CONUNDRUM

Fourth album of the Greek progsters Verbal Delirium and once again there are some line-up changes. On the drums Stelios Pavlou is replaced by Wil Bow and on the keyboards Jargon now shares his duties with Stratos Morianos (from Residuos Mentales) instead with Nikos Terzis.

Falling is the standard intro (actually a song, just not as fully-fledged as the rest to come) that Verbal Delirium are wont to do which segues into In Pieces, a straightforward song that takes unexpectedly a heavier and darker slant reinforced by a choir that chants in Latin. Intruders is (musically) very uplifting but of course it's Verbal Delirium and halfway it takes a manic (and deeply progressive) turn. Children of Water is a 6/8 darker tune although the chorus breaks this feeling. A very theatrical performance by Jargon here. The title-track is an entirely instrumental piece where they are joined by Nikos Nikolopoulos from Ciccada on the saxophone. It's amazing how so many changes flow so naturally. An absolute highlight and it's a pity that Verbal Delirium don't come up with more stuff like that. Truly brilliant. Watcher is perhaps the album's most complex composition. Listen carefully until everything starts to fall into place and you'll be rewarded in spades. Neon Eye Cage is uplifting, too, mainly because of the chorus which is an earworm. Special mention to the sound of the keyboards here. Fall From Grace is the one that drips with emotion most and carries effortlessly the listener away. A fine way to end the album! By the way, five of the songs are depicted in the inner of the CD by the band members.

Verbal Delirium once again keep things fresh, they came up with an up-to-date prog album that shines through the stellar production. No prog fan can ignore Verbal Delirium by now.