1ST

It took me a while to find this album, as it wasn't available through the usual channels, but to my relief it could be ordered simply and safely via the website of the company that released it in Europe (Mellow Records). It wasn't exactly cheap, but it's worth every penny!

Like several others who reviewed "1st" before me, I simply had to buy this album because I'd been deeply impressed by Discus' second effort, TOT LICHT. There's hardly a trace here of the exhilarating epics which caused me to dub Discus 'one of the foremost prog bands of the new millennium', but don't worry, there's so still much adventurous music... I find these players far superior to the likes of The Flower Kings or Porcupine Tree.

Right from the start Discus had a beguiling female lead vocalist in Nonnie, but on 1st she doesn't get to scale the heights she would later reach on TOT LICHT. Instead she mainly gets conventional pop tunes to sing (usually sharing lead vocals with band leader Iwan Hassan), but every single one of those tunes is saved from mediocrity by superb solos (on electric guitar, keyboards, wind instruments or violin) by the various members of the band.

The album's true glory, however, lies in the (predominantly) instrumental suites that open and close it, and also in 'Condissonance', a lovely trio for violin, bass clarinet and 21 string harp guitar. The endlessly inventive suites may occasionally remind you of mid-1970s Zappa, Yes or Jethro Tull, of National Health, Return to Forever or Patrick Moraz' STORY OF I. They contain a similarly weird mixture of hard-rock riffing, lyrical sax/flute solos, sudden tempo changes, western classical influences and crazy jazz-rock, which is why there's really one label for this music, in my view: Symphonic Prog!

It is to their advantage that Discus were obviously inspired by the golden age of Prog without sounding derivative - another thing that distinguishes them from the likes of the Flower Kings. And their music is also considerably enriched by Indonesian influences. (Balinese percussion, gamelan-like synths, borrowed folk melodies etc.) I hope we'll be hearing much, much more from them in the future.

Share this DISCUS review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to fuxi
• Report this review (#183560)
• Buy DISCUS music online with PA partners
• Show all DISCUS MP3/Stream
• Go to DISCUS page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to 1st page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for DISCUS related discussions