NEVER WASN'T

From what I can see this 2008 album was the only release from this American outfit, and the website doesn't appear to have been updated for some time so I'm not sure if they're still active or not. Anyway, what we have here is an album that could easily have been released some thirty years earlier as this is late Seventies 'prog' for Americans who feel that bands like Styx and Angel are the pinnacle of that genre. When I first heard this I had to check the release date, as even the artwork could be from that period, but I don't want to give the impression that this is a bad album because of that; it's average not due to the feeling of being in the past, but because there are times when it just isn't as good as it could be.

Ronny Lapine mostly has a strong vocal style, but there are times when he goes a little off-key or doesn't seem able to hold the long notes, which does somewhat detract to the overall feel. But incredibly there are times when he hits loud and clear which makes me wonder if the recording sessions weren't as long as they might have wished and that they weren't able to capture all the best takes. There are hints here and there of Yes, and at times of Saga, but mostly this is an American rock album that has will find some fans. I'm just not one of them. www.1russ.us