IN THE FOLLOWING HALF-LIGHT (NETHERWORLD)

NETHERWORLD were an obscure band from the USA who released this one album back in 1981.The sound is really a cross between Neo and Symphonic. I have to give credit here to Greg Walker who has been a real supporter of Prog in general but especially American Prog. He released a double compilation album on his Synphonic label called "Past-Present- Future" which contained 2 tracks from eight different bands. NETHERWORLD were included in this and the songs Greg used show up as bonus tracks on this cd re-issue. I mention this because for me they are the best part of the album.

"Too Hard To Forget" hits the ground running with synths and drums outfront. Catchy stuff. "Son Of Sam" is an urgent sounding track which is understandable considering who it's about. The guitar is much more prominant in this one compared to the opener. "Straight Into Infinity" is uptempo to start with guitar leading. It settles some when the vocals arrive. Mellotron in this one too. A calm before 1 1/2 minutes as the tempo will continue to shift. At least we get some upfront mellotron on this one.The best track so far.

"Maybe If They Burn Me" has a really good instrumental section but i'm not a fan of the more aggressive vocals on this one. "Isle Of Man" is ballad-like to start.The tempo picks up and the sound gets fuller after 2 1/2 minutes.This is much better. Some nice keyboard work follows. Mellotron before 4 1/2 minutes as it settles back. "A Matter Of Time" opens with acoustic guitar as mellotron rolls in then reserved vocals. Cello before 4 1/2 minutes and I really like the guitar that follows. "Sargasso" opens with piano as laid back but theatrical vocals come in. It picks up then settles back down. A lot of theatrics in this closing track.

A good album that has some killer sections. It could have been so much better. Lots of mellotron too but the vocals don't do a lot for me.