I was waiting this record for a long time because i love Pure Reason Revolution but i was not sure how good this new work could have been.Well, this is the best piece of music of 2020 (and,may be 2021?), hands down!Powerful and delicate at the same time,so much in the vein of The Dark Third than the oterhs,This is the prog rock that i love at my age! No more a succession of rhythm changes in the music but a simple alternance of melody and powerful inside the same song in a very emotional manner!The succession of male and female voice by Jon and Chloe is simply wonderful and both the recording and the production seem to be pretty good. So,a great return for this great and underrated band. Easily five stars.Chapeu!

Although the debut Lazleitt album only came out in 2018, Alex Lazcano was back with another the following year, and already there had been some changes, the biggest of which was that drummer Jorge Cortes Cuyas was no longer involved. Given that the interaction between Alex and Jorge had been a major part of the sound on the debut I was intrigued to see what had happened to the music. Alex is of course still providing guitars, bass, keyboards, piano and vocals, and Eric Gillette (The Neal Morse Band) is back again but this time not only is he providing lead guitar but drums as well. No flute on this album, but Alex brought in none other than Liz Tapia (Dark Beauty) to provide backing vocals as well as some lead which provides some different vocal sounds, while David Knowles (The Swan Chorus) is on additional keyboards and Carlos Hernandez (Tree of Life Project) also provides some lead guitar.

The result is an album which is both heavily related to and a step change from the debut. There is much more in the way of keyboards and guitars, and while the drums are still powerful it is in a totally different matter to the original, which means there is less of a rhythmic foundation. The vocals and top line melodies are more important on this release, with keyboards far more prevalent and layered. Liz has a wonderful voice, and is able to adjust to what is needed, and here her part is that of a band player as opposed to being out front, and she provides the perfect foil to Alex. Again, there are many instrumental passages, and while Alex still has that chunky bass sound the ear is drawn far more to the front melodies

This is commercial progressive rock with a lighter sound, but don't let that mislead you into discarding this as not being worthy: there are times when it is almost reminiscent of Les Holroyd's songs in BJH, but with more of the John Lees backing combined with Geddy. Given that in many ways this is quite different to the debut I look forward to seeing what the next one will bring, and let's hope it's soon.

Lazleitt is a project put together by Washington DC based multi-instrumentalist Alex Lazcano, with the name being a combination of "Laz" and "light", just with an unusual spelling. On this album Alex provides lead, rhythm & 12-string acoustic guitars, keyboards, piano, bass, soundscapes and vocals as well as co-producing with Eric Gillette (Neal Morse). The other main player in the project is drummer Jorge Cortes Cuyas, and it was by working with him that Lazcano came up with the ideas for what is intended to be listened to as a single piece of music (and indeed was sent to me as such). The only other guest is flautist John Pomeroy, but to be honest this never sounds like a project and more of a well-oiled machine where the musicians have bene playing together for years.

This album was actually released in 2018, but I only came across it after I was contacted by Alex to see if I was interested in hearing both this and his most recent album. I had no idea what to expect, only that the band are in the neo-prog sub-genre but given that this in itself covers a multitude of sins and different sounding bands that didn't tell me much. I soon realised that what I was listening to was both quite different and strangely familiar. The reason for this is that in many ways the whole album is built on the rhythm section, and if someone had told me this was a lost recording from Chris Squire and Bill Bruford then I wouldn't have been surprised at all. The interaction between Cuyas and Lazcano is simply wonderful, with lots of power and diversity as both go off at tangents and have fun. There arrangements alone are complex and incredibly complicated, both showing they know their jazz as well as their progressive rock.

With a basis as strong as that I found myself sometimes concentrating on that, as opposed to the layers of music which appear over the top, which is a mistake in itself as there is also plenty there to enjoy. Heavily commercial progressive rock, this certainly has something in common with the simpler elements of Neal's style, which may have something to do with the influence of Gillette. Then just when I think I have a handle on what is going on a flute appears, and the music again takes a different direction. This is a progressive album which is incredibly easy to listen to on first hearing, and is also a grower.

I am somewhat surprised I hadn't come across this before now, but I am glad I am now in contact with Alex as this is very enjoyable indeed.

— First review of this album —

It has been way too long since the last full album from guitarist/vocalist Yuval Ron, in fact it is as long ago as 2009, and here he is back with a new band although bassist Roberto Badoglio did actually play on his 2013 single release 'Flags', so he has been involved for a while. The other musicians are Matt Paull on keyboards and none other than Marco Minnemann on drums. The result is yet another romp through progressive tinged jazz rock, with the emphasis strongly on the lead guitar and while Paull provides a strong supporting role the ears are often drawn to the rhythm section who are both simply stunning. I assume that Marco and Roberto hadn't played together prior to this, and it was a session gig for Marco, but it certainly doesn't seem like it as they sound as if they have been playing together for years. Marco is obviously well-known as one of the finest drummers around, and here is more than matched by Roberto who has an incredible touch on electric bass where he shows many different types of techniques and sounds, hitting chords when the time is right and providing superb counter melodies and harmonies to Yuval himself.

One must mention the way Yuval has mixed this album, as instruments are given just the right amount of room within the overall sound so that it is never a case that one instrument is way over the others. Indeed, there are times when his guitar is obviously taking the lead role but it is has been placed just behind the drums and bass so while it is making an impact the ears are being drawn into different directions. Sonically this is a really interesting album, and one is easily drawn into a complex and complicated role where the musicians are really busting their chops and producing something which is always interesting, always driving forward. If one wants to understand Yuval's main influence then one needs to look no further than the dedication which appears against one song, namely to the mighty Allan Holdsworth. Yuval does employ similar techniques and sounds at times, especially from the more experimental works of Holdsworth, yet the album is always incredibly interesting and intriguing, yet also compelling and accessible.

One can only hope that it isn't more than a decade until the next album from Yuval Ron, as this is a delight and essential to anyone who enjoys enjoyable guitar-driven progressive fusion.

— First review of this album —

'Another Cold & Rainy Night' captures the new line-up (well it was new back then) in Trenton NJ, November 12th , 2002. As with the 'Live In Tokyo' release, it was designed for fans only and was taken from video cam footage. Consequently, the audio quality is of very good bootleg standard as opposed to what one normally expects from a live album these days, but it captures a moment long gone and is so unknown that it wasn't even listed on Prog Archives! The touring line-up by now was Bill Berends (guitar, midi-guitar, vocals), Rich Berends (drums and percussion), Tracy McShane (vocals) and Greg Hagen (bass), all of whom were involved in the final (to date, I ever live in hope) Mastermind album, 2010's 'Insomnia'.

The most recent studio album at the time of this recording was 'Angels of the Apocalypse', which was the first time the band had introduced a female singer, in Lisa Bouchelle , and it was Lisa who appeared on the 'Prog, Fusion, Metal, Leather and Sweat' live release. She didn't have as much impact there as Tracy does here, who also sings on older numbers such as "Brainstorm" in its full 26-minute-long beauty. Having another singer definitely takes the stress away from Bill, who has plenty to worry about musically as it is, and this release captures some of his finest shredding to date. He is having a blast, no doubt, while Greg Hagen is providing a much firmer and rock-based bassline while also taking time to add additional melody. Then at the back there is Mr. Rich Berends, surely one of the finest drummers ever, a combination of Phil Collins, John Bonham, Bill Bruford, Keith Moon and especially Carl Palmer: the man is a legend.

This release may well be for fans only, and I would urge anyone new to Mastermind to try some of their other material first, but there is no doubt this is a worthy release and one I have enjoyed immensely. Talking to Bill he tells me he is going to be making more live material available in the near future and that is something to look forward to.

Some four years ago, I reviewed Distant Monsters by Martigan, and alluded, in my review, to some of the (very few) releases that I considered to merit the full five stars. All the usual suspects were there, with albums by Yes, Genesis, Tull, The Enid, Big Big Train and IQ to the fore. But no mention of Pendragon - even though they remain one of my all- time favourite bands. The World, Masquerade, Not of this World....all great albums, but just falling short of the highest accolade. Believe, Pure, Passion, Mountains....all somewhat patchy, with the usual great musicianship, but not altogether to my taste. So I thought that was that: Pendragon would never quite scale the highest heights. Then along comes Love over Fear. What a complete show-stopper! Absolutely magnificent from start to finish. Wonderful, emotive songs; tasteful and thoughtful lyrics; superb vocals, guitar and piano by Nick; swirling keyboards from the ubiquitous genius, Clive; typically understated bass lines from the masterly Peter; and subtle work by Jan Vincent underpinning the whole, on drums. Throw in joyous (and wholly unexpected) sax and violin, and there you have it: a five star masterpiece. I am not going to indulge myself with a track-by-track breakdown, because there is no need: other reviewers, with enviably greater descriptive powers, have done that more than adequately. I console myself with simply listening to the album. Truly wondrous. Fantastic work, Pendragon. Forty years down the track (and counting), you have delivered perfection.

2112 is considered the first masterpiece signed by Rush.

Is it a real masterpiece?

Let's see.

Side A is occupied by the suite 2112, lasting about 20 minutes, which starts with spatial, cosmic sounds, then Lifeson's hard rock guitar enters, and we witness a continuous change of rhythm, marked by the virtuosity of Neil Peart. As soon as the Overture closes, the voice of Geddy Lee is heard, at first sweet, then, when the hard-rock music starts again, shrill, screamed in that typical way of heavy metal that I don't like, it reminds me of the Neapolitan melodrama: when you go beyond the tone, the real emotion is absent, it is more form than content.

However, this short second song is certainly overwhelming, and ends with an acoustic guitar, then, with the sound of water, the narration of this futuristic and dystopian poem continues where music is prohibited. The piece is acoustic, soft voice and acoustic guitar. Then the rhythmic Presentation starts, very heavy, with the shrill voice in the foreground; a hyper-fast guitar solo ends the piece; Oracle still starts with a sweet voice and acoustic guitar, then becomes hard rock, with the characteristic shrill voice. The sound of spring water returns, and again an acoustic melodic piece is the prologue to a hard rock piece, the formula seems clear enough and repetitive. Finally, the Grand Finale, a short virtuoso show. As happened with the second side of the previous album, even here, more than a real suite, this long piece of music is only the set of many songs united by the same theme, songs that do not have a true unitary musical development.

Great effort, but in my opinion we are far from the masterpiece.

Rating 7,5/8

Side 2 2. A Passage To Bangkok (3:34). An oriental jingle, a guitar riff, the voice of Geddy Lee, and we are facing a conventional rock ballad, with a good guitar solo. Rating 7.

3. The Twilight Zone (3:18). Inspired song, partly electric, partly acoustic, with rhythm changes. A small prog-rock pearl, which however ends too early with a Lifeson's solo. Rating 7.5 / 8

4. Lessons (3:51). Acoustic guitar, rhythmic progression, screaming and scratching voice, we are faced with a good conventional hard-rock with guitar solo. The arrangement suffers from the exact same solutions. Rating 7+

5. Tears (3:32). The song begins with a melodic and romantic, acoustic piece, then arrives the mellotron played by Syme. Sweet song, very melodic and slow. The singing by Lee is finally whispered and not howling. Too short. Rating 7,5/8.

6. Something For Nothing (3:59). Concluding song with an acoustic beginning that soon becomes electric and very sustained, coarse voice, central guitar solo (I can't deny that the sound seems rather monotonous to me), again coarse voice. Rating 7.

There is very little progressive in this second side. In general, both for the arrangements and for the singing, Rush seems to me only a group of simple hard rock, very competent, ready to write suites which, however, so far (the first two albums) are more than anything else the union of single songs always hard rock. Good music rock, visceral, engaging, but rather simple, and short songs seem uncared for. A step forward compared to the previous album, a discreet but still immature album.

Quality Side 2: 7+.

Medium quality between side 1 and side 2: 7,5. Three stars.

I'm no Camel expert, but along with the rest of the community here, I think well of their first four records (although I prefer Mirage and Moonmadness).

This re-recording adds little to the original. Skip it, or at least start with the four significantly altered/extended tracks labeled "revised version", of which I liked "Migration" best.

In fact, it feels backward. The original featured beautiful instrumental performances by the London Symphony Orchestra. Perhaps the arrangements have been improved, but it's hard to get past the clunky synths (a hallmark of bad prog) when the original was executed tastefully. (Contrast this approach to Ayreon's re-recording of Actual Fantasy, where a drum kit is replaced with Ed Warby. That's a solid reason to redo an album.)

Original - 2.5 stars

Re-recording - 1.5 stars. Rounding up as a nod to its predecessor.

Steam Theory is the work of multi-instrumentalist Jason Denkevitz. He had contributions from guest musicians and being a wizard of programming, his music sounds like a full orchestra with tasty jazz and classical arrangements. I have been following his music since "Enduring Delirium" and this has become one of my favorite prog fusion band. He can switch to some light jazz mood to a heavier mood keeping the feel of the melody throughout a song. The overall production makes this new release even more enjoyable. The album starts with a cool synth and guitar duel in "Amorous". The second song is a pure and delightful jazz track with some nice arrangements, The third track uses some acoustic sounds and world music instruments to give another dimension to the music."Solace" and the title track are 19 minutes of peaceful songs that end in an orchestral fashion. The album has some high songwriting value, not many passages that makes you skip a song. Recommended to those who enjoy Jazz fusion and Prog Rock. 4.5 stars

— First review of this album —

After 'Acre Thrills' the bands drummer Pat Samson left the band and Adam Vida joined in his place. If I hadn't known it, I wouldn't have noticed it, because Adam seemed to embrace Pat's a-rhythmic style perfectly. This album was recorded by multi-instrumentalist John McEntire and musician Jeremy Lemons, when all the band members took the producer duties. The soundworld is as 'produced' as it's in 'Acre Thrills'. Anyway bands is still very live sounding and no overdubs seemed not make. Wikipedia says this album has more conventional song structures, instrumentation and singing. Well, it's partly true, but this is really long away from conventional still. More about album describes Al's comment that 'band intend to make an album of love songs, but their intention went unnoticed'.

'My Lil Shocker' starts album with melodic, but weird guitar, soon there comes drums with straighforward beat and Al's typical asthmatic vocals. The beginning reminds little bit Trumans Water, but in the middle the song structure breaks in very typical U.S. Maple way. 'Sweet & Center' is the most melodic U.S. Maple song. But it also has a great complexity. 'Oh Below' takes the album into very weird blues direction. 'I'm Just a Bag' comes back to the earlier, quite chaotic direction. But in 'Dumb In the Wings' 'blues'-mood comes back. It starts with dark, strumling guitar, but intensity rises in the middle of the song. Vinyl b-side starts with 'Favors Are Weird' that is again more aggressive, earlier style song. But 'Whoopee Invander' brings back more serene, melodic line. Have to say it has also some Beefheart and is one the greatest songs in this album. Then comes almost conventional version of Dylan's 'Lay Lady Lay', but in very U.S. Maple way it sounds like it will break any moment. 'Tan Loves Blue' is also the highlights of this album in very great Beefheart-style rhythms and guitar- chords. 'Touch Me Judge' ends album really great way with it's strumming rhythm and melodic guitars. Also banjo in it sounds just fine.

This album is musically somewhere between 'Talker' and 'Acre Thrills'. With 'Long Hair In Three Stages' and 'Acre Thrills' it's the greatest albums of this very extraordinary band! But I can't say it's still a masterpiece, as also bands other albums it's still missing something, although also this album will open more with more listenings. After this album band went into hiatus and we haven't heard nothing about it. Really shame, there are not many these kind of bands in today.