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GERARD "Meridian" (Neo-Prog, 1998) by progrules

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:39:45 -0500

4/5 STARS - What a beautiful noise !

No, this is no reference to the famous Neil Diamond hit but actually the best thinkable description of this album. But first an interesting statement:

This is the second time in two days that I notice a significant difference between my version of an album and the one shown on our site. I do believe PA's version is the right one because on mine I detect a song from a previous release by Gerard and that's the song Evidence of True Love, a mini-epic and a major song on my release. Major because it's one of the three most significant songs on this release along with the other two longer songs Orpheus and Melting Time. The rest of the songs is more or less forgettable compared to the three masterpiece tracks. Yes, I want to go that far !

I listened to these three songs many times on my mp3 player about a year ago and I remember my admiration for these songs grew more and more on me in that period. At first the songs sound just noisy and could be described as messy but when you give them every chance and listen to the melodic structure that is really there you could conclude they are actually brilliant !

And they make me come to the conclusion this album deserves 4 stars without any doubt. Gerard is not a straightforward neo progressive band but more a band in between neo, symphonic and heavy prog. They have some similarity with their fellow country people from Ars Nova who they actually performed together with. Both bands most prominent features are vintage keyboards that at first sound noisy and almost distorted but are in fact brilliant. If this all intrigues you, don't hesitate to check them out and then Meridian is a good starting point.

by progrules

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GENESIS "A Trick Of The Tail" (Symphonic Prog, 1976) by paragraph7

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:49:55 -0500

4/5 STARS - Bluegirls come in every size, some are wise and some are otherwise.

Trick of the tail is the first one of the two great albums made without the Gabe. It's really a great album, even though Gabe isn't on it. It starts with the nice jam of "Dance on a volcano" and goes then to the nostalgic "Entangled". The old Genesis sound is still fresh, and these two tracks take you back to the times of Selling england by the pound and maybe Foxtrot. The funny thing with Collins voice is that he sounds almost exactly like Gabe on this one(and W&W), except without that rasp that Gabe sometimes puts in his harder vocal parts.

There's real gems on this albums too, "Mad Man Moon" and "Ripples" are outstanding, and then there is the ending instrumental "Los Endos" which is also magnificient. The problem with the album is of course rest of the tracks. "Squonk" is a bit too loose, "Robbery & Assault" is just boring and "Trick of the Tail" fails to deliver even though it isn't as bad as the two i described.

This album actually shows that Genesis is more than just Gabe, even though Gabe was a BIG part of the best Genesis. Tony Banks deserves a big credit for this album, as the keyboard solos are mostly amazing. Credit goes also to the rest of the band for keeping the standards high, so that Genesis could remain as the best prog and rock band of all time. 4 Stars.

by paragraph7

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ATROX "Contentum" (Tech/Extreme Prog Metal, 2000) by b_olariu

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:42:11 -0500

4/5 STARS - Atrox is an tech/extreme progressive band from Norway releasing 5 albums 'till present. This is their second one from 2000 named Contentum. This norwegian band gathered around the impressive female vocalist Monika Edvardsen is full of talent and full of unexpected great ideas. No wonder, because the often comapration between them and The 3rd And The Mortal are fond, because Monika is the sister of Ann Mari the femal vocalist of the lastest. Musicaly speaking Atrox can carry you in a great atmospheric and hypnotic journey, all album is full of great and inventiv passages. Toying with avand garde in places Atrox really knew how to make a solid album with brilliant passages and absolutly amazing vocal arrangements. This album is the one you love it or hate it, no middle way, for sure. Contentum is an album where nothing seems planned yet in some magical way it all seems to flow with intensity, and the listner is very pleased in the end, like I am. About the instrumental passages are very carefull done, with a lot of atmospheric keyboards made by Monika, very well interlude with the rest of the instruments, the guitar is heavy in places sounds very doomy, as I like to hear on this kind of music, the drums are aswell very doom in places, only very rare they speed up, but the result is awesome. Now about the hypnotic and haunting voice of Monika and in same time emotional tone, who is one of the best I ever heared on this kind of music, very talented girl, with an impressive range, from falsetto moments,, theatrical up and downs and above all some jaw dropping high pitched vocals, sometimes she remind me in places of her sister from The 3rd And The Mortal and even of Diamanda Galas, but not a copy of both for sure.I tell you, you won't listen every day such complex voice and such powerfull combinations of operatic and chaotic vocals. All pieces are excellent, specially the second track Unsummoned, this is the perfect example how must sound this genre in this decade, excellent pieces with atmospheric keyboards and doomy guitars, Letters To Earth and Gather in Me no More, the rest are also brilliant. I will give 4 stars, one of the best albums in this subgenre and one of the best from Scandinavia and Europe aswell, recommended for sure. Imagine that you combine the progressive elements of Dream Theater for ex with the doomy atmosphere of My Dying Bride and you got Atrox.

by b_olariu

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GORDIAN KNOT "Emergent" (Experimental/Post Metal, 2003) by snobb

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:52:13 -0500

5/5 STARS - Second album of great bassist Sean Malone project Gordian Knot continues excellent musical ideas, started at their debut. Shortly, it is a technicaly and melodicaly perfect mix between jazz fusion and progressive metal. Instrumental album consists of melted technique, jazzy arrangements and metal heaviness. Differently from their debut, big part of team is changed, we have two new great musicians on board: Bill Bruford and Steve Hackett!

I like that kind of music and I believe that we have there something what will give a birth of new generation progresive rock in XXI century. Not boring symphonic citates or mainstream neo- prog cliches are included at all. Not heavy metal stereotypes / machismo, not indie/brit-pop traces ( in a kind of Porcupine Tree of last years) presented . Just very professional elements from fusion and prog-metal, without tons of dated and boring prog rock atributes. Yes, sound isn't very soulful, but not very cold as well. You hear cool warmless in their music, and it's a real music of the first decade of XXI century! In comparance with debut ( and I believe because of line-up changes) music is a bit far from King Crimsonian influence, little slower and even warmer.

I believe, that this album could be interesting to listen for wide circle of modern prog lovers, starting from heavy prog fans, till Zappa's maniacs. Must have for Cynic/Sean Malone fans.

by snobb

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THERION "Of Darkness" (Progressive Metal, 1991) by Easy Livin

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:42:16 -0500

2/5 STARS - The pre-theatre menu

The career path of Therion is similar to that of Anathema in that it was only after they had released a few underwhelming death metal albums that they reinvented themselves as a high quality theatrical/operatic band. Formed in 1987, they went through a couple of names before settling on the abbreviated Therion. The word comes from the Greek for (a biblical) "Beast", the inspiration for its use coming from a track by the band Celtic Frost. The guiding light of the band has always been the multi talented Christofer Johnsson, here listed as the sole composer, lead vocalist, and rhythm guitarist.

A trio of privately released EP preceded this album, which itself contains songs written between 1987 and 1989. It took until 1990 for these to be recorded, with this the official d�but album appearing the following year. This would be their only release on Deaf Records.

It should be said upfront that anyone coming to this album seeking the magnificent operatic metal of Therion's main career will most certainly be disappointed. A glance at the line up indicates a complete absence even of keyboards, let alone choirs and orchestras. Even before that, one look at the sleeve will confirm that the word "subtlety" is unlikely to be needed in a review.

Turning to the music on the album, the previous mention of Anathema becomes even more pertinent as the opening song "The return" explodes on the ears in a burst of thrashed guitar and growls. There is actually a slight element of melody to the growls here, but they remain very much an acquired taste (or in my case, yet to be acquired!). The guitar work is certainly impressive as long as it is remembered that it is thrashed chords, not lead guitar soloing.

Generally the pace of the tracks is upbeat, avoiding the drudgery of slow drawn out death metal. The tracks do however have a tendency to all sound the same, the lack of options in the line up and the band's self inflicted parameters combining to cause this.

For the traditional prog fan, music such as this is the antithesis of our genre just as much as punk is. Personally, I find small doses of the music just about bearable. Not my preferred choice of listening by any means though.

The re-release of the album adds 4 "bonus" tracks, these being two demos and 2 unreleased versions of tracks on the album. Since the final versions of the tracks are basic enough, these extras are of little value.

by Easy Livin

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GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR "Yanqui U.X.O." (Post Rock/Math rock, 2002) by Prog Leviathan

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:28:39 -0500

4/5 STARS - This creative post-rock group uses a alternative instrumentation (mostly acoustic strings), powerful compositions, and an exceptional use of dynamics to create music that can reach heights of crushing beauty and anxiety-inducing intensity. In many ways, GY!BE is the iconic post-rock band, and this is their probably their most powerful and interesting album. I think the overall experience can be summed up as baleful, taking the listener to powefully dark places of their own imagining.

The template "Yanqui" uses is repeated throughout this album: slow, delicate, threatening introductions, swelling over the course of several minutes to nightmarish crescendos of distortion and frantic rhythm. This is largely accomplished by the heavy use of violin and guitar distortion, and will almost certainly make the listener feel something. Many won't like "Yanqui" sound, it can simply be too dark and too stressful to be enjoyed; for those initiated into the conventions of the genre, it offers an original sound of destructive, depressing instrumentals which pack a whallop. Play "Yanqui" to clear the room at a party, scare your neighbors, and make your relatives wonder if maybe "your 'music' has gone too far".

A dark, brooding highlight of the genre.

by Prog Leviathan

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THE DOORS "Live At The Hollywood Bowl" (Proto-Prog, 2000) by Chard121

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:08:56 -0500

5/5 STARS - This video was so good it made me write my first review. The intro to "Live at the Hollywood Bowl" claims it to be the only full concert recording of The Doors. If this is true then this video is essential for anyone interested in The Doors. I was already a big Doors fan before watching this, and already thoroughly enjoyed many of the songs appearing on this dvd, but had never seen them live before. Seeing the songs live puts a whole new perspective on them. It's a much more intense trip.

Jim Morrison puts on a fantastic performance that is as poetic as it is musical. It really shows you why he was so notorious.That's the main difference between Doors songs in the studio and live. In the studio it's much more about the sound, and I believe that's what most people notice, but, live, Jim lives his lyrics so passionately in the performance that you can't help but notice how the poetry of the words meshes with the music. It's like seeing the way he interacts with the music shows you how the music is meant to be heard, always improving the effect. A good example of this is Jim dancing around the microphone like an Indian around a campfire during the intense climax of The End. This brings me to my second point: The rest of the band performs fantastically as well. They really capture the mood of the words and create some incredible suspense and explosions of energetic mind melting music using great contrasts of key and timing between instruments. The moods caught are nuts, ranging from the hellish "Horse Latitudes" to the carnival-like joy of "Light my Fire" to the spaced out majesty of "The End".

I will definitely be watching this again.

P.S. Psychedelic accompaniment encouraged. Enjoy the music the way it was meant to be enjoyed.

by Chard121

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MAGMA "�m�hnt�htt-R�" (Zeuhl, 2009) by phleshy

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:51:53 -0500

5/5 STARS - Yet another triumph for Magma! I've been looking forward to this album for a couple of years now, and all the fantastic performances of the piece have been wetting my appetite and made me itch for this new masterpiece. One of the most spiritual pieces they have done in my opinion. Not much to say as far as specifics after that last reviewers comprehensive review. Very rich, dense vocals as on their last album, and fantastic playing all around particularly by Bubu on pt 3 and great playing and singing by Vander. My only beef is with the sound quality on Funerarium Khant. There is a lot of distortion when played at a loud level with a lot of bass. But that does not affect the musical brilliance of this album. Hooray for Magma!

by phleshy

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GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR "Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven" (Post Rock/Math rock, 2000) by Prog Leviathan

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:50:08 -0500

3/5 STARS - For many, this is the post-rock record, or at least the GY!BE record, but I disagree. It is excessively long, and doesn't leave much of an impact after the demanding task of finishing it.

Typical of the genre, "LYSFLATH" takes its time to build musically, establishing simple atmospherics and growing to a few powerful moments of genuine intensity, unsettling to some listeners because of its extremely depressing, enervating feel. I like this style of music, finding it an excellent change of pace from my usual dose of melody and flashy technical musicianship. It works very well as study/background music, stylishly drifting into the ether only to emerge just when one has forgotten it was there.

The playing and songwriting is actually quite good, but there is a ton of sonic-bushwacking the listener will have to go through to find it. There are frequent empty spaces and aimless spoken-word sections, and I can't help but think that some judiscious editing in the studio may help tighten this album's focus.

While fans of the band and genre will doubtless find innumerable highlights hidden within, casual fans will find getting through this album's double-length a unique chore. Not the best place to start one's post-rock journey.

by Prog Leviathan

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AYREON "The Universal Migrator part one: The Dream Sequencer" (Progressive Metal, 2000) by tszirmay

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:30:06 -0500

4/5 STARS - While this recording does not represent the core nature of Ayreon's music, which is more akin to heavy prog rock, this remains my favorite because of its more atmospheric and melodic content. Exceedingly electronic and even Floydian at times, the menu is way less �ber-symphonic than on other Ayreon albums , preferring a gloomier and moodier appeal where Arjen Lucassen and Erik Norlander (of Rocket Scientists fame) can weave some scintillating keyboard swirls with Arjen's patented guitar solos as an added feature. The title instrumental track launches this one firmly into outer space sci-fi travelling mode with firstly some usual cold female commands and vocoded protocols evolving gradually into wall of synthesized sound very close to a Floyd/ Tangerine Dream marriage, dense, dreamy and mysterious. Arjen pulls out a solo from his axe that would make Gilmour shudder, swooping analog synthesizers sweeping the corridors on the edge of time, a neat entrance. "Mouse on Mars" is punchier with sequencers aglow, rezoning some distant quadrant of space and featuring both male (Marilyn Manson lookalike Johan Edlund) and female (the pierced Floor Janssen) vocals, combining on a monolithic chorus that espouses the grand fanfare theme, a middle section loaded to the Romulan gills with grandiose workouts on guitar and synths. Drummer Rob Snijders pounds a mean drum in the process. Very good track, this! The nihilistic "2084" strictly stamps the event with a futuristic date where war and destruction seem to thrive in utter connivance; a soft acoustic guitar and forlorn synth solo paint the misery of some nuclear catastrophe giving vocalist Lana Lane the platform to lament some fierce regret. The tortuous axe solo slips around like some gooey eel successfully expressing the oblivion of destiny and the apocalyptic end of civilization. Absolutely creepy! From now on the clock goes backward into past history. In a clever twist, "One Small Step" reverts to a distant childhood memory of Man landing on the Moon in July 1969, ironically the birth of progressive rock in a way, where astronomy beckoned the innocent to look up and beyond the stars and comprehend the humanistic need to travel to space. Singer extraordinaire Edward Reekers provides a masterful performance, oozing bravado and passionate awe while Norlander whips up a shimmering synth solo and Arjen does another incredible job on lead guitar. The Eagle has landed, indeed. The next one is a bizarre electro-medieval concoction inspired by Rembrandt van Rijn and my preferred track here "The Shooting Company of Captain Frans B. Cocq", a gorgeously capricious piece that has an alternative feel with a superb melody, some idiosyncratic singing and some creative sound textures culminating in a shivering choir backdrop. Vocalist "Mouse" does well to hint at anyone from John Foxx, Davis Bowie and Trevor Horn without falling into a cornfield. "Dragon on the Sea" is gurgling synthesized bubble bath, pinging wildly in and out of 16th century focus as Lana Lane takes the microphone and soars accordingly, urging Drake's sailors against the invading armada. This cut doesn't really hit me but its okay, I guess. "Temple of the Cat" beams sonic light on the Mayan pyramid in Tikal and is refreshing little ditty. "Carried by the Wind" is a 6th century inspired affair with Arjen on vocals and a Celtic powered guitar phrasing that is stirring to say the least, another thoroughly enjoyable brief track that hits the melodic mark. "And the Druids Turn to Stone" is the other big winner here , a near 7 minutes of majestic prog with some insistent Hammond organ, purified guitar insertions, dive-bombing synths and a gigantic vocal courtesy of Threshold's genial lead lung Damian Wilson. Yummy! Grandiloquent, perhaps even bombastic at times, this is pure prog bliss. "The First Man on Earth" revives the prehistoric innocence of the dawn of time, a Garden of Eden of sound and substance, almost Beatles-like (pretty cool orchestrations actually) in delivery, a surreal fantasy of a nascent world that will find ways to ruin it all in so many directions. The disc ends its 70 minute + run on a title track reprise that fades backwards into oblivion. Perfect concept, execution and mood. Bravo! 4.5 trance cycles

by tszirmay

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MOGWAI "Come on Die Young" (Post Rock/Math rock, 1999) by Prog Leviathan

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:23:49 -0500

1/5 STARS - Sometimes instrumental post-rock albums can really challenge the listener with unconventional sounds and nuanced songwriting. "Come on Die Young" is not one them.

As soon as the intriguing introduction "Punk Rock" fades away, a bland, repetative exercise in pointless guitar strumming and rhythmic minimalism aimlessly roams. Fans of the post-rock genre are used to this, at least to some degree, but for many groups this sort of subtle noodling acts as the calm before the storm... on this release, it's the name of the game, and it isn't even done that well. All the songs are very similar, very sedated, and very bland. The listener will be hard-pressed to remember anything specific about these songs, since they all feel as if they're simply there, filling airy space which could be filled with something more interesting.

Many other post-rock bands do what Mogwai is doing here much better, and "Come on Die Young" should be overlooked by all but the most dedicated fans of the genre.

by Prog Leviathan

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OREGON "Roots in the Sky" (Jazz Rock/Fusion, 1979) by sinkadotentree

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:38:44 -0500

3/5 STARS - What a talented and unique sounding band OREGON are.As i said when reviewing their "Out Of The Woods" album, if i gave my rating based on objectivity this is a 4 possibly a 5 star record.Again i have a hard time getting past the fact that it's an all acoustic album.My loss i know.Once again acoustic guitars,aboe,piano and percussion lead the way.I must say i do prefer this one over "Out Of The Woods" but not by much. If you can get the re-issue with both of these paired together i wouldn't hesitate. I read where someone refered to this music as "acoustic jazz chamber music".Or something like that. "June Bug" kicks in quickly to an uptempo pace with percussion,aboe and acoustic guitar.Just a great sound with so much going on. "Vessel" is the longest track on here.Percussion of some sort to open as piano comes in gently.Some dissonant horns join in around 3 minutes.Bass clarinet too then the piano takes over.Percussion becomes the focus again in this laid back tune. "Sierra Leone" is very quiet with some sparse aboe until we get this World music sound around a minute.It's building. "Ogden Road" opens with piano as a horn comes in and other sounds.Percussion around 1 1/2 minutes.The tempo continues to change.Acoustic guitar before 3 minutes.Horns 3 1/2 minutes.Aboe before 6 minutes with piano.Excellent track. "House Of Wax" opens with piano as sitar joins in.It seems out of place to me. "Hungry Heart" opens with percussion as aboe,bass,acoustic guitar and other sounds join in. "Orrington's Escape" is led by aboe but i don't like it.Thankfully it's very short. "Roots In The Sky" builds with horns,percussion and other sounds.It settles right down then builds a lot more slowly this time. "Longing,So Long" sounds like sounds from the jungle to open.Percussion and aboe follow with acoustic guitar.Some bass and piano too as the tempo continues to change. So an impressive release that i need to be in the right mood for.I found this more jazzy than "Out Of The Woods" and that's probably why i liked it more.3.5 stars.

by sinkadotentree

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PHIDEAUX "Number Seven" (Crossover Prog, 2009) by Prog Leviathan

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:59:19 -0500

4/5 STARS - Phideaux continues his winning streak of stellar releases, "Number Seven" being very much the heir to the outstanding "Doomsday Afternoon". As a whole, "Number Seven" is a symphonic journey through beautiful styles, moods, tones, and emotions, with a consumate songwriter as one's guide.

The album begins with the mysterious "Dormouse" theme, giving way to the beautifully ominous "Waiting for the Axe to Fall", which features characteristic blends of synth, vocals, and guitar effects. These features are utilized throughout the album, its recurring themes and melodies weaving a lush and emotive tapestry of sound. The vocals are great, with the female lead almost stealing the show. Phideaux's guitar playing is usually understated, so don't expect anything especially rousing or heavy-- mood and melody are the name of the game here. There are peaks and valleys within the dynamics, but things stick to subtlety more often than not (even though the album is about war).

The overall feeling is generally forboding, but never oppressively so. Phideaux doesn't seem to take himself as seriously as some other symphonic/prog stars, and "Number Seven" reflects that. Although dark, this release has a sort of bouyancy which keeps its tone and pace moving quite along, and it never gets preachy with its lyrics.

Very, very good, and probably a 5 star release if not for its close similarities to its slightly more striking predecessor, which has a greater depth of emotion. Still, "Number Seven" is a lock for album of the year on many listener's lists, thanks to its iconically progressive sound and genuine excellence. The blend of styles and quality of songwriting is poised to place Phideaux as the prog-rock artist to watch.

by Prog Leviathan

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TRANSATLANTIC "The Whirlwind" (Symphonic Prog, 2009) by J-Man

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:23:01 -0500

5/5 STARS - Album of the year '09!

I've always considered Transatlantic to be one of the greatest (if not the greatest) supergroup in the history of prog. Their first two albums were excellent, and everything I could dream of. Come on, what's better than a supergroup made up from the mastermind Neal Morse, the crazy drumming of Mike Portnoy, the great basslines of Pete Trewavas, and the guitar heroics of Roine Stolt? Not much at all in my opinion. So you can only imagine how thrilled I was when I heard they were getting back together to create a 77-minute epic concept album!

I was not at all disappointed when I first heard this album. It was everything I'd hoped for, and a lot more. This is pure perfection from beginning to end, and there is no other way I can describe it. From the incredible overture opening to the epic ending, this album takes you on a journey and is one of the best albums released in the past 3 years.

So what makes this album so great?

Well, it's really a combination of things. To hear such excellent musicians finally play together again is really great. The chemistry between the musicians is clearly there, and I've always thought that they've played together perfectly. This is also the most balanced Transatlantic album to date, and this definitely features more equal participation from each band member. While I think the first two albums are 4 and 5 star albums regardless of this aspect, this doesn't sound as much like a Neal Morse solo project anymore. While it is obvious that Neal and Roine do impact the overall sound of the band the most, this features more lead parts from Pete, and Mike Portnoy has a few lead vocal sections as well (don't worry, he doesn't growl!).

In addition to that, Transatlantic has always been excellent at creating excellent prog-rock epics. Songs like All of The Above, Duel With The Devil, and Stranger in Your Soul are some of the best 20+ minute songs I've ever heard, so a 77 minute epic works absolutely perfectly for them. The overture is one of the best I've heard, and the bombastic ending doesn't disappoint either. Everything in between has a perfect blend of emotions, beautiful melodies, and excellent soloing. Now on to the track-by-track review:

THE MUSIC:

"Overture/Whirlwind"- The opening to this concept album begins with some light sound effects and a repeated voice. Soon, some light horns come in playing the main theme to the album. A string riff goes into one of the main themes played by a synth. The overture is incredible, having everything a good overture needs. It covers all of the themes it should cover, and has some great moments. After some uplifting organ chords and a great bassline, the first vocals of the album enter. They are surprisingly enough Roine Stolt's, and Neal Morse's soon follow into the catchy chorus. This is a noteworthy opening that should be recognized as one of the strongest in prog rock.

"The Wind Blew Them All Away"- The previous song flows right into the second track on this epic album. An acoustic guitar riff opens it up, and Neal's vocals soon follow. It has a kind-of ominous feeling to it, and it definitely sounds like something that could come from a Neal Morse solo album, particularly Testimony. It has a great guitar solo shortly before the middle of the song, as well as one towards the end that incorporates one of the main themes into it.

"On The Prowl"- The third song opens with an excellent bassline. Soon the drums, keyboards, and guitars enter. It starts as sort of a jazz fusion jam-session, but it soon evolves into a prog rock song. It has a heavy verse, and a great chorus. It has frequent use of the organ, and it really adds another layer to the music. A great song!

"A Man Can Feel"- A short little heavy intro opens it. After the brief opening, a majestic harpsichord chord progression enters. Roine's vocals here are very creepy and mysterious. The chorus is very catchy that soon enters. The Mellotron chord progression that follows reprises the mysterious opening, and it is very effective. The instrumental section near the end is very strong, and it has a few moments (around 5 minutes in) that could have clearly come from an album by The Flower Kings.

"Out of The Night"- After the ambitious instrumental section that concluded the previous track, this is a lighthearted track that reminds me a lot of The Beatles. This features many vocal tradeoffs, and Mike Portnoy actually has a lead vocal part (and again, don't worry- he's not growling on a TA album!). Some strong acoustic sections, musical reprises, a great outro, and beautiful melodies make this relatively straightforward track one of my favorites actually.

"Rose Colored Glasses"- After the climax at the end of the previous song, a light acoustic melody with Neal Morse singing. This just screams solo Neal Morse left and right, but it is still a great track, with many memorable melodies. After the bridge there is a reprise of the main theme to the album, and it works perfectly. There are some classic Roine Stolt guitar moments here, and he definitely does a great job with the guitar solo.

"Evermore"- The seventh song opens up with a cool piano progression. There are a couple of riffs from the bass, guitar, drums, and piano that contrast the airy chord progression. It soon turns into a steady beat, and then the riff changes into an excellent section with a great bassline. When the vocals enter it sounds very similar to The Flower Kings, and that is not a bad thing. It has some hintings towards the song "Is It Really Happening?" near the end of the song.

"Set Us Free"- This opens up with one of the main themes to the album, and I absolutely love the sound of the synths in contrast to the rest of the band here. Soon a rhythmic electric piano, bassline, and drum beat enter. Neal Morse's vocals are the first to enter. After that Mike Portnoy has the lead vocal part again. His vocal melody reminds me of the song "Frequency" by IQ every time, but by the second or third measure the melody changes. I love the chorus to this song as well.

"Lay Down Your Life"- A low string melody begins this song, and it reminds me of something off of Neal Morse's "Testimony" album. It has a kind of symphonic hard rock feeling to it, and it has some Flower King overtones. The chorus is pretty strong, and it can manage to get stuck in my head for days. This is a pretty standard verse-chorus-verse song.

"Pieces of Heaven"- A complex organ and harpsichord rhythm open up the third to last track. This song is entirely instrumental, and builds off of the same theme for the majority of the song.

"Is It Really Happening?"- This opens up with a very Flower King-ish piano scale that soon ends and sound effects enter. A vocal melody continuously builds without the listener really realizing it's happening (pun intended). It builds into one of he greatest instrumental sections I've ever heard. An excellent guitar solo from Roine is everything I could wish for in a solo, as the rest of the band is going frantic (just listen to Portnoy here!). The guitar solo progresses into some wonderful riffs, until we reach the climax of the song. The song completely changes key signature, and a synth line enters. The synth line changes slightly, and guitars play the same riff along with it. It just keeps getting faster and faster until we're at light speed! This is the closest the album gets to prog metal, and let me just say it is AWESOME!! This song is superb, and the instrumental section near the end is one of the best I've ever heard, and is a great way to go into the emotional closing piece.

"Dancing With Eternal Glory/Whirlwind (Reprise)"- A light piano melody opens the song. It progresses into one of the main themes on the album. Neal sings this section beautifully, and I do find his voice to be terribly underrated. He does an excellent job especially in the beautiful chorus. I love the strings applied to this section, and it truly is excellent. There is a point where I can't even describe such magnificence with words. You just need to hear it. A great guitar solo transitions into the theme from "A Man Can Feel", and it works perfectly back into the main theme to the album. All in all, this epic conclusion sums up everything in the album absolutely perfectly, and there is no flaw here. This is one of the greatest (if not the greatest) endings I've ever heard to such an epic piece of music. This is what all musicians should model their endings to an album like, because it doesn't get any better than this.

Conclusion:

I think I've made my point clear by now. This album is a masterpiece that should be heard by anyone who even remotely likes progressive rock. We all had some doubts about creating a 77-minute album, but Transatlantic pulled it off with ease! These musicians work so well together musically, and it really shows in this epic concept album. I am so glad to see that they are back together again?. now I'm just counting the days until the next masterpiece.

5 stars.

by J-Man

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JANISON EDGE "The Services of Mary Goode" (Neo-Prog, 1998) by sinkadotentree

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:14:36 -0500

3/5 STARS - This was JANISON EDGE's lone studio album released in 1998.There are pleasant female vocals from Sue Element who wrote the lyrics and along with Mike Varty wrote all the music.Karl Groom mixed this album and the mellotron used was borrowed from Clive Nolan.Oh there's more connections to the Neo-Prog world. Mike Varty played with LANDMARQ,CREDO and SHADOWLAND.The drummer Dave Wagstaffe also played with LANDMARQ. Ian Salmon on guitar plays with ARENA but used to play with SHADOWLAND.Are you confused as i am right now,i hope not. "A Twist In The Tale Of History" opens with synths followed by guitar then vocals.It settles after 3 1/2 minutes with reserved vocals then kicks in a minute later.Some spoken word samples on this one as well. "Oldman" is a short tune with laid back vocals and piano. "Beneath The Boy" opens with soaring guitar right off the hop.Vocals before a minute.Some heaviness after 3 minutes.Synths take the lead 4 minutes in then it's the guitars turn.More guitar soloing late. "The Services Of Mary Goode" builds then settles with fragile vocals and organ.Marching style drums come and go. "The Birth Of Mary Goode" sounds good to start out.It settles right down when the vocals arrive before kicking back in.Contrasts continue. "Mary Goode And The Dwarf Of Dreams" is a mellow track where vocals and piano stand out. "Joker" opens with atmospheric synths.It kicks in before 1 1/2 minutes with drums,vocals and keys leading.Not a fan of this one. "Julie Lies" opens with mellotron and piano.Soft vocals before a minute with lots of piano. "The Day That I Fell" features synths,vocals,drums and keys before it kicks in before 4 1/2 minutes.Some welcomed guitar a minute later.A calm 9 minutes in as vocals return. If your into some of the bands i mentioned like LANDMARQ,SHADOWLAND and CREDO you may really like this.The female vocals are well done although i'd rather have Damien Wilson.

by sinkadotentree

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CERBERUS SHOAL "...and farewell to hightide" (RIO/Avant-Prog, 1996) by ClemofNazareth

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:29:00 -0500

2/5 STARS - With their second album Cerberus Shoal certainly give the appearance of a group that is heading down the post-rock path, ala Explosions in the Sky. These songs have semantically-appropriate abstract titles (“Broken Springs Spring Forth from Broken Clocks”, “Make Winter a Driving Song”, “J.B.O. vs. Blin”), and there is the obligatory single song pretentiously split into a Part 1 and Part 2 for no other reason than because they can. And the song structures certainly smack of post-rock with their interminably slow cadences that build to predictable crescendos and then ease away into precocious endings. There is singing, but Efrim Menuck okayed that with the first GY!BE album so this is technically not a lapse of decorum. And naturally the songs are quite long, with only one under ten minutes and that one just barely (that is, if you count the two parts of “Falling to Pieces” as one song – and you should).

But the band would go on to prove conclusively that they would not be pigeonholed into the late-90s post-rock mold with their subsequent albums, and especially beginning with the lineup that recorded the trio of ‘Homb’, ‘Crash my Moon Yacht’ and ‘Mr. Boy Dog’ during a three year touring frenzy to close out the decade.

As for this album, like I said they do a good job of putting on a show that reminds me quite a bit of Explosions in the Sky (disregarding that band’s first album of course). If you’ve heard any of that group you’ll know what this one sounds like. Kudos to the band for demonstrating the musical energy one would expect in a song titled “Broken Springs Spring Forth from Broken Clocks” by the way, and also for evoking strong feelings of both winter and driving on “Make Winter a Driving Song”. But they still sound like Explosions songs.

I should also mention the copy I have is the remastered version released in 2002 on the Temporary Residence Limited label. This thing has been released four times to my knowledge, so whatever copy you come across may be slightly different. The biggest change I know of with this one is the inclusion of a second disc containing “Lighthouse in Athens”, parts 1 & 2, which were recorded just before this album in late 1995 or early 1996 but never formally released except here as far as I know. And that’s another minor quibble – the CD package contains two discs that could have easily fit onto one (the total length is less than 67 minutes); however, liner notes are almost nonexistent. Just the band and studio credits – that’s about it. No photos, bio or history, endless list of people to thank, free rolling papers, nothing. Seems like the label could have saved a buck on the extra disc and sprung for one of those hip ‘Printed in Canada’ liner booklets with tidbits of band information just on the off-chance someone actually cared. Or at least stuck in the same promo sheet they distributed to critics and radio stations; even that would have been nice. “Lighthouse in Athens” is an interesting period piece of the band’s early years by the way, but it also suffers slightly from to-be-expected uneven production, some awkward transitions and fairly pedestrian singing.

I’m going to go with two stars for Farewell, not because there’s anything necessarily wrong with the music, but because I’ve heard most of what came later and have to make allowances for the growth and range the band would exhibit between when this was recorded and when their growing popularity led to its re-master and reissue. Leave this one for last if you’re exploring the band, and only if you are determined to have a complete discography.

peace

by ClemofNazareth

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RUINS "Pallaschtom" (Zeuhl, 2000) by birdwithteeth11

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:51:32 -0500

4/5 STARS - After "Tzomborgha" and "Hyderomastgroningem", I think I can safely say that Ruins is by no means a band that makes any easy-listening material. Although something about their music really tickles my brain in a way I can't describe. I thought the previous two albums had a few too many moments that were noise simply for the sake of noise. I was hoping that the bands had an album that contained more actual songwriting (or as close to songwriting as Ruins gets), and lo and behold, Pallaschtom definitely delivers on that account.

Thanks to the wonders of MIDI technology, Ruins can sound like a band that both plays more than bass and drums and sound like a band that is playing anything but bass and drums. For some this is a blessing and others a curse, but for me it is definitely the former. Unlike the first two Ruins albums I became familiar with, the amount of noise that is found in this album is not there just for the purpose of being "different" or more "avant-garde". It tends to serve some type of purpose, and one can easily tell that all the tracks are very well structured and thought-out. While much of the music still sounds a bit like jamming, albeit with some mind-boggling tempo and time changes, it is not meandering (an issue I have with some of the band's other work). All this being said though, this is still by no means for the average symphonic prog fan. Actually, this isn't for the average music fan. Most people will run away screaming and pulling their hair out the first time they sit through several Ruins songs. If they had used this album to torture people in Guantanamo, I would not be surprised (although the vocals might end up torturing some of the guards too). Although I think part of the reason this band appeals to me is because I tend to enjoy lots of heavy and/or challenging music.

This Ruins album feels much more complete compared to my previous two adventures with this duo's work. I think I can safely rank this one at 4 stars. I will say however that one must have an adventurous taste in music before checking out Pallaschtom. Either that or you enjoy the sound of crying chipmunks from time to time. I swear I heard that type of sound at some point on here...

by birdwithteeth11

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RUSH "Snakes and Arrows" (Heavy Prog, 2007) by Rushlover13

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:39:49 -0500

5/5 STARS - A perfect album? Definatly, fresh, new, and inspiring is what I would call this album. The music overall is much better than Vapor Trails and easier to get into because the mix overall is much better and the production is excellent, everything is well heard. We do get a special apperance on this album too, a mellotron makes its way into a song.

"Far Cry" is already a perfect track from the start. With its pounding riffs, beautiful basslines, perfect drumming, incredible lyrics and vocals it's really hard not to like this song. It's always got an upbeat tempo and such a progressive metal feeling to it when you listen. "Armor and Sword" another essential track. It's got some of the best lyrics ever on the album, and the bassline is to die for. The acoustic guitars are really fitting to the overall darkness of the song, and it makes it that much better. Geddy's vocals on this song are very good, beautiful when he is playing is strong bassline. Also longest track. "Working them Angels" is a very upbeat song, it's very happy sounding. It kind of scares you at the first note because of how quick it happens. The lyrics are very good on this track, and the musicianship of all the band members is to die for. "The Larger Bowl" is a favorite for some reason, but I still don't know why people don't like it. It has nice guitar, dark, haunting, and thought-provoking lyrics, isn't that what most Rush fans like these times? I guess not, but at least I do. The acoustic works well with the rhythm section here. "Spindrift" is another favorite from the album, beautiful and scary intro. The music itself is intense and it's a roller coaster that you will want to go on forever, with some of the best bass riffs ever. The vocals are a little high for Geddy, you can tell. The guitar is very nice on this track. "The Main Monkey Buissness" is our first instrumental, and one of the best ones that Rush has ever put out. Geddy is playing some awesome basslines on this track, and the acoustic guitar is very nice. Though this is not a bass-heavy track, there is another instrumental that will be, though shorter. The drum playing is superb for this kind of music. "The Way the Wind Blows" is alright, nice drumming and very good guitar solo at the beginning after the drum solo intro, but this song isn't the best ever because it lacks to catch on very well with me. "Hope" is the all acoustic track, 12-string acoustic guitar if I remember correctly. It's simply stunning from start to finish. It makes you rethink how good of a guitarist that Alex Lifeson really is. "Faithless" is an interesting track with some nice vocals and some really good guitar playing. The lyrics are alright and the bassline isn't my favorite ever, but its a good some. Nice drumming throughout. "Bravest Face" is a different song, it's a little scary sounding on the Rush standard. It's a very dark sound with some nice dark vocal harmonies. The bassline isn't really there, it's a little hard to heard at least. It's got some nice acoustic guitar on this song. "Good News First" has the mellotron on this track, though it's not my favorite ever. I don't find the lyrics very facinating, but I really do like the music overall, nice guitar riffs, and the mellotron makes the song one. "Malignant Narnissm" is amazing. The best bassline ever in my opinion, I could not beileve that Geddy could ever play such an amazing thing in my life! Neil, espeicially on a 4-piece drumset, is doing some amazing stuff there! Though Alex isn't doing too much, he is playing fairly well here. "We Hold On" is a forgetable track, to say the least. The lyrics are alright here, but the music overall is just okay, nothing very special for the track.

This album is near perfection, a barley flawed masterpiece. 5 stars for a flawed masterpiece, definatly.

by Rushlover13

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SHADOWLAND "Edge Of Night" (Neo-Prog, 2009) by SouthSideoftheSky

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:31:56 -0500

3/5 STARS - Arena light

After having found far greater success with Arena and Threshold respectively, Clive Nolan and Karl Groom reformed Shadowland after many years to perform some concerts. Clive announces between two of the songs that this show in Poland was the first Shadowland concert in 13 years. Surely, the popularity of their more recent musical projects was a large part of what made a reunion like this possible.

The set list consists of songs from the three albums that Shadowland released in the 90's plus one new song that gives the DVD its title. As also announced by Clive, the band never toured in support of their third album, Mad As A Hatter. This is therefore the first time that material from that album was performed live. Three songs from that album are played here; Mephisto Bridge, U.S.I (United States of Insanity) and The Seventh Year. The second album, Through The Looking Glass, is represented by four songs in total, two of which merge together and open the show (just like they open the studio album they were taken from). Finally, with the exception of only one track, the debut album, Ring Of Roses, is represented in its entirety. Songs like Ring Of Roses, Dreams Of The Ferryman, The Waking Hour and The Hunger all have very catchy choruses that I would say are too catchy for my taste. But they work slightly better live than on the studio albums. The best moments of the show for me are the instrumental The Kruhulick Syndrome (the mysterious title of which Clive explains during the bonus interview), the longer Hall Of Mirrors and The Seventh Year, Mephisto Bridge, the new song Edge Of Night and the nice ballad Jigsaw.

For those who have never heard the music of Shadowland it might perhaps be described as Arena light. As I said in one of my reviews of their studio albums, fans of Arena and/or Threshold are bound to find Shadowland rather lightweight both in terms of sound and quality of the songs. But we have here a nice set of songs. Groom is a very good guitarist and his playing in Shadowland is very different from what can be heard on Threshold's albums. But the most surprising feature for newcomers will be to see Clive Nolan as a singer and front man. I must say that Nolan does a very fine job singing lead in Shadowland.

Since the three studio albums are hard to get your hands on individually (I own them as part of a box set called Cautionary Tales that also includes this DVD), this live DVD is a good way to discover Shadowland without spending a fortune. The sonic and visual quality of this DVD is flawless and the musicianship is also. Great cover art too!

Recommended!

by SouthSideoftheSky

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JUMBO "Vietato ai Minori di 18 Anni" (Rock Progressivo Italiano, 1973) by ZowieZiggy

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:03:01 -0500

3/5 STARS - This band is a case apart in the Italian prog music. They embrace several genres which are highlighted in their third album, more than ever before.

They play a complex heavy prog combined with a most delicate symphonic influence: the flute play is an exquisite way to achieve this great mix ("Specchio"). Still, I have never been quite a fan of their lead singer, whose voice is quite disturbing to my taste.

As lots of Italian band from the golden era, there are some jazz elements which pepper some tracks from this album. It is not dominant though, and can be easily digested ("Come Vorrei?"). Song writing is complex and there are lots of different sections in this relatively short track. Drumming is wild and excellent during the second half of this very good song.

The short "Il Retorno?" offers some tranquillity and allows to breathe somewhat. My perception of the band is that they were improving after each album and that this one is their best achievement. It is a bit sad that no follow up work was released after this one.

I guess that the type of music played was rather difficult to access: a song as "Via Larga" groups again some nice Italian symphonic elements mixed with beautiful and Trespass- esque portions but the experimental start is quite challenging. The challenge is even more difficult to overcome during "Gil" which mixes scary passages, Oriental influences, loose and almost experimental middle section as well as tribal sounds (percussions). Quite a ride indeed!

The music performed is rather on the weird side for most of the time. Close to the eclectic genre by its complexity and diversity. Not easy to apprehend. "Vangelo" features all these characteristics: soft and melodic, wild and powerful. All this in less than six minutes.

There is some fine music played on "Vietato?" of which the psychedelic "40 Gradi" is my fave. The roughness of Alvaro Fella's voice is less on the front line and offers some delicate work. I have to admit that I far much prefer this style, but it won't be too much present in the course of this album. The chaotic end confirms my perception.

The whole sounds too much adventurous, avant-garde at times. Three stars (seven out of ten).

by ZowieZiggy

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PORCUPINE TREE "The Incident" (Heavy Prog, 2009) by p0mt3

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:27:04 -0500

3/5 STARS - Oh, how I love to see the variation of ratings this album has gotten thus far. It means that it's different enough from the band's usual output to divide a fanbase. As far as I'm concerned, that is a good thing!

So, what is THE INCIDENT? Well, if you look at it from my perspective, it's Steven WIlson's first attempt in years to venture back into actual 'Prog' territory. What I mean by that is simple: it's not ''In Absentia''. And no matter how loud some PT fans may howl, there never will be another album like ''In Absentia''. The best thing for us to do is move on along with the band, so that we won't be disappointed by any of their efforts post-2002. I was guilty of not doing that with ''Deadwing'', but have since found a new liking for it than my initial reaction. I think in time, the same will be said of many of the reviewers who have given this album a extra-low score. Right now they hate it, because it isn't what they wanted. Notice nobody actually says the album isn't any good; they justify their brutal ratings by saying that while the album is good, it isn't 'Porcupine Tree good'. In other words, THE INCIDENT isn't up to the Porcupine Tree's usual standards. Well, shouldn't that be up to Porcupine Tree?

And of course on the opposite end of the spectrum, there are people handing out five-star ratings like candy where this album is concerned. I don't think anybody who would actually sit down and think about it could agree with this analogy, either. The truth of the matter is that THE INCIDENT is good. It's not great, and it's not horrible. It's just . . . good. I would say it boarders on being simply 'decent' at times, but still has enough redeeming qualities to keep it in the 'good' range. The reason why I do not rush to my computer right away to write a review of something is because I want to make sure I have heard the music enough times in order to truly give an accurate, unbiased review. I think by this point, a few months into the release of THE INCIDENT, I am prepared to do just that.

As I said before, this album is a return to form for Steven Wilson. For years (arguably ever since ''Stupid Dream'') he has written and performed music that has leaned much more in the 'Alt. Rock' direction than 'Prog Rock'. Many Prog bands have attempted to go 'pop', and failed. Luckily, Wilson is a good enough composer to evade most pitfalls others have fallen into. Indeed, even when at his most modern and accessible, he still manages to add a flare of originality to his work that many musicians (including myself) are deeply envious of. The band's first commercial 'hit' of sorts was ''In Absentia'', and to this day it still remains my favorite Porcupine Tree record. It manages to capture my spirit and lift me up into deeply emotional places despite being full of commercial aspects. At its heart, this project will always be progressive and original, and that I think makes all the difference.

However, with THE INCIDENT, Wilson and crew have taken a step back into their Prog roots and decided to write an epic that spans the length of an entire compact disc. Accompanying the piece is a second disc full of more traditional rock songs in the vein of ''Deadwing'' or ''Fear of a Blank Planet''. So half the set is an attempt to reach out to the Prog side of the fanbase, and the other half will appeal to the more recent fans who have only just begun to discover Porcupine Tree's music. At least, that's how it seems to have been planned. I don't necessarily think it was always successful, but for the most part, it delivers at what it was trying to do, I think.

The title track, the 'epic' that everyone is so divided about, is really a collection of anecdotal lyrics which at first do not seem to be interconnected at all. This album is much less lyrically-driven than past efforts, and I suppose it was a nice change of pace. Still, I would have preferred another concept record with an actual narrative, but again, that's my ''In Absentia'' fandom creeping in where it doesn't belong. The songwriting is good, and the musicianship solid, as is the case with nearly every PT album, but what I was disappointed to discover at first was how empty this record is. What I mean is . . . there is a lot less substance than what you may expect.

Breaking it down, I would say three or four movements from ''The Incident'' actually stand out to me as something special. The opening, ''Occam's razor'', is rather weak, as is the section of the piece bearing the same title as the album. Both songs feel as if they are completely unrelated to each other, and both also seem to missing a lot of actual music, with dead space and background noise filling up huge gaps at a time. This CAN be interesting when done sparingly, but it happens so frequently throughout the whole thing that I began to feel drained after awhile of not hearing any real music. Sadly, this feeling still hits me no matter how many times I revisit ''The Incident'', and so I suppose it will always bother me a bit. But i did give it a chance to grow on me. Sometimes I just can't be swayed from my initial impressions of things.

That's not to say the piece as a whole isn't any good. Plenty of fine musical moment highlight and immortalize this album for me in many ways. I'm not like some of other reviewers here who couldn't point to a certain moment that affected them. For me, some points such as ''Time Flies'', which comes at the halfway point of the whole epic, really touch me emotionally. I mean, it's a clear rip-off of the ''Animals'' record by Pink Floyd, but it sure as hell beats all that moody, noise-rock crap that seems so ever-present on this particular outing. Sometimes a little familiarity can be refreshing. Especially in situations like this one.

Another really cool, groovy moment for me that I could listen to for hours is the ''Octane Twisted'' - ''Circle of Manias'' section. It rises, falls, then rises again to an entrancing, heavy guitar groove that puts me in mind of Meshuggah. The Tree also did this on their last full-blown studio effort, ''Fear of a Blank Planet'' during the ''Anesthetize'' track, and I had the same reaction then. I just love music that can lock in to a particular riff for long periods of time, yet also keep the listener enthralled without boring. So yes, that whole section of ''The Incident'' I also love.

Finally, the soft, melodic ''I Drive The Hearse'' that immediately follows the section I just described. It's probably my favorite part on the whole record. Somebody else already said described it as 'weak', and I am inclined to fear for that person's mental health, because I find it to be a compelling, lovely piece of music. But, to each his own, I suppose. Frankly, the only way somebody could find this song 'weak' is if they only like listening to overly-technical, pretentious jive. ''I Drive The Hearse'' certainly isn't that. It's very calm and laid back. A nice contrast to the aggressive groove-metal-inspired section that preceeded it, really. That's why I did not include it in my last paragraph, even though it follows immediately after track-wise. It feels like a completely different song, and really not part of the rest of the piece at all.

Something also brought up that I do not agree with is that nothing ever feels connected in this piece. While the long pauses and lack of instrumentation for those long bouts I described can indeed cause the song to feel disjointed, I do hear moments where previous melodies are revisited, and that is enough to make me feel the the piece flows better than others would have you believe in their reviews.

As a whole piece, ''The Incident'' works well enough to please fans, but newcomers will more often than not be turned away by the track's length, and as for whether or not it succeeded at being 'Prog', well . . . again, some people may not think so, but I don't care what 'style' you want to group this into; the bottom line is that the concept is very progressive, You won't see Nickleback doing a 55-minute track any time soon. Get my point?

Now, for the second disc. The remainder of the songs, with the exception of ''Flicker'', feel like throwaways, and I wonder why PT even bothered including this other disc, except for maybe they wanted to add some variety, and also these songs had more input from the rest of the band. Unfortunately, it shows.

Any time Steve Wilson stops captaining the ship that is Porcupine Tree, nothing fits musically. You've got ''Bonnie the Cat'', which is a very good track for the most part, but it's very jarring and disorienting at first, not to mention there is a guitar riff in there that is exactly the same as the chorus is Opeth's ''Ghost Reveries''. It rocks, but it's already been done before. That's a Dream Theater move, Steve, and you've done it twice in one album. Very unfortunate.

As I said, I really enjoyed ''Flicker'', and despite the obvious lack of direction, ''Bonnie'' is good. The remaining two tracks aren't much to write home about, though. ''Black Dahlia'' has its moments, but for the most part will rapidly fall down my list of favorite PT tracks, and as for ''Remember Me Lover'', well . . . I don't really remember it.

So there you have it. A good long track, two good single tracks and two forgettable ones. Not anywhere near a 'two out of five', but certainly not a 'five'. I think some people here are being much too harsh simply because they had incorrect expectations. At the same time, I can't believe how many people are considering it a 'masterpiece of progressive music' when it is so clearly not.

As for me, I give it a solid three. It's good, but not great. If you're a fan already, you'll like it, as long as you keep an open mind. Everybody else might have a harder time wading through the murk just so they can enjoy the few brilliant parts spread throughout the record.

by p0mt3

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PRESENT "Barbaro(Ma Non Troppo)" (RIO/Avant-Prog, 2009) by maribor

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:22:13 -0500

5/5 STARS - Present is one of those bands that just keeps getting better with each release. They've released some amazing stuff since their comeback with Delusions (if we don't count the C. O. D. Performance) and each release bested its predecessor. The last studio album came in 2001, so expectations were naturally very high for this one. Present didn't let us down, producing another masterpiece, which reminds us of their past glories, yet also focuses on the future with an even more intense, complex and better-sounding release.

Present's sound is hard to define. I suppose you could say their music is built around very dissonant motives and melodies (if you can call them that), which are intricately composed and arranged into what is sometimes considered as some of the most challenging music to have ever been recorded. Usually, I'm not a big fan of technical music just for the sake of it, but Present are able to put all their darkest fears and deepest emotions into their music to create otherworldly music, which is highly complex, but very emotional and involving as well.

Vertiges is a track co-written by father and son Trigaux. It's perhaps Present's most challenging work to date. The tempo is unrelenting and some of the parts are incredibly complex. I think this is where Present are best ? doing amazingly difficult segments that still contain so much anguish and other primal emotions. Occasionally (especially somewhere around the half of the composition), Vertiges reminds me of the Univers Zero piece Presage, which is peculiar since Trigaux was no longer a member on Uzed, but I suppose he kept track of the goings-on in Univers Zero, seeing as Daniel Denis was also a member of Present. Nevertheless, Vertiges is a tremendous achievement, showing off some of Present's trademark aspects, but the piece also seems to have a more modern feel to it. There is an amazing intensity and rawness throughout it that keeps you on your toes all the way through.

A Last Drop is a piece composed by Pierre Chevalier. It's his second contribution to the Present catalogue ? the first being Strychnine for Christmas from the High Infidelity album. Pierre's style is quite different to Roger's. His piece is not that hectic and wild, there are a few more peaceful moments to rest your ears. Some segments on the Mellotron remind me of early Crimson, while some guitar riffs remind me of Red. It is a nice contrast to the damage on the senses (positive, of course) that Vertiges inflicts on you.

The last title is familiar to most fans of the rock in opposition movement. Jack the Ripper (co-written by Daniel Denis and Roger Trigaux) was originally released on Univers Zero's Heresie and is one of the most recognisable Univers Zero works. Present still frequently play it at their shows. The version we hear here is the one from their live shows. It's as if an extra surge of adrenaline has been put into the piece and Jack has become even more brutal and manic. Besides the more aggressive nature of the composition, it stays fairly true to the original. There are some added Mellotron and synthesiser parts, which add to the suspense, some of the instruments are different and the introduction is played on the piano instead of the harmonium, but in terms of composition, this is pretty much the same version as on Heresie. I would have preferred to hear a new piece instead of this, seeing as this new version is also on the DVD, but beggars can't be choosers and I'm sure this will get a fair bit of mileage from my CD player as well.

The second part of the album is the DVD. You get almost three hours of Present performances, which is a lot by anyone's standards. We basically hear all the favourite Present pieces and all of Present's most memorable performances in the last few years. First, we get a look at the entire performances at the first Rock in Opposition festival held in 2009. These bring back some fond memories and show the band in all its glory performing some of their best pieces. The two pianos set is particularly interesting because the arrangements are slightly different than on the studio versions.

After that, we can see the band performing at the Gouveia 2006 festival, where they already presented the two new pieces we can hear on the studio CD. A Last Drop is more or less the same as on the CD, while only half of Vertiges is played (from the section that sounds a bit like Univers Zero's Presage).

A really excellent addition to the DVD is the archival footage. I enjoyed the two Trigaux men during the C.O.D. performance, where they played Alone, Le Poison (first part) and Ersatz on only two guitars, with a young Reginald Trigaux taking on lead guitar duties. The Present 94 show played at the Carmaux festival is also nice. Again, we see a line-up with no keyboards, but two guitars, bass and drums (Roger and Reginald Trigaux, Christian Genet and Daniel Denis). The band performed a very rocked-out version of Le Poison (Part 2). The next footage is Delusions performed at Orion. Dave Kerman and Pierre Chevalier had already joined the band at this point and the playing seems that much tighter thanks greatly to them as well. Reginald shows what a great improviser he is when he goes into a Jimmy Hendrix-like solo. The Wurzburg show also brings us something good ? a piece I hadn't heard before called Contre (also included on the Live album), which should have been recorded in the studio or even expanded by Trigaux because it sounds fantastic as it is, but with Trigaux's typical additions, it might sound even better (if that's possible). It actually reminds me of Art Zoyd slightly.

The sound of the performances seems slightly altered. The pieces sound more similar to the studio versions than when I heard them live at the RIO festival. I can't speak or the other shows, but I'm guessing it's the same. It sounds much better on the DVD than live, but that was to be expected, except for the archival releases, which sound exactly as archival releases should ? not great, but not bad.

The sound quality on both discs is great, as I've already said (apart from the archival segments), also due to the good work of Udi Koomran, but the picture quality isn't the best. The last CD/DVD combination I got before this was IQ's latest album and they did a much better job of the picture, while Present's DVD picture doesn't always seem to be in focus. This is a very minor annoyance to such nitpickers as myself, as the performances can still be seen very clearly and enjoyed thoroughly.

The performances on both discs clearly show that we're hearing some of the best and most dedicated musicians at work. Roger Trigaux's vision is clear and for that vision he needs the best in the business and ever since No. 6, he has had the best group of people to work with. The sound is so full that you feel like every millimetre of space has been used up. No note seems obsolete, everything is exactly where it's supposed to be. This kind of brilliance requires a great deal of dedication and belief ? and this is what Roger Trigaux certainly gets from this great group of musicians.

Barbaro (ma non troppo) is a fantastic piece of work. The only real criticism I have is that it gives us too little new music ? only 28 minutes. Sure, there's a new version of Jack the Ripper, but I'd rather listen to an entirely new piece than to a composition written 30 years ago. Other than that little complaint, this CD/DVD is a real treat. The DVD gave me a chance to remember the wonderful moments o the first RIO festival and see some performances I unfortunately missed (Gouveia 2006). There is also some very memorable archival footage, which adds a nice touch to the album.

My final assessment is that Barbaro serves us some of the best music Present have ever produced. For me, Vertiges is the best Present composition I have ever heard, or at least it seems like that at the moment, and one of the finest pieces of music ever written by anyone. A Last Drop isn't far behind, while Jack the Ripper offers a nice new insight into Present's new sound. This is a must-get album for any fan of Present (for the CD and DVD) and experimental music (particularly for the CD). The future looks bright for Present!

by maribor

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CAMEL "Moondances" (Symphonic Prog, 2007) by lor68

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:08:39 -0500

4/5 STARS - Well here you find a very interesting video retrospective witnessing a couple of famous concerts regarding the old line-up by Camel...featuring Andrew Latimer, Doug Ferguson, the unforgettable Peter Bardens and Andy Ward, without forgetting Richard Sinclair and Mel Collins. If you regard of the old BBC sessions concerning their performance at London's Hammersmith Odeon or their concert at the Hippodrome- dated 1977- you can listen to the Hammond organ excursions and other melodic lines at the minimoog too, performed by P. Bardens...but of course it's the perfect support to the pshichedelic and spacey guitar by Andy (inside "White rider" for instance, but also in their various instrumental numbers). That's the reason why a clever keyboardplayer coupled with the magic touch by Mr Latimer (talking about his guitar solo in "Lunar sea" or in the famous flute solo within "Rhayder", just to mention a few jewels!!...),seem to be the best features to contribute to the perfect music "alliance". They were able to create an intelligent sound of classic prog! Of course I prefer the modern gigs, like that one and unforgettable within the "Coming of Age" Live Tour concert, but never mind cause the present DVD is a must-have for the collectors of the best derivative and melodic prog band in the vein of the classic Genesis line-up and the symphonic period concerning the band Pink Floyd- as well. Moreover I like to make a special mention regarding the harmonic and rhytmical machine created by Andy Ward and Doug Ferguson together and... well you don't need to add anything else, so choose this classic number, even though I suggest you to buy also their last modern live gigs!!

by lor68

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GENESIS "From Genesis To Revelation" (Symphonic Prog, 1969) by paragraph7

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:52:45 -0500

3/5 STARS - In the begninng.

Genesis first album is what it is, we all know there aren't any great epics on it or that Genesis feel we are used to. But hilariously enough, this album makes a great late 60s poppy Genesis a la Peter Gabriel. The music is actually so easy listening, it makes it enjoyable. I always smile when i listen to this. It's like looking at an old photograph and thinking "oh where it all began!". The only real problem with this debut album is that it just serves as that which makes an album only good, and nothing more. A harsh comparison which i yet dare to make is to compare this album to every late Beatles album. Gabriels voice is yet so immature, which also adds to the happy slappy feel of the album, and i can admit i sometimes want to listen this album through.

Nothing epic of course, or great, but still a good and solid debut album. 3 Stars

by paragraph7

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YES "90125" (Symphonic Prog, 1983) by Rushlover13

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:29:08 -0500

1/5 STARS - Well, this isn't too much of Yes. It's more a good pop metal hair band sound that they are going for here, maybe because it's because of the new guitarist Trevor Rabin. This album does feature a long time no see member, Tony Kaye. That means no Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman, and no Bill Bruford (which I'm pretty sure some of us live with it because Alan White is a fairly good drummer, but some of us are still a bit mad after Close to the Edge).

"Owner of a Lonely Heart" is a song that I thought I would never hear Yes do. It's a good pop song but it is so different from the normal sound we hear from them. I want to hear more Rickenbacker on this track, and other than Jon's voice, it dosen't sound like Yes. "Hold On" is an alright song, kind of inspirational sound, but I really don't catch the lyrics very well. The bass can actually be heard on this song! I knew that Chris Squire could pull out a good bass sound on this album, even though the album isn't amazing. "It Can Happen" has a very nice intro, but that about it. The drums on this track are very nice and the bass is good, but the vocals don't make me feel right when listening, and the music isn't that great when I listen really closely. "Changes" again, has a nice intro, but the rest of it is slightly boring. It's a very upbeat song, but it really isn't so uplifting with it's keyboards and it's odd bassline. "Cinema" is a short instrumental, and won a grammy. It's a farily interesting track with some nice guitar playing, for sure a nice solo. It's very much on the poppy song, but has some very nice drums on this track. Chris plays with the effects on this track with the bass, and it really comes out very well. No bass solo. It kind of fades into "Leave It" which is a boring song, but has a nice intro, but the rest of the song just dosen't cut it. it's like most of the songs on here, nice intro, but the rest is terrible. "Our Song" has some really nice keyboards in the beginning, for sure. Not too long after, the rest of the band joins in with som really upbeat and uplifting playing, and it truely is our song. "City of Love" is okay, odd intro, okay much, but overall it's a fairly forgetable track because it just dosen't latch onto your attention. Lyrics aren't good at all, to me at least. "Hearts" is the longest track and is fairly poppy like the rest of the album. I don't care for the intro because it gets a bit annoying with the happy noises by the keyboards and percussion instruments, but the vocals are nice by Jon. I don't like Trevor Rabin's voice at all, thats why this track never stands out.

Besides one good track, this is a forgetable album. One star, sorry Yes.

by Rushlover13

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BLACKMORE'S NIGHT "Ghost Of A Rose" (Prog Folk, 2003) by davidsporle

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:01:19 -0500

4/5 STARS - Ghost of a rose i love this blackmores night album and is a great place to start with if your thinking of getting a blackmores night,way to mandalay is a great song and i love everything about this and i love the sound of how this song starts love the sound of this and candice night sounds in great form here and blackmores guitar is great sounding to with i think must be his stratocaster in midle part of this song everything is great about this song love every minute of this song.3 black crows starts with that 16th century kind of sound and sounds great to,and candice here her voice just goes very well here i think as the sound of this song really goes perfect here,and blackmores acoustic guitar sounds nice and relaxed here[i cant think what the instrument is but its one which sounds very 16th century]a great song again,ahhhhhh next is diamonds and rust [joan baez originally] and this is brilliant with candice sounding very on form and sounding she loves this song and blackmore guitar sounding very beautiful and so great with candices voice and with background singers sounding very nice here to this version is such a joy to hear i love everything about this song,one of the best blackmores night songs,cartouche starts very nice and candice singing a bit more little faster here and sounding great and when she ahhhhs she sounds nice and the back ground singers are on form here to when they come in,and the violin sounding so comfotable here to,and blackmores acoustic guitar a bit little down in the mix but kind of fits well in here as i think this song is more for the violin and is a good thing to,queen for a day is a fine song with candice on fine form here sounding very nice and the sound of all the instruments here are so relaxing and reminds me of blackmores night singing this around a fire in a forest in the moon light,blackmores guitar here is really nice and a bit after a while it gets going a bit more and really sounds great and blackmores acoustic guitar sound is great with the violin to and clapping toward this going really well to,ivory tower starts with like a quire sound and sounds great and 16th century kind of like and then candice sings and again on grwat form and the quire going to sounds great and an occasional beat[2 beats]sounds just great to,i really like the quire sound in this song i can imagine been in a church with no roof with a fire going and ghost as the quire but thats my thought,nur eine minute is a blackmore acoustic song and i think blackmore is on fine form here and is short but is a nice little song,ghost of a rose with blackmore acoustic guitar and candice sounding nice to and calm everything about this song is great and when the ghost of a rose singing bit comes in i love it especially after a little bit in and when the violin part with blackmores acoustic guitar it sounds great even though only for little bit then it back to main sound of the song again and this is another great song,mr peagrams morris and sword is another blackmore song and this sounds great to[it says in booklet that "performed on a flyde mandolin"] which reminds me abit of a song of shadow of the moon,loreley starts with violin and clapping and acoustic guitar and candice singing great here and the viloin here is great and the clapping all way through sounds just right for this song and blackmore acoustic sound like it keeping the song together great ,this really is a great song and again everything about this is great,where are we going from here starts really nice and with acoustic guitar and candice sounding really beautiful here this song is really nice as blackmore on acoustic here really sounds like he loves playing toward candices voice and the violin sounds great in background to a great song to play with just a lamp on in room or in your back garden a great song,rainbow bvlues[jethro tull song] is a really relaxing nice song with candice singing quiter than blackmore on stratocaster sounding great here really fits in well here a good tull song for blackmore to chose to do here to,with blackmore solo sounds great to and nice to hear him doing a solo to although not a long one but sounds great to candice at end sounding really nice to,all for one is a song i really enjoy as like it is a drinking song [wine] with blackmore on stratocaster sounds really nice and with more of a rocker kind of with drums here and all blackmores night band sounding like they really enjoying them selfs here with background singers sounding really great,candice is great here and blaxckmore sounds enjoying himself to this song is likeit sounds like a blackmores night anthem like as got everything here and with a quire bit in background in bits sounds great on this song to and this song is really enjoyable its one of my favorite blackmores night songs for the enjoyable drinking wine sound,dandelion wine[last song]starts with acoustic guitar and candice on fine form again and both together sounding great this to me is a perfect ending as the lyrics say in one bit"so heres to you all our froends surely we will meet again dont stay away too long this time",all on form here and a brilliant ending to a great album and addictive one to,what must be said is diamonds and rust "judas priest"done this song and i love that version to and blackmores night version is nice to hear done more quieter although the priest version is great to,anyway i give this 4 stars as this is great place to start blackmores night i think,but shadow of the moon is best start i think,but this is just as good nearly still 4 stars.

by davidsporle

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EELA CRAIG "Symphonic Rock" (Jazz Rock/Fusion, 1995) by kenethlevine

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:40:29 -0500

2/5 STARS - One of only a handful of Austrian progressive bands, EELA CRAIG, at least on this CD release of their 2nd and 3rd albums (less one track each) straddles the lines between symphonic, fusion and Canterbury, which promises a hearty musical mulligan. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find the right volume at which to appreciate EELA CRAIG. If it's down low I turn it up thinking that I am missing something, but soon enough I consider whether lower was better after all.

This just isn't very captivating very often, Caravan-era CAMEL did a better, albeit not stellar, job of blending these styles, and also struck a better balance between vocal and instrumental. Of course there are teutonic references at work as well, thinking of JANE and GROBSCHNITT in their mellow moments. At times the music does awaken from its stupor, usually in the form of an overly shrill and extended lead guitar solo which hovers about the same few notes. This dichotomy diminishes even the best of the lengthier pieces, like the NEKTAR influenced "Loner's Rhyme", in which the sparkling flute and vocal melodies, and an even better guitar solo, are derailed by incompatibly harsh themes. In "Way Down" is even less "together", and it is supposed to be the epic. Both "Hats of Glass" and "Holstenwall Fair", originally from the later album, are even weaker. The less said about the disco-ey guitars of "The Nude" and "V.A.T", the better.

Still, if you like mellotron and aren't picky about contextual issues, you may enjoy this, especially the ambient opener "The Mighty", but its main tune is too close to the old Soviet anthem for me. "Morning" and "Benedictus" are intriguing short mellow-tronic instrumentals, the latter sporting a rather sophisticated classical influence that should have been better developed. One of the strongest vocal cuts is "Grover's Mill", a traditional prog ballad, again swamped in mellotron. "Heaven Sales" is a more energetic song with an almost poppy Canterbury feel - OK it reminds me of someone else whom I can't recall. It works because of the skilled instrumentation and contrast to the rest of the CD.

While on paper this might get rounded up to 3 stars, I can't be quite so generous because there really isn't alot to draw me back to E.C. Competent and worth a listen especially for fans of the genres, it really has all the staying power of a one nighter for me.

by kenethlevine

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CERBERUS SHOAL "The Life and Times of The Magic Carpathians and Cerberus Shoal" (RIO/Avant-Prog, 2004) by ClemofNazareth

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:32:14 -0500

2/5 STARS - This is the fourth and final installment in the North East Indie label’s ‘splits’, a series of CDs consisting of collaborations between Cerberus Shoal and other “similar” artists (‘similar’ being a rather vague term considering the wide range of music Shoal have recorded over the years). In this case the Shoal hooked up long-distance with the Magic Carpathian Project, a longstanding avant-garde electronica duo based in Poland. North East Indie unfortunately went under a couple years ago, so this and the other split series CDs aren’t all that easy to find anymore, but some of their CDs are still available on a website maintained under the label’s name and run by God knows who.

The story here is that members of Cerberus Shoal collaborated via mail and email with Anna Nacher and Marek Styczynski (the Magic Carpathians) to develop and eventually record these three songs (the other track “Pre-Face” is nothing more than an accompanied, spoken-word intro for the record). Several other musicians are listed as contributors from the Carpathians camp as well. Two of the three tracks are more than thirteen minutes each and consist of meandering and apparently somewhat improvised acoustic and electronic noodling sort of in the vein of many late-90s post-rock bands. “Continuumed” is also augmented with some of Caleb Mulkerin’s weird-folk, off-key vocals in his sometimes made-up language.

The third song (“J.B.E.G.S.”) is shorter and combines often barely-perceptible instrumentation and even less perceptible vocals, mixed occasionally with unintelligible vocals.

I’d like to say some good things about this record since I am a pretty big Cerberus Shoal fan, but frankly I haven’t been able to set through the CD too many times without becoming a little bored. The music is moody, semi-ambient post-rock with some faint Eastern instrumental influences and a Shoal’s stamp mostly courtesy of Mulkerin; that’s about it. By definition that makes this a collector’s item only, and so two stars are all that are warranted. If you’re a fan I suppose you’ll want this in your collection, but I wasn’t any more impressed with this one than I was with any of the other ‘split series’ CDs. Pick it up if you run across it though, as it is out-of-print, difficult to find and will undoubtedly make for a good trading piece for you if you ever run across a Cerberus Shoal fan who has something you want in exchange.

peace

by ClemofNazareth

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AZURETH "Yesterday's Future, Tomorrow's Past" (Crossover Prog, 2004) by psarros

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:11:11 -0500

4/5 STARS - AZURETH is the result of the collaboration between two musicians from USA and one from Norway.Leading figure keyboardist Stephen Rivera hails from Florida,guitarist Mark Connors comes from Texas,while drummer/bassist/vocalist Kenneth Aspeslaen is the Norwegian guy.While info about this project are scarce,it seems that their work came as a result of exchanging music ideas through the web!Their debut had the surreal title ''Yesterday's future,tomorrow's past'' and it was pressed privately in 2004.

AZURETH seem to have been influenced by the giants of prog rock's golden era.Immediately GENESIS,E.L.P. and YES spring to mind,while listening to this album,of course there are lot of modern elements in here,but the three musicians definitely wanted to create something close to the likes of these bands.The album is characterized by the extremely well-crafted melodies,the retro aesthetics and the absolutely well-executed compositions,while everything in here seems to have been worked very well.Rivera does an excellent work,using both modern and vintage keyboards like the Hammond organ with also some traces of mellotron and guitarist Connors is the guy responsible of all the great melodies played in this effort.Aspeslaen uses the grandiose Rickenbacker bass and his voice is very balanced and emotional.The greatest example of these guys' talent is the grand suite ''The grand design'',clocking close to 40 minutes and split in six parts,offering everything a classic prog fan wishes for:melody, changing moods, shifting tempos, classical piano/keyboard parts and a heavy amount of emotional atmosphere!There is also a very good cover of GENESIS' ''Afterglow'' from the ''Wind and wuthering'' album, which I really enjoyed!Generally this is an absolutely satisfying release with some good and some great moments,which I personally recommend more than highly.An unknown modern progressive rock pearl!

by psarros

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TWINSPIRITS "The Forbidden City" (Progressive Metal, 2009) by Ovidiu

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:01:19 -0500

4/5 STARS - 4.5 STARS!!!! Fantastic second album for this so talented band from la bella ITALIA!!!A giant step forward,to be honest,compared to the already excellent debut album THE MUSIC THAT WILL HEAL THE WORLD!Every track of the album is memorable and the new vocalist is 200 % superior to the very good previous one.Goran Nystrom is really impressive on all tracks,but definitelly shines on HIDE THIS FEELING!He has something that makes suddenly TWINSPIRITS music more interesting than other ordinary prog metal bands!And TWINSPIRITS are not at all ordinary.Au contraire,they have a perfect maturity of composition-which is more than normal,because mastermind DANIELE LIVERANI is "guilty":about the musical ideas of the album!He is surrounded by very competitive musicians,and the whole band has the perfect form of a modern progressive metal combo!The production is huge and each instrument is perfectly mixed,giving perfect oportunities to each guy in the band to prove their tremendeous talents and they offer to the prog metal music lovers something of high quality!THE FORBIDDEN CITY title track opens the album in great style and proves once again that "second time is better!"!!!We have massive guitar riffs from Tommy Ermolli -a heavenly gifted guitar player,sensational bass lines from Alberto Rigoni-a high caliber bass player,some blastering drum tempos from Dario Ciccioni and in the end ,the wonderful keyboard sounds from Daniele Liverani- a true musical genius responsable for other musical projects like COSMICS,KHYMERA,EMPTY TREMOR or the impressive GENIUS-A ROCK OPERA .Above all,the vocalist Goran Nystrom,a true secret weapon,a shining diamond ,a great voice!Without any doubt ,the bet is won 200 %.Sinceres congratulations for such an inspired band,for such a beautiful album ,a true highlight in prog metal albums in 2009!FORZA ITALIA!!!

by Ovidiu

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KLAUS SCHULZE "Body Love: Original Filmmusik" (Progressive Electronic, 1977) by Bonnek

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:55:25 -0500

5/5 STARS - I often associate the music of Klaus Schulze with my cats when they are at their most graceful and charming, namely when they're sleeping.

First of all there's nothing more beautiful and irresistible then a sleeping cat. But there is more. If you observe them, they appear to be immobile, completely still and static. However if you look away for a minute and then return your attention to them, you will see that something has happened, a paw is just a tad more stretched then it was, the head is bent in an even cuter posture, the tail not loose now but gently curled around the hind feet, and so on.

So fares the music of Klaus Schulze, seemingly unchanging yet in constant flux, alost by pure instinct it progresses from one gorgeous theme into another, with moogs and percussion serving as waving tails and dabbing paws. In a few cases the sleep seems almost comatose but mostly it is a venture that I can hear for hours.

Right. End trip. Back on my feet again.

Body Love comes in two volumes: "Body Love" and "Body Love Vol 2". Both are excellent. In my review for Vol2 I have given a personal preference for the second album. However, that was before I got the 2005 reissue of Body Love itself, which adds a studio outtake from 1977 that is every bit as good as the regular tracks. The whole package makes this an essential purchase.

by Bonnek

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DJAM KARET "Suspension and Displacement" (Eclectic Prog, 1991) by Bonnek

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:48:57 -0500

4/5 STARS - An extraordinary album from Djam Karet. Very different from their usual rocking style so approach with care. It is entirely ambient: no rhythm, no vocals, next to no melody; only slowly evolving sounds and chords.

For a reason that I don't remember, this was the first Djam Karet album that I checked out and somehow it immediately clicked, which makes me kind of a dissident here. Even this band's rare fans do not seem to like it.

And normally this wouldn't be my cup or tea neither. I'm not a fan of Eno's and Fripp's similar excursions but here it works just fine for me. It's hard to say why. I just think that the atmosphere they create here is very powerful and entrancing. But hey, I got to know it during one of my Schulze phases. Maybe that's why it sounded so exciting :)

With this kind of music you can't argue over compositions or songs. They are simply not there. Instead this is something that will either captivate you or not. There's no predicting how you will react to it. If you are a Djam Karet fan or into the instrumental side of ambient rock (Noman, Nosound, Sigur Ros), or a post rock lover you should give this a shot though.

by Bonnek

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DETERIOR "Cleanse" (Experimental/Post Metal, 2009) by Epignosis

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:36:07 -0500

2/5 STARS - So much of the experience of listening to this album is waiting for something to happen, only to be disappointed because it never does. Why do some artists feel the need to fill substantial portions of their projects with mere noise? I'm sorry, but to me, that's a shamefully lazy way of making an EP into an LP. No, I don't find it to be creative or ingenious- quite the opposite in fact. This album runs approximately fifty-eight minutes, and no less than twenty-five of those minutes consist of noise- static, mostly, which is something I could easily obtain by removing the cable from my television and turning up the volume. Moments of actual songwriting (dare I say excellence?) salvage this album, and for that I definitely believe the dross should have been purged and this have been released as a solid EP instead of as a irritatingly dull full record.

"Cleanse: Tower to Sky" A thin film of static and noise sets the tone of the album.

"Syzygy" While maintaining that heavy fuzz, a proper song commences, which moves between biting and distorted growls and clearer vocals, but even clearer vocals are swamped with grit.

"Solace" Deep, echoing bass makes me think of "One of These Days" from Pink Floyd's Meddle. A duo of hard-panned guitars play two different melodies and builds before the music becomes something far more straightforward. This is a pretty good song, mixing psychedelic and heavy metal aspects.

"Tidal" The fourth piece on the album explodes immediately into action with a pleasant moderate tempo and heavily-distorted guitars. After a while it starts to drag a bit, however.

"Cassini I" Eerie sounds and ghostly noises make up much of this piece, which incorporates unsettling skipping and popping. Portions of it sound like stripped-down Ozric Tentacles, while others are just unbearable and grating sound effects that seem more befitting one of those novelty Halloween CDs to play at parties- only this one is scratched. Ultimately, it is a lengthy introduction to the next piece.

"Cassini II" That said, the only thing that happens during this one that is different from what came prior is one guitar laden with reverb and some whispering. It's dark ambience, and nothing more.

"Voyager" After nearly fifteen minutes of dark ambience, only then does something exceptional happen. The guitars are used to great effect, and not all of them are seeped with distortion. The vocals are disgustingly distorted, however, often sounding like the vocalist is trying to clear his throat- I want to offer him a cough drop.

"New Truth" This is a far superior piece. Musically and vocally, it is similar to recent Porcupine Tree, which is to say, melancholic and with harder-edged segments. This song shows the real potential of the artist.

"Terminus Ad Quem" Unfortunately, the final track returns to the nebulous noise and sound effects- this time, it sounds like an intergalactic Laundromat. Music finally fades in during the last ninety seconds or so, but by then, I've already cried uncle and hit the stop button.

by Epignosis

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FOCUS "Hamburger Concerto" (Symphonic Prog, 1974) by kingfriso

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:25:43 -0500

4/5 STARS - Focus - Hamburger Concerto (1974)

Misplaced Adulthood..?

There has been a high level of agreement concerning what was the peak of Fucus' career: Hamburger Concerto. I've always fellt that Moving Waves was superiour, but still this is a great album. One track with French vocals and one with Dutch vocals, this is an inventive and a risky expiriment. It does make the album stylish. Still it sounds a bit tame when compared with the earlier Focus albums.

Focus was a Dutch supergroup with keyboardist/flutist Thuis van Leer, guitarshredder (and Fusion expert) Jan Akkerman, Colin Allen on drums and the great bassplayer Bert Ruiter. At first spin one thing was apparent for me: Pierre van der Linden is shurely missed. The main link for the energetic side of Focus is gone, so is the uptempo side of Focus.

His abscence evoked an down-tempo record, except for the second track Harum Scarum. La Cath�dral De Strasbourg is however one of the most gentle atmospheric tracks I've ever heard. The French vocals are a nice finding. The long epic on side two has it's up and downs. I think the opening section is not very interesting, while the middle section with the serious themes with the fade in guitar part of Jan Akkerman and his solo is masterfull. After that the perpect parts keep coming. The great intelligent progressive church-like chord progression with the Dutch vocals is one of the finest achievements of the band. The following heavy symphonic parts are great as well and finish the the epic bravely. To bad for the avarage first sections of the song, for the other parts are essential proglistening.

Conclusion. A great symphonic prog record with lots of classical influences and some fusion elements. Still I miss Focus rockin'out on this one and the weak begining of the title track is a pity. I won't give this five stars, for it lacks some of my favourite Focus elements. Where is Focus' sometimes naive compositional style? Did they become a musically adult? Four stars seems to be justified however, for Hamburger Concerto has a lot of masterfull moments.

by kingfriso

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EGG "The Polite Force" (Canterbury Scene, 1971) by toroddfuglesteg

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:58:35 -0500

4/5 STARS - It is a mix of frustration and joy to review an Egg album. The reason is that I am lost for words because their music is almost impossible to describe. This album is no exception from this rule.

The opening track A visit to Newport Hospital is an excellent quirky Canterbury scene song with strange vocals and even stranger rhythm patterns. Then this album goes more into avant-garde territory with a rather pointless sound collage in the middle of this album. Frustrating ! The album thankfully returns to some quirky melodies with weirdo rhythm patterns and use of french horn and hammond. think the word chamber music has been used about Egg and I agree with that assessment too. The music are a bit staccato and explores avenues I did not even think excist. The only comparisson I can make is with Supersister, Hatfield & The North and the two first Soft Machines albums. Besides of that; nobody sounds like Egg and nothing sounds like this album. This album really need to be heard to be believed. The two brains behind this band is Mont Campbell and Dave Stewart (National Health, Hatfield & The North etc etc) and that explains everything.

This album is really an excellent album, with the exception of the pointless avant-garde soundcollage in the middle of this album. The rest of this album explains why this band is so reverred in the British rock and prog rock scene. I am truly amazed.

4 stars

by toroddfuglesteg

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FOCUS "Focus III" (Symphonic Prog, 1973) by kingfriso

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:54:17 -0500

4/5 STARS - Focus - III (1973)

The record evokes some discussion.

Focus' third is somehow an odd album. It has some of their finest progressive songs, but it also has endless jams as if you are listening to a fusion jamgroup. Luckely both sides of Fucus are seperated; side one and two show the symphonic Focus, while side two and three mainly show Focus jamming out. I've heard some-one say that he though even the true Focus fans wouldn't listen this in one spin and I think he's right. I own the vinyl version and I listen mainly to the first record, record two is like a nice additional present for me. Ofcourse this well though concept was destroyed by the cd, though it could have been printed on two seperate cd's.

Focus' sound consists of three elements: classical influences, hard rock and jazz- rock/fusion. Sympathetic frontman/keyboardist/composer/flute player Thuis van Leer originated from the Dutch theater and classical music scene as composer and flute player. His wide range of influences are the main reason for the succes of Focus, the others are the known guitar acrobatics of the famous Dutch guitarist Jan Akkerman and the great technically perfect drummer Pierre van der Linden. Accompanied with Bert Ruijter on bass one could call this a supergroup: a combination of best musicians in their field.

On side one and two the compositions are as mentioned before as one would expect on a Focus record. Symphonic, jazzy, rockin', varied and devoted. On Round goes the Gossip a lot of inventive up-tempo chord progressions can be heard with some pyschedelic vocals by Thijs van Leer. In the middle section a great fusion part is adapted to complete the song. This is one of my favourite Focus songs! Another standout is the title track, a highly classical compostion played by a symphonic prog band. On a live concert Van Leer mentioned the track passes through the whole fifths circel, which is a nice technical achievement.

Conclusion. If listening to the record as a seperated disc, this is a highly rewarding album. It might not be as perfect as Moving Waves, but it shurely resembles Hamburger Concerto. The additional jam's are very enjoyable, guitarist may want to listen to the reportoire of bizarre guitar techniques Jan Akkerman applies. Recommended to everyone into symphonic prog, classical music and fusion. Four stars!

by kingfriso

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MAGMA "Live/Hha� (K�hntark)" (Zeuhl, 1975) by kingfriso

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:25:37 -0500

5/5 STARS - Magma - Live (1975)

This would even scare extraterrestial invaders!

I recently purchased Magma's Atahkk and was blown away by this totally new sound. I had to have more of this! I've spend a bit to much money on it, but it turned out to be worth it: a vinyl copy of Magma's double live lp.

The music of Magma is hard to discribe. I'll try to discribe it by a sum of words. Dark opera, psycho fusion, dissonance, music about the beginning of the earth, not-human, spacey, classical music influenced vocals. Just listen to the music if you want the complete picture, words are inaccurate.

The sound of this live recording is good, all instruments are well mixed and there's a good difference between the low volume and high volume moments. The band plays at an extraordinary rate of precision, I know of no live record that resembles this quality. Cristiaan is a great drummer, but he knows when to freak out and when to keep it functional. The vocals are intensive, but always in a controlled way. The basslines are good and functional, the keys are perfectly played throughout the concert. The choise of keyinstruments is very good, most of them originate from the jazzrock/fusion repertoire.

Side one and two. The live version of the Kohntark composition of 30 minutes. This is the darkest part of the album. The concentration is high for halve an hour and it seems no mistakes are made. The dissonant chordprogressions with the angelic vocals work very well and it makes me enter to some strange world, like the music sucks you in. Though the music itself isn't that relaxing, I do seem to get in a trance while listening to it. I don't have this very often with music, so this is a very special experience for me!

Side three. Shorter compositions, some could be discribed as songs. Most of them have clear fusion influences, except for the vocals. Magma shows it's more gentle side. The tracks are less dark, some are even angelic in happy sence. Still I get floted away to some other world...

Side four. The technical fusion abilities of Magma are shown here. Though the dark opera side of magma is omnipresent, some fusion jams appear and succeed to keep the tempo high on this lenghty live registration.

Conclusion. I've never heard something like this before, is this the one perfect live album? I don't think more then 30% of the PA collaborators will ever get to like this because of it's heavy atmospheres and unlikable freakyness. It might be even heavier then VdGG's Pawn Hearts. If you like dissonance, psychedelica, spacerock and fusion, this is your final experience! If you just like symphonic prog of the classic tradition, this might be your worst nightmare. For me this the proof people can believe in something, though it is stranger then everything else. They did this, and it worked! I think Magma can be seen as one of the progressive end-points: this is as far as we have come in 40 years of prog. And I thank them for that. Five stars.

by kingfriso

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CERBERUS SHOAL "Crash My Moon Yacht" (RIO/Avant-Prog, 2000) by ClemofNazareth

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:07:57 -0500

4/5 STARS - Cerberus Shoal took an odd and unexpected turn with this 2000 release, as well as ‘Homb’ that preceded it. You only need to know two things to determine if you’ll like these songs – they pretty much all drip with dissonance and persistent drone, and exhibit an almost painful lack of any sense of urgency. At least that pretty much describes at six of the eight songs here; the last two are slightly different (more on that point later).

‘Crash My Moon Yacht’ was recorded around the same time as the ‘Homb’ CD that was released before it, as well as around the same time as ‘Mr. Dog Boy’ which wouldn’t be released until after the band’s metamorphosis from a six-piece mostly acoustic touring group to more of a studio collective, with a smaller touring troupe that would rely much more heavily on programming and recorded sounds to flesh out their music. If you’d never heard the band and didn’t know anything about them this record would come off as a casual blend of new age and post rock, with the emphasis being a bit more on the new age side. I think that is probably a bit of an oversimplification though.

In fact, I think the group was going through a sort of “Happiness is a Warm Gun” period (so to speak), experimenting with polyrhythmic arrangements delivered by an impressive array of instruments (I count 31 in the credits, but that includes a generic “percussion” which clearly represents a wide variety of gadgets). The majority are acoustic, although there is an omnipresent Hammond organ, an electric guitar, and a smattering of other synthesized sounds as well. Caleb Mulkerin, who also wrote a ton of the band’s material throughout their career, plays (among other things) a Farfisa organ (the transistor one, not the MIDI), something that hasn’t been heard much on studio albums since around the time of the Vietnam War. This is largely responsible for giving some of the music a sort of thin, metallic sheen that calls to mind prototypical new-agers like Philip Glass and Mike Oldfield, and is most apparent on the 3-part “Changabang”, what sounds like a single song that was split into thirds and sequenced throughout the album for no apparent reason. Combine the tinny Farfisa and a fair amount of drone with just a little brass and ill-timed fadeouts, and you get the idea.

These songs are far more approachable than much of the rest of the band’s catalog, meaning you don’t need to be a pseudo-intellectual musicology professor to appreciate them. The tone is quite repressed at times though, so headbangers should just move along and try not to make eye contact.

The one slight aberration on the album is “Yes sir, No sir”, which for some reason is one of the only songs to feature intelligible vocals (there’s moaning and chanting and such elsewhere, but not much). Unfortunately Colleen Kinsella wouldn’t show up until a couple years after this album was recorded, so the singing is mostly indie-like two-part harmonies from a couple guys in the band and not all that impressive.

One of the more interesting tracks doesn’t come until the end with the almost completely acoustic and multi-textured “Asphodel”, a mostly-instrumental that also features the majority of brass heard on the album (in fact Tim Harbeson’s trumpet is the feature instrument on this one).

I hadn’t listened to this record in a while before spinning it a couple times this week. What has struck me now but didn’t when I first bought it is that the band seems to have a bit of a split personality on this record. The “Changabang” series as well as “Breathing Machines” and “Long Winded” are heavy on drone, electronic sounds and ambience; while “Elle Besh”, “Yes sir, No sir” and “Asphodel” are more acoustic, tonal and earthy. This second face of the band’s music would manifest more as they matured, culminating in their free- folk swan song ‘The Land We All Believe In’ in 2005.

But before that would happen the group would go on to produce a couple more oddities, as well as several awkward collaborations with acts like Guapo, Herman Dune, The Magic Carpathians Project, the Bishop Brothers (aka Avarius B) and Still Life. This record is better than most of those, and if you are even mildly interested in Cerberus Shoal I would say this isn’t a bad place to start. ‘Homb’ is probably the group’s most representative record, but considering they have a habit of ranging all over the place musically and reinventing themselves ever year or so, “representative” is a relative term. Four stars for one of the band’s better releases, and well recommended.

peace

by ClemofNazareth

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GILGAMESH "Gilgamesh" (Canterbury Scene, 1975) by toroddfuglesteg

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:04:20 -0500

3/5 STARS - Gilgamesh is regarded as one of the least accessible Canterbury acts. I have had the Gilgamesh albums in my record collection for the best part of one year without giving them a spin. Too jazzy/difficult, I thought. I was probably right because the music on this album is not easy to understand for me. I have my background in metal and rock.

The album is more or less straight fusion/jazz and more so than any other Canterbury band. Gilgamesh is still very much a Canterbury scene band. They have been compared to National Health and Hatfield & The North. I agree with that assessment. But Gilgamesh is more straigth than any of those two bands. They are also more straight than Soft Machine's Six and Seven albums. With straight, I mean less avant-garde and more fusion/jazz. That's why I think Gilgamesh is the band furthest away from Canterbury Cathedral if you get my drift.

The music here is entirely based on the sadly deceased Alan Gowen's tangent work. He dominates this album and that is in my books a good thing. He is helped by Phil Lee's guitars who has some excellent guitar solos. Jeff Clyne on bass and Michael Travis on drums is also doing an excellent job here. This makes this album a very good album. My only gripe is their lack of any excellent songs. I do not think this album is an excellent album. But it is a very good album, bordering to be excellent. I am looking forward to listen to the rest of their albums.

3.75 stars

by toroddfuglesteg

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DEVIN TOWNSEND "Accelerated Evolution (The Devin Townsend Band)" (Experimental/Post Metal, 2003) by Alitare

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:50:51 -0500

4/5 STARS - Something fluid, a precursor to futures tread.

Devin Townsend's Accelerated Evolution loosens the bows to a more gratuitously band oriented manner. After several solo work albums released, Devin teams together sporadically with his backing band in effect to create another masterful collection of music.

The songs are top notch material, opening with the inquisitive Depth Charge. Softer more than anything from prior releases or his heavy heavy SYL. Calming, with a sense of covert hostility, that is the swing of feel. Delving deep into almost progressive pop territories, some of the vocal hooks are absolutely fantastic.

The Pink Floydian Deadhead is a possible highlight. With some well placed notes and billowing motions. In key with the album's namesake, evolution is prevalent within each separate work. While many of the songs feature at least one basically intriguing idea, tracks like Deadhead or Away utilize what I consider to be truly beautiful sounds.

there are a few fall moments that, while not altogether apt to dragging the album's quality down any severe degree, muddy the purest of waters. Random Analysis and Traveler are not nearly on the same level as the album's greatest songs, featuring more simplistic hooks that don't altogether capture the hearts desires. Even so, Devin has crafted a superb piece of work, and one that is twinged with several varying emotions. This stands up with his better works, and portrays a small precursor into his most recent work.

Best song - Deadhead/Away Worst Song - Difficult to say, very even.

***** Accelerated Stars

by Alitare

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OREGON "Out of the Woods" (Jazz Rock/Fusion, 1978) by sinkadotentree

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:31:34 -0500

3/5 STARS - I've been listening to this for about a week and i never considered that this was a Jazz album,shows how much i know.This is a very acoustic album with a World music vibe.Lots of aboe with sitar,tablas and percussion giving it that World music flavour.Plenty of acoustic guitar and piano as well. This is very elegant and pleasant,i'm just not big on acoustic music.My friend b olariu has given this 5 stars and i would feel the same way if i was rating and reviewing this objectively,but i don't review that way.I have to like it.This just isn't my kind of music no matter how good it is. "Yellow Bell" is led by the aboe as bass,percussion and piano support.Piano takes the lead for a minute then the aboe returns. "Fall 77" is led by horns and is a mixture of Jazz and World music. "Reprise" features piano melodies only. "Cane Fields" is a percussion and aboe dominated track. "Dance To The Morning Star" has this odd sounding intro and outro.Acoustic guitar,bass,piano and other sounds come in between, then the aboe leads. "Vision Of A Dancer" features aboe and sitar early then piano takes over. "Story Telling" is a short precussion tune. "Waterwheel" features more percussion and aboe leading the way. "Witchi- Tai-To" is sitar led early.it settles after 3 minutes with acoustic guitar,bass,percussion and other sounds.Aboe comes in. For most OREGON fans this is their favourite.it's a beautiful recording no doubt about it.3.5 stars.

by sinkadotentree

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CERBERUS SHOAL "Chaiming the Knoblessone" (RIO/Avant-Prog, 2003) by ClemofNazareth

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:49:37 -0500

3/5 STARS - ‘Chaiming the Knoblessone’ was Cerberus Shoal’s ninth studio album, and arguably their best since 1999’s avant-post-rock ‘Homb’. Like ‘Homb’ (and just about everything else the band put out) the music here is largely unclassifiable, blending elements of math and post rock, folk and RIO with clear influences of world sounds from Africa, the Middle East, India and possibly even a few undiscovered primitive tribes that nobody else knows about yet.

Also like most of their other music, this album is not exactly approachable, and is definitely not something meant for casual listening. All the members of the band are formally trained musicians, and I suppose many of the more technical nuances of their craft are lost on those of us mere mortals who are simply looking for something interesting to listen to. For students of the arts and serious musicians I suspect these songs offer up much more cerebral stimulus than they do for the rest of us. Selah.

A comment on the packaging: the foldout liner notes in the digipack consist of a large page of colorful, mostly abstract musings and pencil sketches that range between poetry and bathroom humor. I’ve really no idea what they have to do with the music, but if nothing else they give listeners something to muddle over while trying to make sense of the songs. Good luck with that by the way.

You get your money’s worth at least – the seven tracks run nearly the maximum 80 minutes of music that a CD can hold, and five of them are more than twelve minutes long each. That’s great for avant-garde nerds who enjoy wallowing in endless experimental jams and haphazardly overlaid field sounds (as well as all manner of percussive instruments); but for most semi-normal music fans the record does become a bit tedious after a while. I would recommend planning on several sittings to get through the whole thing, at least the first time.

“Mrs. Shakespeare Torso” features some great ethereal vocals from Earth-Mom and apparent band guru Colleen Kinsella; I much prefer her more traditional folk singing with Fire on Fire, the current project for many members of the now-defunct Cerberus Shoal. Check out Shoal’s final album ‘The Land We All Believe In’ for a preview of what that group sounds like, as well as Fire on Fire’s 2008 debut ‘The Orchard’ if you are into free-range American weird folk – you won’t regret the experience.

“A Paranoid Home Companion” is a spoken-word piece that consists of some sort of weird philosophical interview with a digitally-altered voice that I think is supposed to represent some other-dimension creature; the intent seems to be to present an alternative view of the human condition and our reason for collective being. Heady stuff, just don’t look for any spiritual epiphanies here.

I think sometimes Cerberus Shoal’s song titles are more ambitious than the music itself, although again I’m sure knowledgeable music scholars will find plenty to be impressed about in those stretches during the songs when the band members are actually playing their instruments as opposed to weaving digital sequencing in and out of recorded sounds. “Scaly Beast vs. Toy Piano” is one of my favorite Shoal title, although much of the eleven minutes consists of little more than a xylophone being picked at while an accordion (or computerized representation of one) whines in the background. Their finest title by the way has to be “The Man Who Loved Holes” from ‘The Ducks & Drakes of Guapo and Cerberus Shoal’, their 2003 collaboration with the indie band Guapo.

Like I said, this album isn’t for casual listening, and fans of music that emphasizes recognizable song structures or even melody won’t likely be too impressed. I have to admit I don’t play any of Cerberus Shoal’s CDs often, although I am close to completing my collection of their entire discography anyway for reasons that are unclear even to me. I suppose math rock, post rock, avant-garde and possibly even Zeuhl fans may find this album interesting, but if you really want to check out the band and are risk averse, I’d recommend ‘The Land We All Believe In’ or ‘Crash My Moon Yacht’ instead. I’m going to go with three stars since the album shows an appreciation for continuity and creativity, but will withhold any sort of specific endorsement or recommendation.

peace

by ClemofNazareth

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STANLEY CLARKE "Jazz In The Garden ( The Stanley Clarke Trio)" (Jazz Rock/Fusion, 2009) by snobb

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:18:11 -0500

5/5 STARS - Stanley Clarke is one of greatest bass players from fusion classic era. Made his name playing in Return to Forever, he started solo career later. And if some earlier solo albums are still interesting, very soon he started to flirt with disco, and went to more commercial direction.

In 2008 Return To Forever was re-united in their classic line-up and traveled the world with very successful world tour ( recorded on double CD, by the way). Soon after Chick Corea collaborated with John McLaughlin with similar world tour ( and double live CD as well). Clarke with another Return To Forever musician, drummer Lenny White, founded The Stanley Clarke Trio ( with young Japaneese piano jazz star Hiromy Uehara.

So, on this album you will find kind of classical jazz trio ( bass-piano-drums), playing acoustic post-bop and contemporary jazz. There are some jazz standards and some members original compositions.

The music is what the best modern acoustic jazz trio can play - mid-tempo melodic tunes , warm, nostalgic, very intelligent and stylish. All musicians are of highest class, so any modern jazz lover will be pleased by listening of this album. Japaneese traditional "Sakura Sakura" will touch your heart as well as Uehara's "Sicilian Blue". You can't find so warm and tender playing without flirting with pop-music in modern jazz very often!

Last album composition "Under The Bridge" is unusual jazz-cover of known Red Hot Chilly Pepper song!

Very recommended to any jazz lover. For fusion purists - not too much of fusion could be found there. But I think it will be one of the best contemporary jazz albums of 2009!

by snobb

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BANCO DEL MUTUO SOCCORSO "Banco (1975)" (Rock Progressivo Italiano, 1975) by kingfriso

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:50:21 -0500

5/5 STARS - Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso - Banco (1975)

This is my first Banco record, I won't compensate for possible lack of importance due to the fact this record consist of songs from other records, re-recorded in English.

Thanks to Erik Neuteboom, who was willing to sell me his old vinyls, I was able to get my first two Italian sympho records, one of them Banco. From the records I got from him, this might the best addition to my progressive collection. Why? I can't think of one record that is so extremely good as this one.

Banco's sound is a hodgepodge of different styels. The symphonic music of Genesis must have had an influence, the piano virtuosity of Keith Emerson seems to appear and the Italian artistic vocal style is something new alongside the original music influences. This brings me to my frist point. Such great vocals, I can't even be bothered by the bad English pronounciation, such devotion, such a great combination of strong rock vocals with classical opera techniques.

The second apparent element of the music seems to be the outstanding keywork. I've never seen this work: an opening with modern senthesizors working perfectly together with classical piano sounds, jazz-elements and bombastic prog melodies. A highlight of progressive music in general however, is middlesection of Metamorphosis with the piano and drums working together (in 6/8 time signature) like never seen before. There are no words to discribe how intelligent this composition is, 11 out of 10. Futhermore the combination of a senthesizor puls and a jazzy chord progression on Outside is also the work of a genious. The style of Gianni Nocenzi (grand piano) and Vittorio Nocenzi (organ, senthesizor) is technically high developed, still especially the grand piano parts are touching my very soul. They never lost 'the music' while noodling.

The drummer of Banco is also an highly professional musician, while the bass and the guitar are not the main attraction here: they are functional, though some guitar solo's are highly rewarding.

The mix of different disciplines on this album is however what makes it a masterpiece. A senthesizor opening track, an up-tempo symphoprogger with opera vocals, a part melodic prog/grand piano epic, another highly rewarding symphoprogger, a gentle song with beautiful arangements and finally a theatric epic with element of Banco combined.

Conclusion. This is almost unbelievable, such quality of music. I'll do anything to get more records of this band! Five stars, but even that seems to be irralevant here. Just get music from Banco! Though I would rather have had their Italian albums, if this is al you can get, get it!

by kingfriso

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KING CRIMSON "Deception of the Thrush: A Beginners Guide to ProjeKcts" (Eclectic Prog, 1999) by UMUR

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:50:29 -0500

3/5 STARS - Deception of the Thrush: A Beginners Guide to ProjeKcts is a compilation album by UK progressive rock act King Crimson. The album features songs from the ProjeKct albums by the band. The ProjeKct concept is a concept the band invented to be able to tour and record music without having to gather all six members of the band, but rather work in smaller groups while still using the King Crimson name. Wether it be three or four members of the band playing together in different constellations Robert Fripp is the only constant. I haven�t heard the original ProjeKct albums so I don�t know how much you�re missing out on by only owning Deception of the Thrush: A Beginners Guide to ProjeKcts but for me this compilation is more than enough.

The music on the album is mostly instrumental improvisations, but there are what seems like some structured pieces and bits in the songs. The music is rather experimental rock/ fusion and the playing is very impressive at times. Personally I prefer more structured compositions and after a while I lose interest and even though the music is quite atonal and challenging it kind of becomes background music for me. Not because the music isn�t interesting, but because it lacks memorable hooks. That�s of course an aquired taste and I�m sure the more dedicated fans will enjoy this more than I do. The production and the musicianship on the compilation are excellent. A 3.5 star rating is deserved.

by UMUR

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CAAMORA "She" (Neo-Prog, 2008) by progrules

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:46:21 -0500

3/5 STARS - My review of Caamora's She is not going to be much different from the other prog reviewers. Many stated that this album contains actually no neo progressive music but is more of a rock opera.

And then I can be brief with this one. I don't like opera so it was a mistake by me to buy it. I was blinded by the fact that Clive Nolan had composed the whole thing and he hardly ever did anything disappointing in his career as far as I'm concerned so I was hoping for something great anyway (like Strangers on a Train for instance). I will have to be more demanding in the future and more critical towards my personal needs where the sort of music or album is concerned.

Does that mean this is a poor album ? Absolutely NOT, it's a piece of art that will please many fans of Rock opera's but alas I'm not one of them. My biggest problem overall is the huge domination of the vocals on this album. I'm a great fan of impressive instrumental contributions so then this aspect is disappointing. Besides this the female contributions are much better than the male and the division in time is almost 50-50 here so half of the singing is not really appreciated by me. The instrumental parts are minimal and solos are hardly there at all and since we're talking about over 100 minutes of music here this doubler is almost torture for me.

This is how it all works on me personally, if I look at this piece of art more objectively It could even be a masterpiece or is at least worthy of four stars. And since my personal (subjective) judgment would probably be two stars I will decide for the average this time because it seems the fairest thing to do here so three stars.

by progrules

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PINK FLOYD "Inside Pink Floyd" (Psychedelic/Space Rock, 2003) by ZowieZiggy

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:26:41 -0500

3/5 STARS - This is one out of many "Critical Review / Inside" DVD collection. What is different here is that the members of the band do take part and provide interviews about their work their interaction. I believe that those hints are a definite plus to this particular document.

A long episode (almost 13 minutes) is dedicated to their debut album: "Piper". Some fine documents can be seen as the promotional video for "Arnold Lane" and some shots of "Let's All Make Love In London" with shots from "Interstellar Overdrive".

I also picked up one funny quote from Roger: "I was demoted from lead guitar to rhythm guitar and finally bass. There was always this frightful fear I could end up as the drummer"!

There are also three members from "Mostly Autumn" who are being interviewed. While Heather Findley and Bryan Josh are talking about the band, the influences and the music in general; Ian Jennings (their keyboards player) has a more technical angle which is one of the less interesting aspect of this collection (in general).

The images used to illustrate "See Emily Play" were shot in Brussels in 67 by the Belgian television. I once saw the whole stuff (about twenty minutes of play back in the surroundings of the Atomium). This long section about "ASOS" (over eleven minutes) is mostly dedicated to Syd and the growing problems that the band was experiencing with him (till his replacement by David).

After a short interlude about "More", the stress is mainly put on the live record from "Ummagumma" and the importance of their live sets. Another quote from Roger about it: "Ummagumma, yeah. What a disaster!"?(five minutes are spent on this double album).

About "Atom Heart Mother", the interview of Nick shows how difficult is was to record this album with the orchestra and I quote again Roger "I wouldn't dream of performing anything that embarrassing?I'm not playing that rubbish." What's valuable here are some footage of the track being played by the band only in a live representation. David's view about the album is the following: "ATM now strikes me as absolute crap". This chapter lasts for about eight minutes. 41

I particularly like the sequence about "Meddle" for several reasons: first, it was my first Floyd album that I purchased (back in 71) and second two of my fave tracks are featured (I guess that I don't need to tell you which ones, right)? David is more enthusiast about "Echoes" than previous songs from the band. He said: "At the end of Echoes is this kind of guitar orchestra going on?I still think this is wonderful". I bet you it is!!! A mere six minutes for these two fabulous songs (none of the others from this album are covered). 47

The next part is the best known visually since it uses footage from "Live At Pompei" namely "ASOS", "One Of These Days", "Echoes". The problem at this stage is that the length of the sequences are shorter and shorter. Only three minutes for this huge "live" album (and two for "Obscured by Clouds").

This DVD ends up on their first masterpiece: DSOTM (ten minutes). Footage to illustrate this section are taken from a Dutch TV programme broadcasted in 1989 and offer little interest therefore. I like the interview form David who says: "With DSOTM we were moving in a quite different league". Nick, on the contrary, says : "It's easy to see DSOTM as a turning point now, but we just considered it was just the next album we were working on".

Clare Tory's opinion about the superb "Great Gig In The Sky" is also of value. She had basically no clue at all before the recording of what was expected from her, nor did the band. "It was just an experiment". But a great one!

My version is the second issue and holds some 62 minutes of footage plus a seventeen minutes version of "Echoes" played live by "Mostly Autumn". A nice bonus should I say.

In all, this document is informative for the casual fan; not too much for the Floyd maniac. Three stars.

by ZowieZiggy

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FLAMBOROUGH HEAD "Looking For John Maddock" (Neo-Prog, 2009) by progrules

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:17:18 -0500

4/5 STARS - Only my second review of a Flamborough Head album and that's strange since this is a high profile Dutch progrock band playing neo hinted symphonic prog. So that should be my cup of tea really but somehow I don't quite click with this band. Sometimes it's because of the lyrics and it also has to do with the way the guitarist plays his instrument. I had this same problem with K2 where Alan Holdsworth did his job. Technically it was great but I didn't like the sound. And that's the same thing here. Gert Polkerman is a very fine guitarist but I like it more smooth and clear sounding and that's not the case here. But mind you, that's just a personal thing.

What I don't have a problem with is the instrumental and melodic aspect of the compositions in general. That is absolutely of the highest quality with this band, also on this album. But I do have a bit of a problem with the lyrics at moments. They sound very clich� and I can see the words coming at miles distance. Maybe it's not easy for a Dutch band to write original lyrics in English and maybe I'm making too much of a big deal out of it, but it just annoys me a bit.

So some positive and negative aspects here but surveying the whole thing the positive prevails in the end. The musicianship is marvellous (flute and other wind contributions !) and the melodic compositions are great and inventive and deserve much respect. I'm a bit ambivalent about Margriet's voice. On itself it's a great voice but again here my personal feel for it is just not quite there. Hard to explain sometimes but it is what it is, can't help it. But again, the positive aspects are so strong the balance is turning to the good side and I will give four in the end (3,75). Also because I have a strong feeling many progfans will enjoy this album.

by progrules

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PINK FLOYD "Final Cut, The" (Psychedelic/Space Rock, 1983) by Neil C

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:24:29 -0500

5/5 STARS - It is Armistice Day today - so what better an album to listen to and reflect than 'The Final Cut' by Pink Floyd...

Unlike the two studio albums that followed it (coming under the 'Pink Floyd' moniker but without the involvement of Roger Waters) THIS album has a unified concept, has something to say and has real conviction. The lyrics are well-crafted and are from the heart....

Alright it is gloomy - its main theme, namely the futility of war, is never going to be a cheery one (but what Pink Floyd album ever was cheery anyway?). That said, here and there are poignant glints of hope and light through the pain and darkness.

'The Final Cut', which I think is the saddest of all Waters/Floyd albums, is about grieving - of lost relationships, wasted potential and lost hope. The filmic sounds which segue between tracks just make the whole experience so real - so evocative - take for instance the shuffling feet and the public house backdrop to 'paranoid eyes'. Simply beautiful.

Gilmour is absent from much of this - certainly vocally - underlining how much of a Waters project this is. However, he does deliver a couple of heart-rending solos namely on on 'Fletcher Memorial Home' and the title track - the dying embers of such a classic working partnership.

Of course we all know this is really a Roger Waters album, but then could one not argue the same to an extent about 'Animals' and 'The Wall'? It is a very personal album - that is what makes it so touching, compelling and real.

by Neil C

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TIM BUCKLEY "Happy Sad" (Prog Folk, 1969) by UMUR

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:24:01 -0500

4/5 STARS - Happy Sad is the Third full-length studio album by progressive folk rock artists Tim Buckley. With Happy Sad, Tim Buckley takes a big step away from the commercial folk pop/ rock of his first two albums and enters the world of experimental and progressive folk rock. The basis in the music is still in blues and folk though. A darkness, that was only hinted at on the first two albums, has crept into the songs on Happy Sad. Best examplified in the songs Love From Room 109 At The Islander (On Pacific Coast Highway) and Dream Letter. While those two songs are my favorites on the album all songs are actually of high quality and I really enjoy how this album sounds. The 12:19 minute long Gypsy Woman needs a mention too for its hypnotic and tripped atmosphere. It�s basicly one long jam. The music may seem a bit inaccessible at first listen but the melodies grow and most songs are actually quite simple even though some of them features some great arrangements.

The music is pre-dominantly acoustic. Acoustic guitar, acoustic bass, vibes, marimba and congas are the instrumental foundation. Add to that some electric guitar leads and of course Tim Buckley�s strong and emotional vocals. He is such a powerful and distinct singer. His emotional delivery deeply touches me every time I listen to his performance on this album.

The production is organic and there�s a live feel to the album that�s fascinating.

I�ve been a bit in doubt about what to rate Happy Sad but since it still grows on me with every listen my rating is 3.5 - 4 stars. I like the development in Tim Buckley�s sound since the debut. The first two albums are good but this is where I would start for evidence of innovative and progressive behaviour.

by UMUR

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