THE SUM OF NO EVIL

Their second best work so far (after Unfold the future)? Yes, i would agree with that. In their career so far they have some up with three masterpiece albums: Unfold the Future, Flower Power and The Sum of No Evil; all of these deserve five stars, and here's why:

They have managed to create a perfect hybrid between many genres over the years, and TSONE is no exception. This time they have somehow created a cross between Yes and Dream Theatre, with the incredible melodic side of Yes and the heaviness and complexity of Dream Theatre, and it went down very well indeed with me!

Here's my usual track-by-track analysis:

1. One More Time - Starts with a very nice Leccy Piano melody, and breaks into the song with a bang! Some typical Stolt guitaring here that I've grown to love and a rather large nod to the legacy of Yes. A great opener - 9/10 2. Love Is The Answer - The best track on the album. Purely symponic, but this contains some great influence from the heavier side of prog. Fantastic all-round musicianship, especially from Thomas Bodin, and most of all some marvellous Floydesqe progression in place. The fashionable second track by the Kings - 10/10 3. Trading My Soul - Incredibly nostalgic of Genesis. Starts of with Bodin and Stolt singing semi-acapella, kicking in with drums and bass, very much reminding me of Blood on the Rooftops. Easier listening of all the tracks, and very contrasting to the first two - 9/10 4. The Sum Of No Reason - Some more amazing progression in this one. Another nod to the heavier side of progressive metal, probably picked up from the time Stolt spent with Portnoy in the great project Transatlantic. The second masterpiece of the album, many rhythm changes and should be very enjoyable to all prog fans - 10/10 5. Flight 999 (Brimstone Air) - Absolutely insane. Some of the best jazz drumming I've heard in a long time, reminds me of Too Late for Tomatoes off the Unfold the Future album. enjoyable for people who like quite surreal music and strange keyboard sounds and effects. The weaker track on the album, still good however - 8/10 6. Life In Motion - An excellent finale. The clues in the title: it pretty much sums up the whole album, taking influence from both classical and jazz, also good lyrically. the third masterpiece of the album, and probably second best - 10/10

Overall score = 93% = 4.6

5 stars, undoubtedly, essential.