THE MOUNTAIN

I will admit that this band took a while to grow on me, but once it did, the greatness just poured out from my speakers. The Mountain, in particular, stands out as being especially terrific, thanks to the thematic nature of the lyrics, the flow of the record, and, of course, the great songwriting. It seems like Falling Back to Earth and Cockroach King are the songs most genuflected to, and it's easy to see, but for my money, the last two songs are the two biggest standouts: Pareidolia and Somebody. The build-up in the latter, and then the release at the end, is just breathtaking. That, my friends, is how you end a prog record. 4.5 out of 5 stars.