TO SHATTER ALL ACCORD

The first Discipline album in almost fourteen years, this hard rockin' set finds the Detroit proggers returning with a vengeance, the four-strong outfit producing their most riveting set yet. Only the third studio release after 1994's debut 'Push & Profit' and the hugely-popular 'Unfolded Like Staircases' from three years later, it's a wonder Discipline have such a near-mythical reputation in progressive rock circles. 'To Shatter All Accord', however, is a testament to that reputation, the opening bars of the craggy, jagged rocker 'Circuitry' emphasizing the group's lean and mean new direction and showcasing the group's refreshingly original style which for the most manages to eschew the usual modern prog conventions, especially during the album's excellent first-half. The opening three tracks - the aforementioned 'Circuitry', the epic, swirling prog of 'When The Walls Are Down' and the slightly more upbeat, keyboard-led 'Dead City' - are the real jewels here, each composition featuring catchy melodies, fantastic interplay and a genuine anthemic feel that blends Genesis- style artistry with simple, fist-pumping rock riffs. It's a winning formula but one that is sadly not repeated on the album's two closing epics. Running in at almost twenty-five minutes, album-closer 'Rogue' is the more impressive of the two, especially during the powerful mid-section when Jon Preston Bouda's screeching guitars reach a wailing crescendo above Matthew Parmenter's cyclical keyboard patterns, yet it's a rare moment of clarity in an otherwise messy, over-produced and overlong piece. That said, this is still a fine comeback album from a talented outfit who have been away far too long. The creative juices of leader and main writer Parmenter are still in good nick, especially on the shorter tracks, and it'll interesting to see if Discipline continue to gather momentum in the coming years or simply disappear out of view for another decade-or-so. At least they have left behind this worthy slice of rock-hard prog, which should more than satisfy the group's loyal brigade of fans.

STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2012