ASSAULT ON MERRYLAND

I would like to give this five stars for recommendation's sake, but I can't bring myself to do it. It's not an essential masterpiece, but a very fine piece of music. Much like other American prog rock from the seventies, such as Starcastle or Todd Rundgren's Utopia, it takes progressive rock's stereotypes to an excess.

The lyrics are incredibly impersonal and fantastical. It's a concept album about a beautiful maiden (Terella) from a paradise called "Merryland" who escapes her arranged marriage, only to anger her mother (the queen), who blames her father (King Ferris) for her leaving. The queen then casts a spell on Merryland sending it into eternal darkness. The creatures of Merryland then set out to find King Ferris, who lives very far away, to seek his help.

Musically, the album is a good balance of hard, psychedelic, and symphonic rock. There isn't a bad song on the album, but some moments are definitely better than others.

If you don't mind some pretentiousness and wankery here and there, I definitely recommend this album, as it is quite a rewarding listen.