The one thing that Edison's Children excels at, better than any other band, is mood. The atmosphere they create is amazing, and this album is proof of their skill in creating it and their skill as a prog band musically.

The songs range from slow paced ghostly love songs to reality shattering insanity. The concept is about a man losing his grip with reality as extraterrestrial forces toy with his mind. The music conveys the story and mood brilliantly as songs jump from the crazy to the mellow. It is dark, sinister, distorted, crazy, emotional, mellow, and reality bending.

I think the best way to describe Edison's Children is escapism. Put on some headphones and enjoy the ride. EC is one of the most original bands out there. In The Last Waking Moments is an entirely new experience. The emotional and musical spectrum they cover is hard to put into words and I hope I was able to do it justice with this review. This is a band no prog fan should pass up.

Let's continue with Caravan's eleventh record which was made thriteen years after the wonderful "Back to front" recording. In 1995 when I was 6 years old Caravan had return to their nice cover apperence and also the title "Battle of Hastings" is interesting. Of course all of you know that two of the Caravans are named Hastings. Yes here they're two; Pyes brother Jimmy is here too, playing a lot of wind and blow instruments. The cover picture shows scenes from the famous tapestry showing the Battle of Hastings. Here there's also Richard Coughlan (we remember him and mourn his recent death), Pye Hastings, Geoffrey Richardson and Dave Sinclair and Jim Leverton who plays bass and sings.

"The Battle of Hastings" is a well procuded an over all enjoyable album which carries on the spirit of Caravan through the nineties. I am a little sorry that many of the songs don't sound very much like Caravan. They're too ordinar rock songs. I think it's Dave Sinclairs piano solos that are too seldom here but there are some interesting songs, especially in the end of the record. "It's not real" where I don't think Pye sings is the very best song (8/10). I do like the vocals and even if the song is calm it has a forwardlooking rhytm. The short "Wendy wants another 6" mole" is also great, just as playful and happy a Caravan song should be(7/10) and the closer "I know why you're laughing" is a good rock song with a great synth solo(7/10).

Beside from these songs there are a lot of tracks that are okay or enjoyable but not so much above that. I like the happy starter "It's a sad, sad affair"(6/10) and "Cold as ice" starts slow and quite and becomes a very nice song too(6/10). "If it wasn't for your ego" is also playful and has a great synth solo.

Over all I like the well known easy adopted happy melodies and more leading keyboards. Perhaps I think these songs are recorded with too many instruments, Caravan should be more stripped. Well I should only review what I have heard and it was a decent record with perhaps five superior tracks that I do recommend. This record is a little better than "The Album" but not as good as "Better by far" or "Back to front". Three stars!

This is my first review after some weeks of inactivity and I'm happy to start with one of the recent excellent releases of the Black Widow Records label.

This album is my first taste of the Three Monks as I have missed the debut, and my general impression is of a sort of "dark Rick Wakeman", but really better than many of the releases of that very prolific master of keys. In this darkness there's more rock and listening better, the "Italian" factor adds a difference. The Wakeman's impression is caused mainly by the use of the Pipe Organ with its very distinctive sound. Think to Criminal Records to have an idea.

Well, the Wakeman think ends here. There's a lot much than just pipe organ in this album. The second track, in example, would be a perfect fit for a horror movie, nothing less than most famous bands like Goblin. Wanting to list possible influencers, the "trio" lineup made of keys, bass and drums and the tracks composed by "Julius", the keyboardist can remind to ELP.

Another mention goes to the "classical" mood of "The Rest Of The Sacred Swarm", a very powerful title, too. It's clearly inspired to the Albinoni's "Adagio", but its weird sweetness reminds me to the grotesque Azatoth of the old Canterbury band Arzachel.

There are "goblins" also in the following track "The Battle Of Marduk". For who doesn't know, Marduk is one of the most ancient obscure Gods of the history: son of Enki, who later became the most important God in Babylon, identified with the planet Jupiter. Not bad for a devil, isn't it? The track is split in two different parts: one very dark and heavy, followed by another very dark but more ambient oriented, mainly driven by the bass. Perfect for Dario Argento.

Rieger is probably a tribute to the Austrian Organ-maker, but it's still very dark. If this album has a problem is that the mood doesn't change much. This means that the occasional listener may find it boring after a while, but if it's listened with the attention that it deserves, it's rewarding.

"The Strife Of Souls"sounds very Emersonian. Some passages are reminding of Works (Pirates), but let me say that the music is not derivative. It's sometimes similar because of the particular instruments used, but unlike many other bands around the world they can't be considered a clone of anybody.

The final "Toccata" is the less dark track of the album. It's a canon, likely inspired to J.S. Bach. An excellent closer for an album which is balanced between evily darkness and classical mood.

Strongly suggested to fans of Goblin, ELP, Wakeman and Organ driven music in general, regardless the historical period it belongs to.

My apologies in advance for any snide remarks, but the evangelical music of Neal Morse has always elicited strong reactions, both pro and con. Too many of the latter on this web site are hidden behind the camouflage of a ratings-only single star, so allow me to play devil's advocate (so to speak) in reviewing his otherwise nameless 2005 solo album, identified by title only with an enigmatic question mark.

A less charitable critic might say it's about time someone pulled the curtain away from this charlatan. He abandoned SPOCK'S BEARD at a critical moment in the band's career, claiming his newfound Savior had other plans for him. Nothing wrong there: we should all heed the councils of our inner nature. But has anything really changed in his music since then? Take away all the heartfelt but artless preaching, ignoring for now his ongoing series of CD worship sessions (as they rightly should be, at least in this forum), and what's left are the same pile-driver Neo-Prog gestures, employing awesome musical skills to be sure, but often played with all the nuance of a superstitious bull in a cheap china shop.

His subject here is The Tabernacle, that mystical nomadic temple, usually depicted as a tent of sorts in a neatly fenced yard, toted around the desert by the Jews after their Exodus from Egypt. Legend recalls it as a place of cabalistic ritual and symbolism...the perfect setting, in other words, for a Progressive Rock concept album, illustrated musically by an uninterrupted, 56-minute cycle of typically histrionic but spirited Retro-Symphonic sermons, divided into twelve linked chapters (the number apparently carries arcane significance: see below).

Once again, Morse is recycling riffs and melodies wholesale from his own extensive musical archives. But I have to admit he's playing as if truly inspired, and with enough creative energy to sway even an outspoken skeptic like myself. A stellar guest list makes the project even more attractive. Ace drummer Mike Portnoy invited his DREAM THEATER comrade Jordan Rudess to the sessions, and Morse finally plugged a weak spot in his roster by enlisting brand-name guitar talent, including superstars Roine Stolt and Steve Hackett. The latter has a solo spot at around the 37:00 mark that compares favorably to anything from his own laudable career, in GENESIS or afterward.

So the album deserves four unconditional stars for musical chops, despite its frequent moments of overwrought ostentation, as in the full orchestral bombast (complete with choir) inflating chapter seven, "The Glory of the Lord". But the strictly one-star banality of the libretto almost spoils the experience, at least for listeners old enough to recall the more diverse spiritual aspirations of the same Golden Age Prog that continues to influence Morse's better music cues.

Of course Progressive Rock has always suffered under the burden of occasional lame-brained lyric writing, dating back to when mountains first came out of the sky, and stood there. All Neal Morse did was elevate the same metaphysical quest to a higher, much narrower plane. Let me repeat: it isn't his religious convictions that undermine the album. It's the retrograde way the newly-minted prophet from Van Nuys drags his primitive theology around like a gold-plated ball and chain.

Consider the song "Solid as the Sun". Unless "Sun" is a poetic twist on the word "Son" (of God, of course), it's worth remembering that our local star is really just a bloated mass of plasma and hot air: not the best metaphor in a Born Again prog-rocker's playbook. And his occult embrace of numerology is just plain silly. "Twelve makes a day / Twelve tones in music / Twelve months a year / Do you think it's an accident?" (No, Mr. Morse, it's called a meaningless coincidence, and in the real world twenty-four makes a full day...)

A majority of the lyrics merely quote verbatim from biblical scripture, dutifully citing (and in one instance actually singing) the chapter and verse ("Leviticus 21:18!") And it requires nearly 2,000 words before Morse finally arrives at his point. But it's a point worth making, even to an irreligious dissenter like myself: we are each, if we choose, a vessel of that Holy Spirit he reveres. The Temple of the Living God he sings about is actually a living, flesh and blood shrine, multiplied by the population of earth into uncounted variations of belief. When seen like that, it hardly matters if the deity itself is a fiction.

I doubt if Neal Morse would accept the olive branch of that interpretation, extended from a kindred Proghead across an unfathomable gulf of irrational faith. And his album isn't likely to save any wayward souls here on terra firma. But when Morse finally reaches the Pearly Gates he could certainly teach his Heavenly Father a thing or two about the guilty pleasures of Neo-Prog overkill...provided, of course, that his god is actually a fan of Progressive Rock (given his track record, I tend to imagine the Almighty as more of a Punk). What H.L. Mencken once famously wrote about the prose style of President Warren G. Harding applies equally to this musical effort: "...it drags itself out of the dark abysm of pish, and crawls insanely up the topmost pinnacle of posh. It is rumble and bumble. It is flap and doodle. It is balder and dash. But I grow lyrical..."

To which I can only add an enthusiastic (but entirely secular) "Amen."

Caravan's ninth record which opened up the eighties was a step down for the band. Just look at the cover. It's black and has a minimalistic design and I don't like to look at it. "Better by far" hadn't a very nice cover either but it was better. This album is the lowest rated Caravan album of all and I understand it. Though I don't think it's bad.

Three years had gone since the last record and the band consisted of Pye Hastings, the singer and guitarist, Dave Sinclair, the keyboard player, Geoff Richardson, the guitar, viola, flute player and singer, Richard Coughlan, the drummer and Dek Messecar, the bassist and singer. Three of five in the band were original members and Geoff had been in it since 1972 and Dek since 1976 so I must say there was a continuity in the band. The music though had changed and we wonder of course why. Many prog bands were confused in the early eighties and almost everyone changed direction.

Caravan fans who want to hear traditional Caravan songs has at least three songs to look forward to on this record.

"Watcha gonna tell me"(8/10) is absolutely best. It has great instrumentation: starts with flute and has a playful melody and a soft and unstopable attitude. Dave Sinclair's piano solo here is the very highligth on the record and the guitars too are great.

"Heartbreaker"(7/10) is also a funny tune which swings and makes the listeners happy. "Piano player"(7/10) has a beautiful atmosphere and Geoff's strings are great. I wish there had been more of that on this record. "Keepin' up de fences"(6/10= is a nice Pye song with velocity and a nice keyboard solo.

Otherwise the songs are quite vague. "Corner of me eye" is too simple, but I appreciate the rock'n'roll feeling(5/10), "Make yourself home"(5/10) is funny but a parenthesis and "Clear blue skye" is a rather boring reggae attempt(5/10). "Bright shiny day" works but nothing more(5/10) and fianly "Golden mile"(3/10) is very bad. That is not a worthy Caravan song in any way. Over all I think the A-side is much better than the B-side but the over all result of the record is quite an enjoyable thing.

I especially enjoy those first mentioned tracks and this is a Caravan record with glimpses of its former glory. For me this is a clear three star record!

Procol Harum was a British band that released their first studio album in 1967 with the same name as the band, Procol Harum. This was before the explosion of prog rock so it's not peculiar they didn't sound like prog. A sad thing is that their mega hit "A whiter shade of pale" wasn't included on the CD. If it had been, I had appreciated this record more. Well, Procol Harum consisted of Gary Brooker on lead vocals and piano, Matthew Fisher on organ, Dave Knights on bass, Keith Rei as a writer, Robin Trower on guitar and Barrie James Wilson on drums.

This is sounds of the sixties and it's absolutely some form of extended rock. The band uses driving organ and piano which create a sacral atmosphere in the music. Beside from that the music isn't progressive. The song writing seems quite ordinary, but that isn't wrong of course. The organ is mighty and one of the reasons to listen to this record. Another is the powerful vocals of Gary Brooker, but as I wrote, the album lacks its mega hit.

The best songs are: "She wandered through the garden fence" with classical feeling and mellotron use (8/10), "Kaleidoscope" which has a winning melody and great piano play(8/10), short "Good Captain Clack"(8/10) with a little Beatles inspiration perhaps and the instrumental, very sacral and powerful "Repent Walpurgis"(8/10). Also the ballad "Something Flollowing me" (7/10), "A Christmas carol"(7/10) and "Cerdes"(7/10) are more than good.

Honestly this record are more than good but not very good, according to me. It lacks the little extra, the interesting ingredients to get four stars, but it's a good debut record and further I will se what the band managed to do next. A strong three!

Utopianisti is a Finnish project of multi-instrumentalist Markus Pajakkala; the second album has just been released (I'll review that later). This debut is amazing and I hope that Utopianisti gets the international recognition it deeply deserves. Avestin's review is very good and I fully agree upon its each comment. Indeed this is music that gets your body shake and makes you feel happy, at least if you listen to it in a suitable mood. Very far from being dead serious! The lively, joyful spirit catches the listener too. Pajakkala is rather young chap but what a talent he is! He plays drums and other percussion, several saxes, flute and keyboards (plus sings on one track) and he's responsible of the arrangements that often approach the big band. All the music is composed by him. Since Utopianisti is not a touring band, he has recruited all the guests for the needs of each individual track, just like Robert Wyatt did after his body injury. The old ace Anssi Tikanmäki has co- produced the album.

'Plutonium Fist' (and its half-minute distorted intro 'Alkusoitto') is like a high speed twist with the emphasis on drums and saxophone. 'Grain de l'âme' is one of my favourites, it shows Pajakkala's versatility as composer and arranger, as it features also more delicate parts starring flute and keyboards. 'Avaruuden shamaanit' (The Space Shamans) is a funky tune built on a baritone saxophone phrase. I find it a bit boring in its repetitiveness.

'Waltz for FZ' (meaning Frank Zappa, naturally) is another highlight. A melodic, lively and richly arranged composition mostly in danceable mid-tempo. I hear some Pekka Pohjola influence. J-P Jääskeläinen has a little vibraphone solo, and on the next short track 'Castro Brothers' he gets the lead on marimba and xylophone.

'Kärry' (Carriage) belongs to my least favourites; I'm not very fond of the funk flavour present on many tracks. 'Markus-sedän letkeämpi klezmer' (The More Easy-Going Klezmer of Uncle Markus; by the way Markus-setä was a legendary person who made radio programmes for children many decades ago) is a fast and playful track with many surprises along the way, such as a sitar/flute dialogue. 'Bordeaux' brings some old-fashioned continental elegance, featuring Markus Luomala on accordion.

'Hopeinen kyy' (Silver Viper; a wordplay on 'Hopeinen kuu', a classic Finnish schlager of Italian origin) is again fast, almost frenzy. A wonderful flute part, perhaps a nod to Ian Anderson? 'Sull on mies joka planeetalla' (You Have a Man on Every Planet) is the only vocal-song, let's say it's a hilarious, swinging rock'n'roll retro-schlager. 'Tuonelan lautturi' (The Ferryman of ... well, Tuonela is the land of death in Kalevala) is yet another funky track with the baritone sax taking lead, but it has also a spooky synth.

Time will tell how this music will taste after becoming more familiar. Either one learns to appreciate all its details even more, or the happiness so strongly present on the first listening will lose some of its spark. Anyway, if you're looking for Zappa-influenced upbeat jazz-rock, check this one out immediately!

This is a great Frank Zappa album, one of the best to come out of the vault. The focus here is on the 60s Mothers, mixed with the Flo n Eddie era, but without the vocals. In fact, there isn't really any singing on this one, it's basically instrumental, and some dialogue, a lot of it pretty hilarious, like in the beginning when the guy in the audience can't hear what Frank is saying.

The music is quite thrilling, and definitely has that 60s Mothers vibe, even though it's mixed with early 70s stuff, and was supposed to be released in 1972. Lots of studio sounds as well, which gives a lot of the album a very eerie vibe. Exotic could also be a way to describe some of the music. But this album also rocks out, Uncle Rhebus is great early jazz-fusion, and gets a little funky too. This is not to be confused with Uncle Rhemus from the Apostophe album. The Old Curiosity Shoppe is classic Zappa, throwing down a great guitar solo, and a great sax solo before that. The Walking Zombie Music, is quite a wild ride as well. There is also the aforementioned dialogue here and there, but it adds more color to the already colorful album. The first disc is basically worth the price of admission.

The second disc is a little more avant-garde, but still contains amazing music. Enigma's 1 thru 5 has a lot of percussion, and is quite intense. The Subcutaneous Peril is the best part of this disc, and another mammoth jazz-fusion, rock jam. Very experimental. To be honest, I find this album is an album you can only truly appreciate at night, as I do most of Zappa's music from the 60s period, which most of this album is from.

If this were released in '72 like it was originally intended to, I believe this would be a classic among his other jazz-fusion works, though I don't think it's quite as good as Grand Wazoo or Hot Rats or most other 70s albums of his, it's still a crazy album, and worth checking out for anyone with more than 10 or so Frank Zappa albums.

A glistening album that soars with sincerity and brilliance.

Glass Kites is a wonderful band that mixes indie styled songs with beautifully lush keyboards, an effortless singer backed by a first-rate band that oozes perfection. Leon Feldman, the vocalist, has a very warming tone that comes off very honest. By that i mean that when he sing it doesn't seem like he's really thinking, sure he sings clean and such, but i feel with a lot of vocalists they over-analyze the art of singing, which isn't the case here. The rest of the band is very professional. Drummer, Duncan Truter, knows well when to restrain himself and let the others bring their passion to the table or when to just amplify each composition with tighter fills, more elaborate fills, and just the purity of dynamics. Curt Henderson and Leon both fill the role of guitarist, which can come off similar to the styling of post-rock or a glossy lead role with quick spinets of sometimes jazzy lines. It's not surprising to see that Nate Drobner and Daryn Cassie both play keyboards or synths, with Nate on bass guitar. Both guys have a clear role in thickening and just adding much needed swells and atmospheric tones and chordal touches. There's some nice piano parts that typically intertwine too. In the most simplest way to describe these guys, they mix some aspects of Pink Floyd with the middle era of some Porcupine Tree albums - hope that does enough justice.

The album begins with a short keyboard and synth introduction, cleverly titled "Intro". You are immediately shown in with this track, the sounds are nice and don't come off cheesy - as well as throughout the album. I begins light, gradually adding small layers of more keys until it flows into the first true song, "Terra". Terra brings in guitar that mimics the soft keyboards in the background, the drums are simple and stay in the pocket. Halfway through, keyboards take a solo during a bridge right into a guitar solo. It's short and to the point. The band takes it one more notch with some more guitar parts, keys that are slightly like a mellotron but less vintage sounding, Leon echoes over them all with a strong deliverance.

"The Body" brings a different style to the table. The drums are repetitive, sticking to a cool bouncy groove that slowly grows more and more into an intricate monster by the end of the piece. The guitar is more in the background here but still has it's place. Early one there is a piano that is shaped by the vocal melody but later turns into the trademark swells and more broad synth chords. The ending here is great, the drums are at their pinnacle, guitar is back up front, the vocals end off strong, plus there is a quick piano solo for that great finishing taste.

"Soothsayer" shows the more indie side of Glass Kites. The structure is typical, has a acoustic guitar in there which won't be heard anywhere else on the album. Guitars take the forefront throughout the song, keys aren't that noticeable here, while the drums stay light, Duncan puts some subtle flexes of something interesting. "Break" comes next, and this is a short instrumental piece that has a more progressive feel to it, being a real letting-loose for the band. My only complaint? It's not longer - i feel like this could be a great part in another song or just a more elaborate jam. Still great though.

Then comes the beauty and power of "Mirror Me". Beginning in a very airy atmosphere, the vocals are soft and dreamy. The first half of this song is mainly a more laid-back ballad of sorts. The introduction of drums and guitar never distort the ethereal vibe and are profoundly executed. The second half crescendos to an awesome jam with another fantastic guitar solo. To compare this song to any experience in reality, it would be the feeling of emerging from a cave after begin chained in darkness. It just has that uplifting, empowered, and impassioned feeling throughout it.

Ending off this album is "Slowly (Home)". The lyrics have to be mentioned foremost. Something about the imagery is simply poetic and is sung with all of Leon's heart. Keyboards are integral here, drenching this piece with intensity. Likewise with the guitar, which has it's moment once the song reaches it's instrumental climax. The drums are simple, relaxed, and walk with the vocals through and through. This piece is just magical to me.

This album has reached to me in many ways, i find perfection every time i try describing it to myself or to a friend. Sparking inspiration in me is an easy enough way for me to determine this album's rating. Five stars.

A good historical relic of a debut by one of the prog giants that falls more into the proto-prog category than full blown progressive rock which would come very soon. This album was supposed to be a Peter Hammill solo album but it seems Hammill and original member Chris Smith were coaxed into signing a contract with Mercury Records who then began to take control of the band and refused to let them record but yet wouldn't let them record with other record companies. So this in effect is a Hammill album that was released as a VDGG one to release them from their contract.

After all that despite being English, their debut was only released in the US and received hardly any promotion at all. This is not a bad album by any means but after falling for the albums of the classic period, I find this a tad lukewarm for my tastes. There are some great tracks but many that are snoozers. You can hear some of the sounds that would become classic VDGG taking form here and this is really a must hear for any true fan. It's apparent from the get-go that Hammil is a unique singing force in the musical world.