FORBIDDEN DRAMA

I decided to listen to byron's debut album after being thourougly impressed with their sophomore effort. "Forbidden Drama" is a fantastically emotional and atmospheric album, but it just doesn't gel with me as much as their "A Kind of Alchemy". It seems that since this album was released, the band's songwriting skills have improved greatly, but that's not to say that this album doesn't have great songs on it.

On this album, the hooks don't hook as well and I have a hard time retaining any of the music in my memory, which is something I don't consider to be a good thing. But, as in their next album, there is a diverse array of styles (alt rock, jazz, blues) present on this album, so anyone is bound to find something enjoyable on this album, not to mention that it is still quite catchy in certain spots. Strangely enough, I feel like this album is more in the vein of prog than their next album. The musicianship on this album is undeniably great, and that is made obvious upon first listening of the album but is reinforced by the terrific solos scattered throughout.

Most notable tracks: "Fake Life", "Losing Control", "The Dawn of a Drunk Bum", "Far Away", "Blow Up My Tears", "Forbidden Drama".

Although less enamored by this album than the follow up album, this is still undoubtedly a terrific crossover prog album. I'd definitely recommend this to someone who likes good music in general, but I honestly think I could suggest this to anyone and they would find something delightful about it, though nothing really stands out to me.