IN THE WEST

Along with about a thousand other prog fans, I was very fortunate to see these guys play live at the Progfest 2000 festival. KENSO put on one of the most intense, and tight performances I've ever seen live, and although I was completely unfamiliar with their music before that night, the combination of complex fusion-esque guitar work, dual keyboards, Japanese melodies, AREA-like bass work, and a drummer who used his kit like a war machine won us newbies over in a matter of 10-minutes. The band got standing ovations after every composition 15-minutes into their set! In The West is a 1997 live release from a show at the On Air West club in Tokyo, and although their set back then wasn't as smoking as the one at Progfest 2000, they still put on a great show. Their music falls somewhere between fusion and symphonic progressive rock. Try to imagine ICEBERG mixed with an instrumental LOCANDA DELLE FATE. The leader of the band, Yoshihisa Shimizu, is gifted both as a guitarist and a composer. He enjoys creating compositions that alternate between heavy fusion and melodic symphonic prog, and he has an incredible talent for creating memorable riffs, and hooks. Many of his guitar melodies, and compositional themes, are based on Japanese scales, which is unique to hear in the world of fusion. Do yourself a favor and check out KENSO. "In The West" is a perfect place to start.