HARVEST AORTA

A highly polished instrumental album with definite metal or at least heavy foundations which does somehow keep one's attention and admiration throughout its exceptional length. The 42-minute epic, "Harvest Aorta" is quite masterfully constructed to never bore the listener, always keep him at the edge of his seat waiting for the next dénouement--which rarely ever fails to deliver. The opening song, "Springsong," starts off with promise, moves into a jazz fusion sound/style, some lounge, and some YES-like parts, but is, ultimately, lacking (the last four minutes are by far the most interesting). (6/10) The next two "Prism" and "Memoirs" are good, with some nice development, emotion, and catchy melodies (7/10 each). The epic is very good, not a hardship to listen to--IMHO, in step with its closest competitors, RIVERSIDE and PORCUPINE TREE (8/10). Great recording, excellent musicianship, very good song constructs; worth repeated listenings. 3.5 stars: rate up if you like heavier music, down if not. A nice addition to any prog lover's music collection.