1000 Prog Albums Over 46 Years: 1966-2011

1973

#151

Selling England By The Pound
Genesis

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

A perfect balance of elements; lyrical sketches, virtuosic instrumentation and theatrical vocals. "Selling England By The Pound" prove Genesis to be creative visionaries. The entire musical arrangement is tighter and structured with instrumental breaks that are virtuoso on their own merits. There seems to be a stronger cohesion and unification of melodic musical ideas, with each member having a chance to shine as never before. Banks in particular flourishes on classical piano pieces and lengthy synthesizer breaks. There are no lengthy epics but there are long songs clocking around 10 minutes, such as ‘The Cinema Show’, ‘The Battle of Epping Forest’ and ‘Firth of Fifth’ that have become classic Genesis tracks, highly memorable due to lengthy instrumental passages, odd time signatures, key changes and mood shifts along with quirky thematic content.

The most loved lineup of Genesis was always Peter Gabriel, a tour de force on lead vocals, flute, oboe; Phil Collins, magnificent on drums, percussion, and vocals (he takes the lead vocals on ‘More Fool Me’ signifying his eventual ability to be the Genesis front man on Gabriel's departure); Steve Hackett, a master of lead guitar, acoustics, vocals and electric coral sitar (on ‘I Know What I like’); Mike Rutherford, extraordinary on bass guitar, bass pedals, rhythm guitar, and cello (on ‘Dancing With The Moonlight Knight’); and the incomparable Tony Banks, on vocals, piano, keyboards, and acoustic guitar (on ‘The Cinema Show’). Together they are perhaps the definitive Genesis, never to be surpassed for sheer musical excellence and creativity.

The lyrics of ‘Dancing With The Moonlit Knight’ typify the high strangeness of the album; "Off we go with, You play the hobbyhorse, I'll play the fool, We'll tease the bull, ringing round & loud, loud & round, Follow on, With a twist of the world we go." It features extreme time sig changes and theatrical vocals; Genesis takes the storytelling qualities of previous albums and gives it a vibrant injection of polished instrumental prowess.

The single from the album came in the unlikely form of a song about a lawnmower, ‘I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)’. The drone of the lawnmower makes an appearance at the end of the track and it is very effective in making a statement that lawnmowing is part of the English past time, maintaining a healthy lawn is the key. The lyrics are pure whimsy; "When the sun beats down and I lie on the bench, I can always hear them talk, Me, I'm just a lawnmower, you can tell me by the way I walk." The theme could be interpreted that the inanimate object of the mower is speaking about it's existence; "Keep them mowing blades sharp." However, the story of the song is reputedly focussed on Jacob, a lazy youth who is employed as a lawn mower and, contrary to the advice of those around him to engage in other activities, he remains happy with his circumstances and not prepared to take any risks. The album cover depicts Jacob lying on the bench with the inanimate object of the lawnmower in reference to this song. The track ends on Gabriel's fluttering flute solo and an odd jazz rock beat, but radio stations adored playing this as it was such an endearing curiosity.

‘Cinema Show’ features a bombastic refrain and some incredible passages of synth and jazz drumming. Rutherford and Hackett's acoustic guitars begin the piece and the natural progression to fully loaded synthesizer dominates. It has become one of the Genesis masterpieces that are quintessential to the group's long career. Gabriel's infatuation over T. S. Eliot is apparent in the lyrics; "I will make my bed, She said, but turned to go, Can she be late for her cinema show? Romeo locks his basement flat, And scurries up the stair." The Shakespeare references are a nice touch and give the track a mediaeval historical relevance.

In the virtuosic ‘Firth of Fifth’, the piano intro signifies England's greener fields, a similar feel to Emerson Lake & Palmer's ‘The Gates of Kiev’. The tempo is a strong rhythm full of grandeur and majestic Hammond; a religious cathedral like atmosphere ensues. Gabriel is at his theatrical best; "Urge the sailors on, till lured by the sirens' cry", and the medieval theme of beautiful sirens luring sailors is mimicked with alluring music. There are tranquil melodies in one of the most celebrated passages of music generated from Genesis. "Now as the river dissolves in sea, So Neptune has claimed another soul. And so with gods and men" the lyrics continue, presenting a typical mythological theme. The melancholy piano is accompanied by an up tempo synth with a sombre guitar and these tend to blend together to build a solid block of sound.

The epitome of the progressive side of the band is captured in the way the tracks vary so diversely from track to track. The Collins ballad, his first lead vocal for the group, in the song ‘More Fool Me’ prophesises the impact of Collins upon the group in the 1980s and indeed his solo career. ‘The Battle Of Epping Forest’ is an 11 minute 43 seconds romp through the tale of two rival gangs and the violence of the slaughter is sent up rather than taken seriously. Yet the darkness of the battle royale is embedded in the lyrics; "In with a left hook is the bethnal green butcher, But he's countered on the right by Mick's chain-gang fight, And liquid len, with his smashed bottle men, Is lobbing Bob the Nob across the gob. With his kisser in a mess, Bob seems under stress, But Jones the Jug hits Len right in the mug, And Harold Demure, who's still not quite sure, Fires acorns from out of his sling, here come the cavalry!" It is all over done with a lot of theatrical Gabrielisms but it works as a memorable lyrical sketch of fired up nonsense.

‘After The Ordeal’ and ‘Aisle of Plenty’ are part of the overall soundscape. The album ends with the reprise of musical motifs that began the album, a kind of cycle of musical ideas, returning to the past.

Overall "Selling England By The Pound" stands the test of time as a bonafide Genesis masterpeice, undoubtedly among the best the band would create. It is hailed as a treasure among the prog community today, specifically for the three showpieces. The single released in 1974 certainly didn't do any harm either as it peaked at #21 in the UK, spending 7 weeks in the charts. The album is an example of how music can sound when all the elements are balanced perfectly; when everything was working right, Genesis were untouchable.

#152

Dark Side Of The Moon
Pink Floyd

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

"A short sharp shock" to prog rock. Inspired by the mental collapse of Syd Barrett and often cited as the greatest album of all time, “Dark Side Of The Moon” is a bonafide masterpiece that has been more influential to prog than perhaps any other album of the 70s. The music is a soundscape of soaring mellotron, awesome lead guitar and pulsating bass and percussion. It's the ultimate prog album and has managed to transcend music itself with its heavy concept of time, money, death, renewal, and descent into madness.

‘Speak To Me’ begins with the heartbeat and vulgar phrase of madness and it builds to a crescendo of a screaming lunatic that finally releases into a wash of sliding keyboards and clean guitar strums. The clock ticks as if life is slowly ebbing away, or it may be the mind becoming bereft of sanity, lapsing to madness. ‘Breathe’ is a gem that packs beauty and life into the soundstream. The lyrics focus on the pointless frustration of pursuing goals but then missing out on appreciating abundant life to the full. ‘On the Run’ is the techno-machination sound of industry and manic laughter, signifying the lunatic brainwashed by social systems. Does industrial society mechanize us, change us into machines, or are we in control? We are on the run due to a paranoia of technology. The fear of flying is also a theme, encapsulated live with the doomed airplane as it explodes into a ball of flame in to the speaker stacks; this is a running theme in much of later Floyd works (notably "Learning to Fly").

‘Time’ begins with clock chimes signifying the alarm call where madness waits at the door, but time is wasted and we have achieved nothing. The reprise to ‘Breathe’ brings us back to where the album began preparing us for the masterpiece and most talked about track on the album.

‘The Great Gig in the Sky’ is an astral journey to the realm of death. Clare Torrys' wailing is like the moans of childbirth or in this case rebirth as we cross over to the plain of non existence into the next life, which feels like heaven mid way through the track as Torry evokes softer nuances, with angelic tones that sends shivers up the spine. Her howls and moans expressed in full voice signify the ecstasy of freedom and the agony of death. Torry masterfully improvises the life and death pangs in such an emotive style, it is astounding. Thus ends the brilliant side one.

‘Money’ begins side two with the ka-ching of cold hard cash, the root of all evil. It has one of the best bass lines in rock history, and played in a 7/8 time signature. The riff is disconcerting, complex and Gilmour's jangly guitar splashes complement the bass perfectly. The lyrics speak of money as the corruptible force that causes the filthy rich to blow millions on cars, leer jets, football teams and diamonds. The lyrics are ironic with a dark, satirical nature, but the effects of money and its misuse have never been more eloquently stated. The lyrics were read out by the school Master to tease the little boy on "The Wall" movie. The saxophone solo is utterly brilliant and the way the song changes time signature is inspirational.

The pace slows considerably on ‘Us and Them’ a song about belonging in a world that treats you as an outcast unless you can fit into the mould that society creates. The track relies heavily on clean guitar and mellotron and seems to float along like a stream of sound, sounding like Neu!’s debut. The song's lyrics speak of those who are on the street because they cannot cope with the world, and those who are able to cope and therefore off the streets and safe in the cookie cutter mould of social integration.

‘Any Colour You Like’ has some wonderful shimmering Hammond and is a beautiful instrumental. The track was named based on Ford advertising campaign 'Ford's are available in any colour you like, as long as it's black.' The album's black cover with colour prism strips could be a reference.

‘Brain Damage’ is about Syd, the Floyd relic that burned out to madness. The lyrics suggest the lunatic is within us but we manage to keep it locked up somehow, but it's like an animal that may escape its cage if we don't manage to keep a leash on our sanity.

The finale is ‘Eclipse’. The music soars as Waters muses about 'all that we touch', see and feel is eclipsed by the moon. The image of the dead moon, the dead conscious, is blocked out by the huge sun, the life force; the intelligence eclipsed by insanity. But there is an optimistic note amidst the dark side; everyone shares the feelings of hope amidst despair, and we can conquer over our hopelessness by embracing each other: “There is no dark side of the moon, a matter of fact, it's all dark”. Tthe heartbeat heard at the beginning pounds and finally subsides. The heartbeat brings the album full circle and blends seamlessly into the opening again like a never ending cycle. Thus ends the penultimate prog classic that may well be the greatest album of all time. It peaked in the top 100 UK releases, the top 40 prog list in MOJO magazine and indeed on a television special the top Australian album of all time. The album is the penultimate prog classic and will never be bettered for sheer volume and impact upon the prog scene.

A review by Sean Trane:

The Bright Side Of The Sun.

What can one possibly say about this superlative album, the reference of the rock culture for now almost 40 years, the album whose perfection is constantly brought back to measure each and all other prog rock albums mercilessly pitted against it, to the point that it became THE reference in Hi-Fi stereo stores. This is also the album that will propulse Floyd's relative small fame in counterculture circles to international (but faceless) superstardom and push the rock industry to new heights, not only in sales expectations, but also in technical sophistication both in the studio and on tour; both in terms of sonic progress as well as the visual aspects, with an impressive lightshow and animation and other props.

The quartet themselves started to realize that they were working on something that would be quite special and bound to success, but not quite to this extent. The album's genesis was not as laborious as expected, as Floyd took some old ideas and reworked them. Water's Brain Damage was written at the time of Meddle and Wright's Us And Them's basic idea had been rejected by Antonioni for the Zabriskie Point soundtrack. While most of the album's frame was presented or tested during the early 72 tour, the album would finally see its release in March 73, but Floyd had been working on different projects in between - including the Pompeii show/film, the La Vallée film soundtrack and the music for Roland Petit's ballet.

The album's general concept is a fairly depressive (but unfortunately very lucid) look at humanity, underlined Roger Water's awesome and beautiful lyrics; and it is often viewed by fans as a first appearance of Syd Barrett's spectre in Floyd's preoccupations ("And if the band you're in starts playing different tunes"). Musically DSOTM is a bit of a change: lots of shorter more standard songs (everything being relative, of course) and unusually wordy (for Floyd) and not really allowing lengthy instrumental passages like Echoes or Eugene's Axe. The album's black cover relates to the Dark Side (the reverse of the medal) and the Any Colour You Like light spectrum being transformed by Hypgnosis in the inner gatefold into the heartbeat of Speak To Me. The vinyl came with posters and stickers of pyramids (the prism of the cover) to really create a world that was fascinating to enter and dreading to exit it.

The A-side seems concentrated on man's relation with time and its alienation in fulfilling its happiness. The album opens a highly symbolic heartbeat to verse on the album's weakest track, Breathe. As time goes on through that fantastic stereo effect of On the Run (isn't that what most of us are always doing?) with Mason's tape effect and the group's use of VCS-3 or the amazing alarm clock sequence leading to the flabbergasting roto-drums passage or a bit later some blood-curdlingly beautiful lyrics of Time (the first peak of the album) and the race against lost time. This lost-in-advance race of course can only end up in death and Wright's immense piano in the Sky Gig is accompanying a moving female improvised vocalizing that symbolizes the eulogy and pain of the departed's family. Simply awesome first side.

The other half concept fills up the flipside is concentrating on man's greatest flaws (Waters' future obsession) including greed and materialism (Money and its 7/4 time sig), violence (Us And Them), inconsequence (Any Colour You Like) and authoritarianism and its condemnation of deviancy from the "norm" (Brain Damage, the second peak of the album and Waters' only ? but poignant - vocals), provoking mental reclusion from society (the superb finale Eclipse) for the most fragile of us. No less awesome than the A-side. Musically Floyd also evolved, adding a now-famous sax and female vocals, but the most spectacular is Rick Wright's role: he's the album's unsung hero. In previous albums, he played mainly piano, Farsifa organ and sometimes a mellotron, this album is filled (but not over-flooded) with his new array of synthesizers such as clavinet, minimoog, VCS-3 and finally the great Fender Rhodes electric piano.

This stupendous album was not only perfectly written, but also masterfully produced by Alan Parsons (who would build a career on that album alone); it hasn't aged at all (especially lyrically) and it is little wonder it spent some 20 years on the US billboard top 200 charts, sometimes popping its head inside in the following 20 years. Speaking of 20, avoid the XXth anniversary remaster, coz it's pretty over-mastered and catastrophic. Go for the 35th 5.1 version.

A review by Finnforest:

Waters was pissed.

After trying his best to deliver more direct, straightforward, and meaningful lyrics people were still calling his music "space rock" and music for stoners, the latter especially ironic since the Floyd were not druggies in those days (Gilmour and Wright admitted to occasional weed, but aside from two sixties acid trips, Roger was not into drugs. Nor was Mason. They were drinkers during this period.) He wanted to confront more human issues like death, madness, relationships, compassion, poverty, war and peace. But the Floyd would be cast as stoner party rock and it's easy (for me) to understand how this frustrated Waters to the point where he disliked doing the shows. Imagine trying to lay down a quiet piece about life and death only to have a bunch of drunks screaming "play Money, man!!!!"

I think we all tend to take DSOTM for granted because it's so familiar to us and it's always on the radio. But if you sit and pay full attention to what you're hearing it becomes obvious that this is Floyd's second masterpiece after Piper. I'm pretty reserved on what it takes to be a true "masterpiece," I don't make a habit of awarding 5 stars to albums that have been out for 15 minutes. Lyrically and musically I cannot deny Dark Side. From "Breathe" to "Time" to "Us and Them" it is just simply so easy to be seduced by this music.

Near the end of the recording Waters came up with another brilliant idea. They wrote up questions on cards and presented them to a bunch of people to get them to speak about their lives and the underlying concepts on the album. The best pieces of the interviews were laced throughout the songs to give them a very real sense of humanity. When you hear these voices, they are not the planned lyrical content of Waters but rather the off the cuff conversation of just about everyone who was present at Abbey Road on a given day: janitors, roadies, musicians, etc. One of the most memorable came from a cantankerous old janitor named Gerry O' Driscoll who was asked "Are you afraid of dying?" He replied "I am not afraid of dying. Any time will do, I don't mind. Why should I be afraid of dying? There's no reason for it-you've got to go sometime." When asked "Do you ever think you're going mad?" he replied "I've always been mad. I know I've been mad like most of us have. Very hard to explain why you were mad, even if you're not mad." But most famously, when cajoled by Waters to explain what the DSOTM means, the old Irishman said "There is no dark side of the moon really. As a matter of fact it's all dark. The only thing that makes it look light is the sun." Another character Roger Manifold was speaking about fighting when he famously answered "if you give them a quick, short, sharp shock, they won't do it again. Dig it? I mean, he got off lightly 'cos I could have given him a thrashing-I only hit him once!" These conversational nuggets interject a sense of reality and authentic intimacy to the music beyond the limits of Waters' lyrical pen, an absolutely perfect way of connecting to the subject matter of the human condition.

As Chris Thomas was finishing the mixing, they still felt that "The Great Gig in the Sky" was missing something. Alan Parsons suggested having Claire Torry come in to sing over the piece. She found the band members rather dry and was pretty indifferent about the session. After negotiating her fee of about $50 bucks she tried a few runs and was not getting much from enthusiasm from Gilmour. She was about to split when she had the thought of singing "as if she were a musical instrument" and the rest is history. She claimed she didn't even realize they used her part until buying the album months later and listening to it at home. Upon retiring a few years back Ms. Torry proceeded to sue the Floyd for partial credit of the track. She won an undisclosed sum of money and a partial songwriting credit for Great Gig.

When it was complete Dave listened to the entire album and was quoted "My God, we've really done something fantastic." Roger brought a copy home for his wife: "My strongest memory of listening to it is when I played it to Judy. She listened to it all the way through, and when it was finished, she burst into tears. She was very moved by it. I thought that was a very good sign. We've definitely got something here."

All the Floyd have commented over the years that they felt things went downhill after Dark Side. Waters: "The DSOTM finished off Pink Floyd once and for all. To be that successful is the aim of every group. And once you've cracked it, it's all over." Gilmour expressed similar feelings: "After that sort of success, you hit that strange impasse where you're really not very certain of anything anymore. It's so fantastic, but at the same time you start thinking, what on earth do we do now?"

Isn't it funny that guys who think it was over with Dark Side would go on to create WYWH, Animals, and The Wall? Not bad output for lads who considered things were over!

The excellent book by John Harris focuses specifically on the making of this album and what led up to it. While I did not copy John's text in this review, I did use it as the resource for the stories in this review and for quotations of what the band members said. So I credit John for assembling this great information and thank him for informing this review. Please look for his book: "The Dark Side of the Moon: The Making of the Pink Floyd Masterpiece" by John Harris.

And so.....Dark Side of the Moon is the definition of an album deserving 5 stars. It was a grand achievement all those decades ago and more importantly, it remains incredibly poignant to this day. When you look at prog bands and ask yourself how many will be remembered or cared about 100 years on, my guess is that the Floyd doesn't need to worry about being challenged in the legacy department.

I see a few folks give this two stars and complain that it's over-rated and simplistic. I can't entirely disagree with some of those sentiments but keep in mind two things. First, progressive music doesn't necessarily *have* to be ultra-complex, sometimes simple slow chord progressions are perfect for the material. Second, the accessibility of DS is what drew so many people in over the years and opened their eyes to progressive music and other bands-not exactly a bad thing, is it?

A review by Conor Fynes:

Once again, Pink Floyd demonstrates their uncanny, unreplicated ability to keep dishing out masterpieces. From 'The Piper at the Gates of Dawn' to 'The Wall', a saga of remarkable music was fashioned from the creative spirits of a few young men from Britain. Of all of their works; although not my favourite, Dark Side of the Moon is admittedly their most cohesive, best 'put-together' album they have ever made.

Quite honestly, for the first two years or so I had this album, I thought it was incredibly overrated, and not worth the recognition it got. It took me a long car ride, with only the Dark Side CD at hand, to finally get me to realize all the brilliance I had been missing out on. I consider myself corrected.

To truly appreciate the nuances and genius of this album, it's absolutely necessary to play it from start to finish. Unlike some albums where songs can be enjoyed fully on their own, Dark Side is more of a 40 minute epic; each song flows into the next. By means of comparison, Dark Side of the Moon can be considered a more mellow version of Rush's '2112' epic, nonetheless twice the length.

Despite the albums generally laid back feel, there are some moments (The Great Gig In The Sky, Any Colour You Like) that get incredibly intense. The lyrics fit in perfectly to the musical feel as well.

This is an album you can either put on as background music, or delve deep under the layers of it's musical mystique and take a true journey through space and time.

Will be remembered forever as one of the greats.

A review by Warthur:

The genius of The Dark Side of the Moon lies in one important fact: that whilst the rest of the progressive rock world was pushing as hard as it could for more complexity, more time signatures, longer songs and more obscure lyrics, the Floyd decided to take precisely the opposite approach. They didn't abandon complexity or experimentalism or prog completely, of course - the album's a 40-minute suite about madness replete with synthesisers, for goodness' sake - but they were careful to incorporate no more complexity than what a song strictly needed, and likewise Roger Waters made sure the lyrics were more direct and less abstract than, say, your average Yes composition - with the result that they had more force.

At a time when prog for prog's sake was a tempting proposition, Pink Floyd moved away from that, and therefore managed to avoid most of the backlash later in the decade, Johnny Rotten's "I Hate Pink Floyd" shirt notwithstanding. The result was the band's best album since their debut, and a definitive end to their post-Syd slump. What more is there to say?

#153

Larks' Tongues In Aspic
King Crimson

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

“Lark's Tongues In Aspic” begins with Part One of the title track and immediately transports the listener into the world of King Crimson: a world of jazz fusion, eclectic musicianship and wild virtuosity. Glockenspial style bells are played, almost sounding like air chimes, but underlying this a strange twisted shimmering can be heard, that grows louder and louder. The bells cut out and the 'Psycho' style violin locks in as Fripp's tortured fuzz guitar blazes. The drums are erratic as ever and the sound is almost like a free jazz festival. The violin sounds similar to Van der Graaf's "The Quiet Zone/ The Pleasure Dome" in some respects.

Cross, Bruford, Wetton, Muir and Fripp were a super group of immeasurable proportion and more influential to prog rock than most of the other bands of the early 70s. This is experimental rock at its most profound. On every level the album causes one to question the function of music. There are lyrics, sung by Wetton, but they are subdued and overshadowed by the incredible instrumental prowess of the Crim's. There is even an oriental feel, with viola and mellotron. The dynamics of the album are second to none, moments of tranquil beauty, Cross's sparse violin, the true essence of minimalism, is punctuated by sudden bursts of jagged guitar and drums.

Other tracks of note are 'Easy Money' and 'Exiles' but nothing compares to the end track, 'Lark's Tongues In Aspic, Part Two’. This track features a killer riff that virtually tears through the melancholy nature of the track. Bruford's drums pound relentlessly sometimes without a discernible rhythm, at other times in the drums are in time to what is left of the beat that has been mangled by spurts of guitar and bass. It's a tour-de-force of verbal soundscapes that astound the ears and reinvent music as a medium for atmospherics: a sublime patchwork of electronica and rock carefully interwoven with visceral violins and percussion vibes. The album is undoubtedly indispensable for King Crimson fans.

A review by Sean Trane:

Aspic's Lark on the Tongue!

This album for a long time was my least favourite of 70's Crimson albums because of Wetton's voice and totally weird sense of dynamic sound-levels - only Exiles seemed of interest as well as Talking Drum but for the rest...... I was simply not into it!!

And then one day, a friend put this album as I was arguing (politics) with a girlfriend at 2AM, and the spark came, with the music blaring out of the speakers at a very unreasonable loud volume for the time of that time of night. As I said , prior to this I only enjoyed Exile and to a lesser extent TD, but those crazy percussions that had turned me off in Easy Money started making extreme sense and I actually stopped in mid sentence (I was about to nail the coffin closed on the argument I was winning hands down) and yelled: YYYYEEESSSS!!!!!!!!. She looked at me and said: no King Crimson!! But I was now instantly hooked, and asked for a repeat of the track. Needless to say that after this repeat, this first thing I did was to go home with the borrowed album and played it twice before falling asleep. To this day, that famous coffin is still lacking a few nails, and I will gladly leave it that way!! ;-)

The 2 parts of Aspic became clear to me also but it is the incredible percussion from Muir on Easy Money that convinced me that this was probably the creative high point of this band. I still have a bit of a problem with Wetton's singing on Book Of Saturday but it is a thankfully short number. Still nowadays, Exiles and Talking Drum are my fave on the album, but almost every track is now a pure classic on my mind. Definitely one of Crimson's best oeuvre, even if it is not the most accessible.

A review by Warthur:

After the end of the Islands tour, Robert Fripp was once again left with the task of reconstructing King Crimson's lineup from scratch. However, rather than continue down the path of trying to produce a symphonic followup worthy of In the Court of the Crimson King, Fripp took the more daring approach: he wouldn't just create a new lineup, he'd break down and rebuild what it meant to be King Crimson from the ground up.

In the Court of the Crimson King kickstarted a new genre of progressive rock and was immediately embraced by the prog community, who soon took its lessons to heart. Larks' Tongues In Aspic comes up with its own genre yet again, and decades later the rest of the prog world still hasn't caught up to it, except for perhaps a few bands right on the cutting edge of Heavy Prog or math rock/post-rock. With angular rhythms, avant-garde percussion, Bill Bruford unleashed to try out jazzy chops that had been suppressed in Yes, John Wetton providing the best vocals and basswork on a King Crimson album since Greg Lake left, David Cross adding a plaintive and enigmatic violin to the proceedings, and Fripp laying down some of the angriest and heaviest riffs seen on a rock album to date, the album introduces the mid-1970s Crimson lineup (around the rock-solid core of Wetton, Fripp and Bruford) with a true tour de force.

Easily the best King Crimson album since their debut, this is the album which reinvented the band, and in doing so reinvented rock music altogether, and it still yields secrets with repeated listens to this day. If you only like symphonic prog and have no love for the heavier, more avant- garde, or even (dare I say it) RIO-ish end of prog, maybe this isn't for you, but otherwise if you like King Crimson, you need this album. Like In the Court of the Crimson King and Discipline, it's one of the key puzzle pieces that's essential to putting the picture together; if you don't taste the Aspic, you don't know King Crimson. 

#154

Birds of Fire
Mahavishnu Orchestra

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

“Birds of Fire”, the followup to the incredible debut album is in some ways better than 'Inner Mounting Flame', the jazz fusion masterwork. This second album begins with a gong and then launches with John McLaughlin's relentless inimitable guitar style. Once again the album is fully instrumental with some of the best virtuoso musicianship of the genre. This band virtually wrote the book on jazz fusion and there are nods to the work and influence of Miles Davis, particularly on the track ‘Miles Beyond’, paying homage to the landmark album “Bitches Brew” from the jazz legend.

The music is a fusion of heavy guitar, using jazz metrical patterns, Indian influences and a dash of Celtic thrown into the mix. It ranges from intense and off kilter with a range of time signatures, to a beautiful and melancholy pathos. The style is similar to the debut album but this time the sound seems more refined and easily accessible to the average jazz fan.

Goodman is once again incredible on violin and the keyboards of Hammer feature a range of crescendos and allegros intermixed with the frenetic guitar of John McLaughlin. Highlights include ‘Birds of Fire’, ‘Miles Beyond (Miles Davis)’, ‘Thousand Island Park’, ‘One Word’ and ‘Sanctuary’.

There are other highlights interspersed in the other tracks but it needs to be listened to as a whole to fully appreciate the innovation and ferociously original style of the band. This album is as legendary and highly revered in the jazz world as the debut album, making the band the revolutionary progenitors of jazz fusion.

A review by Sean Trane:

How does one better perfection? How could MO possibly top their incredible Inner Mounting Flame debut album? Well for one, they didn't know that it couldn't be bettered and for two, they actually did it by fiddling and twiddling the tiny imperfections and increase tightness as they were now well acquainted with each other after pulling 300 concerts over two years, whereas for TIMF, MO had been together a matter of weeks. So in the early fall of 72 came out Birds Of Fire with an outstanding artwork halfway between Rothko and Folon and incendiary music to match both the cover and the title. With an unchanged line-up, MO was now soaring so high that the air is getting thin.

Unlike the debut who had only one track under the 5 minute-mark, Birds Of Fire is made of a myriad of shorter tracks with the just two well over that same 5 minute-mark. One of those being the opening title track that sets the standard even higher than Meeting did on TIMF, with Hammer and McLaughlin trading riffs and links over a wild rhythm section, which violinist Goodman choose to accompany to great affects. This track is most likely imbedded in the vast majority of 40-something western music fans' subconscious mind, because it sounds familiar to almost everyone. A slower Miles Beyond (obviously dedicated to the man with the horn) crescendoes slowly until a huge riff takes the track upside down and once there, only Hammer and Goodman are keeping it alive until Mc and Cob come to the rescue and bring it back on its toes.

The rest of the tracks on the first side are short thingies insuring quick changes, starting with Celestial Terrestrial Commuting, which obviously influenced Steve Hillage's early solo works (Fish Rising to Open), Sapphire Bullets being just an electronic frenzy. A Spanish piano and guitar duo introducing a Flamenco ambiance where Mc's fiery guitar goes to extreme, while Laird's bass provide plenty of underlying drama and the needle lifts off another Meeting motif reworking, this time called Hope.

The monstrous 10-mins One World (an oldie from the Lifetime days) opens up the flipside, first gently under Cobham4S gentle drive morphing into a martial beat and bringing the track up to 200 MPH, with Hammer, Mc and Goodman trading licks, motifs and soloing away, before Cobham takes a solo (even if he's the best in the world, it's still a boring solo, no matter how overstretched it is) and thankfully closing up the track with some powerful instrumental interplay. Sanctuary is a slow-developing track, opening on Goodman's uber-absolute violin than the rest of the musicians slowly entering the track, in full restraint, the listener can hear the quintet containing their energies to avoid exploding and respect the superb track. Open Country joy is often a bit overlooked, with its pastoral violin line, then a slight explosion before bringing us to one of the world's best album endings: Resolution, which starts on a solemn martial chill-inducing crescendoing track bringing the tension to a max allowable (Goodman's violin is incredibly efficient at this) before the burst.. Which will never come as the track ends and the needle lifts off, leaving us to imagine the explosion of molten volcanic rock in fusion. What a bunch of bloody teasers

Well, MO managed to perfect perfection, and they probably did it without being aware of the feat and actually rushing it up. Indeed the album was done between two tours and most members think they could've twiddled a few more knobs and refined the compositions to better it further still. As can be heard in One World, the three soloists were in a very competitive environment and the egos where now acting up a bit, although in this album it remains at a healthy level.

As a side note, regarding the egos, Mc had been recording his collab with buddy Carlos Santana and taking with him Cobham, eventually touring to promote the Love Devotion Supreme album, hand coming within hours of missing the opening the first concert of MO's tour of Japan, thus being under-rehearsed for a while and creating much bad vibes for the next six months before the group implodes, taking in the abyss the recording sessions of their next album. 

A review by dreadpirateroberts:

Cracks in the line-up were already beginning to develop before this album - if a story of Laird and Goodman fighting and knocking Hammer over during a recording session for the last album are true - but you can't really see it in the music.

'Birds of Fire' is probably a more sophisticated album than its predecessor, but sacrifices some rawness, some of the brashness that was so welcome on their debut.

It does replace it with better production and more focused compositions. Opening with the title track, which covers similar ground to 'Meeting of the Spirits' the band start in top gear before slipping into the Davis cover 'Miles Beyond' which is a real stand out on the album, channelling some chilled funk that finally gives Laird a bit of space in the production, which actually happens a fair bit on this release. Here, in the opener and elsewhere, Cobham is his usual impressive, powerful self, especially when they crank it up for the last half of the piece, but he is also able to display his usual finesse.

The introduction of moog to Hammer's rig enables a different tonal palette to appear on the album and he overdubs it on 'Celestial Terrestrial Commuters' rather sparingly, though you'll hear it take the spotlight in the 'Dance of Maya'-ish 'Sanctuary.' Showcasing John's acoustic guitar is the brief and moody 'Thousand Island Park' which also features double bass and some nice work from Hammer. 'One Word' is pretty darn good and a showcase for the rhythm section while 'Open Country Joy' has an almost rude explosion in the middle of an otherwise pleasant country ballad.

It's a mixed album in some ways, but benefits from the changes they made, even as it suffers a little from the steps they repeat. I swing back and forth between three and four stars here, and so I'm putting the half star in. Again, like the Mahavishnu's debut, the classic fusion fan will want to hear this one.

#155

Io Sono Nato Libero
Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

Banco del Mutuo Soccorso's Io Sono Noto Libero is hailed in the prog world as one of the legendary albums and certainly in terms of RPI it lives up to this reputation. The band have an uncanny ability to include huge sections of tension and release in their music, shades of light and dark that compete with each other, and all is complimented by the gentle vocals of Giacomo.

‘Canto Nomade Per Un Prigioniero Politico’ is the opening epic clocking some 15 minutes in length. It begins with a minimalist keyboard that sounds like woodwind oboe perhaps. The trademark vocals chime in gently and then it explodes into a fast paced rhythm that capitalises on great fat organ sounds, and drums and bass constantly bend the metrical patterns sporadically. It consistently builds in power then slows to an improv section with the Nocenzi brothers' piano and synth competing with each other locked in battle. A ghostly whine takes the pace down and acoustic picking over a spacey synth. The next two verses are sung until it detours into an ambient passage where a UFO lands, a spacey sound with synth washes. Later, the piano is out of control and the high pitched sounds fight to keep up. Drumming seems to have settled into a 4/4 4/5 pattern but is inconsistent. A strange melody changes the atmosphere and fortissimo guitar and drums create a majestic feel. There are rototoms or tom tom drums at the end of the piece to add a new experience.

‘Non Mi Rompete’ is a very pop orientated sound with multi layered pleasant melodies. This is a more accessible approach and feels like it could be a successful single in some areas of the world. ‘La Città Sottile’ is a 7 minute track with a focus on staccato piano motifs, and gentle vocals. There are synth swishes and very strange sound effects to create the overall atmosphere of imminent fractured sections. The high pitched synth and Hammond of the Nocenzis generate a cool icy atmosphere and the guitar break compliments this. The piano break heralds a new section and there is a detour where the vocals are spoken as a narrative, and the piano twinkles while spacey synth merges in. There is no time signature for a moment and then another verse is sung with the estranged melody from the opening.

‘Dopo... Niente È Più Lo Stesso’ is a mini epic at about 10 minutes that features a flute sound that becomes the main motif throughout. Of particular note is Todaro's guitar riff that is more aggressive than previous and a welcome change in this respect. The piano sounds as though it is being tuned down as Nocenzi plays. The booming bass piano tones are downright chilling. The flute sounds add a pleasantness that is striking but the vocals are estranged and unsettling. The piano is incredible featuring the scales and arpeggios. A narration follows warning of the chaos to ensue. A majestic synth line is struck and the drums begin to add an odd metrical figure. A medieval harpsichord is heard and the vocals are wildly inventive at times like a prog circus side show host. A high pitched flute sound heard at the beginning returns reminding the listener they are still on the same track, as it has moved in so many directions, and then it fades as a descending sound emanates.

‘Traccia II’ is a concise conclusion to this majestic album. The focus is on a piano melody that is easy to remember and almost medieval in style. The instrumental has some beautiful synth passages. It gradually builds to a strong melody that is constant and majestic. The avante garde stately theme is broken by short passages of keyboards played with finesse. It is a grand conclusion to a very impressive influential album.

#156

In A Glass House
Gentle Giant

A review by SouthSideoftheSky:

While I gave Octopus a low rating, I definitely feel that “In A Glass House” is very much better. The feel of the music is darker on this album compared to the often too cheerful “Octopus”, which is apparent already by the look of the cover art. They also managed to produce lyrics that are worth taking seriously here for the first time in their career. “In A Glass House” is supposedly a concept album, but the concept is loose and invite you to think (instead of giggle, as was often the case on “Octopus”!) “In A Glass House” shows a more reflective, more mature Gentle Giant.

Compared to “Octopus” the tracks here are much longer (the title track is almost twice the length of the average track on “Octopus”) and allow more breaks and instrumental sections. The synthesisers sound as synthesisers should for the first time on a Gentle Giant album. Notice particularly the Moog breaks on ‘Way Of Life’.

The title track I think is a masterpiece and ‘The Runaway’ is also quite excellent, even if I find the sound of breaking glass at the start annoying. I also don't like very much the repetition of short snippets of all the previous tracks at the very end of the album. But despite a couple of irritating moments, this album is really good overall.

While the music on “Octopus” often was extremely complex, I felt that it lacked real depth. The complexity was often of a naïve and simple kind, if that makes any sense. It was a type of complexity that jumped right out at you, and not a type of complexity that it takes several listens to reveal. I don't get that feeling while listening to “In A Glass House” except maybe on ‘The Inmates Lullaby’, which is slightly silly. But can get away with it here, because it tackles a serious subject after all. This is certainly not easy music to get into. I did not like it straight away when I first heard this album, it took several listens before I started to really like it, which is sometimes a mark of a good Prog album.

In a way you could see “In A Glass House” as the result of Gentle Giant taking all the good aspects of all their previous albums and putting them into one, leaving out much of (but not all) the bad aspects.

Recommended!

#157

Felona E Sorona
Le Orme

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

"Felona E Serona" by Le Orme is an infamous RPI album that has so much to offer it is impossible to ignore for serious proggers. The Italian vocals are pleasant sounding and clear with an enriching atmosphere throughout. On the opening track the basslines are incredible and the lengthy pads on keyboard sound similar to Rick Wakeman from Yes. There is a wonderful lengthy instrumental with keyboard effects with a futuristic feel, even space rock in one section. The music seems to transport one to another place, and there is even an accomplished drum solo.

The clanging bells herald the arrival of ‘Felona’ and an acoustic guitar. The melody is quirky and accessible, almost like a pop track with positive lyrics; “Nothing really matters except to be alive and that is taken care of by the symbol of the sky”.

‘La solitudine di che protegge’ is very melancholic and serene, with twinkling piano flourishes and soft Italian vocals. Each track is so diverse and unique it really is quite a journey that Le Orme takes the listener on. ‘L'equilibrio’ is a quiet ambient piece that capitalises on the keyboard pads and high falsetto singing. ‘Sorona’ begins very slowly with very atmospheric music and falsetto singing. It is a short piece that works as a transition between tracks and leads to the next. ‘Attese inerte’ has a very intriguing bass line and begins with pads then builds to a strange ascending synth line. This feels a lot darker than the previous tracks particularly due to the droning synth motif. An agreeable Hammond sound ensues over the ascending drones. The high pitched whine sounds creepy but works well and there is a passage with all these elements working against each other that somehow gels together.

‘Ritratto di un mattino’ begins with an ethereal keyboard sound that builds like a stalker creeping on its prey. The album seems to have become darker as it progresses. The clear echo vocals are very estranged over the long keyboard pads. The next track, ‘All infuori del tempo’, is a return to master class performance with a strong acoustic rhythm. The vocals are melodic and there are some eclectic time sig changes. The minimalist approach of chords on a guitar and impressive vocal performance hold the track together, but it takes off into keyboard brilliance and erratic drumming. The closing track ‘Ritorno al nulla’ is majestic and instrumental based. There are some incredible keyboard passages on this that lift it into the stratosphere. Of particular note is the repetitive motif that rises and falls throughout; it enters into a new level for Le Orme as one of their best instrumentals.

As musical virtuosos Le Orme are unsurpassed in their time, and this incredible album is a quintessential RPI treasure.

#158

Arbeit Macht Frei
Area

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

Area's stunning ferociously original approach to music is breathtaking. "Arbeit Macht Frei" is a masterful product of Italian prog. The music is astonishingly different and wonderfully complex. It begins slowly and then builds to the incredible 'Luglio, agosto, settembre (nero)' (July, August , Black September) "Forget your weapons and live in peace" a female voice pleads, "My love, With peace, with peace I have placed Loving flowers at your feet, With peace, with peace I stopped the seas of blood for you, Forget anger, Forget pain..." Then a strange male voice echoes the sentiment. The Arabian music flies out of the speakers and pins the listener to the wall with unrelenting power. The lyrics are in Italian, translated as; "Playing with the world, leaving it in pieces, Children that the sun has reduced to old age. It's not my fault if your reality forces me to fight your conspiracy of silence. Maybe one day we will know what it means to drown in blood with humanity."

Amazing lyrical power is accompanied by foreign sounding duel woodwind flourishes. The time sig picks up considerable pace and there is a great duel sax trade off instrumental with polyrhythms, sporadic tom tom drums and screeching vocals by Demetrio Stratos. His vocal gymnastics are well executed and become another instrument. It is chilling, ethereal but very emotional, almost screaming out in anger. The eccentric music is not for the squeamish, coming across as angry and volatile but it soon settles into a strange ambient peaceful section threatening to explode at any moment. The droning saxes are portentous and looming. Translated the final words are: "When you see the world without problems seek the essence of all things. It's not my fault if your reality forces me to make war with humanity".

The title track 'Arbeit Macht Frei' follows and typifies the approach of the band to unconventional music. Innovative virtuoso musicianship with always interchanging time signatures and mood swings, with insane sax work is reminiscent of the type of work Jackson did with VDGG or even early King Crimson. There are some wild flourishes of polytonalities, and the drums simply take off. When the band is in full flight such as midway through the title track, it is the most compelling music one will hear. The bassline is awesome and really holds the track together and then it stops suddenly. The style of Stratos is similar to the vocal style of Grobschnitt or PFM; high falsetto in places but easy to listen to and utterly full of conviction.

'Consapavolezza' begins with some ominous sax and bass, with a clean guitar sound. The vocals are distinct complete with rolling R's. There is a beautiful instrumental break with scorching sax and ambient keyboards. There are intersecting passages of dark and light and always a quirky humourous streak breaking through.

'Le Labbra Del Tempo' is a 6 minute improvisational jazz fest that stops and starts at will, and the drums struggle to keep up. The urgent sax is accompanied by Stratos’ estranged vocals. It locks into an infectious groove that takes detours and echoes the vocal rhythms. Metrical shapes take over and there is a keyboard instrumental and the drums spiral out of control. The high strangeness of echoing keys are a feature and then it is again brought to some semblance of order with an ambient section of melancholy beauty.

'240 Chilometri Da Smirne' begins with high saxophone solo and an offbeat rhythmic metrical pattern of bass and drums. It is a strange blend of time sig metronome bending prog and jazz fusion. There is a strong bass solo that continues under screaming dueling staccato sax blasts and shimmering keyboards. This is broken by a freakout section with organ squelches until it fades with a moaning sax.

'L'Abbattimento Dello Zeppelin' is the weirdest track; a spoken wailing section with estranged sax and bizarre effects is unsettling, unnerving, macabre at times, but a solid way to end such a ground breaking album. The drums echo the vocals and explode into a cacophony of freakout noise, like the end of KC's '21st Century Schizoid Man'. An insane section with break out instrumental violence follows and then this oddity abruptly ends without warning.

The album is essential for its unabashed unconventionality, and unashamed brutality towards music. Emotionally stirring and unforgettable, this is one of the best things to come out of Italy, along with Banco del Mutuo Soccorso and Premiata Forneri Marconi. It is adventurous and intricate fusion to the Nth degree; music that will repel some and compel others. Listeners are likely to be compelled by the sheer force, the unmistakeable vigour and energy of Area.

#159

Hatfield and the North
Hatfield And The North

A review by Mellotron Storm:

Talk about an all-star cast! Even the guests are all-stars, namely Robert Wyatt formerly with SOFT MACHINE and Geoff Leigh from HENRY COW. This was Richard Sinclair's first band after he left CARAVAN, and he teams back up with Phil Miller who had left CARAVAN an album earlier than he did to join MATCHING MOLE. Of course Robert Wyatt was in MATCHING MOLE as well. Dave Stewart came from EGG via KHAN, and Pip Pyle came from GONG.

Although there are 17 tracks including the 2 bonus songs (an a&b side single released in 1974) the songs actually blend into each other all the way through, giving the impression of one seamless track. This is a difficult listen (at least the first half is) and I much prefer the follow up "The Rotters' Club".

"The Stubbs Effect" is a short piano intro, while "Big Jobs (Poo Poo Extract)" is a pleasant song where we get vocals for the first time."Going Up To People And Tinkling" is a jazzy little number with outstanding drums and bass work. "Calyx" features Robert Wyatt doing vocal melodies throughout. "Son Of "There's No Place Like Homerton"" has some great keyboard play as well as female vocals, flute and lots of horns late.

"Aigrette" is led by drums,bass and vocal melodies. "Rifferama" is more uptempo with some good guitar. This song really stands out from what has gone on before. The next song is ok, but "Shaving Is Boring" is fantastic! This is such an intense number, with some good guitar and organ late. The next three songs seem to blurr together as one before we get another good song in "Lobster In Cleavage Probe". This one has female vocals, flute, gentle keys and guitar before becoming more uptempo later.

"Gigantic Land Crabs In Earth Takeover Bid" really impresses me with the aggressive guitat that goes on for quite a while. Nice. The two bonus tracks would have fit well on "The Rotters' Club" maybe that's why I like them so much. The best vocals on this record are on "Let's Eat(Real Soon), while Phil gives us some great guitar on "Fitter Stoke Has A Bath".

As I said earlier, I love half of this record and find the other half a little difficult to enjoy. Still this is essential listening for Canterbury fans.

#160

Mëkanïk Dëstruktïẁ Kömmandöh
Magma

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

Innovation, diversity, originality, intensity, dynamic hyper-music, Kobaian language... This is Magma! Preheat the oven to moderate jazz, rinse the jazz in tribal chants and drain well, combine the mixture with some operatic vocalisations, and stir in a made up Teutonic alien language based on Orff's 'O Fortuna' from "Carmina Burana" over medium heat until completely immersed into the mixture, this will become Kobaian when it is thickened, then cover over with sporadic drumming and virtuoso musicianship, place in oven and cook until the cheese has melted through, any watery radio commercialism must be fully drained out, to serve, spoon the extra flavour of RIO and Krautrock, then top with slices of avant garde and a dollop of Wagnerian Opera, serve immediately. Enjoy your plate of Zeuhl.

Magma’s music has the effect of osmosis, it grows on the listener gradually creeping through their system transporting its gradient effect into the consciousness. The input of energy on this album and original approach is astonishing. “Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh” is hailed as a Magmasterpiece and for good reason. It broke down barriers of genre creating its own. Jazz infused rock opera would be one way to describe it but it is not sufficient as the language takes this to a different level. The otherworldly language of Kobaian is alienating but somehow appropriate. The iconic symbol emblazened on the albums is another aspect that seals the mythological essence of the group. An iconography creates that mystique that is so essential to Magma.

Nightmarish music to immerse the listener, with a disturbing edge could appropriately describe this music, although it may have the curious effect of being a source of uplifting encouragement to certain listeners. The tracks run together in a seamless epic. To allow the music to take one into which ever direction it decides as personal interpretation is essential in the Magmaverse. The musicianship is tight as a drum and Vander is stunning on drums and vocals, his second instrument, he seems to be the face, the voice, and the sound of Magma. On track one, for example, there are a lot of trumpets and a shimmering Hammond sound, with chimes, jingles and happy organ. The guitar is very unusual as a background instrument, but the staccato hammering organ is a dominant force. There is a definite beat though it is sporadic.

The vocals are an absolute delight with Gregorian chanting, choral yelling, high octave shrills and deep resonances. Of special note are the high pitched soprano screeches, which are part of the sound on every album. Vocalists Stella Vander and her estranged husband are the centrifugal force of this album. The vocals are impossible to ignore sounding familiar at times, in track 1, ‘Hortz Fur Dëhn Stekëhn West’, the words sound like; “play a sony, play a sony, play a sony, play a sony please for the loon, please sing a song, please play a record.”

The voices are even weirder on track 2, ‘Ïma Sürï Dondaï’, and sound like “We musn't raid our fire, we musn't raid our pools, please!” Then later, “I never see, I never win, I never see I won won won,” then the females answer, “baby the lotion, baby the lotion, baby the lotion...” There are huge sections of woodwind that is all over the place, jazzy and dislocated from any one time sig. The low bass is keeping some semblance of rhythm but it is as fractured as it can get.

The complexities of the polyrhythmic time signatures are intense, and at times the music takes surprising detours, such as track 3, ‘Kobaïa Is De Hündïn’, with sustained atonal chord progressions and tribal drumming metrical patterns. The piano is a real feature on this too and there is a relentless droning sound that becomes almost subliminal but is everpresent.

The next section on track 4, ‘Da Zeuhl Wortz Mekanïk’, is very memorable with an overpowering chant, sounding similar to “Is he single for he's so hot.” There are staccato stabs that darken the sound and these are contrasted by very light passages of minimalist strings.

Track 5, ‘Nebëhr Gudahtt’, settles into an ambient guitar and piano minimalist passage, there are no words for a time until Vander decides to mutter some unintelligible mumbo jumbo. A soprano gives out disturbing bird calls, the contrast of light and shade are astonishing. The vocals become screechy and tortured, screams of terror and a repetitious mantra of female choir voices. This is the dark nature of Magma and could send many music listeners running for cover. Then it merges seamlessly into track 6, the fan favourite, ‘Mekanïk Kommandöh’. The females sing sounding like; “He's superman, He's superman, He's superman”.

Track 7, ‘Kreühn Köhrmahn Iss De Hündïn’, ends this album with a slow somber but majestic ascending operatic piece. The choir sound like; “Soon it's very very soon”. The drums are fantastic on this, very tribal and layered with woodwind effects. It is anti-music atonal jazz, the ear simply resists this and the way Vander groans and shrieks is unsettling. It ends on a high pitched piercing beep.

Vander is the sole writer and secretes his creative juices on this masterpiece of the uncanny. Magma stand alone and proud as their own entity. There is extreme repetition which may turn many off but this is hypnotic and compelling. It is soul stirring stuff and wraps itself around your cerebral cortex until you are addicted. Magma have opened up a whole new realm of music; a delicious recipe with an enjoyable taste.