JOURNEY TO THE EAST

An enchanting release from the first wave of neo-prog, featuring a sound a lot like early Marillion but with a more pronounced Yes influence - particularly when it comes to Mark Holiday's vocals, which include more than a few hints of Jon Anderson's delivery. Paul Ineson rivals Steve Rothery when it comes to long, drawn-out David Gilmour-inspired guitar solos, whilst the keyboard work of David Powell is a constant feature of the album, and is rather charming. Whilst I wouldn't put the album in the top flight of neo-prog releases from the era, it's most of the way there, and they certainly don't deserve the comparative obscurity they seem to have fallen into compared to the likes of Pallas, Solstice and other neo-prog also-rans from the period.