666

This highly controversial album has become, over the years, one of my very favorite progressive rock records of all time, although I didn't like it at all at first listen. In fact, the omnipresence of the Greek folklore influences that makes it so weirdly unique, added to the very short length of most of the tracks, made it very hard to grasp for someone who had just got into progressive rock .

However, give it a few listens and you won't fail to be impressed by such a unique masterpiece, however flawed it might be. A few standout songs constitute the heart of the album (Babylon, The Four Horsemen, The Lamb, Aegian Sea, Altamont, All the Seats were occupied) while some of it might be considered as filler by some, though I don't have a problem with it as they let the standout moments truly shine. The Four Horsemen, especially, deserves a special mention as it contains one of my absolute favorite vocal performances in all progressive rock, by the great Demis Roussos. Aegian Sea also contains great ambiences created mostly by the keyboard wizard Vangelis and by a stunning guitar solo, while the suite that takes almost all of the fourth side (All the Seats) is up there amongst the greatest in the genre with Echoes, Supper's Ready, Close to the Edge, Thick as a Brick Part One, The Gates of Delirium, Nine Feet underground, etc.

9.5/10