AGAINST REASON

As many fans of progressive rock music already know, in the early '80s, there was a resurgence of bands that sought to recapture the feeling of adventure that the 70's prog legends had. Given the now-obsolete title of neo-prog, some view this style poorly due to the fact that the style had too much of an emphasis on melody and tends to get stuck in anthemic choruses and cheesy synth solos rather than actually pushing the envelope. All the same, some great bands have done great things with the neo-prog sound, and Credo is a band that has recently received some heavy acclaim for this new album. A band somewhat infamous for their long waits between releasing new albums, Credo have only produced three records starting in 1994, and as a result, their albums are highly anticipated by fans of the band's existing work. As with many though, 'Against Reason' is my first experience with the music of Credo, although like many neo-prog bands, it is a very familiar sound. 'Against Reason' is a talented and consistent journey through a familiar melodic rock sound, and has enough substance to it to satisfy anyone looking for a melodic prog album.

Credo's sound is explicitly neo-prog; the music revolves around big choruses, melodic and upbeat song structures, and the synths get more than a couple of moments to lead the band onward. My personal musical angle can usually lead me to hold derivative prog convention against bands, and while I cannot bring myself to say that I can completely overlook the formulaic nature of the music here, it does not stop Credo from making some memorable music. With the exception of one track 'Reason To Live', all of the songs on 'Against Reason' are fairly long, typically over the ten minute mark. Each of the longer songs is memorable in its own right for one aspect or another, although the music tends to follow one running musical style throughout the entire thing.

Instrumentally, the band sounds very familiar to Marillion- especially in the heavy use of melodic synthesizers- and while the music does not stand out as particularly original to me, it is done very well. Mark Colton's voice works brilliantly for the sound, and the lyrics here are one of the greatest things that the band offers. Especially on the most memorable song 'Conspiracy', the witty way the lyrics address the titular subject matter can make a listener both laugh and think, and I think that for an album like this, that is the best possible outcome. Credo certainly takes their music and art seriously, but they are able to do so with a tongue in cheek personality. The compositions here have many different ideas in them, but they are all bound by a somewhat similar sound palette. I do think that these tracks may have done better with either being shorter, or having some more integral ideas in them, but the songs rarely truly feel like they are overstaying their welcome.

'Against Reason' is a very good album for neo-prog rock, although I will close the review by making the note that I did not like it nearly as much at first. First judging it by its derivative and familiar sound, it took several intent listens before these compositions really began to earn their merits in my eye. Credo's third album has not disappointed me in any case, and while I may not see it as a masterpiece as many others deem it to be, 'Against Reason' earns its bread.

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