5

Yuck. When it comes to Symphonic Progressive Rock, Ekseption lacks the "progressive" and "rock" aspects. By the time this album was released (1972), marrying rock instrumentation and symphony orchestra was nothing new (see Procol Harum, Deep Purple, The Moody Blues, etc.) Simply combining the styles can't automatically be called a progressive gesture. There must be something more there. And I can find no trace of rock here. Ekseption's music lacks that viseral element necessary for anything labelled "rock". There might be drums and electric bass guitar here, but their role is downplayed, and their rhythmic attack, if you can even call it that, is feeble.

There is no doubting Rick Van Der Linden's talent. He certainly possesses plenty of inspiration to even try modern interpretations of Bach and Mozart pieces, and his stabs at original composition are commendable. But too many times the final result is less crashing symphonic color and more cheesy lite-jazz inflected pop (ie. early Chicago). Not even a song co-written by Keith Emerson ("For Example/For Sure") can stave off the album's dull plod.

I would give this one star because it's so unattractive to my ears and, I imagine, the ears of many symphonic prog fans who would rather hear Eela Craig, The Enid or indeed, ELP, do this sort of thing. But I'll give it another star for the band's inarguable talent, and because Van Der Linden does produce a few squiggly synth sounds that can't help but make even the most discerning prog fan smile. Most of it just makes me cry, cuz I spent $12 on this piece of vinyl and will probably never be able to sell it back at half the price. More fool me.