CLASSIC ROCK PRESENTS: PROGNOSIS 9

Prognosis 9 is the ninth CD to come with the ninth Classic Rock Presents Prog magazine and features some of the best material yet. In fact a lot of these songs seem to be unified as one, very similar in style and all have something special to offer. Here is a track by track run down of what is on offer. It is not often that you come across a compilation where every song is a genuine treasure, but here it is; I absolutely loved this compilation. I listened to it in the car on a long 3 hour journey and it forced me to take notice and reflect upon love, life and loss; it was a journey, an exploration of styles that resonated with me emotionally and filled in a trip with style.

Anathema's Thin Air is a great way to start this compilation, with astonishing melodies and ambitious virtuosic instrumentation. It is rather pleasant although has some distorted guitar driving it along.

North Atlantic Oscillation's Drawing Maps From Memory features a steady metal distorted rhythm and some high falsetto vocals harmonised together. The choppy drums and guitar are great with intriguing bell noises glazed over top.

The Pineapple Thief's 3000 Days has jangly rhythms and an offbeat time sig. The music is replete with distorted blasts and some inspirational guitar soloing with sweep picking and swells. It is a very strong soundscape generated which settles into an ambient passage with high vocals that are easy to understand; "2000 days remind me we barely made a sound, 200 days remind me we barely find the time to waste our precious lives, you know I'd make you work for a one in a million chance, all I can hear around me is the sound of love at last." The drums become African tribal with a disjointed rhythm guitar. It threatens to explode and then it does brilliantly. The crunching metal riff is terrific, repetitive, industrial and hypnotic. I adore this track and I know I will be getting hold of more of The Pineapple Thief after hearing such an amazing song. This is an eargasm with many passages including a strange muffled arrangement and distortion. There is a cut off sound mixed so well with the guitars at the end. It captures all that I love about prog, so good it is criminal.

Blackfield's Once keeps things moving with huge blaring tribal drums that resound and are swallowed by smooth vocal clarity and a shimmering organ. The rhythms get louder and more intense fortissimo style and there is an infectious melody underlying the sound.

Lunatic Soul's Lunatic Soul has effortless vocals organically fluid along a stream of ambient keyboards. The wonderful shifting guitars fall into line with atonal reflective vocals. It is very easy on the ears and the emotive vocals come from a depth of pain and isolation; "I feel trapped inside, I'm scared to love", and we can all relate to this in some form. The music shimmers with elegance, and there is a repetitive musical box sound like childhood innocence striving to break through the thick wall of alienated atmospheres. It is like a painful memory of childhood misery ringing in the ears of the singer, and we hear this haunting sound in the subconscious.

Nosound's Some Warmth Into This Chill has a mellotron sound and wild drums. It is atmospheric and ethereal with chilling stark ghost like murmurs and elusive cold whispers of synth. The vocals are echoed and distant, darkened by spine tingling affecting drones. This is transfixing music, unfriendly but compelling and haunting. Allow the ambience to wash over you like waves and the music can take you to another place.

Engineers' Be What You Are is acoustic at first, with harmonised multi layered soft vocals. It builds slowly but really remains on a level plane, gentle and dreamy, and easy listening.

Richard Barbieri's All Fall Down is ambient, peaceful crawling atmospheric music. The chanting high falsetto vocals are part of the overall sound. It is nice to hear after the chaos of previous tracks.

No-Man's True North (Edit) is another definitive highlight and it absolutely stunned me. The flute is masterfully executed with an acoustic motif. The vocals are crystal clean and nicely sung; "Take a taxi through the snow, tonight there's nowhere you won't go, you survive yourself, you survive inside the last one," the verses are dreamy and peaceful. It is lulling and relaxing, with emotive lyrics.

Steven Wilson's No Twilight is a genuine delight. As soon as that guitar riff hook begins and locks into a hypnotic groove I was gone. The bass groove is brilliant, just driving headlong and then there are estranged guitar blasts that are out of sync but delightfully so. Some fractured drum patterns compete to keep up and seem to be in another time sig. Wilson's vocals are mixed out into the background and given effects. There is a musical box chime and it sounds like King Crimson in places, Indiscipline, Red or Lark's Tongues in particular. The drums crash along relentlessly off the metronome scale as the bassline pulsates. It is a wonderful instrumental that even has a false ending. The thing dies and then leaps back to life with a ferocity; what a magic 8:30 minutes burst of sound.

Porcupine Tree's Way Out of Here is a live version of the great track, well sung and played and dropped in nicely here after hearing Wilson's solo effort. The music is fantastic and so well produced for a live act. I love those creepy lyrics, "I've covered my tracks, disposed of the car, and I'm trying to forget even your name and the way that you look when you're sleeping and dreaming of this", such a wonderful song in any guise.

Gavin Harrison & 05Ric's Circles has a strong vocal over a jazzy repetitive hypno groove with off kilter time sigs. The drums are fascinating as they careen along a tapestry of guitars and bass. The vocals croon. "Circles are ever turning round and round" and then a piano solo begins with jazz fusion embellishments.

And thus ends a wonderful compilation. These Comps are designed to introduce newcomers to the bands to their material and hopefully will gain some CD sales as a result. I can say that at least 4 of these bands will be hunted down by this reviewer as a result of this CD. I was pleasantly surprised at how great this is and it reminded me just how excellent modern prog music has become.