THE TALE OF WOE

An excellent, if somewhat obscure, slice of highly symphonic progressive rock, 'The Tale Of Woe' comes courtesy of American outfit Puppet Show, a group who have remained resolutely under the radar thanks to the fact that they have released just two studio albums in ten years of existence, thirteen if you count the three-and-a-half years since this album was released. Obviously inspired by both classic-era Genesis and Fish-era Marillion, Puppet Show's sound falls somewhere between the modern proggery of fellow yankees Spock's Beard and Sweden's impressive Simon Says, with Mike Grimes lush and complex keyboards the dominant instrumental force and Sean Frazier's low-tone vocals eschewing the usual high- pitched, squawked-jester Pete Nicholls-and-Jon Anderson-styled singing that usually comes as standard in this sub-genre. They may not sport they most original sound or feature the cunning pop edge prevalent on Spock's Beard's or Marillions more mainstream-courting material, yet somehow it doesn't seem to matter, especially when one is confronted with the jaunty, keyboard-dominated opener 'Seasons' and the epic-and-emotive sixteen-minute opus 'The Past Has Just Begun', which finds Puppet Show at their most audacious and 1970s- inspired. Hopefully it won't take another ten years for this most unique of American groups to release a third album, and this reviewer for one is waiting with breath baited. One suspects that this five- piece have probably had to do it all themselves, seeing as it ain't exactly 1972 any more, which could well explain the massive interlude. As most record companies won't touch anything that isn't a 'sure thing' these days, it seems only bland rockers, ex-Christian minstrels, R'n'B-toting diva's, idea-stealing pop-stars(I'm looking at you Madonna) and dance-orientated DJs get the studio time, so Puppet Show's next could well take a while. However, if the improvement rate shown is anything to go by, album number three should be a genuine masterpiece. STEFAN TURNER, LONDON, 2011