1000 Prog Albums Over 46 Years: 1966-2011

987

Bilateral
Leprous

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

A dynamic complex album with stunning song structures and musicianship.

Leprous are new to me so I had no idea how this would sound. I liked it from the start to end. Some of the playing on this is stunning musicianship and the vocals in particular are dynamic. Each musician has a chance to really shine and it is innovative how the songs change time signatures without warning and keep the listener on the edge. The ever present metal riffing guitars pervade the album and there are moments of true ambient beauty. Here are the tracks as I heard them which should explain what to expect.

‘Bilateral’ begins with a very strong fast beat, great layered vocals from Einar Solberg and melodic metal with powerful riffs. Nice clean vocals sound a bit like Muse and the song really jumps along driven by classic guitar riffs. One growl at the end signifies that there will be some of that too.

‘Forced Entry’ is sheer bliss, with a weird time sig and effect with the guitars, blazing away. The feeling of a 70s psych prog band at first, Solberg's clean vocals are wonderfully executed. There are strange fast electronic pulsations under the veerse that slow out of sync, and then a strong steady beat for the melodic chorus reminding me of fates warning or Symphony X a bit. A nice high falsetto in the next section, incredible harmonies are strikingly similar to perhaps Pain of Salvation and then a death metal growl just to punctuate the dark atmosphere. The odd time sig on distorted guitar to follow is amazing, it is totally off kilter but is consistently so and works against the other instruments. The work of bassist Blomquist and drummer Andersen is a key feature. The Meshuggah rhythms stop and a spacey ethereal sound follows on harmonic guitar. Like the next part, "you will need me tonight," so what is this song about? "Take your time, I will give, I will give you mine, give me signs that I need to grow, rest in peace, let me connect to my shawl to your heart," really love the track, it is a mini epic that grinds along, "I fought my way," screams the vocals, and a divine lead break sliding up and down the scales augments the virtuoso musicianship. Great riffs follow from guitarists Tor Oddmund Suhrke and Ã?ystein Landsverk that are very chopped and fractured. The next part is like Riverside's ambience with threatening metal breaking through, and the vocals are estranged and filtered, "take my crime, see the sense of time". It gets extreme towards the end with very heavy guitars and a wall of sound made up of layered guitars and screeching vocals sung with incredible force. Highlight of the album and one you should check out.

‘Restless’ begins with a strange polyphonic rhythm and lots of nice harmonies. The vocals are really great, "render a purpose to be at peace, find out who you want to be". After this the track gets heavy with death growls and clean vocals trading off. It is never overdone though and the death growls are kind of part of the experience. I normally hate death growls but here the band only use them to show aggression every now and then, and it is never too much for the ears. The vocals are very well accomplished with a lot of mixing, layering voices over and merging together to create quite a strong presence.

‘Thorn’ has a horn that sounds like an Indian temple call blaring out. Then a steady beat and guitar swells take over as the verses begin, about a beast, "eating his way from inside". The slow doomy feel is punctuated by the horn effects. The chorus is an infectious melody, I try to get to sleep but nothing gets me by, the thorn inside pushing me to lie, regret the future, regret the future today." The time sig changes and there is a quirky lead break from Landsverk and Suhrke. There are some very interesting riffs that stop and start and at times a chaotic time sig takes over. The instrumental break is an excellent blend of guitar, and synth. After some chilling vocals, a trumpet plays, then an extreme metal section with a death metal feel. It breaks and then an odd time sig plays out the rest of the song.

‘Mb. Indifferentia’ begins with weird synth notes and then an organ sound, like the 70s chimes in. Solberg's serene vocals take over with true beauty and some inspired high falsetto work. The guitars of Landsverk and Suhrke are peaceful, and the ambient atmosphere is augmented by the sweet lead guitar tones. Blonmquist's bass work is exemplary, and I love the way he keeps a rhythm while the guitars play a different melody. The spacey psychedelic feel is noteworthy too. This one reminds me of Riverside, and it even builds to a heavier feel towards the end, especially when Solberg screams, "do nothing at all!"

‘Waste Of Air’, the heaviest track at first, absolutely hammers along with extreme speed metal blasts and manic double kick drumming. It settles into a strong beat and death metal vocals that are overlaid with high and low growls together. A strange passage of synth and guitar chugging along follows. The spacey synth swirls are awesome against the machine gun riffing, sounding more industrial than the rest of the album is way heavier. This continues with a hypnotic repeated motif over a fast beat. Psychedelic style vocals break over and some dark low choral voice beneath. It builds to a heavier feel and a quirky melody. More death growls lurk around the next bend and the song even speeds up in rhythm with Slayeresque speed picking. The growls get more aggressive and though I am not a fan this is so diverse than the rest of the album it is startling.

‘Mediocrity Wins’ follows and, while I am just getting over the hammer smashed onslaught of the last track, this one begins with electronica and sparkling synths generating ambience. Then a wall of sound of synths come in with some unusual overlaid spoken chants in rap style droning on one note. The rhythm is moderate with the electronic effects constant and some vocal intonations. The verses eventually begin with Muse like vocalisations hitting high notes and forced phrases. A distorted riff locks in with cryptic time sig meter, and then more aggressive growling chants begin. I am reminded of Tool for some of this or a darkwave style; "Sing the song with my own voice, take your place, mediocrity wins."

‘Cryptogenic Desires’ has tight machine gun riffing and then short blasts of speed palm mute picking. The verses are quickly sung in rhythm with the guitars. It builds with aggressive screeches and then breaks into a quirky passage with chopping guitars and blastbeats of drum and bass at intervals.

‘Acquired Taste’ is a title that may explain the album, and begins with piano and crystal clear breathy vocals from Solberg; "Enjoy the restrictions, be glad you can feel the sting, silent compassion won't lead to anything". The next part builds with consistent twanging guitars up the scale and Solberg very passionate on vocals that cry out from the soul. The next part is more like King Crimson's Fripp with fractured time sig; and stark melancholy vocals "stay in the cold you will see someone else will leave your mark, to be sold so you're free". One of the key features is the vocals that have an amazing range from low to the highest register. The lead break is terrific that follows, very emotive and soaring. It breaks to allow a piano to play a simple melody and end it.

‘Painful Detour’, the last track, features more odd time sig distorted riffing. The track clocks over 8 minutes and has a myriad of detours and twists and turns. The vocals are the same as last track, clean to high falsetto in choruses; "Time elapsing, storm running out, ready to doubt, hide from the open turning to stone." After the loud raucous chorus there is a break in the meter and the track shifts into beautiful passages of ambient passionate vocalisations. The guitars compete in battle with the ambience and a soundwave of off kilter drum patterns over a steady melody is a dissonant attack on the structure. It breaks into a rock steady beat and some delightful organ embellishments. The twin guitar playing over the synth is a highlight demonstrating the tension and release in Leprous' style.

To conclude this is an excellent album with some incredible musicianship. The inventiveness of the song structures and diverse approach to the music is refreshing. I can recommend this to those who like a heavier style of prog with loads of innovation and experimental nuances embedded within. It delivers on many levels, with complex, speed metal, dextrous guitar playing, and well executed vocals throughout.

A review by Bonnek:

After being blown away by their debut 'Tall Poppy Syndrome', this was a much anticipated album for 2011. And I must say that I'm not disappointed. Leprous built further on their songwriting and playing strengths, and also dropped their extreme vocals almost entirely, which I find a wise choice in their case.

Leprous are probably the most exciting thing in prog metal since a long long time. I may prefer Riverside but Leprous dares to cover more ground, with keyboards that avoid traditional neo and prog metal cliches in favor of a more modern approach. The keyboards are maybe comparable to Porcupine Tree's Barbieri, who also favors texture and original sounds above the usual twiedeliwiedelie keyboard runs. So far with the Porcupine Tree references, as the guitars, drums and vocals are far more metal and more prog then Porcupine Tree. The sound is fuller, heavier and more metallic, and vocalist Solberg just has the perfect voice. Could I compare him to a cross of Daniel Gildenglow with that guy from Haken? Something along those lines maybe.

The masterpiece of the album is the 10 minute 'Forced Entry', one of the few tracks to feature prominent screaming during the finale. But its built up so strongly that even the most sever clean-vocals purist should admit how this makes sense here. The remainder of the tracks are shorter but always keep an element of surprising, twisting known song formats inside out and spicing everything up with everything that can be expected from prog metal, such as haphazard time-signatures, scenic songwriting and over-the-top theatricality.

Leprous is a unique band that succeeds in marrying the attractions of classic prog metal with a fresh approach that is aggressive and modern, avoiding both the cliches and the cheese, and remaining entirely fascinating throughout the entire album. I'm pretty sure this is one of the best Prog Metal albums of recent years. 4.5 with an option to rise higher over time.

988

COMM
The Tangent

A review by Gatot:

An impressive album that represents many prog elements of the past ...

I have been amazed by the band since its debut album 'The Music That Died Alone' which blew me away at first spin - musically and impressed me with its CD artistic work by Ad Unitsky who in fact like the Roger Dean of today's progressive music. At first, I thought the band would just focus on its Canterbury development as its roots but as time went by I have observed that the band has successfully capitalized all great elements of past progressive music. Well yeah, you can find the elements of Van der Graaf (a lot), Yes (a lot), Genesis, ELP, King Crimson, Gentle Giant (even though a bit only) and many more. I do not say that they do not have their own roots because their music is basically a unique one that you may not be able to compare with any other progressive bands. Two thumbs up for The Tangent! Even though there are many elements of past prog music, nuance-wise, but the band has successfully pushed the envelop by presenting and packaging the music in a modern way with great sonic quality of production.

Andy Tillison as central act

As the band is truly multinational with its members coming from different nationalities, it's quite difficult to maintain its lineup - that's why the band has undergone many changes in its lineup with Andy Tillison as the only member who has been consistently with the band. In fact, right after the album was released the bass player Jonathan was leaving the band for his solo music career and personal reason (the loss of his father). I'm so happy having listened to the album when the young left-handed guitarist Luke contributes in this album. He is just an extraordinary guitarist and am so amazed with his skills. If he just play straight rock music, I may not so impressed with him but in this album where the music is totally prog to the bone he can provide great guitar work combining stunning guitar solo as well as rhythm or riffs styles. He's really great!

The album sounds like a concept album if you look at the titles of the track like 'The Wiki Man', 'Tech Support Guy', 'Titanic Calls Carpathia' even though in an interview with DPRP Andy admitted there was no such concept album in any release of The Tangent so far and they did not plan one in the future. But yes, he admitted that the central issue was about COMMunication as the thing that concerned Andy in most of the tracks in COMM album.

Musically, 'The Wiki Man' (20:14) that comprises six movements is really a great composition that wonderfully open this great album. It starts with sort of beeps in the 'fax machine' line followed with great symphonic style of music relying mostly on the keyboard solo with nice musical breaks having the fax machine beeps provide the fill during breaks. Luke's guitar solo starts right after the short musical opening with his unique style. The rest of the first part demonstrates great composition that shows dynamic drumming, inventive keyboards, stunning guitar work and dynamic bass playing. The first part already impressed me and right away I shouted to myself "This is IT! The music that I really love!". Next part is basically the vocal line in unique Andy Tillison way - it has become the band's trademark in terms of vocal line. I have to admit that Andy's vocal work is not superb but it does really fit with the music wonderfully. I repeat: "wonderfully"! I am not joking, while I am enjoying this opening track my mind fly back to the days when I first listened to Yes' 'Gates of Delirium', 'Close to The Edge'. Oh my God ...these guys really terrific! They are able to stimulate the great parts of past progressive music in their own way, in a modern sound technology. I say in their own way because there are parts with piano solo that remind me to jazz music followed with long sustained keyboard solo that reminds me to Rick Wakeman's solo in Close to The Edge or Patrick Moraz solo in Gates of Delirium. This epic 'The Wiki Man' to me is at par excellence as Yes' 'Gates of Delirium' - my all time favorite of Yes composition. The music of The Wiki Man is much more dynamic than Yes' Close To The Edge - that's why I tend to compare it with Gates of Delirium which has dynamic parts. Of course The Wiki Man has musical break as well and it is filled with great combination of vocal, acoustic guitar and piano. It's really a masterpiece composition! Bravo The Tangent! Even if the rest of the tracks are not good, this opening track represents the worth of buying the album, really! One thing that I really want more from this opening track: more guitar solo by Luke - it seems this opening track has spaces that actually he can fill ini more guitar solo and shreds.

'The Mind's Eye' (8:13) starts off with a choirs followed with music that moves in crescendo until it reaches certain tempo that is quite fast augmented with nice guitar rhythm. This track is more song-rientated composition and it relies heavily on Andy's vocal line. There are parts that have breaks as well but mostly the track comprises dynamic music. It's an excellent composition. The next track 'Shoot Them Down' (6:45) is a mellow one and it's not something that I really like because the music is quite straight forward - less challenges for me to digest. But it's a good as filler having listened to two dynamic tracks previously. 'Tech Support Guy' (5:51) is another dynamic track with great flute work augmented beautifully with dynamic drumming and organ / keyboard work. The vocal line of Andy enters nicely while the music still provide the unique sound of The Tangent. The alto sax solo is also nice and it makes this track characterizes the music of The Tangent. I like the interlude part that provides great flute and keyboard / guitar works.

'Titanic Calls Carpathia' (16:31) is another epic shorter than The Wiki Man and it comprises also six movements. It starts off with an ambient style with flute providing the lead backed with silent keyboard work. The opening reminds me to the overture of orchestral music. The real music enters at approximately minute 3 with a nice drumming work. The vocal enters slowly, still in the silent mode. The overall mode of this track is basically moderate in tempo and less complex than The Wiki Man. However, this track provides great combination of skills from the musicians involved. The interlude part has musical riffs but still maintain the nature of The Tangent Music - it does not something like progressive metal. This epic concludes the album wonderfully. Titanic Calls Carpathia .....

Overall, this is an excellent addition to any prog music collection. For those who like how the traditional elements of prog music integrated into one cohesive whole with excellent audio quality plus some jazz music parts, this album is really the one you need to have.

989

Mammoth
Beardfish

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

The power of music!

Beardfish's "Mammoth" was just the album I was looking for to soak my sorrows into with it's downbeat lyrics and desperate thematic content. The words seemed to speak right into my soul and the music is so brilliantly executed that it somehow lifted my spirits and I could feel chills running over me as those instrumental passages and clean vocals rose and soared into the stratosphere. The music is always uplifting, a stark contrast to the bleak lyrics, with only the slightest ray of hope, such as in the opening track; "Wait a while with me, a lost soul among thousands, waiting at a platform for a train that never comes, There are no signs that this life is even life anymore, and there is no train, no one will show, no whistle will blow so I shall sing instead ,I'll keep on singing". The opening track absolutely floored me with its amazing complex time sig and wonderful atmospheric soundscape of guitars and keyboards. 'The Platform' is 8 minutes of solid gold prog with all the trimmings, odd meters, chord structures and blistering solos. The lyrics are a key feature: 'In this frozen white wasteland, I'm bound to wait forever, You left me here when I was just a child, No matter where I walk, I find myself back in the same old spot, Where no sun will ever shine, Save me from myself, my thoughts are a mess, When I think of you it strikes a nerve within,I can't separate love from hate. Save me".

'And The Stone Said: If I Could Speak' is a delicious 15 minute music fest of grinding retro keyboards and tensions of light passages of clean guitar augmented by gentle emotional vocals by Rikard Sjöblom. The lyrics again are beautifully written with some melancholy thoughts mixed with a dark undertone of desperation; "I was alone and it was night, I had nobody else to turn to, but the voices talking to me from afar, and with endearing words so silent, they told me the secret about who you really are, A million images and words, long since forgotten, of events that no one ever saw, I hear a whimper as I kneel, realizing that it's your pain that I feel, In this house of worship I'm a stone." The guitar break is excellent speaking volumes of the emotional content of the verses. The song builds till we hear a delightful saxophone that soars over the music. The beat gets heavier and the vocals more aggressive and draws me deeper into the melancholia. Without warning the whole song detours into a King Crimson like polyphonic time sig. The Hammond solo is unbelievably power, and there are even death metal vocals under the section, "A wooden banister, a bridge and a vast stone wall up ahead, I cross the bridge and hear the voices and they're speaking of the dead." The high clean vocals are quick tempo in later verses and the song has completely changed at this point. The melody is excellent and this is as good as prog gets in an epic format. The theme centres on if walls could speak, the stories would be blood soaked stories; "I am every stone on earth, everything is recorded in me, But I'm not to interfere, Just continue to act as if I'm not here, I don't care for love or hate, And I know there is no such thing as fate, No greater power will punish your mistakes, Your acts are out of your own free will." A blockbuster on the album, this is one track you should hear to experience the best of Beardfish.

'Tightrope' is rather subdued after the chaos of the previous track. The pace is moderate with melodic guitars. The vocals are crystalline and passionate; "I walk the tightrope, and tell you I love you, Even if you don't, Even if you don't, I'll say the words that I long to hear, I hold you so dear." The melody is delicate and it is rather short compared to rest of album tracks but no less powerful. There is an atmospheric section of echoes and guitar blasts and the pace changes tempo, and a flute lends an ambience to the sound towards the end.

'Green Waves' is a brilliant track that begins with wave effects and a strong guitar riff, with screeching vocals. The music is heavy at first, with some grinding distortion and awesome riffing. The first lead break is one of the best on the album and then the next verse punctuates the theme of dreams and longing. The lyrics command attention, namely; "Dreaming of heroics in the deep, but this is not my sleep, I know your secrets and your past, My words shall echo last, I think I was 12 years old, when I realized I wasn't immortal, And now in this world of green waves, it's all coming back to me." I love the way the lyrics are structured, from loud cries of anguish to a soft melancholy; "I've been here before, I remember a storm, Beating deep inside my soul, The sea, she once was my friend, and now she's claiming me, I'm falling". The track is a definitive highlight on the album and is definitely heavier than previous songs, due primarily to the guitar work of David Zackrisson. The guitar driven song stands out among other tracks, and there is even a series of very emotional guitar solos towards the end of the song.

'Outside/ Inside' is a piano interlude by Rikard Sjöblom and is very pretty and is really a transition point between the rocking previous track and the next. It kind of allows the mood to come down again after the heaviness of 'Green Waves'.

'Akakabotu' is an instrumental that begins with grinding Hammond staccato blasts reminding me of Emerson. The sax is back and as brilliantly played as earlier. The jazz fusion feel is compelling and is decidedly different than other tracks contained on the album. The sax builds t a ferocious blistering solo over the crunches of Rikard Sjöblom' shimmering organ. This is a fantastic piece of music with intense musicianship of the highest quality.

It ends on a strange song called 'Without Saying Anything (feat. Ventriloquist)', with quiet vocals and some unusual structures. The organic music flows lucidly from dark to light, tension and release, and features some incredible drumming from Magnus Östgren and as always, Robert Hansen provides essential basslines. Te keyboards are pronounced and uplifting. There is a break in the music with some minimalist piano. Then a quiet guitar follows, building with synth passages, and an odd time sig. The ventriloquist enters at this point of the song and the lyrics are rather profound asking deep questions that may sum up the whole song; "Were we born to blindly follow? To never ever ask why? It seems dangerous to indoctrinate, a daily dose of hate, Who's your prophet, when you're marching off to war? Don't believe you're doing it for him, Think about where the orders came from."

Thus ends a superb album, one of the best for 2011. Beardfish deliver with quality musicianship and well structured tracks. All killer, no filler, this really is a 'Mammoth' album. The vocals are excellent throughout, and the lyrics are compelling with themes covered that struck a chord with me. I was delighted from beginning to end, and on every listen the music retains its power. "Mammoth" is essential listening.

990

Heritage
Opeth

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

A stunning masterpiece tribute to the 70s.

No death metal growls! I would like to personally thank every reviewer here who stated that fact. Okay, now we have got that out of the way we can commence (I loathe the over abundance of death growls in prog). Allow me to get personal for a moment. I love this album for the same reason I loved 'Damnation'. Akerfeldt has a great voice and he uses it well on this album, and the band are inventive virtuoso musicians and they are incredible on this release. I discovered Opeth on 'Damnation' and adored every part of it. I was completely dismayed after this that 'Deliverance', my next Opeth album, was infested with death metal growling. I had discarded that style years ago, it simply is not for me. I don't mind that others like it, I used to also, but I can't stand it now. So I decided that Opeth was not for me. Opeth get rave reviews such as the incredibly diverse Watershed and Ghost Reveries that I had to dip my toes in again and I was actually quite pleased with what I heard, thinking perhaps Opeth is for me, I just have to skip the tracks that don't appeal. Not ideal I know but they are excellent musos and deserve recognition. Anyway, I read the reviews for the new album and all of them said the same thing ' no death metal vocals. Okay, here we go. I had no idea I was going to encounter a throwback to the 70s! Here are the tracks.

‘Heritage’ and ‘The Devil's Orchard’; after a quiet melancholy piano intro accompanied by bassist Martin Mendez. Track 2 seamlessly begins with the gorgeous Hammond sound of the 70s. Then we are treated to a King Crimson guitar polyrhythm. The Black Sabbath dark lyrics and atmosphere is unmistakeable.

‘I Feel the Dark’ has an acoustic intro, a steady beat, inspired singing, spacey effects, time sig changes, lots of beautiful flute.

‘Slither’ has a heavier sound but still no metal distortion. More classic Sabbath guitar and keyboards, awesome riffs, a Hammond organ shimmering, an excellent lead break and some minimalist acoustic.

‘Nepenthe’ begins with soft acoustics, and weird jazz improvised drums, very slow pace and key pads. Akerfeldt is great with clean vocals sounding like like Camel. There are Psych prog embellishments, and reflective lyrics; 'in my darkest hour, yes, trust me with the light'. A King Crimson style guitar riff locks in, with soaring lead guitar, then more jazz drums. This is a real oddity, but quite entrancing, then a screaming killer lead solo breaks in, but suddenly drops out for an ambient passage of keys and guitar with those brush drums. Vocals return, singing, 'She would haunt my dreams,' and after a verse it's over. Opeth are a new animal here, and I love it. It's not prog metal, its eclectic mixed with jazz fusion.

‘Haxprocess’ is an incredible track that features some very strange time sig that almost feels improvised, and thee is a very strong dark atmosphere. Akerfeldt is extremely quiet, and sounds like the early 70s. Ambient effects of acoustic and dark sustained key pads create a bleak feeling of despair. Finally a rhythmic guitar begins and some Gothic lyrics with surreal imagery focussing on 'one eternal winter' and 'one forgotten season, secrets in the mire, moon is riding high, save your children, drenched in poverty, tracks in the snow,' The guitar solo is completely devoid of any rhythm, and all other instruments drop out. There is beauty in the playing, and I am in awe of how much this sounds like Latimer or Hackett. The sound of children's playful voices is heard and later a haunting piano in the distance. The atmosphere is uninviting but very Opeth.

‘Famine’ is a long song at over 8 minutes beginning with a Jethro Tull flute, strange crying effects, a low drone and then African tom tom drums. Sad vocals and lyrics sing slowly over a lonely piano, 'I can't see your face and I can't breathe your air, so I wonder why I get caught inside when I hear your name.' Immediately a Fripp like guitar chimes in, and then blasts of drums and a massive Hammond crashing on the chords, sheer prog bliss. Akerfeldt's voice rises in pitch and it is a stand out moment on this album. The musicianship is unrepentant of the 70s sound, it seems it is designed to pay tribute to those classic 70s prog bands. The lyrics are even as weird as the 70s psych prog, 'Into the fire of my youth comes the devil again, when you feel your way, feel your way'. The song gets surreal and detours into new time sig territory, with very sporadic metrical patterns and crazy freakout Hammond and flute. There is a dissonant jazz feel and a bizarre riff that is impossible to pin down at first but it settles into an ethereal warbling flute over acoustic flourishes. The music draws me in as Akerfeldt sings with longing and pain, 'I would die, my heart was empty, come a ghost in perpetual void and neglect our reasons why'. Cue an echo and Ian Anderson must have channelled his presence as that is his flute. The droning organ caps off one of the best Opeth tracks, certainly the most experimental. The sepulchral laughing voice at the end is downright creepy and preternatural. How could you not be mesmirised by all this high strangeness? Opeth are going out on a limb and just taking too many risks but it actually works. Check this track out as it typifies the new Opeth approach.

‘The Lines in My Hand’ returns to good old classic rock with cool riffs and spacey psych synthesizer. Akerfeldt sounds great on vocals and the verse is repeated over and over speaking about 'dying in the wake'. The acoustic breaks are well executed and there are so many various time changes and instrumental breaks to indulge in. The song changes mid way through with a kind of Camel style, as Akerfeldt sings 'the writing's on the wall'. I loved this track, and perhaps this would be the one to check out along with Famine to find out whether this album is really for you.

‘Folklore’ features guitarist Fredrik Akesson who presents a wonderful clean guitar for an intro, but it sounds great and the riff is missing a beat or two which is unsettling to the ears but very progressive for that reason. The vocals sound like the effect on Sabbath's Planet Caravan processed through an effects vocoder, very 70s, 'Hey you, will you, be true, when you can.' The shimmering Hammond waits around the corner and blasts now and then like an old friend. I like the melody that is consistently out of sync, if that makes sense. I like the part with the lyrics, 'lost control, call your name, left me home, pouring rain, in the sea, of guilt and shame, we just stay'. The music even feels uplifting for a change, and the guitar solo is excellent old classic rock style. It fades away like an old 70s vinyl album.

‘Marrow of the earth’ may be one of the highlights in terms of beautiful guitar playing for Opeth. It is a dominant acoustic feel throughout, and very mellow vibes are created so well, the finger work is excellent.

So now we have two Opeths - the heavy death metal Opeth such as on “Deliverance”, “Still Life” and “Blackwater Park”, and we have the other Opeth that is full blown progressive such as on “Damnation”, “Ghost Reveries” and now “Heritage”. You will perhaps be a fan of one or the other, but not both so this will be a test for Opeth's fanbase and how they will incorporate these tracks with the likes of those on “Ghost Reveries” is beyond me, but they will.

There were always quiet proggy moments on Opeth albums but this is their most progressive album I would suggest. It actually goes to great lengths to be as progressive as eclectic and symphonic bands of the 70s and even reminds me of Pain of Salvation and Riverside and of course Porcupine Tree, as Steven Wilson helmed the mixing again. This will no doubt alienate the huge fan base, but Opeth were never going to remain in one genre, they never have and that is why they are so endearing. I for one am pleased with this new approach and hope they stick to it as they do it so well. This is my favourite Opeth album hands down, and I am a dedicated Opeth convert if they continue on this path.

A review by Bonnek:

Opeth's second non-metal album is a marvel, an intriguing and slowly growing album that may fail to make much sense at first, but one that kept seducing me into it's attractive 70's gloom. At about 20 listens I finally feel confident enough to review it.

Without the metal sound, the compositions on “Heritage” initially seem to miss the unifying glue that ties everything together on regular Opeth albums. So at first some songs sound quite haphazard and fragmented. Well, that's how much real Prog albums sound in my ears and this one is not an exception. It just takes time, an expensive luxury in these days of fast moving mp3-goods. I admit I had to throw away my initial draft of this review entirely and I'm sure this album's appreciation will suffer from rushed judgements. Also your expectations might stand in the way of the music. So for whomever who wouldn't know yet, this is not metal, not extreme, and also no 'Damnation II'.

And there's so much to enjoy. The more bluesy and rocking approach works wonderfully well for Opeth and the breathy and dynamic arrangements reveal the brilliant musicianship that usually got obscured by the thick guitar wall. Especially Mendez can be enjoyed as he curls his fluid bass lines around Axe's superb drumming. I may have criticized Axe's rather rigid approach on 'Watershed' but here he makes me forget Lopez altogether, as he can be busy as well as subtle, rocking as well as swinging. And of course there's Per Wiberg who can be heard like never before. There's also none of the disinterested growls or formulaic metal that made 'Watershed' such a disappointment for me.

We're a good 15 years after their debut “Orchid” but the music from “Heritage” is simply light-years away from that chillingly black atmosphere of yore. It's a change that not all fans will welcome but I'm happy that Opeth always managed to reinvent themselves whenever they seemed to be stuck in a rut. This is a refreshing listen, and much preferred over having yet another album where Akerfeldt's heart wasn't into anymore. It's not a match for BWP or Ghost Reveries, but different, and genius as well.

PS. Please get the version with the DVD surround mix and 2 more tracks.

991

Passion
Pendragon

A review by Conor Fynes:

Call it atmospheric rock, modern prog, or even neo-prog, there's no doubts that Pendragon are one of the more established names in the modern progressive rock scene. Much like many of my favourite bands, Pendragon is an act that may have been running for a long time, but their more recent material has been no pushover. Instead of merely trying to appease (or offend) their existing fanbase, Pendragon is a band that keeps the train chugging along, and with their last album 'Pure', they may have received their most positive acclaim to date. 'Passion' is very much a continuation of the momentum that they found with 'Pure' in 2008, and while it may have been a slow year thus far for progressive music, 'Passion' has really struck a chord with me. Although it is a fairly far cry from the music they originally made in the 80's and early 90's, Pendragon's makes the suave decision of modernizing their sound and as the excellent music on this new album indicates, the risk they have been taking with the past few albums has been paying off.

Although 'Passion' is this reviewer's first earnest experience with the music of Pendragon, I was always aware of the influence that they had in the neo-progressive revival during the 1990's, when prog finally started lifting back up off of the ground. As far as 'Passion' goes though, the quickest draw for me was its closeness in sound to Porcupine Tree. While being layered with beautiful atmosphere and some moderate vintage prog sounds that weave their way into the songwriting, there is a melodic pop sensibility to each of the tracks here, even the ones that climb over the ten minute wall. Even vocalist Nick Barrett's British enunciation reminds me often of Steven Wilson, though I would never so far as to say that Pendragon gave up their old sound to emulate another's. The music here is quite dark, but its done with a tongue-in-cheek nature, keeping the powerful emotional resonance in check while still not taking itself too seriously.

As for the lyrics... I have a feeling that Pendragon were either intoxicated, or incredibly angry when they wrote the words to this album. Barrett barks about a range of seemingly random things as slamming ones hands on a table 'like a monkey', or even 'dropping one's balls'. While these may either be surrealism for surrealism's sake, or a charming coming-of-age allusion as illustrated by the latter example may be up for debate for some, but for where I'm coming from listening to the album, it feels as if Pendragon has had plenty of emotions bottled up, and they are letting the so-called 'Passion' out in the most straightforward way they can; a raw display of equal parts anger, sadness, and wonder. Each of the songs keeps a fairly dark tone to it, but it is always melodic, and the band performs this music brilliantly. Of course, there is no room in the music for Pendragon to showcase their abilities, but instead the talent is proven through the subtlety and emotion they are able to put into the music here. With a particular applause going towards the beautifully rendered guitar solos here, 'Passion' is an album played with, well, vigour, let's say?

A review by Ivan_Melgar_M:

It's normal for any almost band to reach a peak and then start to go downhill, some reach this apotheosis too early in their careers and have a shorter life, while others have more resistance, but the feared decline always catches them. In the world of Neo Prog two bands mark that difference, MARILLION, was amazing from the start, but after Fish left, the slow but unstoppable decadence begun, until they turned into a mainstream band with nothing special to place them over the rest (In my opinion of course).

On the other hand PENDRAGON seems immortal, because they keep going for 26 years and even when some albums are better than others, they go on an on and on as the Energizer bunny. I honestly thought that they would always live at the shadow of "The Masquerade Overture", but four years later they surprised with the excellent "Not of this World"

Then, the new century advanced and when everything pointed towards their disappearance, they gave us "Believe" and "Pure" that reinvented the sound of the band and allowed a rebirth. It's clear that PENDRAGON are able to survive, because they evolved without betraying their style or selling out in the search of a new audience.

Now in 2011 they release "Passion", and even when not as revolutionary as "Pure" (Well, there's no need to make dramatic changes after each album), they keep the healthy habit of marking the difference with the previous release but reinforcing the changes they made before.

"Pure" was a giant leap, but still they kept some of the pastoral sound that made the band famous, with "Passion" they have embraced a darker facet of Neo Prog, playing sometimes the border that separates the sub-genre from Heavy Prog.

Something very important is that they have left behind almost every reference from the four men GENESIS to create a new, more modern and vibrant sound adequate for the new century, leaving the keyboards in a secondary (but still important) role in order to give priority to the aggressive guitars and percussion.

It's hard to choose favorite tracks, because "Passion" must be heard as a unity, being that no song can be seen as a single, every song is an integral part of the album. But if I have to select one, I would go with the dramatic "Empathy" where the beautiful piano and Mellotron reminds me a bit of their roots, but on other passages they show this aggressiveness and violence that is best expressed with the spoken vocals (Just in case, this is not Rap, because rappers didn't invented spoken songs). An excellent track that combines the classical sound with a contemporary and harder approach.

As I said before, not as transcendental as "Pure", but I have to give "Passion" the same four stars I gave to it's predecessor, being that the level and quality of both releases is pretty similar.

992

Beyond The Shrouded Horizon
Steve Hackett

A review by Gatot:

Hackett has done it again! This album blew me away at first spin for a couple of reasons. First, I am amazed with how productive he has been since 1975 until now producing 22 (twenty two) studio albums plus some live albums and DVDs. This is great, really. In fact he has produced 21 albums after he quit Genesis while the band he left had not produced that many albums. Second, talking about quality, I think Hackett has been very consistent with his music style so far as compared to Genesis who tried to make poppy albums. I have not seen any effort that Hackett made to create pop music, he has been so consistent with his progressive music style. Look at this album; you will find this one is consistent with his styles since the debut album in 1975, also the legendary “Spectral Morning” as well as “Dark Town” in 1999. Third, I enjoy this album and I always spin it in its entirety from start to end. The music has a solid structural integrity and it's so cohesive like story telling from start to end.

He has been consistent with his music style

Let's have a look at the music in this album. It starts off wonderfully with ‘Loch Lomond’ (6:49) where it reminds me of the “Spectral Morning” album in terms of nuances and textures even though the song is totally fresh; there are no such elements that copy the previous tracks from previous albums. This is not something like ‘Everyday’ that opens “Spectral Morning”, rather it's much mellow than ‘Everyday’. Wonderful! It also reminds me of one of his songs 'The Steppes' from the “Defector” album in 1980. The guitar fills still represent his style really well. What is surprising is when the vocals enter comprising male and female vocals, it's really nice. Even though Hackett's vocal quality is not that good, he manages to blend nicely with the music. The guitar solo is also stunning. The second track 'The Phoenix Flown' (2:08) sounds like continuing the opening track by showing off Hackettian guitar style with some howling segments as well. Even though it's a short instrumental track, it satisfies Hackett guitar style freaks. It's really great!

'Wanderlust' (0:44) is basically a guitar filler that reminds us of 'Horizon' and it flows nicely to 'Til These Eyes' (2:41) which has opening guitar fills that remind me of Kansas' 'Dust In The Wind'. Again, I enjoy this mellow track especially with Hackett guitar and vocal, backed with a nice string section. I am sure most of you would love this track as the melody is really nice and it's very Hackett!

You must love 'Prairie Angel' (2:59) as it starts beautifully with howling guitar work by Hackett. It flows in mellow fashion with slow tempo and when it enters the interlude there is a rocking part with his unique guitar riffs followed with music that moves faster, faster and faster, combining the work of guitar and keyboard, augmented with guitar fills that are a unique style of Hackett as an opening of the next track. It flows seamlessly to 'A Place Called Freedom' (5:57) with vocal line. In here Hackett explores his guitar fills as rhythm section of the vocal line. 'Between The Sunset And The Coconut Palms' (3:18) again reminds me of “Defector”, something like before 'The Toast' I believe. It's a nice track.

'Waking To Life' (4:50) is something that is really different than other tracks of Hackett, even though there are components that are still his style. This one has eastern music style with female vocals. I think he is brilliant making this track, as it demonstrates something unique that focuses more on traditional elements as the music flows. The guitar solo is still showing his style; he plays it soft and inventive. The song has high energy, especially as it contains beats and grooves. It probably will be your favorite from this album. As the title implies, 'Two Faces Of Cairo' (5:13) represents the nuances of Middle East music. The opening part that has atmospheric drumming work sets the tone of the music really well. What follows are the keyboard solos that replicates the style of eastern music, followed brilliantly with Hackett guitar soloing while the drumming style remains intact. Well, you might refer to Led Zeppelin's ‘Kashmir’ on the kind of eastern style of the rhythm section (predominantly played by keyboard) of this track. This track is really killing me!

'Looking For Fantasy' (4:33) starts off with keyboard work followed with Hackett vocal line and acoustic guitar fills. 'She's only looking for fantasy ...' followed with wonderful guitar fills that sound really great if you play your CD on a decent stereo set or using a headset. 'Summer's Breath' (1:12) is a nice acoustic guitar outfit that bridges to the next 'Catwalk' (5:44) that sounds blues rock to me, and it's really an excellent track as far as my taste. Again his guitar solo rules!

I think the mascot of this album is the concluding track 'Turn This Island Earth' (11:51) that has an opening part in the same nuance as “Dark Town” album with its atmospheric, haunted style combining sound effects from keyboard and wonderful acoustic guitar work. The song moves in crescendo and it's really moving on with rocking parts especially in the interlude. The guitar and drums sound really nice backed with inventive string arrangements at the back. The music turns mellow at approx minute 7:50; it's really a very nice segment and it flows with mellowness and a nice melody, augmented with atmospheric music comprising keyboard and string section at the background. It's hard to not love this track, really!

With all the positive words that I have used throughout this writing, I am confident to say that this is really an excellent addition to any prog music collection with 4+ rating.

993

Iconoclast
Symphony X

A review by UMUR:

"Iconoclast" is the 8th full-length studio album by US progressive power metal actSymphony X. The album was released in June 2011 by Nuclear Blast Records. "Iconoclast" is available in two versions. A one-disc "regular" version and a two-disc special edition digipak with three extra tracks. Apparently the two-disc version is how the band had envisioned the album but the label wanted a one-disc version too. "Iconoclast" is a concept album where the lyrics evolve around the "man against machine" theme. It´s a thematic concept rather than a storyline that goes through the entire album.

So how does Symphony X sound 4 years after the release of their arguably most heavy and aggressive album to date"Paradise Lost (2007)"? Well first of all they lost none of the heaviness that characterized the music on the predecessor but they´ve succeeded in combining the extreme heaviness with a more melodic and memorable approach too. I can see some of the fans that turned away from the band because of the aggressive approach on"Paradise Lost", returning to the fold. The keyboards have a much more prominent role in the music again even though Michael Romeo´s groove based and hard edged guitar riffs and Russell Allen´s raw and powerful vocals dominate as usual.

Even though most people will probably want to purchase the two-disc digipack version of the album to get the three extra tracks and hear the album like the band intended it to be, I actually think the one-disc version contains the most important tracks. Out of the three bonus tracks the only track I really miss on the one-disc version is "Reign In Madness". Both "Light Up The Night" and "The Lords Of Chaos" are great tracks too but held up against the material that is featured on both versions both of those tracks do come off as high quality filler. The two tracks "Electric Messiah" and "Prometheus (I Am Alive)", which appear on disc 2 of the two-disc version of the album along with the three bonus tracks, can also be put into that catagory. I know it sounds spoiled to call quality material filler but the rest of the tracks on the album are simply of such an outstanding quality that it´s hard not to notice the difference. From the symphonic and progressive opening title track to the raw and heavy "b*****ds of the Machine", "Dehumanized" and"Heretic" to the clever and epic closing track "When All Is Lost", the album is one long amazing journey.

So if you like your progressive power metal as raw and heavy as possible yet with a rare melodic sensibility delivered by exceptionally well playing musicians and packed in a powerful and clear production, "Iconoclast" is the answer to your prayers. It´s not like we´re introduced to anything new on the album or that Symphony X reinvent themselves, but "Iconoclast" is one of those cases where a band takes all the good things from their previous albums, put them into a stew and make sure that the outcome work wonders. I´m not sure the album is THE essential Symphony X release but it´s damn near the top of the best albums the band have released so far. A 4.5 star rating is well deserved.

994

Falling Deeper
Anathema

A review by Conor Fynes:

Anathema first re-recorded unplugged versions of their existing music with the album 'Hindsight'. Contrary to my expectations, I not only loved that album, but it became one of my favourite albums from this former doom, now-atmospheric rock group. Like most of my most loved modern artists, this is a band that keeps doing brilliant new things, and the second 'unplugged' release from these Liverpudlians proves that they have nowhere near exhausted their passion for making some of the most emotive music in recent times. Instead of merely doing a sequel to 'Hindsight', 'Falling Deeper' does something rather different. Anathema's latest sees them mellow out their music like never before, now to the point of being rightfully called ambient music. Although the turbulence of these doom classics has been squeezed out of them, they are now more beautiful and touching than ever.

In place of guitars or drums, Anathema rely mostly on gentle piano, and a fully realized string section to bring these new renditions to life. 'Hindsight' certainly changed most of its songs up into something new, but they were always recognizable in relation to the core material. 'Falling Deeper' is such a radical departure from the death-doom metal style that most of the songs here bear only a slight resemblance to the originals, to the point where one could even call this album a set of fresh material that pays homage to their early work over anything else. To call 'Falling Deeper' 'unplugged' would be misleading, seeing as the arrangements here are generally more complex than the originals, which were mostly led on by one or two guitars. The strings and piano instantly create a template with which to create some beautiful music, and Anathema do not disappoint. Each track here is very moving in a cinematic sense, and there is even a running flow to the music that assures the listener that once they fall into the trance of the music, they won't be roused out of it by some out-of-place track break.

There are vocals here as well from the Cavanagh brothers, as well as well-known Dutch vocalit Anneke Van Giersbergen, who coincidentally ranks among my favourite female singers. As opposed to letting the vocals take run with melodies, they are instead used almost as if the voices were no more an instrument than the violins or piano. The highlight 'Kingdom' is perfectly indicative of this, with soothing vocals doing more for the texture of the music, rather than taking hold of the listener's attention. This is most definitely ambient music, and that can also mean it is not something that is necessarily going to mesh with every whim and occasion. This is romantic, beautiful, soothing music to put on while either relaxing and reflecting, and to that extent, I may not like the homogeneity of this release over something like 'Hindsight', or one of the brilliant full-lengths they have done recently. For what it lacks in dynamic or variety though, Anathema nails down the one angle they aim for here, and once again, I have fallen in love with the music this group makes.

995

Révolu$ion
Nemo

A review by Conor Fynes:

The theme of rebellion is one that pops up all too frequently in rock music. I suppose because 'obeying your superiors' doesn't make for as catchy of a chorus hook, but rock music has definitely been something of a watchdog for what its musicians perceive as ills of the world, identifying problems and making music that addresses them accordingly. It should not come as too much of a surprise then that a band could make an album that revolves around this topic, coming from the historically revolutionary nation of France no less. Nemo is a band I have never heard before 'Révolu$ion', but it is clear that they have met some great acclaim over their career. Beginning as a less distinct melodic prog metal band, Nemo have since gone on to become one of the brightest lights in modern heavy prog rock. 'Révolu$ion' has met some high acclaim since being released, and for good reason; 'Révolu$ion' reaffirms Nemo's place as one of the shakers of modern prog.

The sound here is quite a bit heavier than the typical 'symphonic' variety of prog rock that people may be used to. The title track here shows the band leaning towards progressive metal more than anything else, featuring gritty guitars and dark vibe, although the vocals keep things very melodic. A trend with this album though is that the quality of the tracks are indirectly proportionate to their length. Although the shorter tracks are excellent and get the blood flowing for the rest of the album, the real highlights here are when Nemo adopts a more epic approach to their writing, which is something that they do exceedingly well. 'Loins Des Yeux' is a piece of music that cycles through numerous different feelings and sounds, going from symphonic heavy metal to subtle prog to a incredibly well-built and powerful Celtic section, where the bagpipes drive the band's sound into a furious ecstasy. 'Aux Portes Du Paradis' is another part of 'Révolu$ion' where Nemo decides to take some folkish sounds into their music, using some celestial Far East instrumentation that lulls the listener into a sense of zen calm before hitting them with another dose of intelligently designed prog rock.

As the topic may indicate, the music here is very angry in nature, taking the rather volatile issues that Nemo are concerning themselves with and conveying them through heavy rock orchestrations. Louveton's voice is very melodic and warm, but the anger cna be heard here; it is clear that Nemo's music is being driven by some sincere frustrations with the modern world. At the same time, the band can be very intimate with their sound, closing off the typically crunchy music of the album with 'Note Pour Plus Tard', a song that could almost be considered uplifting, as if the revolution of which the band speaks of has a glorious outcome for all involved. Nemo's 'Révolu$ion' is certainly an album that speaks to the current state of affairs in the world, and while the shorter songs don't compare to the majestic nature of the longer pieces, Nemo has made an album that will be remembered for quite some time.

996

Epoch
Fen

A review by UMUR:

"Epoch" is the 2nd full-length studio album by UK black metal act Fen. The album was released in February 2011 by Code666. Fen registered on my radar with their great debut album"The Malediction Fields (2009)". A great atmospheric black metal album which incorporates elements from both post-rock and shoegaze.

...that´s also more or less how I would describe the music on "Epoch". It´s obvious that the band have grown quite a bit as songwriters though and what was great on the debut is now perfected here. The epic melancholic black metal atmospheres created by synths, bass, guitar and drums are simply astonishing in their bleak beauty and paired with the mellow shoegazing elements in the songs, this makes for quite the satisfying musical journey. The vocals by The Watcher varies between harsh black metal rasps, clean melancholic/ shoegaze type vocals and a few shouted vocals too. His delivery is strong and he shows here, that he is a skilled vocalist with many intriguing ideas. The production has to be mentioned here too, as it suits the music perfectly. It´s relatively raw and organic but not in a lo-fi way. The production does a great job of controlling the wall of sound the band create in the more raw black metal sections.

The musicianship is generally very strong on the album, but I have to give a special mention to drummer Theutus. Not only is his playing organic and very "human", which is something I greatly enjoy if it´s done like this, but he is also very inventive and does a great job at providing variation in the rythm department throughout the album. He is a reminder of how much a great drummer means to music. Another asset are the epic synths played by Æðelwalh. Majestic and beautiful.

The 8 track, 64:58 minute long album never fails to deliver. Not a dull moment in sight. For such a long album, that´s quite the achivement. Fen prove here that they are far from finished developing their sound and that we may expect even greater things on subsequent releases ( and that shouldn´t be misinterpreted as if "Epoch" isn´t a complete album, because it certainly is). The adventurous approach they have to writing songs is inspiring and while "Epoch" is sure to keep me busy for a long time, I can´t wait to hear what Fen will put in the brew next time. A 4.5 - 5 star rating is fully deserved. This one has the potential of becoming album of the year for me.

997

Terminal Twilight
White Willow

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

White Willow's "Terminal Twilight" is a Gothic winter album that is more concerned with beautiful and ethereal atmospheres than complex virtuosity. The vocals are delightful by Sylvia Skjellestad and there are some very good tracks on this album.

'Hawks Circle the Mountain' begins it with a bright, upbeat energy and exquisite synths from Lars Fredrik Frøislie. The vocals are very nice, sweetly sung with passion by Sylvia. The guitars are dynamic played so well by Jacob Holm-Lupo.

'Snowswept' fetures atmospheric sounds and ethereal vocals. The synth pads create ambient, dreamy, Icelandic glacial scapes. The beautiful vocals are so mesmirising; "they are calling in a white out all the experts on tv" and later she sings "but they do not know what scarecrow whispered in my frozen ear" and my favourite phrase "I will stay with him in the snow swept in". The music builds to a louder multi tracked vocals

'Kansas Regrets' features the vocals of Tim Bowness who sings softly with an acoustic. Later there is a duet with Sylvia, and very sweet harmonies. The flute of Ketil Vestrum Einarsen is lovely and the odd percussion works well. This is a a ghostly soundscape, evoling the solitude of a lonely white beach during a winter storm.

'Red Leaves' begins with eerie piano joined by Sylvia's vocals that are a little like Bjork here in the first section. There is a very lush interlude in the middle with 70s keys and majestic vocal intonations. I like how after a lengthy ambience Sylvia comes in and augments the soundscape beautifully. Nice percussion accents from Anglagard's Mattias Olson and good to hear him still drumming progressively. Very strong lead break like Andy Latimer, melodic and soaring.

'Floor 67' has gorgeous flute in intro and reverb guitar, as Sylvia sings phrases such as "like a lost and lonely beast", and "floor 67 where you and I sleep". I can hear the Swedish accent strong again, separating her from other female vocalists fronting prog bands that have been coming out in droves lately. The keyboard is very good, with 70s retro sounds, fizzing and burbling. A duel keyboard is heard over a twin guitar harmony. The music takes a detour and becomes quite jazzy for a moment, there is even a feel of dissonance but then it is drawn back in with a synth solo. Finally the wall is broken with a minimalist piano and floating flute lines. It builds to a loud sound with choral nuances and searing lead guitar, tinkling cymbals and then it builds again with heavier guitars. Sylvia comes in quietly over acoustic vibrations and a warbling keyboard. It takes a few twists and turns into some symphonic landscapes and has a superb finale. Wonderful, and best track here for me.

'Natasha' has Celtic flavours helped by woodwind synths and lingering multi layered intonations with beautiful harmonies. It is an instrumental that evokes wintery snowy mountains and desolate snow capped hills in a grey sky. The imagery is part of the music and it is haunting.

'Searise' is a 13 minute epic track with labyrinthine structure and emotive mood changes. It tends to crawl along patiently and ominously for a while until we get to the verses and a terrific keyboard solo as Sylvia's voice becomes another instrument. The percussion is tremendous and the keys and guitars ascend higher to a key change. There is a fracture in the rhythms and flute echoes with achingly beautiful phrases over a soft guitar. This is flautist Ketil Vestrum Einarsen's shining moment of the albyum. The quavering Hammond sound is spine tingling adding such a majesty to the sound. There is a section with twin guitar and drum roll percussion that is very effective in building tension and then it is released with a huge wall of sound with voclas, scorching guitars and sustained key pads. The bass is important too in bringing the sound together, played well by Ellen Andrea Wang. The instruments are brought down as a guitar tinjers and a low drone is heard joined by angelic choral keys to end this magnificent track.

Last song on the album is a short piece to bring closure. Steve Howe soundalike guitar harmonics on acoustics in the intro are nice, and then an acoustic flourish with intricate finger picking as a ghostly sound is heard by Sylvia's multi tracked vocals. It is beautiful and really has emotion and power.

Also the front cover is quite a captivating image of two girls in white huddling or cowering in fear by some unseen force coming toward them. Or they may be looking at us in fear as they have been caught in secret. Obviously the music is completely non-analogous to this image as it centres on the end of the world and wintery dreamscapes. It is one of those albums that is open to interpretation but the tracks do indeed seem to follow a theme though it is vague purposely to leave the subject open to conjecture. So I was impressed with White Willow's album. The music is ambient, symphonic and haunting. The musicianship is excellent. The lyrics are compelling and Sylvia is definitely an enchanting vocalist. I think many prog fans will enjoy this album as much as I have.

998

The Dream Of The Magic Jongleur
The Psychedelic Ensemble

A review by Mellotron Storm:

The Psychedelic Ensemble have released a number of albums and their latest is a superb example of modern Neo Prog. "The Dream of the Magic Jongleur" is the vision of the one man multi instrumentalist who remains anonymous and proudly enigmatic. His style is extreme psychedelic at times sounding like the acid rock of the 60s such as on 'Overture Into the Night', a blistering keyboard driven master work.

The bass is incredible on this album and really glistens with creativity on 'The Quest'. Each track sounds different, the vocals are pleasant and there are even shades of quasi-Neo on tracks such as 'The Secrets of Your Mind'. The harmonies are terrific and the music is organic, and creative at all times.

'The Benefaction Of The Noble Wizard' begins with piercing cathedral church organ, reminding me of one Wakeman. Even the melody is like Wakeman. One can imagine a royal procession making their way down the aisle. The pipe organ is joined by bass pedals, and "rollerball" atmospheres. Hmmm, church was never like this.

'Listen To Me' has a guitar intro, striking after the church organ. A very nice funkadelic rhythm locks in with spacey keyboards, and glorious Happy organ sounds. The vocals return, interesting lyrics; "gather ye round, hear ye what I found, my magic is on display to all, I've got a tale to sing to you, now listen to me." The lead break is great. The tale continues of a Wizard of dreams where it is said the dragon dwells. The flute sound and lute is as medieval as Gryphon. The keyboard runs are stellar on this, a definitive highlight.

'Stones To Flowers' is a short thing sounding like the 60s are back. A throwback to the flower power scene.

'Magicking' is a wonderful twin acoustic virtuosic guitar solo. The harmonics are beautiful, so good to hear at the end of the day as night falls.

'The Riddle' is an 8 minute labyrinthine journey into mystical musicianship. The keyboard runs are frenetic, the vocals are multi tracked and beautifully harmoinised, the percussion is deliriously sporadic and the soloing is incredible. The synergy of dynamic tension and release, instruments competing and warring against wild time sigs, is masterful. This is a quintessential highlight not to be missed.

'Dream And Premonition' brings things into a dreamy soundscape, a bass solo over an ambient keyboard pad. It builds into some awesome dramatic blasts and bass guitar heaven. One of the best basslines I have heard.

'Strange Days' is quite strange, acoustic chord progression and a flute sounding like Ian Anderson dropped by or a chat. The vocals are even a bit like Anderson; "strange days indeed, am I lost in a dream, these are strange days it seems, like the darkest of dreams." There is an angular guitar over a keyboard solo and gorgeous flute embellishments. The lead break is good but mixed a little low. I love that shimmering Hammond though. Then a louder guitar break and keyboard run chimes in. It is a relaxing journey and definitely well worth listening.

'End Of Days: Epilogue' is an 11 minute romp to finish this incredible album. It begins with esoteric effects, a bell chimes, a grand lead guitar is heard, reminds me of Pink Floyd but it is very regal pop rock. The heaviest riff crunches in with lighning fast key runs answering. I love that off kilter time sig and heaviness. The music is so dense it needs to breathe and so the sig is fractured with a new sig, speedy percussion and steady vocals; "the sea is churning blowing over me, the stars are burning blazing down on me, and it seems like end of days." The next key run is very techno and way of the scale. As good as Jordan Rudess running over his continuum. The musicianship is exemplary.

I am glad I heard this and it was a prime example of a one man genius, a vision and virtuosic skill doing what he loves; creating a compelling album of glorious prog. Some parts could be improved, and more musicians would augment the overall feel, maybe some guests vocalists, but this is excellent psych prog by any standards.

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

The Psychedelic Ensemble have released a number of albums and their latest is a superb example of modern Neo Prog. "The Dream of the Magic Jongleur" is the vision of the one man multi instrumentalist who remains anonymous and proudly enigmatic. His style is extreme psychedelic at times sounding like the acid rock of the 60s such as on 'Overture Into the Night', a blistering keyboard driven master work.

The bass is incredible on this album and really glistens with creativity on 'The Quest'. Each track sounds different, the vocals are pleasant and there are even shades of quasi-Neo on tracks such as 'The Secrets of Your Mind'. The harmonies are terrific and the music is organic, and creative at all times.

'The Benefaction Of The Noble Wizard' begins with piercing cathedral church organ, reminding me of one Wakeman. Even the melody is like Wakeman. One can imagine a royal procession making their way down the aisle. The pipe organ is joined by bass pedals, and "rollerball" atmospheres. Hmmm, church was never like this.

'Listen To Me' has a guitar intro, striking after the church organ. A very nice funkadelic rhythm locks in with spacey keyboards, and glorious Happy organ sounds. The vocals return, interesting lyrics; "gather ye round, hear ye what I found, my magic is on display to all, I've got a tale to sing to you, now listen to me." The lead break is great. The tale continues of a Wizard of dreams where it is said the dragon dwells. The flute sound and lute is as medieval as Gryphon. The keyboard runs are stellar on this, a definitive highlight.

'Stones To Flowers' is a short thing sounding like the 60s are back. A throwback to the flower power scene.

'Magicking' is a wonderful twin acoustic virtuosic guitar solo. The harmonics are beautiful, so good to hear at the end of the day as night falls.

'The Riddle' is an 8 minute labyrinthine journey into mystical musicianship. The keyboard runs are frenetic, the vocals are multi tracked and beautifully harmoinised, the percussion is deliriously sporadic and the soloing is incredible. The synergy of dynamic tension and release, instruments competing and warring against wild time sigs, is masterful. This is a quintessential highlight not to be missed.

'Dream And Premonition' brings things into a dreamy soundscape, a bass solo over an ambient keyboard pad. It builds into some awesome dramatic blasts and bass guitar heaven. One of the best basslines I have heard.

'Strange Days' is quite strange, acoustic chord progression and a flute sounding like Ian Anderson dropped by or a chat. The vocals are even a bit like Anderson; "strange days indeed, am I lost in a dream, these are strange days it seems, like the darkest of dreams." There is an angular guitar over a keyboard solo and gorgeous flute embellishments. The lead break is good but mixed a little low. I love that shimmering Hammond though. Then a louder guitar break and keyboard run chimes in. It is a relaxing journey and definitely well worth listening.

'End Of Days: Epilogue' is an 11 minute romp to finish this incredible album. It begins with esoteric effects, a bell chimes, a grand lead guitar is heard, reminds me of Pink Floyd but it is very regal pop rock. The heaviest riff crunches in with lighning fast key runs answering. I love that off kilter time sig and heaviness. The music is so dense it needs to breathe and so the sig is fractured with a new sig, speedy percussion and steady vocals; "the sea is churning blowing over me, the stars are burning blazing down on me, and it seems like end of days." The next key run is very techno and way of the scale. As good as Jordan Rudess running over his continuum. The musicianship is exemplary.

I am glad I heard this and it was a prime example of a one man genius, a vision and virtuosic skill doing what he loves; creating a compelling album of glorious prog. Some parts could be improved, and more musicians would augment the overall feel, maybe some guests vocalists, but this is excellent psych prog by any standards.

999

The City Sleeps
Touchstone

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

 A quality album with symphonic prog metal and no filler.

Touchstone's "The City Sleeps" is a very enjoyable album that features an outstanding hybrid of traditional metal and symphonic prog. The musicianship and vocals are excellent throughout which ranges from beautiful ballads such as the exquisite 'Sleeping Giants', with a mesmirising duet between Rob Cottingham and Kim Serviour, to the heavy riffing onslaught of 'Good Boy Psycho'. There are some awesome riffing guitars on this album such as the chugging rhythm of 'These Walls' and it is not without some wonderful lead soloing, notably on the fantastic opener 'Corridors' and the killer lead break on the ending of 'Good Boy Psycho'.

'Horizons' is very accessible traditional rock, Kim's golden tones are balanced well with Rob's singing. They trade off taking turns on verses and duet harmonies. It is a pleasant listening experience and the music builds into heavier guitar in the break. The album is always providing metal and symphonic in equal doses without one overpowering the other. There is enough on this to appease metal and prog fans alike and that is a feat in itself. It reminds me of the kind of music from other female led acts such as Nightwish, After Forever, Epica, and Panic Room although Touchstone really have a tendency to be more ambient and focussing on beautiful melodies than indulging in a Gothic opera style. In this case the band are more like Mostly Autumn, Magenta and even Ayreon, the way the female and male leads trade off, notably in the wonderful 'Half Moon Meadow'. The lead guitar shredding is a real drawcard on this track with an amazing performance from Adam Hodgson. The keyboard solo on this from Cottingham reminded me of the way Dream Theater trade off on solos.

The album features two complex epics that are full on progressive, 'When Shadows Fall' and 'The City Sleeps', both prime examples of Touchstone at their best. 'The City Sleeps' is perhaps the best track with an odd time signature and Kim's vocals are gorgeous, joined by Rob's clear vocals. This track has a lot of variation and seems to build from a basic structure into a time sig change and it has a heavier riff than many other tracks. In the mid section the keyboards are spacey and Kim narrates some seductive space whispers, better than Gilli Smyth. The song then has a lovely ballad segment, Rob sounds terrific here, and the lead guitar motif is catchy. Kim really lets loose on some powerful vocals to follow, and the song finally ends with a blazing lead solo. Incredible song by any standard, and so delightfully similar to the work of Ayreon's duets.

This album certainly grows on the listener and certain tracks jump out such as 'Corridors' due to the oriental Arabian sounding melodies, guitar riffs, and wonderful soaring vocals. The two epics stand out of course but I am also taken with the ballads 'Sleeping Giants' and 'Half Moon Meadow'. There are no bad songs at all so this is definitely worth at least 4 stars. It is verging on masterpiece status though it didn't quite provide the complete package. In any case this is an essential listen and one of the best albums for 2011; a stellar year for new prog.

1000

Ghosts
Frequency Drift

A review by Warthur:

German band Frequency Drift was formed back in 2006, and just two years later they made their debut with "Personal Effects-I". Since then three more albums have followed, the latest of these released in the summer of 2012. "Ghosts..." is their third CD, and was issued by Progrock Records in the summer of 2011.

Frequency Drift is a band that is fond of and skilled at creating enticing moods and atmospheres, and on "Ghost" we're provided with an hour of music that associates well with the album name. Haunting, fragile and folk oriented themes and dark, majestic metal oriented ones represent the extremes, with a fair few ambient inserts of a musical and non-musical nature along the way. Cinematic progressive music is the band's own description from a few years back, and one that is still an apt summary of their material.

A review by Conor Fynes:

It sounds like the album cover.

Frequency Drift's atmospheric, arboreal sound is perfectly reflective of the foggy lake depicted on the cover of their third and latest album, 'Ghosts.' A German band founded a few years back with a cinematic inspiration fueling the fires beneath their heels, they have since earned a warm following of listeners, enchanting by the ethereal music they make. 'Ghosts' is the first experience I have had with Frequency Drift, and it has met my ears with great approval. I had heard some some great things about what this band were up to, and I would tend to agree; 'Ghosts' is a wonderfully cinematic piece of work. Fans of atmospheric rock and ambient music; seek no further.

The music of 'Ghosts' transports me to a tranquil world, nothing too unlike that of Celtic mythology. Frequency Drift keeps fairly mellowed out and peaceful in their music, with the performance being shared more or less equally by guitars, pianos, and violin. On top of that, we have a pair of vocalists, one male, the other female. The band has themselves a perfect template to make 'otherworldly' music, and they manage to accomplish that longed-for sense of fantasy through their instruments. The angelic voice of Antje Auer in particular suits the direction of the music perfectly, sometimes reminding me of Lisa Gerrard, of Dead Can Dance fame. Instrumentally, the violin work of Frank Schmitz stands out, rarely leaning towards a prescribed melody, but instead trimming the air with a lush higher-register tone that lines up with Auer's vocals.

The songwriting on the album tends to favour longer tracks, and for the direction of the music, I would say that this is the best thing that Frequency Drift could have done, given their approach and style. None of these are 'epics' by the traditional prog rock definition of the term. Instead, the compositions float like ambient pieces, loosely flowing but never feeling improvised. This can tend to feel a little aimless upon initial listens, but it warms up as the music becomes more familiar. Really, the only thing that stands out as being less-than- excellent on 'Ghosts' is actually the production. True enough, the sound is clear and far from lo-fi, but for such an atmospheric performance, the way this music has been recorded lacks the organic quality that I would crave for music like this. The violins are doused with a fitting layer of echo, but the rest of it feels a tad restrained. For this, I feel somewhat disappointed that I cannot hear the album with a production that compliments the otherworldly nature that the rest of this work conveys.

A fine work of sincere beauty, Frequency Drift's 'Ghosts' does well to transport the listener to the lake on its album cover. A few things don't sit perfectly with me, but it comes highly recommended.

959

Traces
Nine Stones Close

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

A reflective melancholy journey tinged with the darkness of loss and the light of hope.

“Traces” has been an enjoyable experience on each listen, and ironically I have somehow had it playing during some unusual circumstances; a lonely long car trip and a long walk up a mountain side. I believe music can have a soothing effect on the nerves, especially when one is experiencing trials or extreme circumstances. Music is the key to unlocking certain feelings that are imprisoned within. It can be a very moving experience, uplifting at times and then in other places a void in which we can soak our broken spirits and reflect on what was. The beauty of the opening track on 'Reality Check' (4:59) was a perfect start as I climbed up the mountain. It was a very steep climb and my legs were already shaking, but that wonderful soft guitar was edging me forward. The way that the acoustics were playing with such passion and feeling was emotionally stirring. It is a beautiful instrumental to start the album and I was immediately drawn in by the tranquillity. The album artwork is beautifully realised by Ed Unitsky with ghostly images of an Edwardian staircase and statues, and the key image of a man with his head in his hands, the image of despair, seated by a railroad track; you can fill in the pieces, open to interpretation depending on your experiences.

The track that follows is 'Threads' (10:43) that is tinged with a sorrowful vocal, softly sung by Marc Atkinson, who reflects a broken spirit. There is a darkness to the atmosphere with the crashing of waves in the intro, a feeling of isolation is evoked. There are echoing guitar phrases of sheer beauty in the desolation of the fractured words, embellished by a mournful chorus; “here on the edge it's hard pulling threads of my soul, picking at my coat I take back my thought forever wrought, but never meant the music in my soul.” The electric guitar solo by Adrian Jones soars and wails as if the cold environment has found a voice to pour out it's pain. The chilling words in the verses reflect a shattered life, a man at the brink who questions “what's it like to be dead?” and this “shell on the shore washed by the sea” finally comes to the realisation that “the sea is me”. The haunting poetic words cease and we hear waves on a beach and seagulls, the isolation of walking on a lonely beach immediately emerge in the mind's eye. In a word this song is soul-stirring.

Jones' soft acoustics begin 'Falling To Pieces' (6:15) and echoes the same sentiments as previous; Atkinson's melancholy voice sings tenderly echoed by a wonderful lead guitar break. The music ebbs and flows with some subtle bass by Neil Quarrell and the steady drums, like footsteps moving onward to unknown destinations. I love the lyrics on this piece. A soft start with very gentle vocals by Atkinson begins the track, but it builds on the chorus and an odd time signature, with some unusual patterns that reflect the mood perfectly. The keyboards of Brendan Eyre are present to embellish the soundscape. It remains a sombre reflective mood with Atkinson's lyrics about a man in a 'fragile state' who feels the angst of losing someone dear to them, asking the question “if you're here today then gone away where would all our moments go? Would they disappear inside the tears? Or live forever inside a slide show”. Lyrics like this can only come from a dark trial and most of us can relate to losing a loved one, or even a broken relationship, so the music speaks to our spirits. It may have the effect of bringing back painful memories, or more likely to feed our subconscious need to reflect on how fragile life is and that we should never take for granted the ones around us who fulfil our lives. When they are gone we fall to pieces, the jigsaw comes apart and the pieces are only memories or traces of what we once had. The music on this track is gentle and moving, with solid slices of lead guitar and keyboard nuances to enhance the mood. The lead sounds like Andy Latimer in places, but there are definite Pink Floydian influences in the moody keyboards.

'Traces' (7:21) is a highlight on the album; a truly wonderful track that has a sweet melody and powerful vocals. Jones' lyrics are powerful about the traces we leave on others during our lives like ghosts upon their consciousness “immortal thoughts and mortal fears... hope lies in beauty, faith lies in you”, and one of the more powerful thoughts is evoked in this track, “when this body wears me out I won't feel a thing, threads of thought unravel to reveal a fabric of deceit, more nothing than something.” Once again these sentiments are enhanced by strong ambient passage of keys and guitars. The tracks almost merge as one long piece, and are linked by the themes, lyrics and melancholy vocal style.

So as I finally get to the top of this mountain I am climbing, the next song chimes in as if on cue and the words are more stirring; “and in these quiet hours I reflect am I richer now? Or do I regret what the world has changed in me? The cost of time and empathy.” 'Thicker Than Water' (14:57) is a progressive epic in three parts, beginning with 'Innersense' that reflects on summer dreams almost gone, growing old, and asks the question of what brought us here to this place. The sadness in the vocals are perfectly juxtaposed by soft guitars and a contemplative bass rhythm. The next section is 'Firelight Shadows' which brings us deeper into the melancholic atmosphere with a nice lead guitar and spoken vocals “dreams in flames, no one to blame, only me”. The protagonist comes to terms with his grief and asks the unanswerable question over and over “what happened to us?” The music builds to a crescendo with some delightful distorted metal guitar stabs, followed by a scorching lead break and some double kick drums. The music turns suddenly into a faster metal riff merging into part 3: 'Secrets Revealed'.

The faster more aggressive feel is a welcome change after all the quieter passages of music. The lyrics by Jones are replete with questions about the regret and frustration felt from the protagonist, “have you learned or have you lived? Made the same mistakes and never burned a bridge? And all those times you lash at me, is there something you really don't want to see?” There are some powerful guitar motifs as the vocals progress with more force speaking about “the ghosts of loss” that return to haunt us when it is too late to change, “self- righteous thoughts” that regretfully hurt the ones we love, and the most painful question of all, “what happened to us?” for after all is said is done these feelings wear us out when we have no answers for the loss we experience and there is no turning back once a person is gone. The piece merges onto the final section 'Aquiescence', a legal term that generally has come to mean permission that is given by silence or passiveness with an acceptance or agreement by keeping quiet or not making objections. In this case the album ends with the final thought of the one experiencing the loss, and that is, “never moving on, it wears me out”. In other words, the person has succumbed to the painful circumstances, and they have virtually become passive in denial, therefore remain trapped, cabined, confined to the regrets, the bitterness and the terrible pain of memories that are never purged from the soul.

We may all experience this loss or grief in some form in our lives at some point, but how we deal with it will determine the person we become. The song reflects these powerful feelings and the essence of the album is that sometimes life does not always come to a happy conclusion. It seems that the protagonist is trapped by their own regrets and it is a cycle of frustration that they will never escape until they come to terms with loss. While the grieved continues to ask questions that have no answers, they cannot move on from the imprisonment of caged regrets. The album is strong with the concept of what can occur when we bottle up powerful human emotions. It can be a cathartic experience to experience these emotions from a distance, or a warning to prepare us for how these circumstances may affect us. We never know how we will react until it happens to us.

I enjoyed listening to “Traces” because it made me reflect on these things at a safe distance, and I believe soon I may be experiencing exactly what the lyrics reflect on this album; that is loss of a loved one. Perhaps I can turn to this album in this time and it will speak to me in a different way. In any case I can recommend this album as a peaceful melancholy experience; replete with beautiful passages of guitar and heartfelt vocals. The influence of Marillion and Porcupine Tree are strong, with touches of Pink Floyd's ambience. There has been a great deal of passion poured out into this album, and it can have an impact on the listener. Although the music and lyrics are sombre, the opposite effect may be generated, as it lifts up the spirit by forcing us to reflect on how precious our lives are and how we should never take for granted the ones around us who make life worth living.

960

Five Deadly Venoms
Shaolin Death Squad

A review by Bonnek:

“Five Deadly Venoms” is my first Shaolin experience and I must say this has been a most pleasing revelation. The band operates in the Prog Metal zone but they sure make a fresh appearance there. I might add that such is not hard in a rather stale scene that has never done much for me, Psychotic Waltz excepted.

One name should dominate any review of this album: Faith No More. The obvious reasons being the brilliant Mike Patton-alike vocals and the quirky eclectic nature of their metal. The sound is somewhat different though, scarcer on the keyboards than “Angel Dust” for instance and without the bouncy funk/crossover influences from “Epic”. So what's left is definitely more metal-ish, but it's adventurous metal where anything can and does happen in the songs. Some of these non-metallic side-steps are quite prog, sometimes reminding of Gentle Giant, other diversions are the Zappa-esque RIO influences.

Despite the scary name of this band, people with grunt allergy can rest assured, there's nothing but clean vocals here. Also AOR-skeptics like myself should not be afraid, this band is a cool bunch and won't compromise their songwriting with sing-along pomp rock.

Shaolin Death Squad are wilder then Faith No More but not as insane as Mr Bungle. That makes it an excellent album for me, recommended to all metal fans in need for a fresh and credible chunk of steel that sits outside of the Extreme Metal realm.

961

Heavy Metal Fruit
Motorpsycho

A review by Bonnek:

Motorpsycho's “Heavy Metal Fruit” is an addictive rock album that turned out to be a rather controversial entry in ProgArchives. It doesn't conform to the classic definition of prog and it certainly hasn't got anything to do with symphonic prog, for many still the one and only. No, HMF is a heavy rock album with influences stretching from dirty stoner rock to psych, jazz and space-rock. I have only a scattered knowledge of Motorpsycho's background. Their albums never entirely convinced me so far. That changed with Little Lucid Moments from 2008. The band let in much more room for improvisations and jams, and stretched the format and musicality of the Motorpsycho sound quite a bit in the process.

I guess they will be duly punished for not conforming to prog expectations or for merely existing on sites like ProgArchives, but that doesn't matter. The most important thing is that their passage here has awakened some interest. If that results in one extra fan, it's already a success as far as I'm concerned. In an attempt to tease you, allow me to throw all band names that I know at you now.

After a minute of silence, Starhammer kicks in with a heavy Crimsonite theme, sounding as if it came straight out of one of Anekdoten's early albums. Before long they set into a bluesy Sabbath plod with a psychedelic harmonic vocal lead. A long improvisation follows with some post-rock and jazzy touches. I deliberately use the word 'improvisation' and not 'jam'. This is not the predictable bass and drum groove that a guitar player can shred on, all musicians are in this one together and interact freely. It starts subdued but gradually builds to a forceful space-rock outburst. Early Hawkwind and Floyd would have been very proud of this one. Near the end, the verse and Crimsonite theme are repeated. What a monster!

Time to kick up the pace. X-3 sounds as if Can (from the Malcolm Moony years) would do a Blue Oyster Cult tune; Southern rock but played loose, dirty and wild. Also the gritty rock of The Black Crows come to mind. It has a delicious uplifting chorus with strong harmonic vocals. It has a more traditional verse-chorus structure, at least till a noisy finale gives way to The Getaway Special, another jazz-post-rock improvisation with Mathias Eick guesting on trumpet.

The Bomb-Proof Roll and Beyond starts out with a dreamy vocal line on one of their vintage stoner riffs. This is what Queens of the Stone Age could sound like if they didn't try so hard to be a pop band. Motorpsycho make the difference with the lush psychedelic keyboards and beautiful vocal harmonies with every band member joining in on the vocals. They open up the song to let in some very avant-garde sonic explosions.

Close Your Eyes is a delicate ballad on piano, the kind that also Jeff Buckley and Ryan Adams can thrill me with. It offers a short moment of contemplation, perfectly placed in the middle of the album.

W.B.A.T. starts with a frenzied drum-heavy free-jazz part, similar to the start of Van Der Graaf's Arrow, only with guitar soloing here instead of the sax. It gets quite dissonant and is guaranteed to annoy symphonic fans. It changes to one of the best tributes to Sabbath I have heard. Motorpsycho's roots are in the stoner-rock branch and this song sure bears witness to that. It strongly reminds me of A National Acrobat from Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, complete with vintage riffs, Ozzyan vocals, thick pounding drums and prominent bass guitar. It ends on a highly psychedelic note with an almost Yessian symphonic touch. Hej, prog!

As if the stellar songwriting that preceded wasn't enough, we still have the 20 minute epic ahead! Well yes epic? It has a multi-part structure but of course it's Motorpsycho so much of it is assigned to improvisations. After a short opening with Zeppeliny Eastern-tinged guitars and violins, the first part is a very melodic and slightly shoegazer type of song. It's very inspired, delicate and memorable. Spacey Floydian guitars bridge to a second part with acoustic guitars, flutes and hazy vocals. A bit before halfway, Motorpsycho amply display what fine musicians they are on a lengthy improvised space-trip ending in an orgiastic orchestral climax. Kraut and space fans lick your fingers!

So far, my pick for 2010 and one of the best space-rock albums I've heard in ages. Kyuss and Monster Magnet fans will already own this, high recommendations go out to daring fans of kraut, space-rock, heavy prog and the like.

962

Axioma Ethica Odini
Enslaved

A review by Conor Fynes:

After a very impressive introduction to this band with their 2008 release 'Vertebrae,' there's no denying that progressive black metal act Enslaved were on my radar as 2010 rolled around. Being known both for their epic take on the black metal sound and their consistent quality, Enslaved takes both of those traits and churns out yet another near-perfect masterpiece in 'Axioma Ethica Odini.' Never before has the band better incorporated their melodic influences, and created such a work that has pulled Enslaved's strengths together as they do here. In a year defined by the advent of quite a few significant black metal releases, Enslaved distinguish themselves.

To a newcomer, 'Axioma Ethica Odini' is best described as a melting pot of technical black metal and classic progressive rock. Comparisons to metal frontrunners Opeth are inevitable here; Enslaved takes the progressive landscape and polarizes it with heavy, complex metal sections and lighter atmospheric passages. While Enslaved may not hold a monopoly on the dark/light dynamic in the metal world, they certainly paint it with their unique sense of style. While black metal was typically very rough and primal in it's inception, Enslaved sees the genre to new heights. Among the blastbeats and near-inhuman growls are sounds that may seem alien to the black metal style; a wide array of keyboard sounds, varied guitar work and the warm, clean tone of vocalist Herbrand Larson's voice all play big roles in the music.

The album opens up with one of it's most epic and profound tracks, 'Ethica Odini.' A soaring guitar riff and grim growling vocals lead into a more complex section that melds catchy vocal melodies with some complex guitarwork. From there on, 'Ethica Odini' builds into an absolutely devastating track, and easily one of the best the album has to offer. Virtually every song here is solid throughout, although some tracks stand out more than others; the opener, 'The Beacon,' 'Giants,' and the closer 'Lightning' come to mind. The only song here that doesn't achieve excellence is the short interlude 'Axioma,' which certainly isn't meant to be considered anything other than a mere respite between album sides, but doesn't go anywhere beyond some fleeting ambience, and marks a small, if insignificant imperfection on the album.

Enslaved have certainly come a long way from their origins as orthodox black metal warriors. Although the band had already made their talent and warrant to acclaim clear with such earlier masterpieces as 'Isa' and 'Vertebrae,' 'Axioma Ethica Odini' only serves to reinforce Enslaved's place as one of the scene's leading acts.

963

Pan: An Urban Pastoral
Persephone's Dream

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

Persephone's Dream have made an offering of melody and dense music, poured out onto a labyrinthine canvas of artistic beauty.

Persephone's Dream have provided an astounding triumph of symphonic headphone heaven. "Pan: an Urban Pastoral" is an astonishing achievement in progressive excellence. The album is a tour de force of passion and power. There are many variations in style, but undisputed prog time sigs and structures throughout. Some tracks sound very accessible and at other times are totally dissonant. The musicianship is virtuoso with many instruments played to perfection.

The concept is heavy and deeply grounded in solid mythological roots. The story of Pan, the labyrinth, the divinations of goddesses, Daphnis, Icarus, Selene and Erato are all encompassed in the sprawling storyline by Kelly Fletcher, given a modern twist. The CD booklet delves into the storyline in detail following the traditional tale of the protagonist youth who encounters nature in all its splendour, from the initial discovery of the leaf, meadows, the sky, and birdsong, the perpetual soundtrack of nature's lifeforce. This is dismissed as an hallucination, and then the concrete and mortar returns reminding him of the reality that nature had been stamped out by the hand of man. The pollution and squalor of the modern crowded city is deplorable to the youth, and he questions why this has happened; why has the violation of nature occurred. His questions lead him to his ultimate destiny. The disenchanted youth wanders in thought and kicks over a pot plant only to see a glowing leaf pulsing with an inner light to the musical rhythmic patterns, and he seems to merge to another time when the meadows were green and everpresent. He encounters the clawed Maenads, who sing to him of his destined lover waiting in the forest. He is to meet the Lord Pan, a horned faun of immeasurable influence on nature. The youth is transported into another forest where he meets mythical creatures, and Pan is there and sings to the youth, causing him to believe in the dream that his heart's desire will come to fruition. With a snap of the fingers Pan transports the youth back to the city. The nature god is surrounded by the massive buildings and crowds, and he instructs the maenads to tell the tale of his past youth, and each ones takes their turn to recount a piece of Pan's story.

To reimagine the storyline, the tracks on the album merge together, at times seamlessly, and the whole is actually greater than the sum of its parts. This album is best heard as one entire listen rather than fragments and pieces separated. The singing is excellent from the aggressive vocals of Jim Wauguman, the Urban Youth, to the soft tones of Ashley Peere, the voice of the Maenads, it never ceases to make this reviewer spellbound by its entrancing magic. There is a real sense of timelessness and the music tends to generate images of grand meadows, beautiful goddesses and darkened forests. The drumming of Scot Harvey is amazing, very solid percussion that focusses at times on triplets and fills and yet keeps a steady metrical pattern so that the songs hang together. Rowen Poole is a terrific guitarist and there are goosebump moments where the guitar chimes in with the violining technique or Gilmour-esque flourishes. Roman Prokopenko is an accomplished bassist and he keeps the rhythms pulsating in each track, at times with very complex basslines. John (J T) Tallent is brimming over with talent (he probably gets that all the time!) and he is great on tom toms, enhancing the tribalistic mystical soundscape. Jim Waugaman is a revelation on keyboards, with some innovative keyboard motifs, repetitive pulses mixed with intricate whirls and dervishes on moog, mellotron and organ. The synths are powerful and drive the album along with an uplifting majestic symphonic transcience.

There is also a modern injection of effects, notably the busy traffic of cars on an anonymous highway. There are enchanting sounds of birds whistling signifying happiness, there are a myriad of spoken voices that seem to represent the urgency of a new beginning, and there are rather ethereal effects that may represent tribal and jungle environments. The main drawcard is the music and overall structure, and there are moments where the musicians have a chance to shine in many instrumentals, all of which are well executed. The lengths of tracks varies dramatically, there are interludes, preludes, reprises, transitions and spoken pieces; 8 tracks all of which are less than 2 minutes long. There are some moderate length songs, and these are juxtaposed with lengthy tracks, 4 that clock from 7 to 11 minutes in length. After listening to the album a few times there are certain moments that simply shine like blazing fire and become familiar and joyous to the listener. When Ashley begins to sing the chorus of ‘The Tears of Selene’, it is one of the most uplifting moments in prog for this reviewer; a truly spine tingling track, and the quintessential highlight on the album. Although, the whole thing should be heard in its entirety as one long album, a track by track analysis of the music may help to clarify why I believe this to be a prog masterpiece.

‘Prelude’ begins the concept and in effect follows on from the last song on the album, like a musical cycle, with a vintage scratchy effect; sounding like the stylus on vinyl crackling in the groove. The music is a solo flute sound, like a classical dirge.

This leads seamlessly to a quirky and unnerving montage of voices speaking in many languages, repeating phrases about Pan. ‘Invocation’ is supposed to be voices of earth with the dramatis personae of Babel-esque tongues including French, Hindi, Cantonese and Indonesian.

This intros the wonderful 7 and a half minute instrumental, ‘Pan's Labyrinth’ where the album really takes off. It begins with high pitched pan pipe sounds using a moog synthesizer. The keyboards are a dominant force, complimented by guitars and steady drums. There are some odd metrical figures and symphonic pastoral shades that are blended with furious triggerfinger keyboard shapes, Wakeman style. Hammond and mellotron attacks are augmented by sporadic drumming and a fusion of heavy prog riffs. It is a simply wonderful piece of music.

‘Those Who Remember’ begins with heavy traffic sounds, perhaps showing how nature has been overwhelmed by the concrete jungle of modernity. The track takes on a beauty of its own with Ashley's vocals that are high soprano and emotionally charged. The sweet presence of the keyboards is a dynamic sound. The song sounds like Mostly Autumn's style; nature, peace, the environment and the praise of creation at the forefront of the concept.

‘Chaossong’ chimes along with waterfalls flowing and birds twittering their peace song. The instrumental sounds like nature has found a voice and is crying out for freedom. The music surges along with peaceful bell tones and birdsong, an intro to the excellent following track.

"The world is dying, leaving me awake, aware, regretful for my life"; the vocals are given a powerful plea to awaken the sleeping ignorant humanity that destroyed the lush green forests for human greed and modernisation. Mid way through ‘Sidewalk Soliloquy’, the time sig changes to a quicker tempo with some mystical female choral voices, beautifully harmonised representing the tale of the Maenads, the impending doom of natural creative forces fighting against the cemented sidewalks and massive manmade constructions suffocating the environment.

The next few tracks merge into one another to create one long piece seamlessly fused together and it is difficult to tell where one ends and another begins. ‘Denouement of a God’ is a song with a powerful beat and Jim's strong vocals as the Youth comes to grips with how nature has been destroyed. ‘Le Defile Satyrique’ launches with an effect of rain cascading down with a drum pounding instrumental that works as a nice transition into ‘Maenads, Melody and Meter’. This song has a few time sigs that shift and change and the dynamic vocal of Jim; "make an offering of melody and sacrifice meter, don't pray to me, only come dance with me." 

‘Ubi Sunt’ has a wonderful melody and aggressive pleading vocals; "where are the woods, where are the herds, and the shepherd boys", as the protagonist surveys the carnage of modern life that has replaced the forests and green foliage with brick and mortar.

One of the best tracks is ‘The Seduction of Daphnis’, that reprises parts of previous songs, and trades off between beauty and darkness, of tension and release, switching time signatures at will and using a variance of instruments to provide cadence and cascade. Ashley's vocals are more improvised and discordant to the music. Jim has some of his best vocals here; "make an offering of soul and body" and "run with me down to the willows, and lie down by my side." Ashley continues the feel of a magical dreamscape, and there is a heavenly harp sound. I love that lyric; "Come I'll sing to you the chaos song" by Jim and Ashley. The track has a surge of foreboding atmospherics with an emphasis on atonal music, minimalist piano at times, and blasts of Hammond and percussion.

The quirky weird and humoresque ‘Nectar of the Gods’ is a playful carnival sound with some truly unique keyboards. The strange theatrical vocals of Ashley and bird whistles provide an early Genesis Gabriel like style. The drunken lyrics are as weird as it gets; "quick tipped, her glass to be, the first to drink, to drink insanity." Then after this vaudeville approach, it gets serious with a change in style. The low drone makes the atmosphere darken along with Ashley's ghostly Celtic vocals, which may remind one of Enya; the effect is ethereal and haunting; "sobriety cannot be saved, for madness is divine".

This merges into ‘Youth's Denial’ where the drone widens into broader brushstrokes of spacey nuances. Then a prog riff on Hammond resounds with a very Roger Waters-like vocal from Jim; "only a vision of folly and flight, I've dreamed late in the night, of the city." The melody on this song is highly infectious and began to haunt me long after the album was over; a definitive highlight on this album.

‘The Temptation of Icarus’ is a much heavier song with a driving keyboard and guitar riff that ascends and descends constantly. Jim is forceful on vocals; "you don't know the night has fallen, you tempt my soul to fly, too high." The time sig changes into a brilliant instrumental with spacey effects and a grand guitar riff. The bassline is mesmerising on this, but the way those keyboards interact with the guitars is incredible.

‘Selene Rising’ returns to familiar melodies heard before, and then slows into a majestic climax with intricate keyboard and guitar. I am totally hypnotised by that wondrous sound the band generates. The time sigs change dramatically to the next motif that gets faster and faster till we move into the ingenious next track.

Undoubtedly my favourite track on the album, ‘The Tears of Selene’ has an acoustic rhythm and subtle keyboards that are multi layered. The Heather Findlay style vocals of Ashley are enchanting with a mesmeric beauty. Her high operatic vocals are simply beauty personified. The lyrics themselves are inspired; "rhyme and reason, morning sun, through the blinds, cutting skin, spinning colours inside out, mental treason, onward through, the night it goes into dawn." The song builds gradually and the music rises to a crescendo before the chorus. I get chills when the chorus comes in with "Selene, Selene, midnight dream, eternal lover, Selene, Selene, crashing waves through the walls of time, and distant days." The piano is a virtuoso triumph and the way guitars violin over the surface is dreamy, a genuine moment of transfixing reverie. The track continues to build with the orchestrated symphonic swathes of keyboard. Then there are staccato blasts of sound and the acoustic flourishes begin again. Ashley's sweet voice returns, "long forgotten summer days, we were there side by side, trapped in a rhapsody of sound, on a lonely distant wind, you called me." Once again the song takes on that spine tingling flavour when the chorus pounds out. At the end of the song I know I have heard a masterpiece song. Can it get better, or will the album transcend into mediocrity or run out of steam as so many concept albums are prone to do? I needn't have worried. The album actually continues to provide innovation and heart pounding prog rock.

‘Erato's Pulse’ is the longest song clocking 11 minutes, and is driven with very strong prog time sigs and instrumentation. Once again Ashley's vocals are exquisite, and the form of the song takes many detours and surprises with shifts in mood. The keyboard domination is complimented with chimes, huge bass motifs and an astounding hypnotic rhythm. The keyboards and bass drum act as a pulse keeping a rhythmic signature while we hear noises like jungle animals, tribal tom toms, cymbals and retro synth strings. The music locks into this pulse for a time and sounds spacey as Ashley sings; "they hide now in shadow, they whisper now in darkness, they lead with a vision, and mould the dreams from within." The music motorvates along fluidly with organic guitar swells and imaginative basslines. When the band take off in full flight like this they are irresistible. The track turns quite dark towards the end, with dissonant piano stabs, and a chilling finale, finally completed by a loud gong and jungle atmospherics of crickets chirping, the swamp sounds of sticky heat and mosquito infested foliage. The track is a definitive highlight and one to savour for those who like prog to be intricate and replete with variations in style.

‘Silhouette’ ends the album on a powerful note, the lyrics spelling out the denouement of all that has come before; "the smoke rises into the pregnant air, across the dark skyline, dense music pours onto the crowded streets across the damp bricks." The retro sound is generated with very solid keyboards motifs, almost the 80s synth sound in effect. The melody is quite accessible and those shimmering Hammond flourishes are excellent. Jim's keyboard solos are a feature as always, especially the spacey synths over the bassline and guitar chord shapes. The spoken words come forth to continue the story; "passion and pleasure chase each other into the night across the humid city," and the song changes again with a strong drum beat and some ancient languages. It finishes with crickets chirping, and then the same effect we will hear in the beginning, the scratchy vinyl sound of an ancient classical piece and then the effect of a record stuck in its groove thus signifying, as the lyrics tell us earlier, that the journey has "come full circle"; an endless cycle in the true mythological tradition.

So at the end of the album, I was completely blown away by the surprising attention to detail in the music and storyline. This is a magnum opus for the band, and takes huge risks in terms of extensive instrumental sections, bombastic lyrics and strong time signature changes. Therefore this could have been a disaster with all the risks it takes; it is bold and daring and dominated by a non-compromised environmentalist storyline. The music draws on many progressive influences from Genesis to Pink Floyd, King Crimson to Porcupine Tree, with touches of Mostly Autumn and Yes, and yet retains a balance and freshness to the approach of the material that is distinctly Persephone's Dream. The album somehow holds together thanks to Kelly Fletcher's storyline and the overall musical soundscape. It may take a few listens to be completely immersed in the sound, but the way the music disseminates across every song, creating a whole conceptual framework, works so well due to the passion put into the project. There is a great deal of love and desire injected into the music, and the imagery conjures up apparitions and spectres of the mythical past. The music beckons one to listen, and weaves its spell around the listener with tranquillity and finesse. On every listen I find myself drawn into the dense layers of light and dark, and I can draw from the concepts a different experience, and can enjoy the moments of familiarity as a specific melody begins. The album takes one on an alluring journey that will resonate uniquely with each listener according to their experience. This masterpiece has the ability to grow on the listener like osmosis, and I never tire of the structures and forms of the sheer inventive prog music created. One of the best albums of 2010!

964

Desert Call
Myrath

A review by Conor Fynes:

Barring Antarctica and the Lovecraftian horrors that live there, Africa is the least prolific continent when in comes to heavy metal and progressive music. To most, this will come as an established fact rather than speculation; despite a wealth of culture, modern strife has kept Africa back from letting its voice out. There are exceptions however, as Myrath proudly indicates. Hailing from Tunisia, Myrath plays a polished style of progressive metal, in the style of Dream Theater and Symphony X. What sets Myrath apart, and thus makes them worthy of mention, is that they use sounds of traditional Arabic music and fuse it into the metal sound. Similar in this respect to the more established Orphaned Land, Myrath has an exciting and epic sound, and “Desert Call” will appeal to anyone looking for a progressive metal curveball.

Although metal is a community which often prides itself on being progressively-thinking and open-minded, too much metal gives the sense of deja vu; that it's already been done before, and will be done again. Ironically, progressive metal is a central offender for this, as it sometimes feels every band calling themselves 'prog metal' these days is either a Dream Theater clone, or a melodic hard rock group looking for an added edge in their marketing. Myrath fits the glove with the sound of current progressive metal, but they are made memorable by their defining trait; that is, there is a strong sound of Middle-Eastern music running in tandem with metal. Much like the bands Kamelot or Nightwish merge their metal elements with Western classical music, Myrath does the same with their own culture, and the outcome is impressive. Myrath are a very capable prog-power band regardless of the Middle-Eastern sounds, but without this new angle, I would not have such a vivid memory of them.

Importantly, 'Desert Call' does not use these traditional Arabic sounds as a gimmick, but beefs them up so that they're an integral part of the music and sound. Malek Ben Arbia's guitar playing is firmly rooted in the school of John Petrucci and Michael Romeo, but Zaher Zorguatti's vocals are keen to switch between acrobatic power metal wails and a signature Islamic holler, often within the course of a single vocal line. Seif Ouhibi's drums find the balance as well, at times delivering the powerful metal pummel, but also occasionally conjuring a beat that sounds like it could score a cinematic chase through Baghdad. The songwriting's greatest strength is their near-seamless ability to work the Middle-Eastern sounds into the music, but the more power metal-oriented aspects can exert a certain level of cheese. Many of these songs have memorable melodies and song structures, but I often felt that by the end of most tracks, I had heard a run-through of the chorus one, or two too many times. Bring into focus a lackluster sense of flow and possibly overdone length, and 'Desert Call' begins to lose its status as the 'metal revelation' it could have been.

Myrath's signature style was born with their debut “Hope”, and it continues to run strong in the blood of “Desert Call”. Although the current trends of progressive metal are starting to die out, Myrath's ambitious pledge to bring the sounds of their home culture to metal gives a refreshing new perspective on a style that has rarely managed to hold my attention in recent years. Its cheesy power metal theatrics aside, “Desert Call” is worth an easy recommendation.

965

Lunatic Soul II
Lunatic Soul

A review by Bonnek:

As most reviewers point out, we're all glad to hear a significant growth for Duda's side-project. The band that Duda gathered around him seems more relaxed and a wide range of influences breathes fresh air through all songs. The mood is still consistently melancholic but the music offers more depth and variation then the previous album, which was close to excellent as well.

For those not familiar with Lunatic Soul, they can be briefly described as a project highlighting the softer and melancholic side of Riverside. There are no distorted guitars or prominent synths in this work, so the acoustic side prevails and reveals influences from world music reminding me of both Peter Gabriel and Dead Can Dance.

The album doesn't stray far from the path laid out on the previous Lunatic Soul album, but the songwriting seems richer and more diverse, and remains engaging all the way through. A nice and pleasant album, accessible but also growing with repeated listens. Essential for fans of Anathema, Antimatter, No-man, Brandan Perry and similar atmospheric rock.

A review by Mellotron Storm:

The Riverside frontman's second album doesn't veer off course that much from his debut. In fact they are connected lyrically as they deal with a story of death and the journey through the afterlife. On the first album our subject dies and he's trying to reach the tunnel of light and does.This second album starts where the first album ended as our character is in the light and continues his journey. Lots of atmosphere and if you read the lyrics it's quite fascinating. It's like being in someone's bad dream where their soul just seems to drift from experience to experience.

"The In-Between Kingdom" is dark and atmospheric, with percussion after a minute followed by keyboards and builds, then settles back late to end it as it blends into "Otherwhere". Acoustic guitar is joined by an instrument called a quzheng giving it an exotic flavour. Vocals before a minute, then it settles and blends into "Suspended In Whiteness"; a top three track for me. Acoustic guitar, a baby laughing and flute before the vocals arrive, then bass 3 1/2 minutes in that is very deep and growly, as the vocals stop and the sound intensifies. This section really reminds me of Riverside.

"Asoulum" features strummed guitar and vocals.The chorus is amazing on this song, and vocals and backing vocals come in as the sound becomes more passionate. The chorus is back before 4 minutes, then a calm before 5 1/2 minutes to end it.

"Limbo" is keyboards, percussion, flute and effects. "Escape From Paradise" features bass and drums early as percussion and keyboards join in. Voices follow then vocals after 1 1/2 minutes. It kicks in before 2 1/2 minutes and the vocals are more powerful too; a great sound and a top three tune.

"Transition" is the final top three track for me. Atmosphere galore until around 3 1/2 minutes when a beat enters then vocals with piano. The atmosphere is back 4 1/2 minutes in but it comes and goes like the vocals. It kicks in heavier after 6 minutes. Nice. "Gravestone Hill" opens with acoustic guitar and keyboards as reserved vocals join in, and atmosphere ends it. "Wanderings" has this beat with keys as vocals join in, and then bass a minute in; this sounds incredible.

I rate this a little higher than the debut but both are great albums. Lunatic Soul will continue according to Duda but he says this afterlife story ends here.

966

Random Acts Of Beauty
David Minasian

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

An uplifting work of beauty that calms the raging seas of dark prog.

After hearing the latest release from David Minasian I feel my spirit has been lifted up and it brings emotional warmth, such is the power of the lyrics, the huge keyboard motifs and dynamic guitar breaks. The music is all gentle and lucid, ethereal and dreamy at times, but never too dark, rather a collection of reflective heartfelt compositions. It is easy to tell that the band members have poured their heart and soul into this album and it translates to the listener.

The album cover for a start is a beautifully realised portrait of a goddess in white with the Saturn rings and the waves ebbing around amidst a castle, perhaps an enchantress luring us into her charms, and it certainly reminds me of the album covers of more Gothic bands such as Epica or Nightwish. However there is nothing really Gothic on this album, and there are no female vocals. Instead there are conceptual songs that are rendered with fragility and serenity, beauty and tranquillity expressed in long instrumental breaks and soft vocals.

The opening composition 'Masquerade' is a master work of aural imagery. David's very soft reflective vocals are akin to Justin Hayward from the Moody Blues, which is no coincidence as David was initially inspired to get into music through hearing on the radio The Moody Blues' song 'Land of Make Believe'. David was intrigued by the style of the track with its juxtaposition of flute, guitar, melodies and mellotron and began to record similar material. He is a classically trained piano player and it shows on this album. The piano is beautifully executed throughout. The mellotron embellishments are superb and atmospheric.

The guitar solo on 'Masquerade' is masterful and it comes from the dexterous playing style of Camel's legendary Andy Latimer. As a long time friend of David, Andy was happy to contribute to this track with his customary spacey lead guitar prowess. He makes that guitar cry and it lifts the melancholy mood to a new level. A synth solo follows and once again develops into a huge enhancement to the soundscape. The way the chords ascend reminds me of the uplifting sounds of Pink Floyd. One can feel the emotion in the music. At 4:36 there is a minimalist piano and then the time sig changes completely picking up the pace, a steady rock beat over multi layered violining guitars and a strong bassline. Once again the Pink Floyd style is evident. At 11:30 the vocals return after the lengthy instrumental break. The lyrics are about a girl who has walked away, a broken relationship. The guitars are so great on this final section, soaring and wailing over the wall of synthesizers; a fantastic start to the album.

'Chambermaid' begins immediately with the vocals, "close your eyes it's time to say goodnight.... don't be afraid when she turns out the light, she'll keep nightmares at bay until the break of day..." This composition has a gentle vocal delivery and the howling guitars of Justin Minasian and Nick Soto. The whole song has a centrepiece consisting of twin guitar playing and strong keyboard notes sustained beneath. This is a very dreamy lulling track, with lovely atmospherics, very different to the opening track in this sense, the guitars are more passive and poised.

'Storming The Castle' opens with a medieval feel with woodwind sounds and a pleasant piano motif. It begins slowly and then a ripping tempo crunches out, a surprisingly fresh progression from all the ambience and serenity previously. The killer riff features distorted guitar with an almost Black Sabbath type melody, 'Symptom of the Universe' springs immediately to mind. Then a blazing lead break follows until the piano adornment merges into the track. The drums and crash of cymbals from Guy Pettet joyously enhance the sound, balancing it on the edge of the precipice until the keyboards dominate again. The return of the synth riff follows and then a blistering lead guitar by Justin with frenetic arpeggios and speed picking that is a sheer delight. The exuberant speed and fractured time sig is a far cry from the works heard previously making this stand out as a rocking instrumental with outstanding riffing. One of my favourites on the album certainly.

'Blue Rain' is a work of aching beauty that brings things down again after the previous onslaught. A divine woodwind or flute sound using synth flows along the pretty piano melody. David's layered harmonious vocals chime in with some reflective lyrics of poetic beauty that really touches my emotions, "blue rain will soon be coming down, outside the weathered field shroud the parched and thirsty ground, storm clouds gather round the mountain to the West, my empty heart prepares for a futile night of rest, I lie awake without you waiting for the rising sun, wishing someday there would come a time when we could be as one, once you feel the rain you will never be the same, you can say I love you but heartaches will remain, hold me close to you hold me till the sun breaks through the clouds." I love those lyrics that portray that utter sense of loneliness when a loved one has departed or a lover has moved on. It is difficult to emulate these feelings without sounding acidic, but this song will touch many hearts who can relate to this desolate experience of loss. The drums kick in on the next verse lifting the sombre mood. The melody continues repeating some passages of words. The instrumental break is a simple formula of high Oboe or other wind instrument sounds then a gorgeous guitar lucidly flows over the musicscape. Justin's guitar has some beautiful licks and in a similar style to David Gilmour, he is able to form shapes of sound through huge string bends and subtle atonal picking. I am usually not as taken with love songs, but this track is an exception as it reaches the emotions without being pretentious; there is a striking sincerity in the lyrics and in the delivery.

'Frozen In Time' is an instrumental and the longest track clocking 14:37. It opens with a lengthy keyboard and guitar trade off, a very ambient texture of light and shade, tension and release that is well executed. The lead guitars are particularly good on this and I love the way they fade and a majestic cathedral organ takes over; a dominating and ethereal passage of ambience. The acoustic guitar picking of the Minasian brothers follows, a medieval lute is heard and a flute, a synthetic sound that is effective, chimes in. The track gets into fortissimo heavier territory at 7:20 with a soporific distorted guitar riff that is quite an intrusion breaking the tranquillity. It takes the track into a different realm like a thunder storm and then the rain falls gently, symbolised by piano scales and liquid synth flute lines. There is an airy feel with the tender nuances of layered keyboards and a playful piano collaboration. The symphonic impressions are executed as piano/clarinette and heavy guitar merges with tranquil lush synth strokes. The silky keyboard strings flow superbly along a musical stream and then a waterfall of guitars gushes forth. It is a masterful atmospheric symphonic instrumental.

'Summer's End' is next, beginning with a fragile acoustic guitar and gentle piano. The multilayered vocals are warm and inviting, "together we could mend the broken words, and fill our empty dreams again, just cast your tears out over the ocean, I walk with you through Summer's End". The next section is a very innovative instrumental break with weeping lead guitar and a wondrous synthesizer melody. It is a tour de force of melancholy nuances, acoustic and piano taking centre stage, with an emotional peak or climax in the centre piece, where the music ascends to a new horizon. The crescendo of heavy synthesizer contributes to the mystical journey of mood shifts from darkness to light. There are breaks in the music and a sudden burst of light rays through the dark clouds. The mood is saturated in sorrow but the music that builds injects a ray of hope. The fret melting lead work on this track is inspirational; a very strong definitive highlight of the album.

'Dark Waters' closes the album on a high note. It is an interplay of ambient textures, delightful piano/synth/clarinet trade offs and a heavy effect phased guitar that takes off into full flight. The atmosphere depicts rivers of tranquility on a summer's day with birds swooping over an orange sky. There are startling moments of minimalist touches where solitary piano is allowed to play. Thus the album ends on another peaceful instrumental for us to ponder on and add our own dream pictures.

The album is a work of beauty made possible by subtle keyboards and swooping washes of synthesizer. The drums crash in when necessary to represent the turmoil and breaking the isolated atmospheres. There are twists and turns where necessary but nothing overblown, nothing insensitive to the general melancholia mood. The album is wrapped in a gentle warm cocoon of harmony, without disruptive dissonance, therefore an easy listening collection of tracks to relax to. It is not without blistering guitar and drumming, with some outstanding bass lines, but the light fabric of the musical tapestry is held together with threads of piano and glowing synthesizer washes. I was pleasantly surprised and the music should appeal to a wide audience. Those who are not into the highly complex darkness of recent prog bands may find this, as I did, a breath of fresh air.

967                                           

X
Spock's Beard

A review by Gatot:

An album you cannot afford to miss, really!

As a matter of taste, I'd prefer Spock's Beard with Nick taking care of the vocal department, even though I love his drumming style as well. It does not mean that the voice quality of Neal is worse than Nick, but in my view (and of course my taste as well) Nick's voice is much more natural. Musically, I also prefer Nick's era as the sound of Spock's Beard seems more original, not forced as in the vein of Gentle Giant, Yes or other influences. I learned from the "Octane" album that their music is far different than the era with Neal as front man.

Overall, I can see the musical maturity demonstrated by the gentlemen in the band through this "X" album. I immediately loved the music the first time I spun it. Yes, there are roots of their style from previous albums, but this time they bring a fresher sound by putting in more symphonic touches. The opening track "Edge of the In-Between" (10:30) opens beautifully with a nice overture, even though it then slows down to accommodate a vocal line. The music then moves in a smooth and controlled way that most music lovers would be able to digest quite easily. There are changes in style and tempo throughout the span of 10 minutes duration, where there are also musical breaks allowing guitar riffs to appear.

"The Emperor's Clothes" (5:52) opens nicely with a good musical composition, followed with a keyboard solo that elevates the music into different stages and lets Nick take care of vocals. The chorus line sounds nice and melodic, followed excellently with choirs that remind me of Gentle Giant but performed in a melodic way. There is also a very nice drum solo followed beautifully with piano. This short interlude is truly excellent.

The instrumental piece "Kamikaze" (3:50) enters excellently with great music dominated with inventive keyboard work coupled with acrobatic arrangements, demonstrating great combined work of dynamic drums, keyboard, tight bass lines, guitar and vintage organ work. What surprises me is the insertion of heavy riffs that might remind you of Dream Theater. The organ solo is really stunning, especially backed with dynamic drum-work. I believe that NDV is one of the best prog rock drummers. His playing style is so energetic.

"From the Darkness" (16:36) is basically an epic that comprises four parts: a. The Darkness, b. Chance Meeting, c. On My Own and d. Start Over Again. No need to explain in details how excellent this composition is. It starts with an energetic part demonstrating the clean voice of NDV and stunning guitar combined with nice keyboard work. The epic has mellow segments as well but it then comes back to energetic segments with great vocal work and dynamic drumming, stunning guitar solo plus wonderful piano. The segment at approximately the 11th minute is really great.

"The Quiet House" (9:03) starts off as a rocker with tight bass lines and heavy riffs followed with vocal line in a relatively fast tempo, in an energetic style. Like previous tracks, this one also offers changes of tempo as well as style with some segments of heavy riffs that indicate this track as a rocker. "Their Names Escape Me" (8:57) is a nice and melodic song dedicated to their fans who pre-ordered the album. It's really nice music with excellent lyrics that partly say: "In my mind are faces, In my hands I hold their destiny, I will pray forgiveness, If their names escape me". The names were then spelled out.

"The Man"Behind the Curtain" (7:46) continues the album with another excellently composed track, with a dynamic intro part which suddenly changes into a musical break with NDV vocals. You might consider that this track has some flavors of symphonic music. The concluding track "Jaws of Heaven" (16:22) is another epic that comprises four parts: a. Homesick for the Ashes, b. Words of War, c. Deep in the Wondering, and d. Whole Again. Even though I love this album in its entirety, the last track is truly my favorite. It starts mellow with guitar fills accompanying NDV’s powerful voice. The piano solo performed in classical style backed with mellotron in the background brings the music to another segment with stunning guitar solo. I love the guitar solo, as well as the bass guitar solo, right after the guitar part; what a wonderful opening! The music then moves dynamically into an energetic segment with tight bass lines performed in a relatively fast tempo; overall the epic is really a masterpiece!

Well, you know my conclusion already. This is an excellent addition to any prog music collection. 4.5 stars rating.

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

The jazz fusion influences are prevalent and there is enough material on here to appease any SB fan; a whopping 80 minutes of sheer quality Neo.

"X" is an excellent Spock's Beard album that boasts two fabulous epics featuring some of the busiest and most accomplished musicianship from the band since their early days. The vocals of D'Virgilo and Morse are sparkling clean and each musician has a chance to showcase their amazing talents. The tunes are infectious and will grow on the listener after many listens. There is nothing threatening to the average listener in the very accessible melodic music and of course the time sigs are often progressive.

Spocks Beard begin the journey with 'Edge of in between' and it features a very pleasant beat, strong melodic quality and clean vocals. The moderate feel builds to a mid section with a great time sig mood swing. The drums are fabulous, well backed by a funky prog keyboard motif and vibrant guitar break. The jamming style is a feature and is enhanced by an uplifting piano scale. A great start to the album signifying the wonderful music to come.

'The Emperor's Clothes' begins with a horn section and then builds to a strong chorus that is memorable and catchy. There's a quaint speed vocal section too that is complex and effective. The Beard is in fine form here, and the song spirals into a brilliant instrumental break with weird time sigs and virtuoso piano. The guitars play the melody and the piece returns to the main chorus.

The symphonic sounds are absolutely beautiful and there is very little distorted guitar work from Morse, rather the dominant keyboards are put on a pedestal. Ryo is incredible on this album, even getting an outstanding solo on the mind blowing 'Kamikaze'. The instrumental is a showcase for Ryo's innovative keyboard soloing. The rhythm is choppy and dynamic. The bassline is powerful here but nothing compares to Ryo's off the wall playing; a superb track that defines the genre.

'Jaws of Heaven' is the ultimate track to hear if you are wondering what to expect, and this is the pinnacle of the album without a doubt. 'The Man Behind the Curtain' is a more melodic song that is augmented by a very strong chorus and lyrics paying homage to "The Wizard of Oz". 'The Emperor's Clothes' is the one that I could not get out of my head and reminded me of the Neal Morse era. 'Their Names Escape Me' is a truly beautiful song with symph prog keyboards.

I should mention that the orchestration of violins, cello and brass on this whole album are a genuine delight. Meros should get a mention for the wonderful bass work and the percussion of D'Virgilio is exemplary. There is nothing more to say other than "X" delivers, and it is definitely one of the best post Neal Morse albums to date from the sensational Spock's Beard.

968

Blood Of The Earth
Hawkwind

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

Welcome aboard the starship Hawkwind, prepare to be mesmirised by the surreal Masters of the Universe as they return to the future-past.

"I will become master of the universe," the narrative voice begins on this latest offering from prog space rock legends Hawkwind. This is your captain speaking: We are on our way; the Hawkwind starship has left planet earth on its way to unchartered galactic territories. Have a pleasant flight.

First, I was delighted to be able to review this album from one of my favourite prog bands. I have always been enamoured by the spacey themes and repetitive hypno riffs of Hawkwind and here is no exception. From the outset the band are crossing the boundaries with a revenge; returning to what we love about them, that is their unabashed trademark style of blending mesmeric riffing and conceptual themes with some rather off kilter vocals and lyrics.

There is an unsettling starkness about the music on the album. The narrations are hyper strange but work well in the musical framework. The melodies are simple but effective as usual. The Dik Mik "Space Ritual" style effects are an omnipresent force permeating the tracks. 'Seahawks' is a virtual exploration of musical ideas and stylised experimentation, almost an instrumental, but including estranged narrations which make little sense on the page but make perfect sense with the mesmeric music. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Waves washing on a beach end the track providing a calm serene atmosphere of isolation and barren landscapes.

This segues immediately into 'Blood of the Earth' with a cosmic musicscape similar to the strange choral trip on "2001". The cold starkness of space is emulated in the arrangements consisting of sustained keyboards taking us to a distant galaxy; perhaps an icy glacial planet devoid of life. There is no time sig, this is Tangerine Dream meets Godspeed You! Black Emperor; perhaps one of Hawkwind's most bizarre tracks. The narration is a deranged poetry offering, similar to the 70s poetry of Calvert; "as crust quakes and earthquakes.... burning dust fills river and lake... people wail, into the coffin drives the final nail." It is not 'Sonic Attack' but still remains a disquietening intro to the next piece.

'Wraith' blazes with a killer riff and the comforting wail of Dave Brock. It is the first real song and has enough Hawkwindisms to please even the most discerning addict. It is no surprise to hear those soaring lead solos and furious distorted riffs, but the real treat here is the synthesizer solo which is brilliantly intense and outstanding. The lyrics are appropriate to the frenetic pace and riffing; "no escape from reality, no escape from the beast inside... he's an animal, he'll be the only one left, victims of the future, crowned him undisgraced". When it settles, the space effects lock in with a curious retro feel and improvised splicing of soundbytes of the spacey kind. Even the riff here is familiar Hawkwind and that's what makes this one of the great tracks of the album; it is familiar territory and this is a welcome thing for Hawkwind addicts who do not want to hear new approaches but are accustomed to classic Hawkwind music. The riffing is inspirational, with metal blasts and a driving bassline, and dynamic pounding percussion with classic drum fills and cymbal splashes. This track fits comfortably with anything from the Hawkwind catalogue of the 70s. I rate 'Wraith' as one of the best tracks over the last 2 decades for Hawkwind; a true masterpiece.

'Green Machine' begins with symphonic pads that are calming after the carnage of the previous track. There is a strange creaking effect over the strings and an echoing motif. Then the beauty of the clandestine guitars chimes in. The synthesizers are incredible trading off with the guitars. This has to be one of the great Hawkwind instrumentals. I would have loved to hear some vocals but this is still a powerful track that has a depth of emotion and musical substance.

'Inner Visions' has a moderate tempo and some heavy multilayered space effects with trademark chirps and trills. The vocals are different than usual, almost chanted in places. The riff is infectious and it is consistent. The showpiece of the track is the instrumental section with heavy keyboard injections and a constant sequencer rhthym. At times the music is synth driven and off the scale as far as the melody is concerned, using motifs that are repeated in various ways. The crystalline synths and power riffs are a wonderful combination. There is a veritable wall of sound and I have not heard Hawkwind so creative for years; another highlight of the album that is worth returning to often.

'Sweet Obsession' fades in after a crashdown, and there is the constant presence of a lead guitar burning up the frets as a string driven keyboard plays. Brock's vocals are strong on this with a familiar style of performance. The song speaks of the future and an obsession with a girl, "all the times we spend together memories from the past, a future holds the key forever let's make our future last, I receive your message though the information's clear, I want to keep the feeling you're not there to disappear. Your confession, my sweet obsession..." The music is hard driving on this, a chugging rhythm with a repetitive verse and chorus; a simple structure that Hawkwind pride themself on. Once again this is a highlight of the album with some great hooks and a cool driving riff.

'Comfy Chair' has a sequencer effect of spacey motifs and a much stranger vocal style. The performance is laid back and off kilter, as if the voice comes from the distance, and it is even multi tracked by Brock in a high and low part. The violin sounds are a bizarre touch, and there is no real release from the tension until the instrumental break which is a time sig change and a synth solo with vibrant percussion. The sound builds into a foreign sounding melody, almost Egyptian or Spanish in flavour. I particularly like the repetitive figure as the Hammond sound crunches in. The effect creates a hypnotic groove that finally is broken into a haunting melody that fades gradually.

'Prometheus' has a Mystical feel helped by an Ancient sound, of psychedelic guitars. Even the vocals here are hyped into psychedelic territory and the sonic shapes. You have to love those lyrics; "The sound and fury of a sonic solution, upon a seer he's a master of time, mandrake messiah on a gravity wafer, he's an exotic he's a man of machine, Prometheus rises in a rush of sound, the power of the ancient light he found, the secrets of the stars act in his space, defies the laws of physics to continue the race". It is a fantastic melodic space romp. I love the way it drives along only to shatter half way through with an Indian Sitar. It revels in a psychedelic mood here and simply blitzes in true Hawkwind style.

'You'd Better Believe It' is a track that has featured on the classic "Hall of the Mountain Grill" album and been performed live on Hawkwind albums in the early phase of the band. It begins with a strange effect and then the familiar melody crunches along; the chord structure is fabulous. It is a new version of the mesmirising classic and I always loved this and so this is no exception. I am already in love with this album so to hear this is just another reverent throwback to Hawkwind at their best, and I am all for that. The chug a chug riff over spaced up spiralling guitars is a treat. The track breaks away in the middle with some innovative space effects and an electric piano has a chance to shine. This is where the track really grabs me; I am in awe how the band have returned to their roots and the retro feel is unmistakeable but it is so fresh. The instrumental section continues for a time, with no discernible structure but a rather repetitive riff with improvised notes. Soon it returns to the riffing guitars accompanied by huge blasts of sci fi laser effects, and then onto the verses. It's a 7 minute version of the lengthy classic and another highlight for sure.

'Sentinel' begins with gentle keyboarding and a very slow beat; quite tranquil and the spacey effects are everpresent. Brock's vocals are far more subdued and melodic. He does a good job of singing in a balladic style though this is a Hawkwind ballad and far removed from standard arrangements form ballads you may be used to. There is a sombre almost melancholy feel on this. The chorus has some reflective lyrics; "How many more times can we hear the echo of the future, screams in the night, how many more times must we watch or write." The quieter more pleasant approach here is welcome, particularly the ethereal quality of the keyboards and clean guitars, and I hoped after this there would be a real rocker to end the album on a high note.

'Starshine' is another 7 minute track. It starts with very quiet pads, and tom toms over a soundscape of spacey sound effects. The very long sustained pads are broken by nocturnal effects, like alien insects screeching and twittering on a distant planet. It feels like an instrumental from the outset, though I felt here that vocals would be needed to end the album. As usual Hawkwind breaks convention and ends on an instrumental housing very strange effects.

In conclusion, the album does not have any weak tracks and in fact contains some of the best Hawkwind material for years. Some of it is similar to "Alien 4" or "The Xenon Codex" in the type of music presented, but it is so much better. In fact this latest album is one of Hawkwind's most vibrant approaches to music for years. For that reason the album is highly recommended. Who says the Hawkwind spaceship has crash landed. If it did at one stage it certainly is airborne again. As far as this reviewer is concerned the spaceship is cruising at warp speed. The journey is complete, the silver Hawkwind spaceship is returning to the atmosphere and on its way back to the solar system. Who am I to complain? It has been a pleasant experience and a return to familiar terra firma.

A review by Bonnek:

Good old Hawkwind. Just like like a Nordic warrior, Dave Brock will meet his end while wielding his sword in battle, in his case, that will be while performing yet another surging live gig. I just hadn't thought he would deliver such a coherent studio album again, the best since “Alien 4”.

For sure, the band spent more time on writing good decent tunes this time. The obvious result is an attractive album and an easy listen. The disadvantage is less experimentation than usual and songwriting that remains very old-school and predictable. In fact, most songs sound like they could be on any other Hawkwind album released since 1990. An exception comes from the interesting opener ‘Seahawks’.

A nice surprise comes with new recruit Mr. Dibs on bass/vocals. His voice has a bit of a new wave/post-punk quality to it and, in combination with the stark mechanical rhythms, tracks like ‘Wraith’ and ‘Prometheus’ almost sound like Killing Joke-light. Not a bad thing of course, both are amongst the better tracks on the album, together with the space ballads ‘Comfy Chair’ and ‘Sentinel’.

On the downside, some of the material is Hawkwind by the numbers: new-age like ‘Green Machine’, Aor-punk like ‘Sweet Obsession’ and the mandatory remake track ‘You'd Better Believe It’. We've heard that type of material so many times already. The sound has found a good balance between the solid grooving rhythmic basis (drums, bass and guitar) and their lush synth carpets and electronic sounds. The only thing missing to bring it all alive is the energy boost that the band gets when performing live. So rest assured, if the band performs this material in their live set it will rule.

A welcome return for Dave Brock and cohorts, but it all pales a bit against the younger bands that took over galactic space in the last decade. This album is a nice addition for fans but no match for the many excellent releases of 2010.

969

Victims of the Modern Age
Star One

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

A Journey into the cosmic Progaverse is the best Arjen Project for years.

Star One's new album is atmospheric, spacey and a fascinating, compelling listen. The synthesizer melodies immediately transfix on the opening track. Those crystal clear synth lines simply blast and there is a shimmering Hammond that segues into 'Digital Rain', one of the genuine Arjen classics. The heavy drums and thrashing riffs crunch over the sustained organ. You have to love this if you are into metal as it delivers full blown crashing guitars and a great invective vocal harmony. The vocals sound like Dio resurrected, "Let go your anger, empty your mind, return to your senses, Cut through these lies, lives are in danger, open up your eyes. Reach for the answer... take the chances and taste the pain, don't trust your senses, you have been blind, digital rain, awaken the sleeper". Great synth solos and lead guitar trade offs simply kill with power. I love the melody which is majestic, pretentious but totally accessible for metal heads and prog enthusiasts. The vocals are loud and sung with conviction similar to Symphony X. Floor Jansen is always welcome on these Arjen albums, she is brilliant as usual.

The next track, 'Earth That Was' has a very deep grunge metal power riff that annihilates on this. It is relentless and powerful. The vocals are superb again, between accomplished singers, and such tremendous harmonies. The space themes are strong and not subtle... "a fire in the darkness, quest for freedom, a desperate need to find our place in the emptiness of space", there are images of a cataclysmic war and a futuristic Armageddon.

The synth solo is again wonderful, over the choppy metal riffing. The production value is A1 on this. Reminiscent sound of Ayreon's best albums, though much heavier; he doesn't hold back on these opening tracks, and it’s great to hear the musicians take off in full flight.

I love the droning sounds on 'Victims of the Modern Age'. The theme is "lashings of violence, the sound of symphony sends shivers up my spine, I am singing in the rain, a restless mind trapped in his cage, a victim of the modern age"; yes it's an obvious homage to “A Clockwork Orange” and a very good one. As a fan of the Kubrick film I was delighted to hear this tribute to the 70s film. The beat is steady with dark distortion and downbeat chord changes. There are lines from the film throughout such as "Violence makes violence… I swear to you my brothers, I'm still singing in the rain"; a real delight to my ears.

The references to "Planet of the Apes" are obvious with the famous oft quoted line beginning 'Human see Human Do'. This is a full blown attack on the senses; a speedy riffing metal banger with Dragonforce style motifs and heavier growling vocals, though not too gravelly. The obligatory lead break is as good as you might expect from these virtuoso musicians. The real drawcard on this though is that incessant breakneck riff and the incredible keyboard lightning fast lines.

A quieter intro after the frenetic chaos of previous is welcome, and begins '24 Hours' nicely. The Queensryche type style jumps out on the verses for a while and then the heavy guitars crash in on a steady slower tempo on the chorus. Damien Wilson is terrific on vocals and Floor chimes in to bring up the octave. There are a number of time sig changes and detours, with a crunching bridge and melancholic synth solo. Wonderful music I can assure you. The lyrics are about a ruleless dystopia, "A crime ridden city, confined within these walls, a place without pity, a place of sin, no rules apply here, among this desperate crowd, once you come in you are never coming out"; perhaps reference to “Escape From New York”, “The Matrix” or others you can think of where the world has gone to hell in a handbasket.

'Cassandra Complex' has a dynamic metal riff over a rising synth line. The lyrics are easy to comprehend; "you are caught inside a fantasy, I came back from the past, I've come to save our world, times up so we better move fast, Cassandra complex, We can change the future but we can't change the past"; perhaps “12 Monkeys” springs to mind here. I like how the female and male vocals trade off and answer each other in theatrical style. Some innovative moments on this track too with a riff that follows the melodic vocals in particular mid way through. It is a complex track that grinds along with a bright synth to light up the darker guitars.

A buzzing techno synth line begins 'It's Alive, She's Alive, We're Alive', that really sounds like a metal Gary Numan song as far as the music goes. The melody is infectious and really sticks in your brain. I absolutely love this track and it cemented the masterpiece rating for me as I was already taken with the amazing sounds previous, teetering on the star rating; whether one track was going to drive the nails in, but this hammered that last star on the rating for me. This track features everything I love about prog; creative structure, terrific vocals and harmonies, metal riffs and awesome spacey synthesizers with a plethora of solo performances and trade offs with an infectious melody and innovative lyrics; what more do you want? I love Floor's beautiful vocals on this too.

'It All Ends Here' is a dark crawl metal piece for a while, the drums are steady and accommodate the vocals, and atmospherics. You can hear references to “Blade Runner”; "moments lost like tears in the rain", and a sound like Fate's Warning, Shadow Gallery or Symphony X is prominent. As the longest song, it stays with you and locks into your brain. After it is all over the only thing I want to do is begin the CD again. You can totally immerse yourself in the cosmic ethereal fantasy that is created here.

I will have to hunt down the limited 2 CD edition now so I can complete my listening experience. But for now, this album will haunt my CD player.

I am absolutely blown away by this album, I believe it is a masterpiece from Arjen and among the best he has done only beaten by the incredible Ayreon brilliance on “The Human Equation” for conceptual creativity and quality. His latest album with Star One is sheer genius on every level. I thought it was a masterpiece on my first listen and then heard it again and again and my love for it grew even deeper. It just resonated with me on a personal level and I was hooked by its sonic magic. 5 brilliant stars!

970

Cosmogenesis
Gru

A review by Conor Fynes:

It's rather amazing to hear what one man is able to do with his guitar. While it's true that Polish act is not alone in being one of a great many one-man bands in the rather new scene of 'djent' progressive metal, I have to say that there are few that sound so tight and proficient as this. The work of Piotrek Gruszka, Gru has not appeared to have received much well-deserved recognition since the release of this debut in 2010. It's a shame really, because "Cosmogenesis" stands out as being one of the best instrumental prog metal albums I have heard in recent years. An uplifting grab bag of atmosphere, rhythmic experimentation, and beautiful melody, this short album only leaves me wanting more.

The first thing that stands out on "Cosmogenesis" are the production standards, which are remarkably high for an independent effort. Although the drums are programmed, a gripe I often contend with listening to one-man projects, it is engineered with precision and technical proficiency that I don't often see, even in many of the better known artists. Of course, Piotrek's guitar wizardry is the primary focus of Gru. An entirely instrumental record, "Cosmogenesis" is dominated by his axework. On paper, I would have imagined that this formula would entail a 'virtuoso' approach to the music, where the performance is meant to demonstrate the extent of his skill as a musician. I was only half-right to believe this; although the music never relents in its complexity, Gruszka proves himself through a great variety of techniques. More often than not, Gru impresses not through his leads and 'solos', but rather in his ability to craft vast soundscapes and rhythms with his work. It's as intense and technical a listen as I could hope for in a one-man act, but it never sounds narcissistic.

Animals As Leaders is likely the closest thing I could compare Gru to. Like Tosin Abasi, Piotrek Gruszka works many of his riffs around rhythm. Although odd time signatures are a core element of much progressive metal, this 'djent' (so named after the trademark Meshuggah-derived palm-mute) sound focuses more on creating a very complex, almost hypnotic rhythm. As the opening riff of "Nebula" testifies, Gruszka creates some compelling rhythms that will twist a listener's mind as they attempt to decipher it. On the other end of the spectrum, Gru's lead playing is often very melodic and beautiful. Shredding is often tossed in exchange for jazz-infused glory.

At only 34 minutes, "Cosmogenesis" is a fairly short album when compared to the 'average' nowadays. It does work in the album's favour however; the music is consistent in its challenge, and I'm not sure I would have liked the album so much if I had been bombarded with a full hour's worth of carnage. Suffice to say, Gru deserves a much greater deal of recognition than he has thus far. Cerebral rhythms, tight musicianship, and a futuristic atmosphere make "Cosmogenesis" among the very best djent albums I have ever heard.

971 - live

Rails Live
Steve Hackett

A review by Conor Fynes:

As a general rule, I don't care much for live albums, even if they are by artists I really care about. More often than not, I find that bands simply reprise their performances as heard on the studio recording, and especially in a day and age where the studio is about as important an instrument as any other in some music, many live albums come across as being muddied renditions of music best heard the way it was originally recorded. Of course, much of this narrows down to how an artist chooses to record the concert experience, as well as the material he, or they choose to play for it. I am not into live albums, but Steve Hackett quickly catches my attention with the double live album “Rails”. Taken from concerts across three cities, the former Genesis guitarist simply gets the concept of a live album right, and through a mixture of great recording sound, organic performance and varied setlist, Hackett's live album is one of the few I've heard in the past couple of years I would not only wholeheartedly recommend to a fan, but also revisit.

In terms of playing and performance, there should be no doubt by this point that Steve Hackett is an incredible guitarist, both on stage and off. From his early days in Genesis, he has proven to be one of the best talents with the guitar, not necessarily through mathematical technical ability, but moreso his ability to evoke a feeling through the instrument, which is something I personally regard leagues above any everyday shredder. What makes 'Rails' even more powerful on a performance level though is the talent of the other musicians here, who all come up to bat and work exceptionally well. The vocal harmonies here are done with incredible precision, and the saxophone work of Rob Townsend adds a new dimension to some of the old classics, including the highlight of the concert 'Fifth Of Firth'.

Another great thing here may not be so easily picked up upon by someone not as averted to live albums, but the mixing here is incredibly well done. On more than a couple of live albums, the recording tends to become a noisy mess due to the overbearing influence of a highly mixed, voluminous, and quite likely drunken audience. While cheers of the crowd can be heard here, they are only really heard during the applause, and are turned down for the rest. This gives both the vicarious concert experience a live album is meant to bestow, as well as a clean listening experience that is not deterred. In fact, it could be argued that the live atmosphere only adds to parts of the music, as the chemistry between instruments is heard beautifully during many of the instrumental passages.

A fairly long concert, it may have been nice to include a few more tracks here with the beautiful vocal work and one or two more classic Genesis tunes, but Steve Hackett's “Rails” has struck lucky with a brilliant live record here.

A review by SouthSideoftheSky:

Hackett has done it once again!

Steve Hackett and his excellent live band is one of the more prolific live acts in classic progressive Rock today, at least in terms of live recordings. One may be forgiven for wondering whether yet another live release is really necessary, and the answer is both yes and no. The recent handful of Hackett live releases have all been in the form of videos, while “Rails” is available only as an audio recording (more specifically as a double CD, and download, of course).

As “Rails” was recorded on the tour in support of Steve's most recent studio album, “Out Of The Tunnel's Mouth” (an album that featured such luminaries as Chris Squire and Anthony Phillips as well as Steve's brother John Hackett), there are naturally several songs from that album being performed here. All in all as many as six out of the eight tracks from that album are included on this live release. But I still don't think that this live album makes the studio album redundant! “Out Of The Tunnel's Mouth” is a very good album and the material chosen from it here fits in perfectly with both the Hackett solo and the Genesis classics performed. There is only one song here that I don't like much and that is the Blues rocker ‘Still Waters’. It is not bad, just unremarkable and I think it was the least decent track on the “Out Of The Tunnel's Mouth” album. I would have preferred to hear ‘Nomads’ or ‘Last Train To Istanbul’.

Starting with the solo classics, Steve concentrates here on material from his earliest few albums and picks out such fan favourites as ‘Ace Of Wands’ from “Voyage Of The Acolyte”, ‘Every Day’, ‘Clocks’ and ‘Spectral Mornings’ from “Spectral Mornings” and ‘Slogans’ and ‘The Steppes’ from “Defector”. I'm certain that these selections will please the Prog community and, almost needless to say, the performances are simply impeccable throughout.

There are also as many as five Genesis classics, all on the second disc. Most of these are mainstays in Steve's live repertoire and are already featured on several other live releases. What stands out here is the full length performance of ‘Firth Of Fifth’ as on previous tours only the famous solo from it was performed (with the exception of that tour with John Wetton and Ian McDonald that can be witnessed on the “Tokyo Tapes” DVD). I'm not sure who is handling the lead vocals here, but it certainly isn't Steve himself. The vocals on ‘Blood On The Rooftops’ are handled by drummer Gary O'Toole like he did also on the “Once Above A Time” DVD. ‘Broadway Melody Of 1974’ is a newcomer, but it is not a favourite of mine and it adds little value to this live album.

The acoustic side of Steve Hackett is not much on display on this quite rocking album, but it is full of old and new classics and I cannot see how I could rate it any differently than with four stars. Still, there are several other Hackett live releases (including those two DVDs I mentioned above) that I rate even higher. If you don't have any Hackett live release, I very strongly recommend that you get at least one. If you happen to prefer CDs over DVDs, you cannot go wrong with “Rails”.

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

One of the most incredible live concerts from one of the finest guitarists.

This is an exceptional double disc live album encompassing the massive body of work of Mr guitar extraordinaire Steve Hackett. The sound quality is high level and the crowd noises are never overbearing, and are rather silent, transfixed by Hackett's masterful work. All the musicians are at the top of their game, the skills on woodwind are exemplary, especially the saxophone and keyboards. There is a peaceful resonance generated in the concert with some soul stirring instrumentals among the songs, sung by various band members. Songs such as the beautiful 'Emerald and Ash' have an ambient quality that drifts along with serene measured splendor. Rob Townsend on woodwind is fantastic on this. 'Fire on the Moon' is another standout in the early part of the concert. I am not too familiar with where each song originates but there was no mistaking the Genesis tracks and it was a pleasure to hear Hackett play them again in a new setting. There are stand out moments especially the show stopper, 'Firth of Fifth', and we are as delighted as the crowd to hear it. The vocals by all involved are exquisite and at times reminded me of Pink Floyd style or Genesis.

There is a lengthy section where only the musicians play in some absolutely jaw dropping inspired instrumentals. The intro to 'Ghost in the Glass' is heavenly with tenor sax and some inspired guitar swirls, the way Hackett bends and sustains the strings is incredible. He makes that guitar cry with spasms of energy that sends chills down your spine. The lengthy guitar solos are definitely crowd pleasers as they respond very strongly. Hackett does not say much during the performance except perhaps 'hi' and 'thankyou', instead he lets his music do the talking. There are some nice Asian flavours in the styles on offer too such as with "Voyage of the Acolyte"'s spine tingling 'Ace of Wands' where woodwind, guitar and odd drum patterns create an uplifting mood. Roger King on piano enhances the atmosphere along with the piccolo sounds and sawing synth. There is a massive lead guitar and keyboard trade off during this track and at the end the crowd are left stunned, roaring their appreciation.

Another noteworthy track is 'The Steppes' with portentous steady pounding drums and a foreign twin guitar harmonized with Amanda Lehmann's guitar, sounding rather Egyptian in places, and the bass of Nick Beggs is terrific. I love Hackett's squealing solo that soars to the stratosphere. Here he is at his best and he plays off such tight musicianship with the band members it is musical perfection. In the moments where the musicians break there is dead silence and they all come in, bang on cue. The virtuosity of the instrumentation is remarkable.

A heavier approach is found on the pulsating rhythmic 'Slogans', with a much darker feel. Very tight twin electric guitars sparring off and playing high and low parts precisely together is a key feature. The vocals suddenly return on the excellent following track 'Serpentine Song' with strong harmonies. It is a straight forward balladic song which is a nice break after all the chaos and dexterous guitar work performed in the previous tracks. Hackett knows how to obtain the right balance between tension and release and this song releases with beautiful melodies and tranquil vocals.

The awesome 'Tubehead' follows with heavy rhythms and complex time sig changes. The lead work is wonderful and completely out of the box compared to what we have heard thus far. Hackett is on fire with lengthy lead work with high bends and fret melting arpeggios and scales. This is a proficient solo that throws in many styles with some freak out whammy bar squeals and fast fingering speed sweeps; one of the most incredible solos I have heard.

CD2 begins with 'Spectral Mornings' from his much celebrated early release, one that most fans would be aware of, full of spacey guitar flourishes. The highly recognizable Genesis masterpiece, 'Firth of Fifth', follows. It is different with these musicians but no less brilliant. The vocals are sufficient without emulating Gabriel's eccentricity or Collins. The section where Hackett plays the most recognizable piece is mind bending, pitch perfect and as good as I have heard him play it. He introduces new elements that augment the instrumental break and really make this the best piece of the night, a testament to his genius, and the crowd respond in kind with an ovation I would say.

This is followed by 'Blood on the Rooftops' from “Wind and Wuthering" which is also well received. Next is some classic Genesis with a rendition of 'Fly on a Windshield' and 'Broadway Melody of 1974', but although it feels like he may continue on to 'Cuckoo Cocoon', it was not to be. It was refreshing to hear some more familiar material from "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway".

The version of Genesis' 'Los Endos' from "A Trick of the Tail" was equally as stirring and would be enough to bring the crowd to their feet. It was a fantastic way to end the show to hear all the Genesis tracks, and naturally everyone in the crowd would have known them. One last song 'Clocks' from "Spectral Mornings" caps off a classic concert performance from one of the master musicians of the modern age. The lengthy drum solo from Gary O' Toole is a terrific crowd pleaser. Then it is all over and the crowd have been treated to ear candy of the highest degree.

This 2 hour concert CD comes highly recommended for anyone who appreciates awesome guitar work, and progressive virtuoso musicianship, all Genesis connoisseurs, like me, and of course the legion of Hackett fans, who are simply going to love this live album.

935

Crack the Skye
Mastodon

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

“Crack the Skye” was my introduction to Mastodon and it captured my attention immediately.

The blend of extreme metal and experimental jazz fusion psychedelia is well executed throughout. Each song is part of a thematic master work about Eastern philosophies and Religiosity. The very off kilter time changes are wonderful on each track. It contains a multi-movement suite with songs within a song on the mini epic 'The Czar' which is worth the price of admission on its own.

Other highlights are the catchy metallic 'Oblivion' and 'Divinations'. If you can get hold of the video clip of this latter track it is worthwhile as it depicts an astronaut, very '2001'ish, trying to rescue another astronaut who is drifting in space; the effects are great and it opens up a new dimension to the meaning of the obscure lyrics.

'Ghost of Karelia' is another good track with some beautiful lead guitar work and 'Crack the Skye' is excellent. The final track, 'The Last Baron', is the epic that features a rather strangled blend of jazz time signatures and crunching chunky metal riffs clocking in at 13 minutes.

The vocals by Dailor on each track range from clean to agressive growelling. The vocals compliment the sound of the tracks and there are some incredible lead guitar breaks from Hinds and Kelliher. The bass work of Sanders is excellent and there are many strong harmonies and choruses to stick in the memory banks well after the CD ends.

The riffs are intricate and complex and never dull, as you are not quite sure in which direction the tracks are heading. This is a great album and worth checking out if you have never encountered this ensemble of technical metal proggers.

I recommend this to any one who likes their prog loud and technical as this album has much to offer even the most discerning prog addict.

A review by UMUR:

“Crack the Skye” is the fourth full-length studio album by American experimental/ progressive metal act Mastodon. The last couple of albums by the band have elevated Mastodon to stardom in the metal world and deservedly so. A new release by such a prolific act always comes with a lot of hype and it´s always interesting to see if the artist can live up to that hype.

“Crack the Skye” sounds unmistakably like Mastodon but the band keep developing their trademark sound, exploring new territories. The music is more melodic and memorable than earlier releases by the band. The multitude of influences from traditional heavy metal, thrash metal, sludge metal, progressive rock/ metal, psychedelic rock and hard rock as usual give Mastodon a unique sound. They´ve toned down the technical playing a bit on “Crack the Skye” and I especially noticed that Brann Dailor´s otherwise highly adventurous drumming is now more restrained.

There are seven tracks on the album. Two of them are pretty long. ‘The Czar’ is an almost 10 minute long affair while the closing track ‘The Last Baron’ is 13 minutes long. I regard the latter as one of the most progressive songs written by the band so far. All songs on the album are high quality compositions and several are favorites of mine in the group´s discography. The above mentioned ‘The Last Baron’ is an excellent song, the opening track ‘Oblivion’ is also quite the experience (note the melodic and powerful guitar solo) and the same can be said about ‘Crack the Skye’, ‘Divinations’ and ‘Quintessence’. ‘The Czar’ and ‘Ghost of Karelia’ haven´t really blown me away yet, but that might come with further listens. They are definitely not bad songs. The vocals on the album are the most melodic Mastodon have done so far. The raw vocal style is still present on the album but the clean vocals are more and more prominent. I enjoy this development.

The production is professional and well sounding. “Crack the Skye” is the Mastodon album so far, that has most progressive rock leanings and older fans might miss the more aggressive side of the band on this album. For those of us who enjoy the band´s more experimental and melodic side “Crack the Skye” is probably the best album they´ve made so far. I´m still not a hardcore fan but it´s hard not to bow in the dust for a release like this. A 4 star rating is well deserved and I fully understand those that feel “Crack the Skye” is a masterpiece.

936

Destined Solitaire
Beardfish

A review by Mellotron Storm:

I still feel that Beardfish sounds like a cross between Frank Zappa and Wigwam. Yes, there is lots of humour in the lyrics and they drop several "F" bombs along the way.The organ, vocals and drums are most prominent. I felt that this album didn't hit me like the previous one; it's not as dynamic as they seem to stretch passages out quite often. Still I  can give nothing less than 4 stars and I  do expect this one to grow on me more than it has so far, and it is too long at almost 77 minutes.

"Awaken The Sleeping" is a good instrumental with lots of organ as drums and bass support. It's spacey late then this powerful atmosphere ends it. "Destined Solitaire" sounds great early with that guitar then it kicks in with vocals. Love the lyrics, and thereare some brief growly vocals before 5 minutes. Nice crunchy bass in this one, and the guitar is lighting it up before 9 minutes as vocals return after 10 minutes.

"Until You Comply (Including Entropy)” is the longest track at almost 15 1/2 minutes. Classic Beardfish with those Wigwam styled vocals and humorous lyrics as the bass, drums and organ lead instrumentally. It turns slower paced around 6 minutes and reserved vocals come in at 7 1/2 minutes then it kicks in. It settles back again as the tempo continues to shift, and It's lighter with silly vocal melodies 12 minutes in. Ripping guitar enters before 13 minutes with powerful organ runs, then it settles with piano after 14 minutes, as the vocals return to end it. "In Real Life There Is No Algebra" I agree with! A catchy rhythm at first is heard with vocals, but those vocals do become the focus.

"Where The Rain Comes In" has a good uptempo intro with lots of organ. Vocals enter 2 minutes in as it settles back, and it is pretty funny as it kicks in with organ. "At Home...Watching Movies" has percussion, clapping and strummed guitar as the vocals join in.

"Coup De Grace" has accordion in it with bass and a beat. The organ floats in as it settles but kicks back in with power after 3 1/2 minutes,and more accordion later. "Abigail's Questions (In An Infinite Universe)" has some brief atmosphere as the music kicks in and the vocals follow. It's fairly laid back overall and then turns a little jazzy before 6 minutes. Female spoken words come in and then the male vocals are back, then guitar after 8 minutes.

"The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of" has some excellent sounding vocals and piano at one point. It settles before 2 minutes then picks up at 3 1/2 minutes. It picks up more 8 1/2 minutes in with the drums and organ leading.

An enjoyable album that I am drawn to simply because of that Beardfish sound. 4 stars.

937

The Weirding
Astra

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

Astra's "The Weirding" is an incredible debut that is soaked in Mellotron and retro influences hearkening back to the eclectic golden age of prog.

Astra have made an indelible mark in the prog music world with their debut, an unforgettable triumph. The mellotron takes front stage throughout and a very Pink Floyd like atmosphere is created, including the vocal style and slow build up on each song. There are free form lengthy jams and musical virtuosity on every level.

'The Rising of the Black Sun' has an ominous opening with distant flute trilling and atmospheric guitar picking sweeps. The ethereal atmosphere is built on free form jazz drumming, and spacey effects on the flute become more pronounced. It is a jazz fusion section for a while, the guitars soon dominate, Hackett like and very spacey, over a one chord bass note driven with Hurley's intricate drum fills and pounding beat. It is an extraordinary sound created with musical virtuosity as good as I have heard. It is 70s like and yet so refreshing for the new millennium; a reinvention of the classic eclectic prog sound that is very much like Pink Floyd meets Yes in places, with touches of Hawkwind, Camel and early Genesis.

This track segues immediately into the epic title track. A Rogers Waters like voice from Vaughan sings the estranged lyrics; "The world spins out of tune and there's nothing we can do..." Reminds me a bit like Diagonal too, a more recent band that plays similar music. The emphasis is more on the music but still Astra are capable of very strong harmonies and melodies. A powerful synth line sounding like a sax chimes in between verses and there are killer Sabbathesque riffs and a really great tune. This is an absolute masterpiece track for Astra, lengthy but never dull. There is an extraordinary improv style guitar solo over an 8 chord structure of organ and mellotron. The jamming is wonderful prog with angular guitar riffing and sporadic drumming producing high quality music. The shimmering organ grinding at the end is superb and the guitar solo ascends out of the stratosphere. It ends on a catastrophoic apocalyptic bomb blast. This is headphone prog bliss.

'Silent Sleep' is a slow sleepy track that begins with a pitchy spacey guitar solo and an atonal time signature. The Camel-like flute chimes in softly building to a verse. The flute plays the verse in free form style until the Floyd like vocals gently begin; "moving out away from you...". This section is answered by a scorching duel guitar solo. The next verse begins in the same tune as previous; "far beyond the gloom, moving a million miles away from you". This feels more like a traditional song at this stage. There is a violin like solo on mellotron and a tradeoff between synth and guitar. The time sig changes towards the end into a half time feel. A nice slower number to break the progressive jamming.

'The River Under' begins like a Floyd version of 'Careful With that Axe...' the low humming bass of Scalter keeps the rhythm as the mellotron sinks its fangs into the murky waters. The vocals are different on this, and there is a very strong melody throughout with a catchy chorus too.

'Ouroboros' features an incredible spacey guitar solo. The instrumental really takes off with electrifying guitar fret melting majestic melodies in time to a chant. As it progresses, the guitars become very melodious with infectious guitar licks and riffs that are driven along a wave of mellotron and very well executed flute passages from Hurley. An almost hypnotic rhythm locks in and it becomes grandiose, filling in many various time sigs till it ends on the same whooshing hum as the intro; astonishing music.

This is followed by two more short tracks which are satisfactory but I want to skip to the finale which is a delightful feast for the ears. 'Beyond to slight the maze' sounds very much like Pink Floyd's 'Echoes' complete with long keyboard pads and harmonies. The whale effects are not here of course but the same atmosphere is generated, an extreme ambience that is serene and melancholy. The mood is fractured with the introduction of a dominating fat Hammond organ sound that grinds and shimmers as Vaughan pounds incessantly.

To conclude, “The Weirding” is a must have album and one of the best of the more recent debuts. Make no mistake, Astra have produced an absolutely brilliant return to the roots of psychedelic and symphonic 70s prog. Almost 5 stars, but 4 glorious stars for a debut is solid evidence that the band are here to stay.

938

Detta Har Hänt
Gösta Berlings Saga

A review by Sean Trane:

After an extremely promising debut Gösta Berlings Saga released some three years later this much-awaited for “Detta Har Händt”. First small deception: the much less charming artwork of this sophomore album, based onto construction shots, which are quite a departure to the particularly charming debut digipak package. The group also saw a change of guitarist, Baldur's son stepping in for Daniel's son (too easy, but too hard to resist). The first impression, once the disc popped inside the deck, is that you'll have no problems recognizing the instrumental world GBS had installed with their debut. Lundberg's keyboard array has grown impressively, even if they're considered an additional instrument and mainly quoted on the Rhodes.

I can't help but thinking of the early Anekdoten (“Vemod” + “Nucleus”) upon a few occasions on this album, mainly the guitar and mellotron layers, but also King Crimson (the opening succession of chords on Bergsl*g.n). Sometimes the electronic noises are intriguing, almost ambient, like at the start and throughout ‘Svenska Hjärtan’; whereas they're announcing a deeply involved frenzy in ‘Tem Trappar’. The little flaw detected on the debut, overstaying inside the same groove without foraying around it, is actually increased as we find long moments (such as the closing ‘Vasterbron’) where the heroic wails and dramatic weeps from the guitar flatters shamelessly your eardrums with much talent, but it might be more concise in its propos. Nevertheless, even an old dog such as me will allow himself to fall into a well-dressed up trap, such as this one.

A bit less brilliant than its predecessor, DHH is maybe more adventurous, but in the greater scheme of prog things, they're both fairly sonically similar, even if I'd advise to start with the debut and move to this one after. In either case, while certainly not groundbreaking (what is in this end of the 00's decade?), GBS offers some orgasmic moments, even though it might have a little too much déjà-vu feel and may sound a tad formulaic, in regards to the Scandic retro-prog plethora.

939

The Mad Monk And The Mountain
Colin Masson

A review by Conor Fynes:

Naturally when I come across an album by an artist I've never heard anything of before, I have no preconceptions or expectations about what the music will be like. Sparing a rather attractive front cover, I went into listening to multi-instrumentalist Colin Masson's second album without the slightest clue of it's quality, or even style. With that in mind, it is an even greater pleasure to speak of what a classy and beautiful album “The Mad Monk & The Mountain” really is. Tipping the hat to the sound of classic symphonic prog and creating a work of music that thrives on it's marriage of melody and complexity, Colin Masson has created an hour of vibrant and intelligent music, as well as an underground gem of the progressive scene.

Although the album is primarily instrumental in nature, “The Mad Monk & The Mountain” opens with a haunting and highly theatrical vocal piece, 'Two Lighthousekeepers.' Taking no time to get things started, the song is filled with strong vocal harmonies, an upbeat rhythm, and an orchestral approach to what could easily be considered a 'catchy' tune. Telling a tale of bleak isolation and the two mentioned lighthousekeepers in conflict with one another, Colin does a very good job of telling an interesting story with the lyrics, while still maintaining a high level of musical interest.

While the second track 'Tilting At Windmills' follows up on the high level of quality that the first track set, I was originally a bit unsettled hearing it, because I realized here that this was going to be a mostly instrumental journey. While singing is certainly not a necessary trait in order for music to be 'enjoyable' at all, there was still a resounding impression and enjoyment from Colin's witty storytelling ability and penchant for rich vocal harmonies, so it was a dissapointment at first. After a few listens however, the instrumental work of Colin Masson quickly warmed up on me, and this track now stands as being one of my most enjoyed on the album. Beginning softly, 'Windmills' slowly builds up tension until breaking into full out rock instrumental fury. This track of the album also showcases Colin's great skill with guitar; the track is filled with rapidfire riffage and tasteful lead work.

After such a dynamic track, the listener is greeted with the most serene and beautiful piece on the album, 'The Ends Of The Earth.' Instead of Colin singing here however, his associate Cathy Alexander sings here. In what can easily be considered the 'ballad' of the album, Cathy's soothing and folk-like vocals soar over a very celtic soundscape. Although the song has less dynamic and inherent energy than the others, it is possibly the strongest track on the album, and is also the part of the album where I realized that I had a masterpiece on my hands here.

Flowing perfectly into the next track, the album presents it's title track; another instrumental. With a very fitting introduction to the title of the song (very ethereal and almost oriental in it's style), the song breaks into a more typical rock instrumental format. The song very deliberately develops in intensity over time; the fantastic bass guitar work here is undeniable. The track doesn't quite capture the glory of 'Tilting At Windmills,' though there are some great moments here, and plenty of great rocking moments.

To cap off the album, the last two tracks keep the high level of quality going, and make for a consistent achievement. 'Caradon's Surprise' is certainly the most forgettable track on the album, but it is pleasant enough. It is a classical guitar piece, meant to be a segue between the two longer songs. 'The House On The Rock' on the other hand, is a stunning piece of work, opening up. The first few minutes are based in orchestration. While the orchestral instruments aren't genuine, the feeling of 'epicness' is conveyed in great amounts. This track is certainly the most dynamic; ranging from the typical rock instrumentation, to traditional folksong, to celtic-styled prog. While the track is as powerful as any other on 'The Mad Monk & The Mountain,' there are very few musical ideas that are instantly catchy and endearing; this 'epic' is a grower, undoubtedly.

'The Mad Monk & The Mountain' is certainly one of the greatest modern symphonic progressive albums I've heard to date, and it has put Colin Masson on my radar as a talented artist to look out for. Being no stranger to the music scene, Colin has put his experience to great use here, and has crafted a real gem here. Suffice to say, despite some minor flaws in terms of occasionally over-indulgent instrumentation, 'The Mad Monk & The Mountain' is a charming masterpiece.

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

The Mad Monk and the Mountain is a majesic triumphant slice of prog.

Colin Masson's “The Mad Monk and the Mountain” is an ambient journey along a coastline of howling winds, moonscapes, Atlantic horizons and lighthouses watching over precipices of mountain peaks. There are conceptual faith leaps into fantasy and horror and these are juxtaposed with thoughts of death and ghostly apparitions. The opening track 'Two Lighthouskeepers' spells it out from the outset as the protagonist lapses into a morbid insane frame of mind where the isolation and desolate loneliness envelop his conscious being; "prancing figures in the howling screaming night, casting monstrous shadows in the ever spinning light, waving to the passing ships the sailors see, two lighthousekeepers dancing."

Masson's vocals are subdued, sinister at times, but overall clean and reflective, not unlike Peter Hammill though he does not use the baritone of Hammill. The musical style is perhaps akin to the work of Mike Oldfield, especially the guitar tones. The acoustics that begin 'Tilting at Windmills' draws one in with a compelling rhythm, and very nice keyboard orchestrations. The lengthy guitar solo is restrained and melodic, reminiscent of Andy Latimer in some respects. The layered guitars and keys make a wonderful soundscape of easy listening music. The time sig locks in eventually to a rhythmic cadence. There is a well executed lead guitar flourish over an ominous, even portentous, ascending chord figure. The instrumental is masterfully delivered and delightfully innovative shifting into many moods, textures of dark and light pervade the Symphonic atmosphere.

'The Ends of the Earth' continues the high class musicianship beginning with minimalist 12 string acoustic picking. Cathy Alexander is mesmirising on vocals, recorders and keyboards on the album. She is given a chance to shine and her gorgeous vocals are lilting and haunting with a peaceful beauty; "is this a dream, am I walking still, do I spread my wings or the wings of illusion, will I fall to the earth like a stone, or reach for the sky, one day I will fly where the waters run clear, one day I will fly to the ends of the earth." I am reminded of the high octaves of Mostly Autumn with Heather Findlay or Annie Haslam, and Alexander provides a Celtic atmosphere with these dreamy angelic vocals. The recorder work is well accomplished and enhances the ethereal atmosphere. I was delighted that Masson included her on the album as it lends a genuine ambience when a melodic crystalline soprano vocal is heard over ambient music. Simply a beautiful masterful song, featuring a fantastic symphonic ending.

'The Mad Monk and The Mountain' features an intro with Alexander's vocals and a chiming musical piece. The trumpet sounds augment the musicscape, and the bass sounds excellent on this track. There is a progressive time sig that drives it, and lead guitar dominates with a clean sound and elongated notes struck. The sustain is wonderful and then the track breaks into a fast tempo rock section, with some distorted riffs cranking along. Suddenly the album has turned the tide into hard rock territory. The piece continues with many varied melodies and is very easy to listen to, quite relaxing towards the end, with ambience created from warm monochrome lead guitar sounds and sweeping keyboard strokes.

'Caradon's Surprise' is a short instrumental track that acts as an interlude between two long tracks, the last being an epic. In true prog tradition, it is a transition point that prepares the listener for the longer piece to end the album. On its own, the short piece is quite good in itself, sounding medieval with 12 string acoustics. The tranquillity is akin to Hackett's work prior to the Genesis epic on "Foxtrot" that needs no introduction here among the prog community.

The epic is an instrumental called 'The House on the Rock', following the conceptual line of thought of craggy rocks and dilapidated mansions as a metaphor for the struggles of a broken down life. Well, that's my interpretation anyway. The keyboard motifs that begin the piece draw in the listener and then the golden sounds of lead guitars wash over gently. Mike Oldfield springs to mind again here and I especially love the way it builds with orchestrated keys that have a majestic quality. The piece sounds royal due to the regal trumpet sounds, but the phased lead guitar consistently overtakes the music with delightful sustained string bends. At 5 minutes in the medieval flavour is prominent with flute sounds and a quirky jig tempo. The melody sounds familiar for some reason, and one can imagine some beautiful dresses flowing out as beatific dancers jig arm on arm with joyful smiles. The percussion crunches in soon and there is a very powerful lead riff that builds to a crescendo, keeping the melody but augmenting it with a stronger display of musical excellence. A new time sig at 8:50 breaks out and then it settles into an acoustic rhythm and some Oldfieldish lead guitar work with a high airy nature. The music becomes organic with a moderate cadence and the twin guitar harmonies at 11:25 are wondrous.

In conclusion, the album tends to peak early with some amazing vocal tracks and soon the entire thing is an instrumental album. This seems to work on subsequent listens but I found myself waiting for the vocals to come in. The vocals of Alexander are especially a part of the journey lending a calmness and tranquillity to the music. Masson is a very good vocalist too and the lyrics are powerful and necessary in the early tracks. When those vocals are absent the instrumentals have the tendency to become a little laborious or repetitious for my ears. In any case, this album is a remarkable artistic achievement for a virtual solo artist and Masson is a virtuoso musician who knows how to inject just the right amount of light and dark to the musicscape. I was delighted to experience such a beautiful emotive album. After many listens I finally came to the conclusion that it is definitely a 4 star triumph.

940

Realms of Eternity
Syzygy

A review by Mellotron Storm:

 What a pleasant surprise this album was. I did enjoy the debut but I  felt it could have been better, and "Realms Of Eternity" is a lot better. Carl Baldassarre, the lead guitarist and vocalist, wrote all the lyrics, and considering his personal faith, there is a strong Christian flavour to the lyrics. This album is the whole package though, I've just enjoyed it immensly this past week.

"Darkfield" features guest vocalist Mark Boals, who sings on 3 other tracks as well. I love this song. It's about temptation and brings in the Garden of Eden (Paradise). This is just so well done, with some guest cello in the intro and chunky bass a minute in. Yearning vocals follow and check out the guitar 3 1/2 minutes in, with mournful synths that remind me of Rush. Speaking of Rush I'm reminded of Lifeson as the guitar comes in at 5 minutes. Nice bass 6 1/2 minutes in, I like the drumming late as well on this fantastic tune; dark and melancholic.

"Vanitas" is Syzygy putting on an instrumental show early. It turns classical then kicks in around 3 minutes. Great sound right here and check out the drum work. "Dreams" opens with synths, piano and lazy guitar melodies. Kind of spacey actually before it kicks in around a minute. This is nice and heavy, with vocals 2 minutes in as it settles. There’s a Gentle Giant vibe here, it's fuller on the chorus and I love the mournful guitar after 7 minutes.

"Echoes Remain" features these beautiful acoustic guitar melodies as reserved vocals and cello join in. Lots of flute in this one as well, a mellow tune. "Dialectic" is laid back with synths early. Vocals follow and the sound gets fuller, then it settles after 3 1/2 minutes as contrasts continue. Raw guitar 5 1/2 minutes in as it kicks in heavier with nice bass and organ. I like the guitar 9 minutes in too as it turns jazzy. Great sound after 11 1/2 minutes with synths, a chunky bass 13 1/2 minutes in then it turns mellow, almost spacey with strummed acoustic guitar and vocals that sing over and over "Like seasons are inclined, We need change to help us find, how old becomes anew, And it's all because of you".

"Arranmore Isle" is pastoral with acoustic guitar melodies and theremin. "Overture" is a Spock’s Beard-like tune. This is fun with the organ, fat bass and the guitar making lots of noise. Yes, the drumming is incredible. "The Sea" opens with piano as a full sound comes and goes, with vocals too, and samples late. "The Mourning Song" features these strummed acoustic guitar melodies as percussion joins in then synths. Reserved vocals follow and I like this track.

"Variations Part 1" and "Variations Part 2" are both highlights instrumentally and the vocal arrangements recall Gentle Giant on part 1. Both songs are a blast with the growly bass, pounding drums and prominent keyboards. "Reflections" opens with strummed acoustic guitar as drums then vocals join in, kind of sad yet uplifting. It blends into "Finale" where it gets fuller. Check out the bass! Guitar comes ripping in as the drums pound it out. I like when the synths come in around a minute. The guitar solo is just a beauty as it goes on and on. It ends with the vocals passionately singing "I wonder if the tale is true, cross the sea where  I'll find you, smiles a-waiting on the shore, Loved ones joyful evermore". Easily 4 stars and highly recommended.

941

L'axe du Fou
Forgas Band Phenomena

A review by Sean Trane:

Latest (so far, the fourth) album from Forgas' troupes, and maybe the best one yet, but it comes after a three or four year silence (“Soleil 12” dates from 05) that had us worried. Actually, parts of the compositions were already written a while ago (the next album was originally scheduled in 06), but the line-up suffered a few changes (now a septet), then some tracks were re-written (trimmed down), more added and by the time all of this was dealt with, they were in the summer of 08. Just four tracks, all penned by Patrick, packed in an uncompromising fluvial artwork

It opens on one of the older tracks ‘La Clef’, that's been on the live repertoire quite a while, and it shows because the band is really tight on this track. Mlodecka's violin and Alexaline's trumpet on the forefront, the latter distilling a light Spanish ambiance throughout the album, are great The 16 mins+ title track is the album centrepiece, first as a piano-driven tune where Trognon alternates on sax and flute, then allowing everyone to have its moment in the sunshine.

The other cornerstone on which the album is built is the trimmed-down 14 mins ‘Double Sens’, a piece that lost over 20 minutes of ideas, most likely to pop up on future albums. What's left is an impressive and tight composition, starting on a strong bass line, but later (the second half) featuring a grandiose exchange of brass, violin and guitar licks, lines and solos over a delightful electric piano. No doubt the album's highlight.

The closing ‘13th Moon’ starts out as a smooth bass and electric piano-driven mid-tempo on which trumpet, flute and guitar and violin are gliding, but gradually speeds up, gets frantic, than manic (love these short brass answers between solos and ending up in a wild guitar solo).

Not only is Forgas a brilliant drummer, he's also become an excellent composer (something he wasn't in the 90's), but he's also letting his mates have plenty of room to express themselves musically. As good as “Soleil 12” was, it is easy to understand that the FBP have jumped another hurdle and reached the category of the giant JR/F of the millennium. One of my albums of the year.

942

Whispers And Screams
Shadow Circus

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

Prepare thyself for heavenly headphone heaven.

Another great discovery for me this year, as far as I am concerned, Shadow Circus are one of the best Symphonic Prog acts I have had the pleasure to listen to. The new album “Whispers and Screams” is choc a block full of innovative ideas and amazing virtuoso musicianship. Every track adds a new mood and feel enhancing the overall experience. The band are highly theatrical and emphasise the use of lengthy instrumentals to create incredible tracks. It sounds a bit like Diagonal at times, or Pink Floyd, ELP, early Genesis, Yes and Rush. You have to admire that front cover, a direct homage to Alfred Hitchcock's “The Birds” complete with crows swarming in the screaming girl's hair.

The album begins with the lengthy 7 part epic ‘Project Blue’. Part 1 begins with a wind effect and a low drone with a soaring synth. Then a convoluted wild drum beat and jagged guitars crash in and a wall of sound is created. The Hammond blasts away as Bobick's clean vocals begin, phased out and aggressively psychedelic, very 70s like; kind of like Peter Gabriel in early Genesis. Fontana's keyboards are masterfully executed, at times like the ELP ‘Tarkus’ sound. Folta's drums pound incessantly, dramatic and complex rhythms. The metrical patterns are nerve shattering. The bass of Croft is relentless and intricate. The keyboard solo is admirable, it is little wonder Fontana has played onstage with the likes of Emerson and Wakeman; the influences are obvious. The lead guitar is terrific, lots of fast picking and squeals. What an incredible opener.

Part 2 begins with minimalist piano, simple and beautiful, and a quiet vocal that is very easy to understand; “follow your dreams, to me they will lead you now, there's shadows in the fields, the dark man just won't yield”. Who is the dark man, what is the long road and what the heck is all this about? I have no idea but, similar to Yes, the obscurity of the lyrics enhances the overall mood and atmosphere.

In Part 3 ‘The Big Fire’, a warbling mellotron effect is heard and some good vocals from Bobick. It has a quieter feel in the intro but a great drum beat changes the mood which is somber and foreboding. It feels as though you might be walking under a hot sun in a desolate wasteland. The melody kicks in and is quite infectious. Multilayered vocals are effective. The time sig stops and changes throughout. This blends seamlessly into the next part.

Part 4 is a wonderful instrumental showcasing the talents of the band in full flight. A very off kilter time signature moves from 7/8 to 4/4 and back to more changes. The drums are awesome here, along with the Hammond and guitar trade off, and I love that ELP feel the band have on this instrumental. Angular guitar riffing and screaming keyboard flourishes; Fontana is amazing, among the best keyboardists on the planet. The track ends with a crescendo that builds into an explosive climax. My highlight for the album. This blends seamlessly into Part 5.

Part 5 settles into a hushed lullaby, that is still dark but gentle in its approach,with Mellotron pads and acoustic guitar. An Indian, Shakti or Eastern sound locks in, a George Harrison Eastern influence perhaps. “What's this coming over me, I cannot move I cannot see, There's something that I just can't hide, alone here in the shadows of my pride”; Bobick's vocals are effective as ever as he sings about a dark horseman. It does feel like a horse galloping, the way the rhythms cascade.

Part 6 is ‘The Hand of God’, another blistering instrumental. It begins with an ominous “Blade Runner” Vangelis style synth that echoes in the distance. The piano subtly introduces a new mood swing, it feels like night, as the spacey guitar swoops over to prepare us for the onslaught. At about 2 mins in it begins; a heart stopping frenetic beat, drums pounding, Hammond stabbing and angular guitar. One of the best tracks that highlights the virtuosity of the band. Its an all out prog jam, improvisational sounding yet tight and complex with heavy emphasis on lead breaks.

Part 7 is the closer to the epic and it simmers down into a more mainstream feel. The lyrics make more sense here; “You had the weight of the new world, Restin' on your shoulders, What a way for it to be, But your face burns the memories deep into my mind, And the thought of you moves me on, Through sickness I crawled, By the light of the moon, But the shadow lent his hand, Through rain, sleet and snow he paved the way, And the thought of you moved me on.” Beautiful lyrics and an infectious melody end the epic. One of the best multimovement suites I have heard and worth the purchase price alone.

There is more to offer on other tracks though they never measure up to the opening epic. ‘When the Morning Comes’ is soft, balladic and only satisfactory due to the mayhem previously. The piano is beautiful.

‘Willoughby’ is a strange one. The title and lyrics remind me of the Twilight Zone episode 'A Stop at Willoughbys'. It begins quietly and I longed for more of the chaotic stuff of previous tracks. At 2:30 it delivers again, locking into a wonderful metronome swinging freak out. The time sigs are off the scale as the Hammond stabs with staccatos and percussive metrical patterns explode. A complex guitar solo ensues and is one of the best examples of Fontana's musical prowess. The fade ins that create the violin sounds are beautiful and atmospheric.

The last track is ‘Angel’, a song about a lady of the night; “So she sold her soul unto the streets, Oh no, they burn right thru her feet, They cut you hard and make you bleed, So you can never, never leave, So take a number wait in line, Little John has paid for time, She wipes away the filth and grime, Back to do the same old grind, Angel with the dirty wings” The music is tranquil and melodic, a melancholy feel with lush soundscapes of percussion, bass, piano, Mellotron and guitar. The lead break is once again exceptional, and this ends bookended with the rainstorm effect.

But there is one more instrumental to close it off and it is the brilliant ‘Then In July The Thunder Came’. This also has an Easterm Mystical feel with sliding guitars and Mellotron. The drum beat is war like as though soldiers are marching into battle. The majestic atmosphere is enhanced by a lead guitar break that screams into the stratosphere. A very impressive album ends with an equally impressive closer.

The intricate musicianship and time sig changes are a progger's dreamchild and this band delivers in spades. It has all the makings of a 70s classic yet delivers something new in its approach. This is one of the most innovative albums in recent years, and although it is not flawless, this is definitely worthy of the 4 stars it is receiving from reviewers all over the net. I am pleasantly surprised at the amount of bands that are rising up and producing this unabashed style of prog that has everything that the 70s golden era of prog offered and beyond.

943

Black Clouds & Silver Linings
Dream Theater

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

Time signature changes and virtuoso instrumental breaks result in an orchestrated triumph.

This Dream Theater album has been the talk of the prog metal world when it was first released, and received mixed reactions gaining new fans while alienating old ones. So it was with some trepidation that I approached this, having heard and enjoyed all of Dream Theater's previous albums.

The album begins with the falling rain, a storm brewing, and a soul chilling piano begins. A chorus of voices over a distorted crunching guitar follows. Portnoy's pounding double kick drums are as ominous as thunder and it builds to the killer riff that rips through the stratosphere in head banging glory. Thus begins the ultimate Dream Theater track 'A Nightmare to Remember'. LaBrie sounds seriously aggressive as he blasts the enigmatic lyrics; “The sky was clear and frigid, the air was thick and still, now I'm not one to soon forget, and I bet I never will.” The chorus breaks into a crawling pace, a chugging guitar is heard and the soundwave of a car screeching to a sudden crash;”Stunned and bewildered, cold and afraid, torn up and broken, frightened and dazed...” At 4:55 it breaks into an off kilter acoustic flourish, and the sound of police sirens is heard. A gorgeous guitar lick follows and LaBrie's vocals are calmer, reminding me of his performance on Ayreon's “The Human Equation”, and in fact the track here is a similar scenario; a man is put in hospital and close to death as a result of a horrific car accident. “Hopelessly drifting, bathing in beautiful agony, I am endlessly falling”; no doubt LaBrie was inspired by his Ayreon experience. The man in the scenario loses his memory in a similar way and is reflecting on his life. This scenario appears on other prog epics such as Spock's Beard's “Octane” and is equally powerful. We learn that the man is lapsing into a recurring nightmare as he replays the events in his mind. At 8:36 there is a slick guitar solo with very fast picking and virtuoso musicianship from Petrucci. Rudess has a trade off moment with Petrucci as Myung pounds the rhythm; when these guys play off each other, the result is pure Dream Theater magic. It is played effortlessly and with complex arrangements: Dream Theater on a grand scale. At 10:30 the track changes direction in another time shift returning back to the main melody showcasing Rudess' keyboarding again. The Bio-hazard-style vocals begin on the next verse with Portnoy and LaBrie singing similar to 'The Dark Eternal Night' from the previous album. I prefer it when they steer clear of this gravel vocal style as it does not sound sincere and a little forced for my tastes. However, the music more than makes up for it. A classy riff begins at 12:00 which is irregular and strange, not quite on time with the drums. The police sirens return at 14:00 ... the recurring nightmare signified by recurring riffing. It comes full circle with the minimalist piano and thunder. In conclusion, one of the best Dream Theater tracks and the definitive highlight of the album.

'A Rite of Passage' is the freemasonry themed track that features great power riffs and more special effects to enhance the style and feel. “Beneath an ever watchful eye, the angels of the temple fly...” LaBrie muses on blood oaths, rituals, symbols and the illuminati; as dangerous as one may find it, the track is encapsulating on every level. The music is very melodic, sections that are heavy are counter balanced by calmer moments. At 4:50 the band launch into a breakneck power chord progression and Petrucci blasts out a lead break, with Rudess joining in; it is pure bliss to hear the band in full flight.

'Whither' slows things considerably with the beautiful ballad style that has become a mandatory trademark of Dream Theater albums. There is a memorable chorus and the lyrics are emotionally charged and sung with passion. There is an excellent soaring lead solo towards the end to cap off another very good track.

'The Shattered Fortress' features a glorious dark metal riff to carry it along. The growelling vocal trade off with Portnoy and LaBrie returns, and once again, not exactly a welcome addition, but I guess we are stuck with it. Moving onto the music, there are some amazing sections amidst this mini epic. The broken bottles artwork in the booklet reflects the mood that is punctuated by the broken drum patterns and shattered metrical shifts. Listen to that awesome instrumental break with Rudess and Petrucci duelling one another. The track is broken into parts continuing the magnum opus begun on previous Dream Theater albums, continued from “Systematic Chaos” to this album.

Part X 'Restraint' speaks of a “fateful ascent through darkest fires, and now I have finally seen the light, sometimes you've got to be wrong and learn from mistakes”. Part XI 'Receive' includes a deep voice over of regrets and hopes: “where there is doubt, faith” .... a similar theme to “Systematic Chaos”. The slow pace is welcome here to allow breathing space. The real treat for Dream Theater fans is the return to the familiar songs of Dream Theater history ... when heard, it is likely to send chills down your spine, as the familiar melodies are heard, you will recognise the tunes immediately, and I felt that it showed great respect to fans to include these.

Part XII 'Responsible' (the third Re-) concludes the saga that has relayed the trials and tribulations of Portnoy's alcohol soaked addictions ... a brave move to come out with this and it works as a lengthy saga that Dream Theater will soon be playing from start to finish in a live performance. These three parts cap off the saga beautifully bringing it to a final denouement as the rain falls solemnly washing away the pain and restoring peace.

'The Best of Times' took a while to grow on me and actually is yet to resonate with me in the same way that the rest of the album does. It feels very radio friendly and mainstream although it clocks at 13 minutes. The music is the real star of the track, as the lyrics and vocal performance are second rate in comparison to what has been heard previously. There is a terrific intro with a sublime violin and an acoustic solo. The rest of the track sounds like a different band and guaranteed to alienate many fans as a result. I was not taken with the style and hope they never return to this live ... it is an unwelcome transformation. Although, it is a nice paean to Portnoy's deceased father. The lyrics even remind us to 'seize the day' a familiar Dream Theater theme. The lyrics seem a bit over the top and I guess in the right mood you might be able to hook into this. Let's move onto the next track ... which is sensational.

The glorious epic 'The Count of Tuscany' explodes the myth that Dream Theater have forgotten how to construct lengthy compositions. The time signature changes and multi instrumental breaks are all here and this is an orchestrated triumph that will rate highly with any Dream Theater fan, alongside 'Octavarium' and 'A Change of Seasons'. It begins with an acoustic progression and a lead solo overlayed. Then the harmonics and cymbals are the calm before the storm. Portnoy takes off with triplets and drum embellishments, a melody locks in and it feels as if it is building to a crescendo. The intro is demonstrating the peak of Dream Theater's powers, the band are working as a unit, taking turns with solo sections until the riff slams into gear. It is a wonderful heavy riff that chugs along relentlessly. The way the riff breaks unexpectedly throughout, chopping off rhythmically, is prog at its best. The vocals are very good, and then the dreaded growelling vocals return. Rudess has another solo stint and it's brilliantly executed; the musical inventiveness and prowess of Petrucci cannot be underestimated. The track gets into a complex rhythm and then slows down at 10:54, and there is even the sound of tubular bells twinkling, and then my favourite part as Petrucci violins his guitar adding to the ambience and tranquillity. I had never heard him play like this. The soaring violining continues for a few bars then at 14:30 an acoustic chord sequence is played with LaBrie turned up in the mix; “Could this be the end, is this the way I die, sitting here alone, no one by my side... what did I do wrong, I just don't understand.” It is emotionally charged but this works as we really believe what he is singing. The heartfelt pleas continue and challenge our senses in a melancholy sense. At 17:00 the music builds again with another scorching lead solo. It is truly magical when Dream Theater lose themselves in these epics, and it is wondrous to get lost with them. It concludes with a beach scenario, gulls screeching and waves lapping on the beach.

Bonus CDs are always intriguing and here we have a full CD bonus disk 2 of cover songs as diverse as Zebra, Rainbow, Queen, Iron Maiden, and King Crimson. The version of 'Larks Tongues' is precision playing with reverance to the classic. I love the rocker montage from Queen and Dixie Dregs. It's great to hear these versions and well worth getting hold of this bonus disk.

Bonus disk 3 is the karaoke version of “Black Clouds and Silver Linings”; it sounds empty without Labrie’s vocals but its a weird experience listening to these instrumentals. Sing along if you must or just listen to that musicianship and marvel. Soak yourself in the CD as a background noise or discard, your choice. I managed to get through three tracks before turning back to the original versions again.

Did I mention the booklet? It features sensational artwork and works well complimenting each track, enhancing the experience, better than the usual artwork in CDs these days. The 3 CD package features a great layout, with each CD cover having a distinct look to differentiate between each, and the CD artwork itself is masterful. How does one conclude on all this? Dream Theater have formulated a successful return to brilliance. Each track captures the essence of the band; scorching blistering solo performances, reflective lyrics and epic themes. 6 tracks, 4 brilliant. Not quite a masterpiece, but its growing on me with each listen. Don't take notice of the reviews that are blasting this album, Dream Theater most definitely hits the target with “Black Clouds and Silver Linings”.

944

The Incident
Porcupine Tree

A review by UMUR:

“The Incident" is the 10th full-length studio album by UK progressive rock act Porcupine Tree. The album was released through Roadrunner Records in September 2009."The Incident" features both a full album and a seperate second disc with a 4 song EP. Disc 1 contains one 55:08 minute long concept story, sub-divided into 14 tracks that seque into each other while disc 2 features the 4 EP tracks. I recently read an interview with frontman and main composer Steven Wilson, where he explained that he wasn´t fully satisfied with the fact that the band had chosen to release "Fear of a Blank Planet” (2007) and "Nil Recurring” (2007) as two seperate releases. He didn´t feel that "Nil Recurring” (2007) got enough attention compared to "Fear of a Blank Planet” (2007). So this time around, when Steven Wilson had written some songs that he didn´t feel fit the overall concept of "The Incident", he opted to release those songs on an EP which would be released with the full album. So with "The Incident" you get a full album plus an EP for the price of only one album; a real treat if you ask me.

The 14 tracks that make out the 55 minutes long concept story on disc 1 are quite the exciting journey to my ears. As always it´s the melancholic emotions that are in focus and the songs go from subtle quiet parts to more energetic and loud ones. The songs are generally shorter than usual except for the 11:40 minute long ‘Time Flies’. The choice of track order is exceptionally well thought out which makes for an excellent listening experience. It´s obvious that the songs were written for the concept and they work well within that concept. Tracks like ‘The Blind House’, ‘Drawing the Line’, ‘I Drive the Hearse’ and ‘Time Flies’ are simply born "classics" in Porcupine Tree´s discography. Many of the shorter tracks are very enjoyable too. Most work as atmospheric interludes that help bind the album together. I have to give a special mention to ‘Your Unpleasant Family’ too because the lyrics made me smile the first time I listened to the song; great lyrics on that one. The 4 tracks on the EP are of the same high quality as the material on the main album. ‘Flicker’ and ‘Black Dahlia’ are pleasant high quality songs but it´s mostly the experimental ‘Bonnie the Cat’ and the beautiful closer ‘Remember Me Lover’ that stand out.

The production is excellent, powerful and perfectly mixed, and one of Steven Wilson´s best.

Porcupine Tree albums usually take a while to sink in for me, but "The Incident" really nailed me to the chair from first listen. It´s melodic, memorable, progressive, powerful yet pleasantly subtle. It´s the most complete release by the band so far. A 5 star (100%) rating is deserved.

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

Porcupine Tree proves longevity is still possible in the world of prog.

Porcupine Tree are undoubtedly one of the most influential groups of the past decade. Their albums in the early years are as weird as it gets with some dedicated to one sole idea and one song. Now on this latest release they present another one track conceptual album.

The main reason to purchase this is the 55 minute epic title track. 'The Incident' is a multi movement suite that features many songs merging seamlessly together to capture a narrative concept concerning a road accident, which is becoming popular on prog concept albums (“The Human Equation”, “Octave”).

The Incident is excellent in every respect, musically and lyrically it delivers, merging crunching metal guitars and ambient soundscapes of Mellotron effortlessly; shades of dark and light. There are some tough fuzz guitars on these tracks and those melodic ethereal vocals of Wilson have never been better.

'Time Flies' is Porcupine Tree at their best, an incredible composition that is compelling and powerful. It is the highlight of ths very competent album.

The second CD features about 20 minutes of extras, at least they feel like it. They are Ok but no where near the epic title track. It’s a bold move to release an album in this manner but it delivers and if only for 'The Incident' it will be hailed as a classic Porcupine Tree album. It does not measure up to “In Absentia” or “Deadwing” but is still an excellent album, showcasing the sheer inventiveness and musical virtuosity of Porcupine Tree. I can't wait to see or hear them perform this live. 4 stars.

945

The Hazards of Love
The Decemberists

A review by UMUR:

“The Hazards of Love” is the fifth full-length studio album by American, Portland based progressive folk rock act The Decemberists. I enjoyed the band´s last album “The Crane Wife” (2006) even though I wasn´t completely blown away. Therefore my expectations were pretty high before listening to “The Hazards of Love”.

“The Hazards of Love” is a concept album where all 17 tracks seque into each other and there´s a conceptual story in the lyrics. While most songs follow an ordinary verse/ chorus structure, there´s still an undeniable progressive edge to the album. There are re-occuring themes that serve as the glue that holds the album concept together in addition to the lyrical concept. In that way “The Hazards of Love” kind of reminds me of “The Incident” (2009) by Porcupine Tree.

The music on the album is centered around the memorable song lines and strong vocal performance by lead vocalist/ guitarist Colin Meloy. He has quite a few guest vocalists to help him out though, and I´m especially fond of some of the female vocal performances on the album. Just take a listen to a song like ‘The Wanting Comes in Waves / Repaid’; that is attitude if I ever heard attitude. I was almost reminded of good old Jenny Haan from Babe Ruth when she was in her prime. The mix of male and female vocals on the album is really a great asset to the music and works well with the story in the lyrics too.

The instrumentation is a mix of folky instruments like banjo and accordian and more traditional rock instrumentation like guitar, drums and bass. There´s quite a bit of organ and some synth on the album too. The album features a bit more electric guitar and slightly distorted sections compared to earlier albums by the band and that suits me fine. It brings some good variation to the music. The music is still folk rock though; it´s just a bit more rock than folk this time. I really think there´s a great flow on the album and the 58:36 running time passes by in a second. I rarely find albums that I think are perfect in length but “The Hazards of Love” certainly applies.

The musicianship on the album is excellent. Great vocals and great interplay between the musicians. The production is also excellent and suits the music perfectly. “The Hazards of Love” has really won me over and I´m much more interested in The Decemberists after listening to this album. This is a sure 4 star rating.

A review by Conor Fynes:

Even though I had been mildly impressed by the band's last album and hearing great things about “The Hazards of Love”, it still exceeded my expectations. The Decemberists take on a much different sound than many of the cookie-cutter prog bands that are coming out today, and what is being called by professional critics and typical listeners alike as one of the greatest albums to come out this year certainly deserves it's praise.

“The Hazards of Love” is no jaw-dropping spectacle of musicianship. Nor is it heavy on strange sounds, or weird effects. While I've probably listened to more mind-blowing music in my time, it's rare that an album with this warmth comes along; especially considering it's a concept album revolving around creatures of the fantastic.

Like many concept albums, “The Hazards of Love” flows as if it could be a single composition, with no gaps in between the segments of music. There are interludes and all one would expect from a rock opera; the story of which I haven't been able to decipher quite yet. From what I can ascertain however, Meloy and company tell the story of a woman named Margaret, and her quest for love. She meets a fawn named William and things start to get interesting from there.

The lyrics in this album are genius, perhaps even more so than the music itself. While it's hard enough to write a story in poetic form as it were, Colin Meloy fits in so much wordplay and rich imagery into his words that it makes reading the lyric booklet alone an enjoyable experience.

Due to the fact that the album works as a single song cycle, there are a lot of recurring themes in the music. Almost too many, as at times, it feels like one is listening to an alternative take of the first half of the work. Even so, I can surely understand this and it does wonders for the cohesion as a piece. With that kept in mind, it's an album that must be listened to from start to finish to enjoy it completely.

This is definitely one of the best musical discoveries I've made in quite a while, and for anyone that dismisses this band of talented musicians as simply a typical indie folk band should check this out. Total masterpiece.

946

The Great Misdirect
Between The Buried And Me

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

Acoustics, brutal distorted riffs, incredible lead breaks, diversity, beautiful singing and death growls, all on one album!

Between the Buried and Me drew me in due to the technically excellent and precise musicianship along with a diversity of styles. The Death metal vocals are prevalent at times and dominate over the music, and there are moments of inspired genius in the instrumental sections that are mindblowing. It begins with a piece of beauty on acoustic and delightfully clean vocals, reminding me of the quieter Opeth.

The peace does not last for long as ‘Obfuscation’ hammers out with growls throughout and noisy guitar distortion, with the occasional lead break thrown in. This is a noisy infernal clutter and I hoped the rest of the album would not sound like this. It just sounded like any other death metal band, caustic vocals, sparse lead work and a bombardment of distortion. Unpleasant for my ears but I am sure many death metal addicts would revel in this.

‘Disease Injury Madness’ continues brutal riffing and death vocals for a short time and then breaks into a wonderful quieter section that simply mesmirises. The musicianship is incredible and very complex time sigs clock in and out of sync with the bass and drum, and yet are enmeshed together with striking lead sweeps. The lead break is amazing technical precision and perhaps showcases the band at their best.

‘Fossil Genera’ begins with a quirky piano motif that some may mistake for an old Nintendo game. Love the vocals too as they sound aggressive without screaming the wallpaper off. Death vocals do return for the next section but I am okay with that due to the amazing innovative music, and the structures with sporadic time sig changes are awesome. Polyrhythmic sweeping guitar riffs blast over the growls, and the drumming is well executed. There is a strange little instrumental break that stops and starts and is way off kilter. At 5:30 the song is a blitzkrieg of brutal speed riffing, sounding like Death or Sepultura. Some inventive instrumental work follows, and a droning voice over. The quiet acoustic chimes in eventually and it is a delightful break from the intensity, and I like that beautiful lead guitar tone. Cleaner Akerfeldt style vocals take over, and some very sweet violin sounds. The ending reminds me of Dream Theater, namely ‘Octavarium’.

‘Desert of Song’ is a wonderful country flavoured ballad with slide guitar and some great vocals. The diversity of the band may be maddening for some death heads out there, but I really love the way the band launch into dangerous territories and provide risky little pieces like this. The song sounds great and shows how diverse these guys can be.

The epic at the end, ‘Swim To The Moon’, is a masterful piece of music with some unusual shouting vocals along with the death vocal style. This sounds weird after the country song previously. The vocals are not all that bad even for those who may not be into this brutal stuff. The music is as usual very complex and replete with lead breaks and odd percussion and bass patterns. The death vocals cease after about 10 minutes of intense metal blastbeats. The band are so tight it is criminal, the drum fills and lead breaks are awesome. This sounds like Petrucci and Myung in places, the lead break sweeping and hammer ons are incredible. My favourite part of the album begins here and continues for 8 precious minutes. The trade offs between musicians and time sig shifts are inspirational. I wished the band were more like this on other parts of the album. The organ solo is astonishing too and very Dream Theaterish. I know why Portnoy chose these guys for the Progressive Nation Tour now. They are almost a death metal version of Dream Theater.

So at the end of the album I am left with a problem and that is personally I have outgrown death metal growls, though once loved it, and yet the music is absolutely brilliant so I believe the music alone is worth a 5. The vocals are great when the screaming stops but there is a heck of a lot of growling on this, similar to Opeth. I can definitely recommend this to fans of death metal and technical prog, and it certainly deserves its high rating, 4 stars for the sheer inventive experimentation of metal.

A review by Conor Fynes:

As the year 2009 reached its final stretch, I was pretty certain that I had heard the best that the year had to offer. The year has seen some great achievements from bands both old and new, and by the time November came around, I was almost sure that while the year had not yet ended; there wasn't anything left musically to look forward to, so to speak. Of course there was new music being released (albums are released every week) but there didn't seem to be anything left that would really blow me away.

At the behest of a friend, I went and purchased “The Great Misdirect” a week or two after it was released. Until this point, Between The Buried And Me has really been a mixed bag for me. The other album of theirs I own “Colors” (and many other's introduction to the band) was fantastic instrumentally, but it seemed a bit dry and rough at parts. Most of the other material I had heard from the band had been less than impressive, to say the least. Suffice to say, despite some great things I had heard about this album, my expectations weren't exactly surging through the roof.

Upon the first listen of “The Great Misdirect”, I found myself paralyzed. From that moment on, I was sure I had heard the perfect culmination of a band that was really going places.

Don't get me wrong, “Colors” was an exhilarating listen, but this new record goes above and beyond it. Three days after purchasing the album, I had listened to it over 30 times. The only other time I've enjoyed an album enough to be so stuck to the replay button was years ago, when I first bought the cornerstone concept album “Scenes From A Memory” by Dream Theater.

There's no denying it; “The Great Misdirect” is in fact, one of the most innovative metal records I've ever heard.

Between The Buried And Me has seemed to do away with a lot of their metalcore sound and there's a prog sensibility here.The record really takes the listener on a ride through time and genre. The album starts with some dark jazzy chords and a meloncholic vocal line before letting go into an incredibly beautiful and polyrhythmic section before erupting into the first heavy song of the album, 'Obfuscation.' Honestly, I don't think I've ever heard a band meld traditional beauty and mind-numbing technicality before.

All the same, the first two songs do resonate a lot with “Colors” and existing fans of the band will certainly be pleased. It's not until the heaviest number 'Disease, Injury, Madness' rolls around where it becomes clear that this isn't just a victory lap for the band, and the expected “Colors” formula is broken. From that point on, “The Great Misdirect” really takes a form of it's own.

Even the less fantastic sections on the album have a role to play. 'Desert Of Song,' a hard- edged country/western ballad, is a good song that would even shine on a lesser album, but it ends up being “The Great Misdirect”’s lowest point. The album benefits greatly from it however, as a mellow, less demanding track is a very welcome segue between heavy, technical sections.

The album's epic finale, 'Swim To The Moon' is 18 minutes of seemingly unrelelenting tech-metal madness. While there are parts in the song that are among the best of the album, there could have been a bit more of an 'epic' build up to the climax. With 'White Walls,' there was a very gradual tension that put the listener on edge for minutes until the big climax bursts out in full force. With 'Swim To The Moon,' the album seems to just 'end.' There's no big payoff, although that certainly doesn't rob the epic of being a great track.

This is undoubtedly the greatest album I've heard all year, and even one of the best modern metal albums ever made. Absolutely brilliant, and I would say 'words cannot describe it,' but that's what a review is for! Five stars, essential, masterpiece, whatever you want to call it, “The Great Misdirect” has it all, and is living proof that Between The Buried And Me are the great progressive metal band of the new generation.