deserves a 4 star rating from me. Even though this is a really good album, the best is yet to come.

by birdwithteeth11

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SIEGES EVEN - The Art Of Navigating By The Stars (2005)

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 14:30:29 -0500

This is actually the first progressive album that I've listen to and it's also the one that brought me to Progressive music altogether - and made me want to listen to more. The third track, "The lonely views of Condors", was the first track that I've heard from that album and I immediatly liked it. At first I was a little intrigued but the more I listened to it the more I wanted to relisten this song. It still remains as one of my favourite ones from that album (it's actually very hard to give individual ratings to the tracks on this album, if not nigh to impossible), although Markus Steffen, the guitarist, wrote in the forums once (the first forum, the one that suffered from the database crash) that this particular song was merely pieced together from several composed parts.
Even though I assume that opinions will severly differ on that topic, I still consider this album to be somewhat of a concept album. It doesn't explicitly tell a story or tale or something along these lines, it rather tells the story of life in a generalised way, beginning with the first track, the laughter of a newborn, and ending with dark music and foreshadowing lyrics (a similar theme is used in the end of the song "Stigmata" and in the beginning of the second track, implying circular character of life). This idea is found throughout the whole album and ends with Styx - a very fitting name for the last song - the river of death. The lyrics themselves have a slightly medieval touch (the band, or rather Markus Steffen, cited Lord Byron and Shakespeare as their/his influences, though I cannot recall that correctly anymore), although this may just have been my first impression. Still, the lyrics contain so much, more ore less cryptic, imagery and metaphors, it's just enjoyment listening to them and imagining what thought may have crossed these guys' minds while they wrote them.
Even though I think I recall Arno Menses, who became their new vocalist at that time, saying, that he was quite nervous about singing on that new album so that he couldn't bring out his full potential. Whether or not that is true, his singing remains very melodic and beautiful. Of course it is quite a change compared to their 1991 album "A Sense of Change" (which is sadly the only of their older albums that I've had a chance to listen to) and J�gi Kaiser's "jazzy" style of singing but Arno does an excellent job at establishing himself as the band's new singer in that constellation (which, unfortunately, didn't last all too long after that). It fits Markus melodic way of playing the guitar perfectly. The distorted parts on this album are nice and heavy, the solos are great yet they aren't too protruding which could've hurt the wonderful interplay of the vocals and instrumental parts; the use of Markus' classical guitar is amazing, an instrument I haven't been privileged to hear too often in progressive metal.
The Holzwarth brothers are another thing that really amazed me with this album. Until now I never thought about the Bass as such a strong instrument as it is used here; this album really widened my perception of music in respect of that instrument. The bass is not employed as a bass in the sense of today's rock music (sorry, but as I said - my first prog album), it's being used as a real bass-guitar here. The interplay between Markus' guitar and Oliver's bass is hard to convey in words. It's delighting to hear the bass and the guitar changing back and forth between their roles as rhythm and solo instruments. Same thing goes for Alex, too. The drums provide a consistent background and whenever a climax point is reached they hit it big (that is especially the case in Stigmata, atlhough "climax point" may be a bit exaggerated, I just couldn't find a more fitting expression).
It's also an amazing thing to notice, that Sieges Even doesn't have a keyboard player or an additional musician. They keep it very simplistic with the guitars, bass and drums - maybe an effect thrown in here or there. The only time where an additional instrument comes into play is the flute in "Lighthouse". As far as I recall, again - Markus said that in the forums, it was an improvisation of someone who was in the studio when they recorded the album. It couldn't be more fitting though. The flute is preceded by the guitar and it gives the whole song an interesting new direction, a slight classical touch. It's great how the song is pieced together and how these two acoustic instruments are incorporated into the combination of the other electric instruments.
The only thing that really bothered me a little is the intro of "Blue Wide Open". For some reason I am somehow irritated by that vocals only part right at the beginning of the song - it's just something I cannot put my finger on. Still, once you get past that you can look forward to hear Markus at work, who has actually been helped by Oliver Holzwarth, the bassist. That's why that beginning cannot really change my opinion on that five star rating. Everything about that album is just right. It's always a joy to resign these beautiful lyrics or to play whole passages in your head and after all these years I'm still not tired from it. I just hope these guys had as great of a time producing that album as I have listening to it.
As for the songs: I will abstain from giving each song an own review. The only thing that is worthy of mention is how great the songs have been pieced together e.g. the ambience effects that have been used to connect some of them etc. I hope this first review of mine may have given you a little more insight into the music of Sieges Even. Of all the four albums I've listened to (A Sense of Change, The Art of Navigating by the Stars, Paramount, Playgrounds) this one is, in my opinion, the best one.

by yuastnav

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CRACK THE SKY - Dogs From Japan (2004)

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 14:18:48 -0500

Woof again! When I first bought this album, right when it was released, I gave it one listen and filed it away. The music, while not bad hard rock, is not terribly imaginitive. Occasionally, there are slight attempts to recapture the sound of the early albums, but that's very slight, and barely noticable.
What stands out here are the lyrics. They are as biting, sarcastic, and funny as John Palumbo has ever written. Particularly good lyrics can be heard in "Betty And The Jets", "Suburban Subhuman" and my favorite, "I'm A Doctor", which has Palumbo portraying a lecherous physician. This song is also an apparent nod to David Bowie, sounding quite a bit like a cross between "Fame" and "Let's Dance".
Also of note about this album is the return of original CTS bassist Joe Macre for three songs.
Not quite 3 stars, but rounded up because of the inability to rate with fractions.

by Evolver

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METALLICA - Live Sh*t: Binge and Purge (1993)

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 13:09:28 -0500

This is an excellent package of live content for Metallica. For a long time Metallica was well known for not releasing live videos or recordings, so they certainly made up for it with this package. I have the original box set which came with 3 CDs and 3 VHS Video cassettes in a well designed box. It also included a large book with lots of letters, photos, posters, etc from the recording of the Black album and the following tour, all displayed in a scrapbook type format. It certainly can be interesting to flip through the book and see some of the miscellaneous items they included. Back when I was younger, my friends and I would go back and forth between watching the videos for this, and the video of "A Year and a Half in the Life of...". I am not a huge fan of listening to live performances with audio only, so I have barely listened to the CDs, but the videos make up for that in a big way. The production value on the concert videos is nothing less than perfect and Metallica are certainly able to put on a good show. If you are a fan of Metallica then you cannot go wrong with this box set. I can only give a review on the VHS version I have, but I'm certain the DVD version must be just as good. (although I don't know if the DVD comes with the scrapbook in full-size, as a smaller version, or if it is included at all)

by Telinstryata

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SOURCE, THE - All Along This Land (2006)

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 12:54:49 -0500

Good choice in ever groving prog arena ladies and gentlemen, you should check this record. But beware, hard/heavy/metal prog lovers will be probably disappointed.
From a humble piano beginnings of first track, indeed named "From the Start" we can start to listen nice piece of soft prog. Well, as you probably know too, it's hard to define genre of music. Britney Spears will be pop for sure, but this can be said about Michael Jackson too. And difference in quality is clearly to see. Same with this one. Crossover prog, one can imagine something similar to eclectic.
This one has mostly acoustic guitar(s), but not limited only to them. There is of course electric guitar too and typical prog instrument, keyboard or some kind of synthetizer. But acoustic feeling overwhelmed me. There is also some kind of suite, "All Along This Land", spanning over first half of tracks. Some good melodies, some good improvisation, don't expect lyrics everywhere. By the way, pleasant voice.

by MartyMcFly89

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WILSON, STEVEN - NSRGNTS RMXS (2009)

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 12:16:26 -0500

An overall beautiful collection of remixed already excellent Steven Wilson music. The remix of Harmony Korine is contrasted with the original as it is given a hip-hop feel by T.V. on the Radio's David A. Silek. I've never been a fan of track by track analysis. but the overall impression of this collection of remixes is a must have for any fan of Steven Wilson. If you have Insurgentes and enjoyed it, then it's safe to say you will thoroughly this collection of remixes. My personal favorite is track 5, the Lukasz Langa remix of Abandoner. This mix gives the song a distant worldly feel that would make the song at home in a dramatic independent film about long lost friends regaining friendship only to quickly lose it again. I've only just received this collection and have already listened to this mix 3 times, and I dare say I like it a tiny bit more than the original. Electronic fuzz ix replaced with a more prominent piano that tugs at your heart and leaves you wanting more. 4 stars. Recommended.

by Semi-Prog

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SYLVIAN, DAVID - Brilliant Trees (1984)

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 12:10:01 -0500

This is David Sylvian's debut and he has a couple of former members of his old band JAPAN helping him out,namely Richard Barbieri and Steve Jansen.Cool to see Holger Czukay from CAN helping out as well with french horn,guitar and affects.I will say right off the top that this isn't nearly as good as "Secrets Of the Beehive" where i really think it he found his sound.There are songs here though that made me think of that album. "Pulling Punches" is my least favourite because it's so very eighties sounding.It's uptempo and kind of funky at times. "The Ink In The Well" is more relaxed.Some prominant double bass in this one.Acoustic guitar stands out and we get some flugelhorn before 3 minutes. "Nostalgia" reminds me of "Secrets Of The Beehive" with that atmosphere and great song writing. "Red Guitar" opens with drums,bass and guitar as vocals join in then piano.Trumpet 3 1/2 minutes in. "Weathered Wall" opens with slow but heavy drums as Barbieri comes in on synths.Vocals 1 1/2 minutes in.Some good atmosphere in this one. "Backwaters" features more of that excellent atmosphere that recalls "Secrets of the Beehive".Drums after a minute followed by vocals. "Brilliant Trees" is laid back with vocals and trumpet.I'll again mention the atmosphere that makes this sound so good,much like many of those NO MAN records. So a good album that seems to be lacking what made "Secrets Of The Beehive" so great.

by sinkadotentree

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PREGHIERA DI SASSO - Preghiera di Sasso (1975)

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 11:30:03 -0500

The rarest of the rare?
According to Mellow Records, this piece of RPI history was the single rarest vinyl recording of the 1970s, with 20 copies pressed. (ItalianProg.com says 1000 copies were issued, though they agree that the rarity caused the value of the vinyl to be incredibly high). Furthermore Preghiera only owned half of the album, the other half was the work of a related band called Diapason. The thinking was that the two bands could share a vinyl pressing in the hopes of promoting themselves while saving some money. On the Mellow MMP-267 CD release, the other band was dropped. In their place the band gave Mauro a tape of six additional period recordings to fill the CD, five of the tracks were from 1972 while the other was recorded a few years later around the time of the vinyl issue. The band Preghiera di Sasso formed in 1971 in Abruzzo and were an active live band on the local scene, even taking part in some large festivals of the day.
The bands that popped into my mind listening to Preghiera were Cincinnato, Flea, Duello Madre, and the New Trolls jazzy album called "Tempi Dispari." As mentioned, it is important to keep in mind that there are two different sets of songs present here: the vinyl '75 tracks and the bonus '72 tracks. The earlier material is more aggressive and feisty, period prog rock instrumental jamming from start to finish. You certainly can hear an affinity for Cream's approach as they attack in power-trio style with wailing electric guitar, big booming bass, and muscular drumming-with no vocals or keyboards. I really enjoyed the controlled chord progressions of "La Macchina del Tempo" displaying a lighter moment before the absolutely furious opening of "La Paura." Another good comparison would be Flea's hard rocking "Topi" album which also reveled in the pleasures of the rock jam, for the sake of it. This is just three guys losing themselves in their wailing. Things changed a bit on the 1975 tracks where gears shift towards a jazzier approach similar to what Flea did moving on to Etna I suppose. Electric piano and saxophone come into the mix and the sound quality is a bit improved. The material is not as exciting or mindblowing as an Officina Meccanica or Rocky's Filj however. These four tracks are less frantic and edgy, the performances gaining in execution while losing some of their feistiness. I suppose you could say the later material is more mature. "Praxis" offers up some lengthy saxophone leads over a good rhythm with occasional introspective guitar notes here and there. The guitar and bass dueling on "Evoluzione" is also notable and quite impressive. Drummer Perlino has refined his playing on the later tracks and a spirited drum solo has been included as one of the bonus tracks-all 4 plus minutes of it!
This is an archival recording wisely saved from the dustbin by Mellow, but of course the sound quality is certainly lacking compared to more pampered releases. Fans of RPI obscurity of the instrumental jamming variety will appreciate this assuming they can deal with less than perfect sound quality. I thought it was fine but I have a pretty high tolerance when I'm enjoying the music. I would say if you like the middle Flea album "Topi" there is a good chance you will appreciate Preghiera's two sides. Mellow's insert includes a Bio in Italian and photos of the band members. A mixture of the 2 and 3 star verbage: Good, but for fans only

by Finnforest

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BLOCCO MENTALE - Poa (1973)

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 11:07:41 -0500

'Poa' ('grass' in Greek)... The ecological side of RPI!
Also if my previous sentence is a great truth, vice versa is another truth that this band rose by Titania Studios in 1973, recorded a good album (printed in 2000 copies) and, as it came... It was gone.
If this is the story of the band, the story of 'Poa''s music is this: 'Poa' is a good album with Prog songs and POP arrangements, not for this POP. In fact these songs are extreme technical. For me the writing style is too obvious: complicated writing, heavy arrangements, intricate lyrics (entering in the song) and simple production (in the typical Italian style).
For me 'Poa' struggling to take flight (must wait 'La Nuova Forza' [eng: 'The New Power']) but this is not a true problem because in truth also the previous songs are good.
The style is a strange combination of true typical RPI (almost without originality) in the vision of more Heavy RPI bands with POP. This is the winning element, more that the ecological message of lyrics.
But because 'Poa' is a good album? First because 'Poa' is a simple album and second... Well... Secondarily because written and played in a good manner with good songs. For me 'Poa' is not a gem but a honest RPI album.

by 1967/ 1976

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TRIP LAVA - Oddball in the Corner Pocket (2007)

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 10:55:35 -0500

If you think that the extravagant-psychedelic chapter of music culture is definitely dissolved you should give a serious listen on this first album published under the name trip lava. It has been conceived, released and performed by the guitarist, multi-instrumentalist Joel Lee. The musical universe of Trip Lava is a bombastic hybrid of styles, exclusively instrumental, dominated by stoned groovy guitar sequences, molecular-cosmic noises, spacey synth moves and surrounded by RPI avant garde flavour . Hit single is a an agitated-hallucinogenic trip featuring obsessional rythms and driven drum pulses. The hypno-minimal-menacing progression reminds me a few things released by weird french electronic bands (Lard Free, Heldon). Hi Hat carries on a cerebral-atonal instrumental that turns into psych madness. Glass Disco is an hyper-active / schizo acid jam including buzzing looped guitars and a lot of cosmic effects. Some tracks contain evident references to comsic-kraut dementia but admit much more emphasise on loud-garagey-corrosive sounds. Glass Disco part 1 & 2 are my favourites: incredibly tranced out guitar pieces with minimalist influences (Terry Riley...). Electro Glass Climax part 2 closes the album with this typical maniacal-hypnotic-savage rockin guitars that are the real signature of the project. Oddball in th corner pocket is a courageous, inventive album which resurrects in a contemporary way the vibrant imagery, sounds and colours of vintage psychedelic space music.

by philippe

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