SHOOTING ALBATROSS

The first time I spun this album, I did not think this is something deserves to be a special prog album because of two things: I did not quite patient enough to wait the pace of the music that starts very very slow especially at the opening track and it was very annoying to have a repeated lyrics "round and round looking for a platform" that made me annoyed and got bored with the vocal line of this segment. I almost did not want to have another spin due to that two reasons especially the boring "round and round" ...oh my God! How come the band has never thought in progressive way? Making this repeated lyrics has made me totally bored! Come on guys .. do not make that kind of thing anymore!

But when I look at the music in deep, forgetting the slow nature and boring "round and round" words, I find these guys have made excellent music. Hey, what about Pink Floyd Shine on You Crazy Diamond which is very slow at the beginning as well? That's why I made my mind change to make me able to appreciate the music of Abel Ganz.

Overall, the musical composition of this album is good and it has all elements that typical neo prog music has: long overdue keyboard work, stunning guitar solo and catchy melody. I can sense the feel of Pink Floyd in its musical segments especially the opening track. My favorite track is of course the second one "So Far" which features the band's previous vocalist Alan Reed before he was poached by another neo prog band Pallas as the band's lead vocalist / frontman until now. "So Far" moves the music beautifully from start to end with long sustain keyboard plays its significant role combined with guitar. The acoustic guitar work is really nice and it enriches the music. The guitar solo reminds me to the kind of Marillion's "Chelsea Monday" or "Sugar Mice". Or, put it this way: this track completes your satisfaction due to limited guitar solo in Marillion. The vocal part by Alan Reed brings this song into the closer similarity with Pallas even though I can sense the difference in guitar playing as well as bass guitar work by Graeme Murray of Pallas who usually use Rickenbaker. Alan Reed sings this song wholeheartedly and it makes the music very entertaining, especially when it's combined with keyboard work and music riffs that follow. The guitar solo is really stunning; I like it very much.

Other two tracks are also entertaining. "Sheepish" (12:55) is dynamic in terms of beats and has good composition overall. Even though it sounds a bit pop, but it has excellent music riffs. The rhythm section is nice, the melody is catchy. "Ventura" (14:38) reminds me to Genesis music in the era of Anthony Phillips. It's much closer to the solo work of Anthony Phillips with its "The Geese and The Ghost" album but with beat. I enjoy the long sustain keyboard solo as well as acoustic guitar work that sounds in the vein of Anthony Phillips.

Overall, this is an excellent addition of neo-prog music with close to four star rating. I would say this is a 7+ out of 10. You will enjoy it if you like Pallas, Pendragon, IQ, Red Sand, etc. Keep on proggin'...!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

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