1974 & THE BATTLE FOR THE LAZER FORTRESS

Hailing from Newington, Connecticut this American group begun life at the fall of 2007, featuring Mike Forgette and Adam Clymer on guitars, Tim Moore on drums, Gary Dionne on bass and Angela Rhea Piccoli on keyboards with all members besides Clymer contributing on vocals.Four years later they debuted with ''1974 & The battle for the lazer fortress'', which was launched on bandcamp for free, anyone willing to pay a small amount of bucks though could purchase a physical CD copy of the album.

A totally independent creation with the band being also responsible for the production of the album, ''1974 & The battle for the lazer fortress'' is a decent trip into Prog Rock's heavier territories.Has this 1974 name something to do with the past?I'd rather say that the band sounds more modern than retro, but there are still plenty of nostalgic injections in this effort, Angela Rhea Piccoli and her powerful organ being the main reason for the fact.The band would introduce itself with an opening 16-min. instrumental madness titled ''Overture'', which sums up what 1974 is all about: Heavy Prog Rock and even some Hard Rock thrown in with punchy guitars and effective organ, complemented by a solid rhythm section and occasional pinches of acoustic and electric piano.Time signatures, rhythm assaults, atmospheric breaks and lots, I mean lots, of angular riffs in the process.Rreckless and confident performance.Split this track into its different sections and you'll have the rest of the album in your hands plus you should count the addition of vocals.Straight Hard Rock tunes, Retro/Heavy Prog vibes with organ in evidence, some smoother sections with discreet jazzy elements or acoustic interludes and even some borderline Alternative/Prog Rock akin to compatriots NO MORE PAIN.Not that efficiernt as the opening piece, still containing plenty of interesting moments, like the epic electroacoustic atmosphere of ''Wait'' or the surprising and positive meld of Fusion and Heavy Rock with the superb introductive electric piano of ''Guide our hands''.

A band to keep an eye on.Serious attempt on modern Heavy Prog with constant references to the 70's, nice keyboard work, clean vocals, complex themes and a true guitar fest of riffs inside.Recommended.