PHIDEAUX

The layout of the album kind of reminds me of 2112. A long suite followed by several shorter tracks. Also like 2112, the suite totally steals the show. The track Chupacabras is flowing and dark. The instrumentation is superbe. I particularly enjoy the piano which runs through its course and the points where acoustic guitar takes the lead. The vocals on the Chupacabras, and for Phideaux in general are top notch too. The female singing is spacey and soft and the male is harsher and slightly plaintive. It's a unique sound. For the record I sort of consider Okay to be just another part of the epic. It feels like a good launching point for album.

Other than Chupacabras, the instrumental Fortress of Sand and Titan stand out for me. They are both textural pieces. They are sombre especially when place beside the grandeur of Chupacabras.

The Party is much pop-ier (relatively) than the rest of the album. It's kind of quirky and fun, but not really why I get into this album. The multi-part Ruffian on the Stairs is not my cup of tea sadly. It clashes with Fortress of Sand and Titan which book end it and just isn't up to standard that the rest of the album sets. Its abrasive enough to keep me from giving Chupacabras the five stars which the suite richly deserves.

Don't be deterred by Ruffian though, it's only ten minutes of an otherwise spectacular fifty or so minutes. I highly recommend this album. (As if that means anything to anyone but me. Hah!)

The album begins with the mysterious "Dormouse" theme, giving way to the beautifully ominous "Waiting for the Axe to Fall", which features characteristic blends of synth, vocals, and guitar effects. These features are utilized throughout the album, its recurring themes and melodies weaving a lush and emotive tapestry of sound. The vocals are great, with the female lead almost stealing the show. Phideaux's guitar playing is usually understated, so don't expect anything especially rousing or heavy-- mood and melody are the name of the game here. There are peaks and valleys within the dynamics, but things stick to subtlety more often than not (even though the album is about war).

The overall feeling is generally forboding, but never oppressively so. Phideaux doesn't seem to take himself as seriously as some other symphonic/prog stars, and "Number Seven" reflects that. Although dark, this release has a sort of bouyancy which keeps its tone and pace moving quite along, and it never gets preachy with its lyrics.

Very, very good, and probably a 5 star release if not for its close similarities to its slightly more striking predecessor, which has a greater depth of emotion. Still, "Number Seven" is a lock for album of the year on many listener's lists, thanks to its iconically progressive sound and genuine excellence. The blend of styles and quality of songwriting is poised to place Phideaux as the prog-rock artist to watch.

As is normal for me, I spent my first bit of time looking at the packaging, enjoying the many images of dormouse fighting crayfish within the liner notes. It also piqued my curiosity - why are they fighting? What is this album about? Either way, I knew I was going to have a lot of fun following the lyrics as I listened to this album.

Since the first time I listened to it, I have been unable to stop (similar to how Moon Safari's Blomljud effected me). While not as good as Blomljud overall, this album is definitely up there, and currently my favorite release so far this year (although I have a fair amount of listening to do still).

The CD is split into three sections. The name of each section gives hints as to what the album is about.

Dormouse Ensnared starts off with a very nice sounding guitar bit, and leads into four songs that are hard to separate from one another. They are replete with catchy vocals, melodic instrumentation, and excellent drumming. And there are female vocals! I think that, with so many prog bands (almost all actually) having only male vocalists, this album having female vocals gives it a unique texture. In total, there are three female singers on this album, and multiple male vocalists, giving the vocals a very varied feel. I really do appreciate bands like this, that take care to give their vocals a lot of feel.

The four continuous tracks are quite wonderful; the second half of Waiting for the Axe to Fall is an excellent instrumental section with truly interesting drumming that leads beautifully into the piano intro of Hive Mind (which I find impossible to separate from the next song, Claws of a Crayfish; not just because I originally heard them both together, but because they actually share musical themes). The lyrics are also interesting; my favorite line from this section is "You and I were talking, as if we were alive." Such a nice, thoughtful lyric.

The second part of the album also contains a group of songs that flow together like a single song, but prior to that it has a couple songs that stand out as individual songs a bit more. These are short and pleasant, but it is with Gift of the Flame that this section really kicks off. Once again, Phideaux is combining interesting lyrics, great music, vocals, and interesting drumming to really build a nice atmosphere of music. This leads into the faery-tale-esque "Interview with a Dormouse", a simple acoustic part with a theme that will be repeated at the closing of the album to great effect.

Of course, next is Thermonuclear Cheese, perhaps one of the most interestingly titled tracks on the album. It was also available for download on the website (with The Search for Terrestrial Life and Fistful of Fortitude in the same mp3). It's pretty much a fun little instrumental bit that leads into what I feel to be a really atmospheric song (The Search for Terrestrial Life), where a female singer explains the Cambrian era. It always brings me straight into the depths of the ocean, watching all these hundreds of thousands of life forms blinking in and out of existence. Truly magical music.

The end of the album features the two longest individual songs: Love Theme From "Number Seven", an excellent instrumental piece, and Storia Senti, which is also mostly instrumental. While Storia Senti is not as interesting musically as the prior instrumental sections, it is still an excellent piece of music.

Infinite Supply probably gets my vote for weakest track on the album, although on this album that still makes it a good listen. Dormouse - An End reprises the theme from Interview with a Dormouse, although it is a bit more bleak in outlook. Definitely a solid way to end the album.

I think this band has take the best of symphonic rock and release it with a very modern rock sound and apeal that can drag many actual fans to dive into the 70's symphonic bands. For start I can say I prefer their concept than the 70's bands because of the quality sound, the great sounds of the keyboards and the great mix of these amount of instruments... the voices are very modern and the overall concept -in music- is very enjoyable and catchy...

Guess the story is little kind of strange -the lyrics I mean- and maybe are not their focus, but works very well with the moods and textures of the tracks... it's a concept album and you can really dive in and feel great in this fresh and melodic journey... I feel like I was listening to Alux Nahual first records but with an improvement on the sound mix... I won't go in the track by track review... just give it a try to the complete piece and you will get it... this is kind of the best symphonic rock -not metal at all- that I've heard...

Also, if you like this, you can search for Alux Nahual, their first two albums were just like this, just with less quality sound (from early 80's)... so, very good choice if you enjoy the clean sound of symphonic prog rock... 4 strong stars... without a doubt...

The title track is undeniably the star of the show, being a memorable display of stylish songwriting. While most of Phideaux's compositions are comparatively simple, they are undeniably beautiful, with sweeping dynamics and sounds, and "Chupacabras" is a perfect example. Melodies are powerful, yet retain an understated feel due to their simple elegance; instead, the biggest impression one will have is with the overall piece, with its many layers of synth, vocals, laid-back guitar, and efffects creating a very enjoyable listen. The mix of vocal performances is perfect, and the song's vocals educe a fun mixture of silly and poignancy. A textbook example of first-rate symphonic rock.

The supporting songs are almost as good, with the deceptively silly "Party" standing out to me due to its camp and breadth of sound. "Fortress of Sands" is an excellently dreamy instrumental, but the Ruffian Suite (consisting of three mid-length songs) is somewhat crass and uninteresting musically. Luckily, the closer "Titan" leaves the listener very satisfied, ending the album on a beautifully melodic, classy display of modern prog-rock.

Highly recommended!

"Micro Softdeathstar" The album begins in a similar manner as a Pink Floyd record just prior to Roger Waters's departure, with soft vocals and piano followed by heavier, more powerful music. Then that heart-wrenching violin enters, coupled with the exquisite feminine vocals. The strings' flourishes and the grand gestures by the band throughout this piece are stately and welcome, providing the piece with ornamental grandeur all the way through, even as a splendid synthesizer lead enters, perhaps sounding a bit like "And You and I" from Yes.

"The Doctrine of Eternal Ice (Part One)" I was floored the first time I heard this piece, which boasts thudding chords with bass and piano before blasting into a sinister synthesizer lead. The orchestration is phenomenal.

"Candybrain" An ominous theme consumes the beginning of this piece, as acoustic guitar, organ, and flute add a variety of textures. The vocals are outstanding here, but not nearly as much as the breathtaking, almost Celtic, arrangement.

"Crumble" Gorgeous piano and gentle voices make up the next moment of brilliance.

"The Doctrine of Eternal Ice (Part Two)" Melancholic electric piano and soft singing, laced with a bit of synthesizer make up this second part, as recognizable musical themes return. The feminine vocals are lovely as ever, and things soon pick up during the second half with clavichord and synthesizer taking the lead.

"Thank You For The Evil" A heavy drum, low bass, and silky acoustic guitar begins this lengthy and menacingly-titled song. Once more, I hear elements of Pink Floyd here, particularly in the vocals, the melody, and the bleak overtones of the instrumentation. Comparatively speaking, this is the dullest track, which is really to say that the rest of the album is just more wonderful.

"A Wasteland Of Memories" Flowing directly from the orchestration of the previous piece, this transitory song has a magnificent opening, followed by some theatric vocals.

"Crumble" It isn't unusual that two tracks share the same name; this piece is a ghostly revisiting of what came before, except there are lyrics here that follow that elegant melody.

"Formaldehyde" This was the first Phideaux song I'd ever heard, and it immediately piqued my interest for a dozen reasons. That introduction really suited my taste, with perfect instrumentation, from the acoustic guitar to the breathy flute, from the synthesizer flourishes to the steady rim shots. Then the violin entered and made me close my eyes to take it all in. The vocals never disappoint, either, moving between soaring passages and more subdued sections. The organ and synthesizer solos are the final ingredients to this delightful recipe. The way the song ends, with those quirky vocals, makes it so that I cannot help but think of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.

"Microdeath Softstar" An empty beginning starts the final and most extended song. Delicate vocals and a bright, distant organ perform themes from before until finally the drums and fuller instrumentation enter. The strings are striking, and the vocals are biting. Overall, this is an excellent ending (once again reminiscent of the album I've already mentioned twice), full of returning motifs and magnificent music.

But the songs get to you. I'm not one of those that say that the better thing is a good song, and the rest is filling. I know that a song can change drastically with different instrumentations. What's more, what I really like is the rest of it, the interplay between the different voices in the band, what the ancient masters called the counterpoint. But these songs get to you.

Of course, this is prog. The songs have different sections, the instrumentation changes from one repeating section to the other (staying on the basic level described above, simple drums, basic bass, standard strumming, simple backing keyboards), instrumental only sections with a strong personality, a good attention to details, and so on. There's also an orchestra (maybe too much of it). And a concept. But in the end, his calm straight melodies are the ones that do the trick.

One epic composition divided into 3 segments and a total of 16 parts, where the piano appears to be the main provider of themes and passages while organ, keys and mellotron supply the finer details. The guitar has more of a subdued role. Wandering undistorted guitar patterns does appear quite often, subdued riffs and solo passages are slightly more rare - but the piano takes the centre stage on this production.

Recurring themes are used to keep a red thread to the proceedings, and the general mood of this album is subdued. No rich orchestral ventures nor bombastic musical statements; it's the finer details and subtle dramatics that are utilized. At times in a pretty quirky fashion, which along with the lyrical and musical content of Storia Senti makes me suspect that the traditions from Italian symphonic prog may have been a central influence on this effort.

Not as good nor as immideate as 2007's Doomsday Afternoon, but a great album non the less - but an effort that warrants the listener to spend time getting familiar with the scope and sound presented.

Doomsday Afternoon is what can be called breakthrough album by american crossover prog band Phideaux, led by Phideaux Xavier. I think this album have established Phideaux as the kings of present crossover prog. They developed their own style by using psychedelic, art, gothic and folk rock motifs. The album is concept, full of coming and going repetitive themes (most successfully the theme from The Doctrine of Eternal Ice (Part One); some other being the theme from Micro Softdeathstar in Thank You for the Evil and the theme from the first instrumental Crumble in the second literal Crumble, etc).

Doomsday Afternoon is one very well balanced album with probably some needless repetitions. After listening to Number Seven, I would say there are some ideas in Doomsday Afternoon, later successfully developed in Number Seven, not just successfully, but in unique and amazing way. Therefore, I want to say despite Doomsday Afternoon is one really precise album and high standard of crossover prog music, it can't compare to what come out later - Number Seven, which I consider as a candidate of greatest crossover prog album of all time. So, I'm really surprised with the overall ratings of those two Phideaux's albums. I'm inclined to think that there is a conspiracy against Number Seven, but that's another story...

Now about my rating for Doomsday Afternoon. For me it's one of the easiest and most certain votes - exactly 4 stars, not more and not less!

Hightlights in Doomsday Afternoon:

1. The Doctrine of Eternal Ice (Part One) - an absolute masterpiece of art!

2. Microdeath Softstar - exceptional piece of work!

3. Micro Softdeathstar - excellent song!