99

Abraxas certainly don't embarrass themselves with this swansong album which takes a rather harder and heavier approach to neo-prog than their previous albums - or, indeed, most other neo-prog acts at the time. Darker and murkier than the preceding two albums, 99's comparatively brief compositions (by prog standards) flow past almost without the listener noticing, immersing you in a mysterious netherworld of the band's creation at their best but unfortunately being a little forgettable at their worst.

Adam Łassa's vocal performance doesn't seem quite as compelling or immediate as on the previous albums, and some may question some aspects of the production (I think it's intentionally murky but I admit that it could just be murky), but aside from that the band's high standards are upheld throughout. Abraxas may not have have a particularly long and prolific career, but I think any band could look back on a back catalogue such as theirs with pride - they really never made an album which wasn't at least worth a listen. At the same time, I don't think they ever quite matched their excellent debut album.