CRUCIBLE

"Over The Falls" opens with piano as the mellotron rolls in then relaxed guitar followed by drums before a minute. GENESIS certainly comes to mind with the pulsating keys which is such a feel good sound for me. Vocals after 2 1/2 minutes and I really like the sound a minute later with the organ, vocals and mellotron. Love this stuff. "The Poet Liar" is a top two track for me. It's the only track that brings JETHRO TULL to mind and no not because there's flute, it's on the heavier sections. I do like the contrasts between the heavier passages and the beautiful pastoral sections. There is some nice flute late. "Find The Line" features laid back drums, piano and vocals early on but it does get a little fuller. A nice intricate guitar solo ends it.

"Lords And Leeches" opens with vocals and a relaxed sound but how good is this when the mellotron arrives 2 1/2 minutes in. Pulsating organ follows. A synth solo 7 minutes in as the drums and bass help out. A guitar solo before 8 1/2 minutes followed by organ and vocals. "In Ancient Tongue" is an instrumental that opens with what sounds like mandolin but check out the mellotron before 1 1/2 minutes. Nice. "The Salamander" has a reggae vibe to it with vocals. That vibe stops after 1 1/2 minutes as the vocals become more passionate. Contrasts continue though. "Land For Sale" is my other top two track. I just really enjoy the emotion in this one. Piano and drums standout early with intricate guitar as reserved vocals join in. Emotion 2 minutes in with floating organ. Back to that vocals, drum, guitar section as themes are repeated. Great song!

"An Imp's tale" is divided into seven parts. It opens with "Twice Upon A Time" where we get a strong GENESIS vibe then the vocals join in. There's some beautiful acoustic guitar on the "Adrift" section as the vocals join in. Such a gorgeous sound 2 1/2 minutes in. "Stone Of The Wise" is more uptempo and powerful with vocals as the mellotron joins in. "The Mortal Flaw" has powerful organ that floats in as the vocals arrive. It changes quickly though as vocals continue followed by pulsating organ then a guitar solo. "Nomad Brad" features flute and acoustic guitar to start then the organ, drums and bass take over. The flute is back before this section ends. "Release The Imps" is more powerful with guitar and drums as the mellotron drifts in then vocals. Lots of synths follow after the vocals stop. "Day Of The Hunting Dwarf" ends the suite and the album in an uplifting manner. An emotional yell and guitar before 2 minutes before a calm ends it.

This has been a pleasure both musically and lyrically, a real escape.

Mind you, absolutely nothing musically new appears among the attractive and good-sounding set, but there are some really fine moments on Crucible's Tall Tales if uncorked and given a chance to breathe. Recalled are a host of familiarities such as Saga, Genesis, Marillion, and Bill Esposito's unmistakable Geddy Lee nasopharyngeals. But unlike with most of the other impostors out there, these tributes are welcome and tastefully done. Lead composer Tim Horan's keys (not to mention Dan Esposito's guitars) snare our attention for 'Over the Falls', and near-perfect 'The Poet Liar' might've been a hit if people had been listening to prog in the late '90s. 'Lords and Leeches' has a nice Americana vocal-pop appeal and includes Horan's squealing lead, 'Land For Sale' evokes early Rush, and seven-part 'An Imp's Tale' is the compositional highlight.

While not in the same creative league as a Wobbler or a Tangent, for most proggies Crucible will fit like a cherished pair of elderly shoes-- three concrete stars.

"The Swordplayer" opens with piano before the bass and drums joins in as the organ and guitar come and go. Vocals after 3 minutes. Mellotron after 5 minutes. Nice guitar solo after 6 1/2 minutes with organ. "I'd Rather Walk" opens with drums and guitar before the vocals then organ and chunky bass join in. Another guitar solo in this one as well. "A Man Of Two Minds" has a beat with vocals. I like the instrumental section that ends before 3 minutes.

"Noble Rot" opens with piano and vocals. Organ and guitar follow. Lots of piano in the middle. Very GENESIS-like after 3 minutes. "Nucleur Apathy" is a CRACK IN THE SKY cover. Strummed guitar and reserved vocals early. It kicks in with organ and drums 2 minutes in. I like the intricate guitar before 4 1/2 minutes, it reminds me of KING CRIMSON's "Discipline". "World's Apart" is mellow with reserved vocals, light drums and piano before it gets fuller. Contrasts continue. "Curtains" is the closing 9 1/2 minute instrumental and it's a good one at that.

3.5 stars for this one.Their debut is even better.

This could be described as a seemingly strange combination of mid-70's Genesis with modern Rush, but no worries, this is not a clone of any of the big ones. The prominent keyboards of Tim Horan use a lot patches sounding like Tony Banks in Gabriel-era Genesis and this gives it a vintage feel, but the music itself is more modern, when it reminds of Genesis it's more like the period of Wind and Wuthering or And Then There Were Three. The Rush feel comes mostly from the voice of Bill Esposito which is a kind of mellow Geddy Lee, without the harsh screaming tones of the canadian, but also because some vocal melodies are similar to the softer tracks of mid-modern Rush. We can also feel some similarities with Kansas and Jethro Tull, and with the lesser known Iluvatar, and in fact the voice is like a mix of Geddy Lee and Iluvatar's Glenn McLaughlin.

The rest of the instruments play very competently but in a balanced way, without any of them particularly standing out.

The compositions are symphonic but with a modern touch, no bombastic moments and not much self-indulgence here even if we have a nice 21 minute suite divided in 7 parts. All the tracks are really good without actual weak moments, maybe the weakest track for my taste is the reggae-oriented The Salamander which is not bad anyway.

It's not far from deserving 5 stars, but the reason why it does not reach them is that even if all the music is really good, the compositions are somehow less inspired than those of the symphonic classics. There is no track which can be considered a timeless masterpiece, and as another reviewer put it, "even after some listens the music does not stick to your head". Sure enough if you let it spin enough it finally sticks and grows, but it's true that in the beginning it all sounds very good but nothing so outstanding as to make you think "whaw!".

But I have no hesitation in giving it 4 solid stars and strongly recommending it.

4(-), decent Neo-Prog, not as good as Tall Tales, but still good. For me, so probably also for you. I consider current rating (3.17) quite unfair for them, as they have more to offer than as rating implies.

now

5(-), because listening this 8th time in a row isn't just as good as the first one. There's really no bad track, which I see as big advantage. When you expect them to fall, they surprise you with yet another sound, another chord, solo etc and story can continue.