www.progwalhalla.com

                            Hello fellow Dutchman Dirk ("fenne gosah") :

The last month I have written a lot of reviews for Progwalhalla, I am delighted about the amount of good new and promising bands so I have decided to publish a compilation, including some interesting new non-PA bands (Unifaun, Combination Head and Progression) and a review I still have to publish on the PA homepage (Jane - Tribute To Peter Panka DVD).

CD’s:

AIREY (DON) – A Light In The Sky (****)

- This new solo CD by Don Airey was recommended to me by a friend with whom I share a love for vintage keyboards. I ahve always been a fan of Don Airey who once joined ‘symphonic jazzrock’ formation Colosseum II, who was a guest on the interesting progressive Cozy Powell solo albums (recommended: Over The Top) and who is nowadays a respected keyboardplayer in Deep Purple. During my first listening session I concluded very quickly that my friend hsi words were true, what an exciting and varied album featuring mindblowing work on the Hammond organ and Grand piano!

- As a huge fan of the very distinctive Hammond organ I was blown away by the way Don Airey let his Hammond organ moan and groan and scream during swirling solos in Ripples In The Fabric Of Time, Space Troll Patrol, Endless Night and A Light In The Sky Pt.2. But also a big hand for his vituosic work on the Grand piano like in Love You Too Much (wonderful ballad with warm vocals), Sombrero M104 (sparkling with flamenco hints), Into Orbit (swirling duet with a violin) and the strongly build-up final song Lost In The End Of Time (beautiful interplay between electric guitar and a melancholical violin). And what a variety: Rainbow-like Heavy Prog with powerful vocals in Shooting Star (Hammond sound like Jon Lord and a flashy Minimoog synthesizer solo with pitchbend) and A Light In The Sky Pt.2, ‘rockabilly’ (in the vein of The Strays Cats) with Hammond organ in Rocket To the Moon, fiery guitar with a jazzy Fender Rhodes elektric piano in Big Crunch and ambient keyboard sounds in several short songs like Big Bang, Lift Off and Metallicity.

- Especially during the 12 instrumental tracks Don Airey showcases his impressive skills on a wide range of keyboards, what an exciting, well balanced and ... very progressive album!

(IL) BACCIO DELLA MEDUSA – Discesa Agl’Inferi D’Un Giovane Amante (****)

- Four years after their promising eponymous debut album the six piece band Il Bacio Della Medusa has released their second album entitled Discesa Agl’Inferi D’Un Giovane Amante in 2008. Meanwhile the saxophone player has been replaced by a violinist and the drummer/keyboardplayer has extended his array of keyboards, especially the distinctive Hammond organ is omnipresent on this new album.

- The 12 tracks on this concept story album sound more elaborate and refined than on the promising debut CD, what a tension, dynamics, captivating breaks and changing climates, strong solos on guitar and keyboards and what an inspired Italian vocals! A very strong element in Il Bacio Della Medusa her sound is the ‘Holy Trinity’ of fiery guitar, swirling flute and powerful Hammond organ, especially in Ricordi Del Supplizio it sounds like a hot Heavy Prog jam session featuring Jon Lord and Ian Anderson, splendid! Another strong point is the tension between the mellow parts with flute, acoustic guitar, Grand piano, violin and warm vocals and the heavy interludes with bombastic keyboards, harder-edged guitar and raw vocals like in Nostalgia, Pentimento E Rabbia and Nosce Te Ipsum: La Bestia Ringhia In Noi. From a musical point of view the music delivers lots of variety, from Grand piano with violin and pleasant vocals in Confessione D’Un Amante and a duet with saxophone and fiery guitar in E Fu Allora Che Dalle Fiamme Mi Sorprese Una Calda Brezza Celeste to wonderful interplay between Grand piano, violin and choir in very the moving Corale Per Messa Da Requiem (I had almost tears in my eyes, what an emotion this song evokes) and warm work on flute and Grand piano in the final track Epilogo.

- To me this album sounds as one of the best Italian progrock CD’s I have heard in the last ten years and I can say that I have heard tons so highly recommended!

COMBINATION HEAD – Progress? (***)

- I still like UK progrock formation Combination Head their eponymous debut album very much, it contains alternating compositions with lots of dynamics and exciting work on keyboards and guitar. So I was very curious to this second effort, cynically entitled Progress?. How about that ‘progress’?

- Well, to be honest I am a bit disappointed about this new album, too many songs sound a bit too polished, at least half of the 10 songs is not instrumental and I simply notice less captivating and dynamic music than on that strong debut CD. Can I conclude that this is a mediocre effort? No, because in general the compositions sound tasteful with some exciting breaks and solos on keyboards and guitar like in Liquid (mid-tempo with ELP organ sound and jazzy guitar solo), Future Wisdom (strong and varied guitarplay and again delicious ELP organ sound) and The Great Escape (fluent rhythm, powerful female vocals, fiery electric guitar and a swirling Hammond organ solo). And you can enjoy pleasant variety, from atmospheric to mellow tracks (like New City, Smoking Tree and the final piece Cloud Cover) to compelling (Tomorrow’s World with flashy Moog solo) and fluent and bombastic (especially in the songs with Hammond organ and powerful guitar like aforementioned)

- So it depends how you look to this second Combination album, I think those who know the first album could be disappointed (like me) because I prefer Combination Head playing more instrumentals than songs with vocals and I trace less ‘pyrotechnics’ on keyboard and guitar. But in fact this is a pleasant album, more song-oriented with some very good work on keyboard and guitar, just listen to the MP3 files on their website and take your own conclusion.

THE D PROJECT – The Sagarmatha Dilemma (***1/2)

- The man behind this musical project is Canadian guitarist/keyboardplayer/singer Stéphane Desbiens, a very prolific and creative person: on his 11th he started to play guitar and when he was 20 he had already a lot of experience, he joined the bands Rose Nocturne and later progrock band Sense, in 1996 he released his first solo album entitles Desbienes Acoustic, he was technician, studio musician, guitar teacher and even played in an Irish folk band, what a stunning curriculum vitae!

- This year (2008) The D Project has released the CD entitled The Sagarmatha Dilemma, Stéphane founded a band with musicians, from drums to Chapman stick and violin and even known guest musicians like singer Stu Nicholson (Galahad) and keyboardplayer Derek Sherinan (of Dream Theater fame, plays on one track

During the first part of this album I quickly got the idea that Stéphane had put his love for Pink Floyd very obviously into his music because of the Floydian inspired guitarwork in the alternating and compelling compositions Closer To My Soul / Closer To Heaven (The Wall atmosphere and a strong accellaration with organ and fiery guitar, then joined by a swirling violin) and The Red Mountain (beautiful part with classical guitar runs). But soon I discovered that The D Project is more than a kind of modern sounding Pink Floyd, the other five songs deliver lots of variety, subtle musical ideas and strong breaks: a mid-tempo with violin-Mellotron and powerful guitar in the titletrack, a bombastic eruption with choir-Mellotron and a break with a propulsive guitar in the captivating and varied Even If I Was Wrong, a jazzrock climate with lots of dynamics and a spectacular interlude with Al DiMeola/John McLaughlin-like, dazzling guitar runs in the fluent Radio Sherpa and a musical adeventure in the short but exciting final piece I’m Coming Down (I Shall Go Back), from a part with a dreamy violin and subtle guitarwork tot a bass solo on the Chapman stick and a compelling and bombastic end with raw and fat guitar riffs, I love it!

- This is the kind of album that grows and grows because of the variety, from neo-prog (Thin Air) to the aforementioned jazzrock, symphonic rock and progressive melodic rock, especially the progheads who love powerful guitarplay will be pleased with this strong album!

JPL – Retrospectives Volume 1 (***1/2)

- This is the fourth solo album by monsieur JP Louveton, guitarplayer of the exciting and acclaimed new French progrock band Nemo. In 1987 he discovered the guitar and taught himself to play on it. Soon he started to write many compositions and playing in several bands. In the booklet of this CD I read that JP wrote lots of material between 1991 and 1997, he has decided to put this on CD, along with two new compositions from and the final part of Extreme Stress/ Décompression from 1995 is also written in 2007. In two of the 12 tracks JP sings, the rest is instrumental.

- We can enjoy varied and tastefully arranged songs, featuring a strong rhythm-section and JP with often powerful guitarplay but also more mellow and moving work: from swinging with powerful guitar runs and wah-wah drenched solos in Silence Dans La Salle and Extrême Stress / Décompression and a blend of jazz and funk in No Comprendo (including a ‘slap’ bass solo, inventive keyboard arrangements and again wah-wah drenched guitarplay) till dreamy with twanging electric guitar and fine use of the volume pedal in Loins, a slow rhythm with fiery guitar runs and wonderful classical orchestrations in Cathedrales and two songs with warm French vocals and pleasant twanging acoustic guitar ( Soleil D’Hiver and En Un Clin D’Oeil). My favorite is the composition Du Temps De Louis delivering fluent piano flights and powerful guitarplay, blended with exciting guitar riffs and organ waves, in m y opinion the only song that sounds like his band Nemo. In the final song Au Revoir, A Jamais (swinging bass work and delicate Fender piano play) I trace his appreciation for guitar hero Steve Vai, what an exciting heavy guitar sound.

- If you like prog and guitar, this is music to check out, on his website you can listen to samples of all his four solo albums.

MOSTLY AUTUMN – Glass Shadows (****)

- The recent years I am more and more pleased with the very distinctive Mostly Autumn sound, also on this new album you can enjoy lots of dynamics between the folky parts (featuring instruments like twanging acoustic guitars, Grand piano, Uillean pipes and flute) and the more compelling and bombastic parts (loaded with a heavy keyboard sound and often howling Floydian guitar runs), embellished with wonderful male and female vocals). On Glass Shadows I am delighted about the longer compositions Tearing At The Faerytale (strong build-up with lush instrumentation, from sensitive piano work and soaring keyboards to acoustic rhythm-guitar and a long moving guitar solo) and the a bit ominous and varied titletrack (delivering The Wall-like climates, a church-organ sound, floods of Hammond organ and powerful, quite dramatic vocals). A strong point in Mostly Autumn their music is that after those compelling and bombastic moments, you can always enjoy mellow and warm folky pieces and I love the Uilean pipes. Unfortunately on this album you cannot finf very much Uilean pipes but the exciting duel with an electric guitar in Until The Story Ends almost puts this right!

- I hope to see Mostly Autumn very soon, the last time was at about 10 years ago, since then they have turned from an obviously Pink Floyd inspired band into an unique progrock band and with their new album Glass Shadows again Mostly Autumn will please their fans.

MOTH VELLUM – Moth Vellum (***1/2)

- This is a new USA four piece band that released her eponymous debut CD in 2007. Moth Vellum her sound sounds like a happy marriage between Mr. Yes (Going For The One era) and Mrs. Genesis (around Wind & Wuthering). We can enjoy six tastefully arranged, melodic and accesible compositions featuring beautiful and varied Steve Howe-like guitar work (from twanging and use of volume pedal to steel guitar and fiery runs), lush vintage keyboards (from flashy Minimoog flights to soaring Mellotron waves) and Jon Anderson-like vocals. In general the climates are dreamy or compelling, at some moments you can hear fluent breaks or bombastic eruptions. I had preferred a bit more of those moments because in some parts of the longer tracks my attention tends to slip away, the marriage between Mr. Yes and Mrs. Genesis could have had a bit more positive tension! But the running time of this album is around one hour and during the 60 minutes I have heard lots of very pleasant vintage keyboard driven symphonic rock in the vein of ‘classic’ Yes and Genesis, I think the romantic progheads and symphomaniacs will be very pleased with this CD.

UNIFAUN – Unifaun (***1/2)

- The roots of this Swedish two-piece band (with an additional drummer on two tracks) are a concert by the awesome Canadian Genesis tribute band The Musical Box in 2003: multi-instrumentalist Nad Sylvan decides to post on the Genesis forum and then makes contact with kebyoardplayer Bonamici, the result is the Genesis cover band Unifaun that describes their music as ‘a Genesis soundscape band’. Along the covers the two members also wrote own material, the fans are very pleased with those compositions and beg Unifaun to make an album with that material. In the end the progrock label Progress Records enables Unifaun to make an own CD and in 2008 their eponymous debut CD is released.

- After my first listening session I was quite disappointed because I had expected a pure Wind & Wuthering sound but Unifaun delivers a blend of the more commercial sounding A Trick Of The Tail songs, the polished progpop on And Then There Were Three and 24-carat symphonic rock like on Selling England By The Pound, some The Lamb material and Wind & Wuthering, all layared with very Phil Collins inspired vocals (not really ‘my cup of tea’ singer). But after few more turns gradually I started to appreciate their wonderful and elaborate music featuring soms very strong musical moments with a lush vintage keyboard sound, from majestic choir-Mellotron waves to quick ARP Pro Solist synthesizer flights, frequently supported by beautiful abd often sensitive Steve Hackett-like guitarwork. The most symphonic rock inspired music on this CD are during Mr. Marmaduke And The Minister (alternating with a varied vintage keyboard sound), the instrumental Rehacksis (strong break with guitar and swelling keyboards), the long and captivating Quest For The Last Virtue (from dreamy with twanging 12-string guitars and soaring choir-Mellotron to compelling with Hackett-like guitar and Phil Collins-like vocals), the short instrumental Finistere (wonderful interplay between organ and Mellotron) and the beautiful, also instrumental final composition

End-Or-Fin (the climate shifts from a more polished ATOTT to The Lamb-sounding pieces because of the ARP Pro Solist sound), the build-up is great and culminates into a compelling 24-carat symphonic rock grand finale featuring very tasteful interplay between guitar, keyboards and the propulsive rhythm-section.

- So if you are up to Phil Collins-like vocals and a blend of more polished prog and genuine symphonic rock, this Unifaun debut CD is a very fine album to experience, their website will tell you more.

PROGRESSION – The Dream Of Cecilia (****)

- This week I noticed a parcel from Finland in my mail box, a further investigation revealed that it was send by the Finnish band Progression. Perhaps they were inspired by other Finnish band Mist Season because I have written reviews about them on the Internet. Progression was founded in 1976, they made a demo, did a few gigs and twenty years later they were refounded by original member Harri Nokso with “new members and new ideas”. And Progression even has her own ‘rock-jazz event’ entitled Fusion (once featuring fellow Finnish band Mist Season). In 2007 Progression released her instrumental debut CD The Dream Of Cecilia, finally!

- On this CD the band describes her music as ‘groovy jazzrock’, influenced by Mahavishnu Orchestra, Billy Cobham and John McLaughlin. In the 9 meledic, mainly swinging compositions I hear elements from Mahavishnu Orchestra, Al DiMeola and JL Ponty, played very energetic and convincing: an adventurous, often propulsive rhythm-section, powerful dual-guitarwork, sparkling violinplay and some songs contain keyboards, it sounds fluent and exciting, what a band! The only mellow song is Bright Light From High featuring dreamy work on acoustic – and electric guitar and a sitar-like sound. But in general Progression indeed delivers ‘groovy jazzrock’ with strong interplay and cascades of solos on guitar (in almost every song fiery work by the two guitarplayers, in some songs dual guitarwork like in

Nightmare and Hyperactive Games), on violin (swirling in Nightmare, Gansta Race and Mental Activity) and on keyboards (swinging Fender piano in the titletrack and spectaculair synthesizer fights in Bright Light From High, Hyperactive Games and Little Confusion).

- To me this album sounds as a splendid tribute to the Seventies jazzrock, highly recommended to the jazzrock aficionados!

DVD’s:

IL BALLETTO DI BRONZO – Live In Rome (***)

- Ask fans of the Seventies Italian Progrock about their favorite albums from that era, I am sure that most of them will name Ys (1972) by Il Balletto Di Bronzo, among legends PFM, Banco and Le Orme. Personally I have opposite feelings about the music on that highly acclaimed record: on one hand I am delighted about the sumptuous, often compelling vintage keyboard drenched symphonic rock moments, on the other hand I can’t get into the nerveracking avant-garde inspired interludes. For me it remains a bit too complex and too varied progrock album but I really appreciate Il Balletto Di Bronzo their adventurous musical ideas on Ys, in my opinion a ‘classic’ in progrock history that can compete with Yes, Genesis, ELP and King Crimson their best work! In 2007 Il Balletto Di Bronzo performed as a trio old and new material during a concert in the wonderful historical Italian capital Rome (they also did in 1996, in 1999 followed by the Trys album). First Live In Rome 2007 was released as a CD (2007), now there is the DVD version (2008), you can experience a bit of the magic of that legendary Ys album, 35 years after its release.

- The first part of the concert contains five compositions (two from Trys) featuring theatrical vocals, lots of sumptuous keyboardwork (often fat and spectacular synthesizer flights) and a very propulsive and ‘groovy’ rhythm-section with compelling and hypnotizing atmospheres and obvious ELP hints. It sounds a bit weird and experimental but also captivating and adventurous, perhaps you can describe it as ‘an avant-garde version of ELP’. And then ... an abridged version (25 minutes) of the Ys album, now we can enjoy one of the highlights of Seventies Italian Progrock on DVD! Well, this trio comes mighty close in capturing the unique spirit of the album Ys: a choir in the intro and then breathtaking keyboardwork (from swirling Hammond organ to flashy Minimoog-like flights) in Introduzione, lots of sensational sumptuous keyboards, theatrical vocals and a wonderful final part with harpsichord in the more complex sounding Primo Incontro, splendid drumming, a bass solo with freaky synthesizer support and a jazzy piano with a propulsive rhythm-section in Secondo Incontro, lots of piano, theatrical vocals and a distorted bass sound in the experimental Terzo Incontro and finally a bombastic climat with drums and organ in the final song entitled Epilogo, what an awesome and compelling sound, I was carried away during this small half an hour tribute to the album Ys, a big hand for this Il Balletto Di Bronzo trio! Then 3 songs I have never heard of but to me the swinging L’Emofago and Il Castello sound very pleasant with spectacular keyboardwork and an adventurous rhythm-section, often reminding me of ELP. An extra on this DVD is a solo performance by singer/keyboardplayer Gianni Leone, I have to admit that I am a bit disappointed about his blend of electronic music and synthi-pop, only Hommage To Balleto is interesting with sequencers and virtuosic play on keyboards. But in general I miss the bombastic and compelling atmosphere without the rhythm-section on the original Ys album and to be honest, a drum-machine sounds so poor.

- My conclusion: the first part will not be everybody’s cup of tea but I appreciate the adventurous mind of Gianni Leone, the Ys rendition is jaw-dropping, the final part is good but the Gianni Leone solo inclusion fails to keep my attention so I quickly zapp back to ... the Ys rendition, breathtaking, jaw-dropping, awesome .... in my opinion worth to buy this DVD!