TESTING TO DESTRUCTION

Two years passed since the previous album, and it seems in these two years not enough material was made for a new one. I'm guessing, of course. To me Testing to Destruction is a big disappointment compared to The Big Picture. About twenty minutes of its time are filled with instrumentals, recorded during a live performance. They remind me of some of the improvisations King Crimson used to make when Cross was a member of that band, and I don't mean that as a compliment. Those improvisations most of the time just didn't go anywhere. The first part of Welcome to Frisco is as much fun to hear as a nail scratching over a blackboard. Swing Arm begins nicely and hints strongly at that KC epic Starless, but unfortunately it becomes a mess soon after it started. Cycle and Testing aren't very interesting either, but at least they're reasonably short. Of the remaining songs, some are good, some are not so good. Learning Curve is nothing special, The Affable Mister G. is little else than a new version of Nurse Insane of TBP, and even the great violin solo doesn't quite save it. Calamity however is fantastic and Tripwire is good fun. The album ends with the lengthy Abo. Not bad, but a bit too long to keep me interested.Still an album worthy of attention, if only for Calamity. Two or three stars? OK, three it is, although two and a half would be more appropriate.