IT REMINDS ME OF THOSE DAYS

SOCIAL TENSION were a power trio of sorts out of Japan and they released two studio albums in 1989 and 1991 respectively. This is the second album and almost all feel the debut is the superior record. I will be spending some time with it in a few weeks. Without question this band is inspired by ELP as we get the same setup of bass, drums and keyboards and yes the keyboardist is incredibly talented. And there's an array of keyboards in play here including mellotron although Andy at Planet Mellotron believes they used mellotron samples. Yes they spelled "remind" wrong but keep in mind the two studio albums were released in japan only. They corrected the spelling on the compilation record which contained the complete first album along with the title track on this one and the closer,and it was released World wide. I would have included the opener as well. Amazing album covers as well on those two studio albums. There are more vocals on this one compared to the debut apparently and we get digital synths here too that weren't on that first record.

So yeah that opener "Evil Intension" is just a tornado that rips through the neighbourhood leaving everyone saying "What just happened?". The organ is absolutely filthy and reminds me of a cross between Emerson and Lord. The chorus is kind of hazy as they settle back. A fantastic way to start and how good would that song be live? The title track is almost 18 minutes long and is filled with twists and turns. "Waltz" is another excellent track that oddly reminds me of RPI in a big way. Something about the vocals and sound 1 1/2 minutes in. Anyway this is a top three tune with the opener and title track. "Out Of March" features plenty of organ including some good runs to open.

So I have to go 4 stars here, just too much enjoyment. Looking forward to the debut.