TIMOTHY PURE

A US band from Georgia, developing through the 90's around singer/keyboardist Matthew Still and bassist/lyricist Andre Neitzel.Timothy Pure released the album ''The fabric of betrayal'' in 1995 with Randy Brown on guitar, Chet Jameson on drums and Nick Savage on vocals, but according to Neitzel this work did not represent the actual sound of the group.Two years later Neitzel and Still were joined by Zod on guitars and Chris Wallace on drums to release the sophomore effort ''Blood of the Berry'' on Isosceles Records.Part of the album seems to be re-recordings of songs from ''The fabric of betrayal''.

A very atmospheric and sensitive album, ''Blood of the Berry'' seems to draw influences from the warmer side of PINK FLOYD (circa ''Wish you were here'' and ''Dividion bell'') into a style that also has strong hints from the early-90's MARILLION sound as well as some of the pompous stylings of ALAN PARSONS' PROJECT and eventually sounding close to compatriots NEPENTHE.Containg 14 short compositions, everything seems to be very carefully structured in this album, that propably lacks obvious dynamics, but focuses on clear, smooth and atmospheric plays with alternating passages from melodic parts to more lyrical moments.The PINK FLOYD influence is evident on plenty of the mellow keyboard textures and the almost spacey guitar lines, but there are also some more upbeat moments with more powerful vocals, upfront keyboards and an energetic rhythm section.Some excellent solos with a Neo Prog-flavor are also in the menu along with more contemporary techniques like the mass of distorted vocals.Thus, Timothy Pure sound like a precursor to many bands of the 00's, like NINE STONES CLOSE or COSMOGRAF, trying to fill their sound with both old-school and recent vibes.

''Blood of the Berry'' unfortunately lacks this monster track that would make this album absolutely essential, but be sure to face a well-crafted and highly atmospheric Prog release if purchasing the album, especially if you are a fan of PINK FLOYD and/or Hogarth-era MARILLION.Recommended.

Timothy Pure's Blood of the Berry is a well-crafted neo-prog album with a sound that has one foot to the genre's 80s glory days and one foot in the latter-day Pink Floyd sound. They don't attempt too many radical departures from what's come before, but equally they don't fuss around or waste time on unfruitful musical cul-de-sacs, producing a decent album which plays to the band's strengths but may not stand up to repeated listens unless you are keen on bands who lift a thing or two from the Floyd. Matthew Still's Floydian keyboard playing is a particular highlight of the album, as is the smooth flow of the album between tracks - in keeping with it being a concept album, there's no jarring shifts in tone from track to track, instead the emotional tone of the album being built up logically as the songs progress.

"Island Of The Misfit Toys" is the third full-length studio album by US, Georgia based progressive rock act Timothy Pure. The album was released through Isosceles Records in 1999. It´s the successor to "Blood Of The Berry" from 1999. Like its predecessor "Island Of The Misfit Toys" is also a concept album. This time dealing with subjects/themes like the consequences of war and child abuse (various nightmarish topics).

Stylistically Timothy Pure continue the emotional and melancholic progressive rock style of "Blood Of The Berry". So this is predominantly vers/chorus structured vocal dominated music featuring both mellow and louder more rocking parts. Keyboards/piano and guitars create the underlying typically dark and melancholic atmosphere, while the rhythm section skillfully drive the music forward with a good understanding of dynamics. It´s still artists like Pink Floyd, Marillion, and Porcupine Tree, which come to mind while listening to Timothy Pure, and in many ways "Island Of The Misfit Toys" is the natural successor to "Blood Of The Berry" (which featured the same influences). It´s maybe a bit more dynamic and challenging, but other than that these are pretty much sibling releases.

That also goes for the quality of the sound production, which is slightly better sounding here than on "Blood Of The Berry", but is still lacking that last something to give the music the last push. It´s a decent quality sound production, but not more than that. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

This sophomore album was a definite harbinger of things to come as the next "Island of Misfit Toys" will consecrate Timothy Pure with prog excellence. The band came out of peachy Atlanta with a decent debut that had all kinds of promise plastered all over it. A few personnel changes to set the boat straight and a style is born, a strong spacey Floydian influence but thankfully without the immense showoff egos. Matthew Still is an effective keyboardist but an even better vocalist, owner of a dreamy set of pipes that amplifies the murky energy of the music and can snarl when needed. Andre Neitzel on bass does a lissome job weaving his down low notes deep into the rhythmic fabric set by drummer Chris Wallace. Guitarist Zod (yeah, I know.) does not attempt to be a guitar god (zod=god?), staying well within his tonal limitations and sealing the arrangements as a team concept and not 4 virtuosos showing off their chops. Let it be said right away, this is not the most complex material ever recorded but it has a very original style that reverberates often through the course of these tracks that flow into one another, as if one long suite. Not much change of pace either, Timothy Pure come across as jacks of one trade, relying on some superbly mysterious melodies to keep the doom moving forward. "Blood of the Berry" has some luminous moments, such as on the fantastic "Slide", the extraordinary "The Afterglow" and the lilting "Magdalena Hell", all imbued with a mystical haze that is quite attractive, even after multiple spins. There is a slight similarity with fellow American bands Singularity and Discipline, both having made some admirable recordings. While this is a good release and thoroughly enjoyable, it still lacks some fire in the belly which would catapult it into the upper reaches of excellence. The best is yet to come. 3.5 pulpous fruits.

"Blood Of The Berry" is the second full-length studio album by US, Georgia based progressive rock act Timothy Pure. The album was released through Isosceles Records in 1997. It´s the successor to "The Fabric of Betrayal" from 1995. "Blood Of The Berry" is a concept album dealing with love and the sacrifices you sometimes have to make to find it.

Although the material on "Blood Of The Berry" is undeniably progressive rock, this is not progressive rock which is complex in structure and you won´t find many challenging instrumental sections here either. Instead the songs are relatively regular vers/chorus structured and focus a lot on melancholic atmospheres and slowly building towards epic climaxes (although the album occasionally features longer instrumental parts, but they are atmospheric in nature rather than technically challening). So it´s dynamic music often featuring both mellow and louder (even slightly heavy at times) moments. The influences range from Pink Floyd, to Porcupine Tree, to Marillion.

The strong voice and emotional delivery of lead vocalist Matthew Still is the most dominant feature of "Blood Of The Berry", but the band skillfully backs him up with atmospheric keyboards/piano and guitars, and a well playing rhythm section. Timothy Pure are arguably a well playing unit loaded with skilled musicians. The sound production is decent but lacks the warmth, depth, and organic features to elevate the band´s music to a higher state. The drums are for example often very low in the mix and the bass is many times almost inaudible. So there is a lack of balance between the instruments in the mix.

Despite a few issues "Blood Of The Berry" is still a high quality progressive rock release and fans of the more emotional and melancholic part of the progressive rock scene may find this an interesting listen. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

Where to begin ? This is a concept album about a group of children who all have names. It really starts with "who" children are in the first two songs. And this is represented by the "snake" and the "fly-man" more on that later. The songs go on to deal with certain aspects of the children's lives which include some disturbing facts. Other reviewers have explained this all very well how these dark secrets are sort of hidden, but it doesn't take much seeking to find them if you read the lyrics. What is so interesting to me was how the lyrics on songs like "Playground Politics" took me back to when I was a child. It also made me relate to one of the children in the song because that was how I acted in a group setting. Also a line in another song "Want to play ?" again took me back in time. I've had conversations with Finnforest about this very subject. How as children we would spend our summer holidays wandering around the neighborhood pretending, and playing, and investigating, and imagining, and seeking, and role playing. It was often a big adventure, playing games like hide and seek, and tag, and so on. Finnforest in his review of "Fear Of A Blank Planet" by PORCUPINE TREE touches on how "different" things are today from when many of us were children and pre- teens. Steven Wilson certainly brings out a lot of disturbing facts himself on that album. The music represented here does probably reminds me more of the ALAN PARSONS PROJECT more than anyone else. There is a PINK FLOYD element to this music as well. I actually saw this band classified as a Space Rock band on another site. This is spacey, dark, moody, beautiful and emotional music.

"A Damp Preserve" is beautifully done with acoustic guitar and vocals. There are samples of children playing in the background. This is where the snake and fly-man are first brought up. On their web-site the band says that the snake represents a child's boundless, inquisitive and exploratory nature. The fly-man represents a child's guide who is strong and supportive. So for example the snake would open the secret door, while the fly-man would walk them through it. The song "The Fly-Man And The Snake" has some good piano melodies and some haunting synths. There is a full sound 2 minutes in with soaring guitar that comes and goes. "Finders Keepers" is about getting lost as a child. I know it happened to me and i'm sure many of you out there have experienced this. This is a dreamy song with organ and some great relaxed guitar melodies. "Hush" is about a recurring nightmare. Again how many of us had bad dreams when we were children. This song is done amazingly well as it builds up dramatically, it's startling. The beginning and the ending feature female spoken words and piano. "The Engine Roars" shows how children start to seperate into different groups as they go about doing what children do. The music has reserved vocals and waves of synths. We now are introduced to a few of the children who are in the midst of personal struggles, as social skills are being developed. Some adapt while some seek to escape. This is like being inside a story, it's so well thought out.

"Tribes" shows the result of seperating into groups.The scene is at school during recess and the focus is on the named leaders of the tribes that have developed. The music has a good tribal beat with some great organ and guitar before it calms down to a finish. "Playground Politics" has terrific lyrics that should be read by all. The music is PINK FLOYD-like. "Mia's Game" is about her becoming aware of herself sexually. "Misha Superhero" has some great synth and guitar work. A harder hitting tune. "Island Of The Misfit Toys" has a mournful guitar melody before an uplifting passage arrives.The song becomes quite intense before a dreamy soundscape arrives.This song and the next one "Behind The Front" deal with Enoch's and his mother's abuse, both at the hand of his father. "Channels" features ELOY sounding synths to open with aggressive guitar right behind. This is a fantastic instrumental ! "Safe" is so emotional,it's about a child who is leaving home it would appear. Touching lyrics. The music is very ear- pleasing with the warm synths and guitar. "Soil" takes us back to the first song and must be read in light of that. It's about finding redemption, finding their souls in the damp preserve, that place where the snake and fly-man are. It's a difficult place to get back to when troubles, circumstances and life have turned us from children to adults too fast.

I grew up in a tourist town (I still live here) and my parents rented out cottages during the summer. We had 9 of them that surrounded our property. Most families that came stayed 1 or 2 weeks. I would have a new set of friends throughout the summer. Usually they would come up to me or my sister and say "Want to play ?", or we would go up to them with that question. Can you imagine as adults going up to someone you don't know and saying "Do you want to hang out today ?" or "Do you want to spend some time with me today ?". They would think we were crazy for asking such a question that is so normal for kids to ask. That is just one example of something that is lost when we turn into adults. We must "claw" and work our way back to that place of wonder and imagination to find ourselves once again. That is the idea behind the final song.This is another nice warm song with piano and synths. Very dreamy.

I can't remember a record that had such an affect on me, not necessarily musically but lyrically. I will be doing some imagining and remembering as I go to bed tonight and drift off into the island of misfit toys.

This is a concept album. "A story of love and sacrifice. A lovely creature attempting to find a deep connection to the world. But this connection has a price". Overall this record is ambient, warm, spacy and atmospheric with pleasant vocals. There are a ton of lyrics on this album, so there's lots to delve into if your really into concept albums.

There is light and dark though, and it can be moody, to down right angry as in the song "Where Mercy Ends". When that song came on I remember thinking "Is this the same album ?" Even the title of this song witnesses to the despair that arises when there appears to be no one to turn to, no one to help. Other highlights for me are "The Aberration", a passionate song with beautiful guitar and piano. "Private Hedge" features lots of atmosphere and some haunting guitar after 4 1/2 minutes. "This Afterglow" opens with acoustic guitar and reminds me of PORCUPINE TREE before the male vocals come in. Female vocals take over a minute in. This might be the best song on the album.

"The Interim" is a short haunting piece with more female vocals that sing "I've fallen...i've lost myself...and i'm afraid". I really like the guitar 5 minutes in on "Without Words". "Ornament" has some beautiful piano melodies and reserved vocals. "Magdelena Hell" is one of my top three tracks. Beautiful, spacey organ to open as reserved vocals and synths come in. Acoustic guitar after 1 1/2 minutes as the sound gets fuller. The guitar soars in this one after 2 minutes. Cool atmosphere to end it. "Incineration Point" is dark and atmospheric as a heavy sound comes in. "Through The Fountain's Eye" is another standout, this is brighter, almost uplifting.

This music really pulled me in, it might be a little samey but I really like this style of music. The follow up "Island Of Misfit Toys" is even better.

Balancing between neo-prog and sympho-prog Timothy Pure create beautiful conceptual product. A pathetic vocal, good guitar solo. All very qualitatively and professionally. It is possible to listen over and over again with indefatigable pleasure. It is recommended to judges of progressive fate of a high level. Arrangements the collective is very similar to such stars as Riverside and Satellite. Smooth transitions between themes, alternate with sharp peaks of fate. Do not pass, the album is worthy.

To be included in the games they must know their roles and don't complain, for these are the rules of the playground.

There's a real dichotomy here between the lyrics and the music. At first glance and on a superficial level, we have a light melodic almost pop prog album. Listen a bit more closely though, and you'll suddenly find you're in a the middle of a disturbing nightmare. The themes dealt with here are dark, regularly venturing into taboo areas such as masturbation and child neglect. All the while through, the music is pleasant, even occasionally upbeat.

Musically, and to some extent thematically, there are similarities with the period of PINK FLOYD dominated by Roger Waters, perhaps even stretching back to "Dark Side of the moon". There's also hints of CAMEL, THE MOODY BLUES and especially the ALAN PARSONS PROJECT in terms of the vocals and harmonies. The guitar work is generally somewhere between Hackett and Gilmour, with tracks such as "Channels" and "Safe" highlighting the band's instrumental capabilities. This though is not an album for those seeking lengthy symphonic instrumentation, the emphasis being primarily atmospheric rather than virtuoso.

There is a continuity to the music which makes for a very relaxing mood. The lyrics aside, Nothing is particularly challenging here. If you enjoy the music you will do so on first hearing, this is not one of those albums which demands repeated listening before you get it.

The fact that the music does flow so well is in part down to a certain amount of sameness throughout the album. The lack of variety may cause some to feel that the album is a bit bland and over long.

Turning back to the lyrics of André Neitzel, they remind me in some ways of a line manager I once had. He spoke is a very gentle way and was so quiet, it was sometimes difficult to hear him. When you did tune in though, you became aware that he was cursing and swearing, and making vitriolic and offensive comments. Here, the lyrics may not be directly offensive, but they vividly describe situations and events which many will find distasteful. For the voyeurs who find some of the lyrics difficult to make out, they are repeated on the band's website.

In all, a highly enjoyable light prog album with a real sting in the tale.

Addendum - I would commend to you James Lee's superbly written review of this album.

I've been listening to prog rock for as long as I've been listening to music. I have to say that the four songs I've hear by this band, are some of the best pieces I've heard in quite some time. Go to the band's sight and get some tunes from Blood of the Berry. I promise you'll be taken by it as I've been. Good writing, playing, and super production. In a day when most music heard on the radio is crap, this will be a blessing to your ears. And don't forget to download their song here as well. Killer tune. As for this sight, Prog Archives, they have turned me on to so much great domestic as well as foreign prog. Thanks for such a cool sight!