SHELL

What a discovery this band from the land of the rising sun are! Despite being slightly put off at the prospect of a flute as lead instrument, and that the other prime mover in the band is the bass player, the sound they come up with is simply awesome. Ably augmented by a guest guitarist who gets to flex his fret fingers on numerous occasions, they cook up a jazz-prog-metal stew which puts one in mind of Red era King Crimson. They may well be influenced by their late 70s compatriots Kennedy, as they share a similar fondness for jazz tinged epics laced with passages played at breakneck speed.

The opening track appears to be a re-recorded version of a track from their first album, and benefits from much improved production. The third track has what I must assume is the longest track title ever (see the band website for the full title), which is ironic as like all the other tracks on the album it is an instrumental.

If you like your jazz-prog fast with many layers and time signature changes, then this is for you.