1000 Prog Albums Over 46 Years: 1966-2011

Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic

1999

737

Still Life

Opeth

A review by UMUR:

“Still Life” is Opeth´s fourth album and it´s the
album where Opeth show that they are influenced by seventies prog rock. “My
Arms, Your Hearse” which was the predecessor to “Still Life” also contained
elements of prog rock but the influence is more pronounced on “Still Life”. The
sound on “Still Life” means that this might be the most interesting album for
fans of traditional prog if they wish to hear how Opeth sounds.

The music is very heavy with complex slow to
midtempo riffing. It´s not tech metal by any means but the riffs are definitely
worth investigating anyway. The songs are generally very long and Opeth´s music
is not easily accessible, as there are lots of different sections and moods in
every song. I find their music easy to appreciate though, as it is very
melodic. ‘Benighted’ and ‘Face Of Melinda’ are the only songs that differ from
the usual formula of growling vocals and clean vocals that the other songs
consist of as those two songs are mainly acoustic guitar led and with only
clean vocals from Mikael Åkerfeldt. Both songs have great longing moods and
lots of beautiful guitar riffs and playing.

The rest of the songs follow the formula that most
Opeth songs from that day forth would follow, which means clean and growling
vocal parts in most songs, and both heavy riffing and acoustic parts in almost
all songs. I really do feel that Opeth made something unique with “Still Life”
and I have a couple of favorite tracks here. ‘The Moor’ being the most
impressive one, but both the brutal ‘Serenity Painted Death’ and the
progressive and melodic ‘White Cluster’ are also favorites of mine.

Sure Opeth is influenced by doom metal bands like
Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, Anathema and Katatonia, and sure they are also
influenced by especially seventies prog rock, but mixing the two genres is a
brilliant move. It´s a thing I have always tried to do myself when making
music, but never really succeeded with. In that respect Opeth is unique as many
other bands have tried this formula, but no one has ever succeeded like Opeth
(I really love both ‘Isa’ and ‘Ruun’ by Enslaved who are also in this genre but
they are an exception).

The musicianship is outstanding and I have always
admired Martin Lopez’s drumming. He makes this music stick together and the
changes are very smooth and intelligent. Mikael Åkerfeldt of course has to be
mentioned too for his great compositional skill and his skills as both a singer
and a guitarist. He is an outstanding musician even though I think his clean
singing has gotten better on later releases than they are here. They are really
good here too though.

The production is the most prog rock like
production Opeth has had so far (except maybe for “Damnation”). Later albums
would have a more edgy metal sound especially on the guitars.

This is not my favorite Opeth album but it´s still
a masterpiece and deserves all 5 stars. Opeth is a unique band and this is the
first album where they really prove it. The sound on “Still Life” is very grand
and created only with guitars, drums, bass and vocals. If there are any
keyboards here I can´t hear them. I think that´s a very enjoyable feature in
Opeth´s music. On “Ghost Reveries” Opeth added a keyboard player and I was
sceptical but it worked out fine, and it works even better on “Watershed”, but
it´s still unique with this grand sound without the use of keyboards on “Still
Life”. If you have ANY interest in extreme prog metal you´d better get this
album as it is highly recommendable and a landmark album in that genre.

A review by Conor Fynes:

This is the first Opeth album (their fourth
chronological release) that can widely be considered to be a near-perfect
masterpiece. While albums such as 'Morningrise' did show signs of brilliance,
the overall execution was imperfect, and there was still room for improvement.
'Still Life' is a fine representation of what a dose of intelligence can do for
the metal industry. The end result is a cohesive, beautiful and technical album
that seamlessly blends metal, progressive, and jazz leanings into a rich
musical tapestry. However, possibly more so than any other album in my
collection, this album took a long time to truly sink in, but it was certainly
worth it.

At first few listens, I found the album to be
technically 'good' but lacking in structure, and void of the mind blowing
quality I felt while first listening to 'Ghost Reveries' or 'Watershed.' It was
only after my fifteenth or so listen of 'Still Life' that it suddenly clicked
in... The truly profound enjoyment of the album first sprouted in listening to
the album's closer ‘White Cluster’. The jazz contrast with the metal riffage
was interesting and beautiful all at the same time. This newfound appreciation
quickly spread to the other songs, and before too long I was listening to the
album start to finish and loving every immersive second of it.

Paired with the haunting music is an equally
haunting storyline. I won't go into detail about the plot in fear of spoilers,
but the album revolves around a man banished from his village, returning to
find his lost love. As you might imagine, there are some unfortunate
consequences and the lyrics (beautifully written, especially for a death metal
record) help to heighten the sense of drama until the heartbreaking, tragic
end.

It has been said that the only way to truly test
the quality of an album is how well it ages over time. This album is only
getting better with time, and although it was a bit hard to truly appreciate
and get into, it was certainly worth it, and since then, 'Still Life' has risen
to become one of my favourite records of all time.

A must-have for fans of metal music.

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

Opeth twist Death Metal into new shapes, resulting
in a triumphant album.

Opeth are a band I have steered clear of as I am
not into death metal, having a distaste for death vocals growling like someone
possessed; it was the type of juvenile music I used to listen to as a young
metal head. However, Opeth are an exception to the rule. I adored their
"Damnation" album, the vocals by Åkerfeldt are stunning, warm and
lovely to listen to, yes, even uplifting despite the dark lyrics that are
centred on death and spirits wandering about haunting the living. But I loved
that album so much I listened to "Deliverance". Unfortunately it was
all death metal growls and nauseating metal at that, so I gave up. But the
reviews of "Still Life" are glowing and respected prog reviewers are
giving it the masterpiece status, so here we are, reviewing an album from a
genre I am just not into.

What I discovered was the influences of Porcupine
Tree meets Morbid Angel. What a combination. You get blasts of death metal at
its most brutal mixed with passages of melancholy ambience. It works! Just when
I think I cannot stand another second of those growls, the music takes over and
is really so well executed that it is impossible not to like. The guitars
scream and soar, the bass pounds. The double kick drum embellishments and
triplets are incredible. They are not kidding around.

The album begins with 'The Moor' with a beautiful acoustic guitar, a storm brewing,
a brief moment before the distorted riffs blast in without remorse. Åkerfeldt's
growls are brutal and soul chilling and unwelcome as far as I am concerned, but
I put up with it. I had no idea what the lyrics were and did not bother to
check. There is a clean vocal chorus and it is so refreshing so I longed for
more of this. The growling reminded me of the black metal I used to listen to
with the likes of Bathory or Morbid Angel. At 6 minutes in the riffing stops
and we have an acoustic interlude, a moment of respite. The
"Damnation" style clean vocals chime in and they are so good, like a
different band. I was drawn into the music at this point. Suddenly the caustic
roars return scaring the hell out of me. Perhaps I am too timid to take this
type of music. Let's move on.

'Godhead's Lament' has a
fantastic riff but the brutal Napalm Death vocals infect the track again. The
vocals are deep and angry reminiscent of Napalm Death's 'Suffer The Children',
or Bolt Thrower's 'Cenotaph'; I told you I used to be a death metal addict. Now
into prog I have discarded this type of metal so I am biased, I have no
appreciation for this death stuff anymore, but if you do, Opeth are for you.
The clean vocals return after 3 and a half minutes. It settles into a gentler
mood, and launches into a wonderful lead guitar solo with acoustic guitars.
There are more warm vocals and I love this part of the album. The growls of
course return but it is not as overbearing with all the softer sections. This
would have to be among the best tracks of Opeth, a definitive highlight of the
album.

'Benighted' is my
favourite song on this as there are no growls and it has a beautiful melody; it
is like "Damnation" again. The acoustic and jazz fusion electric
guitars are fantastic. I love the lyrics; "Come into this night, Here
we'll be gone, So far away, From our weak and crumbling lives, Come into this
night, When days are done, Lost and astray In what's vanished from your eyes,
What came and distorted your sight, Saw you benighted by your fright..." A
great song that is as mellow as Opeth get; atmospheric, melancholy and sinister.

'Moonlapse Vertigo' opens with a
strange layered guitar riff, a moderate tempo and melodic chord structure. The
lengthy intro is terrific, and it lapses to an acoustic treatment and clean
vocals again. I began to really enjoy the album more at this stage. The growls
are even more intense when they begin. They are deeper and evil sounding,
ruining it for me, then the clean vocals return again. This is weird as I half
love, half loathe it. It's like an angel conversing with a demon. There are a
myriad of time signature changes with soft and hard textures painted on the
canvas. At 5:20 there is some delightful violining on the guitar, a crunching
riff locks in and an emotive lead break; moments of brilliance once again.

'Face of Melinda' is a lilting
acoustic gentle ballad with some beautiful vocals from Åkerfeldt. He is so
lovely to listen to, but it is astounding how brutal he can sound when he is
growling. I love this track, one of my favourite Opeth songs. The lyrics are
quite disturbing though, "And conceded pain in crumbling mirth, A harlot
of God upon the earth, Found where she sacrificed her ways, That hollow love in
her face, Still I plotted to have her back, The contentment that would fill the
crack, My soul released a fluttering sigh, This day fell, the darkness
nigh..." The heavier sound returns towards the end but it is a nice break
from all the serenity. The clean vocals remain and I was so pleased as I would
rate this track highly.

'Serenity Painted Death' is an ultra
heavy song with some respite of acoustic flourishes. The killer riff is
incredible and yes, the vocals are grimly caustic. I could actually make out
the lyrics, "Voices fell like marble, No longer by my side, Gone all that
would linger..." It settles down again and a new time sig kicks in, a very
good riff. The death metal vocals are so turgid in comparison to the sweet
vocals or previous tracks it is a shock to the system. There are passages of
dark and light, tension and release that make up for the brutal vocals. Opeth
are musicians of virtuoso standard.

'White Cluster' is very
powerful featuring an awesome intro and very fast double kick drumming. The
intense riffing is angular with a plethora of time sig shifts and metrical
patterns that are complicated and dark. It has a false ending and some
structural guitar breaks. It is played effortlessly and with complex
arrangements; Opeth on a grand scale. At 1:46 the track changes direction in
another time shift with soft vocals and gentle guitar. At 4:13 there is another
time shift, a half time feel. At 5:10 a minimalist guitar is plucked gently. It
builds again and at 6:30 a cool riff and blistering lead solo takes over. The
lengthy instrumental break continues with a new time sig, and violining guitar
and gentle vocals again with a strong melody. It fades at 9:10 then an acoustic
guitar plays away quietly and it is all over.

In conclusion, one of the best Opeth albums that
rang a chord with me, apart from the death metal vocals. The music ranges from
very melodic, symphonic sections counterbalanced by breakneck power chord
progressions and soaring lead solos. The ominous atmosphere of pervading doom
is punctuated by the broken drum patterns and shattered metrical shifts. The
slower sections allow breathing space. The musical inventiveness is unsurpassed
for the extreme tech metal genre. "Still Life" is not quite a
masterpiece, but it’s growing on me with each listen. I love it, then I loathe
it, but I can't ignore it's complex structure and innovative approach,
reinventing extreme heavy metal.

738

Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From A Memory

Dream Theater

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

One of the great prog masterpieces, “Scenes From a
Memory” is the Magnum Opus of Prog metal legends Dream Theater and I must admit
I first heard this on the brilliant live “Scenes from New York” 3 CD epic. I
had become quite used to the way it was played live so it was quite a surprise
to hear the variations on this studio recording. The first thing I noticed was
the incredible production and how clear the audio is in comparison to the live
version. 

The transitions between songs work exceptionally
well and the concept is stronger with the spoken narrative. The way the CD ends
with the 'wake up' call is chilling and is an excellent denouement to the
overall story.

Highlights are the wonderful ‘Beyond This Life’ and
the last tracks that blend together in a masterful symphonic multi-movement
suite.

It is definitely one of the best the band has to
offer along with “Images and Words”, “Octavarium” and the amazing classic “6
Degrees of Inner Turbulence”. One of the best prog metal CDs you will ever
hear. Deep lyrics, complex time signatures and an encapsulating concept make
this pure prog bliss, and a must if you love progressive metal.

A review by Conor Fynes:

The best progressive metal album of all time...Or
maybe the best metal album of all time period? For a good 70 minutes, these
masters of heavy progressive music unfold a tale of murder and mystery, and
some of the greatest music I have ever heard. Almost everything is flawless and
perfect with this album. There’s nothing I've ever heard that's quite of this
quality and inspiration.

What we have here is artwork on two layers. The
first (and most apparent) is the music itself. Dream Theater pulls every trick
in the book on this album. When they were first conceiving of this album, they
opted to in essence make 'the most prog album they possibly could.' In this
attempt, they created a masterpiece that perfectly blends complexity with
memorability, melody with progression and emotion with intensity. From
gut-wrenching piano ballads to incredibly progressive instrumental sections
typical of the band's repertoire, this album has it all, and as a result, it
enjoys great cohesion and a feeling of completion.

The second layer is that of the lyrics. While a lot
of Dream Theater lyrics (especially the ones on the later releases) are
incredibly cheesy and detract from the music, the words sung by LaBrie on “Scenes
From A Memory” actually serve a purpose, and are done incredibly well. The
music tells a story that (considering it is only told through lyrics) is
incredibly complex, and each character is relatively well rounded, and
intriguing. (The summary of the concept is a bit hard to go through on a
review, but believe me when I say it has it's merits!) By the end of the album,
there’s a feeling as if the listener has just watched a film; as if the album
was merely the soundtrack to a grand tale.

From the brilliantly composed tech-pieces, to the
gut wrenching Floydian ballads, this album is one of the most complete pieces
of music ever written for the metal genre. While the album is certainly as good
(even better) than the band's classic masterwork “Images And Words”, this album
requires a much more focused listener to appreciate to the fullest.

I bought this album on the last day of elementary
school, and years later, after hundreds of listens, I still enjoy it greatly,
and find my love of the album constantly renewed with each fresh, exhilarating
listen.

“Scenes From A Memory” is about as essential as you
can get, and a favourite of mine for years.

739

Judgement

Anathema

A review by Conor Fynes:

This is without a doubt, the perfect example of
Anathema's musical style and strength as a band. Despite the high amount of
acclaim that 'Alternative 4' receives, I don't find it to be a very strong
album despite a few excellent tracks, but 'Judgement' really shows the band
maturing and channelling their depressive tendencies in a way that's not juvenile
or irritating, but instead very beautiful and moving.

This is certainly a far cry from the band's doom
metal origins, but the same sense of dread is still here in full. Having
reached the pinnacle (thus far) of their career, there's the perfect balance of
Anathema's traits here. There's a bit of a metal, experimental sound; but
filled with gorgeous melodic hooks and rhythms.

'Judgement' is filled to the brim with great,
soulful tracks; although the second half of the album starts to lack the same
stunning flow the first half did. If I had to choose some great songs that
uninitiated listeners could sample out; the songs 'Deep,' 'Forgotten Hopes' and
'One Last Goodbye' are all incredibly emotional and powerful, especially the
last one mentioned.

'One Last Goodbye' certainly stands as being one of
the very few songs I've ever heard that was perfect. Despite
it only being 6 minutes long, it has such a haunting melody, and each note;
each subtle nuance the song has it's place. The only other song I could really
call 'perfect' is 'Bohemian Rhapsody' by Queen, but that's another story.

When one says 'progressive metal,' this definitely
does not fit the traditional bill. It's a much different brand of music than
your typical Dream Theater or Symphony X. There are metallic elements, but
there's no space left for mindless fills; only pure and emotionally charged
songwriting.

Realms ahead of most music out there in terms of
emotion and effect. Absolutely superb.

A review by Bonnek:

Judgement is
Anathema's ride through lush Floydian ambiences. The album is the ending point
of their evolution from doom-death metal (see early My Dying Bride), through
dark goth rock (see Fields of The Nephelim), to laidback dreamy rock sadness.
Or how to go from doom-death to goth to Floyd in 4 albums.

Almost all metal influences have been stripped from
the sound. An occasional power-chord not withstanding, it's all clean picking,
sumptuous atmospheric synths, slowly pounding drums and that classic British
voice that touches me like no other. I usually don't pay any attention to
lyrics (blame it on too much Priest, Dio and Maiden listening, guaranteed to
induce lyrics-deafness). But on this album, some of Danny Cavanagh's striking
verses got themselves imprinted in my memory ever since I first heard them 10
years ago. One Last Goodbye is the most striking example.

I can see some prog fans having a hard time to
appreciate this band. This album in particular isn't progressive and the
continuous melancholic ambience might become dreary if you prefer more eventful
music. I like eventful music as well, but I equally like to be moved by the
honest sadness and gloomy intensity that comes wrapped in delicate catchy rock
songs here. If you don't have a clue how that may sound, take Riverside's I
Turned You Down as an example of a good copy.

Judgement is Anathema's
most heartfelt and touching album, and since emotional impact is Anathema's
core-business, you might easily call this their most accomplished one. Rock
fans might prefer the preceding Alternative 4, prog fans the more
dense and textured A Fine Day To Exit. For me, I could listen to
each of these three albums every day.

740

Ágætis Byrjun

Sigur Ros

A review by UMUR:

Ágætis Byrjun is the
second full-length studio album by Islandic experimental/ post rock act Sigur
Ros (not counting the remix album Von Brigði (1998)).
Listening to the first two albums by the band has not been an easy experience
for me. The repetitive ambient sound experiments on Von (1997) and
the remixes of those experiments on Von Brigði really didn´t strike
a note with me. Ágætis Byrjun is fortunately a very different
album compared to its predecessors and my interest was immediately ignited when
I listened to the first song after the intro.

The music on Ágætis Byrjun is
ambient, atmospheric, melancholic and above all beautiful. As opposed to the
ambient soundscapes of their debut album this album features more regular drums
and therefore it has more of a rock (very soft, ambient rock) feeling to it.
I´m often reminded of the melancholy of Radiohead which is
probably due to Jónsi Birgisson´s vocal style which at times
isn´t far from Thom Yorke´s ditto (especially in the songs Starálfur, Flugufrelsarinn and Ágætis
Byrjun). Most of the time his style is more high pitched and atmospheric
though. Another influence is probably Talk Talk. Listen to the
first couple of minutes of minimalistic organic sounds in Ný Batterí for
reference. I´m also reminded of the somewhat monotonous alternative rock/ noise
rock of bands like My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive,
but it´s mostly because of the moods in the music and the walls of noisy yet
melodic sound that Sigur Ros produce in some songs on Ágætis
Byrjun. 

The album is overall very consistent and the 71:51
minutes go by like a dream. It´s very seldom any album can entertain me for
that long. Songs like Svefn-G-Englar, Ný Batterí, Hjartaõ
Hamast (Bamm Bamm Bamm) and Viõrar Vel Til Loftárasa are
simply wonderful to my ears. Olsen Olsen is also special to me
with its symphonic ending. In addition to normal rock instrumentation there´s
also lots of strings on the album which gives the music a great organic touch.

The musicianship is excellent. Jónsi
Birgisson´s vocals are extremely emotional and even though I
understand little of the Icelandic lyrics it´s easy to embrace the melancholic
mood in the music. The music is generally not technically complicated, but
creating beautiful and meaningful soundscapes that someone like me (who is
normally way too busy to enjoy slow and ambient music) can appreciate is quite
the achievement.

The production is excellent. Warm when it needs to
be but also crystal clear and cold when that is needed. The sound suits the
music very well.

Ágætis Byrjun is my first
positive meeting with Sigur Ros music but I´m certainly going
to search out the rest of their discography after listening to this album. This
one´s a winner in my book and close to a 5 star rating. 4 stars will do for
now, but I might return with a re-evaluation sometime in the future
because Ágætis Byrjun seems to keep growing on me for every
new listen. Highly recommendable to fans of melancholic atmospheric music.

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

This album was always at the top of my lists of a
must hear Sigur Ros due to the high regard among proggers and in particular the
write up in a well-known music magazine. I was also drawn in by the beautiful
cover art of an angelic embryo floating in a neon glow. The iconic emblematic
art signifies the floating music that Sigur Ros emanate. As the album begins
one is immediately transported to the Icelandic chill of the frozen tundras.
The incomprehensible language adds to the mystique. The music sounds cold and
distant but somehow comforting. The album title “Ágætis
Byrjun” means "A good beginning", which is apt as it
was the beginning of greatness for the band that went on to become major
successes worldwide. 

It begins with an Intro of backwards strings and
synths. Then is followed by ‘Svefn-G-Englar’, one of the more serene tracks;
virtually a one note piece with very high register spaced out vocals, along
streams of violins and patient measured percussion. The dreamy synths are
meandering slowly and everything slows inexorably from this track on. 

The highlight of the album that resonated with me
from first listen is ‘Staralfur’ with gorgeous chimes, violins, and tearful
vocals. The melancholy that is built with stirring violins and organic
atmospherics is stunning. This is highly original music designed to touch the
emptions at the deepest level. It ends with cold static leading to the next
song. 

‘Flugufrelsarinn’ is a haunting soundscape adorned
with ominous strings and keys. The vocals are more middle register and no less
wracked in emotional longing. ‘Ny Batteri’ has an Oriental feel, and features
slow paced horns, a relaxed feel on keyboards, with some intense moments on
loud drums, that are released into pleasant calm and almost silence. The vocals
are ultra high falsetto and sung in a laid back but beautiful melody.

‘Hjartao Hamast (Bamm Bamm Bamm)’ utilises
harmonica with piano embellishments and then the trademark vocals chime in.
There is a degree of experimental work to generate unusual rather creepy atmospheres.
‘Viorar Vel Til Loftarasa’ begins as a distant zone of feedback loops and spacey
atmospheres. The infinitely patient piano is heavenly and is joined by
symphonic strings and some psychedelic vocals. It builds to a crescendo of
interlacing violins and improvised melodies that overlap and become chaotic
along with sporadic drumming. 

‘Olsen Olsen’ begins with distant spacey vibes on
vocals and some percussion, with a repeated guitar phrase and ambience at the
low end flows along. The majestic ending with multitracked choirs and uplifting
melodies is very unusual in comparison to the ambience previously. ‘Agaetis
Byrjun’ has a powerful scape of uplifting beauty with piano augmentations and
some scraping sounds with a moderate percussion. The chimes add to the
dreaminess, and then high falsetto vocals mixed to the front glaze over the
freezing landscape. ‘Avalon’ is a trip into space with keyboards and winding
ribbons of cello sounds. The exploration of ambient textures is striking and it
builds until some experimental twangs are heard to end the journey.  

This is certainly one of the best
Sigur Ros albums and may take some out of their comfort zone such is the
starkness of the extreme ambient music. It takes a degree of patience to endure
the full 70 minute journey but makes nice dreamy relaxing music at the end of a
busy day to kick back to. It is a full immersive atmospheric journey that has
the power to relax the senses. The band built up a very solid fanbase from this
album to present day. 

741

Liquid Tension Experiment 2 

Liquid Tension Experiment

A review by Gatot:

I just want to share with you my opinion about this
album First, there has been so many people reviewing this album due to the fact
that majority (75%) of musicians played in this bombastic project are from
Dream Theater. It suffices to say that Dream Theater has been a global name so
that whenever its members contribute to other work there it's almost guaranteed
that people would buy the album. I might be wrong, but for sure only Tony Levin
is the exception as I don't think many people knew about him.

Musically this album is very strong in arrangement
and the way how each member of the band creates texture for the music which
helps the music sounds a bit complex. There are a couple of surprises in terms
of tempo as well as style. The opening track is truly an excellent opening with
powerful drum work as well as guitar. The speed tempo and energetic style have
made the opening part sound complex and heavy. Other songs are practically good
ones. It's good to notice that even though most of the songs have a tendency
into a Dream Theater style of music, ‘Chewbacca’ is reminiscent of King Crimson
music. 

A review by Mellotron Storm:

The only negative thing I  can say about this recording is that it's too
long. If they had gassed the final two tracks this could have been kept to an
hour in length. This is jaw dropping instrumental music though with lots of
variety. When you have both Petrucci and Portnoy letting it all hang out on the
same album, you know it's going to be spectacular.

"Acid Rain" is uptempo with a heavy
undercurrent. The keys come and go. Check out Petrucci 2 minutes in. It's the
Portnoy & Petrucci show 3 1/2 minutes in. Lots of synths 5 minutes in.
Great track. As Tony Levin says "I came prepared to play some fast music, the
chapman stick is ideal for blazing bass lines." This one's a shred-fest. 

"Biaxident" opens with some beautiful
piano. Heaviness comes and goes. Solid drumming from Portnoy throughout.
Soaring guitar after 5 1/2 minutes. The tempo picks up 7 minutes in with some
ripping guitar to end it. Levin played his fretless bass in this one. Portnoy
says "I love this tune...Jordan brought this one in to us in a kind of
"Latin-vibe" form. By the end of our working on it as a band, it
somehow ended up sounding more like YES meets Steve Morse meets PHISH."
"914" is an improvised jam with Levin, Portnoy and Rudess. The bass
is great.

"Another Dimension" opens without a lot
going on until the bass and riffs come in before a minute. The guitar plays
over top. Nice heavy soundscape 4 1/2 minutes in. TOOL-like 6 minutes in. Nice.
It then lightens as we get some accordion followed by flamenco guitar, then it's
heavy again! Petrucci says "This is one of my favourites because it
demonstrates the hybrid nature of LTE. The mixture of heavy sinister riffs, Latin
feels and complex time signatures make this a fun and challenging one for
me." 

"When The Water Breaks" opens with Jordan
complaining. Yes, it's a baby crying to open. The title was inspired by the
fact Petrucci's wife had a baby during this recording session. This is a 17
minute epic that features some fantastic work from Jordan. Check out the
stampede of drums 16 1/2 minutes in and the crazy piano ending. Chunky bass 5
minutes in and some blistering guitar 7 minutes in. 

"Chewbacca" is another improvised piece
and my favourite song on here. A nice heavy sound arrives after a minute.
Portnoy is so impressive. Petrucci grinds it out and then rips it up. He's
lights out on this one. An atmospheric calm 5 1/2 minutes in with this dark
mood. Great section that starts to pick up before 10 minutes, then it's
shredding time. Awesome sound 11 minutes in. It slows down like a train to end
it. "Liquid Dreams" is another improv. This one doesn't do a lot for
me though. Same with the final track "Hourglass" which features piano
and acoustic guitar throughout. Easily 4 stars despite what I think about the
final two songs.

742

From Within

Anekdoten

A review by UMUR:

“From Within” is the third studio album from
Swedish progressive rock act Anekdoten. Anekdoten´s first two albums “Vemod”
and “Nucleus” are excellent heavy progressive rock albums. They are both
heavily influenced by the bass heavy King Crimson era (“Lark´s Tongues in Aspic”,
“Starless and Bible Black” and “Red”) with dissonant guitar riffs, heavy bass
and drums and an overall dark mood. “From Within” continues the dark style from
the two previous albums but adds a more emotional dimension and generally
leaves out the most dissonant and complex parts that were a dominant part of
the first two albums.

The music on “From Within” is very dark and heavy
(not heavy metal though) and the melancholic melody lines are really emotional
and add greatly to the atmosphere. The music is drenched in great beautiful
mellotron waves which gives it a symphonic approach as well.

This is not easy listening music and if you don´t
like dark and melancholic music this is definitely not for you. Songs like ‘From
Within’, the 11 minute long ‘Hole’ or the instrumental ‘The Sun Absolute’ are
all black excursions into a dark and hopeless landscape. But really all songs
are like that. I don´t hear any light on this album. The only other band that I
can think of who makes music this dark is Saviour Machine. The tension is never
released and after you are finished listening to “From Within” your mood will
not be light.

The musicianship is excellent and it´s hard not to
be impressed by the prominent bass lines and the challenging drums. I also
greatly enjoy the mellotron that is used to build up the songs. The guitar is
probably the least important part of the album but it´s still great, and does
take the lead role a couple of times throughout the album (most notably on ‘Groundbound’).
The vocals are an acquired taste for sure. It took me a while to appreciate the
vocals but now I enjoy them. The production is excellent. Dark and warm.

“From Within” is easily my favourite of the first
three albums from Anekdoten. A dark and melancholic journey that I fully enjoy.
4 stars are well deserved for this black pearl of an album and I fully
understand the reviewers who think this is a masterpiece.

A review by Bonnek:

“From Within” is a transitional album between
Anekdoten's early Crimson-style albums and their own true voice that they've
found on this album. While it boasts some of their best tracks, it
unfortunately also features their two worst songs (Actually that would be the
only two weak tracks you could stumble on).

Now since you're all so curious to know how on
earth I have found weak tracks here and which ones they are and why, I will no
longer keep you in suspense. The reason is the singing and the tracks are ‘Kiss
of Life’ and ‘Firefly’. Now, I don't share the common criticism that the
singing is Anekdoten's weakness. Not at all, in most cases it fits the songs
and the mood just perfectly and both Jan Erik and Niclas have an excellent feel
for melody and for strong catchy tunes. But here, when they're so forcedly
squealed and so off-key? No thanks. If you don't have a strong voice you need
to use it for what it is good at and no one will take notice. But these two
tracks always make me jump for the remote as soon as they open their throat. Needless
to say the rest of the album is top notch.

743

Nostradamus Book Of Prophecies 

Solaris

A review by Ivan_Melgar_M:

Another obscure gem by Solaris

Fifteen years after the release of their debut
album "Marsbeli Kronikak" (Martian Chronicles), the Hungarian
Symphonic band SOLARIS presented to their huge fan-base their latest album
"Nostradamus Próféciák Könyve" (Nostradamus, Book of Prophecies). This
time it was without Istvan Cziglan who died in 1998 after an incurable disease,
but the show has to go on and in a credible way, as SOLARIS launches what for
many is the top album of their discography, and worth reviewing.

Unlike their debut, this album has a few vocals but
incredibly complex, because they mix some normal singing with male and female
Hungarian Operatic Chants that normally can only be reproduced in non-western
keys; a fantastic addition to the already excellent music of the band.

The album is opened by "The Book of
Prophesies", a 20 minute epic divided in three parts, but unlike songs
like "Close to the Edge", this division makes perfect sense and can
be easily perceived by the listener. Part I is a mysterious prologue that
introduces the listener to the mysterious and even haunting atmosphere of the
album, with almost Gregorian chants interrupted by acute female choirs; simply
breathtaking.

Part II: is the main section of the song, where the
band develops the concept of the track and hits the listener with all they
have. From almost religious chants to fluid keyboard passages and strong guitar
sections softened by the flute of Attila Kollar, the band demonstrates what
they are capable of, blending pristine Symphonic with religious music and a
good amount of Romanian Ethnic music that flows gently until the complex
finale.

Part III works as the epilogue of the song and as a
bridge from the complex and breathtaking Part II to the next song, and please
play special attention to the interplay between guitar, keys and flute, as it's
delightful.

"The Duel#" is the dream of a Progressive
Rock listener, because SOLARIS shows all their facets and styles blended with
class and coherence, we can find fluid Rock passages, Psychedelic organ solos
and Folksy sections where "Kollar" really exploits all his skills; a
restless duel between Hammond organ and flute only interrupted by a heavy
guitar that keeps the listener at the edge of the seat

After a confusing intro "The Lion's
Empire" turns into a Heavy Prog song with Casaba Bogdan's guitar at it's
best and Robert Erdesz keyboards adding all his repertoire; again a good
combination of strength and mystery with a delicate edge.

"Wings of the Phoenix" is another
frenetic song which after a soft introduction keeps going "in
crescendo" until the dramatic finale. The band give no rest to the
listener blending Symphonic Prog, Hard Rock and Folk with such dexterity that
everything sounds perfectly coherent, as if these sometimes contradictory
styles were created to be played together as a whole in unity.

At the beginning of "Ship of Darkness",
the listener may believe that SOLARIS is going to provide a calmed track that
would serve as a relief after the powerful previous tracks, but this is only a
mirage, because as soon as they take speed, nothing can stop SOLARIS. The first
warning sign comes with a killer flute section that suddenly changes into a
mystic sound and again to some sort of Heavy Prog; this time with Tamas Pocs
(bass) and Laszlo Gomor (percussion) giving a lesson of how a rhythm section
should work.

"Wargames" is an attack to the senses but
at the same time a pleasure to the ears, the dramatic and mystic chants blended
with constant drumming; it's almost like non-violent violence and at the end a
marching band playing a war hymn.

"The Moment of Truth" Parts I and II,
shows a new face of the band, as now they embrace some sort of Jazzy Symphonic
that relieves us from everything we've been listening before. Despite some vibrant
interruptions, the song is soft and melancholic with excellent vocals in
Hungarian, amazingly beautiful and different to everything SOLARIS has played
before.

The album ends with "Book of Prophesies (Radio
Edit)” which is only a 3 minute version of the first epic for radio play, a
good finale.

After listening to Martian Chronicles, I believed
that no SOLARIS album will reach that superb level, but I was wrong
"Nostradamus Próféciák Könyve" (Nostradamus, Book of Prophecies) is
at least on the same level (if not slightly better), so again I have no other
alternative than to rate this release with 5 solid stars.

744

The Lost Trident Sessions 

Mahavishnu Orchestra

A review by Sean Trane:

This is the album by which we hold the end of Mahavishnu
Orchestra's first line-up's end. Indeed, recorded just like the previous two
albums in a rush (four days in late June 73), Hammer and Goodman opposed to its
release, this time being helped by Laird, usually not choosing sides between
the two camps, while McLaughlin and Cobham wanted to release it as such. So for
once, McLaughlin did not have his way in his project, which was a first,
another being that three tracks of this album are not from him. Indeed the
other three come from the rebellious camp.  

Those having seen Mahavishnu Orchestra in concert
always noticed that this was John's ship and he was alone boss on it, which in
the long run was not a good idea; a mistake he would repeat with the MkII
line-up as can be evidenced on the Montreux Performance. Anyway, Columbia
finally stumbled on the tapes (that had migrated from London to LA) and
released the album with the group's (full, I think) consent, and what a
brilliant idea it was, but I just wish they would've given it a more
project-type of artwork instead on this relatively cheap photo montage.

Starting on the gigantic epic track called ‘Dreams’,
the album quickly lets you climb aboard the spaceship returning to 73, so much
easier so that the track exists in an extended version of the live BNaE album.
It would be pointless to start picking the differences here, but I like the
studio better, due to better recording conditions. The following ‘Trilogy’ is
also a track that has graced the “Live 73” album, and here we get in full force
with a much-needed conciseness, quality lacking in the live album.

Among the new tracks heard for the first time is
the particularly superb Goodman-penned ‘I Wonder’, which has a slight
déjà-entendu descending riff, but the track is so very lovingly enamouring that
it could last twice its length. The Rick Laird-penned ‘Stepping Stone’ is an
ascending riff being worked upon to great affects, but like Goodman's
composition, it's fairly repetitive. But most interesting is the Hammer-penned ‘Sister
Andrea’, a very accomplished track that concentrates not only on Hammer's
keyboard work, but allows a full spectrum of the group's possibilities. Most
likely Hammer's Czech origins made him most likely pull some Stravinsky-like
songs that John Wanted for Mahavishnu Orchestra,
and ‘Sister Andrea’ is this album's highlight. 

Closing up the album is a fantastic version of ‘John's
Song #2’, and shows the unbelievable power this group had and the mastery in
their restraint from exploding their powers all over the sonic spectrum. Goodman's
violin again underlines magnificently the rhythm section, yet allows itself all
the space to expand. Clearly the group was still quite together back then even
if a spat between John and the rest of the group (with Cob abstaining, thinking
of his own album to come in “Spectrum”) about writing credits has etched the
varnish.

A posthumous album that I wouldn't file anywhere else
but sandwiched between “Birds of Fire” and “Between Nothing and Eternity”, “The
Lost Trident Sessions” is a pure gem that every Mahavishnu
Orchestra fan simply must have. Just as difficult not to give it a full
rating as with its shelf neighbours.

A review by Bonnek:

More than 20 years after its recording, this lost Mahavishnu
Orchestra album finally surfaced. These sessions were supposed to be the third Mahavishnu
Orchestra album of the first line-up. When I first stumbled across this album
in the library, I literally rushed home from sheer excitement. Could this
possibly be as good as the liner notes said? Or was that merely cheap PR talk
to sell inferior demo tapes to the unexpected listener?

Rest assured, this is a revelation! This album
blows away the known albums from this line-up, regardless how amazing those
were. Most of the music might be familiar from the Between Nothingness
& Eternity live album but the tracks are much better here, not
only because of the perfect sound but also because of the unbelievably tight
musicianship. The Orchestra had been playing together for 3 years and they rage
through the material with dazzling speed and focus, but it isn't empty
musicianship meant to impress with skill and tricks. This album breathes
passion and inspiration, and the musicians play with unheard emotion and
dynamics.

Also the shorter tracks are interesting. John
McLaughnin allowed each of the musicians to compose their own pieces, and apart
from drummer Billy Cobham everybody rose to the challenge. Jan Hammer's ‘Sister
Andrea’ is well known and one of the more upbeat compositions here,
really cool and groovy. Fiddler Jerry Goodman wrote ‘I Wonder’, a
track that offers a soft but really stirring jazz progression on picked violin
with gorgeous spacey soloing. Rick Laird contributed with ‘Stepping
Stone’, a more relaxed and dreamy track, at least till it builds up tension
along the way. These individual contributions make the album more diverse but
certainly not less consistent. Each track is equally inspired and essential.

This album is without doubt the creative endpoint
of the original Mahavishnu Orchestra
line-up and everyone who loved the 2 first studio albums shouldn't hesitate a
second. My Mahavishnu Orchestra
favourite.

A review by Warthur:

“The Lost Trident Sessions” is a real treat for
fusion fans - the long-lost third album from the band's legendary original
lineup, officially released after sitting in the vaults for 25 years. This time
around John McLaughlin doesn't dominate the songwriting to the same extent as
he did on the first two albums, with each of the other members except Billy
Cobham contributing a composition of their own. (Billy, of course, had recorded
his solo album “Spectrum” mere weeks previously, and so had already found an
outlet for most of his compositions there.)

The album leans closer to rock than the first two
classic Mahavishnu Orchestra albums,
and has a tranquil, spacey atmosphere which lacks much in the way of the
furiously fast playing of those discs.  It's
a mild departure for the Orchestra, but an intriguing one, and although the
album was never finished it's clear that just a little more polish would have
yielded a third essential fusion classic. But the skilled playing masks the
discontent and personality clashes in the band that had already begun coming
out by this point, to the extent that apparently some of the participants
weren't even talking to each other. The lineup would disintegrate before the
album was completed, leaving McLaughlin to construct an entirely new lineup and
release the live album “Between Nothingness and Eternity”, which consists of
extended versions of the first three tracks from these sessions, instead of
this one.

On balance, I wouldn't say this album is quite as
essential to fusion listeners as the first two. It certainly wasn't as
influential; how could it have been when it wasn't released? The new material,
whilst good, still needs polish to come up to the standards of “The Inner
Mounting Flame” or “Birds of Fire”. Still, anyone who's listened to those
albums should regard this disc as the vital next step in any exploration of the
Mahavishnu Orchestra's output.

745

Rajaz

Camel

A review by Gatot:

This album represents the return of the legendary
Camel sound like the early days of the band with the "Mirage" album.
Andy Latimer seems to be getting better and better over the years. When I heard
this album the first time, it blew me away because it's reminiscent of the true
Camel sound. An excellent and moving album, loaded with mood songs. For any
early Camel fans, when you listen to “Rajaz” for the first time you will
immediately get a sense of vintage Camel. Andy does all the vocals on this
album with drums that are as good as you would expect from Dave Stewart. Tony
Scherpenzeel of KAYAK contributes here but is not as out front as you would
expect. 

All songs are excellently composed with ambient textures
accentuated with long sustain, mostly guitar work that sometimes reminds me of
the like of Pink Floyd's David Gilmour. Gone are the days when Camel emulated
the music of The Alan Parsons Project.

I can definitely sense the moving nature of this
album especially in lifting the mood of its listener. There are some silent
parts with ambient style and that provide guitar sounds to enter gently into the
music. It's an excellent addition to any prog music collection.

A review by Bonnek:

After two albums with soulless midi sounds, Camel
returned to the sound of “Mirage”.
In fact, this would be the first time ever that Camel returned to previously visited
territories and tried to recapture some of the old magic and glory. While this
usually sets of all my formulaic music alerts, this album has luckily turned
out to be quite successful.

The opener ‘Three Wishes’ isn't entirely convincing me yet. It starts
off really well but around minute 3, it changes key from minor to major, a
formula that gives a 100% guarantee on cheesiness. Luckily, Latimer proves to
have enough chops in the sack this time and steers the Camel gracefully through
the dangerous neo-prog pitfalls here.

From then on it's a smooth ride, as ‘Lost and Found’ is a beautiful
song, again it's very close to what Camel did on “Stationary Traveller”, but the sound here is more acoustic and
organic, the songs also leave a bit more room for instrumental sections and
solos. Consequently it sits better with the prog fans.

‘The Final Encore’ is probably a
tad too long but it's a captivating piece again. Camel is often criticized for
the vocals but while I can agree to this to some extent for the 70's albums, I
have always thought Latimer gradually found the subdued but emotive strength in
his voice in the 80's. On this album it reaches its full potential as also the
title track ‘Rajaz’ gives
evidence.

I think it's needless to point out how great the
guitars are throughout this album. After all this is a Camel album and
Latimer's guitar has always been the focal point in their sound. ‘Shout’ doesn't really work for
me, but ‘Straight to My Heart’ is
entirely deserving of its title. ‘Sahara’ is
a sweeping instrumental piece and ‘Lawrence’ ends
in style with a moody song and a great long solo.

This album has plenty of material that would fit on
a 5 star album but all tracks stay too much in the same mood really.
Nevertheless, one of the best Camel albums and one that is sure to please you
if you liked the first four.

746

One Hour By The Concrete Lake

Pain Of Salvation

A review by Mellotron Storm:

This is Pain of Salvation’s most "metal'
sounding record.  A complex and heavy
recording that sounds harsh partly due to the production. The production is
fantastic, in fact it's crystal clear.  It just takes a few spins to get used to it
that is all.  There are so many time
signatures in just about every song, it is incredible. This is a concept album
that isn't easily explained, but the main element is how the industry is
destroying our environment.  Even the
album title "One Hour By The Concrete Lake" is a sad commentary of
how man poisoned Lake Karachay in the former Soviet Union with nuclear waste,
and that by just standing beside this lake (that is now covered in concrete)
for one hour can be fatal. 

Things get started with "Spirit Of The
Land" which consists of waves of synths that really do represent the
spirit of the land.  It blends into the
next song "Inside" which was voted the best song on a recent ProgArchives.com
poll (by a landslide).  Cymbals and fast
paced piano are joined by heavy drums and guitars.  Vocals a minute and a half in as a flurry of
keys come and go. The vocal performance here and throughout this album is
astonishing.  I like the heavy passage
before 5 minutes.  

"The Big Machine" is slow and heavy (aren't
they all?) It has a gothic feel to it as a dark mood hangs over this song. Great
tune! "New Years Eve" sounds amazing! The drumming and guitar work
are outstanding. There is a pastoral passage 4 1/2 minutes in with piano and
vocals followed by some incredible sounding synths.  This section is quite powerful in an emotional
way.  

"Handful Of Nothing" has machine gun-like
drumming, background synths, some aggressive guitar and then vocals. This song
feels cold and lacks any warm or organic sound until the last minute which
creates a great contrast.  "Water"
is probably my favourite song followed by "Inside Out" and
"Home".  I love the soundscapes
to open "Water", and they stop as tender passionate vocals come in
with some almost soaring guitar melodies. The guitars get aggressive but still
tasteful 2 minutes in. The intro soundscape is back.  Nice.  Spoken words followed by vocals as guitars
grind away.  Waves of synths arrive with
a beautiful melody before the intro soundscape comes back. 

"Home" opens with a drum and piano
combination.  The drumming gets quite
crazy at times in this uptempo melody. The guitars and gentle vocals sound
great! There are some blistering guitar solos 4 minutes in and again more
terrific guitar a minute later.  I really
like the mellow passages in this song as well.  "Black Hills" is a dark and heavy
tune with some creepy vocals. There is some light shining through at times as
well.  Good guitar later.  

"Pilgrim" doesn't have a lot going on in
it as the vocals are almost spoken, although there is some cello in this one.  "Shore Serenity" has a nice beat a
minute in and some intricate guitar.  There is some heaviness later with keys.  "Inside Out" is another fantastic
tune! Maybe the best one.  It continues
where "Inside", the opening track, left off.  There is a flurry of keys that come and go to
open as drums pound away in this uptempo melody.  The vocals are great, so is the guitar solo
midway through and the heavy riffs later.  It really is a toss up for me between this
track and "Water' but if I had to choose I'd pick "Water". 

If you’re into Prog-Metal you probably already own
this, and if you don't own this yet do yourself a huge favour and get it!

747

The Fragile Art Of Existence 

Control Denied

A review by Conor Fynes:

Towards the end of his legendary musical career and
life, Chuck Schuldiner sought to shift gears a bit from the death metal he had
been doing since his teens. Granted, his brand of death had changed drastically
over the years, but there was only so much the man could do with Death. Clean
vocals were something that would not have gone over well with Death's fanbase,
so Chuck formed a new band to fulfil this dimension of his music. Control
Denied only put out one album before Chuck passed away, but it has stood the
test of time, and has even been met with love by the extreme metal crowds.
Although Control Denied shows Chuck Schuldiner venturing into progressive power
metal territory, there is little difference besides this and prog-era Death
barring the fact that clean vocals now lead the music. In other words; this was
Chuck beyond Death.

From the very first few seconds of 'The Fragile Art
Of Existence', it is clear that this is Chuck Schuldiner's work. The music is
incredibly similar to what Death was doing with their final three albums,
particularly 'The Sound Of Perseverance'. It could be said that Control Denied
is more of a band-centric effort however, with a much heavier bass presence
than was heard with Death. The style of composition is definitely by Chuck's
own hand and in his distinctive style, with plenty of room for technical riffs,
dark hooks, and space for his signature guitar solos. Although Chuck is seen as
a death metal guitarist, it is interesting to see how much differently the
style he plays can sound with only changing the vocal style. Performed here by
Tim Aymar, he has an intensely technical voice that isn't afraid to shriek out.
Aymar's vocals are much like Rob Halford of Judas Priest; a band that Chuck was
very fond of. Aymar evidently has an impressive range, although he generally
sticks to the higher end of the spectrum. Many of the vocal passages he pulls
off here are as technical as Chuck's guitar work.

Although there are clean vocals here, they are
actually used quite similarly to how Chuck used his own voice in Death. They
have great range to them, but they tend to go for power over melody. Aymar's
delivery is always impressive, but the vocal melodies are less convincing than
the epic riffs Chuck and axemate Shannon Hamm are playing. Although Control
Denied is fine evidence that Chuck Schuldiner was a man whose musical vision
extended beyond the reaches of death metal, the clean vocals do not work as well
as Schuldiner's rasp in his music. All the same, Aymar's vocals are impressive,
and the instrumentation and songwriting is as impressive as any Death album. It
is well-worth checking out for anyone even slightly invested in Chuck's music.
Rest in peace!

748

Stupid Dream

Porcupine Tree

A review by Finnforest:

I think most
PT fans probably fall into two camps, those who prefer the early spacier stuff
and those into the latter day, harder-edged albums. For now my preference has
been the middle ground. I believe the band made a good leap on "Stupid
Dream" from the inconsistency of "Signify," and then made perhaps
their two best albums in "Lightbulb Sun" and "In Absentia." I know I still need to hear "Up the Downstair"
before I can say that. The 3-album run beginning with Stupid Dream is where
the band mixed the heavy prog, metal, and space elements with their most
overtly commercial pop sound. Turns out Wilson is as good at pop music hooks
and melody as he is at everything else. 
Right out of the gate "Even
Less" shows a certain confidence we didn't hear on the previous album. It
would continue with "Piano Lessons" which is one of their poppiest
numbers and could easily get airplay anywhere with its lush harmonized vocals
and tasty slide leads. "Pure Narcotic" adds in acoustic guitar and
piano to another very accessible track. We have the funky track "Slave
Called Shiver" to show off the talents of Colin Edwin, though it is tracks
like this one that most cry out for some of Harrison's unreal fills.
"Don't Hate Me" is the centerpiece track with lots of mood,
mellotron, a spicy sax solo by Theo Travis, and a sweet electric solo. There's
even a funky space-tronica bit with a flute solo on "Tinto Brass!" The closer "Stop Swimming" is one of those beautiful, slow, moody PT
tracks where the piano and narcotic vocal lull you into a bit of haze. 
"Stupid Dream" is not quite as successful as "Lightbulb Sun" or "In
Absentia", but it's reasonably close- a very well-rounded, enjoyable disc and
certainly one every fan will need to get to. It's the Wilson brand with more
alt-pop/rock feeling, after the cosmic itch was scratched but before the metal
edge came into play. While this middle period of PT generally loses the fan
polls, where most fans like the space excursions or the metal-edged stuff, I
love this unapologetically melodic phase. And this first one from this period
is not unlike Rush's "Permanent Waves", maintaining just a bit of
what made Rush tick to that point, but alerting fans that big changes were
coming.

A review by
Warthur:

As Steven Wilson explains it in interviews, Stupid
Dream (and its sister album Lightbulb Sun) saw him focusing more on composing
traditional songs as opposed to the extended proggy soundscapes Porcupine Tree
were more known for at this point. In many respects, it parallels the departure
Marillion took at around this time with Radiation, with both bands writing more
conventional songs influenced by the art rock approach of Radiohead and by more
retro influences. Here, I detected the influence of Crosby, Stills, Nash and
Young as opposed to the Beatles - particularly in the vocal harmonies.

However, I think Porcupine Tree do a better job at
taking on these influences and integrating them into their spacey sound so that
the resultant album is something that's much easier for their existing fans to
enjoy (as compared to Radiation, which many Marillion fans consider to be a
rather weak effort). It helps that despite all the indie rock influence in
evidence, the album leads off with the decidedly prog-oriented and rather
Floydian Even Less, and regularly alternates between the more ethereal realms
of prior Tree efforts and the indie-art rock territory the band were moving to
explore. On the whole, this phase of Porcupine Tree would prove to be brief; encompassing just this album, Lightbulb Sun, and the Recordings compilation of
off- cuts from both, but a very rewarding one nonetheless.

A review by Conor Fynes:

Well, if it wasn't already clear with 'Signify'
that Porcupine Tree was moving in a new direction with their music, than
'Stupid Dream' made it blatantly obvious. Although there would still be some
psychedelic sounds in the band's music (and still are), Porcupine Tree was
working themselves up to be the masters of the modern prog rock scene by
incorporating a more concise sense of songwriting into their music, largely
throwing out the indulgences of their psychedelic freakouts and jams. Porcupine
Tree largely reinvent themselves with this album, and for those that may have
doubted them at the time and thought they were selling out, they can think
again; Porcupine Tree evolved from a spacey psychedelic act into one of prog's
leading bands with this album.

Porcupine Tree have always been one of my favourite
bands since I was first introduced to them, and 'Stupid Dream' reminds me why I
was so attracted to them in the first place; they are a perfect mesh of
memorable songwriting, dynamic performance, and some of the most beautiful and
atmospheric production one is bound to hear in rock music. 

'Stupid Dream' opens with one of its best known
songs, the soaring anthem 'Even Less', which I first heard in its full ten
minute plus form on the 'Recordings' compilation, but sounds just as great here
in a somewhat edited form. A full string section jars on their open strings as
the opening riff of 'Even Less' comes to invite the listener in for more, and
after a relatively heavy hard rock intro, the music recoils into a more
acoustic form of progressive rock. The sound here is modern, even by today's
standards, and the song is a good indicator of what 'Stupid Dream' is all
about; maintaining their atmosphere while focusing more on the art of
songwriting.

While Porcupine Tree's early material was
undoubtedly a Wilson-only affair, 'Stupid Dream' does execute as a full band
performance. The deep grooves of Colin Edwin's bass playing are very memorable,
and Chris Maitland's drumming is precise and dynamic, although in hindsight,
Gavin Harrison does do a better job with rearing Porcupine Tree. While not
given the same room to sport his skills as many other prog rock bands allow
their keyboardists, Richard Barbieri adds a lot of depth to the band's
typically guitar-driven sound, and all of this is tied together by Steven
Wilson's distinctive style of production, which, as will come to no surprise to
any who have experienced it before, tends to reward those with good stereo
systems.

'Piano Lessons' is the single to this album; an
intentionally conventional piece of songwriting where Steven Wilson subtly
mocks the pop writing format, all the while making a very good piece of
psychedelic art pop. 'Don't Hate Me' is another highlight and great track from
the album, a fairly dark song with a beautiful chorus that could even make a
statue cry. Arguably the best piece here though is 'A Smart Kid', a slower
track that is led in with a reprise of violin strings, along with haunting
acoustics and Steven's emotional lyrics. Without a doubt, it is the most
atmospheric song on the album, and one of the best things that Porcupine Tree
have done. 

Much like my view on 'In Absentia' however, while
there are quite a few magnificent tracks on the album, there are a handful of
less successful tracks that, while still decent enough, tend to pale a little
too much when compared to the gold that the album has to offer. Among these
would likely be the only moderately exciting pair of 'This Is No Rehearsal' and
'Baby Dream In Cellophane'; both tracks that are given the same beautiful
production and some nice melodies, that do not tend to leap out at me and
strike as powerful a feeling.

An excellent album by all standards in conclusion,
'Stupid Dream' is a powerful segment in the saga of Porcupine Tree, and
especially being one of my favourite bands, I can see myself experiencing this
album many more times in the future. Great stuff!

749

Duty Free Area

D.F.A.

A review by Sean Trane:

Second album from this unchanged quartet and
released on the same Mellow Records label, its title could be what the band
meant when they chose their enigmatic name. Musically speaking, this album is
quite different than its Gentle Giant-influenced predecessor; here we're
dealing with a much jazzier feel, often ogling towards space rock, sometimes
towards symphonic as well. One of the things that will surprise you (outside
the relatively cheap artwork) is Minella's much softer guitar, abandoning the
hard rock feel of the debut album.

Quickly announcing its colour, the opening Escher
pulls a very Ozric-ian soundscape, courtesy of Bonomi, but De Grandis' drumming
is the star of the show. This track is such an enjoyment that its 8-min+
doesn't overstay its welcome, in spite of its repetitiveness. The following
Caleidoscopio is rather different, a slow-starting affair gaining momentum and
once on top, the feeling is of a space/Gong-esque ELP (plus guitar) and
symphonic overtones are there, with guitarist Minella pulling some Hackettian
lines. Clearly since their start DFA has been under the wings of its bigger
brother Deus Ex Machina and here singer Alberto Piras has a go at the third
track called Gentle Giant-inspired Esperanto (the hopeful universal language
that never came to be), here sung in Italian alone. Unfortunately, for DFA,
Piras' personality is simply over-powering, and we're having this track
transformed into a Deus Ex Machina track.

The two instrumentals Ascendente Scorpione and
Ragno are both in the space-rock mould, sometimes between Ozric Tentacles and
Gong, the former being similar to the opening track, while the latter is more
in line with Caleidoscopio with its symphonic intro. The closing Malia gets
another guest singer in Georgia Gallo, but it's the weakest track on the
otherwise excellent album.

DFA's second album is just as worthy as their
first, despite the surprising different musical direction; let's face it, we're
not used to having Italian groups diddling with space-rock. With just two
albums under their belt, DFA has the particularity of being Italy's brightest
90's band, in my humble opinion, of course.

Edited by AtomicCrimsonRush - June 15 2012 at 10:19