THE REMEDY OF ABSTRACTION

Well, despite of evaluating it as an inferior product in comparison to their previous album entitled "Forgiving Eden", the present "The remedy of Abstraction" is able to maintain a good quality, talking about its general harmonic lines as well as a few citations, a sort of small tribute to some experimental/Canterburian groups from the UK...I think of bands like Hatfield and the North and National Health for example, without forgetting the fusion oriented passages in the vein of an American ensemble like Return to Forever or once again in the style of another famous band - founded by J. McLauglin - the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Even though actually there are only a few hints from these latter, their "adventurous" approach is almost the same. The violin section inside is very interesting, as well as the guitar pedals, sometimes drawing the inspiration from the best passages by A. Holdsworth. The long instrumental section in the title track is a bit classically oriented to the Jazz progressive sound of Happy the Man, but it' a minor question, cause actually in the last years ATM have been running a more personal road for several times (Forgiving Eden is a tipycal example). In search of an odd contamination - regarding of their jazz overtones - ATM have performed a very good job. Instead "Shakespeare's Strippers " is my favourite track, as it's probably the most adventurous tune, talking about the guitar passages, I have ever heard in their music; but of course I can't forget the melancholic touch within 'Her Softening Sorrow' and also another intelligent tune like "Not Even Wrong", the best long instrumental along with the title track. I don't like the dissonant harmonic passages of the keyboards within track#8, but it's a minor defect after all, cause the inventions all over its duration make this album absolutely worth checking out.

If you're not too much into the experimental/Canterburian style you can erase an half star at least; otherwise you could consider it as a must-have...according to your personal music tastes of such "diverse" genre, naturally!