SEVEN STEPS TO THE GREEN DOOR

If there is a band that should be labeled as Crossover Prog, this German act is definitely the one.With their special mix of melodic Heavy Prog, Progressive Metal, Fusion and Pop Rock and the presence of three different voices in the same album, Seven Steps to the Green Door can only be put in the same line with groups such as A.C.T. and PROFUSION.Impressive, still accesible musicianship all the way with powerful DREAM THEATER-like synthesizers, dynamic guitar moves, pounding rhythmic parts, excellent solos along with a certain touch of virtuosity produce a very rich and multi-colored musical content of high level.But these are offered to the listener with catchy choruses, plenty of melodic lines and even some softer ballad-like moments.A couple of these well-crafted compositions even contain some Rap-like vocal lines, that surprisingly work extremely well.In the opening tracks Marek Arnold delivers also some nice sax passages, yet they are offered more as an addition to the rest of the album's melodic lines.The closing track though is fully Jazz-oriented with a more improvised performance on clarinet, supported by a smooth but great rhythm section and a set of various piano/keyboard themes, another welcome suprise in the list of the excellent tracks.

Superb debut to say the least.A very tight and sufficiently compatible mix of different Prog-related styles create an album filled with charming, melodic and adventurous compositions.Highly recommended.

While perhaps not as mesmerizing as their previous album to my ears, " The ? Book" is an intriguing conceptual production, covering multiple stylistic expressions and exploring a religious theme in a rather innovative manner. Adventurous but accessible is a description that defines this disc for me, and as far as recommendations go I'd hazard a guess that most people who enjoy acts like Magic Pie should find themselves intrigued by this album.

In the 10 tracks on the CD, 12 if you have the US version with bonus tracks, the band steers it's listener through an erratic - or perhaps rather eclectic - menu of all sorts from the world of music.

The compositions themselves have a high degree of variation, the first bonus track the most stellar example with segments exploring funk, laidback jazz and prog metal in one and the same song, but most other tracks have style variations with a minimum of two different styles explored.

Lighter neo-progressive touches and heavy progressive rock leaning towards prog metal at times are the most dominant features, closely followed by jazz and fusion. Spirited and energetic in general, and even the hip hop or nu-metal inspired vocal segments come across rather well.

The mix and production are high class, but seems to be directed at a mainstream audience though. The guitars are tuned down, contrasts are dampened rather than highlighted; and for such an adventurous creation the overall sound is very slick. Perhaps too slick to cater for a progressive audience; while the music may be too weird for a more mainstream oriented public. Personally I found this to be a great record; but can understand those who doesn't manage to get enthralled by this one.

Still - a highly worth investigating tag for this production from me.