TRACE

I hold ELP responsible for a lot of things. That includes bands like TRACE. But where ELP were both innovative and had a "nasty" bite, TRACE just copies them and then adds some more organs. The result is everything ELP is not.

I am not a big fan of EKSEPTION, to say at least. They were just copying some classic music works and giving it their own identity. TRACE is doing more or less the same here. But they have removed the rock element and most of the jazz elements from the ELP sound. There is no guitars here, no vocals and no madness in the sound. This is, and Keith Emerson's organs is why ELP worked so well. Without it, TRACE (and EKSEPTION) becomes muzak. Elevator and shopping mall music, in other words.

When that is said, the opening track Gaillarde is pretty good. At least, TRACE tries to make this album more than just elevator music. The music is pretty heavy too. There are elements of jazz here. There are traces of creative thinking in the music. The musicians skills is pretty high. The ELP adoration pieces makes my heart sing. But these pieces alone does not save this album. Most of the music is a too much background noise for me. I soon turn my attention to other things.

This album is by no means a waste of time. But ELP or TRIUMVARAT, it is not. It is still a fairly good album with some potential. I will listen more to it in the coming years.

3 stars (barely)