I've been listening to this album since I first bought it for 50p, in 1974, from a class mate in school, when I was 14 years old. Sadly, that original 1973 pressing is long gone. I think that I sold it on to another mate around1978/79 for £1. Nowadays, I've got a very nice 1977 vinyl pressing which still sounds fantastic, as well as a 1994 digital remaster on CD and both the 2016 remaster and the 2023 50th Anniversary remaster on vinyl. I've also got another digital version downloaded from Apple Music onto my phone. My 1977 reissue is probably the best sounding version of all the versions that I've got. I've consistently maintained that this is probably the most cohesive and coherent album that any rock/pop artiste has ever created. From start to finish, it's musicality, electronic invention, melody and social relevance remains unmatched. The manner in which it flows, from soft to loud, from slow to fast, from vocal to instrumental, and all else in between, was never achieved before and hasn't been since, by any other artiste. (Several have approached this level of perfection but none have ever actually reached this zenith - e.g. the utterly magnificent The Lamb Lies... by Genesis, CTTE by YES, Aqualung by Jethro Tull and perhaps a few others, despite their brilliance, still remain in the shadow of DSOTM). As well as all that, the time period (early 1970's) just happened to be the perfect time for this album to be unleashed upon the world. If it had been released in the 1990's or in the 2000's etc, it possibly wouldn't have had the same impact on the world. But ironically, because of it's quality and because it was so successful in the 1970's, that has meant that it has endured up to now in 2025. This is an album which, I suspect, will never go out of fashion or sound tired. It will endure and will still be listened to for a long, long time to come.

Sometimes patience repays. Initially the music in this album sounded too much off-the-wall to me, plus the vocals didn't quite captivate me. Yet there was something in it...Every now and then I used to give it a spin, but nothing improved demonstrately in my mind, until one day everything clicked and ever since it is a regular visitor in my CD- player. Nikitas Kissonas, the mastermind behind Methexis, goes deep in the progressive hole, laying out some sinister and unusual tracks. The opener Eradicated Will sets pretty much the stage for the album: clausterphobic surroundings and diversity. The heavy-prog Track the Saviours follows the piano-driven 'ballad' Lines on a Bust (on the piano is his former bandmate Jargon from Verbal Delirium) which has followed the cinematic Those Howling Wolves. Impossible to get bored in here! Nikitas uses quite often his voice to create atmosphere (These Howling Wolves, The Aftermath), but, to my ears, not too successfuly. The tetralogy The Fall of Bliss that bookends the album stretches out and takes us through a beautiful prog journey where we are accompanied by wonderful melodies. When the music permits, the performance of Nikos Miras on the drums adds some truly interesting touches. Having witnessed Jargon sharing the stage with Nikitas Kissonas singing Lines on a Bust I couldn't help but think that had another, more appropriate voice was considered for the album, the result would be spectacularly better, but Nikitas wanted to realize his musical vision almost single-handedly.

I am in a dither about giving it 3 or 4 stars, since 3,5 is closer to my taste. I have no reservation at all in recommending it with all my heart.

One of the best-kept secrets of hard rock is the short-lived but immensely influential American supergroup Captain Beyond, carrying a name penned by Chris Squire upon seeing Larry Reinhardt descend from a tour bus once, as the story goes. The group was composed of ex-alumni of Iron Butterfly as well as the original Deep Purple vocalist Rod Evans, the man appearing on the first three albums, the band's Vanilla Fudge-inspired early psychedelic era. However, Captain Beyond is a completely different musical outlet, and a rather unique one that is, as their music could most suitably be credited as heavy psychedelic prog rock. A lot of great riffs, very technical and unpredictable playing, tons of experimentation even within the shortest of songs, a solid and inventive rhythm section that takes equal amounts of inspiration from jazz and Latin rock, as well as a bombastic, raspy and pitch-perfect performance from Rod Evans, the kind of performance Deep Purple never got from him but could have dreamt of.

The band's self-titled debut album is arranged in a somewhat complex way, consisting of several suites divided into shorter segments, in-between which there is no lag time, something that had become a recognizable trait of many other progressive albums. The playing is straightforward and focused, yet always very hypnotic and impressive, there is a very fine quality to the riffs on here, together with the vocal melodies, which makes this album truly special. The first big piece is formed by the first three tracks on side one, and that would be 'Dancing Madly Backwards', with its gnarly, scruffy hard rock sounds, soon transitioning into a psych-prog carousel of massive guitars. Two excellent shorter tracks complete side one of the album, while side two opens with the 'Thousand Days of Yesterdays' suite, a more experimental labyrinth of influences is on display here, reaching the final and most excessive five-part piece 'I Can't Feel Nothin'', simply a blazing heavy prog sound that blows Rush off the stage. A hidden gem that deserves to be unearthed and appreciated in its entirety. 'Captain Beyond' by Captain Beyond is a unique album that is undoubtedly ahead of its time, anticipating the courageous and daring marriage between hard rock, prog and stoner rock, a record that would go on to influence many important bands of the following decades.

The quintessential Deep Purple? Perhaps yes. 'Machine Head' is an album which is either beloved by most, or completely discredited as an overblown and overhyped recording, but what it most likely is in reality is a very well-curated collection of timeless hard rock anthems, most of which have withstood the test of time and are not only genre-definitive but have become part of the zeitgeist and are justly seen as some of the best compositions of Purple. Not to mention that 'Machine Head' was recorded by the phenomenal Mark II lineup, arguably the most significant incarnation of the legendary British rockers. As for the music on the album itself, 'Machine Head' carries all the signature elements of that classic DP sound, making this and the two preceding albums the most characteristic LPs of the early 1970s.

This one is packed with monstrous riffs from Blackmore, certainly some of his most memorable and effective licks are to be heard on 'Machine Head', while the keyboard master Jon Lord delivers some of his most audacious and ballsy leads as well, the flashy Hammond organ sound on this album could hardly be seen as anything less than monumental and immense, technical and fiery at all times, there is a stiff competition between the two for the most dazzling performance on this album. Then comes the rock-solid rhythm section of Ian Paice and Roger Glover, both of which are in top form here, delivering some of that delightful DP boogie groove, and finally there are the wailing screams of Ian Gillan, whose unrestrained performance binds together the various different elements making up the energetic sounds of 'Machine Head'. All-time rock anthems grace the tracklist of this LP as well as underrated but no less epic tracks like 'Maybe I'm a Leo' and 'Lazy' - this entire record delivers the full spectrum of the Deep Purple ambition and atmosphere as speed, feel and instrumental pyrotechnics come in spades.

In 1975 Led Zeppelin was probably one of greatest band around. Their manager Peter Grant came up with the idea of an own record label called Swan Song. The band immediately agreed with this idea, because this would allow the band to release the songs as single they wanted to or don't release any single and the fights about album covers, they had with Atlantic Records would have been over. Furthermore an own label was a status symbol in the seventies; only a couple of bands like the Rolling Stones had their own labels.Swan Song had a deal with Led Zeppelins former record company Atlantic Records. The label was answerable for the distribution of any Swan Song release (Not only Led Zeppelin, also Detective and Bad Company released a couple of records via Swan Song).

In 1974 the band was ready to record their fifth album, so they went to Hedley Grange in East Hampshire with the mobile studio of Ronnie Lane (was cheaper than the mobile studio of the Stones). Peter Grant also booked a hotel for the band near the old former poor house, because it was too cold to stay in the house during the night. The guitarist Jimmy Page loved the house and slept there. In May 1974 they had recorded enough songs for an album, which would have easily become one of their three greatest records. But the band decided to go back in to the studio to record a couple of tracks, left from older sessions.It was Jimmy Pages idea to record a double album and he thought the time was right, because artist like Bob Dylan,

The Who and Jimi Hendrix had already released double LPs and they were a big selling albums. If you think the songs from the old sessions are fillers, than you're wrong because "Physical Graffiti" is surely one of the best Led Zeppelin albums of their entire career. The album has many different kind of tracks and that's the main reason why its so great.There a couple of riff oriented tracks like "The Rover", which originally was an acoustic piece, "The Wanton Song", the final "Sick Again" and the opener "Custard Pie". As contrast they also have put a handful of acoustic songs on the album like the instrumental "Bron-Yr-Aur" or "Black Country Woman", which was recorded 1972 in the back garden of Mick Jagger's home.Two of my favorite tracks of the album are the soft "Ten Years Gone", which includes some of Jimmy Pages best guitar work and the mystic "In the Light".

The most famous track of the album is of course the epic "Kashmir", which is based on a signature chord progression composed by guitarist Jimmy Page, but this piece of art could also be composed by Bach or Beethoven. Also the drumming by John Bonham on this track is beyond words and Robert Plant said about the song: "This the best Led Zeppelin song of all time, I wish people would keep us in mind due to this song and not due to "Stairway to Heaven"." The band needed three years to bring this song to perfection. . This album is really one of my all time favorite albums and don't matter how often I've heard it, I listen it over and over again, because the music is timeless and never gets old.5.0 my favorite Zep record.

it was a decision by inside out music to put two uber-talented forces of prog nature together,it was a wise decision in my opinion.The mission they stated to capture genuine prog, in terms of adventurousness, rather than 'sounding like prog' seems to have been accomplished, it resembles some of the Flower Kings and Yes work blended. It does feel new and old at the same time. I love when generations meet. I wish Stolt went even more over the top but he serviced it nicely. They lay this down in such detail and extravagance, like a painter using three magnifying glasses, then you step back like, 'whoa' seeing the full form. But that's to a fault as well that it's endless, infinite. It's hard to wrap your mind around it. Maybe Jon Anderson gets tiresome, like doesn't he ever run out of things to sing about? . I would be interested in hearing a second collab, and believe this along with Fly From Here with the Trevor Horn vocals are exciting modern day Yes worthy of their talent.4.0 I feel the potential here.

Innuendo is one of the masterworks by the Queen and to me, the best album since the 1980's The Game. It is marked by a great level of professionalism, some degree of urgency and anxiety well understandable from the context and its era. Despite only two years after the "Miracle", the band penned enough material to fill 54 minutes. Mercury had hard time recording but mastered it exceptionally. Compositions are very solid, occasionally adventurous ("Innuendo", "All god's people" and "Bijou"); there's one filler only ("Delilah"). Guitar is more dominant than ever since Queen started using synthesizer. May really tries hard to fill space with powerful riffing or melodic soloing. Both May and Taylor have updated their sound to the late 80's hard rock wrapper with the 70's rock in the core. Taylor provides versatile drumming from the fast "Ride the wild wind" to the masterful "Innuendo" with effective fills.

The title track goes back to the indulgent mid 70's days of Bohemian Rhapsody it only is heavier and more dramatic with ominous vocals and riffing. The classical guitar by Howe brings temporarily relief from the doom but then May repeats the solo on his guitar in a heavy metal atmosphere. The transition from the heavy/speed metal solo to the ultra heavy hard rock is fantastic mainly thanks to the Taylor's inventive slow down.

"I'm going slightly mad" offers the trademark vocal harmony in the verse section. Noteworthy is the deliberately sloppy "wow" guitar solo with great finishing melody.

"Headlong" is the second hard-rock contribution and the first traditional one. It retains the groovy rock'n'roll feeling with a typical Mayesque rolling solo.

"I can't live without you" is a surprising title for another hard-rock song or let's say a rock song with a heavy riff. Drumming and riffing accentuate the heaviness. To some extent, the spirit, eccentricity and nod to the late 80's hard-rock reminds me of "Walk this way".

"Don't try so hard" is a super-emotional ballad with inspirational lyrics, Mercury reaching the maximum height with his effective vocals and instrumental intermezzo a bit reminiscent of "Who wants to live forever". "Ride the wild wind" has a peculiar speed rhythm, a good 70's Moog-like motive and is Taylor's baby.

Then we come to the gospel inspired "All god's people" which isn't a masterpiece as such but proves how versatile could Queen get. The composition starts abruptly at full speed with a powerful vocal and indulgent guitar which, in this song, gets a bit too noisy. We also get to hear some blues and boogie moments to come back to the gospel part. The song doesn't have a fix structure and repetitions which increase its value.

The best known ballad on this album "These are the days of our lives" may be a philosophical piece but its melodic and poignant solo isn't.

The filler "Delilah" could be considered silly and yet it demonstrates Mercury's strength in such a situation. Note the creative and playful staccato solo on the guitar.

"Hitman" is a derivative but last hard rock number on the album. Nowhere else has May so much space for his guitar which he uses amply until the steam runs out at the end.

"Bijou" is May's masterpiece on subdued colourful guitar - you ask yourself is the guitar or the vocals feel more heart-broken. This is a tranquil moment before the eruption on the final "The show must go on". There are many superlatives to this song - brilliant songwriting, composition development, sense of drama. May provides one of his trademark solo. Mercury proves why even at this age, he was one of the best singers in rock. The echo ending in the song is ingenious and you feel both moved and energized to carry on the message and legacy of Queen.

The Norwegian band's first album since their 2013 debut, Lighthouse, sees the quartet amidst the departure of founding guitarist Ole Michael Bjørndahl. Here OMB plays on two songs while new and future stable mate (and former PYMLICO and future CALIGONAUT guitarist) Stephan Hvinden settles into his new role. (OMB, collaborator with PYMLICO, ARIBAG, BJØRN RIIS and CALIGONAUT will go on to work with all of the above except OAK.)

1. "We, the Drowned" (5:24) Nice opener. That voice of lead singer Simen Valldal Johannessen is so intriguing! (8.875/10)

2. "Claire de Lune" (7:16) NOT the Debussey version! I feel, hear absolutely no connection between this and the iconic classical piece. (13.125/15)

3. "False Memory Archive" (4:47) a bit of a boring, one-dimensional let down--especially for the album's title song! (8.75/10)

4. "Lost Causes" (8:30) Simen here starting out with a LEONARD COHEN-like deep singing voice to talk-sing his opening lyrics. (17.5/20)

5. "Intermezzo" (1:42) the real "Claire de Lune"! How funny! But then it's "damaged" or intruded upon by electro-static buzzing sounds before being totally immersed and finally quashed by the buzzing. (4.5/5)

6. "The Lights" (10:34) An unusual and creative song design--which is good--explores a darker, almost disturbing mood. The synth and sound effects work on this is brilliant--and the droning play of other instruments (bass, guitar, sax, vocal) really helps to drive home that mentally-desturbed/deranged effect. (17.875/20)

7. "These Are the Stars We're Aiming For" (4:19) traipsing into prog metal territory, as if just testing the waters but deciding to not commit fully, this is another interesting song (with banjo!) (8.875/10)

8. "Transparent Eyes" (4:59) a nice sound palette provides the setting for one of Simen's more sedate vocal performances. Nice jazzy-pop song. I like the added aural effects and pretty jazz-pop piano foundation (and solo work at the end). (8.875/10)

9. "Psalm 51" (7:25) soft-picked acoustic guitar and droning radio samples in the low end precede the piano foundation and entry of Simen's delicate, touchingly tender vocal. Though not quite as proggy--or jazzy--I find myself fully engaged and enjoying this song very much. The instrumental buildup in the fourth minute is awesome and enticing, but then there is a sudden flip of a switch and we're down to a beautiful two-chord PINK FLOYD-like vamp over/within which volume-pedal-controlled guitar solos for a bit before being usurped by the sound of television voices. But the end of the sixth minute sees the return of the lead guitar--playing some awesome tremolo notes--while full band (including rock drums) and saxophone join in to take the song to its finish. Cool song--probably my favorite on the album. (13.75/15)

Total Time 54:56

I'm fascinated by the unusual/eccentric Mark Hollis/Finnish band Khatsturjan-like tone/timbre of lead vocalist Simen Valldal Johannessen. While I enjoy the music and creative song constructions on this album, I am not ready to climb on the Oak bandwagon. But, I will be waiting to check out and see if the band grows when their next release comes out.

B-/3.5 stars; a collection of very creative, wonderfully-atmospheric songs that heralds tremendous potential. Another Norwegian band to watch!

By the time The Beatles had finished recording Let It Be in early 1969, there had been many conflicts in the band, such as George Harrison's lack of input on albums and John Lennon's very close relationship with activist Yoko Ono. With this tension surrounding the group, they knew for sure that their release in the fall of 1969, Abbey Road, would be the last recordings they would make together. This time (unlike on Let It Be, which he refused to produce due to contract problems), their producer for every album since 1963's Please Please Me George Martin took part in the recordings' production and helped ease the mood in the studio. Now focused on their album ahead, The Beatles were able to write 16 brand new tracks, the two of them from Harrison being his best with the group.

Abbey Road, released September 26, 1969, was released a few months before the band would announce their break- up. It's production is among the smoothest ever in rock history, with the final medley by Lennon and McCartney segueing together beautifully. The album is surprisingly upbeat, considering the extreme pressure put on The Beatles at the time. Tracks such as Ringo Starr's "Octopus's Garden", McCartney's silly personality at work in "Maxwell's Silver Hammer", and Harrison's great, synthesized "Here Comes the Sun" each set a playful, relaxed mood. The band also shows their dark side with songs like Lennon's bluesy "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" (whose brooding, winding end is a thing of sheer amazement) and the melodic, almost sad "Because" that has a revolutionary melody led by a Moog synthesizer, before the instrument had become popular. The two huge hits on the album, Lennon's other blues piece "Come Together" (which has and Harrison's greatest song he would ever pen "Something" each are defining moments in the band's reign as the greatest rock band of the 20th century. But the best part of the album is the medley; an 8-part set of corresponding songs that makes Abbey Road Abbey Road. Taking up most of Side 2, it consists of mostly McCartney numbers, like "You Never Give Me Your Money", "Mean Mr. Mustard" and the wonderful lullaby "Golden Slumbers", but what makes the medley is the Lennon written "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" and the memorable Lennon-McCartney composed "Carry That Weight" and "The End", a track that would mark their end with possibly their most famous lyric "And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make."5.0 top five albums of all time.

Increasingly melodic and distancing themselves from the harsh sonorities of rough and raw rock, with Ken Hensley playing an almost exclusive role in the composition of the songs, Uriah Heep deepened the tendency to make their approach more accessible with the release of "Wonderworld" (1974), their seventh album.

After a promising start with Hensley's moog and David Byron's plethoric voice in the moving "Wonderworld", the album is a hard rock of common places, lacking in explosiveness and fantasy, even though at least some doses of agility and a certain aggressiveness appear in Mick Box's guitar riffs in "Suicidal Man", in the rushing rhythm of "So Tired" and the boogie joy of "Something or Nothing", but not in the bland "The Shadow and the Wind" and Byron's excessive histrionics, the dreary "We Got We", and least of all in the inoffensive and mellow orchestrated ballad "The Easy Road".

The final section raises the level with the bluesy half-time of "I Won't Mind" and the guitar display of the always diligent Mick Box accompanied by the great bass of Gary Thain, and with the interesting approach to space rock in the conclusive "Dreams", surely among the best moments of the album.

Once "Wonderworld" was finished and showing signs of exhaustion due to the frenetic rhythm of releases and tours, the most stable of the Uriah Heep line-up (four albums in a row with the same musicians), began to dismember with the dismissal of Thain (who unfortunately died a year later from a heroin overdose), replaced by John Wetton (King Crimson/Asia, etc.) for the two subsequent albums.

3 stars

AMPLIFIER: Spacey, ambient alt-rock music with walls of sound and reminiscences ranging from NEU, PINK FLOYD, DEPECHE MODE, and FOO FIGHTERS, with sounds from RIVERSIDE, stoner, and hard rock. Raw, rhythmic new rock synth-prog-metal energy for an intimate, captivating, and avant-garde experimental opus.

"Gateway" features a frank attack of strobing drums, lit vocals, and psychedelic sounds, quickly overtaken by a fat synth coming out of the guitar, intrusive; a catchy lava sound with a progressive texture, mind you, not prog in the melodic sense, we agree. Alt-rock reminiscences on "ARCHIVE" and "OCEANSIZE"; the ambient finale, spatial voiceovers to calm this opening deluge. "Invader" as its name suggests, an invasive, reverberating sound with a monolithic sound bar on a cottony, haunting vocal. The drums are heavy, oppressive, the air vibrating like a defective spotlight. The impression of being placed next to a deluge, a musical saw logging notes; latent ambient finale. "Blackhole" with the solemn organ sound of a disused church in dark wave spleen mode. Matt's drums set the place on fire with this flight on his bruised pads while Sel's guitar imitates haunting keyboards. Everything is amplified here to give this impression of synths while you only have two members, one of whom has a huge pedal board. The vocal increases the progressive approach with its monolithic whispered phrasing, just before the guitar releases a solo worthy of the electrified SIGUR ROS; a captivating, stressful, hypnotic sound. "King Kong," with two notes from the intro reminiscent of SUPERTRAMP and The WHO. The syncopated drums extend their aura over a mid-tempo saturated with diffuse, dark, and paradoxically melodic notes; distorted synth notes worthy of SIMPLE MINDS embellish this track, as it comes out of a pedalboard, stunning. A dark wave variation with the captivating contribution of Sel's vocals; the variation is made of percussive rumble and saturated guitar before the final, a frenzied crescendo; a headline track like a wall of music with a hard psychedelic variation.

"Pyramid," with its intro, saturated with apocalyptic alarm; the drums arrive on the same wavelength, the guitar being the vector to assemble these impressions. The oppressive feeling of musical threat is at its peak, it takes the vocals to relax for a moment; the tribal choirs and the half-saturated, half-electrified electric guitar build an indestructible, imposing sound pyramid on the guitar cries of imagined animals; heavy space rock. Segue into "Entity" with its frenetic, tortured rhythm, for the Dantesque interlude; drum-guitar duo in turmoil, ecstasy, ultimate sound experience. Segue into "Guilty Pleasure" which reinforces the album in concept territory. The sound is similar, it plays with our ears by the more expressive vocal; the riff is either apoplectic or thunderous. A prog rock sound, bogging down electric grunge where Sel tempers a bit the debauchery of these noise-sounds with her voice, also saturated it seems; long viscous monolithic fade. "Cross Dissolve" rests the ears with this soaring piece where the drums settle, where the haunting sound freezes; It's still hard to believe there aren't synths in it, like those on early SIMPLE MINDS, fostering a musical trance. The most striking feature is this heady, hypnotic, repetitive chorus that cuts through space, slicing it into scattered notes. "Long Road" closes this album with a myriad of ethereal, invasive, hypnotic, and soft notes, easily evoking the signature sound of OCEANSIZE. A track that reverberates with its structure, delicacy, and dreamlike crescendo, ideally shifting the healing atmosphere to additional female choirs. On Profilprog.

"a lavish and vibrant prog-rock"

I have to quote my dear friend Michael Hodgson above as his comment from the bio was dead on the mark. I'm rather stunned that this now nearly decade-old album did not catch fire and become a favorite with the vintage symphonic and vintage RPI fans of ProgArchives. Maybe it's the rather depressing album cover and band name. Perhaps the mix of geographic flavors---combining British and Italian prog influences---was a bit too British for the RPI crowd and a bit too Italian for the British crowd. Nah, probably neither. More likely it's just another case of a great gem flying under the radar of music fans with far too many choices tugging them to and fro. A nice problem to have, eh?

Michael gives the band's history in his bio on our artist page, but Disequazione is a band that goes way back to the early '80s when they were covering the classic English prog in live performances. But like so many other bands of similar modus operandi, they didn't get to record their own "song for the ages" until decades later. Progressiva Desolazione Urbana is an album that comes with a rather bleak appearance in cover image, in the band name, and even some of the titles, but the music is ironically far from bleak. What you'll hear musically sounds more like classic mid-late '70s symphonic from the likes of Rousseau, Novalis, Orme, and Camel to name just a few bands that popped into my head while writing this. Vintage keyboard sounds, highly melodic, tight Camelish jamming on guitars, bass, and drums, flutes, easygoing vocals, and unapologetically "proggy-pleasing" songwriting that seems determined not to offend the listener. Perhaps only fans of a more discordant harsh-rock could object to the approach.

That's not to say they don't rock---oh, they do rock. The opening of "Inutile" will pounce from your speakers boldly before dropping into a smooth groove with the pleasing variable of Italian vocals rather than English. (I love considering vocals just another musical instrument rather than a lyrical delivery device.) Soon comes an almost folky acoustic guitar section that builds with mellotron-sounding keys to the melodic guitar solo. No waiting for payoff on this album---this is more like instant prog-rock gratification. The beginning of "Il Vaso di Pandora" features Radi's stellar and emotive bass over acoustic guitar, very moody and cinematic. The title track is the star of the show, a grand three-part suite clocking in around 18 minutes. An epic piece filled with one creative escapade after another, the side-long track could fit as comfortably in 1976 as it does 40 years later upon release. The beguiling flute and acoustic guitar section is so lovely and is soon joined by smooth and melodic electric leads again.

This album has a bit of a nostalgic vibe for me as it seems to capture the sound that made me fall for progressive rock in the first place so long ago. I like that the production is somewhat relaxed and warm compared to a lot of new releases that can be so loud and digitally cold. This album is much more "crackling fireplace at ski lodge" than "mega-crisp stadium show on flatscreen" if you catch my drift. The only possible complaint one could lodge here is that the songwriting doesn't attempt to break new ground, that it leans too much into the classic sound, too comfortable for the listener. I don't feel that way, but I wouldn't be surprised if some do. I would heartily suggest giving yourself permission to kick back and enjoy a sound that doesn't come along often anymore, a gift from Prog Nirvana to you. The band still perform live and there was work on a second album, but covid and other issues resulted in delay. But should Progressiva Desolazione Urbana prove to be the one-and-only release from this band, they can be proud of an album that will eventually find its way to those who will adore it. Don't miss it!

Not to downplay the crisp and satiating production here, it's gratifying to see ROY HARPER return to stripped down and less glossy arrangements for this 1985 release on which the great JIMMY PAGE achieves almost equal billing. The result is a raw yet paradoxically atmospheric album, like "Stormcock" with a preeminent electric/acoustic guitarist, but more Gothic, particularly on the dazzling "Nineteen forty eight ish", "Hope", "Hangman" and "Twentieth Century Man". I think I hear where artists like PAUL BRETT and GORDON GILTRAP may have been influenced vocally and fretfully particularly in their later years. Apart from a few decent but somewhat underwhelming cuts, the album does suffer the affliction of repetition on "Elizabeth" and the weak "Advertisement", something previously unimaginable in the Harper repertoire, but this same tendency also succeeds vividly on "Hangman", so I shouldn't be overly critical or go for the jugula. A triumphant and ageless mid 1980s album.

The second Pink Floyd live release in less than ten years, Pulse is a marginal step above the overproduced Delicate Sound of Thunder. The recordings and performances have more room to breathe which is a welcome change of pace, and the cover art is very unique. However, like its predecessor, it struggles with a mixed bag of a setlist that suffers whenever the band tries to tackle anything from The Wall and forward. Gilmour as a vocalist can't match the rage and fury of Roger Waters, so when he tries to take on tracks like "Hey You" and "Run Like ****" they lose the paranoia and danger which makes them such powerful songs and just end up sounding way to sedate. There's also the major push of material from the lackluster Division Bell and Momentary Lapse of Reason albums. Understandable Gilmour wanted the focus to be what the current lineup of the band was accomplishing which some of it was pretty good, but those albums have never been amongst the Floyd's greatest work.

The big selling point for this album at the time was that it contained for the first time a full-album length performance of the iconic Dark Side of the Moon. And to their credit, they deliver a pretty decent facsimile of that classic album. Sure, it a bit glossier than the original 70s recording, but on the whole decent enough. However, with the trickling out of high-fidelity live tapes of the same material being performed by the Floyd in their original mid-70s peak by the definitive lineup on recent reissues of Dark Side and Wish You Were Here 5.0 One of my favorite live performances.

15 years on from his debut, Harper introduced the ROY HARPER BAND with "Work of Heart". It's curious that the band consists of musicians whose competence I am not qualified to question, but who, unlike many of his earlier collaborators, can hardly be said to challenge the man's pre-eminence over his domain.

This is even more unctuous than "The Unknown Soldier", an osterized emulsion of ideas that are perhaps not even half baked, and that would only pique musicologists who specialize in the 1980s come the 2050s, and heaven help them if this was somehow chosen as representative of this fellow's output. It's not that there was no good music in the 1980s, but, when it adhered to these formulae, many others did it better - why impart questionably poetic lessons when the whole point isn't to listen, and how would you even hope to dance to this?

In the middle of "Woman", we get an approximation of the 4th or 5th best track on the BUGGLES "The Age of Plastic". I suppose that isn't nothing. "I Still Care" and the closing suite are the best on offer here, but I wouldn't shoehorn them onto a best of compilation as presented. Supposedly many of these numbers received a rawer and more fan friendly treatment on the subsequent"Born in Captivity". Since that one is for only fans, I think I'll vault ahead to discern if any further work of this artiste advances his legacy.

Yes, thankfully, The Child is Father of the Man. Number One, the Chief salutes you.

Is history cyclical? Perhaps, but consideration of "Parasomnia" brings me back to the ending above of my 2/22/2009 review of "Octavarium."

Number One is my oldest son, now a successful, multi-store retail, district manager who recently had the good fortune to see Dream Theater on their fortieth anniversary tour. Finally, on Sunday, 3/23/25, we spoke regarding "Parasomnia,"agreeing that it is Dream Theater's best effort since 2002's "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence."

In the autumn of 2024 when the band gave us the preview of "Night Terror" from "Parasomnia," I joked with Number One that, depending on the 11/5/24 outcome of a major event in the "body politic" of the United States, I, too, might have "Night Terror . . . ." This outcome has, subsequently, also led to "Day Terror."

On a far more auspicious note, we have "Parasomnia." As we enter the album through "In The Arms of Morpheus," we are whisked away into a fitfully trancelike state that is relentless. "Night Terror" descends into "A Broken Man," which constricts into "Dead Asleep." The listener is on a "mechanical bull" of the Imagination that charges through "Midnight Messiah" to the alarm clock conclusion of "The Shadow Man Incident."

As a "concept album," "Parasomnia is not only a latter day "Metropolis Pt. 2?Scenes from a Memory," but also an "incarnation" of "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway." Although "Parasomnia" does not possess a relatively linear "quest romance motif" like that of "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway," it presents eight bewildering nighttime scenarios with a cumulative effect tantamount to the quest of Rael . . . .

Instrumentally, the album is superb. Throughout, there is the continuous dialogue between John Petrucci and Jordan Rudess. James La Brie is most authoritative. In his return to the band, Mike Portnoy parallels the career of NFL great, Fran Tarkenton, who, beginning his career with the Minnesota Vikings and serving an intermediate tenure with the New York Giants, returned to the Vikings to complete his legendary status as quarterback.

And, then, there is John Myung: "L'Angelo Misterioso" of "Parasomnia." In response to the legendary lead guitar work Eric Clapton provided on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," George Harrison co-wrote and performed rhythm guitar on Cream's, "Badge," under the pseudonym, "L'Angelo Misterioso."

Myung's presence initially became noteworthy to me during Rudess and Petrucci's "dialogue"during "Night Terror" and Rudess' piano solo during the latter stages of "The Shadow Man Incident." With each listening, I have found Myung's bass to be fairly "high" in the mix, largely assuming the function of rhythm guitar. And, why not? With a drummer like Mike Portnoy, the music of "Parasomnia" opens up the full, rhythmic possibilities for Myung's six string bass. As a parallel, I would like to make reference to Greg Lake's eight string Alembic bass on "Fanfare for the Common Man."

There are, of course, other remarkable instrumental elements throughout this album. I would like to point out Petrucci's solo during "A Broken Man" in which he revisits the "Kansas-like" sound of "A Rite of Passage" from "Black Clouds and Silver Linings."Rudess delivers singular piano work during the remaining third or so of "The Shadow Man Incident,"supported by Myung's bass.

In mentioning Fran Tarkenton earlier, I must similarly say, in "Parasomnia," Dream Theater has sent "the ball" out of Wrigley Field and/or over the Green Monster in Fenway Park.

And, who among us would not want to "Bend the Clock?"

Largely experimental and occasionally provocative, 'Alpha Centauri', or the second studio album released by Tangerine Dream, is a 1971 album that bridges a supposed gap between krautrock and electronic music, seeing the German band led by Edgar Froese embarking on a space-themed odyssey developing in peculiar cosmic movements with the predominant use of organ and flute., eventually inspired by the experimental sounds of Pink Floyd's early psychedelic recordings, particularly 'A Saucerful of Secrets' and 'Ummagumma'. Froese and Co. had taken up that chilling cosmic soundscape-creation and elevated it to a hypnotic work where electronic instrumentation prevails and provides an often-ominous but always intriguing musical background as well as a fine space for improvisation, which is what this album is largely about.

And while the remains of the group's krautrock pedigree can still be heard, 'Alpha Centauri' is the first really significant step towards Tangerine Dream's magnificent exploration of texture, timbre, and ambience, all sheathed in cosmic reverence, making this a somewhat transitional recording. Here we have the organ-heavy 'Sunrise in the Third System', a fine tone-setter for the record, the skeletal and tender composition 'Fly and Collision of Comas Sola', which reveals a distant krautrock echo towards its ending, and the first massive movement of sound by Tangerine Dream, the 22-minute title track, a worthy anticipator of the musical form explored more thoroughly on 'Zeit'. Reissues of the album bring along fascinating bonus tracks like the ethereal 'Oszillator Planet Concert' and the rare and abrasive prog single 'Ultima Thule', developing in two parts. All this makes 'Alpha Centauri' incredibly interesting as well as an important piece of the Tangerine Dream puzzle, with its spacey sounds and structure-less experiments.

I was encouraged to try out Little Creatures after Talking Heads got an honorary mention on Progarchives and I will admit that the 2 singles this album generated were something I remember enjoying back in the 80s. I recall Talking Heads being talked about at the time as something a little different from the standard pop that dominated UK charts; however I never considered the singles different or special enough to take a punt on the rest of their music. Afterall I was still catching up on all the epic stuff I was too young to enjoy from the 70s and even that stuff was competing with all the metal and alternative rock that was appearing daily. So was it worth my effort to pull out this old vinyl recording, making a digital copy and whacking it onto my Sonos? In a word, Nope!

Let's be fair to Talking Heads, they were a little different from the pack and they had a quite refreshing approach to their music so I perfectly understand all those 80s music fans getting a little excited about this stuff. However, at the time this stuff was getting all popular I was discovering The Sisters of Mercy, Alien Sex Fiend and Marillion as well as catching up on AC/DC, Black Sabbath and The Scorpions - I know I was a musical schizophrenic but that's because I still didn't know that prog was my thing. So you can see why I didn't find time for Talking Heads or any other mildly interesting pop band. I do think we should see Talking Heads as sitting at the more sophisticated end of the pop spectrum as they competently produced consumable music that will probably still be with the original 80s fans - I bet they still play this stuff when they are alone!

So Little Creatures runs through 9 tracks that never escape from 4 time and don't seem to be interested in trying different structures even though there isn't such a strong reliance on vocal hooks as you might expect from pop music. Some songs like Television Man do have minor dalliances in something that is unexpected but it simply isn't enough to satisfy an ardent prog listener. The album is book-ended by those 2 singles And She Was.. and Road To Nowhere just to make sure you hear the whole thing (assuming you enjoy Road to Nowhere). Most of the tracks are forgettable enough and there isn't a vocal performance or musician that stands out enough to keep you listening. This whole thing is competent and a little different but it isn't anything else. The lyrics are quite original and despite some repetition I never get annoyed with them which makes it easy to continue listening even though I tend to switch off after a while.

There is some texture to the music but what this stuff really needs above all else, is a little more passion from the vocals because it really needs something more to grab you by the wotnots and force you to hear it out. For my own experience, after about a dozen spins I started to get bored with the singles (because they were already too familiar) which allowed me to dip into the other tracks. That's the point where I realized I was not going to get any more out of this experience and I decided to write this review and move on to something more rewarding.

In summary, Little Creatures is an ok 1980s pop album with an interesting style that made it stand out at the time but with hindsight it isn't anything special and it really doesn't have any business sitting in a progressive music collection. It is a statement on how music began to diversify again after those awful 80s years of synth pop but will only really be of interest to 80s pop fans. Let them have it I say.

Ominous Art Deco Sound

The architects of elegant and brutal chaos return with 'Goldstar', a work directly inspired by the vast monstrosity of their hometown New York. In just under 39 minutes, the trio builds a wall of sound that feels like Manhattan beneath skyscrapers warped by madness.

The album proves that avant-garde can be accessible without losing its edge, deploying their signature extreme metal with jazz elements and dissonant sections efficiently and concisely. The production is raw, one thanks the controlled maelstrom that so characterizes their style. The atmospheres are built with precision, and harsh textures and arrangements are integrated to enrich the final result. Furthermore, contributions from figures such as Dave Lombardo and Tomas Haake add interest to the album.

Despite its dense layers and evident complexity of execution, 'Goldstar' feels direct. Part of this is due to its length, which is long enough for the band to develop their approach without overwhelming the listener, something many of their contemporaries fail to grasp. Shorter pieces, such as "NEWYORKCITY" and "Goldstar" (for some reason, the latter giving me a mental image of the video game 'Fallout',) serve as effective transitions, ensuring a steady flow. In "Gomorrah Nouveaux", the phrase "High class, low life" encapsulates the band's critique of the decadence they find in their surroundings; they translate the combination of superficial luxury with deteriorating morality into music that is precise but, at times, could take more risks.

In the end, this album stands as a new sonic cathedral, built upon the crumbling foundations of the city that so inspires them. IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT remains consistent in its form, but too comfortable within its own limits. The execution and the idea are impeccable, but the lack of creative boldness leaves the feeling that they fell short of their own potential. It's a good album, although one that leaves the impression that they could have gone further if they had dared to challenge their own rules.

Music: 3 stars

Lyrics: 3 stars

Execution: 4 stars

Emotion: 2 stars

Production: 3 stars

Artwork: 3 stars

Average: 3

Definitely not Floyd's best, but its musical redemption from the "Final Cut" and "Momentary Lapse of Reason" not bad considering that by this point their top songwriter was long-gone and their second best was trying to sue them dry. Some of the songs are actually very good, and none are terrible - that aspect alone seperates this album from A Momentary Lapse of Reason. Marooned and Cluster One, both instrumental, feature some great guitar work from David Gilmour, and High Hopes and Lost For Words are solid lyrically as well as musically. But, as is always the case with the post-psychedelic Floyd, the music needs the sweet-and-sour balance of Gilmour and Waters to stand up. In this case it is Gilmour's blandness which rules the day, and while this is more accessible for most listeners than Roger Waters' whining, it doesn't make for a classic album. If you have all the work from Floyd's golden era and are looking to expand your collection, then this would be one place to start. But don't go judging the band on this release alone. 4.0 the quartet was done by this moment in time but make one last hoorah.

After the rushed "Crisis? What Crisis?", Supertramp returned to the studio to work on their 5th studio album. And boy did they work out something great here. It starts with the joyful, "Give a Little Bit," a song you've probably already heard before. "Lover Boy" is a Rick Davies classic. The lyrics here are truly fantastic, as they are still relevant over 40 years later. "Even in the Quietest Moments" is the best song on the album, it is still very pleasing and doesn't feel like a big step of quality. "Downstream" is a simple song. Just Rick and his piano. But that is what makes it so great. The lyrics, the chorus, the production, everything on this track is perfect. This song is very underrated. "Babaji" is a fun song. The ending is particularly infectious. Then we come to "From Now On." This song is the peak of the album. Rick's lyrics, John Helliwell's saxophone, and everything in between give this song a gentle, lifting touch. The outro has me singing throughout the rest of my day. What a brilliant, gentle song. "Fool's Overture" is a long trip of a song its one of their proggiest tracks. The audio clip going into the change of sound in the music is wonderful. We also get some of Roger Hodgson's best lyrics here. It's a great outro to such a great album. Overall, this album has many different styles of songs blended together into one tight, non-innocuous package. 4.5

2025 has already been quite a year for prog releases, with acts such as Dream Theater, Karmakanic, Steven Wilson and Pattern Seeking Animals, already having released very strong albums (which I have reviewed) along with releases on the horizon like (Alex Lifeson's) Envy of None and The Flower Kings, and lesser known acts that I have either reviewed or done a spotlight on like Andy Toomey, The Swan Chorus, Magic Pie, and Massimo Pieretti, either already releasing new material of about to do so.

Today, I will be reviewing the latest album, called "Seawater", from UK Prog-Folk stalwarts Mostly Autumn. They have been led by guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Bryan Josh since their founding in the mid-90s, and he has been the only consistent member throughout their history. MA has been described as a blend of Prog-Folk and harder edged Neo-prog with a lot of Pink Floyd influence (several of the original members played in a Pink Floyd Tribute band); in fact, not long before his passing, PF keyboardist Rick Wright mentioned that he liked their music. They even released a live PF tribute album in 2004. This is their 15th studio album since they began releasing them in the late 90s. While I have heard a fair amount of MA songs in the past, I am far from an expert. This will be the first album of theirs I will have listened to in its entirety. This line-up has been pretty stable for around a decade, with only one member change since 2015 (so far as I can discern) when Henry Rogers took over the drum throne in 2018 from Alex Cromarty.

Here is the line-up for the "Seawater" album:

- Bryan Josh / guitars, vocals - Olivia Sparnenn-Josh/ vocals - Iain Jennings / keyboards - Chris Johnson / guitars - Andy Smith / bass - Angela Gordon / flute, keyboards - Henry Rogers / drums

With: - Troy Donockley / uilleann pipes, low whistle (1,2) (he is a frequent MA collaborator)

Without further fanfare, let's dig in. This is a cold listen with the exception of having heard and really enjoying "If Only For a Day."

Track 1 - Let's Take a Walk (Featuring Troy Donockley)

It begins with a slow fade in of nature sounds, The instruments begin entering quietly by around 20 seconds. Just before the one minute mark some power chords are strummed, then Donockley enters with his pipes. The first vocals enter after the 2-minute point by Bryan Josh. Drums begin accenting as we get to the 3 minute point. This is getting a slightly Celtic flavor as we progress. The rhythm section enters along with a nice organ wash. By around 4:20 the instruments go back down to menial levels. Olivia Sparnenn-Josh sings harmonies with her husband (they married after she had been in the band for several years, first as a background singer, then a lead singer). The sound is very full and well-produced. At 5:44 Donockley re-enters. If it weren't for its 9 minute length, this could be a hit on country radio (that's NOT an insult, to be clear); it's a bit like something John Mellencamp would do (again, except the length) and he'd probably be considered country if he came out nowadays. Great guitar solo at the end from Josh. To sum up, I'd say it's a rockin' tune with a mixture of Celtic and country flavors. It's prog in its scope, if not in its execution. Regardless, I really like the song! It has a great energy to kick off the album.

Track 2 - Why Do We Remember all the Rain (Featuring Troy Donockley)

This one has a 6-6 Celtic lilt at the beginning with Donockley on his flute. Olivia takes the lead vocals here, and she sounds wonderful. The beat switches to 4 as the rest of the band kicks in. Henry Rogers is playing a cool drum part. A guitar solo begins around 2:40. This one has more of the sound I have come to associate with Mostly Autumn. I love how the guitar and flute lines intertwine around 4 minutes. Great track!

Track 3 - Be Something

Bryan Josh takes back over on lead vocals right off the bat with a strummed acoustic guitar. He has a bit of a gruff voice, but he makes it work! After the upbeat 4-4 opening chorus, he goes into a slower 6-8 for the verse. On the second chorus, Olivia joins him with some subtle playing from the rhythm section. The alternating meters keep happening in the same manner. The chorus is a bit of an earworm. It finally opens up to the full band around 2:45. They like to fill the sound with a big fat organ tone. There is a key change leading into the guitar solo, which is based on the choruses. This is a very inspirational song. Great song!

Track 4 - When We Ran

Soft, ethereal keyboards start this one out. A piano joins, beginning to establish a slow rhythm. Bryan is the lead vocalist as the singing begins. This is very quiet so far. The music comes to a pause at around 2:15, then a rhythmic synth part that reminds me of the synth part that begins "The Secret of My Success" by Night Ranger starts. The synth then adds a melodic part that almost seems Spanish or Mexican in nature (not sure why, but that's the impression it gives me). This has developed a bit of an 80s new wave synth vibe augmented by some power chords. Olivia joins in on harmonies in the next section and the bridge. At 5:00 the key goes up a step for the guitar solo. Following the solo, we have a "breakdown" section. The chorus returns at around 6:15. The melodies are very uplifting. Another key change happens at 6:40, then yet another for the next guitar solo at around 7:15. The song begins to fade out over the final minute while the guitar solo continues. However it doesn't fade entirely, there is a definite ending. I believe Angela Gordon doubles some of the guitar lines with flute towards the ending. Good track!

Track 5 - If Only For a Day

This is the one I have heard already, but only once before. It begins as a piano ballad in a minor key with Olivia singing. Her voice is very expressive. She jumps an octave on the 3rd verse. A subtle rhythm section starts on the second verse. This song is a slow burn. Power chords kick in half way through the verse and the rhythm section gets stronger. This song is heavy in a "Comfortably Numb" kind of way. Bryan Josh likes the "key change for guitar solos" thing. Olivia's singing is phenomenal on this! Another guitar solo follows. Bryan is really showing his Gilmour influence here. Lots of powerful sustained notes with emphasis on the feel. My favorite track on the album so far!

Track 6 - When Nations Collide

Soft keyboards and Olivia's voice start us off here. A strumming acoustic (12 string I believe) joins in at just before one minute. We are in a slow 6-8 here. The song gets a stronger rhythm starting at around 2:30 The guitar solo explodes in at around 3:35. This one is also Floydian, reminding me of "On the Turning Away." There are some interesting chord progressions in this one. The stunning voice of Olivia Sparnenn-Josh is the clear star of this song though. (I've been using her first name for much of the review though for "economy of typing." No disrespect meant.) Nice track.

Track 7 - My Home

This begins with some sound effects, joined by some clean electric guitar that sounds like its inside of a very large echoey bathroom. Bryan Josh is the singer here. 12-string acoustic is blended in. The song kicks in with power chords and it begins to have a slightly country vibe again. Bryan is singing in the lower ends of his range for the verses, then jumps up a register in the choruses. Nice key change for the bridge at around 2:40. They key changes for the guitar solo again. Bryan likes to sing the big, inspirational, pump-you-up kind of songs. This one almost has a Bon Jovi vibe to it in the chorus, but please don't hold that against it! It's a good track!

Track 8 - Mars

This one begins with a hymn kind of feel to it. Bryan is the lead vocalist again. This one's lyrics seem to be a call back to the previous song, when he sings "To think that I could lay down on Mars, and dream of my home? (Olivia joins in) So far away." At 2:20, the song suddenly gets "huge" sounding and Olivia takes over in dramatic fashion! Then, guess what? The key changes for the guitar solo! (It's all good though, Bryan! It's nice hearing key changes.) Some of the notes in the solo are excessively high, so I believe he is using a slide past the end of the neck, over the body of the guitar to get them, or he is using an effect pedal, but I believe it is the former. Olivia returns on vocals afterward. Her vocals are spectacular! Great track!

Track 9 - Future Is a Child

Keyboard tones and acoustic guitar enter with a very slight "Welcome to the Machine." vibe. Bryan starts the vocals by singing the title phrase. Olivia joins on the second verse, and there is a subtle rimshot rhythm in the drums. At one minute in or so, the music explodes and Olivia takes charge on the vocals! Bang! It reminds me of when Ann Wilson jumps an octave on "Alone" by Heart. Bryan takes back over on the verses, soon joined by Olivia on harmonies. The drums pick up the rhythm. Olivia does her fantastic dramatic thing again around 2:30. Nice vocal harmonies in the bridge. Bryan takes an acoustic lead at around 3:30?tasty. Olivia takes back over again afterward. A cool flute solo with Moody Blues vibes happens at around the 5 minute mark. Then Bryan takes over with a big descending riff behind his solo. The first time I have heard the bass stand out on the album is around the 6 minute point. Big solo from Bryan as the song reaches its conclusion. This is one of the better tracks on the album. Well done!

Track 10 - Seawater

But one track remains, and it's a doozie! The 19 minute closing title epic! Quiet piano commences this one, then Olivia begins singing softly, sometimes doubled an octave lower by Bryan. There are thunder sound effects with the vocals & piano after 1:10. The music pauses briefly around 1:40 then a more rhythmic piano part takes over (Iain Jennings, I assume, although Angela Gordon also plays keys along with her flute skills). This is a well-played classical style piano part. The rhythm section kicks in near the 2 minute mark. Olivia resumes singing around 2:30. Nice harmonies around 3:30. Then Bryan kicks in with a guitar solo (without a key change). Once again, his Gilmour influence is apparent. I like the walk down at around 4:45. Sound effects of an ocean storm follow. Rhythmic keys and sustained bass begin to emerge from the effects. At around 5:50 choir-like vocals begin singing staccato "doot doot doots" in harmony, and a siren sound effect follows. This song is very cinematic in its approach. String orchestra-like synth sounds join in at around 6:40. Then there is a sudden shift to the distorted guitar bass and drums taking over the staccato theme that the vocals had been doing with all of the sound effects gone. At 7:10 the band locks into a moderately fast groove, then angelic voices join in backed by synth. Olivia begins singing lyrics again before the 8 minute mark. It is quite dramatic around 8:50. They are singing about tsunamis here. At 10:17 everything except a piano playing low notes and hushed vocals drops out. A high pitched piano note joins in and by 10:35 we have a synth solo; the first on the album. The tsunami chorus returns at around 11 minutes. By 11:30, acoustic guitar and drums tale over, playing the rhythmic motif from earlier along with wind sound effects. Synth- strings join in creating a churning ocean effect. The band crashes back in around 12:10 with Bryan taking over on vocals. Choir-like vocals return, backing him up with "ahhs" as the music builds in intensity. There is a loud crash of thunder around 13:30 that brings us to another pause for wind and ocean sound effects. A moderately slow 6-8 rhythm on 12-string acoustic guitar, bass and drums takes over by the 14 minute point. The Joshes join in singing vocals in octaves. Just after 15 minutes the music gets HUGE with orchestration--nice! Layers are being added as the music proceeds. Just prior to 18 minutes Bryan plays lead over the top. Then at 18:18, the music suddenly stops. We return to the quiet piano from the introduction, with post-storm birds chirping as this wonderful epic reaches its conclusion. This is definitely the flagship song of the album. Superbly done!

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

A solid album indeed. I enjoyed every track. However, if you're looking for odd-meters and lots of twiddly-bits, this may not be the album for you. The closing epic title track is definitely great prog, and overall, while the music is well-arranged, well-written, and well-performed, some of the tracks are not what most people would call prog. And that's ok. I just want to be clear about it. If you want some good song oriented music that is played and sung by wonderful musicians, that's what we have here. I'll give it a 4 out of 5 stars, as it is very good, but I was only blown away on a few tracks, especially "If Only for a Day," "Future is a Child" and "Seawater."

"KHAN" were a 4 piece made up of Canterbury-influenced musicians who later went on to their own projects, primarily guitarist Steve Hillage. He and keyboard virtuoso Dave Stewart dominate the album with better-than-average prog ideas that are intermittently interrupted by "far out" hippie rock cliches in the vocal verses of the song. Which is too bad, because it somewhat distracts and detracts from some creative instrumental work that is as playful as it is complex. I like what user Loserboy said that some of Dave Stewarts best Hammond work is on here, he's definitely right. Dave Stewart's keyboard sounds and arrangements make this album more detailed than spacy, despite the silly outer-space themes (especially compared to Hillage's subsequent work with the much more psychedelic band Gong). Whether playing rhythms, arrangements, or psych/hard rock leads, Hillage's guitar style is strong and unique. Many of the tendencies of prog rock, for better and/or worse, are abundant on this lesser-known release during its heyday. some of these tracks on their sophomore album ( that wouldn't be released) would be placed onto Steve hillage's solo debut "Fish Rising". 4.0 Canterbury classic

Review Nº 885

"Avalon" is the eighth and last studio album of Roxy Music and was released in 1982. It was their greatest commercial success hitting the UK charts and staying there for over a year. "Avalon" is also the only Roxy Music's album to reach the platinum record in the USA. "Avalon" is one of their finest albums. Certainly, the lush and elegant soundscapes of "Avalon" are far removed from the edgy avant-pop of their early albums, yet it represents another landmark in their career. Ferry was never this romantic or seductive but "Avalon" shimmers with elegance in both its music and its lyrics.

The beautiful art cover of the album represents a figure wearing a medieval helmet and carrying a falcon, evoking King Arthur's last journey to the mysterious land of Avalon. The figure is Bryan Ferry's then girlfriend and future wife Lucy Helmore, a former model and London socialite, who posed as the cover model for the album, continuing the tradition of Roxy Music's albums to feature images of women on the cover artwork. The artwork was designed by Peter Saville too.

As on "Flesh + Blood" the line up are only the remaining three original members and some guest musicians. So, the line up is Bryan Ferry (vocals, keyboards and guitar synthesizer), Andy MacKay (saxophone), Phil Manzanera (guitar), Yanick Etienne (vocals), Fonzi Thornton (vocals), Neil Hubbard (guitar), Paul Carrack (piano), Kermit Moore (cello), Alan Spenner (bass), Neil Jason (bass), Andy Newmark (drums), Rick Marotta (drums) and Jimmy Maelen (percussion).

"Avalon" has ten tracks. All songs were written by Bryan Ferry except "While My Heart Is Still Beating" written by Bryan Ferry and Andy MacKay, "Take A Chance With Me" written by Bryan Ferry and Phil Manzanera and "Tara" written also by Bryan Ferry and Andy MacKay. The first track "More Than This" is the song released as the first single taken from this album and is of course one of the hits of this album. It's a great commercial pop song composed for easy radio listening. We may say this is a perfect hit pop song for the 80's. The second track "The Space Between" is a kind of a sexy song with clear influences of the disco sound, so in vogue at that time. It's a song that sounds to have been played in the night dance clubs all over the world in that time. It's a little bit repetitive and monotonous song. The third track, the eponymous title track, "Avalon", was the song released in the second place as a single and taken from this album. This is, without any doubt, a great song. It's a song with good and perfect classic lyrics and where the music is absolutely perfect and invites us to dance slowly like when the party is over. The voice of Bryan Ferry is absolutely fantastic and the female chorus is very warm and gives it a nice touch. The fourth track "India" is a very short and nice instrumental song with some influences of the oriental music. The fifth track "While My Heart Is Still Beating" is another great song. This is a very sophisticated art pop song with very interesting musical moments like the percussion and drums, the vocals and finally the sound of the saxophone. I think we can say this is the song on this album, more close to the original sound of the group. The sixth track "The Main Thing" is another highlight on this album. This is a song with a fantastic and very own musical atmosphere and where Bryan Ferry's vocals are some of the best on the album. It's a song with a great beat. The seventh track "Take a Chance With Me" is another great song of the album. It's also a song released as a single and was the last Roxy Music single released during the band's life. It's a very catch song with good and nice melody that sounds very fresh even today. The eighth track "To Turn You On" is a very simple and nice song that specially lives almost of the Bryan Ferry's voice. It's an interesting song with some tasteful guitar moments very well accompanied by piano. The ninth track "True To Life" is another interesting and nice song with good musical atmosphere and with a very calm rhythm. It has also different vocals by Bryan Ferry and good percussion all over the song. The tenth and last track "Tara" is another very short instrumental song like "India". It's a very beautiful song where the sound of Andy MacKay's saxophone is absolutely relaxing. This is a strange and beautiful way to end this album and is also probably a perfect and elegant farewell for this so special, interesting and unique prog rock band.

Conclusion: "Avalon" is, in my opinion, the most Bryan Ferry's album of the band. It's also their most well produced, most mature, most accessible, most commercial and the bestselling album of the band. This is really a unique album on the band's career that takes us to another musical dimension. It's true that "Avalon" isn't truly a progressive album but is only a pop rock album with only little reminiscences of progressiveness. However, of all the many pop rock albums made by many progressive rock groups in the 80's, like Genesis, Yes, Gentle Giant, Renaissance and even "Breakfast In America" of Supertramp, that I can remember, this is, in my opinion, the one that passed the test of time with best results. "Avalon" is a very charming album that still sounds fresh, cool and sophisticated after all these years and I can still hear it, even now, with great pleasure. So, "Avalon" is an album highly recommended for any art rock enthusiast.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

What is there left to say about this masterpiece that hasn't already been said? It's incredible to think that this album was such a massive success, especially when compared to today's popular records. Could an album this ambitious still become a cultural phenomenon today? Unfortunately, I don't think so.

The strength of Dark Side of the Moon doesn't lie in a single track but in the harmony and seamless flow of all its pieces. The only real break in this journey comes with Money, which I find to be the weakest track. Yes, it's catchy, but its style and length make it stand out too much from the rest.

Aside from that, the album slowly immerses us in an almost astral voyage. It's a contemplative record, one that takes its time to convey a wide range of emotions. Probably the best album to unwind with after a stressful day!

Britain's gift of melodic positivity returns with another polished masterpiece of engaging and uplifting prog lite.

1. "Light Up" (5:39) great up-beat syncopated rhythm track with lots of prog sounds and great harmony group vocals over the top singing in their usual life- and love-affirming messages. I love the interplay in the fifth minute between Jenny Newman's violin and Jess Holland's wordless vocalese followed a similar interplay between Andy Glass's lead guitar and Steven McDaniel's organ in the final minute. Awesome! (9.125/10)

2. "Wongle No. 9" (7:14) Funk! Sounds like Leonid And Friends or Orgone/Say She She! There's that kind of joy and enthusiasm exuding from this music! The guitar and keyboard work from Andy and Steven sound so emotional and heart-felt--as are the amazing vocal performances from Jess Holland and her three Graces (Ebony, Jen, and Jenny, otherwise known as Aglaia [Radiance], Ephrosyne [Joy], and Thalia [Bloom]). Amazing song that holds its engaging energy from start to finish. (14.75/15)

3. "Mount Ephraim" (5:59) back to some folk roots with some acoustic violin leading the way, but then the rhythm section shoots in the funky undergrowth and we have more joy-dancing music to get excited for. Despite nice solos from Andy, Jenny and Steven the song never reaches another gear (which would have to be overdrive) nor offers much in the way of interesting diversions--but it's still so solid--so good! (9/10)

4. "Run" (8:14) endless reverb on several well-spaced opening electric guitar chords remind me a bit of Chirs Isaak or John Martyn. Jenny's plaintive electric violin and programmed drums join in before Jess enters singing in a delicate-though-passionate vocal. Beautiful. I'm reminded a bit of Jane Siberry and Sarah MacLachlan as well as IONA's Joanne Hogg. Such a beautiful voice. At the five-minute mark the drums, bass, keys, and violin kick in to support an instrumental passage. It's heavier and more insistent in its melancholy than the vocal section with Andy Glass's powerful lead guitar rousing our emotions from some lower and mid-range noteplaying while Jess and The Graces slowly creep into the mix with increasingly-more-prominent choir vocals. (13.75/15)

5. "Home" (6:42) this one definitely sounds as if it comes directly off of an IONA or Suzanne Vega-like album. Very nice music to support Jess Holland's typical stunning vocal performance. Please, let's not let ourselves grow accustomed to this amazing vocalist's extraordinary talents! Nice violin and keyboard doubling up in the second half of the fourth minute. Nor should I let an entire album go by without extolling the solid performances of the Robin Phillips-Pete Hemsley rhythm section: their contributions are so flawless that you're prone to want to take them for granted, yet the music would not/could not be this good without their professional performances. By no means is this a weka song, it's just not quite as powerful or (8.875/10)

6. "Bulbul Tarang" (10:24) an exposition of absolutely perfect prog fusion: here taking a page from the George Harrison playbook with the cooption of some Indian themes, bringing them into an ascendent/transendent Jon Anderson/Yes-like form and style using the rich textures of their prog sound palette in cooperation with the extraordinary vocal talents of the entire cast and crew. (The live in the studio video version of this is quite extraordinary--perhaps even better than this version because it is so spirited.) Heart-wrenching performances from Steven McDaniel (on piano) in the sixth minute with the incredibly-delicate choir vocals behind him. Wow! I'm in tears! Then we get some first-rate lead guitar work from Andy Glass before the gentle choir vocals return to lull us into peaceful bliss before everybody steps up to blow us away with some whole-group power the likes of which is oh-so-rare in art. Then Andy's even-more-impassioned guitar licks and more BIG vocal bursts to take us to the end. Amazing finish to an amazing musical experience. (19.125/20)

Total Time 44:12

Though it may be common that a song or lyric can help elevate or transport the human spirit, it is rather rare that a whole album can achieve this. I'm not going to say that I feel blissed out the entire time I listen to this album, but a lot of it--and certainly a lot more when I watch the in-studio video releases of these songs. Even the live on-stage versions have some of this effect on me.

A/five stars; an unequivocal masterpiece of uplifting prog rock. HIGHLY recommended--especially to those who like an occasional injection of numinous light into your life.

Script for a Jester's Tear is a strong debut album from the neo-prog group Marillion that succeeds in foreshadowing the traits the band would employ in their magnum opus, Misplaced Childhood. The instrumental arrangements are sufficiently dense for most prog fans while even those like myself who aren't diehard fans of the genre can still find this a relativley accessible album. Most of the melodies here are keyboard or synth driven though there are some that feature more prominent lead guitar parts that could be more appealing to fans of the bands later works.

The album starts off well with the classic title track and the more straightforward "He Knows You Know". "He Knows You Know" might hold up better if it didn't feature the bizarre telephone sequence at the end but it's a small criticism. "The Web" through "Chelsea Monday" are too slow developing for my tastes but I'll concede that each track features an interesting instrumental portion and the playful synth line thorughout "Garden Party" keeps my attention. The final track, "Forgotten Sons" is more in the mold of "He Knows You Know" both in terms of how much guitar is present and the odd lyrical choices. What's missing here is the continuity of a story that showcases Fish's lyrical capabilities. This feature is what won me over on Misplaced Childhood and it is noticeably absent here. Still, this is an excellent album whose minor flaws don't impede enjoyment of the album. 4.0 this defiantly gives this six piece their sound.

Eight graceful hymns of gothic dread make up the contents of Dead Can Dance's third studio album 'Within the Realm of a Dying Sun', a work that sees the band honing their craft and completely embracing the ethereal beyond-ness of their branch of dark and folksy music. Taking up the experimental approach from 'Spleen and Ideal', it is the extraordinary scope of this album (together with the fantastic performances and production) that make this arguably the strongest offering of the duo of Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry, their most abundant and coherent recording from start to finish, the ideal example of a musical niche referred to as neoclassical darkwave, a slightly unsatisfactory descriptor of music that carries such strong emotional qualities as on '... a Dying Sun'.

Nevertheless, this 1987 release remains a great example of how spiritual and transcendent music can get, effectively divided in half between the vocal performances of Perry and Gerrard, the former of the two providing a warm, caressing and profound tone of solemn wisdom, while the female counterpart anticipates the great heights of the uplifting, enchanting elements of the Dead Can Dance sound, together forging a carefully-curated balance between opposites, bound by the orchestrated dignity of the music, performed with great panache at all times, embracing and idiosyncratic. This is a dark and atmospheric album of great quality, from the cryptic enchantments of opening track 'Anywhere Out of the World' to the haunting tones of the instrumental 'Windfall', or the complex soundscapes on 'Xavier', taken on and elevated by the second half of the record with ominous and ritualistic compositions like 'Dawn of the Iconoclast' and 'Cantara', or the absolutely triumphant closing opus 'Persephone', an exercise in orchestrated melancholy, bathed in medieval bliss. Simply an album without confinements, a work that stands on its own with its magical overtones and meticulous grip over the listener, there is an unparalleled scope to this record that renders it incredibly special and unique.

1. The Upside of Down is a typically UK sound, a prog-pop rock bordering on funky with its brass and catchy riff. 2. Got Religion, with the Blues Brothers rhythms and the energetic piano, a hint of Grease to further unnerve you, fresh, to be enjoyed on a mountain bike with the wind gently slapping your face; note the velvety and melting keyboard of the time. 3. Estus Pirkle Night opens with piano, yes, David does everything from electric to organ; there's a nostalgic air to this track with the arpeggio break taking me back to GENESIS; the final wild synth solo sets the place on fire and shows that you don't have to have a guitar hero for every song. 4. It's Not the End of the World, the intro is always polished, we understand better what kind of tribute they were; the vocals begin to have their effect and integrate into the instrumentation; The energetic rhythm reminds me of the heyday of AOR with BOSTON, and later TOTO; fresh progressive blood too with this development and its soaring violins, a bit of ELO, a bit of more recent HOGIA, ah, the acronyms are there. 5. Space Force and its warning siren, the fast pad, the piano even more, the synth à la 'Mars Attack', captivating this track, catchy, between jazzy and hi-hat, between cabaret freshness and festive rock bordering on heavy with its frenzied choirs, a breath of fresh air with the enjoyable hard outro. 6. Little Fools for the suave Asian ballad, vocals by Solaria or Natalie, melting the ballad; evolution for the typical crossover track which reveals its prog declination over the course of listening; hints of ELO in the distance for the velvety orchestral base. 7. You'll Never Get to Boston, a funfair organ intro with applause, a sort of "The Persuaders," or when the cinematic beauty lingers; acoustic guitar à la KANSAS, ethereal choirs, and a waltz solo; focused on the chorus.

8. World in Action, a direct attack, a meeting of rock and new wave by the CARS; an easy track with its marshmallow guitar solo, the other on a Japanese keyboard. 9. Watching, a GENESIS track; I'll let you search a bit for the fat and catchy keyboard; always rhythmic with the choirs that show themselves more, in short, it jerks. 10. The Dragon Who Swallowed the Sun, a 60s guitar intro, from the era of gangsters in dark glasses and Piaggios; a solemn air on layers of keyboards. 11. The Devil in ABQ, for its slide guitar sharpening the piano notes; A little harmonica and we find ourselves in Louisiana, a Cajun zone that sounds good with the jerky air inviting us to dance with its thunderous trumpets. 12. Open Minded intro à la COLLINS, a Japanese zest, on JAPAN then the sax reminiscent of Phil and it's off for the repetitive title; here we have to wait for the break to feel the frenzied rhythm. 13. Blame on You for a nervous bluesy rock with a strong 80s feel; lively with the fat synth and dynamite drums; more energetic melodic rock in fact. 14. What the Butler Saw superb dark intro, disturbing, fresh, electric, nervous, in short cinematic; well, the CARS keyboard I insist with its haunting stereo reverb, the guitar riff that comes in announcing a superb solo precisely, it spurts everywhere; fusion of a TOTO, YES, CARS, brief monolithic piece with the heady and rhythmic keyboard for the rest; a beautiful moment gradually becoming wild.

Anekdoten Live in Japan (1998)

Anekdoten is a Swedish progressive rock band composed of guitarist Nicklas Barker, cellist/keyboardist Anna Sofi Dahlberg, bassist/vocalist Jan Erik Liljeström, and drummer Peter Nordins.

Anekdoten is one of those Swedish bands that sparked a kind of new wave of prog in the nineties alongside Änglagård, Pain of Salvation, The Flower Kings, and the metalheads of Opeth and Meshuggah. Those years were very prolific in terms of music and creativity.

But Anekdoten may have been the least popular, creating a unique, obscure, and incredibly original style? a mix of classic Mellotron sounds blended with heavy tones. They crafted a kind of early King Crimson vibe with elements of classical music and alternative modern rock.

By 1997, Anekdoten had released two records: Vemod (1993) and Nucleus (1995). Both are arguably their best studio albums, with music that was darker and more haunting compared to their later work.

The band was in a period of reorganization, and it seemed they might consider making music a secondary pursuit. However, after their success European tour in 1996, they received exciting news they were invited to tour Japan, where the band enjoyed surprising popularity. This opportunity breathed new life into the band, giving them a second wind and a chance for a potential breakthrough.

Anekdoten's Official Bootleg - Live in Japan captures the band at their rawest. Recorded in 1997 during their Japanese tour, this live album is an energetic, unpolished collection that showcases the band's intensity and atmosphere, even surpassing their studio sound in some ways.

The setlist is a blend of tracks from Vemod and Nucleus, leaning heavily on the darker, heavier side of their sound. From the crushing riffs and tortured Mellotron of "Nucleus" to the ominous, creeping tension of "The Old Man and the Sea," the band conjures a mood of brooding menace that fans of King Crimson's early '70s era will feel right at home with.

The album's rough, bootleg-quality sound won't win over audiophiles?it's raw, and the mix can feel chaotic. But in the end, the listening experience is more than interesting; the rawness suits Anekdoten's sound, emphasizing the band's urgent energy. You can feel the sweat and intensity of the performance, with the crowd's enthusiasm bleeding into the recording. It's an authentic snapshot of a band at full throttle.

Nicklas Barker's guitar work cuts through with angular, jagged riffs and piercing solos, while Jan Erik Liljeström's bass throbs and snarls, carrying a weight that drives the band's darkest moments. The Mellotron?arguably Anekdoten's signature sound?is a constant, droning presence, wrapping tracks like "Karelia" and "Wheel" in a haunting, oppressive atmosphere. Drummer Peter Nordins is a force of nature, propelling the band with a mix of precision and aggression.

The album is a great listening experience in my opinion, one of the best live records I've ever heard. This record was my entry point to Anekdoten, and even today, I find everything else I've heard from them different and less enjoyable than this album. Don't misunderstand me I think their entire discography is amazing, but the energy displayed on this record is hard to match. That's why this album is so incredible.

While I have a huge appreciation for melancholic music that has a beauty to it, this isn't it. When the music drifts into that depressive state, I'm out. And of course their anti-God stance basically takes away any of that true light that humans are drawn to. This is a negatively dark album, like all of their music. And while I agree this is a huge upgrade over their debut, I'm just not into their cold and empty sound. That debut was extreme all the way. This second release at least has contrasts to that extreme side of their music. Clean guitars and vocals have a place here.

They were a five piece on that debut, but that one guest Martin Powell who added violin becomes the sixth member here on album number two. He also adds piano making him an important part of their change in sound. This record has plenty of violin and piano. We get just under an hour of music over seven tracks. This album is hugely influential. That doesn't mean it's good of course, it just means that a young band at the time like KATATONIA suddenly has new heroes, along with PARADISE LOST who were from this same period. Some bands mention early ANATHEMA as well, again this is all during the early nineties.

So we get lots of slow and repetitive music that has more in common with DEAD CAN DANCE than the Prog Metal going on at this time. They are about creating as depressing a mood as possible. Hopeless music. I think there are comparisons to be made between this band and KATATONIA. Both released debuts that were their most extreme, and both are my least favourites. Album number two for both would be what hard core fans consider their best. Their classic records in "Brave Murder Day" and "Turn Loose The Swans". Both bands bring in clean vocals and music that is less abrasive that at least create some good contrasts. But it's the third albums from both where they find their signature sound and where I feel they start releasing their best music.

Like KATATONIA's "Brave Murder Day", 3 stars is all I got for this one. Now "The Angel And The Dark River" is another story.

Astounding sounds prevail on Haken guitar player Charlie Griffiths's debut solo album titled 'Tiktaalika', a crossover prog metal opus with five-star guest appearances, and for some listeners a fascinating marriage between 80s thrash grooves and tech-prog complexity, this album reveals the artist's love of thrash, alternative and technical metal, all abundant here as the stylistic diversity and playing range of Griffiths impress from start to finish - this is a masterful work from a seasoned player who is confident and capable enough to put together such an ambitious project, featuring some of the genre's most recognizable and gifted musicians, namely Thomas Giles, Darby Todd, Jordan Rudess, Rob Townsend, Danïel De Jongh, Vladimir Lalić, and Neil Purdy, while the album has been mixed by Adam "Nolly" Getgood, formerly part of djent outfit Periphery.

The 'Prehistoric Prelude' introduces a ravaging riff that transitions into 'Arctic Cemetery', a technical, brutal and gloomy number with great vocals from Thomas Giles and some awesome guitar playing and production, followed by 'Luminous Beings' and its quirky textures more pertinent to the recent Haken material and their signature brand of prog metal. What comes after are arguably the two centerpieces of the record, the 8-minute tracks 'In Alluvium' and 'Dead In the Water', both of which feature the vocals of Vladimir Lalić. The former is a strong epic with Devin Townsend-esque polyrhythms mashed with a very upfront, modern metal production, a dazzling guitar tone and a ballsy swagger that elevates the piece into a roaring prog metal anthem, while the latter of these is an absolutely killer track replete with gnarly riffing, wacky shifts and hefty sax notes, or else, an in-your-face prog pomp. Another highlight is the instrumental title track (a Dave Mustaine-attempted Dream Theater epic), an all-around prog homage that is equal parts menacing and impressive, the irony aside. Some may also enjoy the gritty technical metalcore of 'Crawl Walk Run', while the closing track works as a coda and provides for a nice framing of the entire album, which is excellent and highly recommended for all enjoyers of the prog metal genre.

This album was originally planned to have a long song cycle on one side and some shorter songs on the other side. The song cycle would be made up of "Behind the lines", "Duchess", "Guide vocal", "Turn it on again", "Duke's travels" and "Duke's end". It wasn't to be, but during the tour that followed the band did play the song cycle as they had originally intended it. It was the absolute highlight of the Duke live shows and the album would have been a lot better had it included the songs this way.

The album opens like the song cycle opens with the excellent "Behind the lines" with its two minute intro leading into the drum machines of the great ballad "Duchess" with its coda "Guide vocal". Then we get three solo compositions with Mike Rutherford's "Man of our times", Phil Collins' "Misunderstanding" (the first song he wrote for Genesis, also the band's first US hit single) and Tony Banks' "Heathaze". Then comes the great "Turn it on again", as far as I know the only single ever with a 13/4 time signature. Then it goes again with "Alone tonight", "Cul de sac" and ". The album ends in a great way again with "Duke's travels" and "Duke's end". Had they left the medley as it originally was (and how it was again on tour), the medley have made it a great Genesis album. But this conversion of pop and prog made some fans lose interest l. This is one of the albums that made die hard Genesis fan to lose interest but I love it. 4.0

Devastatingly beautiful, mellotron-heavy, grief-swollen, and excruciatingly abrasive - this is the sound presented by Swedish band Anekdoten on their 1993 debut album 'Vemod', one of the most significant and far-reaching albums of the progressive revival of the nineties. This is a dark, desperate and melancholic work that exhibits certain qualities pertaining to gothic rock, but at the core of 'Vemod' lies the epic, technical writing that Anekdoten mastered gracefully, jazz-tinted rhythm sections, scorching dissonance with aggressive riffs counteracted by the swirling mellotron soundscapes and gorgeous cello parts, or in a word, a fabulous work of progressive excellence, unique in its style, approach and mood, definitive of its era, and allowing this incredible band of talented Swedish musicians to go on and develop this particular groove of their own, their compelling style that blends progressive rock's complexity and theatrics, with the moodiness and ingenuity of the alternative and gothic scenes.

On 'Vemod', the cathartic musical journey of the Nicklas Berg-led quarter develops swiftly within a dense framework of sounds that harken back to some of those classic mid-70s progressive rock albums, dark and menacing, eager and visionary, and as the band exhibits a taste for King Crimson and Goblin, among others, the listener surrenders himself to an audacious rendition of these classic sounds - heavy, distorted and evidently sorrowful, rendering this debut album a fascinating and important part of the Swedish progressive scene. Manic opener 'Karelia' is a signature piece from Anekdoten, a song that introduces and encapsulates perfectly what this entire album is all about. Followed by the drab and epic 'The Old Man and the Sea', the mellotron-heavy sound dominates the atmosphere, whereas numbers like 'Where Solitude Remains' and 'The Flow' reveal the technical capabilities of each member. Tender and acoustic-driven shorter songs grace this album, too, offering an antidote to the otherwise dense nature of the longer compositions, and how could one forget to mention the pensive and mournful tone of 'Sad Rain'. 'Vemod' is a mesmerizing, hypnotic work with a unique, ominous atmosphere and a recognizable, unique sound, not much more that you can ask for from a progressive rock album.

'Kraftwerk 2', the follow-up to the German band's 1970 debut release, is by far the least characteristic album of their 70s output. Generally continuing the krautrock experiments initiated on the self-titled predecessor, this record is a mish-mash of random noises and instrumental patches sown together in a moderately confusing way, resulting in a work that is above all patchy and monolithic with certain hypnotic qualities, mechanical and lacking a clear direction, especially in comparison to the album coming before it. As the band approach a more ambient domain of sound, the listener gets the least electronic and most abstract work of the group's earliest proceedings.

Ralf, Florian and Conny Plank are once again responsible for the creation of this work, this time lacking a drummer as nobody would be interested in providing a rhythm section to the random swirls of musique concrète, quite ubiquitous on 'Kraftwerk 2', an album that bolsters various effects, tapes and tape echo, molding a palette of unusual sounds from their guitar, flute and violin recordings. 17-minute opener 'Klingklang' is indeed a great peace that goes through different shapes but ultimately ends up being enjoyable enough to be understood, while 'Atem' is simply constructed from recordings of breathing. It is the four tracks on side two that dare to go into a more exploratory direction, and the overall impression is of a poorly conceived bulk of sounds, with occasional glimpses of intrigue and intelligent stitching. This recording is inferior to the debut album, which is why it has been mostly ignored by the band members and critics alike.

Probably the most polarising of the band releases up to that point, the album sees Genesis, now as a trio, trading some of their grandiose, complex ideas for increased pop sensibility. Maybe due to the fact that Collins and co. weren't exactly sure in which direction they want the music to go, ...And Then There Were Three... sits awkwardly in the canyon between progressive rock and pop rock, somehow being neither and both at the same time. While the fusion of the two genres was done better on the next album, Duke, this LP spawns a few very worthwhile tracks (Down and Out, Snowbound, The Lady Lies) in between filler and failed ideas. A classic transition-era album. 4.0 it Is forgotten about sadly.

'Time Requiem' is the 2002 self-titled debut album by Swedish progressive power metal band, Time Requiem. Formed by keyboard player Richard Andersson, the band plays a style very typical of progressive metal, with a strong neoclassical influence, and an emphasis on powerful vocals and fantasy-themed lyrics.

The most prominent aspect of Time Requiem's music is shredding, and it comes in boatloads! Andersson and guitarist Magnus Nordh are absolute beasts on their instruments, furiously ripping up the chromatic scale at every opportunity. It makes for some lavishly flavoured riffs and colourful solos, but sadly it does get a little repetitive after a while.

Most of the songs are very strong and well-written, but also rely on similar tropes. At times, they sound very reminiscent of other bands, such as Symphony X, Dream Theater and Stratovarius. But if you can accept a group wearing its influences on its sleeves, then you might just enjoy tracks such as 'Watching the Tower of Skies', 'Time Requiem', 'Milagros Charm', 'Visions of New Dawn', 'The Aphorism' and the absolutely psychotic instrumental, 'Brutal Mentor'.

'Time Requiem' can be challenging to sit through in one go, especially if you're not keen on the sheer technicality of the music, but perseverance and repeated listens can be rewarding. Over time, the album grew on me, and while the band offers nothing new or unique, this is a very solid debut, and I'm excited to hear where things will go with future releases.

Pink Floyd's 'Atom Heart Mother" made in 1970 is perhaps their most progressive record. The title song suite on the first side could easily be categorized as avant garde-prog. On this track the band enhances its psychedelic song- writing with the soulful guitar of David Gilmour, the beautiful Hammond organs by Richard Wright, a layer of orchestration (mostly copper), a very modern choir performance in the middle section and one of the most psychedelic recording sounds ever. The orchestration by Ron Geesin sounds modern/atonal and fits in perfectly with the abstract sound of the music. Like most epics the songs has a dark/horror section in which a bomb seems to explode. After it the band launches a section of studio manipulations that allows them to create an explosion of parts that are fading in and out. More compelling than any tape manipulations ever done by Zappa. The ending section of the 'Atom Heart Mother' combines the band, the orchestra, the philip Jones brass ensemble and the choir in order to maximize on its main theme; not unlike the beautiful ending of 'Tubular Bells'. Its such a journey to listen to this. This Pink Floyd masterpiece has such a distinct atmosphere that there is simply almost no recording that sounds anything like it. I only used it once as a reference in a review, for the Italian 'Il Paese dei Belocchi' album, which I can also warmly recommend. I also like the fact that not even all Pink Floyd fans seem to like Atom Heart Mother that much, whereas this is not at all like their post-Meddle smooth recordings. Instead, this album is recommended to listener of psychedelic (acid) music, eclectic prog and Avantgarde-prog

"If" is a nice English folk-style song with a hint of Pink Floyd vibes. "Summer '68" and "Fat Old Sun" are also beautiful, sweet melodies that continue to evoke the pastoral vibe of this album. "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast" is the worst track on here. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it, but it's a little tedious and doesn't seem very planned out. Plus, the breakfast noises are sort of off-putting for the casual listener. Anyway, the last track is worthy of existence, but probably not worthy of being on this excellent album. The first four tracks are better than Pink Floyd's first two psychedelic albums, Meddle, Wish You Were Here, Ummagumma, and any post-The Wall albums, mainly because the first four tracks evoke such a unique mood and stick to it. With the last track, it's about the same as WYWH, Meddle, the debut album, and the sophomore album. 5.0 definitely one of their trade mark albums, and along with Animals both are my favorite offerings by Pink Floyd. Lulabelle the third looks like she likes the album too.

I had to put something in print before I review the band's new 2025 release, Focus, as I've known of this album since it was recommended to me back in 2022. Right off the bat I have to take issue with Scott Shreky' suggestion that this band sounds like a cross between the Mahavishnu Orchestra and The Mars Volta. I'm not even sure I would consider this Jazz-Rock Fusion (the category PA has assigned them) were it not for the instrumental jam structures to their music. To me this has more in common with straight rock and blues rock of the late 1960s, early 1970s, and the blues rock revival of the 1980s: Rush, Mahogany Rush, Stevie Ray Vaughn, The sound and technique of the band's dominant instrumentalist, the heavily-distorted electric guitar shredder, sounds to me more like Alex Lifeson, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and Jimi Hendrix than Mahavishnu John McLaughlin. None of these musicians sound particularly virtuosic: they have some skill and speed but very little diversity and variability. Both the drummer and the guitarist, in particular, seem to be locked into one style only--and they do not "mesh" or entrain very well together. The keyboardist has talent but the exposition of his skills and diversity is diminished by the fairly simplistic compositions that he is playing over. I mean: anybody can jam! And I definitely get the feeling that the many instances in which the musicians "spill over" into errant notes has nothing to do with intention or Coltrane- and Monk-like adventures into Debussy scales making; they are simply mistakes. And bass player is there but rarely makes himself distinctive--which can be a good thing--but in the context of these jam-oriented songs methinks his role has been assigned as metronomic companion to the militaristic drummer. As for the music, I don't dislike it but I feel no lasting urge to return to it. My hope is that in the three years the quartet have had to work on their skills and compositional vision the next album (the afore-mentioned Focus) will yield considerable improvements and advancements.

Recorded during the 'YES Epics and Classics' tour in May 2023 (Illinois, USA) as a result of the collaboration between Jon Anderson and The Band Geeks led by Richie Castellano, "Live - Perpetual Change" (2025) is a tribute to the most representative symphonic period of the legendary Yes.

Very respectful of the forms and avoiding 'creative' experiments, the band focuses on the setlist of 1973's "Yessongs", except for "Siberian Khatru" and "Long Distance Runaround / The Fish", replaced instead by the masterful "Awaken" and "Gates of Delirium", with a very solid group performance and with Jon Anderson's voice still in great form more than five decades later.

Without taking sharp turns and following a safe path, the band recreates as faithfully as possible songs like "Yours is No Disgrace", "Perpetual Change", "Close to the Edge", "Starship Trooper" (Chris Clark's keyboards and Andy Graziano's guitars in the final section are superb), or "Heart of the Sunrise" (very good bass by Castellano), which seem to be taken from some seventies concert, and even the acoustic parts of "And You and I" and "Roundabout" with their clean and immaculate guitars, seem to surpass several live versions of those songs performed by Yes in the 2000's...

Something that could have been better? While it was a tour focused on the music of Yes, perhaps including some previews of the excellent album "True" to be released by Jon Anderson in 2024, such as the very progressive "Counties and Countries" or "Once upon a Dream", would have given it an extra touch of freshness and novelty.

But without a doubt "Live - Perpetual Change" is a very good live album, which reaffirms in Jon Anderson's voice the greatness of Yes, and a new and very appreciable opportunity to reconnect with progressive rock itself.

4 stars

So, here we go again. Another IQ album hot off the presses, if not quite hot on the heels of their last album Resistance (as playfully suggested by Peter Nicholls). Unfortunately I was too late to buy the orange vinyl version of the album but hopefully it'll come out again in some other colour or kaleidoscope of colours on vinyl. So I've bought the CD but not content to wait for it to arrive in the post I've also downloaded it onto my phone via Apple Music (a very small price to pay for good music). Now, I have to say, there is some really very good stuff on here, notably for me from Neil Durant, but not alone from him. This is IQ once again doing what they do best. I know that there will be those who suggest that this is IQ by Numbers, going over the same old ground yet again, delivering the same old melodies, the same old guitar solos, the same old chords, the same old stories that have been rehashed and the same old drums. Well, to that I can only say Yes. There certainly is some of that here. Quite a lot of that in fact. But I absolutely love it. This is a great album, once again from the band. I'm now in my mid 60s. And having been following and supporting and loving progressive rock music since I was in my early teens, this is what I want to hear.

So Kraftwerk's prog credentials definitely extend to their earliest period, when the band composed of Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider-Esleben, and producer Conny Plank was experimenting with sounds, structures and effects, resulting in them releasing some of the earliest and most important krautrock albums, preceded only by Can's 'Monster Movie' and Amon Düül II's 'Phallus Dei'. Kraftwerk's 1970 self-title debut album was released in November through Philips Records, and has remained one of the unusual entries of the German electronic mavericks' discography, completely unrelated to their later works and featuring for the most part a very repetitive, drone-like, and experimental sound, with a lot of jamming, memorable grooves, and free form circular washes of noise, all elements of the respective movement as the band had gradually become a part of the local art scene.

Opening up the album is the iconic piece 'Ruckzuck', a template krautrock compositions that has gone on to become one of the more recognizable early recordings of the band, the patterns of snare-heavy drums and punctuating flutes (played by Florian) provide for a fine patchwork of sounds that could occasionally be seen as an anticipation of the techno genre, with its repetitive textures and cold atmosphere. Second track 'Stratovarius' is wild and effective, opening up with a gloomy organ sequence followed by a collage of effects and dissonant sounds. As the drums kick in, the composition takes on a more recognizable form, until it dissolves into a frantic conundrum of sounds and shrieks of wah-wah guitars. We then have a piece with more ambient qualities - 'Megaherz', an interesting piece could be seen as Kraftwerk's "sound design" experiment. The fourth and final track on the album is the most improvisational of them all, a chaotic and disorienting piece that is difficult to appreciate, while containing some fascinating sounds. Of course, this album is far from perfect, as it is sonically challenging and experimental, which is why it is a fascinating piece of music, but it remains a great krautrock album that places Kraftwerk among the earliest and most significant bands of the movement.

Queen prove their extreme versatility and musical chops on this follow-up to "A night at the opera". It may be less adventurous but it still remains a high-quality item in the Queen catalog. The album kicks off with one of their most rock'n'roll sounding number (of course after the rockabilly "Crazy little thing called love"). Its groove goes beyond technical complexity which was then seen in the Deep Purple or Led Zeppelin material Vocal prowess is best heard in "You take my breath away"and the gospel infected "Somebody to love". The latter has a gorgeous and somewhat pompous melody. Queen dabble successfully in the vintage "The millionaire waltz" and a good-spirit "Good old fashioned lover boy" which always give me positive vibes. Apart from the first track, May is represented by the strong and more complex "White man". The last song's key musical message is ambitious and leaves a feeling of being a hymn. I always wondered where these words come from and thanks to Internet, that is Japanese. Because of the album versatility and combined talents of four band members, this is a welcome addition to a 70's prog collection.

Which should we prefer? The 2020s tribute band which happens to call itself 'Yes' (starring Steve Howe), or Jon Anderson's version of the same, which claims to be 'keeping the "true Yes" flag flying'? Based on this double album, and on what I've heard and seen of (fairly) recent Yes (i.e. mainly live clips on YouTube, and the LIVE FROM LYON album), I wouldn't hesitate to award the palm to J.A. and the Band Geeks. It's true that a title like LIVE - PERPETUAL CHANGE smacks of hybris; it reminds me of Tomasi Di Lampedusa's famous statement (in his novel THE LEOPARD) 'If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.' But for an old Yes fan like me it's wonderful to witness Jon's resurrection - and his current band isn't half bad either.

It's true that there are a few misses. The first ten minutes or so of 'Close to the Edge' sag surprisingly, with Jon sounding tired and hoarse in the 'I get up, I get down' section. But this comes after two truly sprightly performances (of 'Yours is no Disgrace' and 'Perpetual Change'), and during the remainder of the set Jon never lets us down - quite the contrary. Moreover, the 'Close to the Edge' climax is nicely done; having two expert keyboardists clearly helps! The opening of 'Starship Trooper' is another slight let-down. Throughout the set, the Band Geeks generally replicate the original studio versions of the tunes (not failing to add pretty little touches of their own) - but where's that prominent Hammond organ we so sorely needed?

Still, there's so much to rejoice over... I don't want to sound like a sourpuss... 'Awaken' and 'The Gates of Delirium', two of the highlights in the Yes canon, are carried off with great aplomb. In my view, lead guitarist Andy Graziano actually outshines Steve Howe here, clearly benefitting from a (relatively) youthful attack, which Howe has lacked for many a year. My 'deluxe edition' of the album came with a DVD of the gig, and it's heartening to see with how much respect and pure joy those Band Geeks tackle all the Yes material.

So do you NEED this album? Hmmm, while I cannot call it 'essential', I believe admirers of classic Yes will derive a great deal of pleasure from it. In European classical music, it's common for symphony orchestras to churn out recordings of Beethoven symphonies - and the like - long after the original composer has died, and every year, specialist periodicals will be analysing the latest recordings, pointing out where - for example - the Gothenburg Symphony anno 2025 have the edge over the Berlin Philharmonic anno 1962. Similarly, it's a great deal of fun to check out how the Band Geeks have mastered all those classic Yes compositions. And at the same time I find it uplifting to hear a 79-year old Jon Anderson (mercifully still alive!) pour his heart and soul into his lead vocals. So unless you're a J.A. hater, I definitely suggest you give PERPETUAL CHANGE a try.

3.5 stars. You can almost look at "Mythical River" as a companion album to their previous studio album "Arrival Of The New Elders". The band has shown some maturity on these two records, a more contemporary sound if you will. Songs are more structured, and there's less energy, these two albums are more reflective. While Stale decided to let the electric piano have the spotlight for a change on "Arrival Of The New Elders", he's back with the organ dominating once again, but this is way more laid back than those earlier records.

The album opens and closes with these short spacey atmospheric pieces. I do like the 8 minute title track. The way it builds up to around 5 1/2 minutes, then a calm but also a brighter sound with the keys. "Pretty Among The Stars" is the one track that seems like a nod to the past. At least the energetic, organ led sections are. These are contrasted throughout with other sections. "Chamber Of Silence" is interesting. Headphone music in fact, as there seems to be lots going on despite it being quiet.

"Heading For Desolate Wastelands" is a slow build and very laid back early on. Mellotron on this one. A pretty good final minute with the organ leading the way. I like the first minute of "Star Cluster Detective" where the drums and organ lead. "Caravan Of The Red Lion" has a very interesting opening minute. Experimental is the word, and then it starts to move with the organ leading the way.

I'm not really liking this new direction. I think there is potential though for something special to be created as they move forward in this more conservative style. Still, I also did not see this on many year end lists. Very few in fact. But, I can't wait to spend time with "Catching Fire With Terje Rypdal" where I think a lot of the maturity goes out the window. "Silver Mountain" with Reine Fiske continues to be my favourite ELEPHANT9 album.

While ROY HARPER entered the 1980s with a slicker production, he didn't wholly abandon the attention to detail in his songwriting. "The Unknown Soldier" is practically an equal collaboration between himself and DAVE GILMOUR, with the usual supporting cast of dozens, but it's hard to get into specifics about this because the credits are shoddily expounded upon.

We do know the pair co-wrote half the songs and it certainly sounds like the PINK FLOYD guitarist's melodic style on several tracks. One of these is "Short and Sweet" which appeared on Gilmour's first solo album in 1978, and is one of the highlights here. "You" is a solid collaboration with KATE BUSH, but my favorite here is the gossamer and poignant "Fly catcher", one of Harper's most successful ballads, with kudos to the perennial wisdom of DAVID BEDFORD.

Unfortunately, like many a 1980s album from a 1970s (and early) artist, "The Unknown Soldier" lacks some in consistency and quality, particularly on the lazy lyrics marring "I'm in Love with You", which could have been a centerpiece with reduced apathy; and the final two songs, both stylized and virtually taste-free attempts to modernize. However, "Playing Games" works in a BE BOP DELUXE meets early 1980s CAMEL manner.

This isn't an album I'd go to battle over, but it's still insightful enough to avoid ignominy, even 40+ years on.

It is always a pleasure to listen to any music where Italian creative soul Claudio Milano is featured, because it means it will be a challenging and quite interesting journey, knowing his enthusiasm towards experimental music and arts.

Of course, this time is not an exception, and here, for this record entitled 'Frattura, Comparsa, Dissolvenza', Milano reunited with other 3 minds with no boundaries and of course, with a lot of talent: Niccolo "Whale" Clemente, Teo "Borda" Ravelli, and Alberto Nemo, who made and recorded a performance in 2023 held in a gas station, a not-so- conventional place for a gig. This album shares four tracks and a total time of 43 minutes led by colorful voices, piano and noises. Actually it would be valid if we talked about a split album, because each musicians / singer has their own piece,

It kicks-off with 'Frattura Iniziale', piano alone for a minute and then a voice appears, it is Alberto Nemo the mind behind it, he delivers an spiritual performance where a synergy between his piano and his profound voice embrace the atmosphere. Its rhythm is calm, delicate, and with its repetition I believe the aim is to connect to the listener's minds and souls. Don't expect a change or a explosive moment in this track, just let your spirit be guided by Nemo's charm.

The long tracks begin now with 'Comparsa', which marks the turn of "Whale" Clemente. He, just like Nemo, sits in front of his piano and uses his voice to deliver an experimental momentum, with a strong vocal color that nicely contrasts with the delicate piano notes. This time the journey might be a little bit challenging, with not an actual rhythm, we have to expect the unexcpected. Anyway, the music flows with and without pauses, inviting us to have a cathartic episode where we can close our eyes, take a deep breath and try to go deeper in our innerselves. At half the song there is a loop in the voice, sounding like a meditation or even a religious ceremony, so yeah, I believe it is easier to connect with it if we are involved in spiritual activities.

'Dissolvenza' is the longest track here, almost 19 minutes where the Milano (voice) / Borda (electronics) combo take over. Yeah, since the very first seconds the electronic elements appear and create tension, then Milano's experimental and colorful voice join with some repetitive phrases, and then, starts to play with his powerful vocal chords. The sound is quite different here from the first two performances, and as you can notice, closer to my tastes. This track is not plain at all, it has ups and downs, moments of tension, darker atmospheres, even a bit of craziness, so the couple are able to explore their limits and create with all the freedom they have as experimental artists, which is why we can find a rollercoaster of emotions, textures, passages, sounds. My favorite track here.

And the album finishes almost like it started, with Nemo performing 'Frattura Finale', working as a reprise of the opener.

Yeah, this is a work of high quality, with talented and enigmatic artists, however, I believe this record is not that easy to dig, or at least, I could not connect as I would have wished, but in the end, the experience and the journey is personal, so I hope people give this album a try.

There are no more demons, magicians or symbolism in Uriah Heep's imaginary for their sixth album, 'Sweet Freedom' (1973), replaced instead on the cover by a bland and vaporous image of the musicians blurred in a reddish Martian background, for a proposal that opts for melodic and accessible structures, with a reduced but equally present contribution of the band's hard rock DNA and including some symphonic touches.

And so it is that "Sweet Freedom" unfolds between direct and neat atmospheres, like the restless guitar Funky of "Dreamer", the boogie rock of the active "Stealin'', the glam of the brief "One Day", the compact acoustic/electric ensemble of "Seven Stars", and the unexpected sonorities very close to the bossa-nova of the relaxed "Circus", whose contribution is limited, in my opinion, to the anecdotal and contrasting nature of its inclusion in the album.

But the band also gets 'serious' and dense with Ken Hensley's galloping, intense keyboards and David Byron's singing on the emotive "Sweet Freedom", despite the tiresome and unnecessary repetition of its chorus, with the mesmerising mid-tempo "If I Had the Time" and Hensley's lysergic moog, and finally also with Mick Box's affiliated guitar solos over the excellent sound carpet that Hensley's Hammond builds accompanied by Gary Thain's bass and Lee Kerslake's percussion, in the grandiloquent and epic "Pilgrim", a track that could be considered as one of the first ones that would feed years later on the still budding progressive metal.

"Sweet Freedom" may not carry with it all the magic of the band's previous works, but it manages to pull through because of the sheer quality of its performers.

3/3.5 stars

"Flying Teapot" is the first instalment of the incredible "Radio Gnome Invisible" series, which tells the story of the Planet GonG, a world inhabited by creatures called Pixies whose bizzare method of transport gives the album it's name. For those of you not farmiliar with the Gong Mythology (which is detailed in this series), a brief plot synopsis may be in order.

The story begins when the pig-farming Egyptologist Mr. Tea Being is sold a "Magik Ear Ring" by the enegmatic Antique Tea Pot Street Vendor and Tea Label Collector known only as Fred the Fish. The ear ring is capable of getting messages from the planet GonG via a pirate radio station known as Radio Gnome Invisible. The two travel to the Hymalayas, where they meet (in a cave) the Great Beer Yogi, Banana Andana, a figure who tends to chant "Banana Nirvana Manana" and get drunk on Foster's a lot. Meanwhile, elsewhere on Earth, the protagonist Zero the Hero is going about his everyday business when he experiences a vision which causes him to start worshiping the Cock Pot Pixie (also known as Hashman), one of the Pot Head Pixies of Planet GonG. Zero is distracted, however, by a cat, which he offers fish and chips to. The cat is actually the Good Witch Yoni, who gives Zero a potion which knocks him out, thus concluding the album. Characters in the Mythology can easily be equated to band members: Tea Being is bassist Mike Howlett, Zero the Hero is Allen himself, Didier Malherbe (who met Allen and Smyth in a cave on Majorca) is Banana Andana, and the Good Witch Yoni Gilli Smyth.

Radio Gnome Invisible- One of the stranger tracks on the album, which has strong overtones of the band's earlier releases as well as the subtleties that the group aquires with their musical progression. Flying Teapot- Easily the highlight of the album, this twelve minute piece makes great use of saxophone, piano, spacey effects over a great bass line and solid beat. Pot Head Pixies- One of the more surreal songs on the album. While comparatively short, its idiosyncratic lyrics and catchy tune make it instantly likeable. Octave Doctors- This track is the only major annoyance on the album. Lasting barely longer than a minute, it seems to have been included solely as a link between the third and fifth tracks (and as an excuse for Blake to experiment with his synths).

Zero the Hero- In terms of the plotline, this is the most important track on the album, introducing us to the protagonist Zero. Malherbe's sax playing is excellent here, and the mirific ambiences seen here act as a preview to some of the atmospheres in Angel's Egg, the next instalment of the trillogy. An absolutely amazing song. Witch's Song- Contains good instrumental parts, but Gilli Symth's lyrical parts detract somewhat from the overall quality. However, a good track with a more schizophrenic style than its predecessors, which provides a great end note for the album.

Overall- A great album -hampered only by poor sound quality and slightly weak production- which is definately the base for the success of the later albums of the Trillogy ("Angel's Egg" and "You"). Although one must listen several time in order to get used to the eccentric psychadelia of the album (and the gong Mythology, see above), it is more than worth the effort. The use of jazz-style improv, early synthesisers and a completely unique style make this an excellent addition to any progressive music collection. 4.0 great concept album

Don't be fooled, this is actually the second studio album from Haken guitarist Charlie Griffiths, just under a different name. I really liked his debut record of Tiktaalika, though I did feel like it drew a bit heavily from the original Haken sound. Though, I was quite optimistic going into this record, especially when I heard it focused more on the thrash metal elements that sometimes sprung up from the previous album.

This is a pretty good improvement from the debut I'd say. Gods of Pangaea really showcases Charlie's dynamic metal knowledge to new heights, with a bigger focus on old school thrash metal, mixed with an iconic progressive metal sound. The album has a very Voivod-like aura to me, which I quite enjoy, creating a sound that has a mix between the surreal and goofy nature of prog, with more serious aspects to tighten things together. Crack treated seriously, if you will.

Also, like the former album, Gods of Pangaea is a concept album, exploring the supercontinent of Pangaea, as well as the life that lived there. It's noticeably a tiny bit looser than the prior album, as the songs aren't quite linked up to form one big movement, which I do think was quite a missed opportunity. Imagine listening to the title track and through its segway you hear the foreboding bassline from The Forbidden Zone. I think that'd be pretty awesome. Shame that didn't work out in the end.

I also noticed some groove metal elements sometimes, which I think makes the sound more original. Again, my problem with Tiktaalika was that it felt like it drew too heavily from the Haken sound, and while the album does sometimes still carry that band's progressive metalisms, the added elements makes the proggy sound much more dynamic and interesting. I haven't really delved into the groove metal genre outside of Gojira and a Disembodied EP, but the groove elements here are really well done, especially in the bass work. Charlie and Conner Green are both really good at the bass, and they work well with each other, especially on The Forbidden Zone and Lost Continent, my personal favorite tracks on this album.

Though, perhaps it could benefit with some more technical and wackier elements than it already has. I think its big downside is that God of Pangaea sometimes can feel like a pretty straight laced heavy metal album. Obviously not on some of the longer tracks, but it does get kind of 'textbook definition' in terms of metal on here. Obviously, I am not expecting Charlie to reinvent the wheel here, but I do wish some of the tracks stood out a bit more, like Tyrannicide and Give Up the Ghost. Essentially while the prog is more dynamic, the metal has become a bit stagnant.

I think Gods of Pangaea is an overall improvement from Tiktaalika, with its more original sound that Charlie is more thoroughly playing around with, though it does still have some issues. All that aside, I am pretty optimistic for whatever Charlie has in store next, because I bet it'll be pretty good, if not better than this new album.

Best tracks: The Forbidden Zone, Lost Continent

Worst tracks: Tyrannicide, Give Up The Ghost