FENCE THE CLEAR

TILES took their name from the LED ZEPPELIN song "Out On The Tiles", but they have more in common with RUSH (instrumentally) and QUEENSRYCHE (intelligent lyrics) as far as i'm concerned. Hey you can't go wrong with this album or the follow-up "Presents Of Mind", both were mixed by Terry Brown. This is their second album and in my opinion this one is a huge improvement over the debut. In the liner notes they mention that the songs on this album were really auditioned for 2 years in front of live audiences and changed until they felt they were right. When they recorded this album they wanted it to have that live feel and they did little in the way of overdubs.

"Patterns" opens with a jazzy flavour before the guitar comes in and changes that. Such a great sound here. Nice guitar 3 minutes in. "Beneath The Surface" is a melodic and uplifting tune. Excellent finish to this one. These two opening tracks both have their RUSH moments. "Cactus Valley" opens with some atmosphere but it certainly has it's heavy passages with some excellent bass and guitar. "Another's Hand" is an uptempo track that brings early FATES WARNING to mind as the guitar grinds away. Check out the drumming 2 minutes in and the bass lines that follow.

"The Wading Pool" is an anti-war ballad with some great acoustic guitar. "Gameshow" is a favourite of mine. I like the witty lyrics and RUSH-like instrumental passages. Nice and heavy when it slows down too. "Changing The Guard" is another highlight, I like the arrangments the way it gets intense for a while then it releases, then intense and...well you get the picture. Kevin Chown (MAGNITUDE NINE) guests on bass. He also co-produced this album by the way. "Checkerboards" rocks ! Guitar riffs and solos, an almost 15 minute epic. I like the contrasts on this one.

I don't usually comment on bonus tracks but the four on the edition I have are so amazing. Very impressive release and a co-favourite with their next one "Presents Of Mind". I love this style of music !