RELAYER

At first I was hesitant to give this one a chance, as TFTO didn't really grab me, and I was unsure of how the band would be without Rick Wakeman. I was certainly suprised when I listened to one of the highlights of the Yes catalog.

The album begins with "The Gates of Delirium", a side long epic about war. The music is at times chaotic, but also very atmospheric and complex. Moraz's keyboards prove to be one of the selling points of this album, rather than a weak spot. His "battle" with Alan White in this track is engaging. The "Soon" section breaks through at the end of the song and is probably Jon Anderson's finest vocal performance.

"Sound Chaser" is best described as a symphonic jazz rock tune. The highlights of this for me are the awesome reocurring bass riff, and a great Moraz solo. Alan White's drumming is very good, as is Steve Howe's guitar playing. Howe has an interesting unaccompanied solo toward the middle of this song.

"To Be Over" is a slower song, with nice keyboards. It is an excellent song, but is probably this album's weakest song.

The reissue includes some interesting, if unnecessary, bonus tracks and nice packaging.

This should not be overlooked by any fan of Yes, symphonic prog, or fusion. Five stars.

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