FULL SCALE

Very interesting debut album from Strangefish. Contrary to some reviewer I found this band to be quite original, it's hard to label it. Even its influences are hard to tell, except for some Yes undertones here and there (instrumental parts only, and even then they are not very so obvious). Unlike most prog records this album is very much guitar driven, the keyboards take kind of a back seat most of the time, although not always. The guitar player (here credit only as "Bob") is truly brilliant, but the band does not fall behind him, they are all fine musicians. Singer Steve Taylor is quite good, does not try to emulate Jon Anderson like so many lead vocalists do in prog, and shows a great deal of originality without sacrificing melody and song structure. The album might take some time to sink in but it is well worth it.

If you're looking for something adventurous, but can't stand those experimental noises and|or don't like too much dissonant harmonies this might interest you. At least something different from the average prog record that does not sound neither too mellow nor too much spaced out. I'm looking forward to hear their next CD. Highly recommended!

This came highly recommended to me but I had to wait for it as they sold out their first pressing. My first impressions were not that favourable as keyboard led Neo Prog isn't at the top of my list. To be fair though I wasn't giving the music my full attention. Well after repeated listens these guys have won me over.The synths are great and the guitarist can flat out play.The vocalist has this uncanny resemblance to Marco from SYLVAN which is a plus as I really like his vocals. The songs themselves have some thoughtful lyrics with a lot of humour.

"Shifting Sands And Turning Tides" features some good synth work, piano and vocals. Mood shifts abound and check out the guitar playing after 6 minutes as he goes on a bit of a tear. "Oceans Deep" again brings to mind that these guys are the UK version of SYLVAN. I prefer the mellow passages on this song especially the synths. "Listening To Ghosts" has some excellent guitar as he really lets it rip.This is such a catchy tune. Spacey synths to end it. "Take A Holiday" is a very uptempo, fun song, including a funny Carribean section, as well as the sound of an ice cube dropping into a glass.

"At First Sight" is mellow for the most part with tempo changes galore. Drums dominate 5 minutes in. Some nice guitar work, as he plays the same melody over and over, but higher up the scales each time. "Touch Sensitive" is my favourite song on this record. It's quite heavy and the soaring guitar 4 minutes in is so beautiful as a vocal melody comes in.The soundscape to follow is fantastic. "Wallflower" could have been released as a single. The drumming is fabulous to open. The chorus is great with back ground synths. "Simple Life" has some good bass and synths early. There is a jazzy sound 4 minutes in. He's so exhuberant when he shouts "The sun's still in the sky !" Uplifting guitar to follow. Nice.

If you are a fan of SYLVAN I know you'll love this cd, but any fan of the Neo genre needs to check this out.

Another very good modern band,who strangely decided to call it off after releasing two great albums,despite waiting for over 10 years for the release of their debut.STRANGEFISH had been around since 1989,located in the city of Manchester and gained some wide recognition with their four-track demo ''Reeled in''.Finally the new millenium found STRANGEFISH on the road of a wider recognition with the private pressing of their debut ''Full scale''.

The album heads mainly to fans of mid-era GENESIS as well as fans of MARILLION,but note that STRANGEFISH have their own and unique style of playing,far from pathetic clones of the afore-mentioned bands.Additionally ''Full scale'' contains some rocking moments with nice groves and up-lifting tempos.The compositions are mainly long with good balance between vocal and instrumental parts and feature the strong vocal performance of Steve Taylor.Keyboards ,played by Paul O'Neil, are very much in the vein of TONY BANKS with leading passages and magnificent harmonic solos,while guitarist - hidden under the name- Bob delivers a few good breaks and more STEVE ROTHERY-like soloing.This was one of the most pleasant releases ,regarding 2004, with both modern and retro elements and reaching this album would be the kindest farewell to STRANGEFISH'es contribution to progressive rock.Strongly recommended!

Strangefish has been a nice surprise to me as I have grown tired of listening to one generic neo prog band after another. My latest discovery Shadowland was no exception. Strangefish defies the boundaries of neo prog and incorporates elements from other genres to make a fresh approach. Neo prog with hard rock/ Soft metal elements wouldn´t be and unfair description of the music on Full Scale.

Especially singer Steve Taylor sets Strangefish apart from other bands in this genre. First of all because he has a strong and distinct voice which he uses in various ways. He can sing both hard rock and more mellow vocal styles and even more theatrical progressive vocal parts. What a great singer. The lyrics are pretty weak though.

The music is influenced by Marillion, Genesis, UK and others in the symphonic genre but with a hard rock edge. Songs like Ocean Deep and Wallflower are pretty fantastic in my book while the silly Take a Holiday could have been ommited for my sake.

The conclusion is that Full Scale is an above average neo prog album not fully deserving the 4 stars but on the other hand too good for only 3 stars, so this is a small 4 star rating. Very recommendable though.

NOTE: I have downgraded this album after some consideration. 3 big stars instead of 4 small ones.