THIS ONE'S FOR ENGLAND

A solid live release from the To Shatter All Accord tour, this album demonstrates that since the recording of previous live releases like Live Days Discipline have lost none of their live chops. Presenting somewhat more forceful and aggressive versions of the material in question, it isn't quite Discipline's answer to Van der Graaf Generator's Vital (VdGG being a group often cited as being an influence on Discipline's sound) - it doesn't quite go that far into prog-punk and the sound quality is markedly better - but it's getting there. Between this, the stunning quality of To Shatter All Accord, and the word on the band's official site that they are working on a new studio album, it's clear that the Discipline reunion is showing no signs of slowing down.

There is no doubt in my mind that one of the most important bands to come out of America in the last 25 years is Discipline, and when they reformed and released 'To Shatter All Accord' it was certainly no surprise to see it rated so highly. In fact, according to ProgArchives it is still the #1 album of that year. So, they were then invited to appear at the mighty RosFest in 2012, and this double CD is the recording of that performance. So, just eight songs on this double digipak release, but that equates to nearly 100 minutes of music. Some of these songs have appeared on live albums before, but given that they haven't released that many albums that really isn't suprising. And to be honest, a live album without a performance of "Canto IV (Limbo)" would be both unthinkable and unforgiveable.

Singer and keyboard player Matthew Parmenter also provides all of the material, but this is much more than just a one-man show and the rest of the guys were all there when 'Push & Profit' was released in 1994. This is a group that have been influenced by the likes of early Genesis and Anekdoten, but have created a path very much of their own making. One would never guess that these guys are from North America, as they have much more in common with the European progressive rock movement. Their approach is sometimes restrained, harmonic and almost lulling, but there are plenty of times when they are jagged and abrasive, Jon's guitar a strident noise against Matthew's organ while Matthew K and Paul provide the backdrop to let the music grow and move. I have been a fan of the band for many years, and the only thing wrong with this album is that it makes me realize just how much I am missing out by not being able to see them in concert. This is an essential purchase, www.strungoutrecords.com

Yes I assumed this was recorded live in England, but no(haha). This is taken from their live performance at RoSfest in 2012. Man I do love this band, and it's unusual for me to feel that each record they have put out is better than the one before. DISCIPLINE play a dark style of music with plenty of mellotron and are often compared to VDGG, so what's not to like? This is a double album with 8 tracks on it including two from the debut "Push & Profit", two from "Unfolded Like Staircase", and four from their latest "To Shatter All Accord" which is the album they were touring on here.

"Circuitry" is a dark beauty that opens with some nasty guitar as the organ floats in. Vocals follow and Matthew is in fine form here. Such a cool section before 3 minutes as it settles with picked guitar and floating organ but I also dig it when it kicks back into gear with some intense drumming and guitar work. A great way to start the performance. "Before The Storm" from "Unfolded Like Staircase" is a top three for me. This moves me for some reason. The guitar after a minute reminds me of ANEKDOTEN. Nice section too before 3 1/2 minutes with the organ and guitar standing out. Powerful stuff after 6 minutes. So freaking good! Mellotron 7 1/2 minutes in and check out the guitar and organ late. This song blends into "Blueprint" where it continues to be picked guitar and organ leading the way. It turns very FLOYD-like before 2 minutes when the organ gets louder. A cool instrumental. "Dead City" is not about Detroit as Matthew mentions in the intro. This song is brighter and more upbeat, catchy even. Some excellent keyboards in this one along with some ripping guitar before 3 minutes. A big finish ends it. "When She Dreams She Dreams In Color" is another top three for me. It's 5 minutes in before the song kicks into gear but I really enjoy those 5 minutes. A calm follows then it slowly builds. An incredible track! The final track on disc one is the almost five minute "Band Introductions" where we hear how funny Matthew Parmenter is. Such a dry sense of humour and man he made me laugh out loud a few times. Fun stuff.

"Canto IV(Limbo)" is my other top three although "Rogue" is right there too, tough choice. Anyway drums and piano pound away to start before it settles some with guitar and more. It then calms right down with reserved vocals as outbursts of power come and go. Love the organ solo after 6 1/2 minutes and the guitar too that joins in. A driving rhythm before 8 minutes with vocals as themes then start to be repeated. "The Reasoning Wall" opens with piano before it kicks in with a humerous vibe. Love how intricate this all is after 2 minutes. It then turns melancholic a minute later and the guitar proceeds to light it up. Vocals and that lighter and humerous sound return 5 1/2 minutes in. "Rogue" is the closer and the longest tune at almost 24 minutes. I really like the tone of the guitar here to start and it becomes very VDGG-like before 2 minutes. A calm after 4 minutes with guitar and vocals before it kicks back in after 6 minutes. This song has so many shades and colours to it as it plays out. Mellotron 8 1/2 minutes in and guitar a minute later. So good! It turns brighter before 17 minutes. What a ride!

I just can't give this less than 5 stars, i'm so impressed with this band and their sound. A must!

This is freaking awesome!

It is incredible what Discipline has done to me, I already loved them when I discovered their Unfolded Like Staircase, and then in 2011 with the release of To Shatter All Accord, they became one of my favorite US bands, actually that release was my top 2011 prog album. Since then, I've been crossing my fingers hoping to see them on stage once, and seems that life has treated me well because I will be able to experience it really soon when they play at Progotoberfest, which really excites me.

In 2014 they released a two-cd live album which was recorded at the RoS Fest in 2012, an album that in my opinion is flawless, showing the incredible potential the band has on stage, with that evident VdGG feeling, the theatrical spirit of Parmenter and the amazing musicianship of Dzendzel, Kennedy and Bouda. These four musicians managed to transmit the countless stories and emotions their albums share, with that vivid and human touch concerts give, so the audience could get immersed into a sometimes dark, sometimes touchy, sometimes disarming atmosphere Discipline produce.

The song selection was perfect, only eight but making a running time of almost 100 minutes. At that time, they were promoting To Shatter All Accord, so it was pretty obvious they would open with "Circuitry", a wonderful track that shows the power of this band, which in my opinion has to be one of the best US prog bands since the 90s, sadly not so many people concur with me, but who agree, won't let me lie. A jump to the past comes next with "Before the Storm" with its two parts performed, and then with the nice "Blueprint" from their 1994 record Push & Profit.

Matthew Parmenter's voices is simply amazing, no matter if he reminds us of Peter Hammill, he has a very own sound produced by that theatrical and emotional tune he implements. From the 2011 they played then "Blueprint" first and then "When She Dreams, She Dreams In Color", the last song of the first CD, and a personal favorite of mine, I truly love that song and its final hypnotic instrumental part. I am really looking forward to witness this one soon.

You might ask why keeping only 3 tracks for a CD, but well, two out of them are magnificent epics. The first one is their famous "Canto IV", a true masterpiece released in 1997 that stays as one of my Discipline favorite compositions ever, it is wonderful to listen to its changes in mood in a live version. After the final epic the band performed "The Reasoning Wall", which might be my least favorite track, which doesn't mean it is bad or something related, not at all; and then, the concert finishes with the super 24-minute suite "Rogue", which is the one that also closes their 2011 album. Man, hope to be lucky enough to witness Rogue, it is incredible how those 24 minutes pass so fast, taking us into a true progressive rock bliss where the mind flies and is fed by countless colors and textures.

This album is of my recent favorite live releases, without a doubt. I'll tell you later how happy will I be after seeing Discipline on stage, I am sure it will be unforgettable!

Enjoy it!

Review Nº 818

Discipline is an independent progressive rock band that was formed in Detroit, Michigan, USA, by singer, keyboardist and song writer Matthew Parmenter in 1987. This is one of those many cases of deep obscurity. This is even stranger because USA never was properly a leading country of the progressive music, it was the UK, and especially because the band is based in Detroit, and that place never was a land of prog. They always were compared with the Swedish prog rock band Anglagard, despite their clear musical differences, which is another obscure band in the land of prog.

The band's debut studio album was "Chaos Out Of Order" which was released in 1988 as a cassette and was re- released in 2013 as "Chaos Out Of Order ? 25th Anniversary Reissue 1988 ? 2013", represents the foundation of their own sound. Discipline reached their peak with their both studio albums of the 90's, their 1993 album "Push & Profit" and especially their 1997 album "Unfolded Like Staircase" that became a masterpiece and one of the best prog albums.

But, suddenly, Discipline break out in 2001 and Parmenter began a solo career. After nearly ten years of silence, Discipline came back to perform at NearFest in 2008 and at RosFest in 2012. With some material of the old days, they join some brand new tracks and released in 2011 "To Shatter All Accord" in the same vein of "Unfolded Like Staircase".

After the release of two live album, "Into The Dream...Discipline Live" in 1999 and "Live Days" in 2010, Discipline decided to release a new live album called "This One's For England". "This One's For England" was recorded live in 5 May 2012 at the Majestic Theater in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, at Rosfest festival. "This One's For England" features some of Discipline's best known progressive rock epic tracks made all over their musical career, in a double disc set.

The line up on "This One's For England" is the most usual in their last phase. So we have Matthew Parmenter (vocals and keyboards), Jon Preston Bouda (guitars), Mathew Kennedy (bass) and Paul Dzendzel (drums and percussion).

"This One's For England" has eight tracks. The first track "Circuitry" was originally released on their fourth studio album "To Shatter All Accord". The second track "Before The Storm" which is divided into three parts "The Ocean", "The Storm" and "Eden", was originally released on their third studio album "Unfolded Like Staircase". The third track "Blueprint" was originally released on their second studio album "Push & Profit". The fourth track "Dead City" was originally released on "To Shatter All Accord". The fifth track "When She Dreams She Dreams In Color" was originally released on "To Shatter All Accord". The sixth track "Canto IV (Limbo)" was originally released on "Unfolded Like Staircase". The seventh track "The Reasoning Wall" was originally released on "Push & Profit". The eighth track "Rogue" was originally released on "To Shatter All Accord".

"This One's For England" is a great live album. It shows a band in a perfect shape in front of an enthusiastic audience performing some of their greatest classics like "Before The Storm" and "Canto IV (Limbo)" complemented with some their latest best material like "When She Dreams She Dreams In Color" and "Rogue", at the time. The album reproduces perfectly well the live experience, including an elongated spoken passage with the presentation of the musicians and instruments, including stage banter galore. The live versions of their old pieces are perfectly convincing. Here we have a powerful retro prog with mostly dark mood, the focus of which is the variable vocals and the diverse key sounds of Matthew Parmenter as well as the beautiful guitar inserts by Jon Preston Bouda. The similarity of Matthew's voice and drama to Peter Hammill of Van Der Graaf Generator has often been pointed out for good reason and "This One's For England" offers an ideal mirror for that. Even if the tempo is mostly restrained, the songs come out of the speakers with a lot of pressure, delighting the progger's ears with expansive instrumental passages in which the organ roars and the guitar cracks with its riffs. The music of Discipline have occasional echoes of Van Der Graaf Generator, but still, the band is able to create their own version of the retro prog. There aren't excessive differences to the studio versions.

Conclusion: There's no doubt that one of the most important progressive rock bands that emerged in America in more than thirty years was Discipline, especially if we are talking about this sub-genre, the symphonic progressive style. They appeared like a breath of fresh air in the land of prog. When they reformed with the same line up and released "To Shatter All Accord" it wasn't a surprise, for those who are familiar with the band, that they were able to create another amazing musical work. So, it wasn't also surprised that they have been invited to participate at the RosFest in 2012. So, this double live album is the recording of that performance. It's mainly focused on "To Shatter All Accord" and the band proved with it that they continue to be a great live band. The ten years of silence didn't take away any of the great qualities to the band. "This One's For England" is another great album of Discipline showing the high quality of them.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)