DRAGONFLY

A gruesome slice of early-eighties symphonic prog that borrows from a host of superior acts - Genesis, Yes, Grobschnitt to name but a few - this thoroughly overcooked self-titled debut from Swiss outfit Dragonfly is a prime example of just how excessive and tedious progressive rock can get. The group's only release, the main problem here is that the 'rock' element is pretty non-existent, the majority of the album coated in a glutinous array of cheesy synths, rapid-fire keyboard passages and Rene Buhler's unfortunately overly-teutonic vocals. Opening track 'Beyond The Spider's Web', a wildly erratic synth-rock workout that comes across like a bad nursery rhyme, is a prime example. There is, simply put, no edge to Dragonfly's sound. This is soft, gooey music - almost the sonic equivalent of treacle - and the addition of classically-orientated ingredients as found on the album's risible closing epic('Dragonfly') only seems to accentuate the point. Sadly, and despite some obvious talent behind the instruments, this as bad a prog-rock album as this reviewer has heard. No wonder they never recorded again.

STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2012