"Giant for a day" is again a wrongly chosen album title that suggests a good familiar progressive music by the band. It starts on a relatively good note by strongly reminding of the modern Yes (vocals, rhythm section) but the music gets even more straightforward (and boring) after that. GG produce mildly memorable melodies and vocals got more digestible ("It's only good-bye" is a good attempt). Apart from 2-3 songs, the album is really bland. The lyrics could not have been earnest after years of high standards. This is best to be avoided or forget about the Gentle Giant moniker to avoid disappointment.

Gentle Giant really started to cut down on their ambitions and aspirations on the deceivingly ambitiously titled "The missing piece". Music gets less complex, somewhat more accessible but in the end, none of the audience may be happy. It's not that the band cannot produce memorable radio friendly cuts - listen to "I'm turning around", the band seems awkward at merging pop with prog unlike Genesis, Yes and Camel did it, more naturally. Vocals were already an acquired taste and even more so for the pop material. The only mastermind who still deserves high praise is the keyboard player who still tastily supports the overall band sound. The rhythm section sounds bored. "Memories of old days" is far away from their previously complex suites but let's recognize the band for attempting to create a listenable epic. Not recommended to anybody but GG fans.

More on the psychedelic/experimental side than the prog side, Gracious debut is a mixed bag of what has been done during the late sixties and early seventies. It is one of those ecletic mixes of songs that could only be made during those days were recording companies and producers were willing to let the bands record their ideas without much constraint.

If, to a certain degree, it was a great thing for artists willing to explore their creativity, on the other hand you have a very unfocused effort where the best and the worst ideas are sometimes mixed in the same song and the overall result is good, but not great.

There are some parts that are amazing, like the intro of Heaven, with ethereal mellotron. There are others that are disjointed, parts of Hell and The Dream, songs that mix psychedelic, baroque pop and even long classical quotes (in the case of the latter) or Zappaesque spoken parts (the former).

There classically influenced passages and direct quotations, and the prevalence of keyboard instrumentos in the sound help giving a more symphonic feel to the album, but overall I'd classify if more as psychedelic weirdness than anything else, which is very good, of course, but not exactly the "lost" progressive gem one would expect. They'd get better and more focused on the following album, unfortunately their last before disbanding.

— First review of this album —

Ahleuchatistas (AH LOO CHA TEES TAS) were formed in 2002 by Shane Parish (guitar), Derek Poteat (bass), and Sean Dail (drums), and by the time of this recording they had already released three incredibly uncompromising and experimental albums. For the curious the name comes from two words, "Ah-leu-cha" (a Charlie Parker song) and "Zapatistas" (a revolutionary movement which started in Mexico in 1994). Cuneiform Records owner Steve Feigenbaum was blown away when he saw them play a midweek gig at the end of 2004, and soon signed them for their third release. This live album captures them at two of their shows when they were arguably at their peak, gigging hard and bouncing ideas off each other with every performance being something to behold. Just listening to this makes me feel tired, what it is like to witness them in full flight must have been incredible, let alone actually performing at this level of intensity for any length of time.

We have 34 songs, a running time more than 90 minutes, and a trio out to break your brain. This is not music to put on and relax to, or play in the background, it has the intensity and drive of punk, mixed with King Crimson at their most eclectic, Art Zoyd, Can and so much more. There is RIO, mathcore, prog metal, a refusal to conform to standard tunings, melodies, or time signatures with all that matters is the connection between the three musicians who are so in sync with each other that one can only wonder how many hours they spent together honing their craft. This is not music which will ever find a wide audience, but those who understand what is happening in front of their ears know their minds have been expanded by experiencing something which is very different indeed.

There is an intense ferocity at play, uncompromising and abrasive, with music often played staccato at pace, with little room for pleasantries as they take the ideas of Zappa and Beefheart and move them to a whole new plane. The only way to enjoy this is to leave your preconceptions of what music should sound like at the door and open your mind to something very different indeed. You need to understand that it is unlikely you will enjoy this when you play this the first time, but for those who are willing to give this the time this is something very special.

I was not the only person to be someone stunned when Acqua Fragile returned in 2017 with the excellent 'A New Chant'. Although they had recorded some albums in the Seventies, the departure of singer Bernado Lanzetti to PFM had been the death knell, and no-one thought that more than 40 years later that Bernard, along with bassist Franz Dondi and drummer Piero Canavera would record a new album with some guests. Fast forward a mere six years from the last album and the trio are now back with a full band, plus guests (including none other than David Jackson, surely one of the most active musicians in the scene).

What strikes the listener immediately is not the power of the band, but the vocals of Lanzetti. He has lost none of his range, and in many ways is singing as well as ever, but he sounds every minute of his 75 years. Some singers somehow never seem to age at all (step forward Bob Catley for example), but others not so, and that is the case here in that he very much comes across as an old man, which in fact he is. Once one gets past that, one realises that this is another interesting album from the Italian proggers. Goblin will always be my favourite Italian band, but I have always rated PFM incredibly highly and always enjoyed these guys as well, and while this may not be as immediate and potent as the last one it is still an interesting listen. While they are Italian, they have never fitted into RPI for me as they are not as symphonic as what I expect from that genre, with less bombast, plus they sing in English as opposed to Italian. This album is one which can be listened to and enjoyed on the first time of playing, and there are some depths to be uncovered, but possibly not as many as one might expect.

Whether this is an album which will attract new fans I am not sure but is one which people who have enjoyed their career will find quite interesting while not essential.

3.5 stars. This one did grow on me but I still prefer the compilation of unreleased material from this era that was an archival release in 2003. They are from Denmark and they formed in 1967 so it took some time to get this debut out in 1972. A hard rocking band with the organ dominating along with the guitar and vocals. Very much of it's time but these guys were talented and adventerous, maybe not so much on this record but some of that unreleased music shows how talented they were.

So we get seven tracks over 42 minutes and this is a five piece band with some guest flute on a couple of tracks. The lead singer adds some percussion but he's there to sing while the bass player takes the lead vocals surprisingly on two tracks. There's not really a track for me that stands out. It's pretty consistent I'm just not always sold, just my tastes. There are some extended instrumental sections where they jam usually with the guitar soloing over top. The only instrumental is "Prelude" a short piece just over a minute long. The bass isn't always upfront on this record but when it is I'm impressed.

If you like hard rocking music from the early seventies I would suggest you check this out. There's a lot of 4 star reviews here that would suggest this is worth investigating.

An early fan-favorite from Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia).

1. "Glas sa obale boje" (4:27) except for the two tracks devoted to THIN LIZZY-like "twin" guitars, this song sounds like a song from a GRAND FUNK RAILROAD album of this time. Nothing Jazz-Rock Fusion about this bombastic prog-related song. (But it may have been popular in Yugoslavia). (8.5/10)

2. "Put na istok" (14:20) (26.66667/30): - Prvi dan - more solid proto-prog like blues-rock sounding like something coming from Latin America at the same time. (8.5/10) - Drugi dan - shifting a bit into slightly more funk and jazziness--and then TRAFFIC-like, then back to blues-rock with a little more power. (8.6667/10) - Dilema - the BANCO MUTUO SOCCORSO (or AREA) comparisons are warranted for this gentle little baroque keyboard-centric movement. (4.5/5) - Zemlja - AREA might be the more appropriate band to compare the final movement to--especially dute to the hard- infusion of Serbian/Balkan/Ottoman music. (5/5)

3. "Moj bol" (10:27) more disciplined jazz-rock with true jazz foundations, electric instrumentation as well as Serbian percussion play. Vocals joining in during the second and third minutes again feel very RPI-like--the whole song's vibe becoming much more BANCO-like from here on despite some very TRAFFIC/"Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys" passages. Nice searing electric guitar soloing in the eighth minute. Quite an excellent and deeply satisfying song. (18.5/20)

4. "Bezglave Ja-Ha horde" (6:46) more nice-flowing Jazz-Rock Fusion that is a vehicle for vocals from the very start-- again giving it a very RPI sound and feeling. But it's so good! The vocalist has the voice and talent quite like AREA leader DEMETRIO STRATOS! If this had appeared on an RPI album during the same year it would have been an instant classic! (14.5/15)

5. "Tata Ko i mama Spo" (4:12) opening like a GEORGE HARRISON song, guitars (acoustic strumming, "weeping" electric soloing in the background). Full band joins in as vocalist starts to sing his powerful. voice--this time reminding me very much of LOS JAIVAS' lead vocalist Eduardo "Gato" Alquinta on the Pablo Naruda album. It's okay for a 1960s blues/folk rock song. (8.5/10)

Total Time 40:12

Not pure Jazz-Rock Fusion, more of an eclectic run through early blues-rock prog rock with some jazz-infusions and, more, lots of local ethnic melodies and styles as well as ethnic Serbian instruments. There are more instances of the band showing its being inspired by Grand Funk, Traffic, Santana, and Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso than any jazz-rock fusion band.

A-/4.5 stars; a minor masterpiece of early but eclectic (and imitative) prog music. There are some amazingly wonderful pieces here as well as some that would seem more rudimentary blues-rock and thus prog-related.

One of the most complex 70's prog rock live albums out there? Possibly. GG proved to be compelling live players (I would love to have a single camera on the keyboard player who must have done a lot of context switching). The choice of material is great, focusing on the the material before 1977 and preferring variety rather than full length. There is also a good level of improvisation on the drum/guitar solo pieces. Naturally, vocals aren't overdubbed and thus more down to earth but still impressive. The band succeeds in creating a dense yet music friendly atmosphere. The sound is OK, does not overwhelm the listener but the instruments can be distinguished, otherwise I would have given it 5 stars.

One of the many SIGIL bands out there, this one comes from Calgary, Alberta, Canada and has been around since 2009 and only released a handful of of EPs and albums. The first full-length "Mutagen" came out in 2013 and the sophomore effort NETHER didn't emerge until 2021. This four piece that features Riley Marion (bass), David Horrocks (drums), Peter Tyukasz (guitars) and Clennon Aranha (vocals) delivers a strange mix of dissonant black metal along with atmospheric sludge metal and a rhythmic post-hardcore steadiness.

Fortified with rampaging tracks on the shorter side of things, the post-hardcore rules in the compositional department but dressed up with caustic black metal tones and distortion made all the more eerie by the dissonant tuning habits. The sludge metal comes in in the way the vocals are shouted as well as the guitar bombast. This album features eight tracks and adds up to nearly 38 minutes of aggressive brutality. That is if you count the digital release time line which features the extra track "Cathartic Avulsions." The album doesn't really let up once it starts and the caustic bombastic is incessant. The band's label Total Dissonance Worship sorta says it all!

The riffs are rather spastic and add little strange hooks here and there that throw off the general rhythmic flow without derailing it. The result is a form of controlled chaos that ratchets up the tension to a satisfying degree. The album feels a lot like crust punk in a lot of ways but is more dissonant, more chaotic and features drumming styles of sludge metal and other extreme forms of metal. The vocals are a bit off kilter as well with a strange contrapuntal phrasing where Clennon Aranha shouts over the syncopated parts and only in a haphazard way. The effect is somewhat original even if the music is fairly accessible and mostly from the post-hardcore playbook.

This is a noisy little album that pretty much plays out in its entirely as it started. Heavily distorted guitars and bass in disso-mode with oddball drumming patterns and crazy schizophrenic vocals. It's the stuff outsider musical dreams are made of and it's unrelenting in its dedication to noisy brutality all the way to the end. Somewhat difficult to assign any particular genre tag, this truly is a hybrid of many meta and punk styles fused into a cohesive whole. Extreme in every way, SIGIL delivered a solid piece of work with this one and perhaps not groundbreaking or totally original in every way, sure is a nice little noisy romp for 38 minutes.

3.5 rounded down

Former Weather Report bassist has definitely oriented himself toward pop music and the popular melodic disco-funk world now despite the remarkable variety of song styles represented here.

A1. "Love's The Way I Feel 'Bout Cha" (4:43) jazz pop from Philip Bailey with wonderful vocals from Diane Reeves. Nice bass play as well. A rather powerful song that should have charted as a single on the R&B or Dance charts. (9/10)

A2. "As Little As You" (3:23) a funky instrumental (8.75/10)

A3. "Scapegoat" (5:10) an upbeat disco-funky instrumental over which lyrical saxes perform. We're definitely in the world of Smooth Jazz now. Great funk bass, sax play (from both Grover Washington, Jr. and Ernie Watts), and use of brass section for accents. A top three for me despite the fact that it never really realizes its tremendous potential. (8.875/10)

A4. "Show Us The Way" (4:55) beautiful gentle electric guitar arpeggi provide all the support necessary to buoy the gorgeous deep vocals of jazz singer Jon Lucien. A top three song. (9/10)

B1. "Balls To The Wall" (5:00) opens for 30-seconds like a heavy metal/power rock song with Ray Gomez's electric guitar and Alphonso's power chords and Chester Thompson's racing drum play before turning Mahavishnu funk. From here out everyone is so tight keeping up with Chester and Alphonso. Another top three song for me. (8.875/10)

B2. "Tales Of Barcelona" (2:16) interesting Mahavishnu-like power prayer. (4.5/5)

B3. "Flight To Hampstead Heath" (5:55) opens with a very proggy harpsichord-like arpeggi track over which Alphonso solos with a fretless electric bass. Ruth Underwood's work is so perfect! As is the amazing chemistry between Alphonso and Chester Thompson. My favorite song on the album despite it being far more prog-rock than j-r fusion-- more like something from a NOVA or STEVE HACKETT album. (9.25/10)

B4. "One To One" (3:53) another funk track that feels like something between Jan Hammer and Weather Report. Lots of spice and hot sauce coming from all directions--especially the horn section but also from Alphonso, the guitar, keys, and percussion. Nice Fender Rhodes solo in the second minute. Ray Gomez gets the next solo and it's good though far more rock-oriented than prog or j-r fuse; he's definitely a master of sound clarity. Alphonse's Jaco-like interplay with the horn section in the final minute is cool. Solid. (9/10)

Total Time 35:14

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of eclectic jazz-infused music, pop to funk to j-r fuse to prog: it's all here!