MY RIVER FLOWS

After an agonizing year long wait, IZZ finally brings forth the goods. Some of these tunes have been honed at Cal-Prog and other concerts over the past couple of years, I remember hearing "Crossfire" at Cal-Prog '04. I was immediately stunned at the production quality of MRF, I could FEEL the bass and kick drum, powerful stuff!

There is a lot of growth on this record, as in a more cohesive band, thoughtful lyrical content, individual instrumental prowess and shared duties. Anmarie, Laura and John Galgano share more lead vocal time then on previous albums. John Galgano's voice has improved tremendously and his bass playing is superb, getting a lot of presence to his fills and runs. Greg Dimiceli and Brian Coralian absolutely meld into a single eight limbed octo-drummer, locked in synchronistic harmony. Tom Galgano is in fine voice and, as a lead soloist, plays for the song and doesn't get "over the top." The biggest standout, though, is Paul Bremner. Brems really makes the most of every moment. His tone graces each tune with alternating power chords, deft flurries of razor sharp notes, ebow driven legato and sweet linear runs. Fabulous.

The tunes: Beatlesque melodies appear on Anything I Can Dream and Rose Colored Glasses. Muscular workouts, like Late Night Salvation and My River Flows. An epic showcase of musical twists and turns, choir-like passages, spiritual redemption and the kitchen sink on Deafening Silence. A sweet lullaby, Abby's Song. Social commentary on Deception. The band covers a lot of territory on this release, something for everyone.

I find myself skipping the title track and the finale. Why? For some reason, My River Flows doesn't click between the vocal melody and the chord structure. I felt the same way at Cal-Prog when they opened the show with this song. I can't put my finger on it, but something just doesn't fit. Deafening Silence is a huge tune, very hard to make it through in one sitting. I think it may be a case of a band trying to write an epic, rather than a song that demands it. I could hear DS broken down into three shorter pieces that would have worked much better. Rather than writing their Close to the Edge, they came up with a Tales from the Topographic moment. Too much padding, trying too hard? I don't know. Still, some fantastic interludes.

Why should you own this album? Late Night Salvation may be THE best prog tune of 2005. It is an awesome tune on every level; musically, lyrically, vocally and production quality. I remember the first time I heard Roundabout when I was a kid. I was shocked. LNS gave me that same feeling. Even with the small short-comings, My River Flows is an excellent addition to any prog collection. Cheers Greg!

IZZ rocks!