SALEM HILL

There is very little symphonic prog to expect from this album. More in the poor AOR style ("The Dilemma", "There Must Be More Than This", "Hands & Feet") or at best in the neo-prog vein with the good opening track "Golden Crosses" which can be related to "IQ".

The music available is melodic and pleasant at times. In this respect, "Aceldama" is my favorite; but the reference to some great bands from the seventies is too obvious (but it is often the case in the neo style) and a track as "Between The Two" is rather cheesy.

Here and there, some light is shining out of the dark. "Fool's Gate" is such one. A more complex structure and a good guitar work are more than welcome even if the closing puts us back again in the AOR feel.

There is little to say about this album (that's probably why no one has written a comment before mine); just that song writing is average and that there are very few songs of interest. Under these circumstances Evil One is another one of them but it is immediately followed by the very poor Never Alone.

In all, this is not album that would please any symphonic prog fan at all. I'll be generous and rate this work with two stars.