DREAMOID

''You are never old ro rock'' is the moto of Simon Ayres, a middle-aged musician, based in St Albans, Hertfordshire in UK.He cites Yes, Focus and Camel as his main Progressive Rock influences and in October 2012 he released his first digital album ''Dreamoid'', available for download on Bandcamp.Needless to say Ayres is responsible for the whole instrumental music in this album.

Ayres proposes a melodic, instrumental Progressive Rock and his aforementioned influences can be detected all over the album.The main though seems to be CAMEL, as his guitar moves and melodies contain evident traces of ANDY LATIMER's style.He supports his guitar work with an interesting array of synths and strong Hammond organ vibes (on the superb 'Way Back When'' appears even something that could be a sample Mellotron) , thus offering often a vintage aura to the listener.The nine instrumental tracks are well-arranged with minor complexities and a nice sense of melody, often with a bluesy and jazzy taste, delivering insteresting passages with a decent composition level.The questionable bass lines and the rather poor drum programming do not help this effort to escape the levels of amateur recordings.On the other hand the tight guitar exercises and the fine keyboard parts prevent it from being a bad release and the atmosphere alternates between pleasant soundscapes and more ethereal textures.

For what it is, ''Dreamoid'' is a very good work.All lovers of melodic and easy-listening Progressive Rock should give this album a spin.Just do not expect super-crystalline productions, bombastic movements or complex breaks.Recommended.