FULL SCALE

Very interesting debut album from Strangefish. Contrary to some reviewer I found this band to be quite original, it's hard to label it. Even its influences are hard to tell, except for some Yes undertones here and there (instrumental parts only, and even then they are not very so obvious). Unlike most prog records this album is very much guitar driven, the keyboards take kind of a back seat most of the time, although not always. The guitar player (here credit only as "Bob") is truly brilliant, but the band does not fall behind him, they are all fine musicians. Singer Steve Taylor is quite good, does not try to emulate Jon Anderson like so many lead vocalists do in prog, and shows a great deal of originality without sacrificing melody and song structure. The album might take some time to sink in but it is well worth it.

If you're looking for something adventurous, but can't stand those experimental noises and|or don't like too much dissonant harmonies this might interest you. At least something different from the average prog record that does not sound neither too mellow nor too much spaced out. I'm looking forward to hear their next CD. Highly recommended!