ILLUSIONS ON A DOUBLE DIMPLE

Triumvirat have been named ELP clones for decades, but there's certainly more to their work than that (at least on this CD, the only one I have). Along with the Emerson Moogs and organs, we get some very Yes-ish vocals (the multiple quotes of the brief harmony Aaaah from CTTE are pretty funny), and other classic rock allusions. These include Sugarloaf, Beatles, and early Journey (the lead vocals resemble Gregg Rolie quite a bit). I personally like Jurgen Fritz' key work better than Keith Emerson's, as it's more musical, that is, composed in its virtuosity. Some of the clean piano parts are gorgeous, and as some others have said, the album as a whole is more consistent than any of ELP's I've heard.

There are parts that are stereotypical 70's rock to an almost humorous degree (a la Deep Purple's "Woman from Tokyo" among others). There are also some chord voicings and tensions that offer colors rarely heard even in prog (Fritz was classically trained, no surprise). The female choral vocals add some symphonic character, which is most apparent when the clean piano is playing. The drumming is light and jazzy, and grooves so well in grand 70's tradition.

While extremely well composed and executed, there is absolutely nothing original here. I think for those who have exhausted the classics and are still looking for more music in the style of early prog, this would be a great choice. 3.5 stars rounded down because though it's very good, it's also completely non-essential.

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