VISIONS FROM THE PAST

Quite impressive release by this band from Bahrain (!). As it happened with many bands I now love I read about this band through PA. I was curious enough to try to find a CD and hear their sound. The only one available was their last one, the conceptual Visions From The Past. I heard a lot about their earlier releases but since I did not know them, I can't say whether Visions... is any better or worse than their first effords. Besides, this is the first Osiris CD in 16 years (17 if one's counting only original material). By this time there were some line up changes and only the Alsadeql brothers and keyboardsman A. R. Arian remained since their last studio work.

Some people told me they were basicly a neo prog band and did not have much to do with middle eastern music. Well, I don't know about their former sounds, but clearly Visions From The Past is full of middle eastern rhythms, melodies and even instruments. Sure, they are still neo prog, with the usually influence of early Camel, Pink Floyd and Pendragon, but they did release an album that reeks of their arab origins all the time. Even some spoken words in arab are used for good measure. The result, although production is barely adequate to this kind fo music, is a strong collection of songs that mix very well western prog music with traditional Bahrain tunes: the whole CD flows evenly as if neo prog and eastern tradtion were always together. The tunes are never awkward as I initially though they would be.

If you're into neo prog this is surely a must have: melodic, powerful, convincing, emotional, sometimes quite epic, with great guitar and keys interplay (even with some fine Hammond sounds here and there). The singer might be of western origin judging by his name, but the music is definitly from that part of the world. I'm really looking forward to hear their next work because this one is really excellent. Not perfect, neither a masterpiece, but they are on its way to make one soon if they keep this level of quality. An excellent addtion to any prog collection. Four strong stars.

Returning after an 18 year recording absence, and sporting a half revamped lineup, "Osiris" produced their most Arabic sounding work in "Visions from the Past", thanks to guitars played like traditional instruments, indigenous beats, and occasional flutes.

In structure it is somewhat similar to ANYONE'S DAUGHTER's acclaimed "Piktors Verwandlugen", in that it alternates between spoken passages in the native tongue, and mostly instrumentals around them. The foreign tongue makes it harder to digest since significant meaning is intended to be conveyed, but it can be pieced together via sleeve notes. The narrator is an old man who is seeing the cultural traditions of his youth evaporate.

"A New Day", "Is it Time" (with new vocalist Martin Hughes, who also plays flute), and the very Arabic and sublime "We will stop for no one" are all major highlights. M. Alsadeql's electric guitars remain as vital as ever for the most part. In contrast, some passages seem a bit dispirited, like "The Memory will still remain", not bad but not really a keeper. The recording ends with the two longest songs, with the 12 minute closer "Finally" being by far the better. It's in a very old style being reminiscent of DEEP PURPLE and YES among others such as RAMSES, thanks to some martial drumming. Ultimately it's reach is better than its grasp. For the first time OSIRIS actually seems to want to make serious music with important lyrics, and their earlier simple beauty was left behind.

This is a fine comeback album and I heard that another studio recording was in the works, so it looks like we won't have to content ourselves with the past as far as Osiris is concerned.

My first encounter with Osiris' music was their 1984 album Myths and Legends and I was quite disappointed because I expected at least some typical middle eastern sounds from this band coming from Bahrain after all. But there were no such sounds on that one. Just another average neo band was what I heard. But with their recent output Visions from the Past I finally got what I hoped for.

This very output is at last the real deal you might say. This is the folky neo prog I expected all along from the band. Not only that, it's also very original and inspired what I hear on this release. And it's varied as well: long songs, short interludes as well as middle length stuff. Different sounds and styles is what I detect and all done in a nice flowing way, great coherence !

I will have to do the Myths and Legends review still but it will be a palish one I feel resulting in max three stars I'm sure. But this most recent album to date is a different ball game. This is the opposite of disappointing, this is a breath of fresh air and as Ken already stated: what a come back ! It's highly recommended for those who are intrigued by neo prog from Bahrain with a true folky signature. It's a definite four stars. Cheers, Osiris !

After they release their first live album in 1991 they had 15 years pause to record an album, untill then some line up changes from where only the heads of the band remains still the Alsadeql brothers. Well this albums has the arabic atmosphere here and there, similar in places with Asia Minor lets say, not bad , but I think the album is to divided in smaller pieces and to me after half the album I begun to lose intrest. Nothing is groundbreaking here, but is not a bad album at all, they still combine with eficiency symphonic prog elements with neo passages. A piece like The memory will still remain shows that they still had potential to compose pleasent and yet eleborated prog music, really nice. So, 3 stars to this one, while is far from great is still a very ok release.