THE ANCIENT TALE

Fatal Fusion play in a prog style which remains rooted in the genre's 1970s roots (with a strong flavour of 1980s neo-prog on the side), but avoid turning themselves into a sterile nostalgia act by playing in a loose, wild style which feels like it could have blasted forth from the stage of prog venues of old. Avoiding the overprecise, fussy production which less interesting retro-prog outfits pursue in the name of sonic perfection, Fatal Fusion instead create an album whose imperfections are, in fact, part of its charm - the rest of its charm being taken up with its gloriously sincere embrace of its fantasy themes as expressed in its lyrics.

This is one of those albums like Galadriel's Muttered Promises From an Ageless Pond where somehow it ends up sounding incredible even though in terms of originality and technical excellence it's nothing special - there's a magic to Fatal Fusion's compositions which drips from every second of the album. Great stuff.