VARIATIONS ON A DREAM

Unless I'm missing something, the influences claimed in the band description do not seem very evident to me. Rather, the two bands that came to mind most often when listening to this relatively creative but largely uninspired album was Smashing Pumpkins (their "mellower" side) and Renaissance (though without the astounding voice of Annie Haslam). As noted in my review of Anglagard's "Epilog," I find myself having to determine the "success" of many bands by the degree to which they are able to "mix up" their influences and come up with something interesting, or, in rare cases, creative and compelling. This album has some very interesting ideas, but few are original, and even fewer are brought to fruition to very successful degrees. The two best efforts are "Sooner or Later" and "Part Zero." Otherwise, the album is probably worth a listen, and the creator does deserve some credit for effort.