FIVE OF THE BEST

Obscure US act, possibly from New York, found in 1989 by guitarist Jeff Kalmar and keyboardist Joel Pirard out of the ashes of a group called Orion.Trying to avoid the errors of the past that led to the demise of Orion, they searched for a stable line-up, recruiting drummer Bruce Henninger through an ad and ex-Orion bassist John Curtin.The line-up was finalized with the addition of lead vocalist Dan Bonadeo.The band gigged intensively over the years, but it had to pass a decade before launching their first CDR work ''Five of the best'' in 2000, refering to the five original studio compositions the album contained compared to the myriad the band had reputedly written.

These five tracks show a band with talent, switching from Classic 70's Symphonic Rock to more modern Neo Prog stylings with comfort, while their music has strong links with the albums of STARCASTLE, GENESIS, KANSAS and SUPERTRAMP.Vocals are a bit annoying, too high-pitched for the taste of the average listener, but the musicianship is great with plenty of keyboard textures and fresh guitar melodies, recalling the spirit of the legendary 70's groups.Still the music has quite a bit of a rockin' atmosphere with nice rhythmic parts.The compositions are characterized by tight structures and lots of shifting moods, containing symphonic-oriented keyboards and extended instrumental parts next to the melodious, sensitive guitar lines.The studio work of the group finishes at this point, but the length of this album continues with three additional tracks, captured live by the group.The recording quality drops significantly, on the other hand the music in these pieces is more complex and dramatic, somewhat closer to compatriots CATHEDRAL with a bit of virtuosic Fusion added in the keyboard work.Very good organ washes, dense synthesizer flights, complicated breaks and sharp guitar runs complete a surprising work of 70's-inspired Progressive Rock.

''Five of the best'' is an extremely satisfying album, inspired by the classic acts of Prog Rock's heydays, well-executed with decent arrangements and interesting material.An easy choice for all lovers of the classic Progressive Rock aesthetics.