CALATEA

3.5 stars, really. Very interesting Swiss band of the late 70´s. This debut album shows some great promise. I heard they were a kind of Yes copy band, but I found nothing here that supports such statement, except maybe for the vocal style of some parts, definitly a bit Jon Anderson oriented. But on the instrumental side of things they are quite different, with a much stronger jazzier side. So if you´re looking for something like Starcastle, go somewhere else. Flame Dream in many aspects are quite original and unique and if you´re not convinced, just listen to the opener Gate To Galetea, where the mix of synphonic prog, jazz and tango (yes, tango!!) is indeed amusing.

While all the musicians are highly skilled and professional, the CD is definitly keyboard-oriented, with enough room for a lot of sax and flutes too. Roland Ruckstuhl pretty much runs the show here with his very tasteful use of grand piano, organ and synths. Peter Wolf (no relation to his namesake american singer of the J. Geils Band) also does a fine job on the woodwinds. There are almost no guitar solos, but you´ll hardly notice it. the rhythm section is quite good and versatile, I specially liked the bass parts.

For a concept album, the vocals are surprisingly few. Which ends up being a good thing, since those guys are much better instrumentalists than singers. The sound of my CD version is very good and balanced all over. All the tracks are at least good, with some memorable, powerful moments (Volcano And Pyramids are definitly two highlights, but there are no fillers).

Conclusion: a nice surprise. Nothing to write home about it, but still quite good and promising. I´m looking forward to listen to Calatea´s follow up and the others.