AGAINST REASON

Isn´t it great when you see a band that has a very promising sound reach its full potential? A few years ago I found this CD called Rhetoric by the group Credo and thought it was really terrific. It was ok that the band was still emulating its heroes of Fish-era Marillion, but they were clearly devolping their very own personality and their perfomances were superb, as well as their songwriting skills. They still needed a little more maturing, so I was eagearly waiting for their follow up. But for a long time there was no news and I was afraid they might ended up like so many other potential great bands that break up before they could do their best (french band Arrakeen is a good exemple). But they did reappear in 2009 through their excellent DVD This Is What We Do. And now, almost 6 years after Rhetoric they finally release thier third CD of original material. And, man, was the waiting worth it!

Against Reason sees this band reaching another level completely in terms of songwriting and perfomances. They still are what I call a ´real´ neo prog band (meaning symphonic prog rock with more guitars, less pomp and lots of emotional, pleasant melodies), but they surely have outgrown the Marillion mold. The new compositions are bolder, more complex and exciting, while still retaining their fine melodic sense. In short, they have matured in a very natural way. Since the first notes of Staring At The Sun, I could tell that the other reviewes here were right when they praised the album so much. After all, it is not every day that you stumble upon a CD that has not a single weak track, which sounds fresh, powerful and convincing from beginning to end.

With a right production and strong perfomances, everything works on Against Reason. With tasteful. subtle arrangements you hear chimming electric guitars, elegant keyboards lines, brilliant bass runs and a versatile drummer. Singer Mark Colton has a very good voice and has a fine dramatic interpretation that, while still showing Fish´s influence, is now very much his own. Although all the tracks are excellent, there is always the case of some that you pick up as your favorites from the very start and those are the beautiful and highly emotional Intimate Strangers, the very inspired Conspiracy (what a brilliant marriage of clever lyrics and fine melodies!!!) and last, but not least, the 13 minute epic, The Ghost Of Yesterday, that rivals with Rhetoric´s The Letter as their best song ever.

With Against Reason Credo has graduated from a very promising group to one of the best neo prog bands of the new millenium. If you like the music of the great bands like Pendragon, Flamborough Head and Collage you should not miss this CD.

Rating: something between 4,5 and 5 stars. Highly recommended for the ones who think that symphonic prog rock should be pleasant to the ears like in the old times!

"Is it reasonable?"

Every so often a new album comes along which reassures us that it is still possible for a band to come up with material which is of the quality we enjoyed all those years ago when prog was in its heyday. These days, with the word prog no longer being a dirty word, many bands are finding it convenient to add prog to their CV's, pulling the name in directions for which it was never intended. It seems though Credo are intent on creating music for which the epithet progressive rock was truly meant.

By any standard, "Against reason" is a mighty album. Released some 6 years after the acclaimed "Rhetoric", and only the band's third full album since their formation almost 20 years ago, "Against reason" boasts an unchanged line up. The highly talented (and indeed sought after) keyboards player Mike Varity (also of Landmarq, Shadowland and Janison Edge) takes charge of production, with the band collectively sharing the writing credits throughout.

With just eight tracks, and a running time of around 70 minutes, it is immediately apparent that the tracks here have been carefully nurtured to their full fruition. The band play to their strengths throughout; Mark Colton's vocals are perfectly suited to what we can conveniently label neo-prog; Mike Varity either lays down the lush swathes of sound on which the tracks are founded or flies off on one of his wonderful solos and Tim Birrell is surely one of the finest lead guitarists currently recording. Not just in terms of dexterity, but in the perfect lead guitar sound he has developed. The band is rounded off by the powerhouse of Jim Murdoch on bass and drummer Martin Meads.

The album opens with the 10 minute "Staring At The Sun" (this song can be heard on the band's website), an environmentally friendly number which hits the ground running with an attention grabbing synth burst introducing the album's most anthemic track. "Cardinal sin" ventures into sensitive and emotive areas, exploring the trauma suffered by victims when bringing the guilty to justice. Birrell's lead guitar solo captures the emotions of the song beautifully, while Colton's vocals expose the full drama of the lyrics.

"Intimate strangers" is a softer portrayal of the breakdown of a relationship. The track features the voices of band in full harmony, before concluding with a fine instrumental section. The title track is the only completely instrumental track on the album. A relatively brief piece, it offers a relaxed interlude between the heavier numbers which surround it.

"Insane" takes on the weighty topic of what people will do, especially in terms of violence, in the name of religion. Understandably, this is probably also the heaviest track musically too, Colton beseeching "Insane, are we insane?". "Reason to Live" is the shortest track on the album, and thus acts as a second respite among its weighty peers. The song is a reflective harmony piece with atmospheric floating synths.

"Conspiracy (MCF)" deals with the dearth of truth and conspiracy theories in modern society in a "Jesus he knows me" (Genesis) sort of way. Indeed there is a bit of a Genesis feel to the track in the Banks like synth breaks too. The album closes with what for me is the best of the bunch. "Ghosts of yesterday" reminds me in passing of the earlier days of Arena, and in particular "Solomon". Lyrically the song looks at the human impact of political decisions, in particular those relating to traditional industries. Like "Solomon", this 13+ minute epic is performed at a regal pace (dictated by the ticking clock which opens the song). Beginning as a quasi-acoustic number, the track builds through strong melodies and repeated refrains in classic neo-prog style. Birrell's lead guitar never sounded better, but the whole band are in their element here. As the piece reaches its crescendo in a melting pot of soaring guitars, sways of synths and repeating refrains, we are lifted ever higher by the majesty of the music.

In all, a truly excellent set, which sees Credo maturing into one of the finest of the bands we refer to as neo-prog. Hopefully "Against reason" will find the global success it warrants.

"Is it reasonable?" proclaims the graffiti on the back of the accompanying booklet. Yes, it is entirely reasonable.

Credo strike again!

Over the past few weeks, you may have wondered to yourself, "Who's that band I can see in the 'Top 50 Artists' list on this website?" I'm here to tell you that band is Credo, whose latest album, 'Against Reason', is a wonderful mix of progressive rock and pop music. Since their last album, 'Rhetoric', it seems as if Credo have learned a thing or two about writing good songs, and as a result, there's far more of the stuff you want to hear on this album, like instrumentals and time signatures.

There are also some similarities with the last album. Lead singer Mark Colton still sounds so much like Marillion's Fish, that it's just uncanny! Unlike most progressive rock, rather than being camped in fantasy, the lyrics here all deal with contemporary issues, like the environment (Staring at the Sun), paedophilia (Cardinal Sin) and religious wars (Insane). All of these are tackled with a great deal of tact, but the words are still hard hitting. The songs all have a very poppy feel to them, but in an unashamedly progressive way. You'll still hear the three-verse, three-chorus structure, but it might be spread across 13 minutes!

Since 'Rhetoric', Credo have become extremely creative in their songwriting. While there was a certain 'sameness' to the tracks on 'Rhetoric', the songs are all very individual here. Instrumentals abound, where we can hear Tim Birrell's beautiful guitar sound, or Mike Varty's well thought out keyboards. One moment that never fails to make me smile is at 2:40 on the opening track Staring at the Sun, where the whole band cut out, to let Birrell play an incredibly catchy 7/8 theme. Staring at the Sun is undoubtedly the group's best song so far. Insane is another surprisingly good track, as it starts in 5/8, and just gets weirder from there. Ghosts Of Yesterday is a long track, but somehow manages to have a chorus that seems very similar to Robbie Williams' Advertising Space. The CD booklet is also very well thought out, as each song will have a famous quote to go with the lyrics.

If you're tired of airy-fairy fantasy prog lyrics, and feel like you need some more down to earth emotion, then you should really give this album a shot. Credo show no signs of stopping, and I can only imagine that their next album will be even better than this!

PS I'm still trying to work out what MCF in Conspiracy (MCF) means!

You don't need to push the envelope to make good music

A friend of mine who hate the neo-prog subgenre brought by Marillion, IQ, Pallas and Pendragon in early 80s because it's basically a simplification of symphonic prog ? that's what he said. I could agree with his opinion but disagree in his conclusion that therefore we should stay away from neoprog. I even like the subgenre as an expansion of the subgenres that already existed in prog music by that time. I think, as we all like this kind of music we also learn to have a progressive mind that is open to any further development of progressive music. Yeah, we have to be progressive in seeing the whole world and in the development of music. The facts that there is some simplification of the music, it's fine with me. We have seen how Pink Floyd which the music was at that time quite simple was later developed in even simplified manners with bands like RPWL, Porcupine Tree, Sylvan and any other crossover kind of bands. So ? what's wrong with symphonic prog that is simplified into neoprog? In fact, it's good because the music can reach wider coverage in terms of fans base so that the music can educate the younger generation and let them explore the past ? the 70s era.

You might think that neoprog has already reached its limit and nothing more that we could expect from the subgenre that pays particular attention and subtleties on melodies and harmonies in composing the music. The result is typically a mellow kind of melodic music with good exploration of keyboards and guitars ? boths as rhythm section or solo. So is the case with Credo "Against Reason" album released this year. The album really blew me away the fisrt time I listened to it. They are really smart and creative in making their music in the corridor of neoprog and has no effort to push the envelope ? but it's an excellent composition as the result. This proves that you can do goodwork in the coridor of existing music subgenre.

The album opener 'Staring At The Sun' strats wonderfully with keyboard solo followed with a medium tempo music in typical neoprog scene. Wow! It's a fabulous opening especially when the guitar solo enters the music. I really enjoy the opening part of this opening track. Th music then provides a break with guitar rhythm section just before vocal enters. While the vocal fills the music you can grab the Gensis guitar fills style accompany the vocal. The music moves in crescendo nicely with dynamic drumming and long sustain keyboard work at background. There are many style changes throughout the song. The interlude part at approx minute 6:48 is nice.

The next track "Cardinal Sin" starts ambient with keyboard work followed with music that brings the vocal. The music really reminds us to bands like Pallas, Pendragon. The music moves nicely with guitar work that reminds us to Gilmour work. The interlude part changes the style into ambient music with different drumming style augmented with piano fills. The guitar solo work is really stunning, performed in Floydian style backed up with piano work. It's cool. The song moves in different style of music and it has wonderful ending part.

"Intimate Strangers" starts mellow with guitar fills, keyboard and bass guitar followed with soft guitar solo. He music then flows in mellow tempo with keyboard as background when vocal enters. The album title track "Against Reason" starts mellow with guitar fills backed with spacey keyboard work. It's basically a short instrumental that brings forward nicely the next track "Insane". I love this fifth track as the vocal and keyboard is so powerful. Oh by the way, one thing that I forget to tell you is that the bassguitar work of this album is excellent and it reminds me to Graeme Murray of Pallas. "Insane" is an excellent track with accentuated vocal work, composed in moderate tempo but quite energetic especially when the keyboard performs its solo work. It also has excellent guitar solo. The rest of the tracks "Reason To Live", "Conspiracy(MCF)" ? the combined keyboard work and vocal is great, and "Ghosts Of Yesterday" are all good tracks in neoprog style.

Overall, this is an excellent addition to any prog music collection. It proves that neoprog has not reached its full potentials yet as you can see this album is an excellent example of this subgenre. Keep on proggin' ....!

Peace on earth and mercy mild ? GW

'Against Reason' - Credo (7/10)

As many fans of progressive rock music already know, in the early '80s, there was a resurgence of bands that sought to recapture the feeling of adventure that the 70's prog legends had. Given the now-obsolete title of neo-prog, some view this style poorly due to the fact that the style had too much of an emphasis on melody and tends to get stuck in anthemic choruses and cheesy synth solos rather than actually pushing the envelope. All the same, some great bands have done great things with the neo-prog sound, and Credo is a band that has recently received some heavy acclaim for this new album. A band somewhat infamous for their long waits between releasing new albums, Credo have only produced three records starting in 1994, and as a result, their albums are highly anticipated by fans of the band's existing work. As with many though, 'Against Reason' is my first experience with the music of Credo, although like many neo-prog bands, it is a very familiar sound. 'Against Reason' is a talented and consistent journey through a familiar melodic rock sound, and has enough substance to it to satisfy anyone looking for a melodic prog album.

Credo's sound is explicitly neo-prog; the music revolves around big choruses, melodic and upbeat song structures, and the synths get more than a couple of moments to lead the band onward. My personal musical angle can usually lead me to hold derivative prog convention against bands, and while I cannot bring myself to say that I can completely overlook the formulaic nature of the music here, it does not stop Credo from making some memorable music. With the exception of one track 'Reason To Live', all of the songs on 'Against Reason' are fairly long, typically over the ten minute mark. Each of the longer songs is memorable in its own right for one aspect or another, although the music tends to follow one running musical style throughout the entire thing.

Instrumentally, the band sounds very familiar to Marillion- especially in the heavy use of melodic synthesizers- and while the music does not stand out as particularly original to me, it is done very well. Mark Colton's voice works brilliantly for the sound, and the lyrics here are one of the greatest things that the band offers. Especially on the most memorable song 'Conspiracy', the witty way the lyrics address the titular subject matter can make a listener both laugh and think, and I think that for an album like this, that is the best possible outcome. Credo certainly takes their music and art seriously, but they are able to do so with a tongue in cheek personality. The compositions here have many different ideas in them, but they are all bound by a somewhat similar sound palette. I do think that these tracks may have done better with either being shorter, or having some more integral ideas in them, but the songs rarely truly feel like they are overstaying their welcome.

'Against Reason' is a very good album for neo-prog rock, although I will close the review by making the note that I did not like it nearly as much at first. First judging it by its derivative and familiar sound, it took several intent listens before these compositions really began to earn their merits in my eye. Credo's third album has not disappointed me in any case, and while I may not see it as a masterpiece as many others deem it to be, 'Against Reason' earns its bread.

The kind of second-tier 'prog rock' that bores and alienates many of the listeners who like music with more intricate, multi-layered compositional content, less predictability, and more virtuosic or 'classically trained' musicianship. High points: all of the electric guitar and keyboard soli; "Intimate Strangers" (9/10 despite its "Sky Moves Sideways" beginning). Low points: shockingly simple song constructs; rhythm sectio;, lyrics. Seriously, my first impression as I listened to "Staring at the Sun" (6/10) was that this was a 'wedding singer' band that is trying to venture out on its own. They are, IMO, on a par with other decent 'second-tier' bands like Unitopia, RPWL, Astra, Mystery, Black Noodle Project, Cirrus Bay, Combination Head, David Minasian, Dredg, Airbag, Gazpacho, Grand Stand, IOEarth, IZZ, Guilt Machine, Knight Area, Maze of Time, Mindflower, Hostsonaten, Moongarden, Outerlimits, Overhead, Parzival's Eye, Pineapple Thief, The Reasoning, Satellite, Sense, Silhouette, Slychosis, Sky Architect, The Source, Subsignal, tinyfish, Touchstone, Trion, Vienna Circle, XII Alfonso, and Xang. Not sophisticated enough for me. Good, but by no means essential.

In another lifetime (or at least it seems that way now), I was talking to singer Mark Colton one day (previously of Casual Affair and then with Freewill) and he told me that he had been approached to also join another band, then called Ad Hoc. The name soon changed to Chequered Past, and then to Credo and the band started to make their presence felt on the London circuit. Mark's 'main' band Freewill folded and he put all of his energies into Credo who signed a contract with Cyclops and soon released their debut album 'Field of Vision'. Back then I was very involved with the band, attending most of their gigs and trying to publicise them in any way that I could.

It became apparent that keyboard player and main lyricist Mik Stovold wasn't going to be the right fit going forward, and Shadowland (and now Landmarq) keyboard player Mike Varty came on board and this was where the band really started to get traction. While drummer Paul Clark and bassist Jim Murdoch provided the solid background, guitarist Tim Birrell and Mike Varty lifted Credo to new heights while Mark was the consumate frontman. But although the band were improving all the time, writing great music and having storming gigs, all was not well. It transpired that Mark was seriously ill, and at one point was only a few hours from death, while Paul was also having some issues. This meant that the band while working behind the scenes seemed to have gone dormant to many prog lovers minds.

Mark started singing with a folk rock band where he met drummer Martin Meads, and when Paul announced he was leaving Martin was the obvious replacement. It was the new line-up that released 'Rhetoric' only eleven years to the day from the debut. During the intervening years myself and Mark has located to different parts of the country, so I wasn't so up todate with the material but the album blew me away and I did manage to see them play again before I moved to the other side of the world.

And so, onto the third album. I haven't seen the band play live for more than five years, so this was all new to me. Mark had been raving about it to me, so it was with some trepidation that I put it on the player. Straight from the opening of "Staring At The Sun" I was captured and enthralled, and everything that I had planned to do for the next 69 minutes was placed on hold. The band may be accused of playing neo-prog, but what's wrong with that? I like neo-prog! I was lucky enough to be heavily involved in the UK prog scene in the early Nineties, and while it could be argued that this belongs to that time it is way more polished and musical than most of what was coming out then.

This really is a musical tour de force ? it is everything that a prog fan could want and much, much more. I have always previously viewed Mark as more of a frontman than I have as a vocalist, his passion onstage is what lifts the band and the performance. While he is often likened to Fish I feel that it is an unfair comparison ? there may be similarities but his range and intonation are quite different. However, my view has now changed as having heard just about everything he has ever recorded (including much that has never reached the public domain) I can categorically state that this is easily his best performance ever. The control and pitch are superb, and the rest of the guys have also stepped up considerably. Tim Birrell has been their secret weapon since the very beginning, one of the finest guitarists ever to grace a UK prog stage (if you don't believe me then search out "A Kindness?" from their debut and imagine how much better that was live) ? and here he is using a controlled restraint as he links with Mike to provide incredible interplay. Martin and Jim provide the bedrock, which allows Mike and Tim to really stretch out. If you want to listen to just one minute of how good this album is then start playing about two minutes into "Insane" and the next sixty seconds provides everything you could ever wish to hear from this style of music.

Credo's best album to date? Definitely. My favourite prog album of the year? Oh yes. Any regrets? Yes, I'm the other side of the world so haven't heard any of this being played live. If you enjoy progressive rock music, melodic rock, neo-prog, art rock, or any of the other labels that get bandied about then you owe it to your ears to get this.

Credo 'Against Reason'. It doesn't get any better than this

Credo's 2011 release is a dynamic album, one that should find (and has found) favor with fans of bands listed as Neo Prog. The lyrics are occasionally insightful, occasionally clumsy, but well-sung in either case. In fact, I think all of the musicians are top notch, delivering incredible performances individually and as a tight group. Ultimately, this is a good album, just one that fails to capture my attention, as the compositions usually lose me while they are playing or don't remain with me after they are finished.

"Staring at the Sun" A thick synthesizer run opens the album. The main riff seems to borrow heavily from the Rush tune "Xanadu" (the section beginning about two-and-a-half minutes in). My tongue even instinctively clicks Neil Peart's percussion bit in between each part. The vocals occur over light clean guitar and deep, plodding bass. I would say that this is the most memorable and brilliant of the tracks, but perhaps that is because of the obvious influences present.

"Cardinal Sin" There's a slight Marillion vibe to this tune, particularly with respect to the vocals. The piano passage and lead guitar work midway through are elegant. The second half of the song begins with a thin synthesizer riff in a 1980s rock context before launching into a well-performed organ solo. The piece is a hodgepodge of musical ideas that, while not quite cohesive, is generally enjoyable.

"Intimate Strangers" With a verse in 5/4 and plenty of synthesizer and guitar tones, this song remains surprisingly consistent even if it may not be especially memorable. For this fairly straightforward song, I would draw comparisons to IQ.

"Against Reason" Airy dark tones set the stage for a mournful, siren-like lead guitar.

"Insane" Again working over five beats, this song I think exemplifies Credo's penchant for unusual and sudden shifts in rhythm.

"Reason to Live" "Reason to Live" is one of the weaker and more forgettable tracks- just a quick bit of lyrics over uninspired music.

"Conspiracy (MCF)" The high frequency tone in the introduction of this track hurt my ears the first time I heard it- not cool. Is there any reason to include something like that in the beginning of a song that has no ostensive relationship to the composition? The listener is hereby warned to turn his speakers down or off during the first few seconds. The song proper involves a variety of synthesizer tones in various roles (the whiny one midway through isn't one of the better ones), and while the music displays their usual assortment of rhythms and penchant for stringing multiple musical sections together, this song has always failed to grab me. Oh, and did the listener miss that painful tone in the beginning? No worries- it ends the song too.

"The Ghosts of Yesterday" Acoustic guitar and synthetic strings provide a bed for soft vocals to awake in. This final track is the most powerful and anthem-like of all the songs on the album, even if overall it feels somewhat generic.

6/10

"Against Reason", although not being consistent all the way through, has some charming and wonderful moments worth returning to.

Credo is just one of the many incarnations of this small gathering of musicians that have been almost all active since 1971. However, they attributed to themselves the name Credo only in 1993, and ever since, they have released a total of three albums, the first one being "Field Of Vision" and second one being the more recognized "Rhetoric". "Against Reason" though is the most popular of their releases so far, and the one that guaranteed the band a small place among the greats of the newer wave of Neo Prog.

Like on previous albums, Credo aren't afraid to show their influences, from bands such as Marillion and IQ. Mark Colton's vocals are theatrical, passionate, and reminiscent of Eighties Prog Rock, just like all the different synth sounds and the soloing electric guitars, influenced by David Gilmour's playing more than anyone else's. Credo however develop a more unique sound, compared to the more stereotypical feel "Rhetoric" had. The songwriting has noticeably improved, a lot of the songs present on this new release are much more memorable and original at the same time, giving a pretty big impact on the listener. The tracks are also longer than an average Neo-Prog song, even though the structures of the songs aren't as puzzling and ambitious as the lengths would suggest.

Rarely Credo go towards dark themes, and prefer sounding cheerful or haunting for most of the time. There is however some sort of social awareness behind the lines, and sadly their take on trying to be a little aware is a bit cheesy in the lyrics, some moments more than others. At times, what Mark Colton sings is very banal and could make one cringe pretty easily. However, besides the lyrics, the world "Against Reason" portrays with it's music has a certain charm to it.

This album reaches almost the seventy minute mark, but overall the time seems to pass pretty quickly, especially in the first part of the album, definitely the better side: from the positive vibrations of "Staring Of The Sun", ending after more than ten minutes, that are very well constructed and executed, follows the best song of the album, "Cardinal Sin"; in many parts epic, the beautiful echoing guitars, the soothing keyboards are a delight to hear and will guarantee any Neo Prog fan an eargasm. Most of the melodies in this track are extremely full of passion, whether it be frustration or melancholy. The album doesn't quite reach those levels, however there are still moments to enjoy greatly like the subtly mysterious title track. The rest of the songs have interesting moments, others are very generic and not at all memorable. "Ghosts Of Yesterday" is unfortunately the track that has the most of these parts: it gets very tiring in many spots, and the fact that it is the last song of the album makes it even worse. "Conspiracy (MCF)" is also a bit forgettable, the melodies not being that focused and the performances by the musicians not being really unique.

Credo with "Against Reason" have definitely improved songwriting-wise, but they still haven't made an album consistent all the way through, because of some forgettable and practically time wasting moments. However, some songs truly shine with emotion and beauty, hopefully next time they will manage to do so for the entire album. Only then will I be completely satisfied with this band.

This album is solid, but not much more than that. I hate to start a review like that, but that is the overwhelming impression I get from this album. It is neo-prog, for sure; and it falls as comfortably into that label as possible. We get the standard synth solos and such, but what we don't get is inspiration.

Inspiration is rather absent on this release. I was really disappointed because the opening track begins with a great synth intro, and the first track is even very good. However, after that, we get cookie cutter tracks by the tray-full. And, just when you think the album is over, they start another track. It just seems so, um, pretentious at times. I almost get----I'm going to say it--- "bored" by the album. Little happens besides the standard neo-prog fare.

Like I said, though, this album is certainly solid. It is well-played and the production is great, but the composition just seems so dull and repetitive. Besides that, the topic is about global warming and conspiracy theories and such, but I didn't like the approach. I tend to like global warming apocalypse settings, but have a hard time with highly politicized perspectives. I feel they went for the latter. In general, though, this is good background music that may find a audience somewhat. Me? There are too many other bands that are pushing the boundaries out there for me to waste my time on standard fare like this.

Keep it short - that was the view of a prog fan I met a few weeks ago discussing about how a review should be written. All you need to answer, he said, is "is it a good album?", "what does it sound like?", "do you recommend it?".

Credo's ''Against Reason'' is a good album indeed, it sounds like neo-prog (surprise!) and I warmly recommend it - but this is does not satisfy me fully so here I go: eight tracks and 70 minutes of music is quite a challenge. Throughout the album the neo-prog character is quite distinct with melody and strong lyrics being at the forefront of everything Credo do. The influence of Fish-era Marillion (Cardinal Sin) and a general aura of Arena are defining the band's sound, which - nevertheless - does not fall into the trap of copy/paste.

The ''street-rock'' feeling (Staring at the Sun, Conspiracy (MCF)) the melodies of Intimate Strangers (watch for that ending solo) and the raw power of the anti-war, keyboard-lush Insane (the heaviest, most creative and possibly best composition) stand out in a generally consistent album. What else? Tight performance from all band members, dynamic emotional singing and polished sound also tick the box. Compositions are not particularly complex and rather long - this combination along with a couple of short indifferent tracks just take away a bit of the solid work that has been put together for this album. Especially towards the end, the compositions sound somewhat "elongated" which spoils the magic that reached its peak with Insane.

So, against reason, I assign 3.5 stars to this album, with a small regret that it could have been kept somewhat shorter. Warmly recommended to all neo-prog and modern prog fans that are in for the melody.

Best moments: Staring at the Sun, Insane