CONTRE-COURANT

All five members of Opus 5 sing (in French) on this 40-minute little treasure from the 1976 Quebec prog scene. At times sounding reminiscent of bands like Renaissance, Jethro Tull (flute), fellow countrymen Harmonium, and even a splash of Gentle Giant, these youngsters created some great melodic prog that included a little Baroque, a little fusion, and some great prog in both the symphonic and folk styles. I found the piano to be a bit more prominent than the traditional prog band of that time, and the drummer has a nice crisp snare sound. Three fantastic long tracks start the cd (9:10, 11:45, 9:20) as they finish everything off with a couple of nice ones in the 3-5 minute range. I have not been disappointed yet with any band from Quebec, and this debut from Opus 5 "Contre Courant" ("against the current") sails mightily among them.