UNFOLDED LIKE STAIRCASE

Discipline's Unfolded Like Staircase seemed like an album that would bring a tight group even tighter in sound. I find it very established, as to say the band have found their own sound (partial credit due to Van der Graaf and Crimson). There are the mellotron moments, long instrumental passages, too, some of the common characteristics in a Prog group. Discipline sounds like a classic group totally refined with a modern sound. In fact, I think they distinguish themselves from the granddad groups. They created four excellent tracks here, all epics, none of them sticking out as the weakest or runt of the bunch. My only disappointment is that this is the last album from the group's early times where they showed so much potential (To Shatter All Accord from their 2011 comeback is still great, but that's beside the point!).

"Canto IV" is my favorite piece here. It starts out with a catchy syncopated rhythm that will appear later on in the song, The song tones down for the dark vocals, very moving. The song goes through some great instrumental passages, some more upbeat, some heavy, and some darker. The song builds itself up well and flows through all transitions nicely.

Most of the rest of the album has many of the same characteristics of the first track, though all songs have their own unique ideas. "Before the Storm" is the most dramatic of the bunch. "Into the Dream" instills the most tension in the listener. Polyrhythms are used, usually with the drums playing a simple time and skipping a beat at the end of a bar, while the other instruments play in asymmetrical times.

This band just let the ideas flow, and it stays coherent with nothing stressing. This is a very solid album! Easily a favorite.