TALES FROM MOONLIT BAY

With "Tales From Moonlit Bay" we are treated to an epic, almost 21-minute track right from the start. "The Falcon Suite" (as the track is called) is a mighty undertaking where one musical theme is more or less treated in various ways (different arrangements, voluntary stops and starts, time changes, etc.). This is a good track although I do feel it needn't have been so lengthy (don't get me wrong: I don't shun long pieces; but I also don't automatically equate length with genius). "The Price for Trust" is an average piece with rather rough edges. The 8-minute "A King's Epitath", however, is symphonic prog at its best: grandiose, pompous and regal, as befits the title; its second half features some throbbing passages and chord changes that will simply melt your insides (how DO you do it, Mr. HEINEN?!?). "Paradise" is a rather forgettable, dark drum-based piece whereas "Ivory Tower" is almost entirely acoustic, although it does end with a fuller sound.

If ever you were about to fall asleep, the instrumental "Live at Armageddon" surely will wake you up. What a blast this one is! The mauve-coloured, mellow overtones go out the door and in comes the heavy machinery: weird sound effects, throbbing beats, electricity, mounting tension, a mind-blower of a piece and the tighest number I've heard from the band yet. The album ends on a mellow note with the 12-minute "Wreck of the Dancer", a slow builder that tackles the whole gamut of human emotions (much better than "The Falcon Suite" IMO) and bursts in an apotheosis of sounds, floating guitars and soaring keyboards. It slowly dies out on some melancholy notes, making you want to hear the album all over again. A gem of an album which any fan of melodious prog is guaranteed to fall in love with.