COLLAPSE THE WAVE

There is a risk to writing excellent music; that is that the follow-up will not be as earth-shattering and thus disappoint. That is what happened here. If from most bands, Collapse the Wave would be impressive, if for the simple fact that it has no bad moments. But there is no "Don't Panic," Izz's 2019 title track. What a piece of ear candy THAT was! "Brace for Impact" is likely Collapse the Wave's strongest track. "And we will Go" is a strong runner-up, if not for the predictable synth solo. (Izz is scarcely alone in treading the cliche here; many prog bands of today want to include this '70s classic; how 'bout something unique and new instead?) Other tracks while good lack focus. Hey that can be said about 85% of all albums; High expectations are in place for Izz.