BLACK MOON

I guess many fans of ELP hailed Black Moon as a triumphant comeback. I do recall quite a bit of fanfare for this release back in 1992 and it was enough to peak my curiosity at the time. I too thought it was a pretty good album, but really didn't think it was anywhere near as good as their 1985 album with Cozy Powell. Strangely enough, this album disappeared off the radar (at least in the States) in less than a few months. Apparently it did better elsewhere. Today, about 16 years later, it hasn't aged well at all in progressive rock terms.

Let's face it. This album hardly merits the mention of the word progressive in the traditional sense. It's nearly completely in the AOR/pop rock vein, with maybe the exception of the Romeo and Juliet instrumental. It's clearly on the tail end of that 1980s sound that so ruined many a prog band and fits in nicely with its dinosaurian contemporaries of the time, like Genesis' We Can't Dance, Asia's Aqua, and Eloy's Destination.

Probably the best quality this album has is that it's probably the first album where the entire band seems to be involved in a team effort. Also, for AOR/pop rock, it's not that bad, and is rather better than other similar pop music from the time period.

I suppose one can argue as to how progressive this album is. I'm not convinced that it even warrants usage of such an esteemed word. Because of this, I can't see it ever being higher than two stars. For fans, collectors, and those pursuing a historical study of the downfalls of great prog bands.