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In 2001 drumnbass rhythms had already been around for about seven years, still the time was ripe for one of the big names in progressive fusion to step forward and weld those rhythms to jazz and make the ultimate 'futuristic' groove album. Having mixed cutting edge electronics with jazz to great success three previous times in his career, Herbie Hancock seemed like a natural for the job. Add to that a call to his former producer Bill Laswell, who helped Herbie's electro-boogie/hip/hop jazz single Rockit become a smash hit and we have the recipe for sure success, ..right? Wrong! ...something went amiss here, this project started out with the best intentions; marrying Africa's rich musical traditions with the latest beats and technology with the help of a star-studded cast from the worlds of jazz, techno and RnB, unfortunately everyone forgot one very key ingredient, really good songs.

This album is just one big disappointment from start to finish. All the cool beats and special guests in the world can't hide the fact that there are no songs, melodies, hooks or choruses of any kind to be found anywhere on here. Throughout this album pretentious spoken word segments promise great things, but like the emprorer's fabled clothing nothing ever materializes. Most of the songs consist of prominent programmed beats that seem to exist by themselves in complete ignorance of the music joined to said beats, said music usually consists of rather vague sampled jazz orchestrations that seem superfluous to the provided beat.

It's not that this music is too new and modern for these old jazz ears, I love new music and have followed DJ music and culture since Kurtis told us about the breaks. Newness and unfamiliarity are not the problems here, a genuine lack of 'music' is.

Not all is lost here, Chaka Khan's The Essence holds up well as Chaka makes her stake in the world of neo-soul, a genre that is perfect for her raspy voice and nasal delivery. Rob Swift's skills on a pair of turntables is a pure delight on This is Rob Swift. Techno wiz Carl Craig and Herbie create a thick Afro-futuristic landscape on Herbero Part I, and Ionosphere mixes a Herbie neo-classical orchestrated melody with some nice electric piano and some mad drumnbass beats, but once again the music seems to be added after the fact and does not really blend with the beat at all.

So much potential was wasted here, certainly Herbie and Laswell and their incredible list of friends could have created the ultimate futuristic blend of electronics, Africa and jazz, but instead they moved too quickly and did not take the time to write something that would last beyond the trendiness of the moment.

Nice standalone album, average album in perspective

These recent years, specially the last couple of them, (2008 and 2009) have been special to progressive rock as it comes to impressive new releases of new material from both young and old bands. I have, however, most of times enjoyed better the new releases from old bands, such as the new Cynic album, the new Delirium album, the new Maudlin of the Well album, the new Ayreon album, the new Meshuggah album and so on, mainly because they allow be to look (or listen) in perspective what they have done in the past and what they did in the recent years and enjoy better their past or recent album(s). With Transatlantic it was no different.

Upon listening repeatedly to their newest album, The Whirlwind, and their first two albums, A Bridge Across Forever and this one (SMPTe), I was able to put all of their works in perspective and, therefore, was able to enjoy more the band's two most recent studio albums wile their debut left me more and more cold: when compared to their other releases, SMPTe sounds less like a teamwork than Transatlantic's other studio albums. Some reviewers went as far as saying that this is simply a Spock's Beard album or a solo Neal Morse effort with other great and talented musicians but, despite the obviousness of Neal Morse's strong influence in the production of this album, that did made it sound somewhat close to some of Neal's work outside Transatlantic, the influence and the work of the other band members can be noticed throughout the album many times. So it is clear (or it seems so) that such result was mainly caused due to the lack of interaction in the daily work in the studio they had with one another until recording SMPTe, because, as far as I know, they had never worked together before Transatlantic's debut album.

Regarding the songs, musicianship and related features

As the title of my review and what I wrote before can show, SMPTe is one of those albums that shouldn't (or couldn't) have anything after its release. That is because, if the band keep on working, improving itself and making its music more refined, as has happened with Transatlantic, the flaws of such album become terribly apparent in the same pace as the qualities of the refined album become more and more appealing. So, when considered by itself, SMPTe is a very nice album, but when put in perspective and compared with other albums by the same band, it becomes obvious the drastic improvement they have done over the years.

The Highlights go to: All of the above and We all need some Light.

Grade and Final Thoughts

All in all, STPMe is a very interesting album. It is fun to listen and have some impressive music inside it, but due to its roughness and crudeness, the 3 stars grade seem to fit the album perfectly.

FEROCIOUS PLAYING!That is what it comes first in my mind when I speak about the unbelieveble manner in which MASI is playing guitar on this album!For me,this album is a logical following to the spectacular MCM album,where the killer duo MASI-MACALUSO is helped by the monster bass player RANDY COVEN!On this album,ALEX MASI is pushing a little more his fantastic guitaristic capacities to deliver one of the most spectacular and catchy albums ever released,playing also some excellent keyboard parts,but especially the bass guitar too-in a sensational way!!!!On this album he plays numerous guitaristic styles with big class,proving that he can surprise his fans in a very pleasant way!!From pure metal to aggressive fusion,to classical and latino rhythms,passing throuch some excellent progressive tones too-every musical style is performed with true class and fantastic passion!MACALUSO is simply stunning,and he also is simply unleashed here,having plenty of space to display his unbelieveble talent and monstruous technical skills!All the album is interesting,from the first accords to the last one,the album is a musical journey,where we are invited by mastermind MASI,and this proves thet he is permenently capable to evolve and to change something in the right direction,and inspired direction!Of course,he is a fabulous shredder with an atomic speed on execution and performance,but sometimes he is the master of musical disguise too! Mostly fusion and prog power metal orientated,this album is a true musical pearl,very ,very well done end excellent produced!4.5 STARS and strongly recommended for the ameteurs of guitar extravaganzas especially,but for amateurs of good music in general-type instrumental music guitar orientated and virtuoso druming!

This may seem an unpopular opinion, but I'm going to go ahead and give this record four stars.

I feel the biggest problem regarding this album is that it generally has such a bad reputation that most peoples opinion of it gets swayed by what everyone else is saying. I'm not saying everyone is a sheep just following the trend, but I feel that most people listen to this record with their minds set that it is terrible because there are few good things said about it.

Well, I'm going to try (in vain) to defend it, because after a number of listens, 'Reload' has really grown on me, and I've come to realise there are a lot of very underrated moments here.

Okay, so these may be songs that didn't quite make it onto 'Load', but that doesn't mean they're terrible. 'Fuel' is a great opening track, which is as heavy and rocking as anything else Metallica have done. And then there's 'The Memory Remains' and 'The Unforgiven II' which are probably the only other songs most people are familiar with on this record. But with a bit of patience there are some true gems on offer here. For example, 'Attitude', 'Bad Seed' and 'Where the Wild Things Are' are all amazingly well put together songs that are great to headbang to, though of course because they're not 'Enter Sandman' or 'Battery' I doubt many 'Tallica fans have even given them the time of day.

As usual the playing is all pretty tight. Kirk is becoming more comfortable with his wah pedal, Hetfield has his growl nailed to perfection, and Lars is, well... Lars.

I'm not saying this album is perfect, just that it is a lot better than people make it out to be. If it had been released by another band nobody would have a problem with it. But hey, I'll be the first to admit one thing, 'Low Man's Lyric' is indeed a pretty awful song.

But that aside, this is a great rock album. Give it a chance, and then give it a few more. I did, and I don't regret it.

When creativity meets brilliancy...

Diablo Swing Orchestra brought out their second album in 2009. After the craziness and the originality of the first album, the band had a high standard to match or beat. And without a doubt, this is a definitive album of the last decade. When the prog-metal is taken to a complete new and original level, with a little degree of excess, but not in the technical way but in the saturated style gathering many different influences.

This album should be checked by all the persons who enjoy music. The musicians are capable to play in a very wide range of styles summoning tap, jazz, boogie, Spanish guitars, rock, metal and operatic voices in a very dynamic route. You can expect everything but boringness in this album. You will be surprised over and over again by these eclectic songs and you can get the idea of music very well done but with a little spicy taste of joking and fun. These musicians are a great example of doing things in a funny way, you can enjoy with them through all this different passages and textures of the songs.

Maybe is too much for the regular people. But if you can tolerate the operatic voices, you will need no more guide than your senses to enjoy such a great vibe and atmosphere. You have to come to this album expecting everything, there's no tabus or limitations. But don't be fooled, this is not technical extreme music, is more prog-eclectic metal, tough to classify but you can be sure, this is maybe one of the best masterpieces of the last decade.

A great example of originality and creativity in a age that seems to be flooded in mediocrity and plagiarism. 5 stars for sure...

— First review of this album —

Let me be the first to review this cd. I can't remain objective when I review an album from The Watch simply because when I hear them, they tickle hidden memories from my youth. I grownt with the music of Genesis since "Nursery Crime" era, The Watch play that way but not simply cloning that kind of music. For me The Watch reached the top with the Vacuum album, this one is almost at the same level.There's nothing new here but I can't get tired to listen the album again and again. I can only mention track 6, the shorter, with the contribution of John Hackett on flute that makes the song like "I talk to the wind" meets the Genesis. Bought this cd two days ago at a concert from the Watch, listened a dozen of times, everytime is like the first time. Recommended for all Genesis Gabriel era fans who feel young in their hearts.

Man!An album that deserves all the congratulations in the world,because it's someting really of high class!JONAS RHEINGOLD is a monster bass player,a sensational musician and everybody knows the fact that he is an important wheel in the luxurious prog vehicle called THE FLOWER KINGS!Some peolpe,says that TFK is the best prog rock band in the world...The statement is true somehow,but definitelly KARMAKANIC is the little brother of TFK!This album is simply sensational under all aspects,it's almost a revelation and has nothing in minus compared to any of the best TFK albums!DIXIT!Musically speaking it's brlliant and the level of musicianship and technicity of all the musicians in the band is fabulous!A wonderful and powerful sound,a crystal clear production with a special mention for the bass sound- absolutelly monstruous!Technically speaking,the album kills and there are some moments of pure magic here,even the most pretentious prog rock fan will be plenty satisfied,because the guys are stellar in their performances!Goran Edman,the formely YNGWIE MALMSTEEN vocalist is doing an excellent job here,and I feel that the prog register is more then excellent for him,giving the right space for expression for this so talented musician too!More then one hour of pure magical wizzardry and such a componistic diversity,fantastic instrumental songs and long instrumental parts in the middle of almost all the songs,proving that way thet in prog,is essential to be well skilled and competent to any instrument,that's what makes the album is so catchy and attractive from the first to the last accord!It's no wonder or surprise that after this marvelous album -WHEEL OF LIFE-KARMAKANIC have signed with the monster prog label INSIDE OUT!As I said,not even a weak song or boring moments-it's only high quality prog rock made in Sweden in the best Scandinavian tradition and in the style of THE FLOWER KIKGS,KAIPA or THE TANGENT,PORCUPINE TREE..and with serious influeneces from icons of prog old fashin like YES,GENTLE GIANT,GENESIS among others,but with a more modern touch!RHEINGOLD is pure monster bass player and a fantastic composer.4.5 STARS for an album full of wonderful moments of magical prog rock.TOP CLASS!

I acquainted myself with this band's music through a friend of mine who made me listen to some of the tracks from their 2005 record called Alaska. My friend considered them to be a promising young act that still haven't really found their musical direction. I certainly agreed with him on that issue because at that particular point it felt as though Between The Buried And Me had great instrumental skills and lacked a sense of direction in the songwriting department. This basically meant that my proper album introduction would have to wait until something more substantial would come out of all this talent.

At the time that The Anatomy Of... appeared on the store shelves I didn't even make the connection to the band I previous heard but the cover art definitely caught my eye. I looked at the back cover of the album and noticed quite a variety of song titles that I knew and loved so much. That was also when I finally remembered who Between The Buried And Me were and felt that all this was just too much of a coincidence to ignore.

The album's first two tracks aren't that spectacular because the low guttural vocals make Blackened sound a bit like a parody of James Hetfield's vocals and although the cover of Kickstart My Heart is passable I just don't like this song to begin with. Day I Tried to Live on the other hand is definitely a fresh take on this somewhat stale Soundgarden composition which incidentally also kicks off my favorite part of this album!

The cover of Queen's Bicycle Race really shows how versatile Between The Buried And Me could actually be and things got even better with Three Of A Perfect Pair! It was a very proper pick of a King Crimson track which suited their style and I applaud the band for not going for a more obvious choice of a cover title!

It's usually impossible to make a cover sound as good as the original especially when it comes to Pink Floyd, but that is exactly what Between The Buried And Me manages to pull off with this version of Us And Them! It really shows the level of detail and determination that the band has put into these performances and although some of the later covers don't measure up to the bar set by these four particular tracks I definitely think that they gave a solid performance on this record.

The Anatomy Of... proved to be a great introduction to what this promising young quintet was capable of! All they needed to do now was to transform their inspirations into some great original material and judging by their next release the band didn't disappoint!

***** star songs: Us And Them (7:52)

**** star songs: Day I Tried To Live (5:28) Bicycle Race (3:09) Three Of A Perfect Pair (4:11) Territory (4:50) Little 15 (4:31) Cemetary Gates (7:05) Colorblind (3:47)

*** star songs: Blackened (6:40) Kickstart My Heart (4:55) Geek U.S.A. (5:25) Forced March (3:52) Change (4:07) Malpractice (4:02)

This band was recommended to me as being a similar band to Tool, and thankfully I ended up with something completely different. Sure, the vocalist's voice OCCASIONALLY sounds a tad bit like Maynard Keenan, but it's pretty rare and their vocal styles are almost completely different from one another. As for the instrumentation, I'd be hard pressed to find any sort of Tool influence on this album, which is definitely a good thing.

Feathergun is a fantastic album, but I feel there are a few things preventing it from getting a full five stars in my book. There are a lot of interesting ideas on this album, but at times I can't help but feel like they're a little bit misguided in their direction. There are a few points throughout the album where flow is awkward or even broken. Also, there seems to be much more emphasis on vocals and guitar, whereas the bassist and drummer appear to take the back seat. It feels as though the rhythm section is "just there", and as such there aren't really any standout moments for either of them.

I would highly recommend this album despite its minor flaws. This is definitely a band I will be keeping my eye on in the future.

Standout tracks on this album include "Scissorlips", "Downhill", "Feathergun in the Garden of the Sun" and "Katsushika", though I don't feel like there's a single bad track on the whole album.

The Missing 90's Dream Theater Album

The Prog Metal genre is known for having plenty of bands that just assimilate the sound 'created' by Dream Theater rather than adventuring themselves through this fairly new genre like Opeth, Devin Townsend, Cynic and others(I'm no metal expert nor serious fan) have done; Dali's Dilemma is pretty much one of those Dream Theater so-called ''clones''.

You can swear that John Petrucci, Kevin Moore, John Myung and Mike Portnoy joined together once again in 1999 and tried a new singer out. The result is obviously technically great from the instrumental side of things. The compositions while far from being bad per se, they totally resemble the style of compositions made by Dream Theater back in the good ol' days of Kevin Moore.

You've got the blasting shred solos, the great atmospheric keyboards, the diverse but powerful drumming and a not very audible bass, but when audible it's superb. The only aspect from Dali's Dilemma that make an easy distinguishment from both bands is clearly the vocals by Matthew Bradley who is far from being the high-pitched vocalist that James LaBrie was back then in the 90's.

To end this short, but hopefully clear review, I'll just add that this is actually my first encounter with these "Dream Theater clones". I for one, enjoy this album because it's as strong as most of Dream Theater's material done back in the 90's, so anybody who misses the ol' Dream Theater like I do, this band right here might comfort you. However, if you have already heard a dozen of these "clones" and are about to burn your speakers the next time you hear another one, you should better avoid this.

3 stars: if it had been released by Dream Theater it would probably have been 4 stars, however the lack of originality takes off a star.