THE TALE OF WOE

I think the biggest piece of enjoyment I got from this album was the first song, ''Seasons''. After that nothing else seems to be as new anymore. Just a rehash of what the band did on the first track. That isn't to say that the musicianship isn't top-notch, because it is, and the singer's voice is very pleasant to listen to, but there is just nothing about this that I can hear that would merit a four-star ratuing or higher. The originality is non-existant as these bguys are simply taking cues from bands such as Gentle Giant, Genesis, Yes and Marillion to create 'their' sound, which is in reality nothing more than a mish- mash of all of those bands combined.

The end result is an average-quality release that is fun to listen to, but gets boring very easily, at least for me, since listen to them makes me want to listen to the original bands that Puppet Show took off of. The keyboard-heavy sound is quite sappy and after awhile began to make me ill, but luckily there IS enough guitar featured to keep the cheesiness at bay. One of the more beautiful songs is The Past Has Just Begun, which features superb acoustic guitar picking accompanied by the lead singer's powerful vocal strides. Great ballad-like feel to it. The problem is, however, as it is with most bands like Puppet Show, is that the vocal styles, guitar playing and song structures have all been recycled over and over so many times in the past that it is hard for me to take Puppet Show seriousely as a stand-alone band. However, there is enough hope here to think that if the guys keep working at it, they may end up making their own mark eventually. They just didn't do it with this album.

Not horrible, but not fantastic, either. I enjoy this album very much, but it is 'good trash', as it were. There is nothing about it that would set THE TALE OF WOE apart from any other Symphonic Prog album out there. Three stars fits it perfectly, I feel. Good, but not essential. I would recommend it to you if you like Genesis, but at times it feels like blatant copying. If you want to liste to an absolutely fantastic modern Symph Prog band, check out Echolyn. If you want some catchy tunes to use as background noise as you drive to work in the mornings, then check these guys out. Either way you can't really go wrong, as the musicianship itself is absolutely superb. I just feel that the originality is lacking, that is all.

Overall not a bad effort, but that epic 'feel' to the title and all makes me feel like Puppet Show was aiming for the next prog epic, and if that is so, then they missed the mark by miles. Qualilty playing, but only so-so music on the whole.