SYZYGY

Imagine having an equalizer that allows you to adjust the amount of influence, style, or sound of a set list of prog bands and create a new band sound. Let's say you were to set Glass Hammer to 7 (out of 10, not 11), Dream Theater to 1, Wobbler to 1.5, Anima Mundi to 0.5, Cairo to 3, and well, a couple of other bands could be set in there two and the appropriate adjustments made. You might very well end up with something that sounds like Syzygy's "Realms of Eternity".

Modern day prog music is a funny fish. In the 70's, everyone was busy coming up with their own thing. In the 80's, the old guard were trying to reinvent themselves while the young ones who grew up with 70's prog tried to make it work in the new music scene, giving us neo-prog and progressive metal. But after grunge had its moment in the limelight in the 90's, progressive rock made a miraculous recovery. The new bands of the day could take their influences from the 70's and the more interesting developments of the 80's and begin making a new style of progressive rock. Now nearly 20 years have passed since prog's back-to-being-respectable revival and in the recent years it seems to be sitting quite confidently in its rightful throne. It's very common for reviewers to cite prog influences of the 70's in music even as recent as this year; however, in my opinion, the 70's are no more obvious here than in shadows and traces. Listening to this album reminded me much more of prog music of the last two decades than the first decade. Thus I mentioned the groups above (though I was reminded once or twice of Jethro Tull and Dixie Dregs).

But this is one exciting album! Before the first track had finished I was already thinking of my review. By the time the album was over I was already thinking of playing again on my way home from work. There are prog albums that you know are going to be good once you have a chance to get into them. And then there's an album like this where right off the bat you know it is going to get played a lot. I had to pay a hefty penny for this as an import in Japan but it was worth every yen, and it hasn't left my ear buds since!

So, what's so freaking spectacular about this album? This is exactly what I expect a prog rock album to sound like. Let's go over my checklist.

Guitars: acoustic strumming and picking, clean electric, distorted heavy guitar, gentle effects and quick runs and bursts, varied time signatures and tempo, odd pacing, jazz and classical influences. Check.

Keyboards: piano, synthesizer, moog, organ, delicate, funky, spacey, atmospheric, rockin' - it's all there. Add guitar/keyboard interplay and you're there. Check.

Bass: a chunky low end that holds it's own and even sets the riff, a low end that stops and turns on a dime. Check.

Drums: anything is possible from rapid fire bursts and fills to odd beats to creative percussion to slow gentle steady rhythms. Check.

Strong vocals: I don't expect good vocals from every prog band (Lord knows there are some great musicians out there who can't hold a note vocally) but this guy, Mark Boals, who sings as a guest vocalist on four tracks has the right mix of edge and melody. He is a true singer. A funny thing, I was listening to "Darkfield" and thinking, "Who is this guy? I know this voice but from where?" The second time through I was at last able to place him ? vocalist on Uli Jon Roth's "Under a Dark Sky". I didn't find him too impressive on that album and actually thought he sounded too generic as a hard rock vocalist. But I think he sounds better here (though I was reminded of Uli's album in the heavier parts of this album) and perhaps suits the music and style of this album more than he does Uli's album which is so heavy in theme and music (symphony and choir with rock band). Syzygy add harmony vocals and beautiful harmony choruses (one part reminds me of Cross but you'd be more likely to say Yes) and so you can check all that too.

Eclectic music: rich synthesizer sounds, hard rock and metal guitar, acoustic pieces with strings and flute, weird twists and turns and stops and starts, jazzy sections, funky sections, spacey sections, AOR rock sections, folk, classical - it's all here. Check

Mini epics and a suite: two songs are over 10 minutes, one is over 16 minutes, and "The Sea" forms a suite of 8 movements or parts or sections, whatever you want to call them. These eight parts are divided into separate tracks but follow the theme of the suite and despite their diversity (acoustic guitar with flute to almost progressive metal) everything seems to have its rightful place. Nothing comes across as added just to show that they are capable of playing it. Check.

Instrumentals: Lovely short acoustic ones and rollicking crazy bombastic ones. Check.

Complex music: Check.

Syzygy have simply put it all together into one incredible album. When someone asks me what progressive rock is I always think about what is a good album to lend them as a definitive example, and that might be classic Yes or Genesis, or recent stuff by Wobbler or Galahad. This album sums it up very well, I think. It's amazing that this is only the group's third album between 1993 and 2009, but then again it seems like the time in between is where they learn their chops and get it all together to make a killer album. At just over 77 minutes I would normally say that it's too long, but dividing the album into a set of individual tracks and a suite seems to justify the length. The album is never boring or repetitive. It's just so darn well done through and through. I can't find fault here. And I read that Steve Hackett and Patrick Moraz both gave this album their highest praise.

I Had A Vision Of Waging A Fight ...

... when SYZYGY appeared in 2012 with this highly appraised live document. Oh, it really took time - I mean listening 20 or 30 times (in total or partially) at least - until it totally clicked. A perfect album, thus I've problems to find the right words. Man! This sounds as if they were gigging all over the year (just like Umphrey's McGee maybe, for your guidance). So much the more surprising this is, when you consider, that lead vocalist Mark Boals is not even listed as a regular band member. And I don't expect that they have post processed a lot here. Tricky compositions, musicianship and interaction is absolutely flawless, a proper sound mix - there's really nothing to gripe about, no way.

By accident - with best thanks to the progstreaming website - I came in touch with this band. The nine songs, put on the live CD, were caught in 2009 respectively 2010 on two different US festivals - fine melodic progressive rock, provided with respectable symphonic touch, though some popular and jazzy moments are also offered. Not being aware of their studio output, it's not up to me to ponder over the song selection - in any case you'll find two nice acoustic guitar driven and more mainstream oriented pieces called Circadian Rhythm and Beggar's Tale - but predominantly this is rocking with some valuable heaviness, as one would expect from an impressive live occasion.

To name some of the (very very) exceptional songs, I'll start with Mount Ethereal - originally recorded under the moniker Witsend during their very early times. They let it flow including an improv solo section, the piano and guitar appearance is brilliant. Dreams shines with polyphonic vocals, a gripping affair while continuously alternating pace and mood, heavily rocking and charming moments, this based on lengthy instrumental activity. In between they are on the way to The Coronation with some Deep Purple touch (vocals above all).

'I'm The Master Of The House You Live' - M.O.T.H. - it all starts with a little pun ... and ends with the absolute highlight lately. This extended song sums up all their qualities. The symphonic orientation, melody, trickiness, variety, joy of playing ... obviously they have the rock in their DNA ... and even more. There's a fusion touched interlude to detect due to piano and guitar solo interaction. Eh ....I think that's it for almost all the positive attributes which are on hand at the moment ... oh, wait, I just experienced a glorious disturbance ...

... I adore the guitar solos, the wonderful vocal harmonies - lyrics are provided by guitarist Carl Baldassarre by the way. With keyboarder Sam Guinta on his side he's currently writing on new studio material. Those who like to hear stuff from bands like Saga, Salem Hill, IZZ, The Flower Kings will feel comfortable here, are in good hands at least ... I'm really excited anyhow, pretty much in the same way when I stumbled upon Big Big Train's 'The Underfall Yard'. Highly recommended - you can't get enough of a good thing - simply a masterpiece!

Eternity? More like the end of the human race...

Powerful and violently aggressive - in a musical sense. I don't mean to mix music with politics, but my first impression was that these cats could deal with the Taliban (add a few thousand civilians in "collateral damage:) singlehandedly. Or send them to the mines and the coals would emerge with hands high up in the air. Who needs NATO, or miners when Syzygy are around?

No, this music is not crap at all, rather the opposite, frightfully skilled and precise delivery. But it scares me, honestly. Like with a marksman sniper, one stands zero chance.

The musicianship is First Class, but as I indicated before, the end result scares me. I certainly wouldn't like my daughter dating any of these dudes. That robust energy is just way over the top for me, primarily because it's so powerful - and I grew up on Black Sabbath!

Not sure if I am going to keep this album. At times some tunes remind me even of Gentle Giant, but in place of delicate subtlety, I hear raw power. I could easily get sucked into liking this album, but I'd have concerns about it's effect on my mental state, I kid you not! A veteran of over 40 years of Prog appreciation, I don't sit comfortably with the energy this album brings to my home. Way too aggressive, inviting violent tendencies.

In all fairness, I'll rate them as a 3 for their combined skills and abilities, but they just don't fit comfortably with preferable artistic expressions.

Crossover is an appropriate genre for the band as they showcase many different styles. Comfortable with many, faithful to none - like "any way the wind blows" Hollywood bimboes with an AK-47 in hand. Seductive, but dangerous.

There are times, not often it has to be said, that I open a package and can't wait to get the music onto the player as I am so excited just by the content that I already know that this is going to be something special. The first thing out of the envelope was an A4 loose leaf folder which is packed full of biographies, photos, and stacks of information. There is one page just dedicated to the comments from a certain Mr. Steve Hackett who contacted the band regarding their album 'Realms of Eternity' saying "It's beautifully written and recorded and easily the best I've ever been given to listen to" and "I usually hope for a masterpiece everytime I play an unknown quantity (to me) but this is the only time the dream has been fully delivered" among other comments. Now, unlike Steve I am aware of Syzygy and Witsend but even I wasn't prepared for what was next out of the envelope, a double Digipak of their new album. When I looked more closely I discovered that was I had in my hands was a triple disc live set, with two DVDs and a CD plus a small fold-out booklet with loads of pics. I mean, for heaven's sake, this is a band that does it all on their own with no record label support, yet have produced one of the finest live releases I have ever come across. And at this point I had yet to put in on the player!!!!!

So, being the contrary person I am, I went for the third disc first which is actually the CD. Now, rock vocalist Mark Boals sings for these guys, but they are primarily an instrumental act although he does appear with them both live and in the studio, so there are always long instrumental passages which gives them the chance to stretch their wings, and they definitely take the opportunity. Classic symphonic prog, through neo-prog, fusion as they toy with jazz styles, melodic rock, great harmony vocals, keyboard/guitar interplay, it's all here as all the guys demonstrate what incredible musicians they all are. To be honest, I would have raved about this album if there was only just the one CD, let alone having two other concerts to watch, interviews and discussions etc. There are three ½ hours of DVD and well over an hour on the CD, and if you have yet to come across this incredible band then you need to right that wrong now and visit www.syzygymusic.com for more information.

The only reason that I give this five out of five is that I'm not allowed to give it more.

Finally,our beloved band managed to release this ambitious project-a triple album,charged with 2 DVDs and a great LIVE cd...a dream that comes true,a great achievement for this extremelly talanted band-one of the surest values of the American prog rock scene -crossover prog-or I don't know how to call their style?Anyway-on this triple album,we can admire the amazing technical capacities of the band and the great talent at compositions too!On stage- the guys are like a fish in the bowl-relaxed and masters of their own skills,which are very impressive,I must say!MARK BOALS is trully inspired and fits better and better with the band,he finds here an unique vocal style-really different with what we know from him with MALMSTEEN,7 THE HARD WAY,RING OF FIRE or THE CODEX!SYZYGY's music is very progressive and the technical wizardry from the guys makes to have a very complete and complex musical message-so Boals must find a very clever and complicated way to push his vocals into the whole ensemble!And he did it with class and style!The compositions get another dimension on stage-that's true-and I really admire and respect the great musical alchemy between all the guys in the band-very solid and strong cohesion -musically speaking! The quality of the footage is impressive-crystal clear and wonderful image-each musician is well filmed and we can see how difficult and complex is to perform such high caliber prog rock music!!We have many songs from the previous 3 albums of the band and 2 fabulous cover tracks-IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT of UK is blastering and DEEP PURPLE'S BURN is astonishig! This album is definitelly a must have for SYZYGY fans especially-but not only-a great addition in the collection of each good prog rock music-a testimony of how good prog rock music should be performed and composed-and I really appreciate the devotion and passion of the guys-they managed to have a solid reputation in the prog rock community-without any label behind!That's impressive indeed!Overall,this album is a true jewel and the definitive prove thet SYZYGY is a band with a strong identity and personaliyty and they still have many years ahead to offer to their fans good music!5 STARS FOR SOMETHING ESSENTIAL-NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT!

I am in a unique position to review this CD/DVD set because I had the pleasure of attending both of the featured concerts. As a person who was there in person I can say that the DVD and the CD both do a great job of capturing the events, and they bring back some very good memories for me.

This live album is worth getting even if you already have the band's three studio releases (Cosmos & Chaos, The Allegory of Light, and Realms of Eternity) because there are a few pieces that can technically be considered "new" as they are previously unreleased versions officially seeing the light of day for the first time. "Mount Ethereal", "Strange Loop 2", and "The Coronation" were all instrumental pieces on Cosmos & Chaos and Allegory of Light but the live renditions have lyrics and vocals (and very good lyrics and vocal, I might add) that only appear on A Glorious Disturbance.

As for the DVD, the picture and the sound are both impeccable and thankfully there aren't any ridiculous kaleidoscope visuals that have ruined other prog concert DVDs for me. The camera work is also very good, and I especially like the shot at about 12:35 of the 2009 show when Carl is soloing and he is juxtaposed with an image of himself on the screen in the background.

Bottom line: This CD/DVD set is a must buy for Syzygy fans, and for the uninitiated it is the absolute perfect place to start because it contains a cross section of some of their best material from their first three studio releases in addition to some new twists unavailable anywhere else. An excellent package overall.

-David Wimer

You never get a second chance to make a first impression; Syzygy's new DVD/CD release, "A Glorious Disturbance" delivers the goods to Syzygy fans, both visually and sonically. Beginning with the DVD package itself, the cover artwork visually invites the listener to dig deep into this masterpiece. Complete with lyrics and a band poster, the package sets the listener up for 'Syzygy live", recorded in 2009/10, with added bonuses of band interviews, "in studio" analysis of the bands history and compositional approach to their music. All three discs provide nearly five hours of viewing and listening pleasure.

DVD #1 covers ten Syzygy originals, spanning all three studio releases, and two cover encores, In the Dead of the Night, by UK and Burn by Deep Purple. As one watches, the viewer is confronted by Syzygy's power, dynamics, artistry and composisitional complexity, seemingly performed with ease and joy, all in 5.1 Suroundsound! Syzygy's ability to maintain a heavy/hard rock foundation to their music, all the while playing pieces that tend to follow a classical writing format, makes their music exciting to watch, and even more exciting to emulate for the musician in the viewing audience. This is confirmed after viewing the "Special Feature" DVD, especially the "Writting of Realms" where Sam (keyboards) and Carl (guitar) break down each piece from their third studio release Realms of Eternity. The writing structure, as well as the individual musical expertice shines forth for both the listener and the musician. The encore of Deep Purple's " Burn" showcases the strength of Syzygy; hard driving rock, flawless musicianship and vocals, combined with a creative 1970's-ish concert ending finale.

DVD # 2 the "Special Feature" covers the bands early days to the present, as the cover band Abraxas, to WitsEnd and finally Syzygy. What is really cool, about this DVD are the photos and concert footage provided from the Abraxas and early WitsEnd days. The "Writing of Realms" reveals the inner logic, compositional and productional approach of the band; the "making of the Dialectic" was especially enjoyable to watch, displaying the seriousness Syzygy took to deliver the "finished product." The DVD concludes with a Syzygy round table, what strikes me about this interview is the sheer "like-ability" of each band member.

A Glorious Disturbance is a "must have" for any prog. fan; from the cover art, production, audio/visual effects and of course musicianship, Syzygy has given its current (and future) fans a chronological glimpse (from their genesis to their current form) and a quality product of the highest degree, that will stand the test of time.

Syzygy fans can only hope that the bands next release will be recorded and released soon!

OK - I have to address this nagging thought that keeps recurring in my brain: "Is this the modern-day Yessongs?"

Yeah, I know - my lifelong respect for that sacred live triple-vinyl album keeps shutting down any inkling that Syzygy's "A Glorious Disturbance" could possibly stand beside it. And there are certainly no flowing capes or long hair here, and the pretentiousness of those young Brits is missing here. But with Syzygy (as with 1973 Yes), we have a band with a fairly limited studio catalog, beginning this live adventure with a short audio clip of classical music, and reinterpreting the best of their back catalog with a couple of new band members who were not present on their first two albums. A handsome fold-out package with a small poster and multiple photos of the band?...it's little surprise that the Yessongs comparisons keep resurfacing, no?

Regardless! This is a fantastic album by one of my favorite progressive rock bands of the modern day. Syzygy has always had this great ROCK foundation to their music (Zep-Rush- Deep Purple) which is enhanced with PROG flavors (Yes-ELP-Genesis) and a classical approach to composition to create a beautiful (glorious?!) result. This outstanding package of 2 DVDs and 1 CD is very well done, and the sound production is flawless (which is particularly important during the more complex musical sections).

Over the course of the CD and concert DVD, they cover most of the great ones from their back catalog, including my two favorites from their Witsend debut - Strange Loop II and Mount Ethereal. Those songs are now enhanced by Al Rolik's bass playing, plus there are now words sung to parts of them! Yeah, at first I was like "Hey, how dare you mar a great instrumental song with singing!" But the lyrics are cool, and the vocal line fits great with the underlying music. These are really cool versions to have now. Mark Boals' vocals still remind me of a combo of Dennis DeYoung and Ian Gillan, and he has been a nice addition to the overall sound of the band.

They also cover most of the "Realms" cd here - I still would have been even more exuberant if they had included one more from that great album - the inimitable "Dialectic". (LOVE that durn song!) The whole-band vocals are featured nicely on "Dreams" with some great live vocal harmony and polyphony.

The concert video from 2009 includes five songs that are also included on the CD. My only gripe with this concert footage is that you hardly get to see the phenomenal drumming of Paul Mihacevich, who is mostly buried behind his massive drum kit. That issue is rectified on the 2010 show where we get to witness his fantastic chops that remind me at times of Neal Peart and Jon Hiseman. That show also ends with covers of UK's "In The Dead of Night" and Deep Purple's "Burn". Fine, fine renditions!

Carl and Sam are, of course, awesome on this set; ya gotta love Sam's Italian barista look behind the keys. Ha! (sorry sir) But seriously, they are still the heart and soul of this fine band, and they play their arses off on every one of these songs. The other DVD included in this package has an hour-and-a- half of special features (band member interviews and such) that audiophiles and Syzygy completists will need to own.

I have a personal collection of progressive rock that includes hundreds of artists; only a handful of those artists are able to really hit that sweet spot and "play the music I've always heard inside of my head." Syzygy is one of those few special bands, and "A Glorious Disturbance" is an excellent live testament to their unique brand of progressive rock. Great album!

...and it'll sit just fine on my CD shelf a few inches away from Yes...

The roots of Syzygy can be found in Eighties cover band Abraxas which featured guitarist/lead vocalist Carl Baldassarre, keyboardist Sam Giunta and bassist Al Rolik. After the group disbanded, Carl and Sam kept working together and with the addition of drummer Paul Mihacevich they recorded their debut 'Cosmos And Chaos' in 1993 under the name of Witsend. A period of writing and raising families resulted in a hiatus but they returned as Syzygy with the critically acclaimed 'The Allegory Of Light' which featured Al as a guest musician, released in 2003. All of the vocals has been handled by the band themselves up to this point, but for the new album they felt that they needed someone else to take them to the next level and after a long search brought in Mark Boals (Ted Nugent, Yngwie Malmsteen, Uli Jon Roth, Erik Norlander etc).

Now, bringing in a heavyweight singer such as Mark means that may reviewers (myself included) would expect great things of this album even before it made it to the player. Now, I was possibly expecting even more things as I have been lucky enough to hear their earlier works so I was extremely keen to know what they had been doing in the intervening years.

Well, to say that I wasn't disappointed was something of an understatement. Musically the band aren't afraid to go back to some classic prog bands such as Gentle Giant, Yes and UK while also bringing in the AOR musicality of Styx and Journey, throwing in some more recent references such as Spock's Beard and letting the pot just swirl and mix together as it feels. This is an album that is incredibly complex, but the sheer musicality and melody means that the listener doesn't get overwhelmed by everything. Note density? Check. Keyboard/guitar interplay? Check. Abrupt changes of musical direction? Check. Strong complex palette of keyboard sounds? Check. Great vocals and harmonies? Check. Incredible album that I want to play repeatedly? Check and triple check.

This is an awesome album, every time I play it I hear something new that just takes my breath away. Play the 10 minutes plus "Dreams" and you will see what I mean ? just brilliant. If you go to their site they have a special offer on all three albums ? you owe it to your ears. www.syzygymusic.com

During the typing of this review, I was heading home on a train from Boston listening to this album.

Strange, because I originally was ready to delete it from my phone because it looked...old.

Take an old Pontiac GTO today. A 1970's GTO looks old fashioned compared to modern day sleek designs, which is what I perceived by looking at this album cover. I was hoping not to be taken back to the 70's with this album either. However, "MOTH" gave me that kickstart I was hoping for. Although the lyrical talent in the track was lacking, he did not hurt the track at all seeing as there was more time for the instrumental showcase than a cheesy storytelling fantasy tale, which suited me just fine. The guitars and keys were mostly subdued from the intro, but deeper into the track (and earlier in their bluesy segue) the notes just flew by me like, well, a fast moving train. Only downside I have is the stop-start stuttering of the bands movement from the frantic prog rock antics to their slow acoustic chorus. It reminded me of a faulty brake system, something common in GTO's of the day.

"Beggar's Tale" started out like an ambitious prog folk tale and ended as a "someone was playing/singing in the wrong key signature the whole time". "Distant Light" is another instrumental showcase, except the vocals are cometely absent this time. "Zinjanthropus" was the second "epic" in the track and another one I found intriguing. The cultural instruments and influences were very prevalent in the intro, as well as the atonal chord progressions. It also was another track absent of vocals (which suited me fine; debut album or not, the vocals were fairly weak and inexperienced). The transitions in this track are much smoother as well, none of this stop-start crap.

"Industryopolis" reminds me of the King Crimson track of a similar nature on the dreade "Three of a Perfect Pair". The intro is very industrial sounding, but that's where the similarities end. First off, it's actually a good song (heyo). Secondly, it's instrumental; again, which brings up a moot point: why would Syzygy have vocals on the first track when they would be nearly absent from the rest of the album? Perhaps we'll never know, but again, the song structure is very complex like industry with mixed sounds added in that help make it sound very industrial and factory-like.

"Forbidden" is Carl Baldassarre's second chance to make an impression, and it certainly is an improvement over the butchered and chaotic "Beggar's Tale". Both guitars and vocals are in key (for once) and it makes for an entertaining listen. "Light Speed" is just another instrumental showcase, although it harkens back to that frenetic time of the 70's, where cars were fast and so were women (heyo). Like a GTO, it's all about speed here and the change of pace surely spices up the record.

"The Journey of Myradin" is the third epic and final track of this album and once again, it's all about the instrumental fretwork, although there's a dash of Jethro Tull and Dream Theater in the same track (two bands I hopefully will never have to mention on the same sentence again). Once again, it's instrumental. It's another pleasant listen if you love frantic instrumental fretwork and footwork.

I was very surprised at the end result of this product. It's surely not for every prog fan, and the outdated album cover will surely turn people away, but if you're willing to risk it for some instrumental magic, this album will be a purchase you won't regret.