Few Krautrock outfits, with the exception of maybe Popol Vuh, quite approach the mixture of sparse, minimalistic beauty and world music influences that Between display on the gorgeous And The Waters Opened. At the same time, Between also show a command of electronics and other cutting-edge sounds, with a drone kicking off the album that reminds me more than a little of the sonorous tones of Tangerine Dream's Zeit. Psychedelic jam music was already old hat by 1973, but Between manage to refresh the format beautifully here. Krautrock and early ambient music fuse at the hip here to yield an intriguing crossbreed.

With vocals more diverse than the grunts and growls that came before, musical influences ranging from the electronic end of progressive rock to the most aggressive thrash metal, and much less death metal than previous releases, except for fleeting glimpses of the death and roll style of bands like Entombed, Lepaca Kliffoth finds Therion fully unveiling their own distinctive sound, including echoes of the gothic direction they would take in the post-Theli era. It's their first truly transcendent album, and next to Theli certainly a career highlight that deserves to be one of the first stops on any exploration of the extensive Therion back catalogue.

It excites me to see progressive metal bands continually moving away from the norm, and toward new, fresh sounds and combinations. Flaming Row out of Germany has released their second album, and it's ambitious for certain. "Mirage - A Portrayal of Figures" is a massive, rock opera-like album that has a cohesive, definite story to it. "Mirage" is massive in many ways, from story to guest musicians. These guests include members of bands such as Haken, Spock's Beard, Pain of Salvation, and even Ayreon. This is really impressive for a band that is only on its second album.

"Mirage" revolves around the Magistrate, a group of alien rulers that have decided that mankind has progressed too far in their technological abilities, but not far enough in their morality or unity. This certainly isn't anything new, as I can name a few albums off the top of my head with similar plots: however, the added twist is that the survivors have banded together to fight back, but a lowly soldier believes that his leaders have different plans than they claim. It's obviously quite an undertaking, and I believe they pull it off pretty well with a good twist at the end.

The lyrical content is epic at times, delicate and quiet in others. This album, like most rock operas, falls prey to a basic problem that grinds my gears. Often, the lyrics are written to be dialogue, and this ends up feeling cheap and forced, as this dialogue is usually not conducive to real songs. I especially felt this way about Ayreon's 2013 album, "The Theory of Everything". "Mirage", however, only falls into this rut a few times, as most of the album is comprised of real songs that are well-suited to the story.

The music is the shining force on this album. Calling Flaming Row a progressive metal band is a bit of a generalization, as there are many styles at work here. Sure, there are some hefty metal portions, but there are also jazzy sequences, American country parts, many European folk influences, and even some rousing "saloon" piano, for lack of a better description. These are all mixed well, seamlessly even.

The music is an eclectic mix, then, of heavy guitars (at times), dynamic drums and bass, the always excellent keys and sax of Marek Arnold, and guest musicians that play everything from Uilleann pipes, whistles, and violins to mandolins, cellos, and basically everything you can imagine. One can imagine the folksy vibe that would be present with all those wind and stringed instruments.

The tracks themselves are extraordinary for the most part. The album begins with a 16+ minute title track that feels epic and soaring. Right on its heels, though, we have my favorite track "Aim L45", a quieter, more organic and folksy tune that is simply beautiful. But, after that, "Burning Sky" starts the massive feeling all over again. This is rather representative of the entire album, as the styles and tone move up and down and all over the place. The myriad of vocalists that appear on this album make for a diverse, if sometimes hard to distinguish, array of "faces" to remember. It does feel a bit crowded at times, even hard to follow. However, the music keeps the listener grounded, and multiple listens are rather rewarding.

"Mirage", then, is a soaring story of giant proportions, one that is told well and executed musically even better. The many styles in play keep things interesting, and there are some jaw-dropping moments that really make the album what it is. Flaming Row, I believe, has trumped their first album by quite a bit here, and I expect to uncover more and more as I continue to listen to this wondrous album.

An interesting marking-time album, but a marking-time album nonetheless, and a bit of a wasted opportunity. As suggested by the title, this is a self-covers album, offering the chance to revist songs from various points in the band's career. Tony Visconti returns to the fold, and he provides choral and orchestral arrangements for several songs, including "Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat," "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" (which also has an additional verse) "When Do I Get To Sing 'My Way'?," "Change" (which sounds hilarious when given a marching band treatment), "Something For The Girl With Everything," "Propaganda" (which is expanded into a full 2:35 song and loses some of its charm), "The Number One Song In Heaven" and "Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth." Out of these, the most revelatory version is definitely the opening "Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat," where the strings provide an oomph that the original synths could only hint at. There are also rearrangements of "Funny Face" (slowed down and given an acoustic guitar, to poignant effect), "Angst in My Pants" (not much more interesting than before), "Popularity" (similar to the original but with updated keyboard sounds), "Beat the Clock" (not that different from before), "Big Brass Ring" (which sounds much better in this 4:20 version than it did as a throwaway bonus track on Interior Design), "Amateur Hour" (stripping away the glam pop versions and replacing it with more standard synth pop), and "When I'm With You" (essentially the same as before). There are also additional covers of "This Town..." and "Something for the Girl With Everything" which feature backing by Faith No More, and it's definitely a jarring experience to hear the juxtaposition of Russell's vocals with those of Mike Patton. Also, in addition to the orchestrated cover of "The Number One Song in Heaven" (which covers the first half of the original), there's also a separate cover of part two of the same song.

So ok, it's a good effort, and one's expectations need to be tempered with a self-covers album, but I feel like the group could have done a little more with this project. In the 19 tracks (18 if you exclude "Orchestral Collage," which is basically just an extended introduction to the orchestrated "Number One Song in Heaven"), there are three tracks from Kimono (the two "This Town" versions plus "Amateur Hour"), four tracks from Propaganda (two versions of "Something for the Girl With Everything," one each of "Propaganda" and "Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth") and three tracks from No. 1 In Heaven ("Beat the Clock" and the two parts of "Number One Song in Heaven"). This left a total of eight tracks for the rest of the band's career, one of which is devoted to "When Do I Get to Sing 'My Way'?" (which was only three years old) and seven of which came from the 80s (and only some of which sound drastically different). These choices strike me as way too cautious on the whole; maybe this was the kind of material that the band was explicitly trying to emphasize as its legacy at this point, but I wish they'd been willing to poke into other corners of their past. Still, it's an enjoyable listen in the moment, and while it appears to be out of print at this writing, it's available for cheap in legal download form, and it's worth hearing for any fan of the band.

I guess I'm not the only one with mixed feelings for this album, on one hand you got fantastic stuff like "San Jacinto", on the other hand there is some pop songs with the typical 80s sound we could live without. But unlike people usually think about Gabriel's fourth album, I would say this one is among the most progressive albums he´s done, with long songs and experimenting with african instruments and rhythms.

The opening song "The rhythm of the heat" is easily one of Gabriel's best songs, the title says a lot about the mood. Its dramatic, slowly escalating from exciting and mysterious to wild and majestic, just sitting down and listening to it gives you the feeling of chasing something through fire and flames. Its hot, not as sexy, but hot as warm. Next song "San Jacinto" is also one of the greatest songs he´s ever done. Its an epic at its very best, as the song starts out slowly with some strange, what is it? Keyboard-sounds? Sounds like electronic rain. Groove is building up slowly and then explodes into full drama before ending with more weird sounds, some breathing and something that almost sounds like spoken word. San Jacinto is more an experience than a song!

"I have the touch" is one of those 80s sounding pop songs I mentioned earlier, but actually this one isn't that bad. A great groove and some nice sound effects puts you more in a cool mood than in a mood of "ish, what a horrible 80s song". It makes you feel like you actually have the touch.

"The family and the fishing net" is a great example of how to mix african sounds and 80s pop with a successful result, its great and very weird. Lots of strange sounds and theatrical vocals! "Shock the monkey" is one of his earliest hits and it smells like 80s pop, yes I know, but its awesome! Watching the creepy video might have helped me getting used to it, but if you think about it, it really is a weird and creepy song with strange and screaming vocals. Its prog pop! "Lay your hands on me" is slow and atmospheric with a great chorus and some great drumming. Like most of the songs on this album, this song is mostly about experimental sounds and groovy rhythms.

"Wallflower" is the most beautiful and touching song of the album, with Gabriel using his most gentle and honest voice. Its very emotional and is probably the song that grows the most on you for each time you hear the album. "The perfect ending", I always say to myself before realising what comes after. Why in earths name would anybody think of something as terrible as ending a great album like this with a song like "Kiss of life". Its of course a bit funny, in the same way as David Bowies "Lets Dance" is a bit funny, but there is no way around the truth, this is an awful 80s song.

Except from having "Kiss of life" glued to your brain the rest of the day, Peter Gabriel 4 is always a great experience with lots of atmospheric and exciting songs. (Yeah, and that ugly album cover, what is that all about? Freaks me out!)

I seem to be hopelessly addicted to hear and evaluate just about any release that crosses my path - usually on others' recommendation. It's rather time consuming and only occasionally a fully satisfying experience. This in turn may lead to a degree of prolonged frustration. My birthday was coming up and I decided to treat myself to something sinfully enjoyable, for a change. You know, a bottle of decent red, a decadent pig-out at dinner time and this album to top it up with in place of dessert.

Recorded nearly 20 years ago, I consider "After The Rain" as McLaughlin's finest work since the Mahavishnu, Shakti period. Dedicated to the memory of John Coltrane, the album is a brave deviation from just playing Coltrane tunes the way the man did. No, this album is totally different and it works miracles. For starters, there is no sax featured in a tribute to the great sax player!

Undoubtedly, a most unexpected star of this trio is Joey DeFrancesco on Hammond B3. Actually, it's not a Hammond, but a Yamaha B3, built to fill the gap after Hammond stopped production and it's a superb machine with a rich sound that any purist would take to without reservations. In the hands of DeFrancesco it practically steals the show. Not that it would leave McLaughlin idle, who plays in a tastefully modest and elegant manner. Add Coltrane's former drummer Elvin Jones to the mix and you have a sensational album. From the first note to the last, it is pure delight, short of nectar to the ears.

Highly recommended.

Live albums are for the most part interesting. At least they can be. I rarely go for live albums. I find them to be of lesser interest than the studio output. Sometimes the live renditions can be really invigorating, as in the case of Rainbow's Live in Munich (which I reviewed the other day). In most cases though they are almost always there to complete a band's discography, if you're an avid fan.

Jazz Q is in part at puzzling band. I got to know them by way of Modry Efekt (a band I cannot stop praising) on the album Coniunctio. After that free form jazz-rock experiment they went into Pozoravatelna, which was another fusion-oriented jazz-rock album of some great worth. After that they went headlong into proper jazz-rock with all guns blazing on Symbiosis. A great album, void of the slick, sometimes noodling fusion to come on later albums. And then there's this live album. A pure, for the most part anyway, bluesy affair. Sort of weird but at the same time extremely interesting turn of events, especially when viewed hindsight.

This album has very, very little to do with prog. Actually it is not, I'd say. Well, there are jazzy playing alright and "Freedom jazz dance" is jazz-rock but for the most part, as I've stated, it is a blues album played in front of a live audience. Actually, as live albums go it's not bad. Not bad at all. The sound quality is not for audiophiles, a thing that actually increases the album's worth. It gives it that extra edge.

The performance is lively and raucious, well played and groovy in that bluesy, jazz-rock kind of way. The cover of Stevie Wonder's "Living for the city" is quite nice and "Sanctuary" is another pleasant tune. Personally I enjoy the first three tracks the most. They are kicking and lively and puts a smile on my face.

Live albums are seldom essential. Sometimes they are an excellent addition to one's collection but mostly they are not. In this case I'd say it is for collectors only BUT i still think it shows the bands attitude towards music and jazz-rock in general. As such it is interesting and in retrospect it shows a band able to cross the boundaries between jazz, rock, blues and beyond in a very competent and able manner. Not prog but still an interesting piece of musical history.

Three stars and a smiling face.

I don't know what it is, exactly, but there's something about Nine Inch Nails' music that fascinates me. I'm usually put off by vulgarity and totally-out-of-left-field, noisy modernistic fare yet when it comes out of the mind of Trent Reznor it all makes perfect sense to me and I'm okay with it. Go figure. For some reason I can't imagine his work being as invitingly honest and uncompromising without those ingredients liberally sprinkled in. I'm also impressed by his productivity. It would seem that if he wasn't out on tour with the band he was living 24/7 in the studio and recording constantly. Now, the fact that he was severely addicted to alcohol and cocaine throughout the 90s no doubt contributed to his preference for being a mole-like workaholic, self-sequestered in the seclusion of a soundproof control room, but that compulsion-fueled, health-threatening lifestyle he chose to lead didn't diminish the genius that resided inside the creations that emerged in spite of his afflictions. He was a driven man. For example, whenever NIN released a single you didn't get just a longer version of the song, you got a variety of translations of that particular tune along with some bonus stuff thrown in for good measure. That's the case with the "Closer to God" CD. Trent was like the rich but ambitious kid on the block who built his own treehouse and then, rather than being an effete snob about his achievement, invited all his neighborhood pals over to add their two cents to the interior decorating scheme and the overall Feng shui arrangement of the furniture. When "Closer" became a wildly popular cut on FM radio and as the macabre video turned into a highly-requested big deal on MTV Reznor didn't change his mode of operations one bit. He brought in an eclectic slew of musicians, technicians, producers and mix-down artists and gave them free rein to reshape the number as they wished. The result is an engaging fifty-one minutes or so of some very intriguing variations on, with a few exceptions, a central theme.

The first cut is "Closer to God," a remix by Trent, Sean Beavan and Brian Pollack. The strong techno influence adds a lot of energy to the track and the scathing guitars give it considerably more grit than the original possesses. "Closer (Precursor)" follows and I consider it the apex of the record. Label this the "haunted house" take, complete with ghostly rattles and creaks abounding in the dank air. I love the imaginative liberties that Coil and Danny Hyde took with the premise and especially how they tricked out the vocal. The last segment is unexpectedly jazzy, as well. "Closer (Deviation)" is next and it's definitely a departure but not a bad one. Jack Dangers and Craig Silvey give it a laid-back semi-hip-hop vibe minus the distraction of any unnecessary rapping being included that would've disastrously ruined the mood. "Heresy (Blind)" is a cool detour. This revamping of a song from the album "The Downward Spiral" constructed by Dave Ogilvie, Anthony Valcic and Joe Bisara is clever and multi-faceted in that it never stays in a stationary atmospheric condition long enough to grow stifling. "Memorabilia" is Reznor's cover of a Soft Cell tune (a British group that was a purveyor of Synthpop in the early 80s). This is the kind of experimental aural art that Trent championed at a time when so many of his peers were content to be followers of popular and more commercial trends. Listening to this cut, it's obvious that he wasn't afraid to color outside the lines. The tune is basically a layer-upon-layer construction of samples and loops that I find strangely alluring.

"Closer (Internal)" was manufactured by the team of Bill Kennedy, Scott Humphrey, John "Geetus" Aguto, Paul Decarli and Eric Claudiex. I'll classify this one as the "fat" interpretation as their tactful use of distortion and white noise broadens the number's scope massively as they put an emphasis on manipulating the dynamics. "March of the F**kheads," rendered by Adrian Sherwood, is a throbbing instrumental that truly embodies the genre known as "Industrial Rock." It's akin to being led blindfolded through a hot, busy steel mill. The same 5-member crew that conjured up the "Internal" cut delivers "Closer (Further Away)." It's an abstract and less-restricted excursion than the others. The arrangement doesn't rely as heavily on the rhythm track, dropping it out sometimes and at others isolating it in a corner of the soundscape. It gets extremely intense in places so it's not for the easily intimidated or those prone to suffering claustrophobic episodes. The finale is the official "Closer" single, culled intact from the album except that the eerie, off-kilter piano at the end is allowed 13 more seconds of life. No matter how many times I hear it I'm mesmerized by its irresistible aura.

As an aside, I caution the younger, horny male proggers out there who might be tempted to use Trent's blatant phrase (that describes without pretense what he'd like to do to his lady friend) as a pickup line in a bar. Most likely you'll get a stinging slap across your face for being a rude jerk. However, if the woman being addressed doesn't flinch and actually accedes to accommodate you in your stated desire she probably isn't the kind of girl you'd want to take home to meet mom or to escort to the next church ice cream social if you catch my drift so be careful what you ask for. You might pick up more than a one-night-stand. Remember that Mr. Reznor was merely expressing his libido's angst and pent up frustration at the time, not advocating a new, surefire approach to mastering the mating game. (When we randy tars tried that bold ploy in the 70s it didn't work to our satisfaction then, either. Just sayin'.) Anywho, if you like what NIN does then this won't be a disappointment but an augmentation. To my ears it's as progressive-minded as it gets. 3.8 stars.

`Tales of Love and Blood' is a well performed and produced concept work by former The Watch/current Ubi Major Italian keyboard player Gabriele Manzini, operating under the project name of Archangel. With the help of other players, the musician has composed a range of dense extended works and branching suites of music, as well as some cover versions, that run through a range of power AOR, heavy progressive rock, Neo prog and classical gothic sophistication. Gabriele is certainly influenced by the bombastic symphonic rock of artists such as Ayreon, Lana Lane and Arena, but he still brings a typical Italian flair to his keyboard and piano playing, and there's even little traces of doom metal kings My Dying Bride and the Alan Parsons Project worked in throughout. It's no surprise to find that the album is especially keyboard dominated, but there's also plenty of opportunities for the other musicians brought in to offer nice contributions. Sadly a number of issues stop the album and band from achieving the best results, but there's so much potential on display here.

`The Countess Bathory Suite' covers the first four tracks of the album, and there's numerous standout moments. Opening with a narrated passage that details the background of the notorious historical figure before a fanfare crescendo, the blustery and stomping AOR rocker `When The Night' kicks in, a serious and theatrical vocal from Gianluigi Girardi over Gabriele Manzini's pulsing Hammond runs and some stirring electric guitar soloing. Then a sombre take on the Blue Oyster Cult's `Nosferatu' features a truly beautiful opening floating keyboard and creeping Mellotron introduction and a darkly crooned vocal from Joe Salati that brings a sense of flair and dark drama. `Misplaced Love' has lovely chiming Neo flavoured acoustic and 12 string guitars, a superior and touching vocal from guest Damian Wilson with some dazzling Rick Wakeman-styled Moog solos in the first half. The middle twists into a heavy instrumental that races through urgent tempo changes, ghostly piano and searing Mellotrons. This suite is easily the highlight of the disc!

Unfortunately, although the almost 14 minute `The Night Scythe' is probably intended to the crowning achievement of the disc, it's one of the least interesting pieces on offer. Several long stretches feature unmemorable melodies, over-wrought vocals and dragging repetitive passages, it's seriously plodding and rapidly grinds the album to a near-halt. It's a shame, because it starts out very promising with some sinister My Dying Bride-styled brooding guitars, has lovely fluid bass throughout and there's endless beautiful piano passages to Manzini's credit.

The `Love and Blood Suite' quickly improves things again. With a soothing melody that greatly resembles `Green-Eyed Angel' from `Pendragon's `Not of this World', `The Black Bride' is another classy Damian Wilson-led ballad with sadly romantic piano and rising electric guitars. It moves through a melancholic and tasteful cover of Roxy Music's `My Only Love' (always an underrated track from that band) with glistening electric piano, ripping Hammond and dynamic guitar solos in the finale, before closing the album on the intense and stalking `In Loneliness', full of doomy riffs and hellbound organ with a classic Neo- styled dreamy bridge.

Regretfully, the band also includes a bonus track, a well played but utterly cringe-worthy and overly polite cover of Black Sabbath's `Wheels of Confusion' that is completely devoid of all the scuzzy charm of the original. Sigh...

Although I've praised many sections of the album, sadly this sort of overbearing AOR/hard- rock is rarely my sort of thing, and I have a very low tolerance of similar acts like most of the Anthony Aryen Luccassen-styled projects. Despite being very impressed by numerous sections, I still find much of the histrionic and deadly serious vocals quite draining, with just a slight hint of blandness creeping in a little too often as well. The cover versions are well- done but distracting and totally unnecessary, because the band already displays more than enough confidence to stand by their own work. But I can truly appreciate talented musicians performing complex arrangements, and there is no doubt Gabriele Manzini is something of a virtuoso musician, and frequently (and thankfully) his playing is subtle and restrained. I have a feeling he's slowly honing his craft and will soon make a truly defining and grand musical statement all his own in the future.

So it's three stars for me personally, but any fans of the above mention Ayreon-type artists can probably add another star to this rating, and they may find this album the perfect way to pass the time until the next proper Arena or Luccassen albums.

Oh, and Gabriele - ditch the covers and let your own talent shine!

The Yes man goes Jazz-Rock/Fusion!

Released in 2012, Jacaranda is Trevor Rabin's first solo album since 1989's Can't Look Away (though he has created a staggering amount of film soundtracks for many major films in the interim). What should be pointed out right from the start is that while Can't Look Away was an album very much in the style of 80's and 90's Yes (particularly the four albums to which Rabin contributed: 90125, Big Generator, Union, and Talk), Jacaranda is an all instrumental Jazz-Rock/Fusion album. What struck me immediately while hearing this album for the first time was how remarkably much it sounds like a Steve Morse album! Rabin has obviously picked up quite a lot of tricks from that guitarist of The Dixie Dregs and now of Deep Purple. This is not a criticism as such since I like Steve Morse and Rabin is one of few guitarists that are equally good, but it is not what I personally would have expected from him.

Jacaranda showcases Rabin's immense guitar playing skills very well, but his skills as a vocalist and songwriter are obviously left entirely out of the picture which is a shame. What made Can't Look Away into such a good album for me, and what made Rabin's contributions to the Yes albums that he played on so distinctive, was not just his impeccable guitar playing, but also his vocals and song writing. But Jacaranda is an album that focuses almost completely on Rabin as a guitar player. He is a great guitarist, but to my mind he is not "just" a great guitar player, and I for one would like to see more of his other sides as well.

If you are coming at Rabin's solo career from a Yes angle, expecting anything even remotely similar to 80's and 90's Yes, then Jacaranda is bound to let you down and come across as somewhat one-dimensional. If, however, Jazz-Rock/Fusion is your thing, and especially if you are a fan of the solo albums by Steve Morse, then this album is for you. Personally, I belong to the first group, but even so I can appreciate this album for what it is. I don't mind some good Jazz-Rock/Fusion like this, and Rabin does it very well, but I very much hope he one day will make another album more in the style of Can't Look Away utilizing not only his immense instrumental skills.