BETWEEN FLESH AND DIVINE

I heard the band name long time ago but never got a chance to enjoy their music until I got this album couple of months ago from a friend of mine. I was quite surprised knowing the music was quite captivating. I thought it was a kind of fusion but I kind find a sense of Camel music; so I think the description under symphonic prog is quite OK to me.

The opening track was what made me curious to spin the album in its entirety. It's through the opening track that I thought the music would flow in fusion style. The obvious bass-guitar playing in the opening track that brings the music in fusion style. Having listened to the album in its entirety for more than five times, this is my view based on five components of music composition:

First, is the melody ? i.e. the degree to which the main melody of the song is constructed from a combination of notes. I think this album has a range between moderate to excellent in terms of melody even though some of them are not quite catchy. But it's OK, not all prog compositions require catchy melody (example: Gentle Giant especially the "In A Glass House" album). Second is the harmonies ie. how each instrument contributes in creating sounds and notes. I think this album is excellent in terms of harmonies. I like the flute-work in this album. Third is the complexity of the arrangement i.e. the degree in which the instrument (including vocal) being played by the musicians and how they generate a piece of music stream or segment of the music. This is not quite complex album and I think most people who like music would like this album as well. Fourth is change of style i.e. how the style changes in a song which includes tempo changes and/ or heavy or soft musical sounds. This album is quite balanced in combining different styles. The last one (fifth) is the structural integrity i.e. the degree to which all musical segments, including changes of style, form a cohesiveness of the music as a whole from start to end. This album is quite cohesive in its entirety. The sound production is not quite good but it does not bother a lot as I still can enjoy the subtleties.

It's an excellent addition to any prog music collection. Keep on proggin' ...!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW