RECYCLED

Having just seen them this past Friday in Morristown, Nj USA, this was the only album left to purchase from their classic period for sale in the lobby of the theatre. And it so happens to be my favorite by the band :-). Right from the get-go, its in your face, sonic and frightfully fast. The album is in two parts, and as all the other reviewers mention its about the ecology of planet Earth and our slow destruction of it. Music- wise, its the most symphonic of all their albums courtesy of synth wizard, Larry Fast. "Recycled Part 1" is as fast paced as symphonic prog gets. Mind-blowing and hectic, it gets your juices flowing and by the end with a chorus singing, and guitars crashing its exhausting, but satisfying. Side two, "Recycled Part 2" starts out slowly and builds itself into a more symphonic groove ending with an absolute beautiful choral, piano and light strumming guitar fadeout, (I crank it up because its just so tearjerkingly wonderful). Some people tend to pigeonhole this record as more AOR. I disagree. There's tempo changes aplenty. More groove-like, maybe, but its definately NOT AOR. It's aggressively symphonic without being bombastic. One of their best albums. And as a bonus, if you purchase the remastered version, you'll get the first mix of the album which is definately a different slant; no choral work, and less synths. Interesting but I enjoy the original recording. 4.5 stars!