NEO-PROG

— First review of this album —

On 5th February 1993, Edmund Geoffrey Mann died aged just 36 years old, leaving behind not only his family but artwork, plays, fifteen albums and the memories of the fans who had seen him perform in hundreds of concerts. Of all the musicians who have died since I became interested in music it was this death which impacted me the most (still true to this day), and I put together a tribute from many who had played with and known him. Thirty years on and Andrew Wild released 'His Love', a wonderful biography of the Mann with loads of photos and information, and to accompany that there was also this CD which can now be purchased separately.

What we have here is a Is a 15-track compilation album taking tracks from all the different albums Geoff recorded from 1981 until his untimely passing in 1993, presented chronologically. Is this a 'Best Of'? No, as there are just way too many songs missing - no "Creepshow" or "Sequences" for example, both songs which Geoff totally owned, while "We Are Sane" and "The Collector" are also absent, but if these had been included then it would have had to be a much longer release so it is best to think of it instead as an introduction. This is a nice way of seeing the changes in Geoff's approach through the years as when he joined Twelfth Night, they were primarily an instrumental act and he had to find room for his voice, "Sequences" being the best example of that, and here we see him moving from being an essential member of a band through to solo artist, collaborator and band leader.

Of his canon, 'Casino', is often the most overlooked which is nothing short of criminal as this project with Clive Nolan had the potential to become huge and it is interesting to compare it with the songs either side, with "Over The Edge" (with Marc Catley) featuring his wonderful wobbly guitar while "Apathetic & Here, I" is just Geoff and an acoustic. Geoff packed way more into his time here than many of have achieved with far greater time, and this set is a wonderful way of discovering more about his music and is the perfect item to be listening to while reading the book, so why not get both?

— First review of this album —

On September 2nd, 2023, Solstice sold out the iconic venue built by jazz legends Sir John Dankworth and Dame Cleo Laine in 1970, something they view as a career highlight. The night was recorded and is now available as a full concert film (plus photo gallery) or as audio, and it is this which I am now playing. The band are the same as the previous two studio albums, namely founder Andy Glass (guitar), Jess Holland (vocals), Jenny Newman (fiddle), Peter Hemsley (drums), Robin Phillips (bass), Steven McDaniel (keyboards) plus two additional singers in Ebony Buckle and Gwen Taylor. Apart from the three singers, this line-up has been together for some years, having released 'Spirit' in 2010.

It is now 40 years since 'Silent Dance' came out, although I must admit to not hearing it until 10 years later, after I had already reviewed 'New Life'. Solstice are included on ProgArchives as Neo due to where they have come from, but if they were up for inclusion now I can see there being a battle with Crossover, as the band has in many ways moved from what they were and created a sound quite unlike any others in the scene. The fiddle has always been an important part of the music, and Jenny knows when to take the lead or when to take a break, the keyboards are often a backdrop as opposed to a driving force, while the same can be said for Andy who is more than happy to take a back seat at times, riffing hard at others. The whole band is designed to keep the female vocals front and centre, bringing in prog, pop, rock, folk and other influences to produce a highly polished performance. Jess is a real find, being a real performer as well as singer, and having two others with her to provide vocal harmonies in a live setting allows for more passion and depth.

We have been fortunate enough to have two studio albums, from the same line-up no less (which is somewhat unusual for the band) and given the way they are playing some high-profile gigs let us hope they have enough time to record another one soon. This is a wonderful demonstration of great prog from a band who for some strange reason have never really been given the acclaim they so richly deserve. If you are already a fan then I am sure this is in your collection, and if not then now is the time to investigate given the band have made this available free of charge so that even more can discover the great sounds of Solstice.

One of the many Polish prog bands popping up since Poland gained its new independence following the collapse of the USSR in the early 1990s, ARLON emerged from the tiny city of Przemyśl which is located in the extreme southeastern part of the nation literally on the border with the Ukraine. I actually had the opportunity to stay in that city for one night passing through when i was traveling in that region. The band that plays a mix of classic progressive rock with a touch of neo-prog has been an industrious act playing numerous rock festivals since its inception in 2009 such as The Festival of Progressive Rock in Gniewkowo, The Cieszanoow Rock Festival, Prog The Night as well as playing at Rock Area on Stage in Katowice which was a one time event that featured a guest appearance from Clive Nolan of Arena and Pendragon fame.

So far in 2024, ARLON has released two albums, this debut ON THE EDGE in 2013 followed by a sophomore album "Mimetic Desires" two years later in 2015. The band lineup has remained consistent since 2012 and includes Paweł Zwirn (drums), Wiesław Rutka (guitar, lyricist), Maciej Napieraj (bass), Jacek Szott (saxophone, keyboards, vocals, composer, lyricist) and Paweł Szykuła (vocals). The band was founded by drummer Pawel Zwirn. The main composer has been Jacek Szott and although emerging from a very far removed enclave in Poland, ARLON recognized the international appeal and unlike some Polish bands delivers all lyrics in the English language. ON THE EDGE is a lengthy album at nearly 58 minutes and features 9 tracks.

ARLON delivers a dreamy type of neo-prog with a blend of jazzy saxophone, soft-spoken vocals and heavy emphasis on atmospheres. The guitars play clean and soft most of the time but the band has adopted the more modern trends of using heavier guitar riffing for contrast. The band recorded their debut at the Studio Underground in nearby Rzeszów, a nearby business hub that is surprisingly economically robust and teaming with activity considering it is the largest city in southeastern Poland with a population of nearly 200,000 inhabitants. I also had the pleasure to spend a night there and it was much more vibrant than i could've imagined so an obvious attraction point for Polish bands of that region of Poland. ON THE EDGE easily escaped the narrow focus of its homeland and was received by many nations in Europe, the USA as well as being praised in nations like Egypt and Brazil.

ON THE EDGE is a decent if rather safely played style of neo-prog. It gets the job done but doesn't quite add that extra sauce that makes the band really stand out like bands such as Abraxas and Quidam did right from the very start. Firstly the compositions while nicely played and competently delivered just lack any kind of bite really. The band seems to lack a signature sound at this point while its getting its feet wet in the recording process. Likewise i find lead singer Pawel Szykula's vocal range to be a bit limiting and neo-prog bands really need a strong frontman to animate the musical style but on a positive note the rest of the band is tight and delivers a convincing style of neo-prog however the drums could be perhaps a bit more nuanced. Like most neo-prog, the keys play a major part and ARLON covers that arena quite well. I've been reading that the band really stepped things up with its sophomore release "Mimetic Desires" so i'm curious to find out if that is indeed the case.

Overall a decent slice of second rate neo-prog but doesn't quite deliver with enough passion and bravado to make it a compelling listening experience. Neo-prog can be so magical if done properly and in this case it sounds like a band still finding its way through the long and arduous process of self-discovery. I absolutely love the album cover though, one of the coolest depictions of a triumphant successful ascent to a celestial body lurking overhead above the some sort of ancient fortress. It's surprising the band only has two albums under its belt as it's not apparent that it has disbanded but as things go musicians have other lives to attend to and it's never clear how long hiatuses will last so anything is possible in the wild and unpredictable world we find ourselves in these days. This album is pleasant but does rise much more above that.

Since 2018, this composer and multi-instrumentalist has not only been consistently delivering standout albums that I am proud to possess and review, all very highly rated but also because the recipe ingredients and manpower invited happen to vary from album to album. So before delving into the intricacies of this fifth chapter, I invite all those readers still unfamiliar with this Cheshire cat, to travel back into his past 4 albums and discover all the pleasures therein. The bar is set pretty high because the previous "Kintsugi" was a tour de force that earned it my highest praise. Vocalists Sally Minnear and the celebrated Peter Jones are back, not surprising they are stellar performers, as is keyboardist Vikram Shankar. New allies are Luke Machin, a gifted guitarist who seems to be equally prolific, playing on a multitude of recordings, John Hackett needs no intro at all, and Southern Empire's Shaun Holton sings on a couple of tracks. Lastly, Dave Brons tosses in a couple of bars at the end of the opening track, while Moray MacDonald blows a mean trumpet on one number.

"13" sets the immediate tone for the remainder of the set list, as Holden lays down a solid rhythmic pulse, with snarling bass, solid riffs, and some nice drum programming. Peter Jones grasps the microphone, and his fluid voice is always a delight, delivering that mythical story of how the number 13 is a superstition that will not go away. Friday the 13th, 13 people at a table, open umbrellas, broken mirrors, walking under ladders, black cats, touch wood, and rabbit foot. Poetry for the mind. We enter epic land with a musical adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's "The Man Who Would Be King", the lengthiest piece and adventurous as can be, an ideal setting for Shaun to show off his singing skills. The sense of mountainous elevations, imagining the Khyber Pass and Everest beyond, an imperial trumpet announcing the fantasy of soldiers of misfortune wanting to become gods, and rule by force or by will over vast territories of immense riches. The allusion to Alexander the Great also comes through in the cinematographic arrangement. Close your eyes and let the shifting variations induce the imagination to wander. Vikram peels off a nifty synth solo as the final denouement arrives. Gong!

With the piano and the flute ruling the space, "A Sense of Place" has that quintessential pastoral Welsh feel, a lovely instrumental pause, a shimmering ode to tranquility. The title could well have been A Sense of Peace, and no one would have dared a word. Plain beautiful. With a tale about insane jealousy and competitive revenge, "Burnt Cork and Limelight" has certainly dramaturgical, I daresay, Shakespearean tendencies. The faultless melody is a masterful addition to an arrangement lush with immaculate orchestrations that truly emit a sense of stage music for actors who hide their dark side by pretending to follow the script but desperately seeking to murder their alleged foe. Peter Jones delivers one of his finest deliveries ever, utterly convincing. Applause from the captive audience is the final straw. 10 minutes + of enchanting entertainment.

The subject of recent covert assassinations of defectors in the UK, "Agents" tackles the open-faced gall of sending killers armed with nerve agents to eliminate any threats to the Kremlin's authority with apparent immunity. The music is suitably anxious, with shadowy figures hiding behind diplomatic immunity, carrying vials of lethal poison, and seeking out their targets. Luke rips off a cloak and dagger axe rant. Revenge is a bitter pill, tastelessly dropped in a teapot. A passionate visit to Paris does not mean one can 100% find love, sometimes it's the exact opposite, a realization that may hurt on the moment but better now than 20 years later. Sally Minnear sings her plight in the City of Light, Notre Dame casting a long shadow, the book vendors on the embankments of the Seine offering fictional non-fiction editions of a love not meant to be. The musical atmosphere is suitably restrained and romantic. L'amour fait mal (Love hurts).

The final two tracks deal with the two choices offered in the title, "Proximity" peering at the Red Planet and simply wondering if it was perhaps a former home once long ago, having had to settle on Earth, to find a more suitable climate. The glorious hymn "Chance "is the segue that tackles the complex notion of 'what if?', and 'who am I?'. It has a Jon Anderson-Yes positive feel to it that is most up lifting. Within the realm of logic, each person is nothing more than the amalgamation of all the preceding relatives from both ancestral chains, an intricate evolution with no clear starting point unless it was from the universe itself. DNA does not stand for Do Not Admit. All three vocalists join in on the choir, singing a hopeful message, "that we all inhabit this small planet, we all breathe the same air, we all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal". The only absolute is that there is only one sun. John Holden is a progressive rock force to be reckoned with. Get close and get lucky.

5 Vicinities and risks

Review Nº 778

This version of "Live From Loreley" is a very special edition of the series Sound & Vision, a double pack edition formed by a live CD plus a live VHS cassette and that was released in 1995. It was taken from a recorded live show performed at the Freilichtbuhne Loreley, St. Goarshausen, Germany on 18 July 1987. The recordings were made during the first part of the 1987 "Clutching At Straws" live tour, showing Marillion at the peak of their fame and most commercial success.

The line up on "Live From Loreley" features Fish (vocals), Steve Rothery (guitars), Mark Kelly (keyboards), Pete Trewavas (bass) and Ian Mosley (drums). The concert has also the participation of Cori Josias on backing vocals.

"Live From Loreley" is a live show that comprises songs from their four studio albums recorded by them up to that point, "Script For A Jester's Tear" from 1983, "Fugazi" from 1984, "Misplaced Childhood" from 1985 and "Clutching At Straws" from 1987. It includes also non-album's songs, which were released on their debut EP "Market Square Heroes".

The cover of the album uses the original 1987 concert poster designed by Mark Wilkinson, a British graphic designer which is best known by his cover art created for a number of British bands, like Marillion and Fish. It shows the central character from the cover of their single "Incommunicado", taken from their fourth studio album "Clutching At Straws".

From that live concert were released several live documents during various years. A video recording of this concert had first been released on a VHS tape in 1987, and re-released in 1995, then packaged together with an audio CD, including the soundtrack of the VHS tape. This video recording was re-issued on DVD in 2004. On 2009, Emi released the recordings for the fourth time. Then it was a digitally re-mastered double audio CD, including four tracks that had been omitted from the previous video and audio versions, "White Russian", "Fugazi", "Garden Party" and "Market Square Heroes". Still, the version of "White Russian" founded on the 2009 issue had previously been released as the B side of their single "Warm Wet Circles", the third single taken from Marillion's fourth studio album "Clutching At Straws".

This version of "Live From Loreley" has thirteen tracks that appeared on the CD and the VHS versions. The exception is "Incubus" appearing only available on the VHS version. The first track "Slainte Mhath" was released on "Clutching At Straws". The second track "Assassing" was released on "Fugazi". The third track "Script For A Jester's Tear" was released on "Script For A Jester's Tear". The fourth track "Incubus" was released on "Fugazi". The fifth track "Sugar Mice" was released on "Clutching At Straws". The sixth track "Hotel Hobbies" was also released on "Clutching At Straws". The seventh track "Warm Wet Circles" was also released on "Clutching At Straws". The eighth track "That Time Of The Night (The Short Straw)" was also released on "Clutching At Straws". The ninth track "Kayleigh" was released on "Misplaced Childhood". The tenth track "Lavender" was also released on "Misplaced Childhood". The eleventh track "Heart Of Lothian" was also released on "Misplaced Childhood". The twelfth track "The Last Straw" was released on "Clutching At Straws". The thirteenth track "Incommunicado" was also released on "Clutching At Straws".

"Live From Loreley" finds the band a few years later in their career as they were supporting the release of "Clutching At Straws". This would be Fish's last recording with the band before he embarked on his solo career. Filmed at an outdoor festival typesetting in front of some 18,000 fans we see a seasoned Marillion, confident in their music and in the eyes of their dedicated fans. This period showed the band at the peak of their career, though it was also a very awkward period for Marillion. While the concert took place a full year before Fish's departure from the band, you can really see how little interaction there was on stage between Fish and the rest of the band. One of the great things about this DVD is one gets to see just how good Marillion was in concert during Fish's era. The set list is a well chosen greatest hit set, and the band plays a tight concert. The sound quality is reasonable. So while it's not the best imaginable concert to release on DVD, it's a great document of its time. There are no extra features to speak of but it's a very enjoyable video to watch.

Conclusion: This is the third time that I reviewed this live concert. Some time ago, I had already reviewed the digitally re-mastered double audio CD version of 2009 and a short time ago I also reviewed the DVD re-issued version of 2004. And as I wrote before, when I reviewed both versions, we are in presence of an excellent live show made by one of my favourite bands, especially in the era of Fish. This live show represents, in my humble opinion, one of the best live musical moments ever produced by Marillion, the other is "Recital Of The Script". It shows a mature band that knows what is doing on stage and where Fish shows clearly that he is the absolute mastery of the stage. The track selection is excellent and in relation to the sound and the video images I must say that they're very good, in the same line of the live concert itself. Unfortunately, "Live From Loreley" represents also the swan song of Fish as a Marillion's band member.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

One of the most dynamic and interesting neo-prog bands to come out of the Polish scene, ABRAXAS was also one of the earliest predating the sweep of bands that emerged in the 1990s. Formed in Bydgoszcz in 1987, ABRAXAS didn't take its name from the classic Santana album as many may think but rather from the actual mystical term from the system of the Gnostic Basilides. Roughly referring to the dualism of good and evil forces penetrating each other, founding members Adam Łassa (vocals) and Łukasz Święch (guitar) deemed the term quite appropriate for their strange musical compositions that offered alternating mood swings, sudden rhythm changes and unorthodox arrangements.

After many years and a few lineup changes, ABRAXAS may have been one of the earliest Polish neo-prog bands to form but would require a lengthy nine years before its self-titled debut finally emerged in 1996. By this time only vocalist Adam Łassa remained and after recruiting guitarist Szymon Brzeziński, keyboardist / flautist Marcin Blaszczyk, bassist Rafał Ratajczak and drummer Marcin Mak, the new ABRAXAS was ready for business and delivered an impressive debut that sounded like no other. Apparently this album was released eponymously first in 1996 and then in 2000 re-released with the cumbersome Polish language title ...CYKL OBRACA SIę, NARODZINY, DZIECIńSTWO PEłNE DUSZY, UśMIECHÓW NIEWINNYCH I ZDRADY? which translates to "The Cycle Rotates, Birth, Childhood Full Of Soul, Innocent Smiles And Betrayal." I'll just refer to it as the debut :)

The band's debut is an explosive powerhouse of neo-tinged progressive rock with the dramatic theatrical flair of Fish-era Marillion and the dynamism of classic 70s prog acts like Van Der Graaf Generator. The many years of practicing, touring and juggling band members apparently hardened Łassa to assemble a team of seasoned professional delivering highly energetic and shape shifting arrangements that offered the best of neo-prog and beyond brought to a higher level of competency with Łassa's charismatic vocal style with keyboardist Marcin Błaszczyk showcasing a level of virtuosity that ranks up there in the Keith Emerson or Rick Wakeman halls of fame. Although the lyrics are completely sung in the Polish language, apparently there are a bit controversial showcasing the feistiness and punk attitude of ABRAXAS which emerged in the late 80s when the punk scene had caught up to Eastern Europe.

The band's debut album is simply amazing in how it sweeps you off your feet instantly with the first feisty notes of "Before" and makes you those stray leaves on the album cover, whisks you up into the musical flow and never allows you to get off the ABRAXAS express for its hour-long run. After an energetic introduction the music suddenly becomes sombre and ambient which leads up to the intricately designed track "Tarot" which showcases all the band's eccentricities and bizarre compositional liberties. The album truly takes you to another world and one you find yourself content to emerge yourself well within. Sounding as bizarre as Mr Doctor from Devil Doll only in a theatrical Fish styled way, Łassa immediately stands out from pretty much anyone else our there and while the music can be shocking and startling is mostly carried through by beautiful neo-prog melodic processions that offer the usual bass, guitar and keyboard approach.

By the 90s Poland was ready for the prog revival and ABRAXAS was perched to deliver the goods. Not only were they competent musicians beyond measure and had the stage presence of a world class act but the unorthodox composiitons set them apart from the copycats of Western bands still grasping for their own voice. This led to sharing the stage with such acts as Fish, Porcupine Tree and Robert Plant with Jimmy Page. A unique mix of neo-prog, various strains of progressive rock and even a bit of traditional Polish folk music under the surface, ABRAXAS delivered a bonafide masterpiece on this exemplary debut and one that captures the very essence of what a well oiled neo-prog machine is supposed to sound like without sounding derivative of its influences. Utterly brilliant and even the two bonus tracks on the 2000 remaster are phenomenal!

Back on the progressive path with "Ever", and just like their Genesis referents with "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway", IQ fulfilled the dream of the double concept album with "Subterranea", the band's sixth. The enigmatic story of the teenager Kaspar Hauser, who appeared in the German city of Nuremberg back in 1828 without having had direct contact with other people, a famous character of scientific study related to human behaviour in situations aseptic to social relations and murdered in unclear circumstances in 1833 at the age of 21, is the source of inspiration for this massive and somber work of more than 100 minutes.

Divided into two parts of generous mileage, "Subterranea" presents IQ's fictionalised version of Kaspar's various experiences in the world that opened up before his eyes, using a generally intimate and complicit narration by Peter Nicholls and wrapped in intriguing and intricate walls of sound that both the guitars of Mike Holmes, the wide range of synthesizers and their infinite effects of Martin Orford, the rugged and imposing bass of John Jowitt and the more active participation than usual of Paul Cook on percussion, build.

Carefully crafted pieces flow harmonically without pause or haste, like the thick, hypnotic half-time instrumental "Overture", or the Genesian "Sleepless Incidental" and "Failsafe", or the beautiful and moving "Speak My Name" with Nicholls lulled by Orford's luminous keyboards and a delicate acoustic plucking by Holmes (one of the band's best ballads), or the aching melancholy of "The Sense In Sanity" overlaid by Orford's atmospheric synths, and the bridge that the instrumentals "State Of Mine" and "Laid Low" build to cross over from the first to the second part of the album, where the suffocating "Capricorn" and the emotive sax of guest Tony Wright, the electronic experimentation of "The Other Side" and the heartbreaking "High Water" with Holmes' melancholic guitar stand out, but above all the substantial 20 minutes of the epic "The Narrow Margin" that runs between classic elements of the genre, nods in its middle section to the jazziest Camel and shades of futuristic insanity, and whose denouement unleashes an excellent guitar solo before closing the piece and the album with gentle acoustic notes, a gem.

"Subterranea" not only cemented IQ's progressive comeback, but positioned them as one of their greatest exponents of the nineties onwards.

Very good.

4 stars

I don't think there is much doubt in anyone's minds that one of the most important bands in the Eighties prog scene was Pallas, whose 'Arrive Alive' cassette in 1981 led to the two massively important albums 'The Sentinel' and 'The Wedge'. There was a significant gap until the band reformed to record 'Beat The Drum' in 1999, with founder Graeme Murray and long-time members Niall Matthewson, Ronnie Brown and ex-Abel Ganz singer Alan Reed being joined by drummer Colin Fraser. That line-up released three well-received albums and then Alan left to follow a solo career, being replaced by Paul Mackie, with whom Pallas released two more with the last being 2014's 'Wearewhoweare'. Then it went somewhat quiet on the Pallas front, and what no-one expected was a new album in 2024, a full fifty years since the band were first formed, and with Alan back at the front. Colin has departed, and the line-up is Alan Reed (lead and backing vocals), Niall Mathewson (guitars, percussion programming, vocals), Graeme Murray (bass, Taurus bass pedals, 12-string guitar, vocals), and Ronnie Brown (keyboards, percussion programming, vocals), back in the studio together for the first time since 2005's 'The Dreams of Men'.

One thing I noticed is that in the press release it states, "This is an album which repays countless listens" and that is definitely something I can attest to. The first time I played it I thought it was quite weak with not enough energy and passion, and then the second time it started to attract my attention as I realised just how many highs and lows there were with this and the way the music kept moving, swelling and descending, but it wasn't until the third time that I realised just how good this really is and that instead of being something I was unlikely to listen to again it is indeed a masterpiece ? it shows the need to play albums all the way through at least a couple of times before writing about them, something I know many reviewers tend not to do.

Lyrically this is fascinating as while 'The Sentinel' echoed the concerns of the cold war and the shadows it cast on all of us, 'The Messenger' finds the band reacting to the existential threats to the world we find ourselves in. From what we've done to the world, to the politics that shape it. I have always thought of Alan as Pallas' classic singer, possibly because I enjoyed his vocals with Abel Ganz and numerous works with Clive Nolan, but also as he was the singer in the Nineties when I was so heavily involved with the local prog scene. Strangely I never saw them in concert at the time, as I once left a venue before they were due to come onstage as I had fallen asleep during the previous band's set (I was working nights at the time) and was worried I would not be safe to drive the hundred miles home after Pallas had played, thinking I would catch them again, but I never did.

That is definitely my loss, as while back then they were a little more brash, here they have matured like a fine wine to create something which is full of nuances and embellishments here and there. Niall has taken more of a back seat, coming in to provide emphasis when the need is required, but often letting Graeme (especially with the pedals) and Ronnie to provide the backdrop for Alan to pitch his voice against. I am normally scathing of the use of programmed drums, but due to the style being employed they are not nearly as annoying as normal, and while they will need a "live" drummer to reproduce this onstage here it actually works quite well.

It is packed full of emotion, with multiple threads allowing Alan to play many parts, with the arrangements being massively complex yet also seeming quite simple with everything there for a purpose, with everything in its place. This is one heck of a return from four guys whose first album together was 'The Wedge' back in 1986. So when is the next one?

REVIEW

SIMPLE ANSWER: this is the best album i have ever listened to

DETAILED ANSWER: i found this band a couple of months ago, and im damn well grateful for it, this album is an underrated masterpiece (im listening to it while writing this), usually, ill pick out one song on an album i like, but this is one of those artists where i have to listen to the entire albums, even though all the tracks are seperated, this feels like one 66 minute long masterpiece. The folk, symphonic, psychedelic mixture works more than perfectly. every single song has an incredible solo aswell as everything else (especially the answer, and something she said) and some great riffs aswell (my favourites being from merry dance, and the answer), the vocals also fit perfectly into this album, the lyrics are kind of cheesy though, which isnt always a bad thing.

this band also uses the choir synth in all of the songs aswell, which to me adds loads more depth and emotion to the solos' and songs.

Overall, this album is a hidden gem in the progressive rock world.

RATING 10/10 (if i could give it higher than a 10/10 i would)

After the promotional tour of "Are You Sitting Comfortably?" and the subsequent departures of Paul Menel (vocals) and Tim Esau (bass), the continuity of IQ was very much compromised, to the point of programming farewell shows with Peter Nicholls for the occasion, which by those paradoxes of fate served for the former bandmates to reconnect and decide to give each other a second chance, finally embodied in "Ever", the band's fifth album (1993).

IQ, like a prodigal son, returns to the progressive parental lands with a proposal full of gloomy atmospheres and extensive instrumentation, which does not hide its proud Genesian influences and combines them with home- grown elements more in line with nineties sonorities, from the intense half-time of "The Darkest Hour" and Nicholls' heartfelt singing accompanied by Martin Orford's affable piano in its last section, the gloomy and hypnotic "Fading Sense" and the very thick bass of newcomer John Jowitt in the instrumental wall he builds in complicity with Orford's crisp keyboards and dramatised by the ambient chirping of birds, Its continuity in the stumbling animosity of "Out of Nowhere", until the piece called to be the backbone of the album, "Further Away" with its generous mileage and the good sensations transmitted by the arpeggiated and crystalline keyboards, mellotrons, the Wakemanian moog and flutes of Orford together with the singing of Nicholls, although at times it seems to exceed unnecessarily in its spacious margins, partly hindering its fluency.

And to ratify that the progressive winds guide the path of "Ever", "Leap of Faith" goes through threaded and placid constructions of seventies ambience in one of the best moments of the album, before giving way to the calm and conclusive "Came Down" and ending the work.

"Ever" was one of the solid foundations on which IQ's particular style would begin to solidify, consolidating it in their later works.

Very good.

4 stars