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Jbird 
Forum Senior Member 
Joined: June 20 2011 Status: Offline Points: 338 |
 Posted: July 27 2012 at 00:39 |
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Very good stuff!
I've just read most all of the pages, while having a second tab open to youtube and listening to artists I've never listened to before, Like Mostly Autumn, Renaissance, Amon Duul, Neuschwanstein, etc. Some decent stuff for sure. Maybe as someone more into the heavy/metal side they aren't what I would actively purchase, but if I ever saw them used for cheap, sure, why not? I have 2 recommendations for 2012 so far, both coming from the metal side of prog. 1. Circus Maximus - Nine 2. Headspace - I Am Anonymous For the Circus Maximus I believe they have finally come into their own on this album. Yes, they still sound like Circus Maximus, but more 'mature' might be the word I'm looking for. Guitarist Mats Haugen's playing is even better than on the first 2 albums, but it's a bit less metal at the same time, and the keyboards have a much more prominent place in the mix. Great production, soaring vocals...a must have for Circus Maximus fans and people that like the 'Dream Theater' side of progressive metal. I've only given the Headspace album one spin so far, but I can already hear some Sieges Even, maybe just a hint of Porcupine Tree, and Threshold, to go along with the heavy riffing guitars (it's not heavy all the time though, by any means).
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator 
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: July 27 2012 at 08:07 |
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^^^ Hey thanks for taking an interest in my obsession. I have learnt heaps from this and look forward to getting hold of many of these albums over the years. Thanks again for the comment! I am going to 2011 on this project, and may just include a short top 10 2012 section at the end.
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: August 03 2012 at 09:15 |
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2003 continued 825 The Power To Believe
A review by Mellotron Storm: My how King Crimson have changed since their
masterpiece "In The Court Of The Crimson King". No keyboards, organ, flute
or mellotron, just three guys playing guitars, plus one drummer. Many were
surprised to hear that King Crimson were opening for Tool, and if they heard
this record they would realise that the two bands are quite compatible. You only need to hear the song ‘Level Five’ an
absolutely crushing instrumental that's as ferocious as a level five hurricane
to hear that King Crimson can rock with
the best of them. And another thing, the drumming of Pat Mastelotto completely
blew me away, I had no idea he was this good. ‘Eyes Wide Open’ changes gears to a smooth,
breezy song with a good chorus. ‘Elektrik’ is another amazing instrumental with
throbbing bass and heavy drums, with those awesome angular guitar melodies of
Mr.Fripp. ‘Facts Of Life’ is another heavy, powerful tune,
and I'm so impressed with the band interplay and the arrangements towards the
end of the song. ‘The Power To Believe II’ like the opener has processed vocals
and also acoustic percussion. ‘Dangerous Curves’ is an aggressive song that
builds and builds, again amazing drumming. ‘Happy With What You Have To Be
Happy With’ is another good one, and I'm "happy with" the music on
this one especially the Frippian guitar melodies. ‘The Power To Believe III’
features again processed vocals and this time some experimental sampling, as
well as odd time drumming and guitar. ‘The Power To Believe IV: Code’ features
the same vocals that opened the album. I'm so impressed with this release the
way the guys play complex, intricate music so well together. These guys are the best in my opinion, and this is
a masterpiece. I believe! A review by UMUR: "The Power to
Believe" is the 13th full-length studio album by UK
progressive rock act King Crimson.
The album was released through Sanctuary
Records Group in March 2003. The lineup on this album
features Adrian Belew on
guitar, vocals and electronic percussion, Robert Fripp on guitar, Trey Gunn on Warr guitar and rubber bass and Pat Mastelotto on drums. The music style on the album is dark and
experimental progressive rock. For fans of King Crimson there are as such few surprises, but what made me
happy about the music on "The
Power to Believe", is the generally high quality level. Songs
like ‘Level Five’, ‘Eyes Wide Open’ and ‘Elektrik’ are excellent
compositions. Lots of dark atmosphere in addition to the tight and as always
innovative musicianship. The quality drops a bit after the really strong string
of songs that open the album, but my attention never wanders and overall "The Power to Believe" comes
off as a consistently high quality release. If you ask me "The Power to Believe" is the best King Crimson album since "Discipline (1981)" and
it´s highly recommendable to both fans and newcomers. If this turns out to
be King Crimson´s last
studio album it will make a great testimony. A 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved. 826
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: “Damnation” is a beautifully crafted melancholy
Gothic work that has some of the best of the mellower side of Opeth. The
influence from Porcupine Tree is evident as there are a lot of tracks that are
a similar style due to Wilson's input. The excellent ‘Windowpane’ starts the
album on a positive note, merging very quiet vocals and virtuoso guitar
riffing. ‘In My Time Of Need’ is my favourite track on the
album that features a melody that really captivates the listener. ‘Death
Whispered A Lullaby’ is another excellent track that is brooding and full of
emotive lyrics. Other highlights include the haunting ‘To Rid The Disease’ and ‘Weakness’. Overall this is the best Opeth I have heard without
the death metal vocalisations and chugging metal riffs; it is a pleasant
surprise, and well sung and played. A brave move for a death metal band to
record this, but it so masterfully produced, it is captivating from beginning
to end. A review by Conor Fynes: The greatest thing about this prog-rock release
from death metal masters Opeth is its sheer personal approach. This is an album
that is a shattering contrast to the band's usually heavy material. For those
unfamiliar with the group's work, it might come as a surprise that there is
actually no trace of metal, save extreme metal in any of the songs. Instead of
longer, more technical compositions, Mikael Akerfeldt conveys his meaning
through more conventional outlets, concentrating more on sheer emotion as
opposed to 'brutality' or progressiveness, although the progressive elements
are certainly evident. The personality and intimacy comes through in the
stripped down feeling of the album. That's not to say that there aren't complex
parts in the music (there certainly are) but for a good part of the album,
there is more of a focus on bare songwriting as opposed to musical virtuosity.
This gives more room for the feeling to shine through, and the resulting effect
is breathtaking. Another evident strength this album has to offer is
the sincerity of the music. There are songs here that obviously have great
personal meaning to Akerfeldt (for example; the song 'Hope Leaves' is about his
grandmother dying) and that's what really makes this album such a gem; a pure
uncompromised sense of feeling that is hard to find in progressive music
nowadays. Where the album faults might have even been
inevitable. Keeping the music mellow means that a lot of the album ends up
being more one-tracked then an Opeth album usually is. While a lot of the
songwriting is top-notch, a few songs ('Death Whispered A Lullaby') could have
been tweaked somewhat more to get the best possible outcome. This is an album where Mikael Akerfeldt really put
his heart out on the line. For making such a courageous move, and combining
that with songwriting brilliance, and beautiful performances from all members
of the band, “Damnation” deserves no less than to be called 'fantastic.' If it
wasn't for its few small faults, I would have no issue calling it a
masterpiece. Beautiful, deep, introspective, and moving beyond words. A review by Bonnek: After the disappointment that was called “Deliverance”,
my hopes weren't up very high for its mellow companion album “Damnation”. At
the first few listens I liked some of the songs but my general prejudice was
confirmed. Opeth had lost it. I returned to this album after Opeth re-established
themselves with “Ghost Reveries” and ever since I can fully appreciate it. It's
not my favourite Opeth, nor is it their strongest, but if there's ever going to
be one album to win your girlfriend over to prog rock, then this is that very
album! Or as Mike puts it in his subtle tongue-in-cheek in between song chatter
on ‘Lamentations’: 'The next song should get us some chicks backstage'. Well,
it sure worked with my other half. For that reason alone ('we need more chicks here')
this album would deserve 5 stars! But Opeth has at least 3 albums which are
better than “Damnation” so 4 will have to do. 827
A review by Mellotron Storm: This is a seventies inspired symphonic record that
is quite modern sounding, even recalling Spock’s Beard on the first track.
These guys really show their stuff on this mostly instrumental record. ‘M.O.T.H.’ won me over the first time I heard it.
This is my favourite track on the album. It takes a minute but once it gets
going I'm reminded of Spock’s Beard with the flurries of sound. The drumming, keys
and guitar are all top notch. It settles down as vocals come in, and I like
them. Strummed guitar helps out and what sounds like mellotron. It kicks back
in a minute later with Howe-like guitar, and nice heavy rhythm 5 minutes in.
Vocals and a calmer sound 6 minutes in, but it doesn't last long, check out the
guitar after 8 minutes, and ripping guitar 10 minutes in as well. The drumming
is outstanding. ‘Beggar's Tale’ is a pleasant song of mostly
acoustic guitar and vocals. ‘Distant Light’ opens with what sounds like
mellotron as drums and a full sound come bursting in quickly. The drums and
guitar shine bright on this one. Nice rhythm 2 minutes in, more mellotron and the
guitar starts to rip it up 4 minutes in. ‘Zinjanthropus’ is led by piano early.
How amazing does this sound 2 minutes in. Excellent guitar later and it settles
back down with piano. Blistering guitar and a full sound before 12 minutes. ‘Industryopolis’ surprisingly has a lot of
industrial sounds including metallic percussion. The guitar is great, lots of
instrumental fire works on this one. ‘Forbidden’ opens with acoustic guitar as
reserved vocals join in. I like the brief background vocals and church bells
end this sad song. ‘Light Speed’ is not one of my favourites. It's a fast paced
instrumental show that does little for me. ‘The Journey Of Myrrdin’ makes up for it though.
Killer guitar to open, and the pulsating keys are fantastic. The guitar fires
off some more rounds before the keys are back, and check out the drumming! Nice
heavy sound 2 minutes in followed by mellotron, and the guitar continues to
impress. It calms right down 7 1/2 minutes in becoming atmospheric. The guitar
destroys that mood 11 minutes in, a catchy beat follows. We get piano for
almost 1 1/2 minutes before a spacey finale. A low 4 stars from me even though this is so well
played and arranged. 828
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: Conceptual masterpiece album and a new direction
for Mostly Autumn. "Passengers" is one of the best studio
albums from Mostly Autumn. The songs have an uplifting quality as always but
what sets it apart is the consistent quality and strong infectious melodies
throughout. There are no filler tracks and the band are at the top of their
game in both lyrical compositions and musicianship. The Celtic flavour is
replaced now with a more accessible style but it is still as beautiful. The
sound quality remastered is exquisite and it is one of the best lineups for the
band including the incomparable Bryan Josh on lead vocals, lead guitars, and 6
or 12 string acoustics. Heather Findlay is as usual angelic on lead vocals and
Iain Jennings is a revelation on piano, Hammond organ, and synthesisers. The
folk touches of flute and recorder are added by Angela Goldthorpe. It is the
final album for Jonathan Blackmore who is the drummer. Highlights on this album include, but are not
confined to, 'Something In Between', 'Bitterness Burnt', 'Another Life',
'Caught In A Fold', 'First Thought', 'Answer The Question', 'Passengers' and
the suite at the end 'Pass The Clock'. It is a triumphant album where many of
the songs have often been on setlists over the years including on the recent
"Mostly Beautiful Live 2011" album. The songs encompass a journey
through life, the highs and lows that we experience metaphorically portrayed. There are some emotional ballads such as 'Another
Life' augmented by Chris Leslie's violin and Marissa Claughan's cello. Findlay
has some gorgeous vocals on this track, the lead break soars, and it is one of
the most beautiful songs on offer here. The music is beautifully realised with some
outstanding passages of flute on 'Bitterness Burnt', and Troy Donockley adds
Bouzouki on this mesmirising track. He also adds low whistles, penny whistles,
and Uilleann pipes on 'Distant Train' and 'Pass the Clock'. The theme of being a passenger permeates the album
like a concept and the songs link together in other ways too utilising themes
and motifs. The lyrical content follows a theme of travelling by various means
so this is a concept album for the band. 'Caught In A Fold' is an uplifting upbeat track
with the theme of finding freedom augmented by stellar flute and Findlay's
passionate bright vocals. It is one of the best Mostly Autumn tracks for years
and has become a live favourite for the group. After this powerful optimistic
song, the pace is brought down again with a howling wind effect and some
acoustics on 'Simple Ways', with Josh sounding like Dave Gilmour vocally. It
features a lovely instrumental at the end with a soundscape of picturesque
beauty. 'First Thought' is another gentle song showcasing
Findlay's inimitable vocals. The uplifting melodies build into different
sections until it reaches the chorus. The structure of the song is striking,
with an awesome lead solo to augment the optimistic atmosphere. 'Passengers' is a key track for the band and
features some of the most incredible musicianship. It is driven by sweet
melodies and powerful vocals. It begins with minimal piano and Findlay's serene
voice. The build to the chorus is transfixing with a memorable hook
"dropping off passengers". There is a sadness in the atmosphere but
it is a relaxing beautiful mood generated. The ending is a supernatural train
effect and a child singing 'Twinkle Twinkle'. This leads inexorably to the
haunting 'Distant Train' instrumental. A divine lead solo kicks it off and some
exquisite flute passages. It really captures the feeling of travelling and
there is a section reminiscent of 'Empty Spaces', as Pink Floyd are clear
influences it is not surprising to be reminded occasionally of their sound.
This is stunning music that showcases the virtuoso musicians at their best. After this wonderful musicscape, 'Answer The
Question' follows, with a heavier distorted guitar riff, and faster pace. Josh
sounds great on vocals in the verses, a bit like Gilmour and he is joined by
Findlay. The chugging guitar riffs drive it along effectively, waking our
senses up after all the ambience previous. The piano is wonderful on this track
and it builds majestically. Every track is a treasure on this album and we have
still yet to come to the big finale epic. 'Pass The Clock Parts 1/2/3' is the 12 minute suite
in 3 parts. This became an integral track for the group, as the 10 year
celebration was heralded with the 3 CD compilation "Pass The Clock
1998-2008", a collection of 35 remastered tracks spanning their career. It
begins with tranquil measured ambience, Josh and Findlay trading off vocals,
and then a drum burst and Hammond breaks out the faster cadence. Jennings is
masterful on that shimmering Hammond, that blazes away like Emerson. The album
peaks right at the end with a blistering climax of staggering musicianship. The three bonus tracks on the remastered 2010
edition includes 2009 live versions of 'Caught In A Fold' (3:51), 'Simple Ways'
(6:44) and 'Passengers' (5:57) all of which are played superbly. It is a nice
bonus to revisit three of the best songs on the album in a live rendition
lasting about 17 minutes. "Passengers" is an outstanding conceptual
masterpiece that resonated with me from the first listen. It has some of the
band's best songs and some incredible melodic musicianship. The band are to
return to many of these songs in subsequent concert performances and in fact
many appear on the setlist of the 2011 concerts, in favour of albums to follow.
The reason is because on this album everything works so well, the music, the
lyrics, the melodies and the singing; all are perfectly realised. The Celtic
influences are long gone now so for anybody to expect this, is going to have to
live in the past, as Mostly Autumn have moved on to a modern sound and they needed
to. I love the earlier material as much as anybody but they had done as much as
they could with that style and needed to progress. Mostly Autumn may be
underrated in prog circles but this is definitely one album worth locating as
it is simply mesmirising beauty that uplifts the spirit. It proves that as far
as Mostly Autumn are concerned, the Spirit carries on.
829 Muse
A review by
Mellotron Storm: 3.5 stars. First of all the album cover is
brilliant. The music is a blend of prog and alternative music, with a definite
reference to Radiohead; I think it's the vocals really. The first time my
daughter had me listen to this CD a couple of summers ago, I was reminded of Thom Yorke and Radiohead right
away, with the mournful and haunting vocals, and the alternative sound. This is
just more uptempo and energetic for the most part with a Queen vibe. The theme
of this record seems to be death and the end of the world. Actually a young guy
,I would say in his early twenties came
in the store while this was playing, and he asked if I was listening to a CD, and I said yeah, it's Muse. He said, who? I said Muse.
Anyway, he stayed for about three songs and then asked for a piece of paper and
a pen, so I gave him these and the CD,
to write down the band's name and title of the disc; another convert. The first song ‘Intro’ is twenty seconds of vocal
samples that end with the piano pounding away and continuing into the next song
‘Apocalypse Please’. The vocals on this song are excellent, and the melody is
bombastic with the drums leading the way. ‘Time Is Running Out’ is a song that
opens quietly that builds to a full sound. The melody is catchy and again
bombastic. The drums and vocals are the focus. ‘Sing For Absolution’ opens with piano, light drums
and reserved vocals that build. I like the way Matthew holds the notes as he
sings. The guitar comes to the fore and is really good with a definite Radiohead
vibe to this song. ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ really rocks out pretty good! Great in
your face guitar leads and pounding drums along with the Thom Yorke style
vocals. This would be great to hear live. ‘Falling Away With You’ really
contrasts the mellow, beautiful acoustic passages with the full, heavy sounding
passages quite well. ‘Interlude’ is about 30 seconds of distorted guitar
sounds. ‘Hysteria’ is an uptempo, catchy tune that’s pretty good. ‘Blackout’ is
a mournful song with cello and some real post rock sounding guitar melodies. ‘Butterflies
& Hurricanes’ has a lot of tension in the intro, as if the band is having a
hard time holding back. The drums signal a change of pace as they do let loose.
‘The Small Print’ features some good piano and
guitar. This is an energetic, emotional song that is a highlight for me. It's
great! ‘Endlessly’ is reserved and melodic. ‘Thoughts Of A Dying Athiest’ is an
uptempo and surprisingly fun song with amazing lyrics. ‘Ruled By Secrecy’ opens
with fragile vocals and piano, drums eventually come into this powerful song. Clearly if you’re a fan of Radiohead or alternative
rock, this is a must. A review by
AtomicCrimsonRush: The trio of melodic prog excel with this album -
one of their best. The first thing I noticed listening to this album
was the crystal clear clarity of each track, beautifully produced and the band
play with musical virtuosity. I discovered most of the songs on the DVD release
so was quite used to the way most of these tracks were played live. The music
on the studio release here is more subdued yet has heavy aspects. The
songwriting is written with expertise and there are classical rock influences,
and a similar style of vocal performance in fact to early Radiohead in most
respects. Matt Bellamy is the driving force of the album and belts out one track
after another with huge vocal ranges in a similar style to Radiohead's Thom
Yorke. Each track is different in thematic content and all
feature strong melodies and a consistent high standard of structure. The
atmosphere of the album is remarkable, like nothing else I have heard. The vocal arrangements at times feel like ELO or
Queen and they are major influences to their style of music. Other influences
are the classical composers Rachmaninoff, Chopin or even a touch of Puccini.
Muse create a huge wall of sound consisting of loud clashing guitars, keyboards
and drums with a pounding bass line throughout. Highlights include ‘Time Is Running Out’, ‘Sing for
Absolution’, ‘Stockholm Syndrome’, ‘Hysteria’, ‘Blackout’ and ‘Ruled by Secrecy’. If you have heard of this band and did not know
where to start, “Absolution” is a definite starting point encompassing all that
is great about Muse. 830 The
Music That Died Alone
A review by UMUR: “The Music that Died Alone” is the debut album from
The Tangent. A band that started out as a project formed by former frontman and
keyboardist in Parallel or 90 Degrees Andy Tillison but after the success of
this album The Tangent has grown into a real band. On “The Music That Died Alone” Andy Tillison is
helped by some pretty prominent gentlemen. Roine Stolt (The Flower Kings) plays
guitar and sings on ‘In Darkest Dreams’, Jonas Reingold (The Flower Kings)
plays bass, Zoltan Czorsz (The Flower Kings) plays drums), Sax and flute legend
from Van der Graaf Generator David Jackson also contributes to the album while
Andy Tillison´s old colleagues from Parallel or 90 Degrees Sam Baine (Piano and
synths) and Guy Manning (guitars, vocals and keyboards) also contribute. With a
cast like that, this album just couldn´t fail to deliver, and didn´t. I´ve had this album since it came out. At the time
it was released I was heavily into The Flower Kings and as I saw that Roine
Stolt was involved on “The Music That Died Alone” I had to have the album. I
was initially disappointed about the inaccessible nature of the music. I say
inaccessible not because this is not melodic or memorable music, but because it
took me a long time to digest the pretty long tracks. It always confused me
with all the subtitles and I never seemed to get a grip of the album. Well,
things change for better or worse and in this case fortunately for the better.
Within the last half year I have begun to give this album more and more spins
and grown increasingly happier about it. Today I wouldn´t live without it. The album starts with the 20 minute song ‘In
Darkest Dreams’. It´s subdivided into smaller songs but there is a cohesiveness
to the whole affair which means that this seems like one long song. It´s a
great song with Roine Stolt and Andy Tillison sharing the vocal duties. David
Jackson is heard from the start. His playing is very dominant at times; really
great work. There are also lots of great synth and organ work throughout the
song and plenty of solo work for all lead instruments. ‘The Canterbury Sequence’ is a great ode to the
Canterbury scene sound. To those of us who love that sound it´s great to hear
that others love it too. It´s a light jazz/ rock which like ‘In Darkest Dreams’
is subdivided into smaller bits. Again David Jackson plays some great parts. ‘Up Hill From Here’ is another great symphonic rock
song. The Tangent has a really pleasant sound not unlike the one played by The
Flower Kings, even though they don´t sound that much alike. It´s just the soft
and complex constructions of the songs which makes me compare the two bands. The title track ends the album in great style. Like
‘In Darkest Dreams’, this track is subdivided into smaller tracks, which makes
a whole. Again there are many great parts with lots of nice sounds. Andy
Tillison´s vocals was one of the things that took me many years to appreciate,
but it was a song like this one that made me realise that he is in fact a very
good singer. He has the singing/ talking style that Roine Stolt also often
uses. The musicianship is fantastic on this album and if
you should not like the music at least acknowledge the great musicianship. The
production is excellent. Everything is right in the mix. This is a great prog rock album and, even though
this is not very modern, and the influences are clearly the great seventies
prog rock heroes, this is just excellent music. I´ll rate “The Music That Died
Alone” 4 very well deserved stars. The Tangent lacks a bit in the originality
department, which I hope will show itself on their later albums, but if it
doesn´t this is still excellent music and a welcome addition to my prog rock
collection (well it´s been there for several years as I told you earlier). 831
A review by Conor Fynes: While I am indeed a fan of Kamelot (and European-styled
power metal in general) they've never passed me as being all too progressive.
However, any progressive metal fan should be able to appreciate the progressive
and classical nuances of this band. Roy Khans’ classically-trained operatic
vocals are among some of the best in melodic metal, and the band certainly
makes an impression with “Epica”. While it's probably not my favourite material
from the band, “Epica” is a metal opera that lives up to it's name and beyond. For those relatively familiar with power metal,
there shouldn't be too much here that you won't have heard before. Kamelot's
sound is unique in a sense, but they are definitely not progressive to the
point of completely distinguishing themselves from their contemporaries. There is definitely a story of sorts being told
here; and while I've never paid too much attention to the lyrics themselves,
the plot elements feel very classical, as if this was the grim soundtrack to
some renaissance tragedy. While all of the music is great, the problem (and
reason that this is not a five star album) is because there aren't any tracks
here that truly stand out as being exceptional. “Epica” is a piece that flows
as one, but there aren't any parts that really knock one's metaphorical socks
off. However, the fact remains that Kamelot is a very talented band, and “Epica”
shows this very well. A review by Gatot: Symphonic Progressive Metal This was my third CD of the band that I purchased
after "Karma" and "Fourth Legacy". Through this album,
Kamelot has pushed their music forward into a prog vein while still maintaining
their style in power metal with its upbeat tempo. The symphonic influence has
even intensified in this album and it can be seen through a more dynamic works
on keyboard parts and orchestration. I admit that I am a great fan of Kamelot
since I listened to "Karma" at the first time. According to me , this
album is the only prog
album by Kamelot. I hope the band would produce another prog album on their
next release. Unlike the previous albums, the orchestration part
under ‘Prologue’ is no
longer a full orchestra piece - rather, it's a very quiet orchestration sound
that welcomes the next high-energy track ‘Center of the Universe’ with a power metal rhythm (double
pedal drum in a fast tempo). The orchestration sounds very obvious in this
track altogether with guitar work. Khans’ powerful voice enters the music and
brings us to an excellent music harmony. Once a while the orchestration in the background
appears obviously during transitions and quieter passages. The changing time
signatures has proved how prog this track is. The inclusion of piano and female
backing vocals have helped create an uplifting atmosphere of the tune. Despite
its fast tempo, this tune produces a wonderful melody that we tend to sing it
altogether throughout this track. The music turns into a faster tempo during the
intro of ‘Farewell’ and
it turns into a quieter passage where Khan starts to sing. The band still
maintain a strong orchestration piece to strengthen the composition of this
track. Even though it does not happen frequently but there exist shifting
tempos. ‘Interlude I (opiate
soul)’ is opened by a sound exploration that sets the nuance of the next
track. It is followed by a choir of male voices overlaid by the female voice.
It continues with ‘Edge of
Paradise’ in a medium tempo but still demonstrates a high energy
and melodic music. The transition into a quieter passage has a strong influence
of classical music that brings us to the choir again. The guitar solo then
follows. In ‘Wander’ the
song offers the marriage between power metal with neo prog vein. It starts with
a melodic and mellow intro with the excellent voice of Khan. The guitar fills
remind me of the old 70s Hackettian guitar style. It's not exactly like old
Genesis, but the overall flow of this track reminds me really of neo prog! The
inclusion of violin has created a symphonic nature of this album. This tune
reminds me of the epic ‘Elizabeth’ from "Karma" album. It continues with a short music ‘Interlude II’. ‘Descent of the Archangel’
continues to bring us with a faster tempo track in power metal vein. This track
has a very minimum prog element but it's a very interesting track to enjoy.
Luca Turili (of Rhapsody) contributes the guitar solo on this track. (That's
what I like most, musicians that collaborate with other bands - music unites
people! I know that Thomas Youngblood can do a great job but he gave a chance for
another to fill in.). ‘A Feast for the Vain’ feels like
normal power metal music if we merely enjoy the opening part. But in the middle
of the track the band has inserted a quieter music passage, that demonstrates
the orchestration part. The music then returns back to the original tagline
rhythm and melody. ‘On the Coldest Winter
Night’ is a mellow track in the vein of the band's previous album
"Don't You Cry". The difference is that this tune is truly prog to
the bone! The song is composed without drum works. The drum stools are replaced
by percussion work, and it's full of symphonic elements. ‘Lost & Damned’ opens with a
classical style piano work followed in crescendo by an upbeat power metal style,
but it is performed very dynamically, augmented with excellent guitar work. You
can feel the power through the double pedal bass drum sound. When vocal enters
in a quieter passage, there is a beautiful violin sound and piano work. The
music then turns into faster tempo with orchestration and slowing down again
for next vocal line. It's an excellent and powerful track with (again) melodic
music. I think this track would be accessible to most music buffs. The break
into a quieter passage with sad vocal, augmented with light orchestration, is
really wonderful "Helena don't you cry". ‘Helena's theme’ is a short
track with a nice melody of female vocal in high register notes; with light
orchestration in the background. The orchestra then takes the lead at the end
of the track, continued with ‘Interlude
IV (dawn)’ that contains only a male voice narration. It then flows
beautifully to an orchestration on the next track ‘The Mourning After’ that opens with eastern like music. The
orchestration dominates the music and the vocal of Khan starts to roll, "I
just have a dream .." What a fantastic melody this track has! The music
flows in a medium tempo with intense appearance of orchestration. The music
even gets better at approx minute 2:40 just before a stunning guitar solo.
"Carry On, Carry On", is heard and the second part of a guitar solo
reminds me of the traditional 70s guitar solo typically performed during an interlude. ‘III ways to Epica’ is the
concluding track of the album. It starts off with a dynamic drumming followed
by soft guitar riffs and symphonic style keyboard work. The guitar solo then
takes the lead melody in a power metal beat. The composition of this track has
been crafted in such a way that makes this track well positioned to play a role
as an "encore" to the overall music concept. The structure is not
straight forward power metal, there are many shifting time signatures -
therefore this track is completely prog! My CD is the Limited Edition with digipak design, Quicktime
multimedia track, temporary tattoo (that I don't use) and bonus track ‘Snow’ (nothing to do with Spock's
Beard’s album!). It's a very enjoyable track with a great melody and power
metal beats - plus some prog touches. I highly
recommend you to buy the Limited Edition CD! This album is really
worth collecting as it has beautifully composed music - marrying symphonic
orchestra and power metal style with rather complex structure and catchy
melody. Miro and Sacha Paeth are both still involved in this album and other
guest musicians. I'm not exaggerating to say Kamelot rules! My personal advise is that you better purchase
this Kamelot CD than any Radiohead album! "If
the war by heavens gate released desire, In the line of fire someone must have
known, That a human heart demands to be admired, But in the Center of the
Universe we are all alone." - Kamelot "Center of the
Universe".
832 – live A review by
A review by Ivan_Melgar_M: As many Symphonic Progheads, I've never been a huge
Rush fan, always saw them as a Led Zeppelin wannabe band that had little or
nothing from prog rock, but this changed a few months ago. Their music is far
from being symphonic of course but the ideas and arrangements are surely
adventurous enough to be considered prog, if you add the personality and
incredible bass of Geddy Lee, the strength and precision of Neil Peart plus the
unique technique and lyricist abilities of Alex Lifeson; Rush deserves a
special place in the Progressive Rock Hall. “Rush in Rio” was one of the reasons that made me
change my mind, as the sound is impeccable, the tracks (All well known, so
there's no need to comment on them) are played in the precise order and with
the perfect arrangements, no one will ever believe just listening to them that
they are only three guys. If you are one of those that like me believed it
was better to buy only compilations, probably you're wrong. In this album they
play 31 great tracks, more than what many bands do along their whole career. I
just started my Rush collection of studio albums and there isn't a single CD
that may have disappointed me. I had the luck to buy the album and the DVD
together and the fanaticism in Rio for the Three Stooges is almost religious;
people crying, praying or simply thanking God for giving them the chance to see
their idols in person, almost never saw something like that, and it seems as if
the band gets extra strength from the audience. The main problem with power trios is that they
can't reproduce the same quality playing on stage because of crew limitations,
but Geddy, Alex and Neil give 110% of themselves to sound even better than in the
studio; something very hard to achieve when the band counts only with six
hands. The highlights of this excellent album are of
course ‘Closer to the Heart’, ‘Tom Sawyer’, ‘La Villa Strangiato’ and ‘The Big
Money’, but as I said before, I believe all the tracks are excellent. Excuse me if this review is emotional and says
nothing about the tempo, instruments and technical issues, but sometimes it is
better to accept our emotions and try to transmit to others the impression that
the band leaves in our souls, than just making an accurate and technical critique
that wouldn't be able to express what we really feel, and at this point I feel
Rush is a great band who play even better on stage. If you don't have it, buy it and if you can, get
the DVD together. I'm giving the album only 4 stars because I usually reserve
the 5 stars for studio albums that contain original material. A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: There is almost 3 solid hours of Rush here with A1
quality sound production and near perfect renditions of all their classics.
Usually I watch this concert on DVD and the overall experience is a visual and
aural feast. Listening to the tracks without the pretty pictures is naturally a
totally new experience. Certain tracks jump out as highlights including ‘Tom
Sawyer’, ‘Freewill’ and ‘Driven’. ‘2112’ is painfully edited down to a mere
6:52, but it’s still nice to hear it here. CD 3 is undoubtedly the best of the
three featuring quintessential classics such as ‘Limelight’, the incomparable ‘La
Villa Strangiato’ that clocks 10 minutes, ‘The Spirit of Radio’, ‘By-Tor and
the Snow Dog’, ‘Cygnus X-1’, a 13 minute epic, and my favourite Rush treasure ‘Working
Man’. The packaging is excellent as usual and the overall
mixing is perfection, although at times the crowd are overbearing, as loud and
enthusiastic as a Rio crowd can be. The crowd even roar the melodies of the
instrumentals, and it is quite exciting to hear them and we can also be as
enthused and join in on the fun. It is great to hear a lively crowd and Geddy
Lee’s voice is register perfect, unlike his more recent concerts where his
voice is strained and struggling. My advice is to grab the DVD and gain the full
value of the concert, but this is still a fantastic live treat from the power
trio of Canada. |
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: August 03 2012 at 09:17 |
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2004 coming soon!
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: August 07 2012 at 08:56 |
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2004 833
A review by Sean Trane: 4.5 stars really!! K.A. is Kohntarkkosz Anteria. Well, here was an album I had been waiting for for
a while!! I gather that this is the first Magma all-original studio album since
the 70's. I always fear for the results of such a prolonged group absence
(Vander and other musicians here have had a quite extensive solo career) but
those fears were quickly dis-pelled as the first notes of music reached my
ears. The first two movements were written back in the 70's but had not found
grace to Vander's eyes (and ears) to go on vinyl at the time. Only the third
movement is really new stuff. I had heard this full track in concert last fall,
and it sounded great but I was wondering how that would translate on studio
record with modern technology. Actually, except for the pleasant 70's sounds,
there are precious few real surprises here as the sound of this album is very
close to what they did on vinyl almost 30 years ago! You could swear that this
was recorded in the same era. Outside Christian and Stella Vander, you might
get some joy knowing that Bernard and Himiko Paganotti are related to the
former Kobaian bassist and that this album is very related with “Kohntarkosz”.
The third movement does start off (the first 9 minutes or so) in an unusual
Magma fashion being more standard progressive; quite unheard of and maybe a hint
for future releases. The use of the flute is also unusual. Magma is back and in prime form (they even credited
some dog for this record) but on the downside of things, and aside from an odd
french line and some Maghreb yoddling (female youyous), there is not that much
new under the Kobaian Sun. If you are a fan, this is a must. If not, then
investigate the classic 70's albums first before this one. Guess on which side
I am. A review by Ivan_Melgar_M: After the release of "Köhntarkösz" I
started to lose interest in Magma, as they seemed to lose that lunatic
freshness and started to sound as part of the machinery. What surprised us in
their first albums became boring and predictable. So I stopped buying
more of their albums, but reading the reviews online, I decided to give
"K.A (Köhntarkösz Anteria)" a chance, and I don't regret this
decision. I have listened to it several times with extreme attention, and
believe me "K.A" is in the level of the best Magma albums, only it
sounds better because of the technology used. Sometimes a band has to recognize that their early
works are their best, and even when some people believe they should keep
evolving, it is better to return to the roots and produce great material rather
than keep experimenting and lose coherence with each album. This is what Magma
does in "K.A" (well, not properly a return, because "K.A I"
and "K.A II" are previously unreleased material from 1974, if I'm not
wrong), they return to the roots and release an excellent album that sounds as
fresh as "Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh" or "Köhntarkösz"
did in their time; in fact it sounds like a long time delayed sequel of second
mentioned album. "K.A I" opens the album with strength and
originality from the first instant; Christian Vander sounds better than ever
and the chorus with male and female voices is amazing. Even when it may sound a
bit repetitive, the originality of the concept and the magnificent piano
performance by Emmanuel Borghi doesn't bore for a single second. The song gives
no rest to the listener, they use each and every free second and cover it with
music; no silent spaces, as if they didn't require to breathe. The changes are
not as violent as we are used to in Progressive Rock; they are gradual, but
more radical than the listener can imagine. Even the habitual lunatic touches
as rings, whistles and wheezing, sound absolutely coherent and perfect in the
context of the track. The instrumental passages give a bit of relief after the
madness, and the balance required is Zeuhl at it's best. "K.A II" starts dramatic and epic, with
the excess of pomp and brightness that I love so much, maybe the casual
listener will find it too excessive, but the clear "Karl Orff"
reminiscences are simply delightful. Even though it is as frenetic as
"K.SA I" in some moments, Magma adds several calmed and soft passages
with jazzy atmospheres and beautiful melodies, but never losing their typical
horror to silent spaces. The blending of male and female voices is as
tasteful as it can be reminding me of WAGNER'S operas, with not a single weak
moment. The arrangements are perfect from start to end in another outstanding
track. For what I know, "K.A III" is the only
really new material ("K.A I and K.A II" were written in the early
70's but never used by the band), and the difference is clear, unlike the
previous songs. MAGMA starts with an instrumental section, in which they seem
to jam creating a Psychedelic atmosphere, only interrupted by the feminine
howling chorus that provides a mysterious edge. Somehow it's basic and tribal,
but full of beauty and imagination, and this is the longest track in the album
(21:43) so we should expect some surprises. Around eight minutes, and after a vibrant
transitional passage, the usual weird vocals start, moving from celestial chorus
to more tribal explosions. The contrapuntal encounter between male and female
voices creates a violent atmosphere and Vander helps to create this controlled
cacophony with the strong percussion. These guys haven't lost the touch, the
music is as strong as 30 years ago. As the time passes, the vocals become more and more
aggressive, the dissonant singing is the general rule; simply delightful and
brilliant, especially with the unusual and frantic Hallelujah chorus that has
nothing in common with Handel's. This is a great song from start to end. Despite that I have reviewed more than 300 albums, a
few times I had so little problems in rating an album, in the 70's or in 2004,
but "K.A (Köhntarkösz Anteria)" deserves 5 solid stars without any
doubt. A review by Bonnek: “KA” came as a huge surprise to me. A couple of
excellent live releases and that one album not withstanding, Magma hadn't
released anything since 1978. That is 26 years! Apparently, 26 years must be nothing on Kobaia as
the music on “KA” is exactly what you can expect from vintage Magma, as if time
stood still. It does not offer any change to the sound of their golden years,
but I don't think that is the point of this release. It's also not what I
expect from an artist this late in their career. I'm perfectly happy to see
that the groundbreaking innovation of yore has been reaffirmed and that the
band shows a solid musical maturity. The album mainly consists of material written in 1974
that was not deemed good enough for release by Vander back then. Some of it can
be heard on the premature version of “Köhntarkösz” on the “Live in London” release. Rumour goes that parts I & II
consist of old material and that part III is new. If you have heard “Live in London”, you'll know that
also much of part III re-uses old material. Despite all this reworking, the band sounds
inspired and enthusiastic, and again their music grabs me right from the start
till the end. It is simply marvellous how they build up the tension and
hypnotize me with their primal energy and those tribal rhythms. Part III
contains some spacey improvisations that we haven't heard much from Magma, it
makes for a nice interlude that is more accessible then their usual density. Just like “Emmehteht-Re”, this album largely consists of earlier released
material, but unless you're a collector, chances are quite low that you will
have heard any of it. It makes “KA” an
essential purchase for Magma fans and a recommended one to any one else. 834
A review by UMUR: “Isa” is the first album from Enslaved that I
really like. I have listened to “Below The Lights” and “Monumensum” but never
found the charm. But I must say that I am awe-struck when listening to “Isa”.
This is so beautiful in a cold and brutal way, just the way I like it. Enslaved
mix death/ black metal with seventies prog rock (Vintage keyboards) not unlike
Opeth. Enslaved uses both growling and clean vocals on “Isa”
and it works perfectly. The growling vocals are too low in the mix for my taste
but it´s nothing that overshadows the fact that “Isa” is a revelation for
Enslaved. What a development from “Below The Lights”. “Isa” is so perfect and balanced in any way
possible (except for the the low mix on the growling vocal), that this is a
true masterpiece. Listen to songs like ‘Isa’, ‘Bounded By Allegiance’ and the
great epic ‘Neogenesis’. These songs are perfect examples of Enslaved´s
brilliance. The songs are very atmospheric and the use of synth and keyboard in
the songs makes the pretty simple metal riffing exciting. Enslaved is not a
complex band by any means. They play pretty simple stuff, but spice it up with
the aforementioned vintage synth/ Keyboard sounds and great atmospheric/
melodic singing. This album deserves the masterpiece stamp, because
the compositions are flawless and listening to this album from beginning to end
gives me great pleasure every time. I´m sure that in 20 years this album will
still be a classic in the Death metal/ Prog rock genre. All hail Enslaved (My nordic brothers). A review by Bonnek: There's two types of Black Metal. Type one is
ridiculously aggressive and boasts the worst possible production values in rock
history. Type two is ridiculously orchestrated pomposity that is at the same
time mostly blatantly commercial. A common feature of both manifestations would
be the goofy corpse paint! There's a good chance you think like that and,
judging from what you've probably been in touch with, you're entirely right.
But did you know there was a third kind? Yes indeed there is, hidden in the darkest corners
of this vast legion of bands with unreadable logos there are a few bands,
mostly the pioneers, that have lived up to the philosophy of black metal and
managed to purge some excellent music out of it. You will hardly be surprised
to hear that those bands gradually embraced progressive influences into their
black muck. By means of a reference I would suggest “Nemesis Divina” by Satyricon,
“At The Heart of Winter” by Immortal and the album under dissection here:
Enslaved's “Isa”. “Isa” finds Enslaved 9 albums into their career and
concludes 6 consecutive years of awesome Enslaved creativity. By then most of
the black metal roots had been wrought into something more digestible, and in
avoiding the typical blast beats and murky production, and further adding
decent clean singing, Enslaved serves an album of beautiful songs varying
between catchy grooves, an occasional melody and laid-back atmospheric
sections. Think Voivod mixed with Opeth doing black metal. This is still very harsh and aggressive music so
don't go in if you're not into some darker prog already. But if you like Voivod
or Opeth, and you can overcome your initial repulsion at the black metal rasps,
you're in for a treat.
835
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: A bonafide prog masterpiece After reading the reviews online, and watching some
of the clips online here, I was drawn to this album and how grateful I am to be
introduced to it. In a word this is masterful! Every moment, every track, every
conceptual idea that permeates this album is a tour de force of progressive
conceptual brilliance. Arjen has pulled together some of the best artists to
present a jigsaw puzzle of emotions and elucidations of the mind of one who is
in a coma due to a horrific accident. The story is so solid and potent it would
be criminal to release too much of it here. Suffice it to say, it is powerful
and totally unforgettable. In every track we are presented with a day in the
coma of the victim, we experience what is going on in his mind? What is he hearing?
What is he sensing? All his regrets, bitterness, lost hopes, longings for love
and life are captured beautifully in these amazing tracks. All styles of prog
are also presented from symphonic, eclectic to manic prog metal and even a
touch of foreign sounding prog, such as Mike Baker’s and Devin Townsend’s
shining light on ‘Loser’. The album presented in 2 CDs is a chronological
perspective of a mind that has been clouded by remorse and tragic
circumstances, so we, as a listener, are drawn into this world and it can
become an overwhelming experience if we allow it. For example on CD1, in the
emotive 'Love' we hear about the protagonist’s deepest desires and we feel for
him; In 'Pain' we hear how he has been betrayed; and in 'Childhood' we hear of
his torment at school. The best track of CD1 is 'Love', beautifully sung by
Mostly Autumn's Heather Findlay and others to support her. Irene Jansen as
'Passion' performs a great vocal on the album too, usually in 2 harmonies; very
Gothic and sinister. CD2 begins with the barnstorming thrasher 'Trauma'
that lights up with vocals from the incomparable Mikael Åkerfeldt and Devin
Townsend. 'Sign' is a nice touch with a soft vocal from Marcela Bovio. There
are no weak songs on this album, in fact it works as a cohesive whole
presenting the cream of the crop when it comes to vocals. The booklet is wonderfully produced and tells a
story itself in simple pictograms and artistry. 'Betrayal' gives the story more
depth and the showstopper is 'Loser' sung with passion by Mike Baker; it is
simply great! 'Accident?' brings us back to how it all happened, but we are
left to question was it an accident? We find out the truth and why.... this
leads to the awesome finale with 'Confrontation' and all the artists have a
turn in their own eclectic style; the musical virtuosity is second to none. It’s a rock opera of sorts but more like Spock's
Beard's 'Octane' (similar story) or a Pink Floyd concept album (“The Wall”)
than an opera. The concept is strong and the vocals are delivered par excellence.
James LaBrie is sensational as 'Me' and special mention to Arjen for his role.
This album could easily be made into a movie length DVD; the thing runs for a
whopping 102:14. Did I mention the music? It is as dynamic as you
are likely to hear with scintillating keyboards and amazing guitar solos
throughout, backed by pounding drums with varying time signatures. Don't take my word for it, buy it and see for
yourself. This album is the best album of 2004 and will go down in history as a
bonafide prog masterpiece.
A review by Conor Fynes: I can remember the first time I listened to “The
Human Equation”. It was a quiet evening, and I was busy looking up new music to
get into. Reading about a band called Ayreon, my interest was suddenly peaked.
A band that used elements from a multitude of different genres? Guest vocals
from Dream Theater, Devin Townsend and Opeth? I had to check it out. My first taste of Ayreon was through “The Human
Equation”. Since then, Ayreon has become one of my all-time favourite
progressive artists. “The Human Equation” has everything you would expect in
the typical prog masterpiece, and more. There are elements from folk,
classical, electronic, gothic, avant-garde and metal, laid atop a heavy
progressive backdrop. This album is incredibly ambitious. Harkening back
to the night first listening to “The Human Equation” in full, I was addicted.
It was the musical equivalent of a 'book you can't put down.' As a work that's
almost two hours in length, it's definitely a lot to swallow; but I was
enveloped in both the storyline and music, and needed to finish the saga before
I headed to bed. The plot (provided you have a cast of characters
list, and the lyrics in front of you) is relatively easy to follow, considering
it's mass complexity and style. In summary, the majority of the 'musical play'
takes place inside a man's head during a coma, where he speaks with different
emotions; different facets of his character and being. In the real world, his
best friend and wife look and watch over him, both with dark secrets of their
own. It's a deeply psychological trip, and would make for an excellent film
script, if the opportunity arose. “The Human Equation” is very popular among prog
fans, and there's no wondering why. It's a masterpiece of modern prog, and
shouldn't be missed! Five stars.
836
A review by Mellotron Storm: I have had the pleasure of late in talking with
Alfredo (the vocalist on Angulart's first album) about the amazing music that
has come out of his country of Chile. He has mentioned more than once that I need to hear this record from Matraz. I had
already reviewed Matraz’s previous album called "Tiempo" and really
liked it, but he said this one is better. And he is right! The biggest change
between the two albums is the former bass player and vocalist leaving and being
replaced by two people, a new bass player, Jorje, as well as a female singer, Loreto
Chaparro. She apparently was a vocal instructor, and it's easy to tell she
would be perfect for that job. We are blessed to be able to hear her sing on
this record. There is something about this music that makes me feel good, and
it is Loreto's vocals; whenever she is singing normally that makes me feel like
I'm home. That is the best way I can describe it, and it's a huge compliment to
her. She can also really let it rip vocally, but it's her calm, natural voice
that is so satisfying. All the vocals and liner notes are in Spanish so I can't give much more information than I have. ‘Gritare’ opens with riffs and prominent synth
runs.The drumming is outstanding as the sound is quite heavy. When Loreto sings,
the song slows down, and piano arrives; this album has a boat load of beautiful
piano melodies. She gets aggressive vocally with a heavy soundscape before 5
minutes. This contrast of mellow and heavy continues, then some great guitar 7
minutes in. ‘Redencion’ opens with a pleasant melody as Loeto’s vocals go from
edgy to beautiful. The guitar is on fire and a synth solo follows.The climate
and tempo continues to change, then some killer guitar 5 minutes in with her
angry vocals.The contrast between her vocal styles is cool. It just makes her
natural voice seem even warmer and more beautiful after I have heard her sing with an edge. ‘REM’ is an
instrumental of mostly piano as heaviness and guitar come and go. ‘Sangre Derramada’ opens with a mellow soundscape
of piano, drums and vocals. A change arrives 3 1/2 minutes in as the drums sort
of rumble in. A nice vocal melody comes with piano and drums, guitar 7 1/2
minutes in as drums and piano carry on. The guitar gets quite aggressive
followed by vocals. The last minute of the song is mellow like the beginning of
the track with piano and vocals. ‘Trazma’ is apparently an anagram of the
band's name. It opens heavily with some great sounding synths, then the sound
softens as vocals and piano come in. Passionate vocals take over as heaviness
comes and goes; she's great! Nice synth and drum work as well. ‘Condor’ opens
with a pastoral mood that continues for 3 minutes, then a jazzy atmosphere
comes in with some gorgeous piano and light drums. Guitar takes the lead 5
minutes in. Nice and emotional too. ‘Sobreviviente’ is an 18 minute epic to
close out the album. This song has so many twists and turns; heavy and mellow,
and vocals, guitar, piano and drums all get a chance to shine on this outstanding
track! It ends with marching style drums and vocals. 4.5 stars. Apparently the title of this album means
"I will shout". Appropriate as far as I'm concerned, because I want to shout for all to hear "Get this
album!". And not only this album but the many great bands of Chile, Sarax,
Exsimio, La Desooorden, Angulart, Flotante and Tryo, and that's just off the
top of my head, there are more!
837
A review by Conor Fynes: At the time of buying this album, I admitedly was
not expecting something I would come to 'love.' I was already a great fan of
Anathema, having loved their opus work “Alternative 4”, and I figured that
while this album was going to be good (after all, Anathema had a pretty good
track record to that date) it probably would not be something that would really
leave a resonant note with me. After all, this was an album that was pretty
recent, released a fair bit after their 'golden age' (consisting of the
prementioned “Alternative 4” and the latter “Judgement”.) Regardless of any
preconceptions, I slipped the CD into my player, and listened. With the opening symphonic overtones of
'Harmonium,' this definitely did not sound much like the Anathema I was used
to. By the time the opening track hit its sonic peak, I was pretty sure I was
going to enjoy 'A Natural Disaster.' My first true surprise did not come until
the third track however. The first two still had an Anathema-typical
melancholic art rock feel about them, but the atmospheric 'Closer' really
challenged me to listen intently. Upon the first listen, I wasn't even totally
aware a third song had started, as it had segued perfectly from the second song
'Balance' (which is a perfect climbing follow-up to the first song) into it's
own riff. The best way I can describe 'Closer' is as
Anathema's version of an electronic trance track. It literally brings the
listener into a 'trance' of sorts, and a robotic synth voice chants over a slow
build-up of sonic power. While I can't guarantee that all prog-fans are going
to enjoy 'Closer,' it was certainly an interesting surprise. While I do love all the songs on here (there was a
point I was going to call all of the songs on this album a 'highlight' of their
own) I particularly like 'Are You There' (a beautiful love song) the emotive
'Flying' and the first 5 minutes of the monster track 'Violence.' Although it's
not a multi-part suite like a typical prog fan would expect upon seeing an 11
minute track on a prog album, it's still great, but it would have been perfect
if the last 5 minutes or so had been cut off, as they do seem to wander. “A Natural Disaster” overall has actually changed
my view of the band. From this point, I can't really listen to “Alternative 4”
without thinking of it as being excessively whiny and morose. With “A Natural
Disaster”, they channel their trademark melancholy through the use of maturity;
a maturity that can only be brought on by years of musical experience. This is an unexpected masterpiece, my friends. If
you have “A Natural Disaster” and don't love it already, I suggest you give it
another listen, with these points in mind, and see if your feelings change. As
it stands, “A Natural Disaster” is possibly the best, most consistent work Anathema
have done. A review by Gatot: A depressively excellent album… Well, at the end I get used to the kind of music
Anathema plays, especially with this kind of music, an experimental/ post metal
kind of thing. To me, as an old prog fan, this is an expansion of what Pink Floyd
had done in the seventies; take it simple with minimum involvement of electric
instruments or so called unplugged in most of the songs. You have to be patient
listening to the music as in most cases it moves so slowly. If you are under
depression, do not try to listen to this music because it is not healthy. At first, it was quite hard for me to enjoy the
music, not because of it's complexity, but more because there is basically no
music being presented as most songs rely heavily on vocal clarity. Anathema
plays its music exactly in the same style as Pink Floyd, with time signatures
playing a very critical role in bringing the beauty of their music. You can definitely
find the sorts of Peter Gabriel rhythm sections, such as in the opening track ‘Harmonium’
(5:28), even though Pink Floyd is still the main foundation of the style. You
may refer to the music of Radiohead, Carptree, and Sylvan. The last Marillion
albums also try to focus on this style but not as successful as Anathema. ‘Balance’ (3:58) starts with a nice keyboard touch
followed with drums in percussion mode and then enters the dragging vocal style
of Vincent Cavanagh. I have to admit that Vincent's vocal quality is really
good and it makes this song quite solid in composition, even though there are
repeated chords, but I feel the song is quite enjoyable. ‘Closer’ (6:20)
continues seamlessly in instrumental style with repeated chords. The
instrumental sounds really depressing with the style that moves from soft into
loud sounds. ‘Are You There?’ (4:59) is another song-orientated track where vocals
play a critical role. What really surprises me is the sixth track titled ‘Pulled
Under at 2000 Metres a Second’ (5:23) which I think is an outsider because it's
the only song that has a very different style than the other songs on this
album. It's heavy in nature, more like a combination of metal and psychedelic
music. In fact this track reminds me of Pink Floyd’s ‘Sheep’ from “Animals”
album. It starts beautifully with Roger Waters like bass playing combined
beautifully with long sustained keyboard sounds, followed with vocals that
remind me of Roger Waters. I like the part where the vocal starts to scream and
the music turns to a full-blown metal music. Wow! It's really wonderful! This
song is my favorite track from this album. It stirs my emotion and makes my
adrenalin explode. It's so energetic, so dynamic, so great! I love the bass
playing, the vocal scream, the drum playing, the guitar; everything is so
wonderful with this track, so perfect! Suddenly the music moves into a mellow and really
cool composition with the title track ‘A Natural Disaster’ (6:27) with a female
vocal by Anna Livingstone. After enjoying the previous track, it's like a nice
break. It starts with slow guitar strums followed by a very great vocal from
Anna Livingstone, who sings really wholeheartedly. It is very slow in tempo but
the feel of the music is really heartbreaking, especially with the melody delivered
by Anna; it's really great! I can recommend you to buy this album and you will
never regret it. Anathema knows what they are doing with their music. Yes, you
might say that it's similar with Radiohead, or Pink Floyd, but still their
music is different. I don't think Marillion under Hogarth’s years can create such
music as this. Bands like Anathema, Sylvan, and Carptree take the lead in this
kind of music. Try ‘Flying’ (5:57) from this album, and you will love it; so
powerful.
838
A review by Conor Fynes: “Be” is quite simply one of the best albums ever
made. Daniel Gildenlow has once again transcended the boundaries of his musical
parameters and tackled a project which is nothing short of massive. Pain of
Salvation has composed an album that is close to being perfect, and might as
well be considered as such. “Be” has a little bit of everything. There are
folk-influenced pieces, a minimalistic (and very beautiful) classically styled
piece, songs reminiscent of their “Remedy Lane” effort, and even a song that
wouldn't sound out of place on Broadway! The culmination of all of these
magical elements is rendered even more splendid with the addition of a 9 piece
Orchestra (The Orchestra of Eternity). While other bands have used orchestras
before (Metallica's “S&M”, Dream Theater's “Score”), never before has there
been such a perfect mixture between the rock based and symphonic based
instruments. The orchestra is at the forefront of the action throughout the
work, and compliments the music greatly. I've always wondered what genre to truly consider
this album. It's certainly not metal, despite the fact that many consider Pain
of Salvation to be a progressive metal band. In fact, metal is the least
represented genre on this album! That's not to say that there's less
progression on this album however. Many have said that this record takes a long
time to appreciate. While I can see where they're coming from (it's incredibly
musically dense and unique) I personally fell in love with the music from first
spin on. However, I would give a warning to those who aren't used to such
avant-garde leanings. If the music itself wasn't enough to sell “Be” off
as a masterpiece, the concept of the album fortifies the album a hundredfold.
This is one of the most epic, ambitious concept albums ever produced. “Be”
tries to answer the questions that mankind has posed ever since it's
inauguration. Who is god, and does he exist? What does he want? This divine
element is contrasted by a human plot, of the future 'richest man in the world'
(named in the script as Mr. Money) attempting to seek immortality through
cryogenics. When waking up, he finds himself in a world of desolation and
emptiness (apparently after some sort of apocalypse) and realizes that all of
his money was, in the end, totally meaningless. Summarizing this shouldn't
spoil any of the enjoyment, as it is the way it is told that is worth so much
praise. Daniel Gildenlow is a musical genius, and if ever
there was a perfect representation of the man's brilliance, this is it. “Be” is
not only one of the best progressive albums of all time, but one of the
greatest pieces of music ever to be composed. A masterpiece, and possibly my
favourite album ever. 839 Mabool - The Story Of The Three Sons Of Seven
A review by SouthSideoftheSky: The calm before the storm still raging inside. Orphaned Land produces a brilliant and truly unique
fusion of Prog Metal, Oriental/Middle-Eastern traditional Folk music, and even
some Symphonic progressive Rock. I very much enjoy successful fusions of Folk
music and progressive Rock or Metal and Orphaned Land is one of the very few
bands that really pull it off without sounding either messy or cheesy. The fact
that they sing in various languages (English, Hebrew, Latin and more) and
various styles (clean male and female vocals as well as Death Metal growls!),
it is very easy to be led to believe that the end result is a complete mess.
While it did indeed sound a little bit "messy" on the first couple of
listens, this impression quickly faded away and the very strong material, with
very well thought-out structures, revealed themselves. “Mabool: The Story Of The Three Sons Of Seven” is a
concept album and this is one of the several things that helps keep it all
together very nicely. The concept is the biblical story of the flood. The
material is powerful and varied with recurring themes and many interesting
twists and turns. Even if I usually dislike growling vocals, I quickly
grew to like this album a lot. Indeed, I am very impressed by the
ground-breaking and unique blend of styles to create something brand new.
Finding comparisons with other bands is not easy, but I instantly think of
another band when hearing Orphaned Land: the great Irish Celtic Metal band
Cruachan. Not because they sound similar as such - they
certainly don't! - but because they both successfully fuse (extreme) Metal with
some form of traditional music and giving these elements about equal space.
Both also have some symphonic Prog elements. While Cruachan builds on the
Irish/Celtic mythology, history and musical tradition, Orphaned Land, as I've
said already, builds upon their own (they hail from Israel) cultural background
in their ethnic and Folk influences. Both bands also, despite their extreme
Metal background, have some kind of commercial "hit" songs (at least
in their home markets); Cruachan with ‘Ride On’ and Orphaned Land with ‘Nora El
Nora (Entering The Ark)’. Very highly recommended! A review by Mellotron Storm: This is a concept album about the flood (Mabool), only
Orphaned Land put their own twist on the Old Testament story by adding the
"Three sons" to it. These three sons are the snake, eagle and lion
and represent the three major religions, Judaism, Islam and Christianity.
Anyway these three sons come together as one to warn the people of the earth of
the impending flood that is coming from God because of their sin. So yes, this
is an album of epic proportions. This record blends several languages and
vocals so beautifully as well as many ethnic instruments, orchestral sections
as well as Prog-Metal. There are some growly vocals that are used to
demonstrate anger, and are not used a lot. ‘Birth Of The Three (The Unification)’ opens with
children singing until crushing riffs come in and vocals. The drumming seems to
roll as the guitars grind it out in the background, and some ripping guitar
melodies follow. I love this opening song. ‘Ocean Land (The Revelation)’ is the
revelation of the impending doom that will strike the earth.The intro reminds
me of The Tea Party with the use of ethnic instruments until the guitar comes
in. Deep throaty vocals are contrasted with the normal vocals, and we then hear
a scorching solo as the song ends with percussion and ethnic vocals. ‘The Kiss
Of Babylon (The Sins)’ relate the sins that man has committed against God. This
is a heavy tune with angry death vocals and background synths. Normal vocals
come in followed by a female vocal melody that is cool. A male takes over the
same melody, and 6 minutes in she really reminds me of Anneke as the song
blends into ‘A'slk’. This is a short song with her still singing with ethnic
instruments including percussion. ‘Halo Dies (The Wrath Of God)’ opens with
spoken words, and as it plays out I'm reminded of Green Carnation. We get some
more growly vocals and the violin/ guitar melody is great. ‘A Call To Awake (The Quest)’ is where the
"Three sons" go out to warn the inhabitants of the earth. This is an
uptempo tune with tasteful guitar melodies. Vocals and heavy riffs follow with
background synths. ‘Building The Ark’ features ethnic instruments as choirs
come in and vocals.There are some intricate, acoustic guitar and synths. ‘Norra
El Norra (Entering The Ark)’ opens with ethnic vocals and strumming guitar that
are crushed by heavy riffs. A female vocal melody, synths, piano and drums
follow. Nice. ‘The Calm Before The Flood’ is a solemn
instrumental of acoustic guitar, synths and wind. Mankind are living their
lives, unaware that their lives are about to end. ‘Mabool (The Flood)’ opens
with the sound of rain and some orchestral sounds as it starts to pour and
thunder. Guitars and drums build in sound, and we then hear spoken words, then
vocals as guitars churn out the melody. ‘The Storm Still Rages Inside’ opens
with spoken words and the sound of water splashing as the ark rises in the
water. There is such an uplifting guitar solo that goes on and on. Nice. Vocal
melodies with drums and splashing water close out the song. ‘Rainbow’ ends this
ambitious work with acoustic guitar as you can hear the birds singing; beautiful
ending. This is close to being a masterpiece in my opinion,
but falls just short. 4.5 stars. 840 Of Natural History
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: Sleepytime Gorilla Museum's "Of Natural
History" is a genuine oddity of avant garde prog with a blend of lunatic melodies
mixed with metal distortion and some downright bizarre singing. The music is
quite difficult to describe and exists in a league of its own. The band is made
up of Nils Frykdahl on guitars, flute, Matthias Bossi on drums, glockenspiel,
xylophone, Dan Rathbun on bass, log, roach, trombone, lute, Moe! Staiano on
metal, wood, bowed spatula, glockenspiel, spring, paper, Carla Kihlstedt on
violins, percussion guitar, autoharp, organ, and Frank Grau on drums, and
melodica. It is certainly compelling music, bleak and eerie at times but never
dull. The music interchanges so suddenly and aggressively forceful that it is
rather unsettling, but it is an amazing achievement in sonic violence. The
moments of beauty always have a beastly sound lurking around the door, and one
never knows what to expect. The twisting musical shapes are jarring and at
times amusing, in their ceaseless time signature changes. The concept of the
album involves being dissatisfied with technology and attempts to escape
modernity to embrace the old days of horse and cart. Technology is viewed as a
monster, controlled by an adversary that must be defeated. The environmental
message of returning to nature is veiled behind very obscure twisted lyrics,
but it exists as a framework for the high strangeness. The breaking down of
musical barriers is part of the exploration of breaking from societal control. It begins with a snoring dog, and then some deep
bass tone singing 'A Hymn to the Morning Star' that is bleak and very original
in style. But there are no other songs on the album like this. The sound and
style changes completely from song to song. 'The Donkey-Headed Adversary of
Humanity Opens the Discussion' is basically yelled phrases and very distorted
guitars that get louder and louder. 'Pthisis' has a striking vocal of Carla
that is very much in the style of Bjork, and some weird music appropriately
serves as a landscape. 'FC The Freedom Club' is a raucous mini epic with a
lot of power and aggressiveness. The music is frenetic, riffing Meshuggah
guitars and a nasty syrupy blend of violent violins and dramatic drum
blastbeats. The music is very intense and it builds into a fast tempo and some
odd musical arrangements. This is what avant metal is all about. It even
features some high register vocals that are kind of pretty on a background of
glockenspiel and ethereal music. It ends with insect sounds in an imaginary
forest creating a rather eerie atmosphere. This blends nicely into 'Gunday's Child' with an
acoustic intro and some strange melodies. It feels like a tuneful Residents
song, even when the vocals come in, loudly mixed to the front end and whispered
seductively. It builds into a manic bass heavy tempo with avant string sounds
and some passionate singing. This song has some weird time sigs and is perhaps
darker in style than previous tracks. More cicada effects are heard for the appropriately
titled 'The 17 Year Cicada', which is really a musical piece of Oriental
percussion and some booming bass drums. The cicadas are intensely scattered
along with high pitch pipes and frenetic flute playing. The roaches sound like
they are being squished and strangles leading to the odd meter of 'The
Creature'. This track is very dark with some heart pounding lyrics spoken out
in a deep bass voice. It is a musical poetry about a perpetually hungry
creature. The squishy sounds and bizarre music is very much like The Residents'
style. This is perhaps the weirdest track on the album, with disturbing lyrics
and breathing, insect noises, as well as dramatic creepy clangs and bangs. The
bass is kind of like Primus, all over the place and out of sync with the weird
guitar melodies. The strong Southern American accent of spoken
dialogue next reminds me of Godspeed You! Black Emperor on 'What Shall We Do
Without Us'. It has a hillbilly violin sound, like Comus, a female vocal at
times and then builds to loud crashing bass and guitar before returning to the
violin hoedown sound and female vocals. This is as weird as they get, and ends
with more crickets chirping. It all feels as though we are outside a shed
listening in on a bunch of hillbilly lunatics. The spoken dialogue returns to usher in the lengthy
'Babydoctor'. At 14 minutes this is the longest song and it begins slowly with
strumming guitar and a creepy atmospheric drone. A heartbeat bass comes in with
rhythmic tones, building in volume. It eventually gets extreme with growling
vocals and a blend of fast percussion, guitars, strings and a plethora of heavy
banging on homemade tools. The percussion is terrific, off kilter and jazzy.
After an aggressive freakout, it drops into a slow tempo and some whispered
voices. A tolling bell rings out and some eerie violins, creating an ominous
atmosphere. Dialogue returns that makes little sense but adds to the uneasy feeling
that something sinister is going to happen. 'Cockroach' follows with deeper vocals and some
unusual effects, including squeaks, ethereal female vocal intonations and
xylophones. 'The Hidden Track' follows that is not even hidden, which is part
of the irony, and there are more cicada insect noises that build and those odd
dialoguing men return. I like the bullfrog noises here and the overall night
insect sounds. I wish I knew what the men are on about but it sounds
deceptively like frivolous chatter. The insects continue for a while and then
the snoring dog returns heard at the beginning of the album. It goes silent
until bird whistles chime in, as if we have survived the night and are now in
the dawn of day. The weird male voices sound as if they are mimicking nature's
sounds. I can only conclude that this is an album of an
incredible original sound, disharmonious and experimental unlike any music I
have heard. It deserves its reputation as a triumph of avant garde prog, as it
is constantly striving to break down the barriers of music. It is brutally
unsettling, but nevertheless a very compelling experience. A review by Mellotron Storm: This album has been hard to ignore with all the
talk it has generated since its release in 2004. Many have said that it is
impossible to describe the music on "Of Natural History" and that you
really need to experience it by listening to it. Let me tell you about my
experience. ‘A Hymn To The Morning Star’ opens with a minute
and a half of not much really. There is the sound of snoring a pump organ and a
dog growling before these deep vocals enter the scene. These are contrasted
with some other vocals as violin comes in later. ‘The Donkey-Headed Adversary
Of Humanity Opens The Discussion’ features angry and aggressive vocals and a
soundscape to match. I think the hair on my neck stood straight up the first
time I heard him say "I am the adversary" early in the song. ‘Phthisis’
is a great tune with female vocals and heavy drums as male vocals yell in the
background. ‘Bring Back The Apocalypse’ has various sounds to
open before we get percussion and a vocal melody. A sample of someone speaking
ends the song. ‘FC:The Freedom Club’ opens with xylophone and vocals before the
song kicks in instrumentally and vocally. Nice. The vocals become angry until
we get back to original melody 7 minutes in. What a contrast! ‘Gundry's Child’ opens with nature sounds as
haunting female vocals come in. The song explodes before 2 minutes. It settles
back down before breaking out once again in a powerful way. ‘The 17-Year Cicada’
has various sounds that come and go as a melody is kept alive with percussion. ‘The
Creature’ is loud! Reserved vocals arrive and what a great sound 3 1/2 minutes
in of guitar and drums. It comes back to end the song. ‘What Shall We Do
Without Us?’ opens with a sample of a conversation as female vocals and
percussion come in followed by chaos. ‘Babydoctor’ opens with another sample of a
conversation. Male vocals with drums followed by violin and with it stronger
vocals. The song becomes almost pastoral until 7 1/2 minutes in when vocals get
angry and the sound becomes heavy. It ends with an atmospheric climate. ‘Cockroach’
opens with yet another sample of a conversation. The vocals are deep like on
the opening track. The ‘Bonus-/Hiddentrack’ has another conversation between
people out in the woods as you can hear nature. It ends as it began with
snoring and dog sounds. Well, everybody was right; you do need to
experience this record by listening to it again and again. They do a great job
with the way they contrast the light and heavy. There is quite a bit of
sampling and I really like the female
and male vocals, and above all I like the heaviness that is on this record. For
me this is a four star record right now. It is a unique album that I think everyone should listen to at some point
in their lives. 841
A review by Ivan_Melgar_M: After the huge success of "Revolutions"
in the year 2001, the Magenta fans had to wait almost three years to know if Magenta
was only a mirage of past years or really a solid progressive band. Most of the fans
were satisfied with the release of "Seven" in 2004, a second
conceptual album but this time about the seven capital sins. The album is
really good and the band is more mature. We can still listen to the clear
references from Yes, Genesis, Mike Oldfield, but the band has developed a
clearly more unique sound. Less symphonic than its predecessor and more
oriented towards Neo Prog, “Seven” has an evident more modern sound. The
production is impeccable with the participation of The Vienna Symphony
Orchestra that is perfect (without falling in exaggerations as other bands) and
the music is simply delightful. From symphonic excesses (that prog fans love so
much) to lyrical passages and powerful melodic tracks, it's obvious that the
years have not passed in vain; maybe not as impressive as
"Revolutions" because we knew what to expect from the band, but an
absolutely solid album from start to end. The album starts with ‘Gluttony’, a track that
begins with a vocal introduction that reminds me of ‘Relayer’ because of the
cha cha cha chorus similar to the one in ‘Sound Chaser’, but those who expect a
copy are wrong. The music is absolutely different, as in the previous album,
very symphonic but with a clear unique sound that blends with Neo Prog in an
exquisite way. There are excellent keyboards by Rob Reed, complex guitar chords
by Chris Fry and of course the unique voice of Christina to add more
brilliance. But what impressed me more with this song is the beautiful
polyphonic vocals and the excellent job of the rhythm section by Rob Reed (who
plays bass in this album) and Tim Robinson. A great opener. When I first listened to ‘Envy’ I thought that they
were playing ‘Entangled’ because of the short intro, and the digitally produced
Mellotron sound (I think Magenta prefers not to use the old but wonderful
mellotron, but even without it we shouldn't worry because the sound created by
Rob Reed is faithful). This song is softer than the previous one even when
there are short explosions of power, and some sections are really melancholic
reminding me of the 4 men Genesis era. Christina's voice with Rob’s keyboards
are extremely beautiful and the ending guitar section by Chris Fry is
breathtaking. It is another great track but clearly more oriented towards Neo
Prog than any previous work by Magenta. ‘Lust’ is probably one of the highlights on this
album and my favorite. The symphonic introduction is simply pompous and
magnificent (the kind of music I love) and the way the music flows from one
section to the next is impressive. The band manages to create a sense of
continuity with not a single patch, and the song has dramatic changes but so
well managed that you don't feel any abrupt cut; an excellent work and a
wonderful track. A special mention for the drums work by Tim Robinson which are
outstanding; 12:26 minutes of pure prog. ‘Greed’ is not one of my favorite tracks, even when
the vocal work and the guitar is outstanding. The band performs a good job and
reminds me very much of the first Magenta album that I love so much, but I
guess it's one of those things I can't explain, just a matter of taste. Probably
in a couple of weeks this song will grow on me, because I can't say it's not
good, only not my favorite. ‘Anger’ is the shortest track on the album and
works as a reliever and a moment to breathe, with extremely beautiful strings
that match perfectly with Chistina's clear voice. Not everything must be
breathtaking on an album, a good relief is always necessary, and this is a very
beautiful melodic song. ‘Pride’ is another powerful track that starts soft
and calmed but almost instantly gains power with an explosion of strength. Christina's
vocal part adds more power, with an absolutely symphonic way to begin a track
that combines a great chorus with a powerful bass and the whole band giving us
one of their best works. As the song advances the emotion goes in crescendo,
and we can perceive the clear Yes influence in the guitar, but again with a
unique sound. Another of my favorites. The album ends with ‘Sloth’ a track that has a
dramatic and mysterious intro that leads to a softer track with some beautiful
vocals by Christina, reminding me in some way of Clare Torry in Pink Floyd; a
good and soft closer for a great album. Now comes the real problem, how to rate this album.
I like “Revolutions” a bit more because I'm a proghead that loves the beautiful
Symphonic excesses and I gave that album 5 stars, but on the other hand there's
no way to rate a perfectly balanced album, with no fillers and excellent
production, with less than the maximum. Well, I love the music, and the band has grown
since their debut. We need more albums like this one in the 21st Century, so I
will give another 5 stars rating. Edited by AtomicCrimsonRush - August 07 2012 at 09:01 |
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: August 07 2012 at 09:07 |
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2004 continued soon...
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: August 19 2012 at 22:31 |
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2004 continued
842
A review by Mellotron Storm: I think anyone who is a fan of Spock’s Beard and Transatlantic
will enjoy this release. There are some nuggets in the bonus disc as well, like
‘Back To The Garden’ bringing to mind the Joni Mitchell written ‘Woodstock’. ‘Day
After Day’, a Badfinger cover, is fantastic, while ‘I'm Free/Sparks’ is my
favourite of the bonus material, featuring some outstanding guitar and Neal
shouting "I'm free", which certainly has more meaning then the
original rendition. Highlights for me on the first disc are the chorus
in ‘The Creation’ as well as Phil Keaggy's guitar solo. This man is one of the
greatest guitarist's of our generation. There is mellotron played during ‘One
Mind’, ‘In A Perfect Light’ and ‘Where Are You’ sections of ‘The Creation’. ‘The
Man's Gone’ is a really cool sounding song with reserved gentle vocals that I like
a lot. My favourite though is the song ‘Author Of Confusion’ opening with
heavy, pounding drums and a terrific guitar melody that just smokes. There are
Gentle Giant-like vocal arrangments and check out Portnoy 9 minutes in; do you
think he's having a blast! I kind of wish this song was heavy throughout
instead of the about face after 5 minutes. ‘The Separated Man’ is the other epic with
mellotron during the “I'm In A Cage" section. I like the "I Am the
Man" section best, and there is another great guitar solo too. I have to
admit I'm not too fond of ‘Cradle To The Grave’, the syrup is flowing too much
for me. While ‘Father Of Forgiveness’ and ‘Reunion’ I find both rather weak. I
guess if I'm going to sit and listen to a CD for almost 80 minutes, the last
two tracks better be amazing, and these two are far from that. The sixth song ‘Help
Me/The spirit And The Flesh’ has a jazzy feel at times and some good guitar,
but how uplifting is “The Spirit And The Flesh” section! Although this record has it's flaws, there
certainly is enough great material to give it 4 stars. A review by Gatot: What a wonderful album this one is! Morse has
proven himself to prog lovers that he can succeed by standing on his own
creation. No question about his brilliant contribution to Spock's Beard; and this
gentleman is definitely a prog genius! I'm truly honest on this even though I
did not favor Spock's Beard early albums where I found too many mixture of
styles between Gentle Giant, Yes, and Gypsy King (this one had made me reluctant with SB’s first album
despite that I admired the musicianship of the band). I had Morse’s first solo
album but it did not attract me at all. But his solo work after he left the
band, "Testimony" and "One", are marvelous! This review is
intended to give my deepest and personal appreciation to the gentleman named Neal
Morse. ‘The Creation’ (18:22) is an
epic track sectioned into four: I) One Mind, II) In a Perfect Light, III) Where
Are You? IV) Reaching from the Heart. It starts off with an atmospheric
keyboard and orchestra arrangement that reminds me of watching a
"Holywood" movie or "Lord of The Rings". It has a powerful
nuance of great music, and blasts off with Portnoy's work with his drum stools,
keyboard, and guitar sounds backed with symphonic music. The intertwining
guitar, drum and keyboard in a relatively fast tempo at the opening are really
superb! The voice line then enters the music in a continuous stream of music
accentuated with dynamic drumming and keyboard. Morse’s vocal and its harmony
with backing vox are stunning. In some transitions and some passages, mellotron
is used nicely. This track has a very tight structure that ties each musical
passage beautifully in one cohesive way. I fail to identify any loose ties in
any passage of its composition, all parts hold together tightly like a concrete
structure, but it provides total musical enjoyment; a superb composition by any
standard. All guitar and keyboard solos are packaged nicely. You will
definitely agree with me if you listen to it. My personal experience is that I
don't realize that I'm approaching the 18 minute part of the song where I never
get bored during my journey with this song since the beginning. This track is
an enhanced "Supper's Ready" of this millennium! ‘The Man's Gone’ (2:50) is a
short track that features acoustic guitar and a percussive moderate tempo;
performed with theatrical vocals. If I enjoy this track as one song it does not
attract me much, it's just a good track, but when I listen to it as a
transition between ‘The Creation’ and third track ‘Author of Confusion’, it is
such a nice transition! ‘Author of Confusion’ (9:30) blasts
off, with a fast tempo and complex music combining guitar, keyboard, drum and
bass in a rocking mood. The music itself produces a sort of riff but it's
unlike prog metal riffs. There are nice transitions featuring mellotron and
dazzling drum work followed by lead guitar. The keyboard solo sometimes reminds
me of Rick Wakeman, having a
run through approximately 4 minutes, then the great vocal harmony ala Gentle
Giant enters the music. This vocal harmony is completely superb! The music then
turns into a moderate tempo with continuous flow. Mellotron work plays
beautifully in the background. Electric guitar and keyboard works are stunning
and it rocks! This track is and will be my long time favourite, so wonderfully
crafted! ‘The Separated Man’ (17:58) is
another epic with four sections. Composed in a moderate tempo, this track is
less complex compared to the previous one, especially under the first section ‘I'm
in a Cage’. The transition piece features Middle East nuances with an excellent
vocal harmony that ends up with a "nice" scream followed by uplifting
musical passages. The acoustic guitar work is excellent, and the ending part of
the track features nice orchestra and vocal that concludes the song. ‘Cradle to the Grave’ (4:55) is a
ballad track that reminds me of Spock's
Beard’s ‘The Distance to The Sun’ from the "Day for
Night" album. The opening acoustic guitar work reminds me of Pink Floyd's "Animals"
album. But when the voice line enters, it's an entirely different thing; "Sometimes
I don't understand why I was born at all". It's a mellow and melodic
song. ‘Help Me/The Spirit and
the Flesh’ (11:13) starts off with a great piano touch and flows naturally in
a moderate tempo with Morse’s vocal followed by short lead guitar fills. There
are jazz influences that appear in this track. This song is straight forward
and there are stunning acoustic guitar fills. The music turns to another melody
in the middle of the track with quieter passages and it moves into a happier
mood. It ends up with symphonic music with excellent orchestration. ‘Father of Forgiveness’ (5:46) is a
nice mellow track featuring piano and vocal at the opening, followed by
orchestra and soft drumming. ‘Reunion’’s (9:11)
opening is composed in a straight forward rock with orchestra. The tempo turns
faster with dynamic drumming, violin and cello orchestration, augmented with
lead guitar work. The music sometimes turns quieter with piano rhythms. The
inclusion of female choirs is really good to conclude the album with "Make
us One" in a symphonic style. Overall, it's a masterpiece and highly recommended album. Rating
4.75 / 5. A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: An 80 minute journey into
the spiritual creative mind of Neal Morse is always going to be a delight. I had
listened to the “One Demos” album before this as it was cheap and easy to
obtain. This featured outtakes and demo versions of these tracks that are the
finished product. As a consequence I became very used to the demo unfinished
versions. It was quite a surprise to finally hear how the songs turned out, not
necessarily better, but definitely more polished and complex in terms of musicianship
and structure. The album is a masterpiece from the great man that features some
of most celebrated material. It features two colossal epics,
‘The Creation’, and ‘The Separated Man’ that together clock 36 wonderful
minutes of heavy to ambient emotionally-charged prog. Both songs are segemented
into many sections, in the classic progressive style of a multi movement suite,
many songs seamlessly becoming one, and both are in four distinct sections.
They are also the best tracks on offer here. ‘The Separated Man’ is my
favourite, with some gorgeous keyboard melancholia and some of the most beautiful
acoustic guitar from the dextrous hand of Christian guitar legend Phil Keaggy.
The songs follow the Biblical account of the fall of man, how he rejected God, the pursuit of God for man to
find redemption, and consequently how we became separated by our sin from God,
and ultimately how we can be brought back to God through Jesus Christ. Whether one
believes in this or not there is no disputing the power of the music and the
absolute brilliance of the melodic vocals and awesome musicianship. Neal Morse plays keyboards,
and some guitars, but it is his dominant crystalline vocals that lift
this album into the heavens. Randy George is reliable on bass guitar and
the power of Mike Portnoy’s percussion is flawless. ‘The Creation’ is a tour de
force of symphonic orchestration mixed with passages of heavy prog and ambient
beauty, depending on the storyline. It is meant to capture the creation of the
planet at the hands of God who said “Let There be Light” and man “received the
breath of life” in Genesis. The account of Adam and Eve, and the creation of
the Earth, is by no means an original theme to bass an epic on as others have
done so before, including early Genesis, The Flower Kings and PFM, but this
version must be the most spiritual coming from a true believer. The passion of
the vocals and music is unsurpassed; majestic and purely emotional. The music
is always bright and uplifting; the keyboard runs, melodies and guitars work
well together to create a positive atmosphere. Morse does not hold back with
his lyrics about living to “Praise His name” and utilising Biblical passages paraphrased
to suit the music. It ends with the cry of God to Adam “why are you hiding?”
with Morse in his heaviest angry voice. This theme will appeal to the Christian
as well as those who simply want to be blown away by incredible music. The lyrics
really are uncompromising but it is all Bible based and is quite a mesmirising
journey if you allow it to soak through your system. It makes a nice change
from all the dark prog that is churned out. ‘Author of Confusion’ is
another passionate composition with multilayered vocals and sweet melodies. It begins
with a raucous prog tempo and then settles into beautiful harmonies and
Mellotron. This is followed by melancholia and deepest heartfelt vocals with ‘Cradle
to the Grave’. I liked the version better on “One Demos” as it follows
seamlessly from the wonderful prog instrumental ‘Mayhem’ with heavy riffs and
very powerful time sigs, thus balancing it out perfectly into quiet refelction
after blazing guitars; like the calm following a tempestuous storm. ‘Help Me/The Spirit and
the Flesh’ is a gorgeous spirit filled song, encompassing piano and jazz fills
that lifts the spirit up, and the lovely melodies of ‘Father of Forgiveness’
has become a favourite ballad among the fan base. The album ends with the
glorious ‘Reunion’ in 3 parts, making a splendiferous finale. Overall, this is
an astonishing conceptual album with some of the all time greatest material
from Neal Morse.
A review by Gatot: This album has created a controversy for me as well
as the prog community. As a hard core fan of symphonic and neo prog genre, this
was my first impression when I received my pre-ordered package. I didn't
understand why the band took 2 years to complete this album! For example, on
the first track of disc 1, I couldn't catch the soul of the track even until 6
minutes passed. I could not bear it anymore, so I skipped to track 2; another
lousy mellow track. And then track 3 is so poppy. The skip went on with each
track consuming roughly 3 minutes, for my ears could not bear to listen to the
CD. Then I turned to CD 2 and had the same feeling. Then I put this album on
the shelf. For approximately a week I didn't want to touch it. Only one thing
left in me after I skimmed through the two CDs, and that was that the sonic
quality of the 2 CDs are excellent! Then I gave it another try. This time I
intentionally disregarded all expectations and/or definition of prog. Simply
put, I didn't want to pigeon hole the band to a certain category of genre or
use music boundaries. I just plainly used my ears and my mind to listen to the
album completely. So here I am, in the boundary-less definition of anything,
open my mind, sit down and relax (it seems like an opening words for Jethro
Tull's "Bursting Out" live. Well, music has inspired me a lot, and this
is my experience. With a spacey touch in the intro part, a drum-loop
and a bit of percussion sound with mellow keyboard, ‘The Invisible Man’ enters
my mind. The first minute reminds me strongly of the intro part of ‘Assassing’,
on the band's second album. But if combined with the keyboard sound, this first
minute reminds me of the nuances of the intro part of Fish's ‘What Colour is
God’ on “Sunsets on Empire” album. I am sure this is purely a coincidence, not
intentional. Fortunately, when Hogarth's vocal slowly enters with other
compositions, I have to admt that this track is terrific; well structured with
a mixture of great sounds. Steve's guitar sound is really excellent. I guess he
played it with his heart as the sound he produced is so smooth. Mark's keyboard
sound is rich and sets the whole tone of the track. Track 2 ‘Marbles I’ is pure easy listening pop
music. I think the band tries to emulate what Rick Wakeman's ‘Lady of the Lake’
series does in the "King Arthur" album, as Marbles has 4 series (I-IV)
wth 3 of them sharing the same melody, while ‘Marbles III’ is different from
the others. Lyrically, Marbles tracks are weak as they tell the story about
little Hogarth playing with marbles. So simplistic and not unique as many
people have a similar experience during their childhood, I think. Track 3 ‘Genie’ is nothing more than pop music and
a little bit boring on its melody part. ‘Fantastic Place’ is a nice track. ‘The
Only Unforgivable Thing’ is very good, still mellow, but the interlude is
terrific, and this segment produces nice melodies with touchy guitar fills. The
closing track ‘Ocean Cloud’ is an epic. Again, I rate highly on this track as
it has a beautiful composition. Hogarth sings with his heart, and the nuances
created in this track is similar to Pink Floyd's ‘High Hopes’ from
"Division Bell" album. ‘Ocean Cloud’ is really excellent; the ending
part of this track reminds me of early Marillion style, with stunning guitar
supported by keyboard sound as a background. ‘Marbles III’ is the only one that has a different
melody than other Marbles. ‘The Damage’ sounds completely like typical
"Brit Pop" music and it reminds me of Radiohead or Muse. It's a nice
track though. ‘Don't Hurt Yourself’ is similar, but it has a better melody. I
like the acoustic guitar intro of this track. The music flows nicely and has a good
melody when Hogarth sings "Don't Hurt Yourself." I also like the
guitar sound produced here, it's a kind of Hawaiian style. ‘You're Gone’ is the band's single. It's a nice pop
song, sounds like house music, with drum-loop. Again, I sense that the nuance
at intro part is similar to Fish's ‘What Color is God?’ It's a coincidence, I
believe but it's an enjoyable track. This track has reached UK chart no. 7. ‘Angelina’
starts with a radio tuning sound typical to the band's intro of ‘Forgotten Sons’
of "Script" album. Hogarth’s voice enters the track very nicely, and I
like it. ‘Drilling Hole’ is really cool, the opening reminds
me of Peter Gabriel solo albums such as "UP". I like ‘Drilling Hole’
very much as it has a great composition in the easy listening scheme; the keyboard
playing is really excellent! The interlude part makes you fly, definitely! This
track blows your mind! I rate it as high as ‘Ocean Cloud’ and ‘Invisible Man’. ‘Neverland’ is another epic and again, Hogarth
sings completely with his heart. The keyboard background creates a solid nuance
for the track. This is a track that may inspire you to create wild ideas.
Listen to Steve guitar playing; so wonderful! The acoustic guitar part at
minutes 4:26 is cool; I love this piece! Then it flows nicely with Steve’s
stunning guitar playing. In this track also I can get a feel of Pete's tight
bass guitar playing nicely. Disc 2 is much better than 1 and this album
deserves five stars. Overall for a 2 CD package, this album is excellent. It
has created something different with some tracks that are sort of
"derivative". It has a bit of Porcupine Tree (no wonder, the genius
Steve Wilson got involved in this album), Pink Floyd and Radiohead, or Muse. The
songwriting is good even though the lyrics are so simplistic in some tracks,
the musicianship is terrific. One thing bothers me though: "where is the
challenging job of Mr. Ian Mosley?" There is no dynamic drumming, and some
tracks use drum-loop or programming; so, Ian's capability is not fully
capitalized in this album. Such a waste actually, because I know that Ian is a
terrific drummer. Hogarth’s voice is great, and Steve Rothery and Mark Kelly’s
contributions are dominant, though Pete is not fully at his potential. If I
should recommend, you should purchase the one CD version instead of 2 CD. Bravo
Marillion! 844
A review by SouthSideoftheSky: Hardly born brilliant, but they
finally became so with this album I have never been particularly impressed by IQ
before, but “Dark Matter” is, in my opinion, a very strong album and by
far the best album by the band. Finally, after more than 20 years in
the music business they reached their peak here. While “Dark Matter” is
different in several ways from earlier albums by the band, it is still very
much IQ. What makes this album stand out in the band's catalogue is that the
compositions are all among IQ's strongest and most memorable ever, and that the
sound is a bit more powerful than usual. But also, and this is more important,
that I sense a new-found passion and enthusiasm in this music that creates a
sense of urgency that I have often found lacking in IQ's music in the past.
Most of the band's previous works have seemed a bit tired and almost lethargic
to my ears and especially the longer songs have often been over long and
a bit one-dimensional. Here they sound reinvigorated and energetic. “Dark Matter” features only five tracks and runs
for just over fifty minutes. The closing number, ‘Harvest Of Souls’, is a
nearly 25 minute piece that far outshines the band's previous attempts on this
grand scale. It moves through several themes and moods, but stays focused
throughout with a great melody and compositional structure. The keyboards are
varied and some vintage keyboards are used which creates a more organic sound
without making it come across as "retro-Prog". The presence of (what
sounds like a) Hammond organ gives substance and even brings a slight heaviness to
the sound, which is not commonly associated with IQ. This is particularly
evident on the opening and closing numbers. Also, (what sounds like a) church
organ gives a haunting feel to some tracks. Overall, the sound and feel of this
album is about as dark, mysterious and haunting as the great cover art. The
production is impeccable and every instrument comes to its full right. The shorter songs in between are equally strong and
memorable and here we get to see the acoustic side of the band. This makes the
album varied yet consistent. The vocals are very strong throughout as are the
lyrics. Peter Nicholls sings like he means every word - like he is delivering a
message he really cares about. Passion is, after all, the sign of great music. IQ's
best, highly recommended! A review by Mellotron Storm: I think IQ have made 6 excellent studio albums
(including this one) up to this point in time, and in my opinion this is the
best one yet! I find this to be pretty amazing considering it's been 21 years
from their debut to this one. I just can't find any fault with this record at
all. Orford is simply incredible on this release, but it would be unfair to
leave out Cook's fantastic drumming or Jowitt's subtle bass lines or Holmes
tasteful guitar melodies or of course Nicholl's uplifting vocals. Everyone is
at the top of their game on "Dark Matter". It starts off with ‘Sacred Sound’ a song that I cannot listen to without smiling. The guitar
is so warm and inviting and Orford's a genius! Nicholls simply moves me
emotionally on this track for some reason. About half way through Orford really
reminds me of Banks in that great instrumental passage.We get a quiet section
before the organ and vocals return. Actually I'm sure that's church organ I hear
at one point. The guitar comes back late as well. ‘Red Dust Shadow’ opens with strummed acoustic
guitar, gentle vocals and mellotron. 1 1/2 minutes in we get some Porcupine Tree
sounding synths, actually the whole song including the intro has Porcupine Tree
written all over it, and Mellotron is back 5 minutes in. This song is such a
good change of pace for the band. ‘You Never Will’ features some upfront
drumming like on the opening song. The lyrics are cool in this one, especially
the way the title of it is used at the end of the sentence. A collage of sounds
3 1/2 minutes in is followed by pulsating keys, then the guitar arrives and it
sounds so amazing as does Nicholls and the sampled mellotron throughout this
tune. ‘Born Brilliant’ opens with lots of atmosphere and
is very Pink Floyd sounding. Processed vocals before 2 minutes when the song
kicks in, and this one has a good beat with fantastic organ. The guitar cries
out in the background and the Pink Floyd vibe is back on this great tune. ‘Harvest Of Souls’ is a side long suite at almost
25 minutes. It opens with beautiful acoustic guitar and vocals. Mellotron comes
in at 3 minutes as a fuller sound comes in a minute after that. Nice.The tempo
picks up speed 6 1/2 minutes in and the mellotron is back.There is a beautiful
section 10 1/2 minutes in, and pulsating keys ala Banks and mellotron follow.
Piano melodies before 15 minutes, and then passionate vocals in another
terrific passage before 17 minutes. The song eventually ends with some
excellent guitar melodies. I don't know how IQ can possibly top this one, and
with word out that Martin Orford has left the band it's going to be difficult. 845
A review by Mellotron Storm: 4.5 stars.This is a magical album for me, pushing
the right buttons most of the time. Yes this sounds like an updated(Gabriel
era) GENESIS album.The focus is on the absolutely amazing vocals of Simone, and
also the hammond organ, keyboards and mellotron. I really enjoyed reading
Hibou's review because i can tell she feels the same emotion as i do when
listening to this album. In fact i'd go as far to say this is in my top ten of
Neo-Prog records of all time. "Hills" features reserved vocals and keys
throughout.This is really a short intro track. "Damage Mode" is
uptempo with vocals but there is some good contrasts here with the calm
sections.This just sounds really good. I like when it settles right down with
flute, vocals and keys after 3 minutes.Then at about the five minute mark a
flood of mellotron washes in. Nice. "Wonderland" is one of my
favourites with hammond organ and a rare guitar solo. It's so uplifting when it
kicks in around 1 1/2 minutes.The mellotron is so majestic during the calm 4
1/2 minutes in. "Shining Bald Heads" has these pulsating
synths as drums come and go. Vocals before a minute. Excellent sound. A calm
before 3 minutes with Gabriel-like vocals then it kicks back in. Themes are
repeated. "Out Of The Land" is another great tune. It makes me
emotional for some reason, i don't know, but it's wondrous. Very GENESIS-like
and delicate. "Goddess" has some energy right out of the gate. I like
the drum/synth sectuion 3 1/2 minutes in and the mellotron a minute later.
"Deeper Still" is a mellotron laden beauty. Keys to open and fragile
vocals. It's simply gorgeous when it kicks in after a minute. Love the synths
after 2 1/2 minutes to end it. "The Vacuum" features moog, mellotron
and hammond organ, what else could a person ask for ? I have to emphasize
again, what a fantastic singer this man is. Another GENESIS-like tune. A review by Gatot: During the years when I enjoyed Genesis in the
seventies I had no problem when Peter Gabriel left the band (don't get me
wrong, I love Gabriel's theatrical singing style and voice quality) and Genesis
continued with the excellent follow-up "A Trick of The Tail" with
Phil Collins as front man. I did have a problem when Hackett left the band
after "Wind and Wuthering" because the music direction changed. So,
basically I love Genesis because of the music especially those with Hackett as
guitarist and contributing songwriter in the band. When I knew of bands like
Citizen Cain and The Night Watch in the nineties, I was so happy that the early
Genesis sounds were still alive in the nineties. Simone Rossetti, the front man
and excellent flautist of The Night Watch, went on with his new band The Watch.
What's unique here is that the vocal quality of Simone Rossetti is very similar
to Peter Gabriel and is better than Cyrus of Citizen Cain. This album gives me full satisfaction as I have
been so longing for the music which is similar to early Genesis. In a nutshell,
"Vacuum" is what the Genesis would sound like if Hackett did not quit
and Gabriel rejoined the band. It's like the follow-up album of "The Lamb
Lies Down on Broadway" released right after "Wind and Wuthering",
a great idea, isn't it? Let's have a look the album in detail. ‘Hills’ (1:26) opens
the album featuring accentuated vocal by Rossetti accompanied with electric
piano work by Gabriele Manzini, and augmented with soft howling guitar by
Ettore Salati in the vein of Hackett. Even though this short prolog track is
performed without drum and bass, it's energetic in style and it sets the whole
atmosphere of the album. Great opening, and this track continues seamlessly to
the next track. ‘Damage Mode’ (7:17) starts
off with a full blast of the music with all players contributing with their own
instruments. The opening part is really upbeat with riffs and dominated by
powerful mellotron sounds. The music turns into a slower beat with intersecting
powerful vocals and combined again with the mellotron work. Keyboard then
follows up with background music to form a symphonic nuance. Rossetti performs
his flute work on quiet passages with guitar fills reminiscent of early Genesis
music. The ending part is really amazing: mellotron and electric guitar solos
give a stunning sound. It's a wonderful masterpiece composition. ‘Wonderland’ (7:05) begins
with powerful Gabriel-like voice by Rossetti "Bright lights and street
signs wonderland ." accompanied with soft keyboard sound in slow tempo.
The music moves steadily into an uplifting mood and I especially like when
Rossetti sings, "Chain reaction on the razor's edge .." The guitar
work this time is played with a different style when the vocalist sings, but it
returns back to typical Genesis guitar fills especially during quiet passages
with vocal. Keyboard and mellotron give a symphonic nuance. ‘Shining Bald Heads’ (5:55) brings
the music in medium/fast tempo with dynamic singing style combined with rhythm
sections comprising keyboard and guitar. Some segments of keyboard during the
singing verse sounds like "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" (the song,
not the album). The band puts a variation especially during piano and vocal
line that reminds me of Supertramp's style. The song is rich in style and composition. ‘Out Of The Land’ (6:05) starts
with a wonderful combination of voice line and guitar fills augmented with a
very soft mellotron sound, continued with keyboard work. Halfway through the
band performs this track in mellow style and in the middle of the track the
music moves in crescendo and brings the music into a faster upbeat tempo with
soaring keyboard, drums and electric guitar solo. ‘Goddess’ (5:48) is an
upbeat track with riffs and organ-drone work. The composition reminds me of the
music style of Genesis’ "Nursery Cryme". It has inventive keyboard
work combined with guitar and dynamic drumming. The ending part of this track
sees beautiful arrangements integrating the key instruments: keyboards, guitar
with vocal. ‘Deeper Still’ (3:24) is a
mellow track where some voice lines are done with distant vocal style. Having
enjoyed some complex arrangements, it's good having this track featured at
seventh as it provides a musical break. Not only providing a musical break, but
this song is melodic and for my personal taste it's much better than having ‘More
Fool Me’ in Genesis' "Selling England By The Pound" album. ‘The Vacuum’ (10:59)
concludes the album with a multi-mood song combining mellow style at the
opening, accompanied with guitar fills and segments with upbeat/ high register
notes. The music immediately moves into higher register notes through the voice
of Rossetti. This last song contains excellent composition which integrates
soaring organ sounds, and a dynamic drum and powerful vocal. The music turns
into fast tempo with long sustained keyboard, followed with wonderful guitar
work and dazzling drums by Roberto Leoni. Vocal singing style seems like a
theatrical act with excellent punctuation, strengthened by inventive organ/
keyboard work. Conclusion What can I say about this album? Wonderful, definitely,
and the band is heavily influenced by early Genesis - plus a bit of influence
from King Crimson - with lead singer’s voice quality and power identical to
Peter Gabriel. But The Watch’s music is not something derivative as their
compositions are mostly different, and not ripping off from the older band;
especially when I look at the album track by track and segment by segment. Some
compositions may have similar structures but the overall composition is
different. For me personally, I'm glad that now I have at least three bands
which still carry the torch of early Genesis sound: Citizen Cain especially through
"Somewhere But Yesterday" album, and Hamadryad especially the new album "Safe in Conformity".
If you are early Genesis music lovers and you don't mind other band carrying
the torch of early Genesis music style then this album is really for you. 846
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: One of the surprise packages of Contemporary
Christian Prog. I bought this album because I received a gift
certificate for a Christian store and simply ordered this as I knew Christian
prog could be very good (especially Neal Morse). I had no idea this was an
incarnation of early Kansas, one of the great bands of the 70s that have
released excellent material from “Leftoverture” and “The Point of Know Return”
and of course their smash blockbuster ‘Carry On Wayward Son’. Proto-Kaw's “Before
Became After” is an absolute delight from beginning to end; full on progressive
with some of the best instrumental sections you will hear. It begins with the wonderful 7 minute gem ‘Alt.
More Worlds than Known’, featuring some emotive, reflective lyrics about the
born again experience and the music focuses on bristling Hammond mixed with
crunching guitar riffs. The bass line is a jazz inspired motif from Kew.
Meredith's vocals are crystal clear and at times mesmirising. ‘Words of Honor’ is a similar style to the
melancholy Neal Morse; a quiet, heartfelt song that has a catchy melody.
Livgren has a beautiful acoustic style, very easy to listen to. Bolton adds a
beautiful flute sound to the timbre. ‘Leaven’ begins with a majestic crescendo
instrumental section. Livgren shines on keyboards, guitars, and drums on this
track and other band members compliment this with incredible musical
virtuosity. Livgren's guitar riff is as off kilter as any typical prog rhythm,
fractured and bombastic, similar to Fripp or Hackett from the 70s. It is one of
the best tracks on the CD. There are a lot of spoken words to add to the
overall effect, and it changes course in tempo and metrical patterns with delicious
Emerson style Hammond; sheer bliss. ‘Axolotl’ has a violin sound using keyboards and is
a nice change in pace. ‘Quantum Leapfrog’ is laced with soaring saxophone and a
killer bass riff, a very good track. ‘Greenburg, Glickstein, Charles, David, Smith
and Jones’ is a curio that really grew on me. At first I was not sure but it
stuck in my head, particularly the repeated title. The Hammond crashes down
with furiosity and feels like Emerson and his infamous knife. It actually was
first performed by the psychedelic 60s band The Cryan' Shames, but Proto-Kaw
really give this a workout and the result is more than satisfying. ‘Gloriana’ sounds like the glory days of Kansas. It
continues for 9 mins and never lets up the progressive feel. I was reminded of
early Camel or Caravan for some reason, and it features a very long
instrumental section that is simply brilliantly played. Other tracks include ‘Occasion
of Your Honest Dreaming’ which has some nice lyrics about serenity or indeed
sincerity of living life to the fullest; and ‘Heavenly Man, a heavy guitar
track that grows on you after a few listens. The finale is the multi movement suite ‘Theophany’
that runs for about 12 minutes with some excellent instrumental work from the
band. The time signature changes are exquisite, ranging from 4/4 to 7/8 and
beyond. In fact most of it feels like jazz improv or jazz fusion with eclectic
staccato riffs and wild tempos. It is perhaps the best track on the album. It
feels at times like a church service and at other times like a huge wall of
sound of keyboards and guitar, it absolutely rocks. The lyrics are about the
importance of giving your life to Jesus, a message I can readily relate to,
though this may feel like a sermon for some listeners. Do not let any of the
lyrics put you off though, because the music and subtlety in the lyrics mix
beautifully to make this one of the best prog rock albums of 2004. I thoroughly
recommend it and hope Proto-Kaw continue to produce this brand of music. 847
A review by Gatot: This is my first experience listening to the music
of Glass Hammer. For me, this album is rewarding as the music is a combination
of various styles with a keyboard-based rhythm section and solos ala Tony Banks
of Genesis especially on later albums like "Duke" or "And Then
There Were Three". There are some strong influences of classical music
whereby some tracks really explore this influence with the use of violin in
instrumental passages. Style-wise, it's prog naturally as I can find easily
that there are many tempo changes and some complex arrangements. Guitar is also
a pivotal element in this album, and the vocals are done with male and female
voices. ‘So Close, So Far’ opens the album with a fast
tempo acoustic guitar work played as a rhythm section followed with single
layer keyboard work reminiscent of Tony Banks or Martin Orford (IQ). The
opening part is really nice especially when there are some variations with
quieter passages followed with a high tone keyboard punch. Voice lines enter in
duet style, while keyboard/ organ serves as a main rhythm section augmented
with acoustic guitar. There are beautiful sounds inserts from keyboard, and the
guitar solo is truly stunning, reminding me of the style of Allan Holdsworth.
Suddenly the style changes smoothly into a sort of blues music with some female
voice lines. This part reminds me of Magenta, even though the voice timbre is
different between the two female vocalists. This part is kind of like enjoying
a psychedelic/ spacey music with voice; a very nice interlude! The song ends up
with an uplifting mood where the beat is increasing through guitar rhythms
interjected with great keyboard work. ‘Run Lisette’ continues my journey with this album
through a medium tempo opening with solid basslines and drumming followed with
organ sounds. Guitar enters the scene at the right time and provides musical
enjoyment, especially when it is followed with a roaring keyboard sound and
floating male voice line. I don't know whether this was done intentionally or it
was a technical problem that, according to my ears, has the mixing of the organ
turned too loud, as it muddies up the voice line. I would say this track is
overdosed with the sounds of keyboard/ synthesizer/ organ. Don't get me wrong,
the composition is really excellent for this track. The music flows smoothly
and dynamically with organ as a dominant factor augmented by guitar. The guitar
has its own space demonstrating its awesome solo even though it's not that long
compared to organ. ‘Farewell To Shadowlands’ opens with a harmony
produced by keyboard and guitar sounds. The opening is relatively long enough
so it's gonna entertain those who love guitar and keyboard ventures. It's
probably close to Tony Banks’ solo album “A Curious Feeling”, I would say. The
female voice lines enter at the ending part of the song with floating keyboard
coloring at the background augmented with nice organ punches. Howling guitar
augmented by keyboard is a nice segment at the ending part; it's really an
excellent track. ‘Longer’ starts off differently as it has a
classical outfit using piano touch followed with nice entrance of keyboard
sounds. Ok, this part reminds me of Magenta's music, really. The music moves
smoothly into a medium keyboard-based style. The ending part resembles a style
of neo progressive rock with keyboard-based rhythm and duo female and male vocals. The concluding track is a twenty-minute epic ‘Behind
the Great Beyond’ which starts off with nice classical outfit combining piano
and violin in relatively long duration followed with the entrance of drums that
highlights the start of the music. Keyboard still dominates the music, and female
vocals enter in a relatively quiet passage, a bit spacey, followed with male
vocal at the back. The music then turns into an acoustic guitar solo in a
sudden way; I feel like it's a bit disjointed here as it does not flow smoothly
from the previous part. Right after the acoustic guitar, the music and vocals
enter again with augmentation of electric guitar in long sustain style. Very
nice. The tempo changes faster with rapid-fire violin that characterizes the
melody combined with keyboard. Despite nice composition for each part that
constitutes the epic, I feel that most parts are like disjointed material. Overall, this is an excellent album. Recommended, especially
to those who like neo progressive rock vein which typically is melodic and nice;
this album fits the criteria well. 848
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: A mind blowing blast of symphonic operatic prog like
no other. Therion were first introduced to me through
listening to a variety of tracks streamed online and I was quite taken with the
blend of metal and opera on their latest albums, so without hearing anything
from “Sirius B” I took the plunge into the world of Therion. I was immediately
blown away by the album cover work and booklet. The lyrics are dangerous, edgey
interglactic hyper nonsense about some great interplanetary cult that is going
to cause mass destruction. Forget all that, I am not going to pretend to
understand the strange lyrics, the real star here is the beautiful female
operatic vocals and choirs over a soundscape of orchestra and metal riffs. It
shouldn't work but it does! Every track adds to an overall grand concept that
is headphone music bliss; reminiscent of Ayreon's albums in some ways. The
sound is massive, a veritable wall of sound that at times pummels with metal
distortion or huge choral intonations, and at other times is permeated by
dreamy ambience. The first few songs are quite heavy. ‘The Blood of
the Kingu’ is the heaviest and I love that chugging riff and urgent vocal
style. The pictures in the booklet actually enhance the experience and make
some sense of what the lyrics are professing. I hope nobody takes thus stuff seriously.
The true majesty of the blend of orchestra and crunching guitars is amazing; a
spectacle of sound on every track. ‘Son of the Sun’ is wonderful with the
female soprano shining again; everytime she sings, the album lifts to another
level. There are huge instrumental breaks, violins, cellos, piano, mandolin,
over 170 musicians creating a masterfully executed album. Highly recommended,
extremelty weird and innovative, though not a masterpiece in my opinion, but edges
very close. “To Polo!” 849 The
Sun Also Rises
A review by Gatot: Excellent album with solid composition! I am practically a newbie as far as Knight Area are
concerned as I only heard of the band recently when a friend of mine introduced
me to “The Sun Also Rises” album. It is 'neo-prog', not a favourite genre, so
when I first spun the album, it sounded like the typical neo-prog where
keyboard and guitar are dominant in the composition. But on the second spin I
found the music was more interesting, especially on the brave guitar solos
during the interlude section, or in between the musical segments. Not only
that, the keyboard also plays a critical role in putting it all together in a
solid composition throughout the album. It has come to my attention, actually, that when we
talk about neo-prog there are basically two categories. The first category is
the kind of music that early Marillion (Fish era) plays where they are
basically putting more high energy into the music (refer to songs like
'Assassing', 'Garden Party', 'Forgotten Sons', 'He Knows You Know'); Pallas
('Beat The Drum'); IQ ('The Wake', 'The Darkest Hour', 'Tunnel Vision'); and
Arena ('A Crack In The Ice', 'Welcome to The Cage') may fall into this
category. The second category is those bands who play in a mellow/ slower tempo
music in moody, ambient style like the music of Camel. Bands under this
category are Pendragon, Red Sand, and Knight Area. Under this category, the
music is more digestible for wider audiences because it has stronger pop
nuances. My thoughts on the music of Knight Area in this
album are as follows: The opening overture 'Beyond' (0:27) sets an
excellent tone for the whole album as it starts with ambient music featuring
Latimer-like guitar playing. It flows nicely to the next excellent track 'The Gate
of Eternity' (7:21) which starts with an ambient style followed by melodic
vocal line, and accompanied by guitar fills and long sustained keyboard work in
the background. I have to admit that the opening vocal line here is quite
catchy and sometimes reminds me of the music of Symphonic Slam. What follows is
a stunning guitar solo in the vein of Marillion's 'Sugar Mice' guitar interlude,
but in a much slower tempo. You can imagine how slow the music is as compared
to Marillion, because 'Sugar Mice' is basically a mellow track from “Clutching
At Straws” album. 'Conspiracy' (5:38) brings more energy to the music
with a keyboard-drenched intro in an interesting musical part. Even though I do
not like the part when the vocal starts to roll, this song is excellent and you
may recall the keyboard part of Marillion's 'Garden Party'. 'Forever now'
(4:21) runs in a faster tempo and the music is something similar to Camel in style
with more portions of keyboard. The keyboard solo is in fact very good,
especially when it's combined with skillful guitar playing. The title track
'The Sun Also Rises' (5:51) is an instrumental piece in a mellow style. 'A New Day
At Last' (5:12) starts with a catchy piano solo followed with melodic vocal
line, backed by stunning guitar work. I can recommend this album, especially if you love
the mellow side of neo-prog and stunning guitar solos combined with keyboard. 850 Isis
A review by UMUR: “Panopticon” is
the third full-length studio album by American post metal/ Experimental metal
act Isis. This is where all
the pieces begin to fit together. Having listened to and reviewed the first two
albums by Isis “Celestial” (2000) and “Oceanic” (2002) without being
totally blown away (both are great albums though and especially “Oceanic” (2002) has lots of
excellent elements), I am really thrilled about “Panopticon”. The music style on the album is unmistakably Isis but some things have changed
for the better since “Oceanic”
(2002). The characteristic slow and building heavy guitar riffs are
still there but the mellow atmospheric post rock sections with clean guitars
are even more pronounced on “Panopticon” than
they were on “Oceanic” (2002).
The music has become more melodic and the vocals, while still shouting, also
features more melodic qualities which is something I appreciate and greatly
enjoy (there are actually not that many vocals on the album though. Much of the
album is instrumental). The vocals are still pretty low in the mix but it
gives Isis’ music a
special feel. The production is professional and very well
sounding, crushingly heavy but with lots of dynamic between the heavy sections
and the atmospheric parts. The sound is actually very original. “Panopticon” is an excellent
album by Isis and the
first album by the band that I enjoy without reservations. It´s a seminal album
in the genre for sure and a well deserved 4 star rating from me. I even
considered giving the album 5 stars at one point. A review by Bonnek: “Panopticon” continues
the personal sound that Isis had found on “Oceanic”. It's a mellowed out
version of Neurosis-alike post-metal, or brain metal as I sometimes tend to
call it. The music is not too heavy generally and features lots of brooding
post-rock parts, with a keen sense for melody and tension building. It's mainly
instrumental, with only a few short sections with gruff vocals. ‘So Did We’ for example
kicks the album off in a stately fashion and is one of the better parts of the
album. Also ‘In Fiction’, ‘Wills Dissolve’ and ‘Altered Course’ are very strong
and atmospheric. The main Isis asset is to work out brooding pieces with rich
harmonic and semi-dissonant chords, and to build those up to a forceful climax.
They do that very well on those tracks. Unfortunately, it turns out to be the third Isis
album in a row that is not entirely satisfying. While the approach to each song
is very similar, the quality of the material is not. ‘Backlit’ for example doesn't
have one aspect that makes it remarkable, it mainly consists of predictable
post-rock doodling, weak metal riffs and annoying vocals; ‘Syndic Calls’ is pretty average. Overall, this album consists mostly of excellent
music and is one of Isis' best. But there is also some average material that
might be good enough for fans of the style, but that is only mildly engaging
for post-sceptics like myself. 851 - live
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: A strong live album in the glory days for Dream
Theater ramming prog down the throats of Budokan fans. It is an incredible
performance best seen than heard, though the audio experience offers much as a
type of Dream Theater concoction of the best of the earlier years. There are a few odd surprises scattered in the mammoth
set list, but the classics are here and played to perfection. ‘Beyond This Life’
is a huge epic clocking 19:37, and with some dynamic lead guitar from Petrucci.
‘The Test That Stumped Them All’ is always a killer track live and sounds fresh
and powerful with huge bass runs of Myung and Portnoy's slamming percussion. ‘Endless Sacrifice’ is an 11 minute gruelling
journey into prog excess with a wild keyboard section from Rudess. The ‘Instrumedley’
to follow features some awesome musicianship. LaBrie is in fine form on soaring
vocals, and shines on such compositions as the 14 minute ‘Trial Of Tears’ and ‘New
Millennium’. It is always a pleasure to hear a Jordan Rudess keyboard solo and
it is as inventive here as ever. CD 3 features some amazing songs such as ‘Solitary
Shell’, ‘Stream Of Consciousness’ and quintessential ‘Pull Me Under’. The set
closes with colllossus 16 minute ‘In The Name Of God’. So overall this is a
great set with power metal and tons of instrumental breaks. It is progressive
and packed to the gills with mind bending virtuoso solos and material from some
of their best albums. It was the "Train of Thought" tour so there is
plenty from that album as well as "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence"
and "Images and Words" among others. All Dream Theater fans must have
it. A review by Mellotron Storm: When I decided I needed to get a live Dream Theater
album I noticed their last three were rated very highly by the fans. What
swayed my decision to get this one was the fact it was for the "Train Of
Thought" tour and I love that album. Besides I hear that this one rocks
the hardest which is no surprise considering the album they were promoting.
Almost all of "Train Of Thought" is on here.This is a three disc
affair and really for me only the third disc slips a bit because of the three
more laid back tracks on there, although they still are very good songs. "Live
Scenes From New York" was tempting only because it has my favourite track
on it by DT ‘A Change Of Seasons’. Disc one starts off the concert with two tracks
from "Train Of Thought" in ‘As I Am’ and ‘This Dying Soul’.The first
opens with the crowd clapping along until they are wiped out by the sheer power
of the band. Petrucci proceeds to rip it up before 5 1/2 minutes followed by
Portnoy putting on a show. Speaking of Portnoy he opens up the second track
with a barrage of drums fills. Some raw aggression follows that will come and
go; two killer tracks to start. ‘Beyond This Life’ from "Metropolis: Scenes
From A Memory" opens with some ripping guitar as the drums pound. It
settles back before a minute with vocals but not for long as these contrasts
continue. Rudess to the fore blazes after 8 1/2 minutes, and from after 6
minutes to before 14 minutes the guitar, bass and drums sound incredible on
this fantastic song. ‘Hollow Years’ from "Falling Into Infinity" is
fairly laid back overall. Good song though. The next two are from "Sx Degrees Of Inner
Turbulence" and they blend into one another making it one long track. ‘War
Inside My Head’ and ‘The Test That Stumped Them All’ sound great live. Disc two starts off with another "Train Of
Thought" track in ‘Endless Sacrifice’; nice and heavy and it kicks in
pretty good 5 minutes in. ‘Instrumedley’ is just that, not my favourite but
yeah these guys can play. ‘Trail Of Tears’ is great, in fact the beginning and
ending remind me of ‘Xanadu’ by Rush. I like this a lot more than the studio
version on "Falling Into Infinity". ‘New Milleninum’ sounds incredible to start and I like the synths after 5 minutes. ‘Keyboard
Solo’ makes me laugh everytime; I have to give Rudess credit as the guy is
innovative and he puts on an amazing show here, killer stuff. ‘Only A Matter Of
Time’ from the debut is surprisingly well done; powerful to start and really
this song sounds different from the rest so I like it. Disc three begins with two straight tunes from
"Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence", ‘Goodnight Kiss’ and ‘Solitary
Shell’. They are both good but too laid back for my tastes. ‘Stream Of
Consciousness’ changes that as this "Train Of Thought" track blows
the doors off. "Disappear" is again fairly laid back before they end
it with two excellent tracks in "Pull Me Under" the best version i've
heard so far and "In The Name Of God" a thunderous track from
"Train Of Thought". All in all a very solid 4 stars and one I really
enjoyed despite its length. Edited by AtomicCrimsonRush - August 19 2012 at 22:43 |
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: August 19 2012 at 22:38 |
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2005 coming soon...
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: September 05 2012 at 06:09 |
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2005
852 Second Life Syndrome
A review by Bonnek: “Second Life Syndrome” is
the most representative of Riverside's first 3 albums. Riverside managed to add
some nice surprises to their Anathema meets Marillion stew. The opener is the
first of those, an a-cappella intro with beautiful vocal harmonies, some soft
percussion and background synths; a strong and very atmospheric start. ‘Volte-Face’ and ‘Dance With The Shadow’ are
typical Riverside epics, featuring long instrumental intros that go through a
number of metal-proggy themes and riffs, followed by a rocking main body with
lyrical vocals and ending on a dramatic climax. This is nthing revolutionary
but enjoyable, especially the first one. One of Riverside's strong sides is actually
balladry and the short rock song. ‘Conceiving
You’ is a fine example of that sugar-sweet pop style and ‘I Turned You Down’ is one of
their best tracks ever. But they also manage the prog epic format quite well,
the title track ‘Second Life
Syndrome’ is flawless. The instrumental ‘Reality Dream III’ is another
pleasant moment, it's one of the few places where I can actually hear them
having some playing fun. There's a nice ELP vibe in the last minute. The album
has only one weaker cut, ‘Artificial
Smile’ which is rather artificial indeed, the gruff vocals are too
overstated and sound out of place on this album. It all ends strongly in true
Porcupine Tree fashion with a slow Floydian space epic. There are few moments on this album that I get
really excited about, as it's all pretty monotonous in the end, but I can't
help loving it. It's a perfectly fine album that might serve as a good
introduction into the prog rock sub-genre: Prog-Lite. A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: Riverside create an emotionally charged masterpiece
of colossal power. The second Riverside album features some of the
most enduring material of the band and the heaviest work until the masterpiece
"Anno Domine High Definition". Mariusz Duda is always excellent on
lead vocals and also plays bass. The guitar work of Piotr Grudzinski is
incredible on this album. Michal Lapaj is simply astonishing on keyboards and
Piotr Kozieradzki is wonderful on drums. Every track on this album is superb,
and some tracks are indispensable. 'After' begins with whispers that are rather
chilling and then a very slow ambient Porcupine tree style sound takes over. 'Volte Face' has a driving heavy rhythm and wonderful
guitar notes ringing out over the loud percussion and shimmering Hammond. Then
that awesome riff with odd time sig crunches locks in and it is a prog metal
sanctuary. The spacey vocals add to the atmospherics until we get to the first
verse. The melody is pleasant in the quieter sections and it builds to the
aggressive passage, "I'm not afraid", as the Hammond quivers over the
crashing guitar chords; a masterpiece song without a doubt. The piano solo that begins 'Conceiving You' is
appropriate as Duda really delivers a powerhouse vocal, with emotion and
vitality, "been conceiving you for too long, if only I could change all
things around." The lead break cries and soars as the soundscape builds to
a crescendo. The wall of sound that Riverside are able to create is astounding,
and really touches the emotions powerfully. The first epic is 'Second Life Syndrome', a 15
minute eargasm of intricate virtuoso musicianship and towering vocals. An
instant classic, the song boasts one of the best structures of the band's
repertoire. It begins with a drone and Pink Floyd style guitar riff and then it
gets heavier building in intensity, with Hammond blazing and a divine bassline
locks in. The vocals of Duda are crystalline and pleasant; "From day to
day, From hand to mouth, We're turning around, Vicious ritual, Getting used to
it all, Falling down again, We're waiting for, The decrees of providence."
The melody is ultra-infectious and the heavy guitars augment the dark
overtones. Soon the lead break takes over and it is superbly executed by
Grudzinski. There is no mistaking the massive sound on the keyboards, violently
hammered by Lapaj. The song settles into bassline and echoing keyboards,
changing feel and allowing the music to breathe. Duda is gentler on part two; "I just want to
feel your sigh on my neck, Want to feel your breath, Feel your need to stay,
You don't know my name, Don't know my face, Only thoughts I share in my secret
place, Secret exhibition, Cure for loneliness, I've ground to a halt, There's
no turning back, You know there are things I just can't forget, You've helped
me so much, To learn to be detached." The second lead break is spacious
and soars with sustained held high pitched notes. Part three, ‘Vicious Ritual’, is an instrumental to
finish this magnificent track. The music becomes spacey and whispers are heard
with footsteps effects. The result is a creepy but compelling sound. As the
bass joins in cadence with the whispers, guitars grind out a crushing distorted
chord structure. A King Crimson polyphonic rhythm dominates, and some more
vocal intonations, "you will never suffer." The last lead break is
the final drawcard and caps off an absolutely brilliant track. 'Artificial Smile' follows with a fast heavy tempo
and some sensuous synths over a melodic hook. The vocals are still clear though
much faster, and he occasionally uses a raspy tone to emphasise the anger in
the words; "I hate you cos they love you, I'm so happy when they left you,
this is my life! Sell me your mind!" This may be one of the heaviest
Riverside songs but still has the strong organic symphonic nuances and equable
lead guitar. 'I Turned You Down' drips with an endearing
bassline and peaceful guitar violining. The spacey textures are the sort of
music that would permeate the next album. Very ambient verses follow; "I
turned you down so hastily, and it's tearing me apart, in my heart of hearts
I'm screaming, in my heart of hearts I cry and it's cold, you're so cold."
The lead guitar swells are beautiful over the synths. A heavier riff threatens
to break through before a lead break overwhelms the serenity, and it is a
darker atmosphere that supervenes. Following this is 'Reality Dream III' with nice
reverberated harmonics in the intro until a bass rhythm fades up. The tempo
locks in and becomes an unusual time sig. The instrumental makes a pleasant
break and one can just become immersed in the music. There is a heavy metal
riff that pounds and chugs along and then a heavy handed piano is heard. The
guitars join this new time change and then the Hammond returns like an old
friend. 'Dance With the Shadow' is the second epic of the
album starting with a low drone and gentle vocals. The Gilmour-esque guitar is
prevalent and then an extremely heavy guitar changes it and it is more like
Dream Theater with Petrucci riffs. The synthesis of psych space prog and metal
is a key feature. The middle section settles into a calmer tunnel. “I'm
standing on the edge about to fall, in the middle of the point of no return,
trying to forget those days I failed to act, I can almost see the light, feel
its warmth, and as the moment I was waiting for so long, I carry all before me
now the die is cast, with open arms I'm standing out against my past." At
10 minutes in, the sound builds up and a cataclysmic explosion of Hammond and
metal dramatically clash and the riffs intensify till it ends; incredible
breathtaking music. The final track 'Before' is a slow calm after the
storm. It builds to a forceful flurry of riffs and then it is all over, and you
long to play the whole album again. The only conclusion that can be drawn after
being treated to this extraordinary music is that this is a masterpiece from
Riverside. Everything works perfectly to create some absolutely incredible
music; the vocals, bass, guitars, keys and drums are an amalgamation that
showcases all that is great about prog rock. Strong melodies, intricate complex
time sigs, compelling lyrics and amazing musicianship. This, along with
"Anno Domine High Definition", is one album that towers over all the
rest. 853 The Future Kings Of England
A review by Mellotron Storm: This has been my biggest discovery so far in 2008.
These guys blend psychedelic, krautrock and post- rock like none I've ever
heard before. This is modern sounding instrumental music that creates
atmospheric and psychedelic soundscapes.The post-rock flavour is by far the
strongest in my opinion. The album cover is very cool as well, especially the
back cover. ‘At Long Last...’ is the one minute intro. They
actually took part of King Edward VIII's abdication speech which begins with
"At long last I am able to say a few words of my own". As he speaks
there is a pleasant acoustic guitar melody playing. ‘10:66’ opens with eerie
and haunting sounds as drums and guitar come in. There are some spoken words as
the melody stops, then it comes back and slowly builds to a heavy duty sound
before 5 minutes; this is great! The tempo picks up 6 minutes in although it's
still pretty sludgey. The post-rock style guitars are peeling the paint at this
point. ‘Humber Doucy Lane’ opens with a sinister bass line
that is slowly picked. You can hear kids playing, then Mellotron floods the
soundscape as drums and guitar tastefully play. It builds to a wonderful wall
of sound with more Mellotron that stops before 4 minutes. Kids are back playing
after 5 minutes to the end of the track. Mellotron comes in wave after wave 7
1/2 minutes in to the end of the song. ‘Silent And Invisible Converts’ opens with lots of
aggression but settles down quickly to a gorgeous sound. It starts to build to
a heavy punishing sound. It starts to calm back down 6 minutes in, but it
doesn't last long, then there is an awesome ending. ‘October Moth’ isn't as
heavy as what we were just listening to but it's raw, powerful, beautiful and
uplifting; an excellent tune. ‘Lilly Lockwood’ opens with a guitar sound played
slowly over and over. Mellotron comes in as bass, cymbals and guitar play in
this pastoral section, then drums and a full sound are heard. It stops abruptly
a minute later and a new melody arrives; you can hear voices as drums pound and
spacey sounds howl. The guitar is playing as well, then the sound gets a little
dissonant. An uplifting, heavenly sound (including mellotron) arrives 6 1/2
minutes in to end it. Nice. ‘The March Of The Mad Clowns’ opens with heavy
drums that turn into a marching style rhythm. The guitar creates some
psychedelic sounds. ‘Pigwhistle’ is the longest song at 14 minutes, then a nice
heavy sound becomes quite intense 2 minutes in. It calms right down until all
we can hear is a bass line and people speaking in the background faintly. This
is very atmospheric, dark and haunting as sounds rise and fall. It changes
after 8 minutes as the guitar plays gently and drums and mellotron join in. It
builds to an amazing sound 11 1/2 minutes in. ‘God Save The King’ is the short
conclusion; like they took part of the intro of the first song and processed it
heavily making it very psychedelic much like these future kings. The Future Kings of England create dark and
atmospheric soundscapes in that post-rock style with plenty of mellotron. This
album continues to get better with each listen. This is like exploring a new
land and finding new things everytime I go back. There are so many amazing
passages on this record that I am in awe. A review by Bonnek: Future Kings Of England's self-titled debut is a
mesmerizing gem that almost everyone seems to have missed out on. The band
released 2 more albums since this debut and, while they continued a high
quality standard, none of them touches me as much as this one. Future Kings Of England are a band that has found a
unique spot for themselves in between majestic post-rock and psychedelic
kraut/space-rock. You will also find traces of the mind-expanding 68-71 Floyd
era, but it never really sounds like the Floyd to me. The band has more in
common to Godspeed You! Black Emperor, be it with more attention to melody, and
without those extreme quite-loud "dynamics", both are a plus as far
as I'm concerned. Most songs are quite long, and gradually build,
rise and release tension while going through big multiple bars spanning
melodies. Fans of minor-key guitar arpeggios and soaring spacious leads will
lick their fingers clean on this one. The sound is very open and organic; a bit
rough in the drum department but all instruments resonate loud and cleary. With such a low number of reviews I would certainly
dare to call this one low-rated, even though the happy few who have visited
this beautiful album have all rated it very highly. Very recommended to lovers
of instrumental post-rock and space-rock. 854
A review by SouthSideoftheSky: Solid as the sun. The theme is again Christian here, but I do not
find it 'preachy' in the way that I found “Testimony” and to a degree “One” too
preachy. While the subject matter of the lyrics is the tabernacle, most of the
songs can easily be given other meanings by the listener. The theme is partly
historical and partly Morse's own theology according to which 'the temple of
the living God is you'. For me as an atheist, I don't believe in this at all,
but I find it an interesting idea that is more individualistic than most
Christian doctrine. The musical influences seem to be Pink Floyd, The
Beatles and Kansas, and Morse can indeed be seen as a songwriter in the same
class as Lennon/McCartney and Kerry Livgren. The melodies are often
Beatles-esque and very strong throughout, all the songs are very memorable. “?”
runs for less than an hour, which is great after the overlong “Testimony”, and
the quite long “One”. This album is much more consistent than “Testimony” and
the tracks flow perfectly into each other to create a strong unity. I found it
very hard to listen to “Testimony” both because its length and its overly
religious theme, but here it doesn't bother me at all. Steve Hackett, one of my absolute favourite
guitarists of all time, guests on this album to great effect. On ‘12’ Hackett's
guitars are mesmerizing! “?” is a solid album and clearly one of Neal Morse's
very best works, highly recommended! 855
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: Opeth's third best album! “Ghost Reveries” is getting 5 star reviews and
gushing praise from the respected prog community so I had to check it out. With
a renewed interest in the band, after some horrible albums, I was pleased to
revisit Opeth with such a progressive album. So here are my reactions to the
tracks. 'Ghost of Perdition' has very dark lyrics and brutal death vocals. The
cleaner vocals are well sung as always, especially "Dedicated hunter,
Waits to pull us under, Rose up to its call, In his arms she'd fall, Mother
light received, And a faithfull servant's free". Very strong riffs that
are rhythmically akin to Tool. Very heavy guitars and growls balanced with
gentler vocals and acoustics; a genuine Beauty and the Beast, and I love the
innovative structure and killer riffing. 'The Baying of the Hounds' features the gravelly
vocals that sound like Morbid Angel; I actually remembered parts of ‘Sacrificial
Rites’ which I haven't heard for about 10 years. The cleaner sections are
awesome, but the rriff is a bit boring at first, same as other Opeth songs.
Great lead break with twin guitar solos from Mikael and Fredrik, Per's chiming
keyboards are a great embellishment, and Steven Wilson style vocals set off the
atmosphere admirably; "Drown in the deep mire, With past desires, Beneath
the mire, Drown desire now with you." Powerful song. 'Beneath the Mire' continues the theme of previous
lyrics, that are basically about the ghosts that rise after death or some such
twaddle. I was never into Opeth's themes but the music more than makes up for
any atheistic tendencies. Once again this begins with brutal vocals and then we
have the cleaner style eventually. This seems to be a trademark of Opeth,
moving from one style to another suddenly. The piano is very nice on this with
gentle guitar, and the actual structure is again inventive and progressive. I
was expecting more brutal vocals but most of this is actually the opposite.
More death metal vocals do return though, and the guitar playing is incredibly
complex. One of the best tracks on the album. 'Atonement' has East Indian melodies and guitars that
are striking. The vocals are processed through a voice vocoder that makes them
sound psychedelic and phased similar to Sabbath's ‘Planet Caravan’ or Beatles ‘Blue
Jay Way’. I love this song and rank it among the finest the band have produced
to this point. This is more like the latest “Heritage”'s feel than anything
else on the album. 'Reverie / Harlequin Forest' is another track I
heard first on the live Albert Hall DVD. It is a great track with very solid
vocals from Mikael; "A trail of sickness, leading to me, If I am haunted
then you will see." The melody is excellent with inspired manic drumming
from Axenrot and complex time changes. The acoustic section is terrific, and
the section at 5 minutes including wonderful melodic vocals and a divine twin
guitar solo. 'Hours of Wealth' has an ambient intro with Per
shining bright. Gentle vocals are so peaceful here, with a sweet melody and
soulful reflective lyrics; "Looking through my window, I seem to
recognize, All the people passing by, But I am alone, And far from home, And
nobody knows me." 'The Grand Conjuration' has an unforgettable
haunting melody and certainly dark brutal chorus. Great shredding lead break
and crunching rhythm metrical patterns are heard. I saw this on the metal TV
show with a bleak clip with a man tortured by a maniac and a girl disappearing
down the toilet bowl. The album version is better, twice as long, more complex,
and with extra lyrics. 'Isolation Years' is a paean to lost love as the
protagonist discovers a suicide note; "There's a sense of longing in me,
As I read Rosemary's letter, Her writing's honest, Can't forget the years she's
lost." The quiet atmosphere is bleak but still reeks of beauty thanks to
the pretty acoustics and sentimental melody. There is something haunting about this album; it
balances the brutality with beauty as all good Opeth albums do. This album is
up there with “Still Life” and “Damnation” for my tastes. Now that I have heard
all of their progressive albums I rank it as Opeth's third best (1. “Heritage”,
2. “Damnation”, 3. “Ghost Reveries”). A review by Conor Fynes: At the first spin of this album, I was quite taken
aback by it's unique blend of heaviness and progression. However, I wasn't
quite in love with it just yet, in fact, it took me almost a year and a half to
completely let the album sink in, long after Opeth had become one of my
favourite bands, and I was an owner of a considerable portion of their
repetoire. Then one day, I decided to take it back out and give it another few
listens. To say I was 'blown away' is only the beginning. From then on, “Ghost
Reveries” has since become one of my favourite albums of all time, and arguably
my most enjoyed Opeth release yet. This album has everything that could be asked for
in a Progressive Death Metal release. There is a sufficient level of weirdness
to maintain interest for many, many listens, and there are parts that can only
be described as earth-shatteringly heavy. However, despite these heavy
leanings, Akerfeldt still manages to sneak in some more mellow, melodic ballads
(such as the vocally powerful 'Hours Of Wealth' and the ever beautiful
'Isolation Years') into the album's tapestry. “Ghost Reveries” has very few, if any 'boring'
moments, the result of which is an album that is in no way a chore to listen to
from start to finish. Songs like the grandiose 'Ghost of Perdition' and the
depressingly romantic 'Isolation Years' stood out for me as being truly
brilliant. A great album to start your Opeth fanhood with, and one of the few
modern classics of metal. 856 The Art Of Navigating By The Stars
A review by Mellotron Storm: I would never have guessed this was a German band
if I didn't know already. Also, I think it's a bit of a stretch to call this a
Prog Metal album. I was more reminded of Echolyn than any other band with their
harmonies, short instrumental outbursts and complex arrangements. Also, this is
far more song oriented then the technical records of Sieges Even’s past. The first song is a short intro with baby noises
before we get into ‘The Weight’, the longest song on the record. The drumming
is Tool-like in the intro before we get quick bursts of drums after the calm
vocals.There are some good harmonies and a guitar solo 4 minutes in, but the
sound after 8 minutes sounds beautiful. ‘The Lonely Views Of Condors’ opens
with vocals and a guitar melody, while the bass and drums come and go. ‘Unbreakable’
is one of my favourites on the record. Drums slowly pound as the guitar plays a
lazy melody, then vocals come in. 4 minutes in the pace picks up, and there’s a
nice bass line as heavy guitar comes in and outbreaks of fast drums. The sound
6 and a half minutes in is full and heavy, it's great ! ‘Stigamata’ has a Rush feel to it and gets better
as it goes. The sound 8 minutes in is dark with Tool-like drumming. ‘Blue Wide
Open’ is a mellow song with vocal harmonies to open. They are replaced by
gentle guitar as vocals come back, and some good intricate guitar melodies. ‘To
The Ones Who Have Failed’ is a good song, fairly heavy with meaningful lyrics,
and the chorus is lighter with vocal harmonies. Nice guitar solo 5 minutes in
with some killer drumming and bass to follow. ‘Lighthouse’ is a mellow tune,
while the final tune ‘Styx’ opens with some beautiful guitar. The song gets
heavy on and off, with some good harmonies. Although this wasn't what I expected at all, it
turned out to be an enjoyable, melodic album. I really appreciate how well
these guys play and they pulled off something special here. 857 The Fullness of Time
A review by UMUR: “The Fullness of Time” is
the second full-length studio album by US progressive metal act Redemption. Redemption started out as the
brainchild of main composer/ guitarist/ keyboardist Nick van Dyk and the debut
album “Redemption” (2002) sounded
like a project more than a real band effort. There were lots of prominent guest
appearences on that album like Ray
Alder from Fates
Warning on vocals (he only sang lead vocals on one song) and Jason Rullo from Symphony X on drums. I didn´t
really enjoy the album much though and seldom listen to it. So I
approached “The Fullness of Time” with
some caution. As it turns out my fears were unfounded. “The Fullness of Time” sounds
much more like a band effort compared to its predecessors project like
sound. Ray Alderis, now a
full-time member of the band, and lead guitarist Bernie Versailles (Agent
Steel, Engine, Fates Warning) has also opted to
become a full-time member. New members of Redemption are drummer Chris Quirarte (Prymary, Roswell Six) and bassist James Sherwood (Prymary). The music on the album is progressive metal. It´s
rather traditional with heavy guitar riffs, keyboards, a tight and technically
skilled rhythm section and a strong and skillful vocalist (who of course is
able to reach the high notes with ease). There are influences from bands such
as Dream Theater, Fates Warning (well it´s hard not
to sound like them when you share lead singer) and Symphony X (only when the piano kicks in, but when it does
there´s an audible similarity). So far so good. Nothing out of the ordinary
there. What is out of the ordinary on “The Fullness of Time” is that the compositions are of extremely
high quality for the genre and the musicians are some of the best in that genre
too. The development that´s taken place since Redemption is simply breathtaking. Many progressive metal
acts tend to overuse keyboards, but the use of keyboards on “The Fullness of Time” is very
tasteful and helps create the beautiful and at times desperate atmosphere on
the album. The guitar riffs are intelligent and powerful. This is not pop AOR
metal and thank you for that. The choice of Ray Alder as the lead vocalist in Redemption could have been a
dangerous one (comparisons with Fates
Warning will forever cling to Redemption), but his performance here is so strong that any
critique of the choice of him as the lead vocalist will be hard to justify. I
think it´s an excellent choice. The new rhythm section is also a great new
asset to the band. Drummer Chris
Quirarte shines throughout the album. I mean, he is on fire and a
comparison with Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Transatlantic, OSI...etc.) is not far from the truth. There are 8 songs on the album. The first four are
seperate tracks but the last four (‘The
Fullness of Time Suite’) seque into each other and form a concept. All
songs are of high musical, lyrical and compositional standard. ‘Parker´s Eyes’ with its
TV-reporter samples from the September 11th terrorist attack almost gives me
goose bumps. The production by prolific Danish producer Tommy Hansen (who used to be a
musician himself and play with The
Old Man & The Sea) is excellent; professional and clean and a very
suitable sound for the music on this album. If I have to be honest I´ve been blown back by the
power and emotion behind “The
Fullness of Time”. It´s very seldom these days that I´m impressed by
progressive metal albums but this one is without a doubt one of the best albums
in the genre that´s been released in the last 10 years. I´m almost handing out
5 stars here but a 4.5 rating will do for now. If the album stands the test of
time I´ll upgrade my rating to 5 stars some time in the future. “The Fullness of Time” is
mandatory listening for fans of progressive metal and I can only give my most
warm recommendations. 858 Kate
Bush
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: “Aerial” is a tremendous
album from Kate Bush who joined in a collaborative effort with the likes of
Rolf Harris who is terrific on didgeridoo. Harris knows how to get just the
right sound of the outback as he is an expert at capturing atmospherics such as
on his famous Aboriginal paean ‘Sunarise’. This album in fact is Bush’s most
atmospheric, encapsulating a very strong environment. Bush delves into some
dark territory on this with haunting songs about loss, separation and returning
to the painful past. The package is stunning with
beautiful haunting artwork, and over 2 CDs worth of studio material that tells
a compelling story. Some unforgettable moments are captured as Kate sings about
the washing line and the clothes waving as if they are alive, reminiscing on
her long lost husband; how she hung his clothes out that seem to have
manifested his spirit. Bush really captivates vocally on this stunning concept
album; it is one of her finest works. The bird song that is
heard in places lends an unmitigated chilling vibe, along with other effects used
to create an ambient tangible atmosphere. Kate's vocal performance, powering
out poignant lyrics, are among the best thing she has done in a long and
somewhat jaded career. CD 2 is the 45 minute
epic ‘An Endless Sky of Honey’ beginning with gorgeous piano, a child speaking
and bird whistles. The epic blends a number of songs into one multimovement
suite. The crystalline quality of Bush is mesmirising, as she moves to low
husky tones and the trademark soprano high register. One can just get lost in
this lovely piece, as it transfixes with exceptional emotional musicianship and
a melancholy mood. There are no other highlights
to mention, as it’s all great quality and works as a long enchanting
masterwork. I could almost give this 5 stars but it is not quite to that level.
Nevertheless "Aerial" is an incredible piece of music and songs that
are among Kate's best since her powerhouse opus’s "The Dreaming" and
"Hounds Of Love". A review by UMUR: “Aerial” is
the eighth full-length studio album by UK experimental pop/ rock artist Kate Bush. The album is a double CD
album with an 80:02 minute long playing time. Kate Bush’s last album “The Red Shoes” was released in 1993, so “Aerial” has been 12 years in the
making. Kate Bush became
a mother during those years though and has dedicated much of her time on the
task (enjoyment) of motherhood. I got the album when it was released in 2005
but it´s taken me a couple of years to fully appreciate. I was disappointed at
first. Not that I expected much after the disaster that was “The Red Shoes”. I´ve come around
though and after repeated listens in the last couple of years I´ve found the
essence in the album and I greatly enjoy it now. Kate Bush has matured
quite a bit since the release of “The
Red Shoes”, and while her music and her singing is easily recognisable
as her style, it´s especially the lyrics that are different. The sensual themes
are toned down and instead the songs are about everyday life. There´s a song
about laundry (Mrs. Bartolozzi)
and a song about her love for her son (Bertie).
I find her new found lyrical approach quite charming, allthough it does lack
the edge of former times. With an 80 minute long playing time there´s always
the possibility of fillers but I don´t think that´s the case with “Aerial”. Every song is well crafted
and performed and it´s like I enjoy the songs more and more with each listen.
The second CD with the title ‘An
Endless Sky of Honey’ is a kind of concept piece. I like the way
the songs on that CD compliment each other. The music on the album is rather
typical for Kate Bush.
There are the mellow piano and song oriented pieces, and the more keyboard
dominated pop songs as usual. In most songs there are slightly experimental
sections that lift her music above standard commercial pop/ rock tunes. The musicianship is excellent. Kate Bush is an outstanding
vocalist capable of putting all sorts of emotions into her singing. She has not
lost anything in her twelve years absence in terms of range and emotional
impact on me. The production is warm and pleasant and suits the music well. “Aerial” is a great
comeback, sitting with the beautiful booklet artwork as a companion and I find
this album to be a real treat. Maybe not as accomplished as her best albums
(the first five) but definitely worth a 3.5 - 4 star rating. A review by Warthur: Though Kate Bush had created an absolute classic in
the form of “Hounds of Love”, her two subsequent releases (“The Sensual World”
and “The Red Shoes”) both lacked something; the latter, in particular, seemed
to have been badly compromised by an attempt to push the music in a more
commercial direction, and twelve years of silence followed as Kate withdrew to
recover her creative energies and be a full-time mother for a while. “Aerial”
is a triumphant return to form which comes across almost as “Hounds of Love”
part 2; like “Hounds of Love”, half the album consists of individual songs
whilst the other half is a conceptual suite which includes a similarly wide
range of influences (with a bit more Mediterranean music this time around) and
a similar tendency to drop in voice samples for theatrical effect. On the whole, I wouldn't say it's as good as “Hounds
of Love”, and there are a few points where Kate seems to be retreading old
ground, but it's still a very good album. Kate has clearly been paying
attention to developments in music during her self-imposed hiatus, since it
never feels like a nostalgia exercise in recapturing her old sound and instead
does a great job of applying two decades of musical evolution to the style of “Hounds
of Love”. If, like me, you found Kate's career went a little off the rails
after that album, you'll find “Aerial” puts it right back on track. 859
A review by Conor Fynes: Widely considered to be one of the best Jazz
guitarists of the past three decades, Pat Metheny has been an influential force
in the fusion world for years. Despite having had such a long career, the man
and his supporting musicians still maintain a vivid fanbase and continue to
make powerful music. While most artists produce their defining artistic
acheivement early in their career and begin to fall into a rut of mediocrity as
they age, Metheny's Grammy winning record “The Way Up” proves to be his magnum
opus. Jaw dropping musicianship, mixed with the group's attention to fine
detail make this out to be a masterpiece in every respect, and one of the best
Jazz pieces to come out of the new millenium. Broken into four tracks or 'parts' simply for the
sake of CD navigation, “The Way Up” is in fact, an hour long running
composition. To that end, the album flows together seamlessly; with little to
no breaks in between the music to tarnish the music's cohesion. The sound here
is probably best described as 'soft jazz' with a progressive edge. While the
two styles sound like they don't go together at all, Metheny and company find a
penchant at adding a dose of caffeine to the otherwise background music style
to create something exciting. Described by the band as a “way to showcase their
improvisation and dynamic”, “The Way Up” is endowed with hefty portions of
both. One of the greatest qualities of the music is its
ability to switch effortlessly between a quiet, laid back section and a
rapidfire burst of virtuoso proportion. There are certainly parts that are not
so impressive (at times even getting a bit mundane) but they work magically as
part of the overall work; the less active sections only intensify the energy
that comes afterward. In terms of improvisation, it actually works out to be
both one of the album's greatest assets, and one of its biggest detractors.
Much of the soloing work (particularly Metheny's guitar playing itself) while
being highly skilled and pleasant, ends up feeling like it doesn't have any
real melody to back it up. While there are themes and musical motifs that recur
throughout the piece, this is not a piece that will grab you for its catchiness
and melodious sensibilities. While the album might be sold on the household name
of Pat Metheny, the rest of the musicians shine just as brightly as the main
man himself, at times even outdoing the leader. Each musician (particularly the
pianist) is a master at what they do; each note rings with the sort of feeling
that most musicians fail to realize is so important for this sort of music. In
any case, “The Way Up” is a gorgeous masterpiece that has made my jaw drop. The
sheer amount of detail to the work's art lends plenty of listens and replay
value. While the lack of catchy 'melodies' and conventional structure might put
some off, it is a phenomenal piece of music and to date the most exciting Jazz
Fusion record I have had the pleasure to listen to. 860
A review by Mellotron Storm: Listening to this record I couldn't help but think
of some of the Ayreon projects. It's like your listening to the soundtrack of
an epic movie. As a matter of fact, last week at work I was dealing with a
customer out front, and the CD changed in my stereo and this came on. The man
in his late forties looked to the back where the beginning of ‘March Of
Mephisto’ could be heard and said, "Is that a movie coming on? It sounds
like it could be the start of “Lord of the Rings” or something". I told
him it was Kamelot, a rock band, and he said, "Oh yeah, there's the
guitars", and the whole time he was smiling away. This is a grandious
recording with all the elements I love about music; a great vocalist, scorching
guitars and very melodic. ‘When The Lights Are Down’ opens with some nice
bass and drum work. There is a good keyboard solo and the guitar is great. ‘The
Haunting (somewhere in time)’ is another powerful song with Khan's amazing
vocals accompanied with the female vocals of Simone from Epica and a terrific
guitar melody. ‘Soul Society’ features some crunchy guitar and orchestral
passages. I must say the first four songs before the ‘Interlude I’ are all 9 or
10 out of 10, what a way to open a record! ‘Abandoned’ is a beautiful song with
piano, female vocals, strings and orchestal sounds. ‘The Pain’ is a heavy, melodic song with lots of
guitar. ‘Moonlight’ opens with the sound of a wolf howling as piano and strings
come in and later some good guitar riffs. Next is the second interlude. ‘The
Black Halo’ is my favourite track, with a drum attack and a galloping rythmn
driving this melodic song along. ‘Nothing Ever Dies’ is a fast paced song with
some wondrous guitar after 3 minutes. ‘Momento Mori’ is my second favourite,
but probably the best song on the album. This is a real trip, with beautiful
vocals in the beginning to a heavy, intense passage.The album ends with ‘Serenade’,
an uptempo, positive tune. If you are into metal, this one is for you. 4.5
stars. A review by Gatot: Great album with powerful
composition. I have been curious about this album since I heard
Kamelot's "Karma" and collected their other albums “Fourth Legacy”
and “Epica”. While “Karma” was my entry point to Kamelot, it represented my
first love with power metal music. What I can say about this new album, in a
nutshell, is that it's a brilliant combination of the band's previous three
albums. As a band with power metal as the basis, it is no wonder that this
album contains a lot of heavy yet beautiful guitar riffs by Thomas Youngblood. On Composition This offers a balance of styles: power metal with
heavy guitar riffs, rich in arrangements, symphonic, heavily influenced by classical
music, and melodic! Regardless of the style they are playing it's always
melodic, and this can be heard clearly through the voice of Khan. Unlike the previous album, “The Black Halo” does
not start with a one minute duration overture; it goes straight to a full track
opener ‘March of Mephisto’ that
features a wonderful keyboard solo by Jens Johansson (of Stratovarious) and
growling vocals by Shagrath (of Dimmu Borgir, in the vein of black metal). Even
without an overture, the intro part of this song has already sounded like an
overture, using keyboard sounds. There is no bad or even mediocre tracks as all are of
excellent quality. All tracks are well positioned to give the best listening
pleasure. There are some tracks with progressive arrangements, for example ‘Memento Mori’, that has a melodic and
classic piano intro featuring the powerful voice of Khan in low register notes,
but with high power; a killer opening. Structurally, it's not a straight
forward power metal sound as the music flows wonderfully from the soft opening
to a heavy yet nice riff that brings the music into a fast tempo style with
nice melody. The music turns a bit complex when drums are played dynamically in
the middle of the track followed with great vocals and guitar solo. Shagrath
enters his growling vocal wonderfully followed with female vocals. The style
then turns completely different when the symphonic keyboard enters the scene and
brings forward a beautiful orchestra that accompanies Khan's singing to close
the song, "Some day we may come to peace, And reach beyond behind the lies,
And I will await you, Until I close my eyes." There are also some tracks that are composed in the
vein of power metal music like ‘When The Lights Are Down’. The structure is
straight forward using the same rhythm as the bass and the music moves forward
in fast tempo with high energy, driving rhythms but still maintaining the
melodic nature as usual with Kamelot. ‘The Black Halo’ is basically also a pure
power metal song enriched with great orchestration in the background that has
made the song so wonderful. But the structure is basically a power metal tune.
What has made it different is the inclusion of orchestra in the middle of the
track. Kamelot has defined its own path in their career as
their music is original in terms of ideas. This does not preclude them from the
influences of other bands, of course. I can sense an influence of Luca Turili's
(of Rhapsody) guitar style on this album, even though it's not that obvious on
‘Nothing Ever Dies’. Their songwriting is truly top notch and it makes it hard
for other bands to follow their path. The quality of lyrics is also excellent
combined with powerful arrangements. Having enjoyed this album through many
spins, I have never experienced a sense of boredom, as all pieces hang together
structurally and melodically; no argument about this. On Musicianship The original members of the band, Khan, Youngblood,
Grillo, and Barry, have demonstrated their musicianship to perform this album with
excellence. I have noticed that Thomas Youngblood has refined a lot on his
techniques in producing guitar riffs that characterize the Kamelot sound; it's
softer than previous albums. Casey Grillo plays his drums dynamically
especially on ‘Memento Mori’, where he contributes in enriching the sounds
during the interlude. He also plays wonderfully during the entrance of keyboard
soloing by Jens Johansson in ‘March of Mephisto’. Khan has demonstrated his low
register notes with high power wonderfully. His vocal quality has improved a
lot since the “Epica” album. I especially like when he sings "close my
eyes" on the first section of ‘Memento Mori’. On Production First, the sonic quality of this CD is really good;
I can hear all details of sound effects and orchestra instruments clearly. This
album is best enjoyed turned up loud on your power amplifier. Second, this
album is still produced by two genius gentlemen, Sascha Paeth and Miro, who
also contribute as players on the album. I salute these two gentlemen who have
been very successful producing great albums like this one. I think Sascha Paeth
and Miro are like the Bob Ezrin of power metal band. Summary Overall, it's a great album with immaculate
composition, powerful songwriting and arrangement. For those who favor Dream
Theater, Threshold, Symphony X, Evergrey, Rhapsody, Poverty's No Crime,
Andromeda, Ice Age, or Pain of Salvation, they would definitely love this
album. Those who are familiar with Stratovarius, Sonata Arctica, or Adagio
would also find this album enjoyable. “Rules without exceptions
last eternally. Every move you make creates your destiny”: - ‘When The
Lights Are Down’. 861
A review by Mellotron Storm: "We will rock with the thunder of a thousand
mighty horses", is a line from the song ‘Room V’, and is an apt
description of a lot of what you hear on this album. This is the same story line as was in
"Tyranny" and so with "Room V" the story continues,
beginning with ‘Manhunt’, that opens with violin, guitar and keys all played at
a million miles an hour. Things get mellow though with light guitar and piano
before this short instrumental is over. ‘Comfort Me’ sounds absolutely
incredible! A duet with piano that features some great guitar before it ends. ‘The Andromeda Strain’ opens with an absolutely
ripping guitar solo that comes back throughout the song. The guitar and keyboard
interplay is fantastic. The vocal harmonies are wondrous as well, as well as
the amazing guitar melody with the drums pounding away. ‘Vow’ features acoustic
guitar and vocals that are quite moving with more awesome guitar. ‘Birth Of A
Daughter’ is an instrumental with some heavy riffs. ‘Death Of A Mother’ is
another instrumental that features some high speed guitar and piano. I was
amazed at how fast he played the piano. ‘Lamentia’ is like a reprise of ‘Comfort Me’, so
short and also so sad. ‘Seven Years’ is another instrumental with violin and
flute and a guitar solo that is inspiring from none other than Arjen Lucassen;
a great song! ‘Dark’ is a minute long song of samplings. ‘Torn’ has a beautiful
guitar intro, with piano melodies, and I love the guitar and vocals working
together; a powerful song. ‘The Archer Of Ben Salem’ features lots of tempo
changes and powerful vocals. There is hammond organ as well as some wicked
guitar and pounding drums. ‘Encrypted’ opens with gentle vocals and toned down
guitars.This may be slower paced but is it ever powerful, with more amazing guitar
towards the end of the song. ‘Room V’ is a heavy duty rocker that ends calmly
with the sound of rain and piano. The final song ‘Rain’ opens with heavy riffs
and a long scorching guitar solo followed by a fantastic guitar melody, then
vocals. There is mind numbing guitar throughout this song. Shadow Gallery have come
so far, from a good debut to this masterpiece! Edited by AtomicCrimsonRush - September 05 2012 at 06:15 |
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: September 05 2012 at 08:21 |
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2005 continued soon...
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Raccoon
Forum Senior Member
Joined: February 17 2012 Location: 444 Grove St RZ Status: Offline Points: 763 |
Posted: September 05 2012 at 22:00 |
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You really do dedicate your time to the history of the great bands
(loved the Genesis history), and
prog altogether!! And it seems like you enjoy it, since you learn so
much from it. Very impressed, (though sorry to inform I didn't read
ALL the pages
 ) I remember you bringing up you're a teacher, right?Have you ever had any students say "Hey, are you AtomicCrimsonRush?" because you're just about the top contributor to this site in my book and if any of your students are obsessed with prog, I'm sure they'd know you! Just wondering .EDIT: Oh, and I was thinking you could put a section on "2nd-Rate Albums" right below the beginning masterpieces. Essential, but overlooked albums like The Snow Goose (or Moonmadness, for that matter) and In A Glass House, Si On Avait (actually, thinking about this, the list could go on and on!) Edited by Raccoon - September 05 2012 at 22:08 |
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Check out my FREE album: A one-man project The Distant Dynasty
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: September 06 2012 at 19:24 |
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2005 continued... 862 Odyssey - The Greatest Tale
A review by Marty McFly: It is easy to just admire someone who is able to
write something well. Each "track" on “Odyssey” has its own mood, and
each tells part of this great story. Personally, I
admire/like/love/adore/worship Ancient Greek history, especially the first
millennium before Christ is of interest. The difference in styles is what makes
each band, because, for example, you gain a different experience between Glass
Hammer and Nathan Mahl. Personally, I don't know how the songs are connected with
certain parts of Homer’s “Odyssey”. Furthermore, if you know
"Tardigrade" by Simon Says, you'll feel right at home when listening
to their contribution here. The track here, ‘Chapter
V: Minds Of Mortal Men - Meander Tales’ is not exactly typical Tardigrade,
but quite close in style and feeling. After all, it's the band I know the best
from those selected on this release. 4(+) is my rating but you need to prepare to taste a
very long album; maybe too long for you. You may feel that it's too big for
human comprehension, or to fully grasp its features, but believe me, it is
possible. Although it is certainly not for everyone, as my case illustrates, and
when I reached the end of this album I didn't even remember what was in the
beginning, and that is due to the length of the opus, so I can’t take the blame
for that. Even though it's a hard album, if not in terms of prog difficulty in
terms of length, it is nevertheless a good album. A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: When I saw the length of this magnum opus I was quite taken
back as it is 220 minutes of full blown prog attempting to capture the mammoth
tome of Homer’s “Odyssey” in musical form. Jammed on to 3 CDs this is quite an
arduous task in itself, to listen from start to finish to such a monster,
however it is certainly masterfully produced and quite astounding musicianship
and compositional structures. There are 3 tracks of over 20 minutes in length
on each CD, so in effect it is a series of epics that work like a classical
multi-movement suite encompassing the whole legacy of Homer’s masterpiece. The
undertaking is certainly ambitious and will take some patient prog ears to
endure from go to woe, but it is a journey, a quest, and something unique for
those who would dare to venture in. The main drawcard for me in taking the
“Odyssey” test is the addition of such class acts as Glass Hammer and Nexus,
though I was very unfamiliar with other artists so in a way it is like a
samper, as one can sample what these bands offer and perhaps discover some
hidden treasures. The album opens where ‘The Odyssey’ begins, with ‘Chapter I: Of Longings, Suitors, Deities And
Quests...’ presented to us by Nathan Mahl, a Canadian band led by multi-instrumentalist Guy LeBlanc who plays bass, guitar, and keys,
including mesmirising performances on clavinet, Hammond, Moog and electric
piano. The guitar is prominent and howls and soars along the crest of ambient
waves. The atmosphere is a cinemascape of symphonic grandeur and majestic
power. ‘Chapter
II: El Regreso-The Return’ is by Argentine proggers Nexus, a very
popular group that certainly makes their presence known on this opus. They
prefer a sound akin to ELP with pounding Hammond staccato phrases and a mixture
of heavy guitar to acoustic vibrations, taking the listener on the journey with
subtlety and finesse. The Spanish vocals work well with the thematic content
and this must surely rank as one of the highlights of the album. Glass Hammer is the most well known band of the 9
on offer here, and I certainly looked forward to sitting under their enimitable
style of prog for over 21 minutes. They play a track called ‘Chapter III: At The Court Of Alkinoos’, no
relation to the Crimson King’s Court, but just as good. The keyboards blaze
with power and the guitars are captivating. This is one of the best songs I
have heard from the American proggers and well worth seeking out for Glass
Hammer fans. CD2 begins with France’s XII Alfonso with their massive epic ‘Chapter IV: From Ismarus
To The Land Of Death (I. Ismarus, Land Of The Cicones/II. Seventeen Days Of
Open Sea/III. The Land Of The Lotus Eaters/IV. The Land Of The Cyclops/V. The
Island Of Aeolus & The Land Of Laestrygonians/VI. Circe's Island/VII. The
Land Of Death)’. It is a 26 minute excursion into symphonic territory, with choirs
and a solid percussion attack. The jazz touches and swathes of synthesizers are
dynamic, but I particularly like the Hammond blasts and guitar sonics. Simon Says play a masterful song ‘Chapter V: Minds Of Mortal Men - Meander Tales’. The Swedish band
are virtuoso musicians with twin keyboard battles and searing guitar licks,
with the use of an E-bow at times. C.A.P. are from the Rock Progressive Italiano
school of thought and their track ‘Chapter VI:
Sulle Ali Del Sogno - Odissea: Libri XIV, XV, XVI’ showcases their talents. The
keyboards are a dominant force especially the use of Moog synthesizer. The Italian vocals hold
nothing back and it is a distinctive sound generated to cap (no pun intended)
off another wonderful CD. CD3 begins with Brazilian Tempano’s ‘Chapter VII: (I. Hecatombe/II. Book XVII - Odysseus Arrives
At The Palace/III. Book XVIII - The Suitors Torment Odysseus/IV. Book XIX - The
Beggar Meets Penelope/V. Parnasus)’. It begins with cathedral organ grinding
and operatic tones in the vocals, makig this a genuine fish out of water on
this project. The Mellotron is haunting and creates foreboding atmospheres of
grandeur and cinematic imagery. French band Minimum Vital offer ‘Chapter VIII: Etranger En Sa Demeure’, with more church organ
sounds and beautiful electric guitar soloing. There is a certain bombastic feel to
their approach and the guitars are absolutely glorious, soaring to the
stratosphere. Brazilian band Aether close the album with the
oddly short-titled track, ‘Chapter IX’, that clocks
21:31 minutes. It is quite a dreamy track with loads of synths and swirling
spacey nuances. The guitars rise and fall along the plateau of keyboard
ambience, making this one of the most beautiful pieces on the box set. At the end of the album one
is left with a sense that they have experienced one of the grandest most
majestic albums, harkening back to the vintage 70s years when prog bands
churned out music like this without fear. The fact that “Odyssey” was released
during 2005 makes it all the more astounding and the collaboration of the 9
bands is a one off and a treasure to be savoured. It is not an album I would
turn to often due to the challenging and overwhelming length, but it is
certainly worth a visit now and then to experience the power of Homer’s
classic, and the beauty of music at its highest calibre. 863
A review by Conor Fynes: Is this the greatest modern prog rock album ever?
And even if it's not, it's perfect in it's own way... Steven Wilson's genius
comes in droves in crafting this spectacular, beautiful work of art. There are
very few moments of progressive music that I think could bring someone to
tears, and there are quite a few of those moments in “Deadwing”. There is no
way I could possibly think of this or rate “Deadwing” as less than a perfect
five. This music has had such an influence on me, and affected my life in such
a beautiful way, the fact that this album is a masterpiece is undeniable. The beauty really shines through in Wilson's
ability to pick the best sounds to go together, and go ahead and combine them
into a very rich wall of sound. The production values on this record are
staggering. Every instrument comes through crystal clear, and all of the
equalizing is done with finesse and skill. While there isn't a major focus on technical or
highly progressive playing in this album (or for that matter, any of Porcupine
Tree's releases) there's a definite feeling that the musicians know what
they're doing, and do it very well. The songs 'Lazarus' and 'Arriving Somewhere But Not
Here' stand out to me as being the most beautiful. 'Lazarus,' despite it's
simplicity and single-appeal, is one of my favourite songs ever and is perfect
in it's concept and execution. 'Arriving Somewhere But Not Here' is the longest
song on the album, and has some very nice build ups, that help to heighten the
emotional atmosphere. Possibly even the best thing about this album is
it's perfect flow. Each song feels like it's in the very best place in the
album, relative to the other songs. “Deadwing” is an album I could listen to
over and over again and still be content. It's one of my very favourite albums,
and deserves to be in the top rankings. Perfect. A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: Haunting, Sensual, Terrifyingly Beautiful My introduction to Porcupine Tree began here and I
was overwhlemed by the blend of heavy crunching guitar riffing and Mellotron
ambience. I believe I was hooked from the moment I heard 'Shallow' which
remains my favourite PT track even after getting hold of their last few albums
and DVD. One of the greatest example of neo-progressive heavy rock by arguably
the best in the business. Wilson's voice is mesmirizing on every track.
Barbieri's keyboards are a beautiful touch that permeates the album from
beginning to end. It is a masterfully produced work that deserves all the
attention it has garnered. Streets ahead of previous Porcupine Tree material
and a real turning point after “In Absentia” which was also masterfully
produced, though not up to this standard. The melodies remain in your head well after the CD
has ended, in particular 'Mellotron Scratch', 'Start of Something Beautiful' and
'Lazarus'. The production and art work are worthy of note too, a juxtaposition
of sound, visual images and symbolism to paint a picture that is powerful
enough to remember. The album artwork seems to point to a disaster in a car
crash resulting in the ghostly apparition of one of the deceased. I am not
entirely sure but the enigma and mystique is evident and quite compelling. One reason to get hold of this album is the
wonderful mini epic 'Arriving Somewhere...' that has some innovative melodies
and an incredible instrumental section featuring great guitar riffs and
relaxing keyboards. The time signature shifts are classic prog rock. The Pink
Floyd and Yes influences are evident. There are undoubtedly huge influences
from classic prog bands in this music. The entrancing and mesmirising
atmospheric slow moving tracks at the end of the album use techniques of
minimalism and a huge wall of sound builds up to a crescendo. 'Open Car' for
instance is simply hypnotising. The ghost track is an old favourite but well
executed here and a pleasant surprise when you are not expecting it. All the tracks are unique, inspired and demonstrate
the musical complexity that is essentially Porcupine Tree. Many tracks appear
on the live DVD “Arriving Somewhere...” but the studio versions presented on
this album are the best versions. I have no hesitation in awarding this
incredible album 5 gleaming stars. The musical dexterity exceeded my
expectations and I systematically was compelled to get hold of everything else
the band has done. Porcupine Tree are keeping the neo heavy prog dream well and
truly alive and are hailed today as masters of the genre! 864 Frances The Mute
A review by Conor Fynes: In the footsteps of “De-Loused In The Comatorium”,
The Mars Volta had some very big shoes to fill for their next album, and
expectations were very high. What resulted was an album that is very different
from the first one, and yet another masterpiece. There's a really spaced out
feeling for most of the album, but the actual music itself far overshadows any
of the atmospheric material. Some of the atmospheric 'trips' I find sort of
annoying, but the music is far too good to give the album less then a
masterpiece rating. There is not a single weak track on here, and the album’s
longest song, the half hour 'Cassandra Geminni', is probably the band's most
powerful song. The lyrics are half in Spanish, and half in English.
This combination gives a good Latin vibe that runs throughout the album. Songs
like 'L'Via Viaquez' feel like this is a prog band from deep within South
America, instead of El Paso, Texas. The best vocal performances of Cedric
Bixler-Zavala can be found on here, in songs like 'Miranda, That Ghost Just
Isn't Holy Anymore' and 'The Widow.' On another note, the song titles are very
cool, and tell stories of their own... (Just a thought). The only problem on this album is that the flow is
interfered with because of the constant space trips that seem to
decommercialize every aspect of this album (in a bad way.) Besides that, it is
a really amazing album, and every fan of The Mars Volta should own and love
this. The best Mars Volta album. A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: The second album of The Mars Volta is as near to
perfection as anything that has come out of the heavy prog scene over recent
years. This is in my opinion the best album for the band after hearing all of
their studio releases. It buries anything to come after it and is as good,
actually better, than the debut, which was an excellent album on its own
merits. On “Frances the Mute” it all fell into place. Everything seems to work
on this somehow; the psychedelic polyrhythmic indulgence is dominant
throughout, especially the insane percussive time sigs and very loud guitars.
Zavala's vocals are a dominant force and unmistakeable on every track. He
blasts out in full voice sounding possessed by some unknown preternatural
spirit. Many times the lyrics are nonsensical sounding like a mixture of
Spanish and some Oriental language. This adds to the high strangeness of the
atmospheres, and the puzzle deepens considerably as to what the songs are
trying to say. The band continues to borrow elements from free
form manic jazz, to heavy power riffing and trippy psychedelia, and every track
becomes part of the whole. The conceptual framework is hard to pin down but is
open to interpretation. It feels dark and moody, with dangerous explorations
into the psyche and perhaps loss of sanity and identity being a key theme.
There is a half hour magnum opus at the end that detours into many directions
and never really settles on a particular melody for long. The lavishly
illustrated booklet gives a few hints away as to what this puzzle is all about,
although it matters not; the music speaks for itself as its own entity. ‘The
Widow’ was actually on the charts in an expurgated form, and is perhaps the
only commercial sounding track on the album, if you forget the extended coda.
The rest merges together seamlessly and at the end of the album you realise you
have heard something completely out of the box. The ferociously original
approach is a dynamically refreshing sound that can not be denied. A
masterpiece of heavy psyche prog that was never bettered by The Mars Volta. 865
A review by Gatot: A True Masterpiece of Neo Prog Music This CD has been with me for three solid weeks and
I did not want to write any review with respect to this latest album by one of
most respected neo prog bands in the world as I wanted to have a fair opinion
after I have listened to it for at least 5 spins. The first spin blew me away
but I did not really want to jeopardize this review with any halo effects as
result of my last listening space, where heavy rock music dominated my
listening pleasure. By the time I received this CD, I was listening to bands
like Angra, and Shaman, and then the experience with "The Dreams of
Men" functioned like a neutralizer of the heavy side of rock. As far as "The Dreams of Men" is concerned
I was quite sure at first spin that this album would definitely fall into a
category of four stars rating. But I needed further scrutiny, like an auditor, to
affirm myself on whether or not to give five stars. The result, is I believe it
is one of the masterpieces in neo prog that other bands in this box should
follow. This is what I think is a perfect marriage between symphonic and
orchestrated music, with key characteristics of neo: strong and memorable melodies!
This is definitely a powerful album that combines great melodies, excellent
musicianship, symphonic styles and richness of textures into one tight and
cohesive composition! As far as my ears and my heart are concerned, I am not
able to identify any dull spots on this album; everything is so perfect! ‘The Bringer Of Dreams’
(9:50) kicks off the album with an ambient mood through an exploration of
Ronnie Brown's keyboard work, augmented with orchestrated music from a string
chamber. This relatively long intro sets the overall tone of the album and
especially for this opening track. I can feel myself being in the movie theater
with this cool instrumentation of keyboard and violin sounds, augmented nicely
with guitar fills by Niall Mathewson. When the instrumental music enters at
approx 2:46, it blasts a strong message of symphonic music followed with a powerful
vocal entrance of Alan Reed (backed wonderfully with string music). This song
represents my philosophy that "music is emotion" as each melody/
segment of this song really touches my emotions and it stirs it up to the
utmost level. Niall Mathewson gives his rocking guitar fills stunningly
combined with Ronnie Brown's keyboard solo, which creates the music in perfect
harmony. Despite great harmonies, this song offers an extreme combination of
high and low tides through the vocal delivery of Alan Reed. I cannot say any further
to describe how wonderful this composition is. You must experience it yourself! ‘Warriors’ (7:15) continues the
music extravaganza with a much more upbeat and faster tempo as compared to the
opening track. The composition is simpler than the previous track but this one
gives power to Pallas' music through an excellent combination of guitar and
Graeme Murray's walking Rickenbaker bass guitar work. What is so powerful about
this track is the vocal harmony, as well as rocking guitar fills and solos
provided by Niall Mathewson. I can sense that on this album Niall's guitar
roles are bigger and he provides a lot of interesting and memorable guitar
fills and solos. It's a pity if you claim yourself as a Marillion (or neo prog)
music lover if you don't enjoy this song. In a way this song partly reminds me
of the band's ‘Beat The Drum’ title track of previous album. ‘Ghostdancers’ (7:30) is a slow neo
prog tune with excellent melody throughout. It starts beautifully with mellow
vocals of Alan Reed, augmented with violin/ cellos. It flows naturally with
simple yet memorable melodies when the lyrical part enters, "We're sailing to America on a ship of
dreams." This song is accessible to many ears, I should think. ‘Too Close To The Sun’
(11:34) starts ambient with long sustained keyboard and tinny drumming. It
then enters full music in symphonic mode demonstrating excellent combinations
of keyboards, drums and tight bass lines. Keyboard seems to dominate the rhythm
section at the beginning, with some guitar fills inserted during the transition.
The music embarks into heavier sounds right after the vocal break at approx
minute 3:45 with keyboard solo reminiscent of ELP, in its simpler form. The
altar sound still provides a symphonic nature of the music. The acoustic guitar
musical break in the middle of the track gives a stronger composition,
especially when it's continued with guitar solos in the vein of neo prog style;
really cool! ‘Messiah’ (4:57) brings the
music back into an upbeat style with bass guitar that gives its entrance at the
opening part and serves as beat keeper. Later, bass guitar maintains its
service as well, and keyboard plays the altar role to give the symphonic nuance
of the song. ‘Northern Star’ (4:01) is something
that serves as a bridge connecting ‘Messiah’ to
next track ‘Mr. Wolfe’.
This track sounds like a combination of guitar fills and soft keyboard work in
the background. As a stand alone, this is for me not an interesting track to
enjoy but, when it's seen from the perspective of the whole album, this song
seems like a musical break. ‘Mr. Wolfe’ (5:48) is a
wonderful track that starts with piano solo followed with full music that
explores a church organ sound. Graeme Murray provides his Rickenbaker shots
nicely on this track; it serves like a rhythm section of the song. It's an
excellent composition with various music breaks augmented with keyboard sounds
and effects. Each musician contributes their parts excellently, and I like the
keyboard solo part with energetic rhythm section. It reminds me of Rick Wakeman’s
music. The band really wants to bring their early glory days
album "The Sentinel" into the new music of Pallas in ‘Invincible’ (10:45). This is evident
with the rhythm section/ riffs of this song in the vein of “The Sentinel”
style. Of course on this album version, the composition is tighter as the
musicianship of the members have increased significantly. The album concludes beautifully with ‘The Last Angel’ (11:28) through
vocal work at the opening part, backed softly with keyboards. The band intends
to close the chapter with a song that brings theatrical nuances with acoustic
guitar as the main rhythm section. It then flows into full music, with Niall providing
a slow moving guitar solo. The ending part that starts at approx minute 6 is a
true symphonic progressive sound, where Ronnie Brown injects his inventive
keyboard work. For those die hard fans of neo prog, this album works
as a long-awaited enhancement of neo prog music with the use of string music
chamber/orchestral arrangements in the composition. This album presumably
serves perfectly for neo proggers, however is not limited to fans of that
genre. This is an aqlbum to enjoy in the middle of the night when everybody's
gone to bed, while sipping a cup of coffee. I can conclude that this album is a
full five stars in rating in terms of composition, songwriting, musicianship,
overall performance, and audio production of the CD. Just purchase this CD because believe me, you
won't regret it! 866 Present
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: A very welcome return to the progenitors of prog! Van der Graaf Generator returned with
"Present", this 2005 album, that comes after the final studio album
in 1977. It was a long hiatus and one may have been forgiven for assuming that
the band would have become stale or lost their prog roots and ultimate
weirdness, of course great bands like this will always provide something very
special. They are definitely back and are as progressive as ever. The line up
is such a nice surprise featuring of course visionary genius Peter Hammill on
lead vocals, guitar and piano, and he is joined by the big three; Guy Evans on
percussion, Hugh Banton on organs, piano, Mellotron, bass pedal/guitar,
synthesizer and the biggest treasure for me, is the return of the extraordinary
David Jackson on saxophone. The sax was absent on the last few studio releases
so it was a terrific addition to include it here. 'Every Bloody Emperor' kicks it off well and sounds
like vintage VDGG with that cool sax, and Hammill's vindictive serious vocals.
Even the lyrics have that distinct VDGG style. This is followed by a wonderful
dreamy sax and measured tempo on the instrumental 'Boleas Panic' that is kind
of slow and haunting. A highlight is definitely 'Nutter Alert' that
pretty well sums up this eclectic music. It has a moderate tempo sax driven
time sig, and some Dracula organ, providing a trademark VDGG sound. The lyrics
are typical Hammill such as "is it the pricking of the conscious, is it
the itching of hair shirt, is it the dictionary definition, of a precipice to
skirt?, It's the nutter alert." I love the instrumental break with
grinding keyboards, and the time sig is a progger's paradise. Jackson is
delightful as he blasts out a sax inferno in the freak out of organ phrases and
off sync percussion. Hammill sums it up beautifully, "You're a car crash
in the making, head-on, that's a racing cert, It's the nutter alert". 'Abandon Ship!' is a lot of fun and has the same
type of thematic content as 'A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers'. It has a scratchy
raw guitar riff and this is joined by sax and organ blasts over the odd meter
of drumming. The lyrics are the kind that can only be found on a VDGG album.
Who the heck would use the words "Oh, the heptagenarians got behind the
decks, while the skeleton crew went through the motions, it was only the
medication that was keeping them erect, Yeah, the devil got the best tunes so
god knows what comes next." The sig goes all over the place in a kind of
jazz meltdown, with sax coming in impromptu outbursts and very bizarre drum
beats over hectic keyboard phrases. This is a sheer pleasure, as quirky as the
band gets; they certainly have not lost their quirkiness and unbridled charm.
When Hammill yells "Abandon Ship!" he is not kidding! 'In Babelsberg' follows on, a rather messy track
with too many Hammill vocals before we are finally released into some punked up
guitar and off kilter sax and organ. Again I love the sax sound and the way the
song builds into a steady pace with some hi hat work and cymbal splashes. It
actually sounds as though two separate songs are being played together at one
stage, with sax competing against the other instruments, but that's the way we
love our VDGG; served up chilling and cold with unpredictable fractured
signatures and arrangements. 'On the Beach' ends it with a 6:48 composition,
that includes some studio banter that is kind of cool to hear in the intro;
"a cross between cool jazz and surfing safari, it has that kind of
sinister vibe". Hey, who's reviewing this album anyway? When the band shut
up it moves into a minimal organ and a Hammillian piece of reflection, a nice
part of the VDGG repertoire. The squeaky sax is nice and the lyrics "even
the Silver Surfer agrees" is a cool touch for comic fans. A weird low key
way to end this album but nevertheless a very pleasant journey. CD Two is VDGG 'IMPROVISATIONS' where we can listen
for just over an hour to some of the studio improvs and sound check kanoodling
of the band that ranges from okay to fair to awful, but it is only a bonus and
if treated as such it is a nice way to spend an afternoon. Similar to the
improvs unleased on "Time Vaults", there are some really weird
oddities here including the sax and organ battle on 'Vulcan Meld' that clocks 7
minutes and features waves on the beach effects that are soothing to the senses
and augment the music very well. There are lot of ideas scattered in the sound
and it could be aptly described as swinging jazz math rock mixed with eclectic
avant RIO. 'Double Bass' has a nice synth run and a funky bass
with some spacey squelches and an incessant drum improv sig. I like the sax and
the way it builds to a free form swing, the band obviously enjoying themselves
with a few "ooh yeahs" thrown in. The melody kind of sounds familiar
as though from "Godbluff" but I can't place it. 'Architectural Hair' is a heavy repetitive thing
numbing your ears for about 9 minutes, if you can endure it. 'Eavy Mate' is
kind of fun nonsense that fades up mid way through with sax squeaks and squawks
and scattered percussion. It is just the band unleashing their instruments and
occasionally it sounds as though they are melding together to form some
semblance of a song. 'Spanner' is a drummer's paradise and has some
chilling sax. 'Crux' is a slow tempo piece with a raw recording sound and enchanting
sax, and guitar strums. The sound is more together than other tracks and works
as a pleasant instrumental. 'Manuelle' is grinding keyboards that irritate
after a while but it is nice the way the drums and sax build over. It sounds a
lot like 'Meurglys III' from "World Record" when this lineup was last
heard. Once again it is too lengthy without any vocals and no actual melody to
lock into. The absence of Hammill's vocals is not a very
welcome aspect as it his vocals that carries most of the best VDGG songs. None
of the tunes are memorable and feel like a very rushed afterthought, and only
with tinges of inspirational genius. Tracks such as 'Slo Moves' that overstays
its welcome by about 4 minutes are dull, and a lot of this music is really
crying out for some kind of lyric or at the very least a melody. 'Homage To
Teo' is another weird one with no meter and just a lot of sax and avant garde
sounds; perhaps some may call this genius, but I can't hear it without wanting
it to end. 'The Price of Admission' is a 9 minutes snorefest of noisy avant RIO
and capped off with waves crashing. It is more of a curio then a true document
of the band at their best. I guess I feel more like a fly on the wall in a
studio being privy to hearing the raw unfinished material, that perhaps should
have never seen the light of day. But it is still interesting to hear what
these genius's get up to at work while us mere mortals are occupying our time
trying to make ends meet. This bonus CD was included on the special edition
but not on others and comes across as unnecessary at times, and is one CD I
won't return to often, however it is far superior to the latest 2012
"ALT" album that is all improvisation and sold off as an actual
album, which is really unforgiveable. In any case "Present" is a
satisfactory album that has been surpassed since by "A Grounding in Numbers",
and it is well worth seeking out for VDGG addicts, of which I am one. It is
great to see these visionary progenitors of prog back, recording new material
when we were all under the impression they had finished long ago. A review by Sean Trane: When I bought this album with my eyes closed and
without wanting to hear it at the shop, (I knew this was going to be good since
there was no reasons that VDGG would do something lame and tame), I brought it
home and the first thing I did was to spin it in my deck. From the first second
it started playing, I was hooked! Right from the first moment Hammill's vocals
filled my speakers and ears, shivers ran down my spine, goose bumps started
appearing all over my starved body. A month later, I am definitely hooked to ‘Every
Bloody Emperor’ and the very next song the Jackson-penned ‘Boleas Panic’, which
is a breathtaking (and rare in VDGG career) instrumental switching from one
wind instrument to the next (actually there is a lot of flute on this album
compared to the other ones). ‘Nutter Alert’ is another superb but very
aggressive track, though it seems to suffer at times from a poor sax recording
and even for a moment in Peter Hammill's singing. ‘Abandon Ship’ and ‘Babelsberg’
cannot hold the tempo set by the first three tracks but are still fine in the
VDGG mould. The studio albums ends on a beautifully reflective track ‘On The
Beach’ but it is a bit overstretched/endless and would've better fit on a
Hammill solo album. The second album is full of improvisation, which is
a bit surprising when you know that VDGG's writing standards for tightly
arranged and intricate measures were sort of a rule (the notable exception
being the Reggae-ish end to ‘Meurglys III’ on “World Record”). The fact that I
mention that track is no coincidence as most of this second disc will make you
think about that very album and track especially on ‘Manuelle’. But if the
improvisations from the Graaf clan are fascinating (most notably on ‘Vulcan
Meld’ and ‘Architectural Hair’), a whole record of it is a little too much,
really! They might have cut down those 60 mins to half of that and then stuff
the first disc to the brim and have made it a single CD affair. The last track ‘Price
Of Admission’ may be a little conceited and overstated but ends in a flurry of
waves as had ended the first disc. 867
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: Following the very metal heavy sounds of “Train of Thought”, Dream Theater opened up their veritable can of prog worms to produce a fan pleaser with heaps of prog elements, including the multi-movement suite epic tacked on for good measure; result is a very accessible and highly revered album. The musicianship is absolutely brilliant. Rudess
and Myung shine on this album as they play some intricate passages that far
surpass earlier work. Portnoy is great on drums as usual and I am particularly
impresssed with the vocal performance of LaBrie who is at his best on each
track. The effort is excellent overall And it is interesting to note that
Petrucci does not launch into complex lengthy guitar solos, rather the band are
really working together as a unified organised unit. It begins with the riff heavy Portnoy penned ‘The
Root of all Evil’, beginning with a soft piano that builds to a fortissimo of
keyboards and bass. ‘The Answer Lies Within’ is a quiet ballad that is melodic
and ambient. ‘These Walls’ blends symphonic prog with heavy guitar effectively;
the wall of sound of synths is wonderful. ‘I Walk Beside You’ brings us into a radio friendly
environment and the most accessible on the album, though not necessarily a
great track, it is at least tolerable. ‘Panic Attack’ features a solid bassline
showcasing Myung's prowess and the track is one of the highlights. ‘Never
Enough’ features prog riffs and very competent keyboards. One of the best
tracks is ‘Sacrificed Sons’ which begins with the 9/11 report and therefore
clearly a tribute to the disaster that changed the world. Everything about this
is great, especially LaBrie's emotional performance. I loved most of all the epic that clocks in at 24
minutes, ‘Octavarium’. Live on “Score”, this title track is a treasure with an
amusing animated clip to complement it. The 'Shine On' Pink Floyd intro is
marvellous showcasing Rudess' continuum keyboard gadget, as seen on “Score” DVD,
and this continues for quite some time before the guitars chime in, with acoustic,
slide and fuzzed distortion. A very melancholy ambience is created and the prog
references are interlaced in the lyrics as seen here; “Full Circle Sailing on
the seven seize the day tripper Diem's ready Jack the Ripper Owen Wilson
Phillips and my Supper's ready Lucy in the Sky with diamond Dave's not here I
come to save the Day for Nightmare Cinema show me the way to get back home
Again Flying Off the Hand With careful with That axe Eugene Gene the dance
machine messiah Light my Fire gabba, gabba Hey hey my my Generations home again”.
You can pick out the lyric and song title references here yourself as there are
a veritable plethora of refs from diverse artists from Genesis to the Ramones.
The epic builds up to a crunching heavy riff and La Brie screaming “Trapped in
this Octavarium!” The opus finishes the album on a high note and you know you
have heard one of the best DT tracks in their history. The live version is as
accomplished as this studio version, in some ways even better. Conclusion? Certainly,
this is one of the best DT albums and well worth grabbing at your earliest
opportunity, if only for the closing track if nothing else. 5 star treasure. 868
A review by Mellotron Storm: 4.5 stars. Up to this album "Immortal?"
had been my favourite Arena record, but now I would have to say it's a tie, or
a 1a and 1b sort of rating between "Pepper's Ghost" and
"Immortal?". The word that kept coming to mind as I listened to it all of last week was
"powerful". This does seem to be more straight forward than any of
their others, and it also seems to have far more guitar than the others as
well. It's almost like Nolan has stepped back to allow Mitchell to have the
spotlight. ‘Bedlam Fayre’ opens sounding like we're at a fair
for 30 seconds before we get hit hard with pounding drums and a full sound.
Nolan comes flying in before the vocals arrive. Blistering guitar 2 minutes in
comes and goes throughout the song. Mellotron is beautifully featured as well
on this track; a rip roaring opening tune. ‘Smoke And Mirrors’ opens with
acoustic guitar from Salmon before a powerful melody arrives. The contrast
between light and heavy continues. I love the guitar from Mitchell on this one,
especially after 3 minutes. ‘The Shattered Room’ opens with the sounds of a
music box as fragile vocals come in with synths. This pastoral soundscape is
broken by the arrival of pounding drums, organ and guitar. The drumming of Mick
Pointer is tremendous on this record. The lighter synths are so inviting along
with Sowden’s reserved vocals. The guitar 4 minutes in is great, as are the
drums and organ that follow. We get a surprise haunting passage 5 1/2 minutes in.
The drums are outstanding the rest of the way and some ripping guitar after 9
minutes to end it. ‘The Eyes Of Lara Moon’ opens with strummed
acoustic guitar as vocals and drums follow. Some heavy guitar before a minute,
and there is a beautiful section after 2 1/2 minutes. There are some powerful
passages in this one. ‘Tantalus’ features piano throughout, and I love the
guitar 2 1/2 minutes in (the same melody returns) and it's so powerful. This
contrast continues to a great build up as the vocals get passionate, and an
amazing sound 6 minutes in. ‘Purgatory Road’ opens with very heavy guitar
sounds until it's screaming. A nice powerful sound with the organ leading the
way before the vocals arrive, and I like the line, "I'm here to stay til
they supersize the ozone layer." The song ends with an uptempo feel good
vibe. ‘Opera Fantasia’ seems to divide the fans as to their like or dislike of
the operatic male and female vocals, and there is Mellotron on this one too.
The drums come pounding in 1 1/2 minutes, with scorching guitar melodies not
far behind, and then vocals. The operatic vocals are back 4 1/2 minutes in and
a powerful soundscape with lots of organ. It's been great listening to this band again,as I like
their sound. This of course comes highly recommended to anyone wanting to check
Arena out. I would suggest to start from the beginning though, as it's all
good. 869
A review by Bonnek: Nil is a far too obscure modern prog band from
France that mixes some of my favourite tastes in prog: the spaceyness of Floyd,
the quirky song development of VDGG and the fascinating dark guitar
progressions of King Crimson. There's a hint of free jazz improvisation and
everything is firmly held together by the daunting hand of Zeuhl. The band displays a daring ambition and confidence
right from the start. After a gentle intro, ‘Le Garden’ goes for a very avant-garde type of rock that
veers off in all sorts of directions. The female vocalist sings very original
and jazzy vocal lines, not as weird as those from Magma but they sure don't
make the music any easier to digest. The interplay between all musicians is
very dynamic and original. After a reprise of the intro with some very Gentle
Giant-like parts with dazzling musical interplay, an emotionally charged
space-rock section follows that captivates us with its entrancing dark mood for
a good 7 minutes. The dreamy ‘Linceul’ allows us to catch our breath. It forms quite a
contrast with the unsettling harsh intro of ‘Erégenération’, a track that explores the cold and dissonant
sound of King Crimson's late 90's material, also known as the ProjecKt albums.
The band balances it with more laid-back atmospheric and spacey sections, but
generally this track is very urgent and frantic. ‘198’ is one of the
most aggressive pieces on the album. It sounds very much like the alien rock of
Guapo and Nebelnest, offering similar dark and challenging avant-garde rock
that borders on RIO. Nil have that little melodic extra that might make them a
good introduction to this style for more melodic oriented listeners. ‘Abandon’ is more gentle and
jazzy, featuring those slightly unusual but tasty vocals. Also ‘Dérives’ refrains from
aggression and lets us submerge into this band’s exceptional feel for dark
space soundscapes. If you are sceptical about the existence of
challenging, intense and explorative music in our 21st schizoid century, then
this album should convince you otherwise. It's a most challenging listen, but
one that has turned out to be one of the greatest of the many discoveries I have
made online during the past year. So it's not without reason I kept this one in
the closet to celebrate my 1000th online review. A review by Mellotron Storm: It's very hard for me not to give this 5 stars.
This is beautiful, dark, haunting music with some amazing drumming and guitar
work. The ethereal vocals of Roselyne Berthet only add to the atmosphere of this
incredible album. Her vocals remind me of Synne Larsen's from In The Woods.
There is Mellotron as well which only makes this even more ominous sounding. ‘Le Gardien’ opens with haunting synths with
acoustic guitar as the female French vocals come in. Then there is a quirky
sort of melody that reminds me of Anglagard. This is followed by a big change
in the sound; the vocals sound great as does the melody. The tempo and mood
shifts continue as a dark, subdued mood moves in including Mellotron. A
tasteful guitar solo comes in after 14 minutes that goes on and on, then vocals
are back late in the song. ‘Linceul’ is a dark and ominous tune with vocals, synths
and some brief piano, all moving very slowly. ‘Deregeneration’ is my favourite song on the
album; an instrumental masterpiece with Mellotron and synths playing almost all
the time. Organ and drums become the backdrop for the grinding guitar melodies.
Keys replace the guitar as Mellotron waves crash the scene. The guitar comes
back and it's angry as we hear it rip it up! Some riffing followed by wailing
guitars as Mellotron flows in. Some powerful guitar is followed by more Tron;
what a song! Vocal melodies and some odd metered drumming arrive before the
song starts to brighten after 11 minutes. This is caused by some uplifting
guitar as drums pound away, and nice flute before this one ends. ‘198’ is an
instrumental with lots of energy a minute in and some incredible guitar playing
too. Mellotron is back, to end it , or perhaps it did not. ‘Abandon’ opens with drums and vocals that give it
a jazzy feel. A definite change in the vocals and mood though follows, then piano
comes in, heavy guitar, then piano returns in this moody song. ‘Derives’ has
this backgound of synths that comes in waves as the drums pound out a steady
beat. The vocal melodies are cool, and she actually starts to slowly sing after
5 minutes to end the song. I just love this style of music. It has emotion, it's
dark and the vocals fit perfectly. I really can't see how they can top this
one! 870 And the Glass Handed Kites
A review by UMUR: “And the Glass Handed
Kites” is the 4th full-length studio album by Danish
experimental Pop/ rock act Mew. Mew broke into the commercial
mainstream with their previous album “Frengers” (2003) but proved that commercial success doesn´t
always equal shallow music. “And the Glass Handed
Kites” continues the dreamy/ atmospheric pop/ rock style of its predecessor
but develops further on the progressive side of Mew´s music. The songs on the album seque into each other to
form a musical concept. The lyrics are rather cryptic and not easy to
penetrate, so I´m not sure there´s a concept there, but there might be. The
band play with unusual time signatures and experiment with song structures but
do not lose one bit of their accessibility on the way. The music on “And the Glass Handed Kites” is
still alternative pop/ rock at its core. Jonas Bjerre´s high pitched vocal style is defining for Mew´s sound, but the clever song
arrangements, skilled playing and adventurous ideas in the music is also a
trademark by now. The use of synths on the album is much more dominant than on
earlier releases by the band which I find a real treat. With 14 tracks on the album there are a couple of
songs that do not stand out as much as the rest and if the band had chosen to
cut a few tracks I´m sure the album could have been even stronger. I mention
this because after listening to the first 7 tracks on the album every nerve in
me is screaming masterpiece, but after that it´s like the album dies down a bit
until the beautiful ‘White Lips
Kissed’ comes in to save the day (on the Japanese version of the
album there´s an additional version of ‘White Lips Kissed’ with Japanese lyrics that sounds great).
It´s a gorgeous track and it should have been the perfect ending to a great
album, but then the band chose to put in ‘Louise Louisaas’ as the closing track. It´s a track which is
much in the same vein as ‘White
Lips Kissed’, so it´s a bit of an anticlimax to end the album with
two very similar sounding tracks. As mentioned, the 7 first tracks on the album and
the way they compliment each other simply makes me lose my breath every time I
listen to them. The intricate instrumental opening track ‘Circuitry of the Wolf’, the
beautiful ‘Chinaberry Tree’,
the dark ‘Why Are You Looking
Grave’ and the two hits ‘Special’ and ‘The Zookeeper's Boy’ are simply
outstanding tracks. The production is outstanding on this album. Clean and
sharp. I can´t give enough praises to this sound. “And the Glass Handed
Kites” could have been a masterpiece and a sure 5 star album, but when
parts of the album aren´t as exciting as the best tracks on the album, I can´t
give more than a 4 (which by the way is a very high rating). “And the Glass Handed Kites” is
still an excellent album and even the songs, that do not quite reach
masterpiece status, certainly earn themselves the tag of high quality
compositions. This is the place to start if you want to check out Mew.
871 A review by Warthur: Indukti's debut album is
a very capable piece of progressive metal which appears to take a lot of
inspiration from Porcupine Tree's inspired entry into the genre on “In Absentia”,
right down to the spacey, dreamlike vocals contributed by Mariusz Duda, and
with the brilliant violin work of Ewa Jablonska adding a startling and unique
dimension to their sound. Whilst prog bands of
yesteryear were often fond incorporating instrumentation beyond the typical
rock group drums, guitar, bass, vocalist and optionally keyboard (as indeed are
many modern post-rock groups), it always struck me as a bit of a shame that
more prog metal groups didn't have any atypical instruments as permanent
fixtures in their sound; here, Indukti buck that trend marvellously. A review by UMUR: “S.U.S.A.R” is Polish band Indukti´s debut album.
They most certainly don´t sound like newbies to me though as this album is
quite impressive. The music is mostly instrumental prog rock with
slight metal tendencies. Don´t let that scare you away though as the power
chord metal riffs are far between. In this respect they remind me of another
Polish band Riverside who also plays prog rock with occassional metal riffing.
Riverside´s frontman Mariusz Duda guests on “S.U.S.A.R” but it still cannot compare
to the two bands. The songs where Mariusz Duda guests, ‘Cold Inside...I’ and ‘Shade’
could have been Riverside songs, while the longer instrumental songs have
moments that sound like Riverside, but it´s here that Indukti shows their own
identity. Indukti´s lineup includes a violinist in Ewa
Jablonska who has a big part in Indukti´s sound. The music has a dark mood
throughout so don´t expect any happy sounding songs. There´s a bit of
conceptual continuity on “S.U.S.A.R” as ‘...And Weak II’ starts out like the
Mariusz Duda led ‘Cold Inside...I’, but it doesn´t have vocals and soon evolves
into something bigger and more symphonic. The interplay between the musicians is outstanding.
These are all very accomplished musicians and it´s a great pleasure to lay ears
to. The production is really good too. A very good modern prog rock sound. Normally I would´t be too thrilled about bands that
chose to make an almost instrumental album and I must say that I´m glad Mariusz
Duda was brought in to make the album more diverse. This would have been a 3
star album for me if there hadn´t been a couple of vocal tracks, but it´s not
to say that the vocal tracks are better than the instrumental ones; these are
very good too. I´ll rate “S.U.S.A.R” 4 stars as it is excellent prog rock. Edited by AtomicCrimsonRush - September 06 2012 at 19:29 |
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: September 06 2012 at 19:32 |
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Hey there - thanks for the kind words No, students have no idea of my secret life and i am not about to tell them cos number one rule is we dont get involved in out of school life with students but if they found out i wouldnt be too worried if they loved prog and didnt mock it. Most know i love "weird music" but thats their term not mine. they know from a survey conducted I am into Rush VDGG ELP Yes Hawkwind Genesis and King Crimson among others. 2nd rate masterpieces is a good idea too maybe someone can take on board! Too busy at present here for me though Hope to hear from you again soon
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Raccoon
Forum Senior Member
Joined: February 17 2012 Location: 444 Grove St RZ Status: Offline Points: 763 |
Posted: September 07 2012 at 01:34 |
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 I like how you refer to it as your "secret life".And I think depending on where you live, there's a sort of majority of students who like a genre of music. Living here in Washington, nearly all the students around listen to Rap and Screamo. I'm a senior in High School and I always thought that was Middle School antics, but I suppose that's just me. I know because in Middle School I was the same way! Maybe they've yet to discover it for themselves? I don't think you can truly 'love' music if you only listen to Rap and Screamo. Prog has nearly an endless variety to offer, always keeping the listener entertained, captivated, intrigued, mystified, mellowed, depending on the sub-genres of prog you're listening to! But I know that it all really depends on what genre of music you've heard first. As I explained in the newly-created thread: (http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=89447&PID=4611960#4611960) whatever you listen to is an acquired taste, and after listening to that, differing from that spectrum can leave a displeasing taste in your mouth, per say. But once you venture into prog, there's a whole world of music awaiting you! I just think it's awesome that a teacher can be such an avid fan of progressive music! P.S. I definitely understand you're too busy with this to make time for 2nd-Rate Masterpieces, I just can't believe you're so close to finishing this thread! I find that amazing, to be honest I never thought you'd get through it. Oh, and the 2005 album Odyssey - The Greatest Tale really interests me! That's my next stop! So thank you for that! And my apologies for writing just about a page in the 'Quick Reply'  |
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Check out my FREE album: A one-man project The Distant Dynasty
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: September 07 2012 at 17:51 |
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^^^^Thanks again for the commendations.
If you want a taste of "Odyssey" (a huge album) - they have kindly loaded it up on Spotify!!! to find it search for - odyssey glass hammer It is there! Worth a listen |
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infocat
Forum Senior Member
VIP Member Joined: June 10 2011 Location: Colorado, USA Status: Offline Points: 4671 |
Posted: September 09 2012 at 00:18 |
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--
Frank Swarbrick Belief is not Truth. |
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Raccoon
Forum Senior Member
Joined: February 17 2012 Location: 444 Grove St RZ Status: Offline Points: 763 |
Posted: September 09 2012 at 01:42 |
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Downloading Spotify just for it! Looks like a classic! |
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Check out my FREE album: A one-man project The Distant Dynasty
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: September 20 2012 at 04:14 |
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2006 coming soon...
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progbethyname
Forum Senior Member
Joined: July 30 2012 Location: HiFi Headmania Status: Offline Points: 7849 |
Posted: September 20 2012 at 18:45 |
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Wow. I love the dedication my prog brother. You spend a solid amount of time revealing the truth of a lot of the albums you selected. Like your review on IQ.
Thank you for the entertaining reading material. You have my deepest respect. |
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Gimmie my headphones now!!! 🎧🤣
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: September 23 2012 at 04:46 |
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Thank you for those encouraging words. I have many others helping me in this monumental task and I appreciate all the feedback from proggers who love prog as much as I do. I will keep powering on to complete this and then continue on year after year to update it with newer album releases. Well, thats the idea in theory at least
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1000 Prog Albums Over 46 Years: 1966-2011
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Raccoon wrote: