PROGRESIV TM

I can clearly remember standing in the dungeons of Edinburgh Castle, admiring arts and crafts made by POW's during the Napoleonic wars, thinking of the hardships they must have encountered in their captivity. Whilst pondering on their misfortunes I also was in awe, considering what splendid pieces of art created. Bear in mind, being a prisoner means, by definition, to be deprived of things, both spiritual and material.

The same feelings emerge whenever I listen to prog from the Eastern European countries during the cold war. How hard mustn't it have been? To express oneself artistically in any oppressive state is hard no matter where you live. Living in Romania under Ceausescu was not all fun and games, if you get my drift. Thus listening to Progresiv TM I find myself just as much in awe as I did back in the Edinurgh dungeons.

But wait, there are two separate stories here. The first time I listened to Progresiv TM I dug "Omul valul" but thought that the rest was, well... Uninteresting really. That was a couple of years ago. My feelings towards the album now is very much the opposite.

I would like to start off by saying something about the music, what it sounds like. It mostly resembles a Tullified Sabbath with an Eastern European flavor. Think Sabbath with Ian Anderson, backed up by the romanian band Phoenix and you are not far off.

The songs are all, bar one, hard rock with a progressive edge. Heavy prog could be an apt description. When reading on the internet I find that some think parts of the album being poppy but I disagree. The second track "Nimeni nu e singur" is the softest track on the album but it is more in the vein of 1970's hard rock ballad-y sort of thing. Very nice too, I might add.

The whole album is infused with vibrant lust for music. The enthusiasm and liveliness expressed on here is both admirable and entracning. I can't help smiling as the album grooves along.

There are many things to point out, when it comes to the material. "Omul valul", for instance, starts off with a sort of jazzy intro before it steams it's way into a powerful riff and glorious energy. The song builds up and ends with great soloing and high-pitched energy. "Rusinea soarelui" is equally heavy and holds also a great jazzy section in the middle that makes this track into something really enticing. The most epic track on the album is the title track which last for over 10 minutes. It is one of those tracks that feel like a couple of minutes, not ten. Structured and cohesive it is a beautiful way of ending a really amazing album.

I can't stop listening to this album. The musicianship, energy, grooves, ideas, love of music and general atmosphere of the album is really on par with a lot of contemporary albums. Being that the lyrics are all in romanian, I can't understand a word they are singing. (Some remarks have been made that the lyrics are all a bit censored but what else could you expect? I dare say that Ceausescu would not have approved of anything remotely resembling criticism.) All in all, this is an album worthy of more attention and recognition. It is wonderful. Really it is.

Second album of the band from 1977 - Puterea muzicii (The power of the music), released at our famous and only label from the '70's occupied with music bussines Electrecord (still very much alive these days), didn't manage to get any big response from progressive movement from my country. Same story about how communist broke any hope to make progressive music in Romania and that way they disbanded in 1978, living two album, historical btw in these parts but vaguely know outside the border. Again an excellent example of good, smooth and above usual this album is but little diffrent then the first. This time the band wanted and succeded to add a light atmosphere on the pieces, the orchestrations and the string arrangements are more towards the lighter side of prog, but keeping a good doze complexity in the repertoir. Even the album is very well played and again some very thoughtfull lyrics like on Legamint, the album falls to be more exciting then the first, maybe because the prog music was in decline in some parts of the world in late '70's a thing that was all the time in my country, but has some splendid and unforgetable moments of prog made in Romania. The skillfull musicians shows once again how great they were, the vocal harmonies are again top notch, the flute this time is left aside, no ore catchy moments who remind me of Delirium or Jethro Tull, this time the band sound more like Styx or Uriah Heep same period. Progressive elements comes from rhythmic and structural complexities, as well calmer moments where a piano may interlude with the guitars and giving a great atmosphere as a whole. So, another 4 stars, more like 3.5 but rounded up to 4 because of some pieces who I found tem essential in any seriuos progressive rock collection: Legamint, Oameni şi fapte or Pas candid către realitate. One of the best bands from Romania for sure with great contribution to progressive movement from these lands.

Progresiv TM is one of the legendary bands from my country, and why not one of the best from east Europe in the '70's. The band was formed and lead by bassist Ilie Stepan (who will form later on another famous band from Romania - Pro Musica), Harry Coradini on voice and Ladislau Herdina, whose restless pursuit of the ideal rock concept work made them an iconic figure of the local prog scene. Band formed in my home city Timisoara in early '70's but manage to release only two albums, one in 1973 and the last one in 1977 , after they were disbanded in summer of 1978. . Despite the long and painfuly prohibition of this kind of music from the comuunist regime - progressive rock alaways manage to come to the shore with head up, Progresive TM like other bands from Romania, manage all the time to come with somthing that many peoples find intristing. As the previuos reviewer said Progresive TM is one of the first bands from my country who manage to combine driving hard rock with progressive elements, the result is a quite impressive one and first album of the band named Dreptul de a visa from 1973 is a total winner. The bands sound very much like a heavy prog band, with excellent instrumental passages with flute interludes who remind me of the italian prog school of early '70's and specialy bands like Delirium and even some of the Jethro Tull atmosphere in places, but only because of the flute, the folky moments are not present here. Aswell they are more towards Deep Purple same period, or Uriah Heep, same heavy prog moments of the highest calibre. Excellent are the vocal arrangements made by Harry Coradini who realy can fight shoulder to shoulde with any vocalist from other country same period in prog, brilliant and smooth voice. The album sounds very strong, and if the band weren't from Romania, they for sure were among the best in this genre, sadly they remaining to be known in the country , gathering apluses only from romanian public, a thing that must be congratulated because in those time even this characteristic was a hard to ger, specialy when we talk about progressive rock music. On the other hand very intristing are the lyrics, and is a pitty only some of the reviewers from here will apreciat to the max the words, who are very meaning full. In the end a good album, from a legendary band from Romania, one of the bands with cult status even today after nearly 35 years of career but with little acomplished moments. Worth investigated and take some spins 4 stars and one of the first bands I ever listen from prog music, way back in 1991, remind me of high school and all those unforgetable moments of my youth. All the pieces are brilliant, specially the opening track Omul e valul (The Man is like a wave) or Va cadea o stea (A star will fall) are good examples of great heavy prog from my country, and makes me proud of this band and the thing I'm a romanian. Recommended one of the unknown bands from east Europe but with a great potential.4 stars easy.

Progresive TM was a prog rock band from Romania, Timisoara; the same city when other bands like Pheonix, Pro Musica, Celelalte Cuvinte and more recently Negura Bunget (speaking only from the band from Prog Archives) was born. By that time, Romania was in an dark age for artistic movement, becaus of the censorship from local communist regime. The line up for this album was from Harry Coradini - voice, Ladislau Herdina - guitar, voice, Ilie Stepan - bas, Hely Moszbrucker - drums, percussions, Mihai Farcas - drums, piano, percussion, Gheorghe Torz - flute. This particular album is one of the first attempt to a rock band from Romania to make prog-rock music, and now looking retrospective it was a good and essential attempt for romanian music. But comparing with other album form western Europe, this album become non-essential.

The music is a combination from heavy prog with some elements of jazz-rock and a particular flute sound. Although that some songs like Nimeni nu e singur (Nobody is not alone), Rusinea soarelui (The Shame of the sun) and Odata vei rasari (One day you will rise) are commercial oriented and the lyrics of the entire album are censored, the music is quite good. Others lsongs ike Omul e valul (The Man is like a wave) and Dreptul de a visa - Poetul deveniri noastre (The Right to a dream - The poet of our development) stands together as an authentic chapter in Romanian progressive rock. The compositions belong to Ladislau Herdina (1-3, 5-7) and Ilie Stepan (4). Ladislau Herdina will dissapear form romanian rock scene after the second Progresiv TM album Puterea Muzici and Ilie Stepan will found other musical project like Pro Musica (a heavy) and more later Stepan Project (progressive metal).