ADONIS

Well, this album is quite popular in Brazil, my country. Although it came in a time prog was the last thinkg to be called hip it was well received and it is much loved by progheads in general. Since I never heard it at the time only recently I had a chance to buy the CD. After repeated spins I have mixed feelings about it. On one side the music is beautiful and very well done. It seems a lot of the neo prog acts got at least some inspiration from its content. On the other I found it lacking some energy and originality. Vocals are only average, with some heavy german accent.

The centerpiece of the entire CD is of course the long title track. It is a great 24 minute epic although again I find it a little shaky in some parts. It takes some time to get used to, but in the end I found myself enjoying it a lot. Side two of the original LP starts with the very nice instrumental Blue House (great keys!). then comes the weakest and most ordinary moment woth the track Sally. My God, do those guys know how to break the record´s balance with this dud! the saxophone solo is simply totally out of place here. A track to be skipped ever since.The last song is a bit more jazzy and has its merits, but is not up to the other first two.

As a debut album I think Adonis is excellent. The band was already on its way to find their own sound. The production didn´t help a lot, but the songwriting and the playing is strong enough to hold your atention until the end (except for Sally). If you like nice, laid back, symphonic rock in the vein of early Eloy or Nektar you should check this one out. My rating: something between 3,5 to 4 stars.