A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A UNIVERSAL WANDERER

First the news that Nightwish declared Troy Donockley as full-member, now he plays as a session musician at these guys new release. Well, being the "got to have all from him"-nerd I am, I got to order their new album anyway - but let's hear what they're all about. This is their fourth album already, and is advertised as "Medieval Space Rock, recorded from the far side of the solar system". Aha. What we get is some really good made down-to-earth prog/rock. After a short introduction by some narrator with a congested nose, the band comes in with a nice nod towards Arthur C. Clarke - The Nine Billion Names of God. Really groovy - getting jazzy in the middle with some "let's make love right now"-vibe saxophone. Narration bits drive the story forward every now and then - but never obstrusive. In fact, it could be a bit more audible in the mix, as the music already starts while the narration is still going on, and the music blows the nosey man against the wall. The final song "The Wanderer Goes South" returns to the melody of the opener again, which I think is really cool! Makes you want to play the album again. I'm sold, I really like that! Came here to checkout a band because of it's guest playing on the upcoming album, and left as a fan of them.