POOR GENETIC MATERIAL

Poor Genetic Material was founded by Stefan Glomb (guitar) and Philipp Jaehne (keyboards) as an experimental project mainly working on soundtrack material. Singer Philip Griffiths (son of the legendary Beggars Opera singer Martin Griffiths) joined the original duo to work and record together and line-up changes brought in bass player Dennis Sturm and drummer Dominik Steinbacher along with flautist Pia Darmstaedter. The different personnel also saw a movement in musical direction and they became more prog and songs oriented. 'Island Noises' is their seventh release, and is a double concept album that is based on Shakespeare's 'The Tempest'. I can just imagine the gnashing of teeth in certain quarters who felt that musical elitism was blown away by the 'fresh air' of punk music.

It is not a retelling of the play itself, but rather a story based on elements and themes that can be found within it (so Caliban gets a whole song to himself). Of course, a decent epic prog concept album like this needs a narrator so Philip convinced his dad to step up to the mike once more (somewhat like Rick Wakeman narrating 'Jabberwocky' for Oliver). Not surprisingly that gained a lot of attention by some, but to be honest it is exactly what it is ? a linking performance to assist in bringing the whole thing together. Although this does have songs, in reality it is much more about being a single piece of music with movements. In places it is dreamy and at others quite Hackett-ish, all the time with a certain ethereal other worldly quality which is definitely in keeping with the subject matter. It is music that those into early Seventies prog will get a lot from, as opposed to those who prefer their prog to be more neo and rocky. Philip has a great voice, much like a young Michael Sadler at times, but although there are many layers of keyboards this is much more trad prog than Saga.

Overall a very enjoyable album, but be warned that at 1 hour 37 minutes it is a lot to listen to in one sitting, but rewards those who have the time to do so. It is not something that is easy to dip in and out of. www.progrecords.com

— First review of this album —

I was supposed to get their latest release, Island Noises, which was much praised by a friend of mine of the ProgBrasil forum page. According to him it is a double concept album of sorts. But Paradise Out Of Time,. released an year before, was the only one I could get a hold of, so I took my chances with it. So I was surprised of how much melodic and conventional this album showed it to be when I heard it. Not much symphonic prog here, in fact. Mostly song oriented prog rock. And - in that vein - they are quite good.

Poor Genetic Material has quite a consistent discography (8 albums so far) and I don´t know it this one really represents their best stuff. However, I found the music inside to be pleasant, although nothing here stands out that much. Nice melodies and an excellent singer (Phil Griffiths , also Alias Eye) are their strong points. The instrumental part of the CD is also very good, although a bit subdue. Production is not that great either. Guest member Oliver Berger (violin) gives a slightly folky color to several tracks. Highlights are the longest songs, Out Of time and the closer My Other Life. Both are over 7 minutes and more energetic and original than the others. Both are also good examples of how far they can go if they persue that direction

After repeated spins I´m more intrigued than actually pleased with this album. It certainly shows a band with lots of potential, but still not quite there. maybe with a more dynamic production things could be much improved. I´m looking forward to hear more of their works, specially Island Noises.

Rating: something between 2.5 and 3 stars.

'Island Noises' - Poor Genetic Material (6/10)

Poor Genetic Material is a German melodic prog band, one of many to grace my ears in recent weeks. In today's overly recycled and inconsistent prog scene, making a double album can sometimes be seen as a last-ditch attempt to distinguish oneself from the merciless hordes of Genesis copycats and the like. Poor Genetic Material do manage to release an hour and a half of generally enjoyable music here, but all the same, I do not think that this is quite enough to make them leap up from their peers. 'Island Noises' is a very warm and enjoyable, yet tame release.

A project that initially set out to make soundtrack music, Poor Genetic Material have since sought to go for a more melodic route in their music, although the ambient direction typically associated with soundtrack or film music is still here in the longer pieces of the album. As well, Poor Genetic Material write music in tribute to some literary material, which could be considered a soundtrack in itself. What I am referring to is their two-part rendition of 'Brave New World', one of my favourite novels. The band manages to take the core material and express it through a somewhat brooding, yet ultimately upbeat pair of tracks that make up the highlight of this album.

The performance of the musicians is quite well done, although the work with guitars and drums is nothing too impressive so as to shock the listener or anything. One aspect of the band that did really impress me were the vocals of Phil Griffiths, who has a strong voice on him. The music here is something that one would expect from melodic rock; nothing too adventurous, but pleasant and warm. One thing that does happen to work against the overall effect of this album is the length, which is also arguably its greatest selling point. At over an hour and a half long, this is a monster of music, that one would imagine needs many listens to properly digest. Sadly, there aren't enough nuances or depth enough to warrant such a long journey. Something half as long would have benefited the listener just as much, if not more. 'Island Noises' has some good melodic prog that I have enjoyed, despite not being a fan of the particular style itself.

German band POOR GENETIC MATERIAL initially started out as a duo with an aim to create music suitable to be used as soundtrack music, but a chance encounter with the German art rock band Alias Eye has led to developments towards rather different musical territories. Eventually settling down as a five man strong band, PGM has made a name for themselves in their native Germany as a band excelling in melodic progressive rock. "Island Noises" is their seventh production, and was issued in the spring of 2011 by the US label Progrock Records.

While not exactly adhering to that approach, Poor Genetic Material's latest production "Island Noises" is one that will have the strongest appeal amongst fans of neo progressive rock. The emphasis on harmonic melodies and the symphonic use of keyboard textures are features that will delight many who are fond of this stylistic expression. And while a few parts might be too smooth for some and the odd flirt with AOR style melodic rock may not suit everybody, the overall conclusion for me is that this crowd will be the key audience of this production. With melodic rock fans able to appreciate sophisticated features a second audience I believe this band should seek out.

This seventh studio disk of the German band POOR GENETIC MATERIAL, entitled "Spring Tidings" brings us some beautiful moments mixing Psych-prog & Symphonic prog . In my point o view , the band was inspired by compatriots bands s as BIRTHCONTROL (mainly in the disk " Plastic People" and in something of "Backdoor Possibilities") and also in the band NOVALIS!!! Something that turns very strong the memory of BIRTHCONTROL is the voice of of Phil Griffiths which possesses a vocal timbre very approximate to the Bernd Noske. In spite of not being a disk full of moments of great instrumental virtuosity, I can highlight as excellent moments the track 2 "Blow-up!, the track 3 "April", the track 6 "La ville qui n' existait pa"s and still the track 8 "or right ahead." My rate is 4 stars!!!

POOR GENETIC MATERIAL are a German band who are listed under Prog-Related, so yes there's not a lot meat to chew on here.This is mostly vocal-led, pleasant music. Philip Griffiths the vocalist also sings for ALIAS EYE.

"Rush Of Ages" has a spacey intro as the ages unfold before our eyes. Or was I just halucinating there ? The music kicks in after 1 1/2 minutes then the vocals arrive a minute after that. I like the laid back instrumental section after 4 1/2 minutes.Vocals return then the tempo picks up before 6 minutes. It will shift often but slightly the rest of the way.The focus is on the vocals here. It's spacey again after 13 1/2 minutes then vocals come in late to end it. "Thin Red Line" opens with nature sounds then the atmosphere rolls in around a minute. Music and vocals take over suddenly after 1 1/2 minutes.The guitar replaces the vocals briefly before 5 minutes.

"Star Of Eden" is mellow as reserved vocals join in. It does get fuller and picks up.The mood and tempo continue to shift. The vocals are the focus again on "Leap Into Fall". Bass takes the spotlight after 3 minutes then the guitar joins in. Good section.Vocals are back late. "Antares" opens with spacey organ then it kicks in around a minute with vocals. We get mellow instrumental music after 5 minutes.Vocals return before 7 1/2 minutes as it picks back up. "Fall" is a short pastoral closing track with reserved vocals and piano standing out.

Not much appeal here for Prog fans in my opinion, even just rating the music apart from that leaves this wanting.

This is the fourth album in the "seasons-series" by Poor Genetic Material and it's one you cannot miss if you enjoyed the band's output so far.

Very melodic, full of moods, atmospheres and rhythm changes. Their new drummer adds a powerful touch to the soundscapes and Phil Griffith's voice shines as usual.

Highly recommended !

POOR GENETIC MATERIAL is the second band next to ALIAS EYE with Philipp Griffith, the son of Martin Griffith (BEGGARS OPERA) on lead vocals. But the type of music they're presenting hasn't anything to do with both mentioned bands. It's rather a highly symphonic modern Art Rock with spheric guitar lines and composition/song writing on a very high level.

The album opens with Rush of Ages, a long track with over 16 minutes of timing. As with ALIAS EYE of course Griffith's excellent voice (which reminds in fact very much to his father's one) is the most striking feature but as well the playing of his four band fellows can hold this standard. The music might be more suitable for fans of NeoProg from the more mellow end of the spectre, but I've to say that PGM sound better and not as cheesy as most bands from this sub-genre and they fit quite well into the symphonic Prog category. Moreover there is no obvious direct ressemblance to any of the classic bands. The opener is a very beautiful track, especially the last part I like very much, although it could have some more variation for its length. Thin Red Line has a bit too long intro but develops towards a nice ballad-esque symphonic rock song. What is very pleasant is that keyboards never sound synthetic at any moment. Star of Eden is a more rocking one, but this one is revealing the only weak point of the band, that is the rhythm section which could be more powerful. Especially drums by second ALIAS EYE-member Ludwig Benedek sound a bit too much "artificial". The title track is a quite catchy, almost radio-friendly song, for sure not the best one of the album, but as well not really bad. In Antares they're introducing an accordeon and this song might remind a bit to BEGGARS OPERA not only due to the similar vocals. The album finishes with the short ballad Fall played on piano.

CONCLUSION

LEAP INTO FALL is a VERY GOOD album, lovers of more mellow symphonic prog might find it even excellent. Best tracks are Rush of Ages, Thin Red Line and Antares. Fans of ALIAS EYE should not expect some similarity apart of the vocals, the music here is less powerful, but still rocking in a beautiful symphonic vein. For my rating I'm toddling a bit between 3 and 4 stars. Since it's as well not my favorite symphonic prog style I decided to give it 3 stars.

The third album from POOR GENETIC MATERIAL contains music that is a mix between neo-progressive rock (IQ, LANDS END, MARILLION, PALLAS) and 80's artists such as Brian Eno and David Sylvian. Brian Eno for the ambient parts and David Sylvian for the vocal technique. Philip Griffiths (vocals), Dennis Sturm (bass) and Ludwig Benedek (drums) are new in the band, but not for the progressive public, as they are members of ALIAS EYE. The CD-packaging is very beautiful and professional, but the music is quite boring. I rather prefer the music Philip and Ludwig are playing in ALIAS EYE.

POOR GENETIC MATERIAL is a skilful band but they doesn't deliver anything technically stunning, and the melodies aren't good enough to be remembered in their own rights. Of course this kind of music has its listeners too, and I'm a big fan of both Brian Eno and David Sylvian, but this album didn't appeal to me.