SEA OF THE SINKING SUN

Australia's own Myriad play a warm blend of acoustic based progressive rock, with refined synths/keyboards and electric guitar in the vein of early Porcupine Tree. The music on their debut album `Sea Of The Sinking Sun' is low-key, thoughtful and tasteful melodic progressive rock with a real humanity. I purchased this album many years ago from the long-gone Cranium Records, and I was immensely impressed with it. It's been a very special album for me all this time, and I wish more prog albums had the heart and genuine feeling that this one does.

`Gone' begins the album with the strong and dreamy acoustic guitar playing and plaintive vocals from Myriad main-man Matthew Heindorff that are the band's trademark, backed with uplifting and drifting keyboards. His lyrics always have a very personal and reflective tone, and you'll likely find much to relate to in his words throughout the album.

`Outside Smile' is a little bit darker, with a contemplative vocal and matching lyric backed with thick ghostly synths. Some nice clean electric guitar in the stirring ambient middle section before the track shoots straight for the sky with a spiraling electric guitar solo that is easily the equal of Steven Wilson and Nick Barrett of Pendragon. Terrific commanding drum work from Justin Roebig gives the track a great sense of epic drama. The album highlight!

`Picnic...' is a brief acoustic interlude with an evocative melody! Far too short, but beautiful nonetheless.

Lovely piano and pounding drums kick off `Cold Under This Sky', a classy mid-tempo piece with more pensive lyrics and a warm sighing vocal. We get a a bit of electric grunt in the second half, and there's terrific chunky and fluid bass playing from Matt throughout the whole track. Love the way the music slows up and speeds down, back and forth, right near the end.

`North Sea Road' is a sweet and upbeat boppy track with playful Syd Barret-esque vocal lines and foot tapping clean electric guitar melodies! Matt's voice is very charming and likeable on this one, and there's a lovely dancing guitar solo with shimmering synths backing it up. A terrific joyful little diversion!

`Destiny's Midst' is the heaviest piece on the album, with hard drums and dirty electric guitar riffs. It probably gives the album a bit of an adrenaline kick after the lighter previous track, and the whole second half is filled with a groovy wailing guitar solo.

`Almost A Joker' is the most ambitious piece on the album, comprised of a number of different ideas joined together. The track is based around stomping drums and riff-heavy chugging, before dissolving into an experimental ocean of ambient swimming electronic effects along the lines of Tangerine Dream and early Pink Floyd. Other-wordly treated ruminative vocals call from the distance, and maddening looped drums drive the listener to madness. Then a killer electric guitar solo tears through the nightmare and lifts the listener away. This track most of all shows the true potential this band had, and only hinted at directions the band would eventually head in.

With their next few releases, Myriad would add a sophisticated blend of acoustic and heaviness with `Floating On Ascending Plains', then aimed for the stars with the spacey and electronic `Reminded' (as well as their upcoming `Quietude'). But check out the band's unassuming and melodic debut album for a wonderful little progressive gem.