INFERNAL

There seemed to be a lot of anticipation for this album amongst at least a few of the musicians whom I follow on Facebook, though I myself had only a passing familiarity with the music of Phideaux. Soon after joining ProgArchives some years back, his name crossed my path, and I sampled music from some of his albums trying to decide which one to buy. In the end, however, I couldn't decide and moved on. With this, his tenth studio release, I decided my time had come and I ordered the album without having heard a note.

After only three listens so far, the album has already captivated me and tunes randomly spring into my head when I am not listening to music. There seems to be so much on this double disc that is already familiar to me as far as sounds and styles go. As I listen, I am reminded of Nektar's "Remember the Future", Pink Floyd's "The Final Cut", The Beatles "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", albums by Ayreon, and others that I can't quite name but spin around in the periphery of my musical memory banks while I listen to "Infernal".

This is crossover prog, so there is a strong pop element to most of the tracks. But I doubt such pop music could make it on the charts today. Perhaps in the nineties, a song like "We Only Have Eyes for You" could have attracted mainstream attention for a short while. The trick is, as in often the case with crossover prog bands, that while the melodies and music might seem deceptively simple, it's how the songs are constructed and how the instruments are employed in the song that lift an album like "Infernal" above the standard pop fare. It's easy to listen to. It's catchy. It's intelligent. And it's imaginative, creative, and fun!

I haven't paid that close attention but I believe this double album is divided into four sides as it would be for vinyl. On each side, the tracks segue into the next, creating a continuous flow as on many conceptual albums. Certainly there are highlights, be it a catchy vocal melody, some terrific guitar playing, or the appearance of strings with a steady bass drum beat. But more than the sum of all the ear-perking parts, the album plays through, short tracks and longer ones, like one enjoyable musical ride. This is an album that's very easy to listen to as an album. Just push play and enjoy the journey.

Sadly, other Phideaux albums are not as easy to get a hold of as they were a few years back when I first looked. This might be my only Phideaux album for now. But it was well worth the money spent. The digipak is also beautiful with lots of artwork inspired by the paintings of Hieronymous Bosch. All in all, it's a beautiful piece of work to have!