MOTIONS OF DESIRE

This Norwegian band plunder every single prog rock motif from 1970 - 2000 for this their debut yet somehow it works! We are presented with six tracks of the most joyous celebration of Prog Rock music I have heard in years and this album is a must for all lovers of Symphonic Prog from the "Golden Era".

This six piece are very strong musicians,but pride of place goes to keyboard player Gilbert Marshall who literally taunts us with his array of vintage sounds,at once conjuring up echoes of Tony Kaye-era Yes and the majestic mellotron of the young Tony Banks.

The opener,'Change', is to my ears at least, the weakest track on the album,over- ambitious in its attempt to sustain itself over 20 minutes whilst paying homage to everyone from Yes to Gentle Giant.In naming it the weakest track on the album, I am speaking relatively-these are high standards on display here!

'Motions Of Desire' with its catchy keyboard riff reminds me of Misplaced Childhood era Marillion,in fact it is so upbeat it rivals Heart Of Lothian in the Prog Anthem stakes.Lovely.

'Full Circle Poetry' starts full of pomp with marching drums and swirling keys then mellows out into acoustic guitar.Lulling the listen into a false sense of security it suddenly unleashes a funky reggaesque rhythm which perfectly compliments the nice vocal.An interesting experiment that the band pulls off with aplomb.

Next up is 'Without Knowing' the most aggressive track on the album allowing guitarist Kim Stenberg to flex his muscles and whilst he moves into Floydian territory in the spacey end section of the track,there is enough here to suggest that these guys can challenge any of the top neo-proggers with their chops.

'Illusion and Reality' is a three part excursion into the full pantheon of Prog History,quoting Rush,Kansas,Dream Theater,Yes and Camel.At times the urge to rock out can be a tad intrusive but this is a minor quibble given the overall high standard.

Last up is 'Dream Vision' starts with portentious keyboards before breaking into lush arpeggiated guitar and then flamenco.I love the way this album twists and turns and manages to surprise and delight in equal measures.Beautiful synth breaks and strident guitar give this album the ending it deserves.

So all in all a polished package,that took me a couple of listens to appreciate.Initially it reminded me of Transatlantic but deeper investigation reveals a beast far better than those short-lived mercenaries.Beg,buy or steal this-this lot could be huge!