HYBRIS

Well, what to say about this excellent album? I found myself scanning the reviews here and only looking at the negative ones, just to see what might be negative about it to someone else. I'm afraid I can't relate to any of those negative reviews, nor can I see their point. I find a good deal of melody on this album, albeit of a very dark and minor key variety. The playing is outstanding and the compositions are quite entertaining to listen to. Still, I can't call it a masterpiece either. I'm not sure exactly why, but it does lack something that I look for in prog rock. Emotion. There is a melancholy feeling to the whole thing, but there seems to be more of a focus on style and ability rather than conveying a feeling. Admittedly, there is a good deal of prog music that has this same issue, but I guess there is a coldness to this album that keeps it from being a favorite of mine. Still, it stays in rotation for me, getting played a few times a year, so there is no denying the greatness of it. But I can "only" give it 4 solid stars. Well worth checking out, if only for the fact that in 1992 it was one of the key albums that started the prog resurgence that still seems to be going strong today, i.e. the "3rd wave".