UNFOLDED LIKE STAIRCASE

Unfolded Like Staircase is a relatively unknown album that seems to have gotten a lot of praise from multiple sources, which is the main reason I decided to look into it. Suffice it to say the first thing I noticed was the overbearing sound and style of multiple classic prog groups the album seems to carry. This seems to carry the intensity and theatrics of Van Def Graff Generator, and the symphonic atmosphere of Genesis. An odd combination for sure, but it seems to work for these guys, who still manage to have a unique sound.

The album carries a heavy, symphonic edge with an overall dark atmosphere filled with Mellotron. Keyboard and guitar seem to have a balanced role. The Genesis and VDGG influences are instantly noticeable, so much so that this truly sounds like a classic prog album with a modern twist in sound and production.

The song-writing overall is pretty good; the songs are very structurally diverse and for the most part have quite a few good ideas. Unfortunately, the album is a bit long and inconsistent. The opening 'Canto IV' is probably the strongest and is filled with great riffs and melodies, including a motif from 'Dance On a Volcano' from Genesis. The same could be said about the following song, 'Cruches,' but the following tracks seem to suffer from either excessive length or poor ideas. 'Into the Dream' could have been shortened to 12- minutes and would have been much more effective. For this reason, I believe if this album has any faults, it isn't due to the lack of strong melodies and ideas, but rather the poor use and combination of these ideas. Usually I prefer through-composed music, but the songs generally don't seem to have any idea or motif that is repeated constantly throughout, meaning the songs often seem like they aren't going anywhere.

Overall, this is a good album, though I don't believe it quite meets the level of praise it receives. This is definitely an album for fans of classic prog, especially Van Der Graff Generator and Genesis. While I believe there are plenty of better modern prog albums, this is certainly one that is worth a listen.

6/10