1000 Prog Albums Over 46 Years: 1966-2011

 2010

947

We're Here Because We're Here
Anathema

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

"We're Here Because We're Here" has ambient passages of tension and release with lyrics that reflect on life and death.

After being absolutely mesmirised by Anathema's excellent "IV" album I was really looking forward to more of the same on this release, and I was not disappointed. In some ways this album is even better than their pinnacle release that floored most listeners.

The soft haunting ambience of Anathema can be uplifting and reflective, as well as encompassing tones of shadowy despair, such as 'Thin Air'. One may be reminded of Radiohead or Muse in places, and the three Cavanagh brothers are at the peak of their powers with this release, as well as the Douglas siblings and Smith who assists on keyboards.

One of the best songs that spring to mind is the raucous 'Summer Night Horizon'; a straight heavy rocker with a cool lyric about the 'space between us'; very melodic and well executed musicianship throughout. The gorgeous tones of 'Dreaming Light' are beautifully sung by Cavanagh. The piano drives it along with a strong beat. The melody is quite pretty with the orchestrated synths. The sparkling clear vocals sound a bit like Muse or Steven Wilson, almost like Opeth's quieter moments; there is no growling at all, and in essence the album is more symphonic than post metal.

The progressive time sig piano motif on 'Everything' locks into a pleasant melody. The vocals are slower and follow the chord structure cautiously with strong harmonies. The atmosphere generated is replete with uplifting feelings of hope. The music builds to a drum heavy rhythm that is not quite in sync with the piano. This odd metronome time augments the estranged lyrical nature that states that the energy is you and me, everything has energy, and that energy is everything when you are near. The lead guitar is played with dexterity and dynamism.

'Angels Walk Among Us' is a soft gentle melody with an ambient synth line, and very nice vocals; "only you can heal your life, only you can heal inside". This builds to a stronger cadence with intonations of pitchy guitar and symphonic strings of sheer beauty.

'Presence' follows straight on with a lecture style narration, stating that one must come to terms with death, birth, and life eternal as part of a cycle. The spiritual themes are complimented with cathedral organ, a religious atmosphere, and a swathe of symphonic synth lines. The female vocals of Lee are beautiful, echoing the same themes in the previous song that only you can heal inside. This works as a sequel.

'A Simple Mistake' is one of the best Anathema songs. It features violining guitars, acoustics, and layers of tranquil key pads. Cavanagh's vocals are high pitched again, and fractured within the soundscape; "We share trembling between the words, I found my way to fly free from constraints, I have soared through the sky, to see life far below ". The melody is haunting and unforgettable, especially the exquisite chorus; "take a child losing all, to create and deform, a memory in a wild, in a cage." The instrumental is a great guitar riff and chiming keyboard passages. The drums crash in with a metal guitar distortion section darkening the atmosphere, and sealing the deal for me. It is one of the great Anathema tracks that I was compelled to play again as soon as the album ended.

'Get Off Get Out' is one of the heaviest tracks on the album, and is a sound that is similar to Porcupine Tree or Riverside. It has a strong melody and heavy guitars, with a consistent wall of sound generated by synths, bass and pounding drum patterns. It locks into a loud repeated passage with Cavanagh strained through a vocoder effect.

'Universal' begins with ethereal keyboards wrapped around estranged processed vocals; "through the eye of the storm, enter to the light, you're everywhere I go." This tranquil style is downbeat and reflective, the theme is perhaps centred on thinking about what we have done with our lives and what will we take to the grave. It brings the album towards a sobering conclusion that is backed up by the haunting strains of the final track.

'Hindsight' is a virtual instrumental with some commentary from Lee Douglas at the beginning. The music emanates a ray of hope and ends the journey satisfactorily. Overall this album may be Anathema's shining jewel among a treasure of innovative studio releases.

A review by Bonnek:

Anathema is a band that has always suffered from the public's expectations. By changing their sound and style throughout this career, they've been criticized for either being too metal, too soft, too melancholic, not metal enough, too pop, not prog enough, too Radiohead and so on. This album won't be an exception.

However, if you're open to contemporary rock and allow the passion of this music to engulf you, then you're in for a treat. Anathema's mission is not to fit in a genre box but to purge pure emotion through their music, whatever form that music takes: imposing doom metal, gothic prog or atmospheric rock as on their previous 2 albums.

We're Here Because We're Here is the long-expected 8th album and it is a logical continuation of A Fine Day To Exit and A Natural Disaster. It's more consistent then the latter but not as musical and varied as A Fine Day To Exit. But whatever personal preference you have between these albums, it would be quite surprising if you would not appreciate We're Here Because We're Here if you loved the preceding albums. The influences from modern alternative rock and post rock such as Radiohead and Sigur Ros are still the main source of inspiration, meaning we get outstretched and minimal compositions with a brooding atmosphere that grows to rousing climaxes. Needless to say this will not appeal to people who rate music by the number of notes played per second.

The album starts very strongly with 3 brilliant songs. It then has a short dip with a couple of poppy songs of which Everything is the most disappointing. It's a track that has been available for download from Anathema's home site for more than 5 years and it had really lowered my expectations towards this album. The final album version is more focused than the demo but it remains a rather lame pop song similar to Porcupine Tree's Lazarus. Also Angels Walk Among Us is rather average. But with the album's highlight A Simple Mistake, we're all set for another string of gorgeous Anathema songs.

The music on this album is seemingly simple but it strikes with a devastating emotional blow. What else did you expect? It's Anathema, and they are back, with an album that I would rate just below the creative peak they reached with Alternative 4, Judgement and A Fine Day To Exit.

948

Aquarius
Haken

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

Haken presents a turbo-charged debut of metal pandemonium and jazz infested chaos; THIS is what makes Prog great!

Haken's debut is a knockout metal virtuoso rock jazzfest. The best debut I have heard in a long time. In fact it is not easy to break this album into songs as the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. After listening to this, one may be forgiven for thinking the band are sending up the prog genre, such is the ferocity of eclectic jazz styles, however this is no doubt one of the most innovative slices of creativity I have had the pleasure to experience; heavenly headphone bliss.

The first track encompasses everything great about prog. Jazz infused insanity, with carnivalesque whimsy and all out instrumental prowess. Haken are among the fast growing prog soaked movers and shakers of today, alongside colossal titans Dream Theater, Spock's Beard, Porcupine Tree and Opeth.

The band capture a broad coverage of the genre, melancholia, psych prog, permeated with heavy metal chords and frenetic jazz blasts. Then there are the mellotron washes flowing lucidly over the soundscape, enhancing the ambience. It doesn't last long as around the corner is a maelstrom of chugging riffs or jazzy drumming to send everything off balance. It certainly isn't background music.

The band launch into frenzied machine gun riffing on guitars and at one point there are some brilliant razor edge lead breaks on the album that fly off the scale, with speed picking, high string bends and screams all played with precision and finesse.

The death metal Opeth growls are surprisingly out of place, like a fish out of water, but they present a level of dark intensity. They appear on two occasions only on the album and on both really darken the atmosphere. Overall, however there is a humorous light weight edge with light hearted flings where many different instruments are added to the syndrome, such as a banjo, accordion, xylophone and perhaps even a kazoo.

It is a fun romp getting through the album. Everything bar the kitchen sink is thrown into the mix. I like the fact the band don't hold back in their energy and creativity and take massive risks. Not everything comes off but it doesn't matter as this is so enjoyable. You are never sure what is going to happen next. At the end of the first listen I could not recall a single melody and this is true prog in the "Tales Of Topographic Oceans" vein. You know you have heard a prog album when afterwards not one melody springs to mind. However, on the second listen a lot of pieces come flooding back. I was waiting for the death metal growls and they really infiltrate the soundscape, like another song wanting to burst through the music. Surprisingly, although the band are not focussed on death metal, they certainly are able to measure up to the likes of stalwarts such as Opeth.

At times though it may appear the band are going overboard, injecting so many styles into one album, but that's like Mohavishnu Orchestra meets Dream Theater with a smattering of Opeth and Spock's Beard for me, and I can't complain. The weird bass lines are totally off the scale at times even sounding like a different time sig to the guitars. The drums are chaotic in places and downright fracturing the rhythms and I love that the songs are driven in different directions by off beat sporadic drumming. I was reminded of Pain of Salvation's 'Fandango' drumming style at one point. The time sigs are interchanging constantly and just when you latch onto one sig, another breaks through without remorse. It is quite amusing listening to how the time sigs shatter into one another in a tongue in cheek fashion. The bursts of xylophone are particularly funny and the accordion actually made me laugh, like a bizarre theme park ride with that jaunty rhythm you hear on a merry go round; perhaps that was the band's intention, to create a circus side show of prog. The music is allowed to breathe though in the ballad sections with straight rhythm patterns and a nice vocal style, so it's all not all jazz disorder.

The Neal Morse-ian reflective vocal performances are well ordered and bring the intensity down. Indeed the voice has a nice range from high octave to straight balladic. There are moments that are curiously light hearted and sound more like an amusement park side show alley than a rock song. These moments are strange and the bizarre riffs with off kilter drumming show the band are into high voltage jazz fusion styles. You might think of King Crimson in these sections or even Triumvirat, though the Hammond sounds are used at a minimum.

Favourite tracks? Well, without looking at the tracklist, I loved the first 2 songs and the last epic in particular but I really don't want to split this into sections as it's so enjoyable from start to end. And the quieter ballad songs in the middle are great to break up the pandemonium, and I quickly got used to the vocal style of Jennings.

A word about the booklet; wonderful art work throughout, and very nice colours that are consistent and thematic of the mermaid carried by the shrouded figure. It works as an iconic image for the band and of course has adorned magazines and forums to herald the entrance of Haken onto the scene. I only want to say that this is the start of something very special. It could have been a masterpiece from a band who had been producing albums for years, and rightly sounds like it too, however this is a debut! It buries a lot of new albums from bands that have become tired and devoid of creative energy. Here, Haken have created a compelling dynamic listen; a stunning debut that should be given credit where it is due. If I were to be involved in a debut, this is the type of album I would dream of. Make no mistake, this album is packed with some of the most awesome innovative prog on the planet.

949

If
Glass Hammer

Review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

Glass Hammer's "If" is more far removed from their previous albums than anything they had approached since their conception. The addition of Jon Anderson? I mean Jon Davison (the resemblance in vocal style is unmistakeable) is an inspired move. The influences of Yes are too obvious to labour on but it is still wonderful music, and at least Davison can sing. I missed Susie Bogdanowicz though, but it is great that the keyboard wizardry of Fred Schendel remains, the one constant of the band that has a revolving door membership as compelling as King Crimson's morphing lineups and indeed the revolving policy of Hawkwind.

It begins with glorious Mellotron, Hammond and ambient atmosphere on 'Beyond, Within' (11:44) and Davison certainly sings beautifully in his high register. It is little wonder he joined Yes in 2012 on their tour, of which I was privileged to see in Melbourne. I like his vocals so I had no problem with his voice on any of these tracks. The lyrics have the searching for God symbolism, "And who does dwell within me, And who does my song call out to, Who looks into my dreaming and makes my visions whole, In infinite creation, So many small infinities, Each singing out their own song, Each one a soul to rise up and take flight".

'Behold The Ziddle' is similar in style with lots of tempo shifts, keyboard dominations and Davison crooning sweetly. The lyrics are poetic with darker meanings, "Through a wintry scene I flee, A murky hollow looms ahead of me, Down I slip and tumble, Torn and bruised I lay humble, Am I lost forevermore in this dark world, Now I only walk the lonely way, Where all is sadness, How dearly I'd love to pray, Yet all is madness".

'Grace The Sky' is a very smooth tranquil track, Davison again peaceful and relaxed, the keys and tempos remaining subdued and organic. The lyrics are as usual replete with Christian symbology, "In sleepwalking society, A youth questions his role to be a pillar, puppet a parasite, Get your head on right, As your heart takes flight, If the bird is free to fly, Then why my soul should I deny, If the bird is free to fly, Then why the wings of my soul should I deny, Oh bird of paradise, Let your colors grace the skies and with courage on your wing rejoice freedom's blessing."

'At Last We Are' is replete with synth, medieval sounding guitars and a steady tempo. Davison sings, "Sing to me a star, Set it in yonder sky, Shining, and guiding me, For I've lost my way before, There in the mist on eastern hill, For I would climb to the sun and then beyond to hear what you might sing, Such was the power of your voice, Oh, that I might hear more." Then it moves to a new time sig and finally ends on a bright tempo and Anderson flawless on passionate vocals, with an even higher vocal, almost sounding like the 5 octave vocals of Annie Haslam.

'If The Stars' is a lengthy piece at 10:25, that opens with a steady percussion, chimes, and grand swirling synths. It builds steadily and features scintillating lead guitars, soft vocals and meandering Mellotron. The lyrics have intriguing imagery based on the Bible; Phillip or James, "If the stars should then appear, One night in a thousand years, How would man believe and adore, If the light of the city of God was shown there, Would they believe?, If the stars should then appear, One night in a thousand years."

'If The Sun' is a mammoth epic clocking 24 minutes, in the traditional prog epic length. Since I only have the version without this I can't comment. However, this is one of the greater Glass Hammer albums with some of their best vocals. The lyrics, the musicianship and the overall atmosphere are symphonic prog bliss.

950

Il Tempio delle Clessidre
Il Tempio delle Clessidre

A review by Finnforest:

Seeds blown from Museo Rosenbach's flower bring one of 2010s best

Il Tempio delle Clessidre have been around for a few years but in the fall of 2010 they released this self-titled debut on Black Widow Records. The band was formed in 2006 by keyboardist Elisa Montaldo and Gabriele Guidi Colombi, the latter of whom left the band before the album's release. The current line-up of the band retains Elisa, and adds Stefano "Lupo" Galifi (vocals), Fabio Gremo (bass), Giulio Canepa (guitars) and Paolo Tixi (drums). Italian prog fans will note that Galifi was the lead vocalist of the legendary Museo Rosenbach, one of the most beloved classic-era RPI bands. The new album not only bears some resemblance to "Zarathustra," I think it may well join Il Bacio della Medusa's second album as one of the most beloved RPI titles of this period.

This debut should break through the RPI fan community into the wider prog-rock community, because it is a title that will hold appeal for any fan of classic progressive rock. The majority of the music is quite beautiful and I would say holds most appeal for those who love refined and melodic progressive rock, as opposed to the wild and crazy, abrasive stuff. This title has everything in one package: Sweeping, majestic compositions filled with passages of great beauty and dramatic overtones; a vintage sound approach but with great audio quality; highly proficient and energetic performances on bass, guitar, and drums; extended instrumental passages which allow the guitar and rhythm section to work up some gorgeous themes. But I have to talk most about the keyboards and vocals here.

First, the vocals. Often times proggers who don't speak Italian complain that the "operatic/overbearing" Italian vocal style (which they see as negative, but I personally love) will wreck their enjoyment of an album, and I can vouch that this one will not do that. Stefano Galifi's vocals are warm and inviting, passionate and yet not overbearing, soothing rather than grating in any way. His voice has held up amazingly well, he sounds just as good as he did four decades ago, in fact he may be a better vocalist now. He certainly sounds more controlled and seasoned. Further, this is not an album where the vocals are constantly in your face. There are plenty of spaces where the vocals fall away for the various instrumentalists to shine.

Second, I have to speak about the keyboards of Elisa Montaldo. This album is going to send the keyboard fanatics into bliss overload. Lots of organ and even some Church organ, mellotron (or synth 'tron effect, not sure), and most importantly, tons of traditional piano. Being my favorite keyboard, the generous passages of piano make the album irresistible. Elisa has very keen melodic instincts as well, finding lines of notes that are all about emotion rather than prog showiness. The compositions were written by Montaldo and bassist Fabio Gremo. They bring the songs to the others were they are fleshed out through improvisation and the further exchange of ideas. It sounds like there is plenty of team work in crafting arrangements that are exciting and pleasing for the listener. The keyboards create swelling, grand backgrounds throughout, but the lead keyboard runs are consciously arranged and written to work in unison with the guitar parts for a wonderfully effective sound.

"I can tell that "Il Tempio delle Clessidre" is not only an album for me, it's a whole world, a piece of life that took shape in the course of the years. The music we propose is new and fresh even if we know that it's not so innovative, but this is a choice: one of our aims is to recreate the sounds and atmospheres of '70's progressive rock" -Elisa

"....one of the most important aspects in this band is the wide difference in the musical taste of each of us. This helped creating songs with a great variety of elements and nuances. Every musician adds a character, an ingredient to the recipe, thus creating something peculiar." -Fabio

"When I get inspiration I immediately go to my piano and play: improvisation is the most important thing for me, I compose music directly from my emotions, dreams and ideas and try to translate those ones into music....I often overlap different sounds from my keyboards to create the right tone colour, and try to emulate the classical progressive sounds that I love (Mellotron, Chamberlin, Hammond organ). The guitars are strictly connected with the keyboards in our music, they are very refined and versatile, Giulio is a really good guitarist and he has a great musical sensibility that makes the arrangements original, well balanced and in harmony with the real sense of the compositions." -Elisa (quotations from ProgArchives interview with the band, October 2010)

The tracks boast a nice mix of heavier rock, romantic Italian flavored prog, and moods both melancholic and joyful. It occasionally can sound like Zarathustra, but Zarathustra to my ears gets a bit more aggressive and occasionally raw. Here the sound is more layered, melodic, and more richly dressed. The highlights of the album for this listener are many, but I would point most enthusiastically to the middle section where three songs, "La Stanza Nascosta," "Danza Esoterica di Datura," and "Faldistorium" just knock my socks off. Here they will add to their base band sound by introducing elements such as cello (beautifully handled!), recitation, and church organ to the already solid material, making the experience even better. I would love to see them use more strings, choirs, and church organ in the future. The 10-minute "Il Centro Sottile" is also a real beauty with a spirit of sentimentality and adventure, almost like a mini film soundtrack, ebbing and flowing but ultimately soaring.

I can only imagine how incredible it must be for the younger members of this band to be working with Galifi, and vice versa. They have been able to put one of progressive rocks great vocalists over their debut compositions, and Galifi has found musicians as capable and creative (if not more so) than the Museo Rosenbach band of yesteryear. The combination of their youth, energy, and great compositions merged with his voice and great emotional instincts have without question created one of RPI's most exciting current bands. These two formidable personnel strengths are not insignificant; having both youthful passion and a veteran's wisdom in one tent can only mean the opportunity for great song creation. This is a project that simply must give us more, it would be a tragedy if this album were not followed up in the future.

Not only is this album one of progressive rock's finest of 2010, but it's one of the 2000s finest RPI titles. The cover art is not fully appreciated until you are able to fold it over and view the back panel with the front. Only then can you see how cool it is, a fantasy land that this music inhabits and sounds a true part of. Wonderful stuff. 9/10

951

Legacy
Hypnos 69

A review by Bonnek:

How could I have missed out on a band from my own country that lists Anekdoten and Motorpsycho amongst their favorite current bands? With a sound that brings the spirit of early Floyd, Sabbath and Crimson back to life, this album has simply been written just for me.

I don't know if there's a recipe to make the glory of the early 70s come alive again, but getting the sound right is sure one of the main ingredients. And that is exactly what Hypnos 69 achieved here. Just like Diagonal and Astra, the band combines psych-progressive songwriting with a vintage 70s sound that is natural, dynamic, rocking and that respects the true sound of all instruments. No studio tricks, no proTools cut-and paste, no synthetics, no plastic, no fake. The list of instruments is impressive: an array of drum and percussion, bass, guitars, effects, organs, mellotron, saxophone, Hammond... Luckily not all at once but spread nicely over the plus 72 minute album length.

Another secret to make 'retro' work is to avoid being the umpteenth Genesis or Yes clone. A better approach is to combine different styles into a new mix that - even if derivative - still has a personality of its own. Some of the influences on Legacy are 1970-era Crimson, early 70s hard rock, jazz-rock, Ozzy-vocals, some Floyd, Yes and even some BJH alike vocal harmonies. Hypnos 69 have a history as a stoner band and there are still traces of that in the sound, but the songwriting has become fully Prog, offering long composed suites with spacey instrumental breaks and concise improvisations. It is fun spotting the occasional musical quotes from other bands, from King Crimson for instance (there's an echo of Indoor Games on An Aerial Architect) and from Yes (melodies from The Fish at 3.18 into The Empty Hourglass). My symphonic knowledge is limited to the mainstream bands so there may be more.

The album amply demonstrates that you don't have to excel in originality and innovation to make a worthy addition to today's music. Just like Diagonal and Astra before them, Hypnos 69 have forged their various vintage influences into a remarkable trip back to 1970.

A review by Sean Trane:

Fifth album from this excellent Flemish quartet, they managed to better their already superb Eclectic Measure released two years earlier. Coming with an outstanding and very remarkable (as in... you can't possibly miss with its sparkling red-orange colours) psych/prog artwork that fits quite well the sonic content of the album, Legacy is an exciting almost classic prog, but given its decade of birth, we shall call it retro-prog, without it being derogatory in any sense, way, shape or form. Strangely enough, despite loads of guitar heroics, it's not mentioned that Brother Steve plays it (or anyone else for that matter) and the other Steve (Marks) is now not only playing wind instruments, but seems to take care of most of the keyboard parts.

So H69 offers a pretty enthusiastic brand of retro/classic prog rock, with all of the very flattering sounds of that magic decade, including some vintage trons, Moog, Rhodes, sax, flutes and also (and unfortunately-still) those trafficked vocals through some filters and effects, which in the long run become slightly irritating. The band's sound is still quite influenced by Crimson and Anekdoten, but this time much more by Fripp's cohorts (more the Court to Islands era) than on the previous album, but not being too derivative. It would be easy to point out the opening and closing suites as the highlights of the album (and they are), but there is more to it than that. All of the tracks are of a good level, if not ‘Jerusalem’ being a tad weaker.

Opening on 18-mins+rapid fire heavy motif, the 3-movement ‘Requiem suite’ is a now-typical H69 track, with plenty of breaks and tempo changes, excellent interplay between all. Indeed the almost 18-mins closing ambitious (look at the movements' titles) "Great Work" suite is almost perfect in its progression from a quiet slow start, gradually moving and strengthening (via some wild guitar solo) into a solid rocker with some very entertaining moments and ending up into a grandiose finale, but not before having induced down your spine a few chills and tingles, before heading out ever so quietly.

Well from the more accessible prog from Belgium (this means not counting Aranis or Univers Zero), it appears that the match is quite close between Madelgaire's (Im)Patience and Hypnos' Legacy, but I think the latter edges out the competition, mostly because it's flawless.

952

Unsettled
Dean Watson

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

Dean Watson's debut splashes paint strokes of light and dark textures on the canvas to create a glittering triumph.

Dean Watson, who made an impact with Where's The Nine, decides to do it solo on this album aptly titled "Unsettled", inspired by a painting. Indeed the music never settles into one genre, merging from jazz fusion to strands of metal, and some eclectic work thrown in for good measure. The keyboards dominate at times and then distorted guitars crash in to add a darker texture to the canvas.

‘The Encounter’ begins things with an odd time signature of kaleidoscopic keys and guitars, a fast paced King Crimsonish passage that moves into cruise mode with a motif that locks in to allow the electric guitar to make its presence felt. It is brilliant guitar work that will appeal to the Joe Satriani fan or likewise. The first track is reminiscent of Keith Emerson with some heavy duty blasts of Hammond that shimmer and crunch to an off kilter rhythm, rarely settling into one time signature.

‘The Push’ has an out of sync rhythm with spiderlings of synth and multi layered organ. There is a subtle guitar riff and a few outbursts of off beat pounding drums and electric mayhem. The chaotic feel is counter balanced with moments of melodic order; an enjoyable romp through many different styles.

‘Out Of The Mist’ is an 8 and a half minute progfest of very dark guitar chords and sustained keyboard pads. It begins with acoustic diminished picking that feels at times as though you are in a cathedral, with violin synth, and there is a dark ambience. The distorted lengthy guitar chords slice in after 4 minutes and add to the atmosphere which is doomy and Gothic. It could well be the soundtrack to a slasher film. The grim feel of impending terror is accomplished by striking guitar distortion and this is mixed with moments of transfixing beauty. The pace quickens with the same melody but it locks into traditional chugging metal territory till it fades out; another highlight of the album.

‘Sequence Of Events’ is an intriguing piece with a synthetic mixed sequencer and metal distorted galloping guitars. This is a curious hybrid that seems to work well enough reminding me of the 80s Rush years at times. The keyboards are off the scale here with Jordan Rudess-style keyboard rips that burn at a blistering pace. At 2:20 the pace slows and an electric piano solo eases steadily along; a jazz fusion passage with hi hat cymbal splashes.

‘DIP’ has a cool funky beat and a melodic guitar, with quick staccato stabs of Hammond. There is a passage of piano with pads which sound very effective, then the guitars begin to play powerful melodies that lift the spirit high. There is a polyrhythmic feel accomplished with sporadic drums and bass.

‘The Departure’ begins with a wind effect and quiet gentle piano, and the low bassy synth chords provide a framework for soaring guitar licks. The grinding Hammond is effective to transition the music to a half time feel with two chord bursts that repeat while improvised glockenspiel sounds fill the void.

‘Gray Matter’ is an amazing tour de force of guitars trading off with keyboards. Some of the most accomplished guitar work is on this track and it features a lengthy middle section where keys blaze away duelling with electric soaring guitars. Downward sweeps and speed picking at a healthy tempo veer the track onward to its dramatic finale; a definitive highlight.

‘Orb’ is heavily laden with synthesizers and electric piano. There are still some quirky time shifts throughout and a very pleasant lead riff that is choppy and jazzy. The melody is more upbeat on this with a unique drum pattern. A keyboard solo permeates the track and it progresses to a heavy ambience with an almost spacey feel. There is a load of emotion on this track. At 4:33 the track stops and moves into a jazz feel with pounding drums and low bassy synth over an electric piano motif.

‘11th Heaven Blues’ is next with a heavier feel saturating the soundscape with soaring guitars and an off beat tempo with estranged synth chords. The lead guitar rips into a solo with fret melting flourishes and huge string bends. The keyboard solo is a dirty Hammond sound harkening back to the 70s with ELP or The Nice. The metal nuances are there to remind us that this is still a refreshing approach to music blending a myriad of genres. I believe this track must rate as a highlight and is very progressive in its style.

‘Still (unsettled)’ is the very last track and a short burst of acoustic kicks it off but without a discernible time sig. The piano is a beautiful touch creating an atmosphere of stark isolation. The ethereal feel is created with minimalism and intermittent playing.

The conclusion is this is another great project from Dean Watson, a pleasant delight from start to finish with virtuoso musicianship. The music becomes an absorbing experience with compelling sections that mesmirise on each listen and you are able to take something different each time from it depending on your mood. The music takes you on a trip from light to dark locations and it can be used for all occasions, primarily for headphone intensity, or it can be enjoyed as you read or study. Solo instrumental albums can suffer from fatigue and lack of originality coming from the one source, but in the case of "Unsettled" this is not the case. On the contrary, this is some of the best instrumental music your ears are likely to be caressed with; an eargasm of ice cold jazz fusion served up with a blast of progressive fire.

A review by UMUR:

Unsettled is the debut full-length album by Canadian musician Dean Watson. The album was independently released. Unsettled is what I call a "real" solo album as the album was written, recorded, mixed and mastered between May 2009 & March 2010 by Dean Watson himself. In addition to that Dean Watson plays all instruments on the album. That means all guitars, keyboards, bass, drums and percussion. The music on the album is inspired by a painting by Ron Eady called Unsettled. I was first introduced to Dean Watson through his involvement in the Desensitized to Insanity (2008) album by Where´s the Nine but he is also known for his involvement in the seventies fusion act Airkraft. I guess it was only a matter of time before a skilled multi- instrumentalist like Dean Watson would release a solo album.

The music on Unsettled is high quality fusion. Compared to the frenzied and busy nature of Desensitized to Insanity, Unsettled is a bit more well balanced in terms of including both harder edged fusion tracks (there are even the occasional parts that sound like progressive metal in some tracks) and more melodic content. The strong opener The Encounter sets the standard right from the start; strong musicianship, intricate songwriting and a clean and powerful production. The production might be a bit too sterile for some people but I enjoy the sound. My favorite here is probably the slow building, dark and atmospheric Out of the Mist. It´s a pretty unique track on the album and it really touches me. The mood changes a lot on the album though and a "lighter" track like The Push is also great material.

As noted above, the sound production is clean and maybe a bit sterile, at least compared to the more warm sounding jazz rock/ fusion albums from the seventies.

Unsettled is a great album by Dean Watson. Not only are we exposed to brilliant musicianship, but also high quality songwriting. I really enjoy that the songs are not just show-offs of Dean Watson´s playing skills but also really great structured compositions filled with emotions and intricate ideas. A 4 star rating is fully deserved.

953

Création de l'univers
Xing Sa

A review by Sean Trane:

This is a spin-off from one of the best Zeuhl bands to come out for years (if not decades? time will tell) Setna, which is a sextet. However this side-project features half that band: bassist Blondel, drummer Candé and keyboardist Goulay, but also receives some help from saxman Wolff and some vocals/chants from Duchene. Recorded under much the same manner as Setna's Cycle 1 album and mastered by the always excellent Udi Koomran, it must be noted that the group did take the trouble or time to encode the different pieces so that you can read on your disc-player display the title track; something rather basic that hardly anyone does.

As the title might hint, we're dealing with a concept of the origins of our world, and it is divided in five elements, each divided into two or three sections, but it is not the usually-cited four elements, since air gives way to metal and wood. One might expect the ‘Fire (Feu)’ movement to be incendiary, but it is rather tamed and subdued, even a tad ambient and cosmic. The following movement ‘Terre’ is quite a bit more dense, compact and down-to- earth, featuring more electric piano and some typically Zeuhl-ish male vocals. The ‘Metal-Water’ movements are definitely more energetic and feature a great tense crescendo with a mellotron (most likely a sampled synth) that is slightly reminiscent of Morte Macabre's sole album and some more shamanic chants. A tad later, we get some synth evoking a melancholic Vemod-ian cello, before slowly erupting red-hot lava, spewing from your speakers right into your living room (not advised to listen to this elsewhere, be it car or public transport) and flowing right into your brains. The closing ‘Wood’ movement finally features the long-awaited-for woodwind instrument sax in a lengthy wild solo, increasing again the intensity of the album. Indeed, a definitively slow-starter, “Création De L'Univers” gradually increases the tension and the energy level, to come to a wild brooding climax and suddenly come to rest with itself at the very end.

While “Création De L'Univers” is one of my top 10 releases of 2010, Xing sa doesn't nearly float my boat as the mothership Setna, because the musical possibilities are more restricted given the instruments used. I'm not exactly sure why the sole composer of both Setna and Xing Sa, Nicolas Goulay chose to record this at three, instead of using more colours and making another Setna album, because this musical concept might have magnified. But don't let this remark scare you away from a really excellent album that is one of the most-striking Zeuhl releases from the very early 10's, probably dethroned by the up-coming Cycles 2 release later this year (11). This could've been Setna's second oeuvre, but it ends up being their 1.5 release, which is still worthy of investigation and investment.

954

Clivages
Univers Zero

A review by Conor Fynes:

Longheld to be the pioneers of 'chamber rock', Univers Zero is one of the most influential art music groups still around. Making them even more exciting is the fact that even now, they are still releasing vital music. 'Clivages' does not show this well-traversed band doing much that they haven't already before, but the diversity of styles, moods, and levels in experimentation make this latest record a perfect gateway album for any potential newcomers to the band.

Although I first listened to chamber rock through bands like Aranis, it is Univers Zero that they are influenced by. Making Univers Zero still a little more unique is the fact that they are able to go two ways with their music, one being the band-oriented classical music that defines chamber music, and the second being a more experimental brand that shows up here in forms of dissonance and genre-bending. These two sides of the band each take vastly different journeys, and thus should be analyzed independently. First, the chamber music here is something that I would not find out of place on a film soundtrack. It is complex, yet intimate and emotional. Musically speaking, there is a lot going on in terms of melodic counterpoints and textures, but due to the ensemble's relative small scale (as far as classical music is concerned), each musician's own personality is brought to the table and heard nicely. 'Les Kobolds' and 'Vacillements' both nicely define this style for the band.

On the other hand, the band is prone to contrasting this pleasant-sounding chamber music with a flair for the experimental and strange. 'Warrior' takes the listener on a King Crimson-esque voyage through jazz explorations and apocalyptic progressions, almost to the point where the quaint joy of the opening track is forgotten. Univers Zero keeps throwing the listener between moments of happiness and fear. Despite being an instrumental album, I am kept on my feet almost all of the time. The music is played especially well, with each instrument sounding out notes with clear intention and emotion. There aren't too many bad things to be said about 'Clivages', although it could be noted that it starts to feel as if it drags on a little past what may have been optimal, especially towards the latter half of the album. In general, the musical quality is very high, but the album does have a somewhat weak flow in between tracks, brought on no less by the roller coaster of emotions they seem deadset on taking the listener on.

This has been my first earnest experience with Univers Zero, and it certainly won't be the last; even having only heard one album, I have no problem calling this band one of the most interesting acts I have ever heard. It is not music without challenge, but there is a nice variety here to give the listener a rest from the harsher moments the band offers.

955

Neogothic Progressive Toccatas
Three Monks

A review by Finnforest:

A new project, and a pipe-organ lover's dream come true.

Three Monks are a unique pipe-organ focused RPI band from Arezzo, consisting of organist/composer Paolo Lazzeri, bassist/engineer Maurizio Bozzi, and drummers Roberto Bichi and Claudio Cuseri. Lazzeri was a prog-rock organist in the early 1970s until public attention shifted, at which time he began the study of romantic classical music, both symphonic and for solo organ. His prime influences came from in-depth study of the music of composer Julius Reubke (1824-1858) and his enjoyment of the progressive rock of King Crimson and Van der Graaf Generator. He and Bozzi decided to form a rock trio which would attempt to combine their love of classical music (neo-Gothic style, German Romanticism of the nineteenth century) and progressive rock. Bozzi has been a professional bassist/composer/arranger since the 1970s and has collaborated in countless studio projects and live tours. They joined with drummers Bichi and Cuseri to form Three Monks and in 2010 released their first work on Drycastle Records, "Neogothic Progressive Toccatas." It was skilfully mixed and mastered by Torben Lysholm at Tune Town studio in Denmark. This is only the beginning; the band says there will be future works.

"Neogothic Progressive Toccatas" will truly be a one of a kind in your progressive rock collection. The project is centered around the incredible pipe organ playing of Paolo Lazzeri supported by a thundering bass/drums rhythm sections and little else. This album is a church organ purist's dream. The various tracks are inspired by baroque composers and stories of cathedrals and their huge, historic pipe organs: the liner notes give specific historical information into each track's inspiration, some human, some cathedrals and instruments. The music is incredibly heavy, vast, formal, and tinged with centuries of age. You feel as if you are walking into one of those centuries old European cathedrals and hearing the bombast of the ancient organ, yet it is swirled into often dizzying progressive rock pieces. There are no vocals other than mysterious monk choirs at the beginning of "Neogothic Pedal Solo." It truly has a "power-trio" feel to it because of the focus of the sound vision, but certainly it is not your everyday power-trio. The substitution of the ancient organs where the electric guitar would typically be assures us of that. Reviewing the composition properly requires much more knowledge of classical music than I possess, as the influences and homages to many great classical composers are found throughout the album, and require someone who can spot Lazzeri's references to comment on them informatively.

The early buzz on the band was that the coming project was going to be something like Jacula, but this is really not the case. Yes the organs do recall the marvelous Charles Tiring, but Three Monks is musically much more disciplined, and lack the more obvious occult undertones of Jacula. Nor does it have the Jacula wailing guitars or distinctive vocals. This is not "dark" music in the occult sense, it is simply heavy gothic grandiosity. It is better compared to the bombast of ELP, Areknames, VDGG, and Il Balletto di Bronzo, but with 100% pipe organ rather than varying kinds of keys or synths, vocals, or guitar. Most of the music is in the heavy vein with eccentric and baroque aesthetics. There are a few moments where the rhythm section gets a bit jazzy, quite fetching with the organ. The opening track "Progressive Magdeburg" is dedicated to the rebuilding of the Magdeburg Cathedral and its fantastic organ, destroyed by bombing in World War 2. What is immediately clear is the color and personality which can issue forth from an instrument so often characterized as only dry. Also remarkable is how well the tones of the organ are beautified further and catalyzed by the warm bass guitar; you can really hear this in the final 90 seconds of Magdeburg.

As a bonus there is a Goblin cover of "Profondo Rosso," the main theme being quite faithful to the original but heavier. This is followed by a tribute variation of the same, the band calling the original "one of the most significant rock compositions for the pipe organ." Some of my favourite moments are the quieter ones, particularly on "Toccata Neogotica #1." The nature of the traditional organ can be a little overbearingly heavy at times (though I love it), and these more serene sections offer a very eerie, sublime shift to moments of contemplative mood. The final 10 minute piece "Toccata Neogotica #7" honors Austrian composer Anton Bruckner, the organist at the St. Florian Abbey (who was buried beneath his beloved organ, according to the notes.) The furiously detailed and building organ runs occasionally stand alone, the rest of the time Bozzi and Cuseri are right there, note for note, pushing the piece as far and as hard as can be. Filled with theatrical drama, I keep waiting for Ian Gillan to pop in with some high-pitched wailing as he did with Jon Lord. Instead the piece builds and builds, finally slowing to half speed to set up a spectacular ending with the class and earnest quality that embody the entire work.

Three Monks is a band who should be heard by Heavy Prog fans, and fans of serious organ RPI, along with classically influenced prog. It's an excellent debut and it will be interesting to see where they take this next.

956

Écailles de lune
Alcest

A review by Conor Fynes:

Throughout post-metal circles, the name of Alcest has been one that is chatted back and forth a lot lately. A French one man black metal project that incorporates the starkly mellow and ethereal sounds of shoegaze psychedelia, this band has become one of the more highly regarded bands in the genre, even after only two records produced. With frontman Neige's second effort with this solo project, the sound of Alcest becomes more defined, and what we have with 'Écailles De Lune' is a beautiful piece of emotionally stirring music that carries quite a bit more emotion than your typical heavy metal record.

In a sense, it may be unfair to consider this album 'metal,' the energy generally infused with the genre is sacrificed for a much more introspective sound. While there are maybe one or two sections throughout the album that make liberal use of blastbeats and Neige's high pitched shriek, 'Écailles De Lune' relies very heavily on it's mellowness and quiet beauty. The main focus of the music is on the beautiful textures of the guitar work, and Neige's clean vocal work, which may sound a bit too fragile for some, but works with the emotionally vulnerable mood of the music.

The first half of the album is dominated by the two part title track, 'Écailles De Lune'. While the first two songs here share the same name, they can generally be considered separate compositions. They do, however make up the heaviest and darkest component of 'Écailles De Lune', and maintain a clear distinction from the rest of the album. The best moments on the album are when Neige takes things to their most mellow and beautiful; the latter half of 'Écailles De Lune II' and the absolutely blissful closer 'Sur L'Ocean Couleur De Fer' make use of both the tastefully spacy guitarwork and the higher-key vocal work. While the lyrics here are in French and cannot be understood merely from listening, the lyrics have a very poetic resonance to them, and carry well with the ethereal nature of the album.

The album keeps a generally dark, melancholic sound throughout. The only exception to this is the uncharacteristically cheerful and upbeat 'Solar Song,' which is really the only moment on the album that feels out of place, despite it being a decent alternative rocker. Barring that, 'Écailles De Lune' is an incredibly moving and beautiful release. The brooding nature of the music can wear thin at times, but there's no doubt that Neige is a talented and distinguished member of the post-metal scene. A perfect album to listen to at night.

957

Roqueforte
Aranis

A review by Mellotron Storm:

Aranis are from Belgium and play modern classical chamber music. This apparently is their first album with a drummer so why not get one of the best, right? Well, in Dave Kerman they did. Also new to the band is pianist Pierre Chevalier, who many will know from Univers Zero and Present. Besides piano and drums we get double bass, flute, violin, viola, guitar and accordion; no vocals on this one. It seems like I'm getting my fill of chamber music of late and this is another outstanding example. I really like how the music here seems to build then settle back, then build and settle back; this happens often.

"Roque" opens with a good rhythm, then it settles with piano, strings and flute standing out, then back to that rhythm. It does get pretty intense then settles back again after 3 minutes with strings. Accordion takes the lead for a while later on, and it is catchy late to end it. "Ade I" is a short eerie piece. "Past" opens with strings, piano and percussion as accordion joins in, then flute. It settles around 2 minutes then the flute starts to lead as it builds; settles again and builds once more. "Ade II" is another short ominous piece this time with flute. "Noise" opens with flute and piano before a fuller sound kicks in. It builds a minute in then it settles down with flute outfront. It builds again before settling with strings then it gets fuller. A calm after 4 minutes, then strings and bass come in, with flute too. It builds, settles back before 6 minutes with percussion and piano, then accordion joins in as the tempo picks up. There is a great sound before 11 minutes; just a fantastic track!

"Ade III" is haunting with sparse piano. "Naise" opens with accordion, strings and bass as flute then drums join in. It builds, then there is a calm around 2 minutes, then it builds again with strings, flute and piano. Another calm before 4 minutes, then it builds with accordion, strings, flute and bass. It settles 6 1/2 minutes in and flute leads, then the tempo picks up 10 minutes in to end this great tune. "Ade IV" opens with drums as violin, accordion and other sounds help out. "Tissim" opens with uptempo piano as strings join in; a great sound. Accordion after 1 1/2 minutes as it settles, then it builds as contrasts continue.

"Aila" opens with strings, accordion and bass. It settles with flute after a minute, bass and other sounds return, another calm arrives, then it picks up 4 minutes in with a beat and strings. "Forte" is mellow to start, then the accordion, drums, piano and strings come in, and a silent calm before 2 minutes ends the track. "PS" is a short uptempo piece to close the album.

If you’re into this style of music then I wouldn't even hesitate.

958

Excavations of the Mind
Sky Architect

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

"It's everything you feel right now."

"Excavations of the Mind" by Sky Architect is an incredible labyrinthine musical journey that merges so many styles into its 50 minutes of prog excess. Immediately I was in awe of the virtuoso musicianship and vocals. It is full on prog with no holds barred inventiveness throughout. It was love at first hear and I would say this is one of the finest albums of 2010. The sound is similar to Riverside, Haken or some Pain of Salvation. The jazz fusion influences blend with metal riffs and symphonic passages of sheer beauty. The vocals are easy to understand and are pleasant overall. The inventiveness of the band is astonishing. The glorious quivering Hammond sound, blistering guitar breaks, spacey keyboard phrases, pulsing bass and jazz drumming are all here in one tight package. And that is only the first track. It begins with such gentle vocals harmonised perfectly; "dice games in my head, vice versa or to be me, locked between these wall of eyes and friendly paranoia." This is the unforgettable phrase that I couldn't get out of my head for days. The opening epic 'Chasm' is broken into 4 mind bending phases, and builds with King Crimson time sigs on piano and finally it ends with a narrative; "Now I can find my way out of my soul". "Oh no! Do stop, get me out of here" is repeated. It is very weird like Gentle Giant or a Gong phrase.

Next is 'Grey Legend' with a hypnotic riff, and compelling lyrics; "He rides the shadows of your past, The lanes in your head, to the part, Where you cast out yourself at night, He's always there yet never here." Who is he? The lyrics are vague but I like the slowed down section with vocals, "I look down on all you did, To all the things my life made sense, After you took control of all, The things you destroyed." The pace quickens and the lead guitar break is excellent. The band are incredibly tight, changing time sigs constantly and a new feel towards the end changes everything delightfully. The melody at the closing section is haunting and creative.

'Russian Wisdom' is a rhythmic up tempo 4 bar track, with a wonderful mix of Hammond and wah-wah guitar phasing. The lead break in the intro is exceptional. It changes into circus jazz and a trumpet sound, very humorous, quirky and a bit like Cardiacs. The tempo slows considerably as the vocals begin, over an ambient dreamscape; "Green olives are closing in on me, It's a Sunday at a party in a morgue, Some Russian died, I don't care, Chance is I don't want to dare, To take that last green olive, Meteors will light the sky, Heavens will fall, oh my, Please don't tell me I'm just scared." After a while the song returns to another scorching phased lead break.

'Excavations Of the Mind' is next and it starts with an eerie melody on piano, reminding me of Atomic Rooster for a while. It finally locks into a very unusual time shift and a shimmering Hammond blesses my ears. An acoustic guitar drowns out a spacey effect, and some harmonies before the first verse. The melody is beautiful, hooking me instantly and caresses the ambience. The lyrics speak of the beauty of what we have right now is in our mind; "it's you in this freezing air, it's everything you feel right now." The time sig speeds into a frenzied chaos and then returns to the slow tempo effortlessly, and more vocals about "trouble on a highway", and "dreams of your empty lost." The next section is psychedelic prog. It then changes to a fractured signature, and an instrumental break of organ, acoustics, fuzzed guitar blasts, strong percussion, and then a lead guitar break fades it out. The musicianship is stunning here, a real moment of the album.

Last song is 'Gyrocopter' with a great piano motif and bass and drum rhythm off sync beautifully. It breaks into a pitchy soaring lead guitar solo, and the bass is magnificent changing into a chaotic tempo. The lead guitar continues and it is joined by unusual instrumentation in a change in direction. The vocals are kind of phased like speaking through a megaphone about a gyrocopter "hot steel whirling" and "fiery engine gyro burning." It is so short I have to listen to it twice to gain fulfilment. What an incredible track and only 2 minutes 53 in length. That lead guitar is once again mind bending.

As soon as it is over I immediately want to hear the whole thing again. That's the marks of a masterpiece for me. I absolutely love every moment of this, and I can't bring myself to rate it less than 5 stars. It is everything I love about modern prog, strong melodies, amazing intricate time sig changes, shimmering Hammond, catchy guitar riffs, scorching lead breaks, pleasant melodic singing, thoughtful lyrics, throwbacks to the 70s, textures of dark and light and sheer full blown progressive creativity from start to finish. It is not often so many aspects of music are blended so perfectly. I can say that Riverside and Haken do it and now Sky Architect.

"Excavations of the Mind" is up there with the greatest 2010 albums without a doubt!

A review by Bonnek:

Exceptional debut from this young Dutch band. The music seems to come right from the classic era of Prog, but the approach and sound are very modern, striving for optimal effectiveness and not afraid to combine dazzling songwriting with catchy melodies.

The most fitting description for me would be Eclectic Prog, as the band shifts effortlessly from spacious Floydian melodies to jumpy technical passages that recall VDGG and Gentle Giant, often catching the listener off-guard and not afraid to put in some theatricality, Kletzmer folk melodies or rocking heaviness. But as mentioned, the sound is very modern, not dissimilar from Porcupine Tree or Demians.

As plenty of others have pointed out the compositional mastership is simply brilliant, so instead of trying to rephrase that thought in a lavish double paragraph, I'll spoil the fun by pointing out the one weakness I have found in this album. Luckily it's a point where the band can easily improve on with the next releases, but the weak link for me are the vocals; not the melodies as such, which are all very strong, but I lack some conviction and confidence in their delivery. I'm sure it's just some growing pains that will go away from performing this material live. Another point is that the English vocals are quite heavily accented and at times that diminishes my enjoyment, especially on the more theatrical spoken work moments.

Apart from one minor gripe this is a stunning album that every lover of classic prog should get their hands on right away. Recommended!

972

Grace For Drowning
Steven Wilson

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

Wilson's 5 star masterpiece has mesmirising musical beauty and a dark, chilling tale of desolation.

"Grace For Drowning" is a 2 CD magnum opus with an astonishing array of musicians, many of legendary status, and Steven Wilson is at his best in terms of compositions, musicality and overall concept. He is able to generate some of the most compelling music of his career, helped by special guest virtuosos and a cinematic symphony orchestra, and at the end of the album one is left with an overwhelming sense that they have heard something very special; transcending music itself it seems to creep into the system and you cannot get it out. I can never forget 'Index' for one track. This is an epiphany of Steven Wilson's career. Wilson stated in an interview that the album tried to capture the "spirit of psychedelia to create "journeys in sound" I guess you could call them. So without being retro, my album is a kind of homage to that spirit. There's everything from Morricone-esque film themes to choral music to piano ballads to a 23 minute progressive jazz-inspired piece" (gracefordrowning.com). Critics have mixed reviews, one stating that the work is an "emotional journey from sadness through anger to acceptance." On every level, this is a powerful conceptual album that will really impact a listener if they allow themselves to be drawn into this haunting tale of a man who goes off the deep end and drowns in his misery, turning him into a sociopath. Another interpretation, the one that I wish to adopt, is that the man experiences extreme loss and it drives him over the precipice where he becomes a sadistic remorseless killer; he has many names to match his multiple personas such as Black Dog, Collector, Raider, the Butcher. Or it could just be an allegory of a sociopath drowning in misery and manic depression, your move.

The videos that are available with the special edition are directed by master of the macabre Lasse Hoile who revels in twisted Gothic disturbia, such as Opeth or repellent videos for Katatonia, but the imagery on this CD package adds to the full sensory experience and seem to concur with the serial killer concept. We see images of Wilson in darkened shadows with a skull flashing on his visage; the cinema verite of the darker self. There are images of a man wandering a lonely beach, a burning bush, an owl flying in to the hands of a goat masked wraith, perhaps death personified, and a man crawling on his belly towards a creek, ropes bind the man and he metamorphosis into a dark creature, perhaps the moment when the protagonist loses his mind, then he buries a heart in the soil, which could be literal or a metaphor of the man burying his cold emotions. A striking image of dead arms lying in a forest, is followed by Wilson staring up into the sun through the trees. All the characters gathering at the amphitheatre is followed by death walking to a dead tree, and the man's face is in bandages with the words "did you arrive at the place that you came from?" appearing on it. In other videos, the most unsettling, we see Wilson seated in a catatonic state with mannequins, the collector at work, and there are images of spiders, insects, bugs, a ghoulish collection. The killer then chops the limbs off the mannequins and burns the remains, though we could take that to mean the killer is collecting real limbs and discarding the rest of the victim by immolation. Key flashed images of a girl clawing at a window, and then her hands bound, are the clincher, and most potent, a girl being dragged away screaming by an unseen assailant into the shadows. In any case, here is how I heard the music after several listens.

'Grace For Drowning' has very graceful piano by Jordan Rudess and gentle vocal intonation to start proceedings to this oeuvre. 'Sectarian' begins quietly with a steady beat, and reverb guitar phrases, and then locks into a strong rhythm helped by Nic France's percussion accents and the keyboard motifs of Steve Wilson. The atmosphere is esoteric augmented by choral vocals and sudden outbursts of key pads and loud guitar. The keyboard chimes are beautiful, played with virtuoso skill by Wilson and these are embellished by Theo Davis' exceptional soprano sax and mesmirising clarinet by Ben Castle.

'Deform To Form A Star' begins with dreamy piano by Rudess. Wilson finally begins to sing and his voice is as flowing and crystalline as usual; "I learn how to smile, horses shadows, rain on stone." It seems like a collection of happy memories and introduces the protagonist forcing smiles and remembering better times. It could almost be the disembodied thoughts of a suicide victim, "the way we recoil return to the soil." The concept will open up like a flower as the album progresses. There is more clarinet from Travis, and the bass is well executed by Tony Levin. At this point on the album a remarkable tranquil atmosphere has been created. It is unlike Porcupine Tree with its bursts of metal guitar, instead Wilson's solo material is emotionally charged and melancholy. The serenity really resonates with me and I am entranced by the spellbinding beauty of the clarinets playing off against Wilson's chiming keyboard melodies.

On 'No Part Of Me' the musicianship is incredible, featuring acoustics by Pat Mastelotto, U8 touch guitar by Markus Reuter, Warr guitar and bass by Trey Gunn, and to cap it off a stirring score by the London Session Orchestra, arranged and conducted by the legendary Dave Stewart. The lyrics are poetic beauty though hold a dark concept of the sociopath struggling to tread water; "I feel worn out, there's no point drinking, there when life slows right down, and holds you up above the waterline, so sleep will never come." There is a heavier section that follows with very low distortion, and this is augmented by a scintillating saxophone solo by Travis, perhaps one of the most powerful passages of music on the album.

'Postcard' follows, dominated by the gentle vocals of Wilson mixed to the front. The protagonist is still feeling miserable and trying to make sense of his life after losing his loved one and consequently the will to live; "I'm the one you always seem to read about, The fire inside my eyes has long gone out, There's nothing left for me to say or do, 'Cause all that matters disappeared when I lost you." The music swells to a melancholy choir by Synergy and soulful string by the London Session Orchestra. The composition is moving with mesmirising and beautiful, powerfully arranged orchestration.

The angelic choral vocals continue in the intro of 'Raider Prelude' and it is rather a haunting atmosphere, very dark with the low bass drones. 'Remainder The Black Dog' ends the first CD with a killer track and the longest at this point at 9 ½ minutes. The guitars on this are stunning and that is no surprise as the man behind them is the one and only Steve Hackett. Amazing to hear him on this album, and his presence makes a huge difference naturally. Multi instrumentalist Travis shines on woodwind playing flute, and clarinet, but he is especially exceptional here on sax. Soon the rhythm builds to a fast tempo and Hackett's brilliant guitar screams penetrate the wall of sound. There is an odd meter generated by Nick Beggs' bassline, and Nic France's drumming. This is a definitive moment on the album with stellar virtuosity and incredible emotional resonance.

CD 2 begins with 'Belle De Jour', with a nylon acoustic finger picking style from Wilson. The orchestra joins adding a lush atmosphere to the instrumental. The autoharp sounds angelic and the music reminded me of Pink Floyd. This is followed by 'Index', beginning with a low buzzsaw synth, and Wilson's estranged vocals. The story has developed now with the protagonist becoming obsessive compulsive and with dangerous intentions; "I'm a collector and I've always been misunderstood, I like the things that people always seem to overlook, I gather up and catalog it in a book I wrote, There's so much now that I forget if I don't make a note." The collector is becoming deranged in his thoughts though and taking his obsession one step further. I actually read somewhere that the song is about a serial killer who "collects" parts of his victims and keeps them as trophies and this makes sense, especially congruent with the video clip. The lyrics seem to point to this too "It isn't easy being me, it's kind of lonely work, my obligation to collecting is my only thirst." This is the thing that keeps him going but it seems he has regressed into the darkest recesses of human depravity. The 'index' of the title of course could mean that the collector is simply cataloguing his grim collection with an index of parts. It could also have the grim double meaning that one of his victims is about to have her index finger excised as part of this collection. Or have I seen too many serial killer movies? Think "Saw", "Se7en", or "Reanimator" for a start. This song can also easily be taken as a homage to collectors who hoard things others throw away, of which I am one of them, so this song was a little too close to home.

'Track One' features gorgeous acoustic and lead guitar tones like ribbons of gold adding to an atmosphere of solitude and desperate melancholy. This transition leads to the colossal jazz fusion piece.

'Raider II' is a 23 minute epic in the same vein as the 23 minutes of yesteryear that used to fill a whole side of vinyl. Wilson is clearly influenced by early King Crimson (he was working on the remaster of the album at the time). The musicians on this include Theo Travix on woodwind again, Jordan Rudess on piano and Mike Outram on guitar with Sand Snowman playing acoustic. All is accompanied by the amazing Synergy choir and of course Wilson's dexterity on instruments and vocals. The mammoth opus begins with low downbeat keyboard tones. A very sinister, ominous feel is created, as Wilson's phased vocals gently breathe out; "A fist will make you understand intention, to raise alarm is underhand, so I cut off the phone, I bind you up with tape and catch some TV." So the killer is now with his victim and awaiting the right moment to collect her parts. The song gets very creepy with King Crimson sax, as the serial killer is now at large and the police are on the hunt. Their search for the protagonist leads them to the scene of the crime and they conduct forensic investigation or autopsy and check "for fibres in the gaps between the teeth" and they are fingerprinting and dusting the whole area while the apartment is ransacked, "Check the fingerprints, go through the trash." Or is this the mind of the killer who is trying to reason out his obsessive cruel behaviour, "Maybe I just wanted some attention, Compulsion seeks its own way in rejection of the light", and he implies that he is about to end the life of his helpless victim in order to feed his insatiable fetish, "Every story needs to have an ending, we might as well give up all this pretending and clear the air." It is a terrifying notion but the album really transfixes with such lyrics and it is really open to interpretation.

Musically there is a lot going on. Mikael Akerfeldt enters the studio here and growls some incoherencies. The flute is Ian Anderson at his best, and that sax by Jaxon is Van der Graaf Generator back to form. Oh wait, I forgot this is Steve Wilson's album, got lost there for a moment in all this glorious music. Back to the story, is the whole thing in the protagonist's mind, is he fantasising, or is he really a sadistic killer? The lyrics are purposely vague and nothing is really given away as is the case with most Porcupine Tree material. The puzzle of the jigsaw can be solved piece by piece with the elaborate CD booklet, artwork, and videos of course. But I prefer to let the music do the explaining.

This chilling scenario is followed up by gorgeous flute from Theo Travis and organic swathes of keyboards envelop the rhythm of bass and drum. After a surge of electrifying musicianship, and a low groaning electrosynth noise, the track settles into an ethereal passage of eerie effects over grim silence. The choir is ghostly, reminding me of a Hammer horror movie from the 70s, and Rudess' piano is patient and unsettling. After a lengthy build up towards a disturbing conclusion, flute warbles with a very pretty melody, like a songbird breaking through the flames to escape. The stark vocals return and we barely hear; "A plague inside your home, I'm Raider, Defiling all you own, Raider". It seems that the killer is now finished his demented task and is warning us that we could be next. He is swallowed up in his own depressive delusional state and is indeed the "butcher and his prose". The music echoes the dark content with some sporadic dissonant sax blasts over an ascending staircase of guitar, keys and percussion clashes in 8 chords. The instruments compete wildly and suddenly go into an elongated frenzy to end this masterpiece. The chaotic effect defines insanity and the killers mind is collapsing; signified by a grinding effect. The soundscape is other worldly and alienating appropriately to echo the deranged mind of the protagonist. A piece of jazz guitar over a crawling bassline is followed by violining guitar swells to maintain a very creepy atmosphere at the end.

'Like Dust I Have Cleared From My Eye' is an acoustic ballad, and the lyrics continue to try and wrap this opus up with some sort of conclusion. The lyrics seem to point that the killer is awaiting capture which is inevitable; "it won't be long now, til they're reeling you in, the same situation, the same disappointment you bring, so I hope you're happy, with the impression you made." It is too late now to change anything and the man "in denial" is ultimately doomed. "You're lost to me, like dust I have cleared from my eye, your words have no meaning", implies that all is lost as far as the protagonist is concerned, but who is speaking here, the killer, the victim or other? In any case, the shimmering organ is wonderful, and it brings the album back to the beauty that it started with. There are fantastic harmonies on the repeated motif; "Breathe in now, breathe out now." Is this to remind the subject that life still goes on and we just have to keep breathing and go on despite the rejection or pain that comes? Has the whole thing been a dream or nightmare? Or is the killer now wracked in guilt by his atrocities? Perhaps all and neither, the music is the main drawcard on this album and it ends with some fine musicianship, mostly played by Wilson on this last track. The final passage of music is Pink Floyd type guitar and an ambient keyboard shimmering and then a spacey texture fading, like the protagonist's life, fading to dust.

Nothing more to say about after all this exhaustive analysing. Masterpiece sums it up.

A review by Conor Fynes:

Porcupine Tree frontman Steven Wilson has been one of the most celebrated figures in progressive rock of the past ten or twenty years. With his flagship band, his influence and impact goes without saying, but he has also made out with a number of side-projects and bands, largely in order for the man to explore different parts of his musical vision. Expanding his creativity onto a full- fledged solo career in 2008 with the 'debut' effort 'Insurgentes', Wilson met some fairly mixed criticism for this new work, with many stating their confusion for the challenging directions he was taking his music in. 'Grace For Drowning' is now the second full length album that Wilson has written, and it upholds this legacy of relative weirdness instituted by the first. Although fans of Porcupine Tree may have their doubts before listening, I have now digested the new album to the point where I can safely say that this is the greatest thing that Steven Wilson has ever done.

Much of the reason I think many didn't warm up to 'Insurgentes' was the fact that it was very un- Porcupine Tree-like; there were a handful of songs meant to lure the Porcupine fans in, but the album was meant to be a cross-section of everything Wilson was interested in expressing. That included noise music, drone, minimalism, improvisations, and virtually everything else the man has dabbled in lately. 'Grace For Drowning' continues this trend of multi-faceted music making, but it is much less a sequel than a reinvention of what he is trying to do with his solo music. This is a double album, with each 'half' comprised of forty minutes of music, and has enough guest musicians on it to man a military regiment. Wilson himself has even stated that this is the 'most important' thing he has ever done before. Like many likely did and even still do, I had the feeling that this hype generating was over little more than the fact that Mr. Wilson was releasing an album, and had little to do with the quality of the music itself. This man has never failed to impress me before though, and even after a single listen, I was pretty sure that this was the greatest Wilson record ever made; a bold statement coming from someone who considers Porcupine Tree to be one of his favourite bands. To explain this point, I will attempt to describe the music itself.

As I could have predicted for this project, here is a wide variety of different sounds at work here, but the ingenious thing here is how wonderfully that the elements have all been combined in order to create something coherent. The two halves of this double album contrast each other, but feel like different sides of the same coin. The second disc 'Like Dust I Have Cleared From My Eye' is a darker, more experimental evil twin of the first; 'Deform To Form A Star'. Both of these companion pieces open with an atmospheric instrumental introduction. The title track 'Grace For Drowning' opens the first disc, with Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess soulfully playing the piano while Wilson overdubs himself with harmonized vocalizations. By 'Sectarian', it is clear that this is not Porcupine Tree music; there are jazzy saxophone solos, King Crimson-esque dissonance, and eerie choir-like synths to create this truly progressive sound for fusion.

The first disc then focuses on some more conventional tracks, being the sort of sounds that Porcupine Tree fans are likely more used to hearing Wilson make. 'No Part Of Me' and 'Postcard' are both beautiful melody-oriented tracks, with the latter being arguably the greatest 'pop' song he has ever done; an acoustic number wrapped in melancholy, heartache, and all of the things you would think Wilson had abandoned completely only a few tracks earlier. Then, to close out the first part of this project, 'Remainder The Black Dog' transports the listener back to the weird instrumental anxiety that we first heard on 'Sectarian'. Of special note is that classic Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett plays acoustic guitar here, although his appearance here is sadly too small to be worth much more than a name-drop.

As I have said before, the second disc here is a little darker, taking us deeper into the rabbit hole and deeper into Wilson's mind. 'Belle De Jour' is a simple and eerie intro; a fitting overture for the disturbing material to come. It is a short piece of music that could do well to score a scene in a film, but it is quickly dwarfed by the nightmare that comes. 'Index' is one of my favourite tracks from this album, as well as undoubtedly the darkest thing this man has ever done. Putting his love and mastery of the studio to good work; he samples electronics and creates this very dark trip-hop soundscape , with a string section and disturbing lyrics to match. Think 'My Ashes' from Porcupine Tree's 'Fear Of A Blank Planet', if that song suffered from PTSD and could not afford trauma therapy. By this point in the second disc, the second half of Wilson's opus has proven itself to go places that the first was a little too timid for.

'Track One' is a track that- along with 'Remainder The Black Dog'- was chosen as a 'single' to support the album. While I would have imagined that 'Postcard' would have been the best way to once again lure unsuspecting listeners in, 'Track One' does do a good job of showing how the variety of styles on 'Grace For Drowning' contrast each other. The first moments of this song develop as a pretty straightforward, if not quirky acoustic song, much in the vein of some latter-era Beatles tunes. Without too much morning then, all sense breaks down and the listener is left with this looming mass of what I might describe as being symphonic noise; a sound as dirty and chaotic as any, yet meticulously orchestrated, and even musical.

After that relatively short piece comes what may be the most anticipated moment on the entire record. The 'long' song, the 'epic', the 'fusion freakout'; whatever you want to call it, 'Raider II' has been peaking listeners' interest even long before the album was even released. For what I was predicting would be the total antithesis of Porcupine Tree, I was not surprised that this is by far, the most challenging thing on the record. It begins with minimalism at heart; a very dark soundscape where the eerie atmosphere is created by the lack of sound, the silence in between the long, gloomy notes. 'Raider II' builds into something quite looming, and it seems that this is where Wilson found it most suitable to throw all of his ideas into one pot. Here, we have a flute solo a la Jethro Tull, and even a short-lived segment where it sounds like Wilson has either conjured Satan into his studio session, or is using... death growls? Admittedly, not all of these ideas are as brilliant as Wilson likely imagined them to be, but it's easy to overlook that when it's realized how risky Wilson is being by throwing out all of these ideas into his music. As was promised by press releases, 'Raider II' ultimately breaks into this frantic jazz fusion longform, where I am hearing a cross between the latest King Crimson project, The Mars Volta, and even Van Der Graaf Generator. Here, we are treated to some wonderful saxophone solo work, courtesy of Theo Travis. This is undoubtedly one of the most ambitious things Wilson has ever done, although I hate to say that for me, this is the lowest point of the album. That is not to say that 'Raider II' is not brilliant- because it is- but it does feel that some of the twenty-three minutes here could have been shortened and cut out, whereas I consider the rest of the album largely to be about as close to perfection as its going to get.

After such an exciting and intense journey with 'Raider II', we come to the end of our journey on 'Grace For Drowning' with 'Like Dust I Have Cleared From My Eye', yet another contrast that shows the album fade out with another song that could have closed any Porcupine Tree album beautifully since 'Signify'. It reminds me quite a bit of 'Glass Arm Shattering' from Porcupine's 'Deadwing' record in the way it is slow, brooding, full of feeling and hypnotic in the way it leads the listener out of the dream and back into reality. Of particular note here are Wilson's vocals, particularly when the harmonizes with himself to create this overdubbed choral effect. As the album's first run through ended for me, I sat motionless in utter admiration for a few minutes before I put it on again; even though there are quite a few songs here that are instantly enjoyable and accessible, 'Grace For Drowning' is one of the most challenging and deep records Steven Wilson has ever taken part in. As for which of these discs is better, it's really hard to decide. I could certainly say that 'Sectarian', 'Index', parts of 'Remainder The Black Dog', and parts of 'Raider II' would make up my most loved material on this album, but as a whole, it leaves an absolutely beautiful feeling in me. The first disc is certainly a little more immediate, and maybe sent a few more chills down my spine, but I cannot underrate the second volume of this work either. Although there has been some incredible music coming out lately, an album has not come out since 2009 that pulled me in and never let go. Although many albums that we consider 'classics' are now decades old, Wilson's 'Grace For Drowning' is one record that I am almost certain will be looked back at as one of the crowning prog rock albums of this decade.

973

Visions
Haken

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

Masterful prog that encapsulates on every listen.

Haken's 'Visions' is the followup to their 'Aquarius' masterpiece, and since then they have been busy, not only recording this triumphant release, but also touring the prog circuits around UK, headlining many prog bands

The musicians are all virtuoso including Richard Henshall, on guitar and who also plays keyboards and composes the tracks. The other guitarist Charlie Griffiths indulges in soaring lead solo work. He had been in the band Linear Sphere who supported Dream Theater and Cynic. The drummer Ray Hearne is excellent at keeping the time signature changes in sync with all the complex musicianship. Diego Tejeida is a maestro on piano and keyboards, who also composes, arranges, and engineers the sound of the band. Thomas MacLean is the bassist who is part of the rhythm machine of Hearne. Ross Jennings is the vocalist and is very audible with an impressive vocal range, at times aggressive, at other times melancholy. They are an impressive force making an impact on the prog community worldwide, and this album will cement their reputation as one of the most dynamic new prog bands of recent years.

The album is conceptual and I had no idea what it all meant until I read the lyrics in the booklet. The actual packaging of the album is well worth seeking out as it features vibrant art work that seems to be based around dreamlike imagery. The iconic mind's eye is everywhere, even on the CD itself, and is a key to the concept.in the book are some chilling art such as a three-eyed statuesque creature, a ghostly apparition following a man in a lonely deserted street, and a man with his hands tied facing a judge in a dilapidated court room. The art resembles some nightmarish apocalyptic vision, and may even be inside the head of the protagonist who is experiencing a hellish existence. The themes of paranoia, being hunted, hearing voices in the head, dark secrets revealed, and conspiracies are prevalent on the album.

'Visions' begins with the dynamic 'Premonition' and 2 minutes into it I am already impressed with the excellent metal riffing and swathes of keyboards. This is a very heavy track at first with a dark metal feel. Then the time sig changes into an odd metrical pattern, and a rather ethereal keyboard motif with spacey overtones is heard, like 'The X-Files'. I am reminded of Dream Theater immediately with the focus on melody and keyboard with applied guitar trade offs. The instrumental is a tremendous start to this album.

'Nocturnal Conspiracy', one of the mini epics, begins with howling wind and ominous atmospheric guitar. The vocals of Ross Jennings are clean and very well-performed. I must admit, unlike the debut 'Aquarius' album, this release does not feature any aggressive death metal vocals, and seems to concentrate on the type of vocal technique heard by James Labrie, Pain of Salvation or Riverside. Having said that, the music is still aggressive, particularly the distorted killer riffs of Richard Henshall and Charlie Griffiths. The melodic section toward the end has a melancholy feel and overall the music is majestic and flows seamlessly from one passage to the next. The lyrics are bold, declaring some kind of revelation of a dark secret, reminding me of either a clandestine Illuminati secret or some other furtive worldwide cult; 'I believe your conspiracy, when they're after me, for what I revealed will change your life.' The protagonist has seen through someone else's eyes an alternative reality, a terrible dark future, and it is a surreptitious conspiracy with monstrous consequences. He seems to want to relive the vision, to make it clearer and determine what it is all about, in an effort to decipher the images experienced. He will find out at the end of the album what the visions mean and he will not like it.

'Insomnia' is a very good track with some innovative structures and heavy-duty guitar blasts. The quirky computer game melody at 2:50 is humorous, reminding me of a Mario Nintendo game from the retro years. Then it locks into an odd time sig guitar riff and a fantastic trade off solo section with lead guitar and keyboards taking turns, similar to Dream Theater. The lead solo features speed sweeps, high string bends, and hammering to perfection. There is a dark atmosphere with low end chord changes and a very precise rhythm drives it along. The chorus is rather infectious; 'dying to get back to sleep again, I lie in my bed but I've seen the end, my days are numbered in death I discover insomnia.' It ends with massive orchestrated string sweeps. At this point in the album the concept of one seeing in a vision a terrible future and feeling helpless to prevent it is perhaps the overriding aspect.

'The Mind's Eye' continues this theme, the protagonist is lost inside someone's mind, while they sleep he experiences the vision; 'lost inside your mind, I am wide awake, nowhere else to hide, in the mind's eye I wait.' This track musically speaking has a powerful effective riff, and spacey keyboard swells. It is a very solid metal rocker, with melodic vocals. It seems more like a single, if any, from the album, quite short, structured more like a commercial radio song and it ends quite abruptly.

The instrumental 'Portals' to follow is a terrific progressive explosion of idiosyncratic guitars and keyboards. The drums are sporadic and keep a syncopated rhythm. It is a wonderful track with some inspirational keyboard soloing over the relentless metal chords. Definitely this is one of the best instrumentals I have heard in a long time. It features incredible fret melting lead guitar solos and detonates into powerful metal resonances. The band is irresistible when they are in full flight on these instrumentals.

This segues straight into 'Shapeshifter' seamlessly. The metal turns into familiar chugging textures, but the commanding vocals in the verse are filtered as though spoken through a megaphone. There is a strong melody with a pronounced chorus that stays with you after a few listens. The music is quite measured and slow with some outbreaks of prominent fast guitar chomping out unusual time sigs. The lyrics are eerie, drawing on imagery of a clandestine society where the protagonist sees his sister as almost unrecognizable, as she has shapeshifted. At this point I was pondering over the weird conspiracy of shape[&*!#]ing reptilians supposedly taking over various authority figures. People actually believe that reptilians are slowly taking over the human race and of course it is a conspiracy theory, similar to the themes on the album. A clue to the conspiracy is found in the lyrics; 'lost in a city where vampires are guarding the gates, and you vanish with no trace, warped and distorted my fear is escorted away, pleasure I mistake for pain, my demons and angels are playing a dangerous game, inside the vessels of my friends, I'm haunted by strangers they're craving a thirst for revenge.' It is apparent that the visionary thinks he has stumbled across images of a secret society that has malevolent purposes for the human race and the protagonist has toppled headlong over his head in depth onto something he simply cannot understand; a secret vision experienced in someone else's mind. The lyrics, 'one God to whom I seldom pray created the science you work in mysterious ways,' is an intriguing thought as it is speculated that perhaps it was the protagonist's sister that has turned away from God and is now reaping the rewards trapped in some satanic cult. It is certainly open to interpretation. Even at the end of the album these sections are creditable in the sense that many interpretations can be ascertained, each with equal validity.

'Deathless' is one of my favourite Haken tracks, a slow peaceful ballad at first with gentle piano and a sustained keyboard pad. Jennings' vocals are exquisite here, emotional and reflective. The lyrics are about the protagonist wanting death in order to escape and stop the pain of the vision he has experienced; 'to the afterlife I will never know, with a fixed blade knife held up to my throat, on immortality I will overdose, all this you can read in my suicide notes.' Despite the bleak content, the song has a mesmirising beauty, constantly remaining melancholy and serene. The music breaks from the straight forward 4/4 feel at 4:30 and there is an effective time sig with variations. The song is reminiscent of a quieter Pain of Salvation or Opeth track. The sadness conveyed in the music and lyrics is similar to anything from Pain of Salvation's 'Remedy Lane', focusing on suicide but according to the songs to follow, the protagonist does not go through with it.

'Visions' ends the album on a masterful epic 22 minute multi-movement suite of metal and symphonic textures. It is an amazing track to close on, taking up the same kind of element found on classic prog albums of the 70s with those tracks that took up an entire side of vinyl. The song begins with ethereal ominous keyboards and footstep effects. A spoken narration ponders on the thought of what is life but a dream within a dream. This idea has been tackled by poets of the past, the idea that we are not living but are simply inside someone else's dream. The lyrics continue this idea; 'as I see the way I die and I try to change it, I am running short of time, I'll just sit here waiting.' The protagonist is experiencing a kind of d'j' vu and wants to harness the power of having visions to see into the future. He is seeing how people around him will die but can he prevent it, or is he causing it? His vision begins to become real as he sees faces of people from the past that he has seen in the vision, 'stumbling across traces of my visions'. He sees his killer, he knows it is the same person he had seen in past visions and now he wants to take revenge, but will he be able to pull the trigger? I won't state what happens next but it ends on a satisfying note and a Twilight Zone like twist!.

The music is once again full of innovative rhythms and stunning solos. The keyboard shines 6 minutes in with awesome flourishes. The jazz feel at 7:30 is a nice touch, then it breaks into incredible lead breaks, and many time sig changes. There is even an Eastern Oriental sound with a mystical atmosphere. The music is captivating and resonates the type of changes going on in the protagonist's mind as he comes to terms with the climax of his visions. At 10 minutes, the next verse begins with a completely different time sig and overall style. It almost feels like a Twilight Zone episode, the music is strange and the lyrics focus on a man meeting up with a man he has seen in his recurring dreams that have haunted him for years. At 11:40 the effects of preternatural foreboding grinding sounds over a crunching metal riff are remarkable, and are perhaps the darkest point of the album. It finally breaks into a gentle clean acoustic ballad style for the next verse. Jennings' vocals are once again tender, 'this is the part where I wake up with blood on my hands, travelling back to where it all began.' I like the lead solo that follows, sounding similar to Dave Gilmour, soaring and emotive over a steady bass and drum rhythm with guitar picking. There are some great lead guitar hammer-ons in the next section and an odd vocal that keeps perfect sync with the off kilter time sig. This section will really stay with you long after the album ends, it has a hook that just locks into your brain with the ironic taunting lyrics; 'I bet you don't remember me'' The song eventually returns to the main motif finale and then ends on a majestic orchestrated section until a final violin and cello solo at the very end, closes on a very strong atmosphere. This is as good as prog gets!

On first listen the album delivered as well, if not better, as the first Haken album. This one is not as heavy but is nevertheless energetic and never fails to please. It features multitudes of instrumental sections always played virtuoso and some incredible metal riffs to appease any metal fan. The songs vary in time measure and cadence throughout with multifaceted shifts from dark to light and memorable melodies. On second listen, I was mesmerised by the enchanting storyline and drawn into the intricate conceptual framework. On third listen, it is like encountering an old friend, the melodies lock in and captivate on each track. I am still finding out more about the concept on each listen, but the main drawcard is the overall atmosphere. It is a triumphant album with emotion, power and solid gold innovation. It captivates from beginning to end and is definitely worth seeking out for those who not only like heavy prog, but also opaque music that has light textures, and lashings of dark, thought-provoking themes.

A review by Warthur:

Haken's second album, Visions, is something of an improvement over its predecessor, in part because it offers a more focused and cohesive sound which focuses on the band's strengths. I hear less of a power metal influence this time around, the band perhaps leaning a bit more on their proggy side after the positive reception they received from the progressive rock community. The overall sound reminds me a bit of a version of Dream Theater in which technical showboating is much less pronounced (and more subtle when it does occur) and which draws more influence (particularly in the keyboards) from neo-prog outfits - particularly groups at the heavier end of the neo-prog spectrum like Arena. At the end of the day I'm still not quite ready to embrace Haken as the saviours of prog metal, but this is certainly more of a keeper than the debut was.

974

To Shatter All Accord
Discipline

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

Discipline return with a towering masterpiece that is a quintessential listening experience.

The first thought for me while listening to this album is where the heck have these guys been hiding? This album contains a musical feast for the ears with some astonishing musicianship and even harks back to the classic sounds of Van der Graaf Generator, King Crimson and Yes. The album consists of 5 songs all with varying atmospheres and structures; from short to epic length. Matthew Parmenter is a very accomplished vocalist capturing an emotional resonance on each song. His keyboard work is exemplary especially the splashes of Hammond and swathes of mellotron. Jon Preston Bouda is excellent on guitars whether it be acoustic, rhythm or scorching lead breaks. Mathew Kennedy maintains a consistent pulsating bassline and the sporadic drumming of Paul Dzendzel is triumphant. Other instruments on the album are descants, saxophone sounds and violins.

The first track is 'Circuitry' that begins with a symbiosis of loud guitar riffs and wild sax sounds. I was immediately impressed with the transfixing power of the sound and Parmenter's vocals are as theatrical as Gabriel or Hammill. This was an excellent start and I was looking forward to hearing more.

On 'When the Walls are Down' the organ is a tremendous augmentation to the wall of sound. The dreamy sax using keys is a lonely sound until a crunching metal riff breaks the solitude. The vocals are an alto range following the melody and then a spacey glissando guitar is heard, similar to Hackett. The next riff is awesome and reminded me of early 70s alternative rock, particularly the riff of Toyah's 'Neon Womb'. There is a manic lead break heard over a cacophonous blast of music with all instruments turned up to 11. The intensity is jarring and there is no room for instruments to breathe exuding a type of musical ferocity.

'Dead City' begins with lead guitar swells and a polyphonic King Crimson 11/8 asymmetrical signature. The vocals are like vintage 70s psychedelic bands, and there is an infectious melody on the line "the city of the dead." Spacey textures abound and a Pink Floyd Gilmour like guitar solo follows. A radio controlled voice is heard as the sound grows powerfully. The dystopian city is given a voice as the music spins wildly out of control, chaotically bent out of rhythm until it is mercifully brought to a halt, capping off a sensational track.

'When She Dreams She Dreams In Colour" begins quietly with a minimalist piano and Parmenter is channelling Peter Hammil in his most contemplative reflective mood. The melody follows an odd time sig. this melody is highly memorable and will conclude with a repetitive chord structure that was the main thing I remembered after a break from hearing the album on first listen. As soon as that series of chords is heard on piano and later guitar it will jolt the memory. The serene peaceful atmosphere drifts on a wave of piano drawing the listener in deeper. The Hammill-esque vocals continue and then a sax sound adds a new colour to the tapestry. Interwoven in the music is the jazzy hi-hat cymbal tapping of Dzendzel. The piano plays in isolation for a while, joined by a clean melancholy guitar. The cymbal splash signifies the floodgates of sound are about to break open. The sound suddenly intensifies and a very dense and moody atmosphere ensues. It feels dark and ethereal as the violin begins to slice out the sounds of anguish and pain, like it is being tortured with knives. The violin is genuinely spine-chilling with its serrated cries of agony. Ominous guitar tones continue in a seductive hypnotic structure and cymbals splash accenting the next chord progression. A mellotron fills the soundscape that is evoking a sense of loss or regret. The haunting measured cadence is made all the more alarming when it suddenly cuts off after a cymbal splash. This was undoubtedly a mesmirising piece of music; a 7 minute coda that has genuine emotive power.

The last track is a colossal 24 minute multi movement suite in 10 sections, 'Rogue'. It begins with a lulling gentle acoustic picking guitar. Parmenter's vocals are multi tracked and sound jarring after hearing the extended music previously. The lyrical content is dark and brooding; "lest they smother you and break you in two." The inflections of darkness and light are apparent with a series of irregular time changes ranging from 7/8 to 4/4 and then to 3/4 and beyond. There is a vocoder effect on some vocals providing a psychedelic effect. The Hammond organ begins a staccato embellishment and then the signature spirals wildly out of control. The tension and release of the music is astonishing. A piano returns with a guitar and crystalline high octave vocals. A new shift in meter begins as a spacey string pad mellotron chimes in. As you drift along on this wave of ambience suddenly the time sig transforms again throws you off, as Bouda's guitar rocks hard. It feels more like Dream Theater or Riverside at this stage. Just as you lock into this groove, the time sig changes again and there are loud screaming wails generating a disconcerting apprehensive emotion. The music draws you in deeper down an abyss of sonic resonances and then you hit the bottom as the guitars are amped up with a Hammond organ grinding out a 70s vibe. Bouda's lead break is exceptional with uplifting soaring string bends and sweeps. A fractured two note crash down signifies a new change and Parmenter's vocals return "every memory scar and fantasy leads me back should I stray, and on and on." The concept of the song follows the adventures of a shipbound crew on the ocean encountering horrific sights and siren like creatures, or is it simply a metaphor for losing your way and searching for peace? You can make your own mind up. A church organ and angular lead guitar fire up and draw this epic to a satisfying musical conclusion.

At the end of Discipline's latest release I was left quite overcome by the intensity of the music. The band generate very organic music; at times technical and daring, but always inventive and unified. The massive epic may become one of the all time great epics along the lines of classic 70s prog or the more recent work of prog metal artists. The prolific fusion of symphonic tones and heavy guitars is an amalgamation that works and the band are able to move from mesmirising beauty to a cacophonic ferocity with alarming technical precision. This is one of the best albums of 2011 and is certainly making an indelible impression in the prog community, and will continue to do so as the band become discovered for the awesome music they generate. 'To Shatter All Accord' is an enthralling album with 5 tracks of immeasurable quality.

A review by Warthur:

Matthew Parmenter did a decent job keeping the Discipline sound alive on his two solo albums, but it's still incredibly gratifying to see the band back together and sounding like they'd never been away. Some of the material on To Shatter All Accord was already fully developed back in the band's last rise to prominence in the 1990s, with Circuitry and the wonderfully megalomaniacal When the Walls Are Down having appeared on live shows from that era, as did the coda to When She Dreams She Dreams In Colour, whilst Dead City, Rogue, and the bulk of When She Dreams... seem to be shiny and new.

The structure of the album seems to be a balance between the shorter and more succinct pieces of Push and Profit (in the first three tracks) and the longer workouts of Unfolded Like Staircase (as represented by the final two tracks), though the seamless transition between Circuity and When the Walls are Down blurs the boundaries between those two songs somewhat, and on the whole all the best features of those albums are present here. Once again, Discipline prove themselves to be absolute masters at establishing atmosphere and striking the precise emotional chord they are going for. I don't mind that some of the material on here can already be heard on live albums from the earlier era of the band, because I think the inclusion of that material helps the album succeed at seeming like a natural followup to Unfolded Like Staircase, rather than the sort of reunion album where it feels like there's an abrupt discontinuity between where the band left off and the sort of material they play when they get back together.

In fact, it's one of the best reunion albums I've ever heard - much like Van der Graaf Generator's Godbluff, the fact that the main songwriter of the band was keeping the approach alive in his solo albums pays substantial dividends. Highly recommended.

975

War and Peace and Other Stories
Sean Filkins

A review by Conor Fynes:

Best known for his vocal duties with the modern prog rock band Big Big Train, Sean Filkins has decided to go and make music under his given name. While I have not yet listened to the music of that band, I would trust the numerous accolades I've heard given to the band; suffice to say, Big Big Train tickled the fancy of many of prog listener, especially with their latest record 'The Underfall Yard'. Being that I am not yet a fan of his previous flagship project, I approached his debut solo record without any preconceived notion of what the music will be like, besides the fact that it would likely fall under the prog category. As one could even derive from the track lengths of 'War & Peace And Other Stories' alone, Sean Filkins has certainly made a vast undertaking with this album, and sought to go out and compose a masterpiece. While the music here is generally great though, there is the feeling that things may have been stretched out a little too far for its own good here.

Of course, progressive rock is meant to be overindulgent; the music is generally bombastic, and intentionally takes more steps than are necessary to make a point. In Sean Filkins' case, his excellence as an artist is evident here, although I do think that he may have been a little too deadset on composing 'epics' here, when the music may have done alot better in a more conventional format. This is not to bash the man's songwriting abilities however; the music throughout is warm, leaning towards a symphonic sound, but rocking and ultimately tasteful. It just remains ironic that for an album that bases itself around not one, but two epic suites of music, that the two songs that have the most resonance with me are the two shorter songs, 'The English Eccentric' and 'Learn How To Learn'.

Disregarding a fairly typical introductory track for a prog album that consists of some rather domestic soundscaping, 'the first of the mentioned tracks breaks out into a fairly strong keyboard and heavy guitar riff, and then into a more symphonic sound that's indicative of the longer pieces here. The instrumentation here is fairly well done, although typical for the prog style that Filkins plays. The real delight in the sound- as someone would expect of a singer's solo project- are the vocals though; while Filkins' skill on the instruments is not particularly outstanding save for some great guitar solos here and there, its his vocals that really stay with me. His vocals remind me of Peter Gabriel's, or Mark Trueack of Unitopia's for the sake of a modern comparison, and his grasp of melody is great. The chorus of 'The English Eccentric' is beautiful, and a really mellow contrast to the sort of hard rock that the album introduces itself as.

As for the epics here, 'Prisoner Of Consicence' is a great epic that naturally grows after a few listens, but it does feel as if Sean Filkins concentrates a little too much on instrumental passages rather than where his real strengths lie; being with the vocals and melodies. Like the second epic 'Epitaph For A Mariner' though, it feels like these epics are drawn out for the sake of being longer, when they could have made a more profound statement were they cut down. The first segment of 'Mariner' is the biggest offender, verging on symphonic ambient music, which is ear candy by all measures, but wears thin a while before it's over. Filkins' lyrical topics are often narrative and- as indicated by the album's extended title- it does feel like the man is using his music to tell stories, and this helps balance out the album's flaws, and only intensify the moments of strength here.

Sean Filkins is by all means a talented man, and one of the best vocalists in the more orthodox prog rock scene. For the skills and promise I hear evidently in the music that 'War And Peace & Other Short Stories' delivers though, I can hopefully see the man trimming a little fat off of the bones of his work, and creating something a little more to-the-point, and powerful. This is not to say that the man should disregard his obvious penchant for epic writing completely, but as far as his solo work goes, the man's talent is most readily demonstrated when he lets his voice do the talking.

976

A Tower Of Silence
Anubis

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

A towering symphonic journey of compelling concepts.

Anubis have a commanding sound with swathes of synths and electrifying guitars. Hailing from Australia, not renowned for its prog output, the band fly the flag with admirable virtuosity proving that excellent prog does not necessarily have to come from UK, USA, Italy or other far off places. The music deviates from spell binding synth soaked ambience to heavy crunching guitars. At times there are complex time signatures and at other times the melody dominates with a simple chord progression. Anubis create soundscapes of poignant themes and glorious lengthy instrumental breaks. There is a tension of light and dark with shades of light and dark using a variation of styles that range from symphonic to Neo Prog. The actual concept according to the band's website is based on the "Earthbound spirit of an 11 year old pauper's daughter, lost within the walls of the Victorian poor asylum in which she lived and died, and how she became trapped there" and is now in limbo crying out for release. Interestingly enough I never interpreted it as such but it certainly holds interest as a compelling tale of someone attempting to escape entrapment. The tale is akin to Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Cask of Amontillado' where the villain entombs his nemesis in stone walls brick by brick in a tower, thus silencing his jibes once and for all. The album cover depicts an object trapped in time, a stop watch floats in an orb discarded on a desolate landscape. The vibrant blue is a striking design evoking pure images on a crystalline palette. The gatefold has a vibrant design of sparks trailing to a darkened sky. The booklet is adorned with a closeup of the clock, and inside are the lyrics. The CD also has an enigmatic clock design tying in with the theme of time standing still.

'The Passing Bell' is such a majestic piece of music, a 17 minute epic, wiith magnificent structures, odd time sigs, and organic flowing music encompassing many emotional resonances. I particularly like the way the song shifts into several pentatonic sigs, notably the guitar riff. The searing lead break over shimmering Hammond and pounding drums of war round off the dramatic epic feel. Pink Floyd springs to mind at times in terms of style. The vocals are replete with questions to invoke consideration; "Where is he who can't be found, where is she who calls me fear, who are you to call me here." The ambience of sustained keys and spacey effects is a mesmirising soundscape that will pervade throughout the album. There is a sudden sig change and intense vocals; "I'm feeling no connection to those who cage me here, I'm feeling no protection from the words I hear." The earthbound spirit is now calling out for redemption from the corruptible but immortal state, reaching out an unlineal hand as it were to no avail. A bell tolls with sweet synth tones leading to the next section. Ambience permeates the atmosphere, as gentle piano continues to the next verse; "I wish I could stay by your side again." The concept of searching for spiritual enlightenment appears to be the main focus, but once one knows the main premise it is actually the cries of a spirit who desires the things once enjoyed; "I wish I could pray again". She may have lost faith due to the terrible things she has had to endure, but she is searching for assurance that what she once believed is the truth; the things we may take for granted are now foremost on her mind as she is helpless to sense and to touch and to feel, well at least that is my take on it. The drums and vocals at the end are portentous of impending doom, or it could be a gateway to a new enlightenment. This is perhaps the best song on the album with some of the most inspired riffing and expressive playing by all concerned and especially the expressive vocals of Robert James Moulding.

This moves seamlessly into 'Archway of Tears' with delightful acoustic twin work virtuoso musicianship of Douglas Skene and Dean Bennison. The lyrics continue the darker themes; "evil woman with dark stare, said I was the cause of this, I lay upon the covered floor, as the tears stream down my face, I shiver from the cold night's breath, whispering my name". The vocals are clear and have a passionate and vibrant tone. This song is more like the Neo Prog of Pendragon, IQ or Arena. The acoustic phrases and mellotrons work beautifully with each other. The echoes of heavy steps at the end are foreboding perhaps signifying someone leaving the archway, escaping the tragedy that has befallen them metaphorically.

The melody is strong with 'This Final Resting Place' and I am particularly taken with the everpresent sparkling organ played by David Eaton. It is a dynamic sound from Anubis that is generated using layered multi tracking and very powerful keyboards and guitar. The glockenspiel is a nice touch and this song is one of the more reflective tracks about death. 'A Tower of Silence' is a slow melancholy piece with some potent lyrics about the tragedy of death and the spirit looks out of her silent tower envying the living humans; "lives that change, feel so light, bright, white". The lead guitar builds into the instrumental over some gorgeous organ and the percussion embellishments of Moulding. The song changes with acoustic picking and synth layers. The lyrics may be interpreted as dealing with grief and how time heals the pain; "in time you'll see, no time to grieve." The lead break that follows is vibrant with high string bends and strong sustain. The musicianship enhances the mood of sadness and reflections of a spirit who is trapped in a sepulchral tomb not able to experience the human senses; "I cannot see, I cannot breathe, I cannot feel my love." A simply haunting song that grows on you with every listen.

'Weeping Silence' is a shorter song that has beautiful music and soft harmonies; "who would bring me to this place and never show their face, they beat me to believe and push me on my knees." This track has a nice melody especially when the vocals sing; "I remain alone and faithful misguided by angels." The thunder and storm effects lead to the ominous drone of 'And I Wait for my World to End'. A spacey sound is punctuated by driving lead guitar riffage and a pulsing bassline by Nick Antoinette. The time sig is odd and especially the percussion sparks with vitality. The melody is memorable and it has a fantastic bridge with heavy distortion and Moulding's vocals sound like Roger Waters at his most manic. The ascending chord changes have a dark feel as it builds to an outbreak of more grinding organ leading to the chorus.

'The Holy Innocent' is a measured metrical shift with a steady rhythm. The lyrics are the protagonist crying out, desperately pleading; "I want to hear your voice calling out my name, with your words I'm paralysed, I need to hear them all the same." The piano motif is lovely and imposing lead guitar swells create an atmosphere of melancholia. The music sounds like Porcupine Tree or the style of IQ in places. The protagonist declares; "I live inside this cage." Escape seems impossible and it appears that she is eternally entombed; "And this dream I dream it has no sound as I lay still beneath the ground." The song ends with an incredible saxophone solo, as good as Dick Parry or Jaxon. It really lifts the music to another level and, as icing on the cake, makes this one of the classic songs on the album that should be heard by anyone who enjoys virtuoso prog. The way the song fades out with scorching sax and keyboard pads is similar to Pink Floyd's 'Money'. The clock ticking further cements this impression of sounding like "Dark Side of the Moon" in places.

A tolling piano note opens 'All That Is', a three part multi movement suite. It features in the first section 'Light of Change' mellotron dominating until heavier guitar riffs come in, and sporadic drumming. The verses include chiming keys, aggressive drums and reflective vocals; "I scale these walls that I can't see, they make no sound, they whisper to me, rescue me, from within". The way the quivering Hammond organ sound grinds in always is an effective augmentation, and there is a dreamy synth passage leading to the second section, 'The Limbo of Infants'. The cadence picks up, and the vocals are more urgent; "you and I will never know we lost that chance some time ago." Another lead break resounds with spacey textures and we are into the last section with 'Endless Opportunity'. There are choral intonations and the layered music fades out as the choral section is mixed to the front. At this point we can hear the harmonies, soaring and spiritually edifying. It sounds as if the angels have arrived and finally released the entombed spirit, well I like a happy ending so I am sticking to that.

At the end of the album there is a lasting impression that we have heard some accomplished musicianship with powerful conceptual themes. There are parts of this album that feature incredibly proficient musicianship. It washes over the listener evoking reflective thoughts and spiritual guidance. The lyrics focus on finding answers and are typically obscure enough for one to make up their own minds as to what the themes are conveying. It is certainly one of the better Neo prog albums with strong symphonic nuances throughout, especially coming from Australia, and I am so glad I was priveliged to hear such a wonderful concept album from Anubis.

977

Snowtorch
Phideaux

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

Phideaux have created a cacophony of eargasmic soundscapes, designed for a captivating headphone experience.

I officially announce my conversion to Phideaux. After being absolutely blown away by the brilliant "Doomsday Afternoon", I was very keen to get hold of the latest Phideaux This eighth journey into prog excess is a triumph of controlled instrumental prowess. There is a strong concentration of piano running like a thread through the dense layers of music. Interwoven within the tapestry are powerful lyrics that are open to interpretation. The music takes the listener on a journey with sweeping synth washes and the poetic beauty of ambient violins. The lengthy epics that house the album are wonderfully crafted with felicitous time sig changes and some extraordinary instrumentation. The album becomes an absorbing work of beauty that has the power to transport one to other places, moving through a myriad of emotional twists and turns.

The lyrics are powerful and moving on Snowtorch Part One, with vocals interjecting over the music immediately;"Star of light, see what you gave, you cheated away the core, dark night edge of a blade, as we tap the grave of the wax figurines, ice melts upsets the sea, submit follow me, walk with me now in the sunlight, daylight down with the night, invincible light are you back with us now, source of all reason, I come alive finally I cry, and it's me I have arrived...." This could be about a protagonist who is searching for an answer to the chaos in life, the despair that he feels is due to the disappointments that have plagued him but around the corner is the light at the end of the darkness, things will get better. It is open to interpretation. He questions nature itself, "is it the tree that I wanted to climb" and his senses drive on for all he can see.

Then the time sig changes with the strong synth melody is excellent with nice keyboard swells too. I really love this first track. The lyrics continue to disperse mystical imagery and enchanting words weave a spell of compelling words;"Are you dusty, my figurehead friends, what's it feel like to come to the end..." The protagonist is questioning his existence, people are like wax figures to him, no soul and no emotion, the disillusion of life's tragedies has emptied the man of emotion and filled him with regret. He continues, "From your glasshouse can you see what you set, are you listening to the things that they said, in your diary, the book of the dead". Perhaps the diary, the words written therein are all dead and gone now that he is moving on to a new life, leaving behind the pain of the past. The glasshouse is his life open for all to see, his life as an open book, and there is nowhere to hide so he must reinvent himself, to live again after all that has occurred to mar his existence. I must admit that the feel of the track is like vintage Van der Graaf Generator and I am delighted that this is so. The retro feel of the instrumentation is wonderful especially that Hammond sound and off kilter rhythmic metrical pattern.

The flute section feels happier but there is an ominous lead guitar threatening to dominate and swallow the peaceful feelings. The twin flutes merge together and dance merrily along with cloudbursts of drums and chiming synths. A minimalist piano brings the mood down till the female vocals come in with enchanting lyrics, "I bring to you the words you threw into my face once before, I'm only here to spread some fear, I need you to know you will die." Here the female is expressing how she feels about the angry words that were in the air during their torrid relationship. The male answers "I know what you need", but the lady sings that she promises she will "purge all the words left inside". This section really sounds like Ayreon the way the male and female vocals trade off. The mood becomes intense but then the tension is released with the lonely piano and bright synths. Both male and female vocals harmonise that they are entwined. The song changes feel then with a very pronounced piano forte passage. The staccato piano is joined by ambient passages of synths and a tirade of fast tempo hi hat cymbals and low buzzing synths. The piano section is reminiscent of classic Emerson, and a delightful keyboard break to enhance the mood. Xavier sounds excellent on the vocals; "When is a fox not a fox when he hides in the rocks," and, "how can you count the amount of the mountain that sprouts if you're not there when it comes out." All these words and phrases contain a plethora of rhyming words, alliteration and assonance. We have heard how words are important to the main theme of the album, and perhaps in these phrases we are seeing how words can be used as nonsense phrases, the rhyming showing the uselessness of words, perhaps words are futile once a relationship has burned out.

There is a masterful piano section that is heavy handed like Emerson at his most vicious. When the violins and woodwind section blazes away the song has completely become a majestic work of art. Words are literally replaced with vocal sounds and high-spirited music when the band go into full flight. The lengthy instrumental is incredibly progressive and there is even an indelible saxophone that blasts out benign notes. The saxophone epitomises the ultimate accompaniment to the wall of sound that has been built over the foundation of electric piano.

After a spacey interlude, a guitar break intervenes, dominating and forcing its way through the thick cloud of keyboards. The opening track is ineffaceable masterful prog at its best, multi instrumental and very provocative, moving in textural shades of many moods and making an impact on the listener due to the virtuoso playing and reflective lyrics.

Helix begins with a delightful Hammond, sad violins and some ascending guitar chords. The beauty of the soundscape is augmented by Enya like echoed vocals and then an absolutely enchanting vocal performance from Valerie's crystal clear intonation. She pleads with a soulful melodic tone; "so tell me how to lose the regret, the glass is more than half empty yet, salvation in one last cigarette, I might want to forget or get lost in the rush of distraction at last." The lyrics are about stepping towards finding the hope amongst regretful feelings, finding a moment of trust. She explains, "Maybe this is a test to get off from the sloth and face what I've seen, for the kill that is coming for me," and she comes to the conclusion that "all heroes are false" perhaps because she is over those who she has put her trust in, and now has learnt the hard lesson that nobody can be trusted when it comes to love. The track moves into an elegant piano driven sound, and builds gradually with the vocals that become stronger with some spacey effects, and high pitched squeals on guitar and synths. There are washes of sound like waves washing up on a beach that are very effective. The time changes are pronounced and it ends with quite a joyful section of multi layered keyboards until the lone piano finishes it off with the main motif. Sandwiched between the two sprawling epics, Helix is a short track but an effective one thanks to the emotive vibrant performances.

The next track is Snowtorch Part Two, another lengthy epic track with a focus on instrumental breaks and introspective or reflective lyrics. Once again the track is a tour de force of virtuosic musical finesse. The musical interludes are a high wire act of inventiveness and creative inspiration. The sporadic percussion section and weird effects add a sense of controlled chaos and there are notable acoustic guitar chords creating some impressive atmospheric vibes. This track is very different to the rest of the album, as is every track for that matter. There is a heavy guitar riff that cranks out with some excellent keyboards and pounding drums. Eventually the music breaks out into a heavier guitar hook, with fabulous Hammond-ish hammer blows. Phideaux's music commands attention and once it grabs you, it is virtually impossible not to be moved by the quintessence of the music generated. After three or four time sig changes the music locks into a crunching riff that never ceases to impress me.

The jaunty riff is broken with a piano until the spine tingling female vocals come in. There is a spiritually uplifting feeling embodied in the music, laced with some of the more poignant lyrics I have heard on a prog album, sung with a degree of venom, perhaps instigated by hurt feelings; "Nothing to say, has the cat got his tongue, and then he lost his balls, what if I said that he might not be dead in the head but instead, he's over me." There seems to be a thread of hope in her words but she is coming to terms with her jilted lover who has moved on. The missing beat in the next section is typical of a prog song and it works beautifully. The way the music builds in this section is inspirational. She continues in this vein in one of my favourite melodic sections; "I'll bet you probably want to stay away from all the things you found, cos it's bound to drag you down, it takes you further from home, try to crush your doubts, there's so damned many now, what will it take to erase the mistakes from the day when the fox threw it all away." The regrets of wrong words that have been said are overwhelming and yet it's impossible to erase the memories and the words. There is anger in the words but yet relief that the pain is ceasing, only to produce a new level of pain; the pain of loss.

The next section is a quick tempo rhythm and some folkish vocalisations. Then it settles into a slower melancholy style with Xavier's vocals that are more like Pink Floyd at this stage; "Isolate and take what you get, I don't want to know, say it's not so, out on my own, I'm bleeding uncertainty, it's a long way home, a long way home again, a long way, a long way alone, ice, nice, it gets you so cold, but you don't even know what feelings you've folded in again" . Perhaps this section is voicing the isolation that one feels when a relationship is broken, when one feels locked up in their own fortress of solitude. He knows it's not easy and all he can eat from these bones, the framework of a broken fractured relationship. The fractured time sig echoes these feelings. The ice cold sensations of seclusion are strong and there is no way of overcoming these feelings without allowing one to question the madness, the uncertainties of mixed confused emotions. "These words, these beautiful beautiful vowels" , continues the warm female vocals as she is perhaps reminiscing over the words of relationships, it could be symbolic of a bond made and broken to be replaced by the emptiness of a wordless world, devoid of familiar sounds when one has departed forever. The silence that hangs in the air is one of the most unnerving things to cope with when a loved one has gone. The words are swallowed in stark cold emptiness. The isolated piano echoes the sentiment. The piece really grew on me and I found myself more and more drawn into the meaning which is still rather vague and could be interpreted in a myriad of ways. The emphasis on vowels, poetic rhymes and assonance is astonishing. Though it is the music itself that resonates a high emotional response and the melodies are solid, with some ferocious playing by Xavier on keyboards.

The last track is a prog jig. Full of revelry and exuberant voices, it sounds as though it was recorded at a celebratory festival. The melody is virtually a revamped motif of Helix though there is more emphasis on Irish violin sounds. The crowd are heard whooping and hollering as the violins slice away the canto conjuring up images of Riverdance ladies in swirling skirts tripping the light fantastic. It works as an appropriate ending after all the intense complexity of previous tracks. The light hearted nature of the jig plays off as a stark contrast to the usual Phideaux works. It ends the album of a joyful note, washing away the darkness of impassioned feelings poured out before it.

In conclusion this short album, abounding with bursts of innovative prog, will no doubt be valued highly as one of the albums of 2011. In days where prog is being reinvented into nothing more than alternative rock, it is refreshing to find an artist who refuses to commercialise his music, instead holding on tightly to the very essence of all that made classic prog great, with shades of Van der Graaf Generator, Pink Floyd, Genesis and ELP. The lengthy audaciously complex instrumentals, accompanied by slabs of progtastic lyrics, make this one of the best examples of symphonic prog in recent years. On first listen I was prepared for a 4 star rating, but having heard it many times the music has actually embedded itself into my conscious and stamped an indelible impression on me. The album is wildly inventive and brimming over with a cacophony of eargasmic soundscapes, designed for a captivating headphone experience. There is no point comparing this with other albums, as it stands alone as a monumental 5 star Masterpiece.

978

La Coscienza di Zeno
La Coscienza di Zeno

A review by Finnforest:

The members of the RPI team listen to a lot of Italian bands as we do reviews and evaluations, and for whatever reason my initial reaction to La Coscienza di Zeno's debut album was very similar to my team mate Chris (who wrote the first review and the biography for ProgArchives). Like Chris I was not blown away by CDZ upon first listen for some reason, it took some time, but when it grabbed me I was hooked. CDZ are one of the latest superb RPI releases by Mellow Records and this is a band which should have some staying power. With a powerful presence, dramatic material, and tight musicianship, their modern symphonic prog can at times conjure Pandora, VIII Strada, Banco, Genesis, or even Phideaux'.not all at once of course. More than anything there is a strong influence of the classic RPI bands handsomely updated with elegant, powerful sound and intriguing songwriting.

The seven beefy tracks are amazingly consistent in their quality, the sound primarily an energetic and confident heavy symphonic bolstered by sections that can feel jazzy or pastoral. The moods are balanced between dark, light, but all are passionate. All of the musicians are totally going for it here, there is no coasting or pointless noodling happening. Focused, tight, pretty intense, and definitely the product of many hours of collaboration between great players. Surprisingly a good amount of the album is instrumental and yet it engages with slightly avant-garde moments, some spoken word interlude, strings, romantic piano, organ, flute, and accordion. When the vocals do kick in they are very good and very Italian, dramatic, theatrical, and occasionally this guy goes way up there like Gillan or the New Trolls vocalist. And he nails those registers with no problem. I am captivated by the sweeping twists and turns, the heartfelt, soaring emotions, and the transitions from one interesting, lovely section to another. Even some dissonance and non-linear surprises here and there, but mostly just knockout, exceptional Italian prog.

The bottom line on CDZ is that they will knock RPI fans on their ass and leave giddy most any fans of quality progressive rock. They sound more authentic and confident than many of the so called 'retro' bands out there, and the music is a pure delight. I expect CDZ to grace some end of year RPI lists with Gran Turismo Veloce and Hostsonaten. It will certainly be near the top of my list and is an easy 4 stars without hesitation, maybe a bit north of 4. Just remember not to judge it on the first spin, trust me, it grows on you. A damn fine debut.

979

A Dramatic Turn Of Events
Dream Theater

A review by Conor Fynes:

Love them or hate them, Dream Theater have been one of the most influential, and successful bands in modern progressive rock. On top of laying the groundwork style for every other progressive metal band out there today, this band has been the centre of constant debate between people that virtually worship them for their virtuosity as musicians and talent, and others that condemn them for what they perceive as needless showmanship at the sacrifice of real substance. Chances are that coming onto this review, you may already have a potentially strong opinion about Dream Theater, and what they are all about. For me, this was a band that- along with other legends like Rush and Led Zeppelin- got me big into music when I was first beginning to explore beyond what my parents showed me. Their classic albums 'Images & Words' and 'Scenes From A Memory' have had an indelible impact on my development as a musician and listener, and I've loved a fair bit of what they have done since then. Admittedly, I found myself a little weary of Dream Theater's indulgent style around the time that the band's 2011 single 'On The Backs Of Angels' was announced, but all the same I went into listening to it, and was immediately impressed. The appropriately titled 'A Dramatic Turn Of Events' has been met with a great deal of anticipation from alot of people, first considering that it is a Dream Theater album, but also because this is the first album that their lifelong drummer Mike Portnoy does not appear on, after being given the boot by the rest of the band. With one of their founding members gone, it was natural to expect that his departure- and the arrival of Annihilator drummer and Dream Theater newbie Mike Mangini- to have an impact on the band's direction. Portnoy was the one that pushed for Dream Theater to have a heavier sound, so I had been expecting a more progressive edge this time around, and that is exactly what 'A Dramatic Turn Of Events' is about; the same proggy excellence that first got me into them. While I can imagine the legions of detractors using the seemingly unchanged sound of the band against them, I for one have been greatly satisfied by this new batch of band material, and even with one of their vital organs missing, Dream Theater is far from dead.

As was the case with the past two albums of Dream Theater, sitting down to give my first listen to the material was a very important, almost somewhat spiritual experience, especially considering that I believed only a few months before that Dream Theater was all but dead. Both fans and haters should know that there is very little that will surprise them here necessarily, but the music here is easily distinguishable from other albums, especially what they have done more recently. While I did love 'Systematic Chaos' and 'Black Clouds & Silver Linings', the removal of the contrived heaviness and Gothic darkness that Dream Theater unsuccessfully tried to evoke on previous records is a refreshing change. Dream Theater are still definitely a progressive metal band, but of that formula, the emphasis here is on that of the 'progressive', rather than the thrashy Metallica, or pseudo-death metal that Mike Portnoy kept thinking was a pretty cool and hip thing for Dream Theater to do. Besides that, this is a Dream Theater album, complete with cheesy album artwork, epic songs, virtuosic musicianship, and the apparent effort to see how much of a CD's space can be used up without making it a double album.

After my first listen to 'A Dramatic Turn Of Events', I was silent for a few minutes, trying to figure out what I thought of it. This was Dream Theater alright, but I wasn't exactly sure whether I liked it or not. Although my general impression of the album has vastly increased since first listen to this album, some of the things I noticed on first listen have stuck with me. First off, the instrumental sections here no longer have the needless sense to them, and as far as the 'technical' elements of Dream Theater go, this may be the best I've ever heard them. With the handful of longer, ten minute plus tracks, each goes into some sort of departure from the regular songwriting in order to blow the listeners away with the talents of each member. Keyboardist Jordan Rudess really shines here, and I find myself replaying these instrumental parts. What I used to consider 'noodling' from these guys doesn't sound too different on first impression, but the band has put a much greater sense of complexity here into the instrumentals that I haven't quite heard from the band before. Suffice to say, haters of Dream Theater will probably still hate Dream Theater for these instrumental 'battles', but for someone who has loved them for almost a decade, the technical instrumentation here has never sounded more thoughtful. 'Bridges In The Sky', and the album's epic highlight 'Breaking All Illusions' both have the go-to elements of this.

The other aspect of this album is the melodic, songwriting side. I was never anything short of impressed by the familiar talent and skill exerted on the instrumental side of Dream Theater's material here, but as far as the songwriting went, 'A Dramatic Turn Of Events' took a few listens to warm up to me. This is largely because half of these songs are quite long and complex. 'On The Backs Of Angels' is the most instantly memorable track here, although there is much better to hear on the album. 'This Is The Life' is a brilliant mid-tempo prog rocker in a somewhat mellow vein, with a gorgeous chorus to boot. 'Bridges In The Sky' (originally given the less promising title 'The Shaman's Trance') has a real 'Glass Prison' vibe to it, but the dark progressive metal moments are contrasted with vibrant melodies and feeling. 'Far From Heaven' is a gentle piano piece that may very well hit me harder than any of Dream Theater's ballads. Here, James LaBrie's vocals and the gorgeous violins make my heart bleed rainbows. The only song here I really do not care for much is 'Build Me Up, Break Me Down', which has a similar sound to 'Caught In A Web', from 1994's 'Awake' album. It is not a terrible track, but there's nothing about it that really jumps out at me; a single bump in an otherwise awesome experience.

The true highlight here is 'Breaking All Illusions', which I can see Dream Theater fans idolizing throughout the coming months. The song has every element of an 'epic' to it, except that it is only a relatively brief twelve minutes long, as opposed to well, you know, a 'true' long song. We have one of John Petrucci's greatest guitar solos towards the end, prog metal freakouts, slower, almost Floydian mellow segments, and some of their most memorable riffs to date. Also of great importance to note is James LaBrie's performance on this, and on all other tracks on the album. He- like much of Dream Theater's sound- is another point of contention that people will argue about until breakfast time, and while he has had his moments where even I question his abilities, his vocal performance here shows him in his element. He is definitely not the sort of singer that he used to be with 'Images & Words', but he is no longer trying to sound like he is in Metallica, in other words, being something he is not. Here, he is trying to sound like James LaBrie, and his voice here is warm and full of feeling, especially on the gorgeous 'Far From Heaven' and closing ballad 'Beneath The Surface'. I would have like to have hear him pull off a few more high notes throughout the album, but I'm not disappointed. Also- lest I forget to mention- is Mike Mangini's performance, another thing that Dream Theater fans will continue to debate 'til past noon. Sadly, as the newest member of Dream Theater, he seems to get the newbie's treatment in terms of mixing, and his drum performance is less audible to me than Portnoy's work; hell, even bassist John Myung can be heard playing on this album now finally. While the drum recording could have used a little more life to it, Mangini's performance fills in the shoes of Portnoy very well, although I would be hard pressed to say he does more than that. There are techniques here where I could have sworn it was Portnoy playing, and I do not think this is coincidence; maybe Dream Theater is trying to warm up their fans to a new drummer, but I think it will take until the next album to hear what this new drummer is truly capable of.

As with all Dream Theater albums, this is an album I have some strong opinions about, although I am positive there are others- even other fans of the band- that will see things in a completely different light. 'A Dramatic Turn Of Events' took me a little longer to fully appreciate than much of the other more recent material that Dream Theater has churned out, but giving it the time it deserves, I've found it to be an incredibly strong, albeit flawed album. There is still some cheese to grate off the edges of the band's sound, and one less- than-satisfying track towards the beginning does tend to have me argue against this being labelled as a 'masterpiece', but does this stand its ground against other albums by the band? Yes, and more than that; it shows them taking some of their less tasteful aspects and injecting more thought into them, making the overall sound of Dream Theater all the more powerful. Agree with me or not, 'A Dramatic Turn Of Events' has wowed me and impressed me more and more with each time I listen to it, and I can see myself giving it the same long-term appreciation as I do most of the band's material.

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

The spirit carries on with passionate lyrics and virtuoso musicianship.

New Dream Theater! Normally I would be excited. I will be the first to admit that although I have all of Dream Theater's albums and love their output overall, I did not have high hopes for this album at all. I guess the infighting of the band and the headlined shock loss of one Mr. Mike Portnoy had put a damper over the release of this album for many listeners, including myself. I wondered if it would sound too different and would it be too commercial, or worse, would the songs be medicore. Would it feature Rudess and Petrucci trading off incredible solos, with LaBrie crying out from his soul amazing vocals, and Myong hammering out pulsating basslines? Well, that is what Dream Theater usually do so it is an expectation they must always live up to if they do not want to alienate their huge fanbase. Finally would Mangini actually be able to live up to the high standard perpetrated by Portnoy. In this case I have to say a resounding no, in fact Mangini is quite pedestrian in his approach, though it is good enough the percussion does not shine through.

So it was with a degree of trepidation that I ventured into the unchartered waters of a Portnoy-less Dream Theater album. The first thing I noticed about the drums is that I did not notice the drums. This in fact shows what a great drummer Portnoy is as his rhythms and wild metrical shifts were one of the key features of the band. It took me a while to get used to it as it will for many listeners. On my initial listen to the album I was disappointed with the first 2 songs. There was nothing new on offer and it was a rather lacklustre feeling. By the time I reached the incredibleBridges in the Sky I was relieved that the DT magic was well and truly engrained on this album. Then after hearingBreaking All Illusions I knew I had experienced one of the most mindblowing tracks of the band's repertoire. This is a very personalised album with a lot of heart and it is also replete with a plethora of astonishing musicianship and instrumental virtuosity. So here are the tracks as I heard them.

On The Backs of Angels begins the album with a quiet interlude of acoustics setting the scene for the sombre textures and thematic content of the album which centres on loss of self and broken relationships, searching for direction and finding it. The tranquillity is soon followed by a blast of metal guitars, it is loud and layered with Rudess relentless keys. The lyrics are forcefully sung by LaBrie, evoking a sense of anger and remorse: "we spiral towards disaster, bleeding us to death the new American dream, you're blinded by your hunger beware your days are numbered" . The music is quite aggressive with Petrucci riffing solidly over a layer of keyboards and bass. After the words are heard "Leading me like a lamb to the slaughter" there is a lovely piano solo, followed by a lead break showcasing the skills of Petrucci. This song was the first one leaked online and it is fairly typical Dream Theater. Strong melodies and skilful musicianship with LaBrie sounding exactly as he does on the more recent albums. A good song for sure but there is nothing here that is outstanding.

The next track is Build me Up, Break me Down with a spacey effect intro then very dirty distorted guitars riffing. LaBrie's vocals are underplayed at first sounding phased. The build up to the chorus is melodic and sounds typical of what the band churns out regularly. It sounds dark with some pain ridden lyrics about falling apart, "I crash and burn, I never learn, I know more than obsession"; perhaps it is talking about a recent member who left? I particularly like the keyboard break on this, which is well executed. Overall this one grew on me, especially the vibe of dark emotional trauma provided by blasts of chilling keyboard and sustained pads, sounding almost electro industrial.

Lost Not Forgotten begins with rain falling, a storm that is interjected by very peaceful piano strains. Guitars crash in over the choral voice effects, the majestic feel is unmistakeable. The drums get faster building up pace to the verse. A metal chopping riff blocks everything out until Rudess is heard playing speed motifs on two keyboards. Eventually LaBrie sings phrases such as "I am not immortal, men have come to fear me, known across the desert I am known as the one who will not die, feared and respected living among the gods, leading the empire, spirit as black as coal, lost not forgotten king of the deathly soul." The riffs are excellent on this track and it is the most progressive song to this point on the album, though nothing like some tracks to follow. It sounded to me like an outtake from Black Clouds and Silver Linings, which is not a bad thing. Although I wanted to hear on this album something more adventurous for a band who has traversed this territory many times on previous albums. Eventually the band detour onto an adventure of soloing finesse. Admittedly this track features some of the best musicianship of the album but the song itself, verses and chorus, are rather forgettable and tuneless. The real drawcard is the structure with its detours and time sig shifts. As usual the band are incredible when allowed to release their talents into lengthy instrumental breaks where band members take turns almost out classing each other. Rudess and Petrucci trade off in true DT style and the overall effect is breathtaking. It is just a pity the actual song melody does not back up the amazing passages of guitar and keyboard.

This is the Life is a power ballad with tones of sadness that may be reflecting the sombre mood of losing Mike Portnoy over the past year, which must have affected the band deeply. It is the first of many times that LaBrie will sing in quiet reflection on the album. The pianos and acoustics are beautiful. The lyrics are about the hurt of losing someone who has lost their way: "When your souls turned inside out, have you questioned all the madness you invite what your life is all about, some of us choose to live gracefully, some can get caught in the maze, and lose their way home." This really sounds like it is sung about Portnoy although it is hidden as afar as actual meaning; "have you ever wished that you were someone else, trading places, what will they say after you've gone." The song will grow on you as all DT ballads tend to do. The feeling of dejection is also felt in the lead break, one of DT's most heartfelt songs no doubt. There are no death growls on this album, be assured of that.

Bridges in the Sky is the first track on the album that made me sit up and take notice as something truly outstanding. It features an unsettling Gothic chanting intro sounding like something from the cult scene in Kubrick's 'Eyes Wide Shut'; very weird and off kilter. The time sig of the metal ferocity to follow is great, falling in and out of sync with the drums. This has one of the more interesting structures on the album. The riffs continue to chop with complex rhythmic meters. LaBrie sounds excellent with some of the more tantalising lyrics "whisper a word of truth, I trusted you, sun, come shine my way, make healing waters bury my pain, wind carry me home, the fabric of reality is tearing apart the piece of me that died, will return to live again, I will not go in the light until I pass thru the darkest caverns of my heart, dance with fire, spirit guiding the world outside, messenger of truth I trust in you transform me now". Some excellent instrumental finesse on display especially the Rudess keyboard solo trading off mith Petrucci's relentless guitar fingering patterns. He uses wah wah later and high screaming string bends that are exhilarating. The crunching staccato keyboards are classic Emerson like sounds. The trade offs even sound like the mystical Egyptian style at times reflecting the mystique of the lyrics, about the journey to the sky, calling on an ancient deity to take the hand of the protagonist. This one truly is a showpiece of the album and one of Dream Theater's best.

Outcry features very strong riffing with Rudess' keyboard flourishes. It begins with piano and weird echo effects reminding me of the industrial dark sounds on Gary Numan's "Pure". There is an ambience layered underneath and emotive power in the vocal performance of LaBrie "I hear the battlecry, bullets fall like water raining from the sky, my freedom has a price, the cost is buried in the ground". The music feels decidedly Middle Eastern, and the song maybe about the war on terrorism.

The really fractured time sig in the instrumental break is astonishing, with powerful breaks in the riffs and Rudess has an insane finger melting solo. Once again the music is incredibly skilful and complex, and this is where Dream Theater never let themselves down in their music. They are now stalwart genius musicians, and it seems they attempt to outdo past triumphs with these moments on this album. The break on this track is certainly as good as it gets for Dream Theater, and one can easily imagine how incredible this will sound in a live performance. The lengthy solo throws everything in with a passion that I wish other bands would adopt who go under the banner of prog metal. The chaos ceases for a moment here with a beautiful piano motif and LaBrie chimes in softly "you can walk the other way or you can face the light, although it seems so far away freedom is worth the fight". There is a kind of uprising against injustice injected in the lyrics with strong phrases such as "wait for the outcry, resistance is calling tonight" and "stand strong and unite, the world watches on while we risk our lives, as our children die". This is not the first time DT have used the lyrics to inflict some kind of anti-war message against political infraction or resolute determinism against the mistreatment of the innocence in war; Sacrificed Sons from "Octavarium" blatantly focussed on the 9/11 crisis.

Far From Heaven begins with gentle piano and softly crooned vocals. The lyrics may be telling the tale of losing Portnoy, either way there is melancholy at its deepest point here: no one truly has the answers, everyday I struggle through it once more, keep things bottled up never speaking words, messing up but I am doing just fine, every day I put a brave face on, I have done what you asked of me, coming undone way too high a price I should pay, you keep your pride while I die inside, everyday, no I can't lie anymore, won't pretend I've done all I can, you can't imagine the hell I'm going through." The song really exudes a sombreness I have rarely heard with DT, but it is nice to hear the soul and passion of the band. The melody is soul stirring and will perhaps be a fan favourite on the live stage to wave lighters to over the next years to come.

Breaking All Illusions has a killer riff that shifts in and out of rhythm and takes over the song, with sporadic drum patterns and very melodic keyboards. This is one of the more progressive tracks and it settles into Myung's quiet bass driven passage before LaBrie begins to sing quietly; "with the sun in place, new realities, singularities, breaking all illusions, changing my direction, live in the moment, breathe in a new beginning, wisdom revealed, as I unlock the key, life's biggest battles, my strength leads me home". Once again the lyrics are heartfelt and full of angst of changes and directions, perhaps the changes and direction of the band are being channelled. LaBrie has a bitter tone in his voice in places. There is a voice over narrative heard further augmenting the seriousness of the song content. The song changes direction too, with a very infectious little keyboard hook before it returns to the choppy chord structure. There is a Jethro Tull flute sound at one point, and some blues riffs, ELP Hammond sounds, then a power metal distorted riff locks in. The organic instrumental is fantastic and once again one of the best moments on the album. Petrucci launches into a scorching lead solo, with beautiful harmonies and arpeggios. The clean guitar sound balances perfectly afterwards, creating a dreamy ambient tranquil soundscape. The lead guitar solo then drifts into a peaceful beauty, followed with accomplished fret melting finger work and sweep picking. The melody is enhanced then by powerful guitar tones. Eventually the faster pace returns with a driving drum and bass under Rudess' and Petrucci's virtuoso playing. The band launch into full flight here and it is a joy to listen to it. This is why DT have become one of the most popular metal bands over recent years; they simply create mesmirising, brilliant music. When LaBrie returns with "Searching out, reaching in" the tracks has become so momentous that I am convinced that this is one of the high achievements of the band. The finale is bombastic but so powerful in its progressive execution that it is the fitting way to end this triumph. This 12 minute mini epic is astonishing and I would go as far as to suggest it is one of the top 10 DT songs of all time.

Beneath the Surface begins with a tap dripping, seamlessly from the previous masterpiece. There is a slow acoustic feel allowing room to breathe after the previous bedlam and LaBrie quietly sings about the sad subject of losing a loved one; "A shell of what could have been, sad to think I never knew you were searching for the words for the moment to emerge, yet the moment never came, you couldn't risk my fragile frame, until one day you stopped caring, and began to forget why I longed to be so close, I disappear into the darkness and the darkness turned to pain and never went away, until all that remained was buried deep beneath the surface". I like the moderate feel of the song, and it's melancholia enhanced by uplifting surges of keyboard and minimalism of acoustic. The balance of tension and release in the music is as emotionally charged as the lyrics. A nice ending to the album and one that may ring true for many listeners.

So at the end of the album I can comfortably rate this the full 5 stars. There is a certain degree of sadness and reflection in the lyrics and it may be the most emotionally charged album for the band in a very emotional year for them. The album delivers excellent prog metal by any standard and it does have some adventurous moments, with at least 4 tracks that are DT at their most outstanding. The album almost reaches the full 80 minutes and there is not a moment where it is not captivating. It grows on you like osmosis and after hearing it I am compelled to play it again and again. It is better than "Systematic Chaos", and although it is not as consistently heavy as "Black Clouds and Silver Linings", it is a pleasure to hear DT without death metal growls and malevolent lyrics so I actually prefer this new album. The lyrics are absolutely amazing in their honesty and really struck a chord with me, and I could hear in the album a certain thread of starting a new chapter, saying goodbye to the old and welcoming in the new era. There is a saying in the rock industry that you are only as good as your last album, and Dream Theater have proved with "A Dramatic Turn of Events" that the magic definitely remains; the spirit carries on.

980

Against Reason
Credo

A review by SouthSideoftheSky:

A more credible release

My first acquaintance with Credo was with the live DVD This Is What We Do, released in 2009 and featuring a full live performance of the band in Poland in 2008. I enjoyed it, but I was hardly impressed. The DVD featured a live performance of the band's previous studio album Rhetoric in its entirety (though not in the same running order as on the studio CD) as well as a substantial number of tracks from their debut album Field Of Vision. I still haven't heard the studio versions of these two previous albums, but if the live versions are anything to go by, Credo has taken a significant step forward with Against Reason. Again judging from the live recording, Rhetoric was an album in the style that I would prefer to call "romantic" Prog. Good examples of this style are Fish-era Marillion (especially Misplaced Childhood) and Clive Nolan's Shadowland (especially Ring Of Roses). Both the lyrics and the vocals of the Rhetoric material were heavily in the style of Fish. Against Reason brings Credo closer to Arena in being darker and harder edged. The material is also stronger and more memorable both musically and lyrically, and there are lots of great instrumental workouts. While before I heard Against Reason I would recommend Credo only to those who already have a special interest in classic British Neo-Prog, the present album merits a (slightly) wider audience.

As I pointed out in my review of the This Is What We Do DVD, Credo is a British band that has a very long pre-history. Lead guitarist Tim Birrell and bass player Jim Murdoch have been playing together since as far back as the early 70's! It wasn't, however, until the early 90's that they adopted the name of Credo. Today they consist also of lead vocalist Marc Colton and keyboard player Mike Varty. Colton has a fine voice and does a very good job here, but it is Varty and Birrell that deliver the greatest musical moments.

There are three Credo studio albums to date including the present one and there seems to be widespread agreement on the improvements of each over the previous one. The music of the band is hardly very original or ground-breaking even on this new album, but I think it is fair to say that they deserve to be mentioned among groups such as IQ, Pendragon, Pallas and Arena and Against Reason would surely sit well in a collection that already holds the recent albums of these other bands. While not among the very best albums of the subgenre, and certainly not a masterpiece, Against Reason is a highly enjoyable release and worthy of four stars. It will please anyone with a taste for the style.

981

Testimony 2
Neal Morse

A review by Conor Fynes:

Neal Morse has been one of the most celebrated figures in the progressive rock scene of recent years. Developing a strong following with Spock's Beard, Morse has also met some heavy acclaim for his solo work, where he shows no signs of letting up. Although I am an avid fan of prog rock, I have found it often difficult to get into the music of the artists who choose to express themselves through the sound of the original prog legends, rather than truly progress rock music forward. First hearing the work of Neal Morse through the Transatlantic supergroup, that has been my biggest gripe with the man's work, but while the epic scope of symphonic prog here is far from original-sounding, Neal Morse writes his music with conviction and passion, refusing to compromise his expression even so far into his career. 'Testimony 2' is doused in Yes-inspired prog rock instrumentation, recurring themes and skilled musicianship. What I find myself most enjoying about the album however, is Morse's ability to take these ingredients and make a personal journey out of it all.

For much of what I have heard from Neal Morse in the past, it seems as if the greatest thing he has going for him when compared to the rest of the prog scene is his incredibly sincere attitude towards music. While many artists that create twenty minute suites of music (as Morse does here) go down the route of making their music about some spaced out fantasy or vague philosophy, Neal sings about things that are quite clearly dear to him and his life. As many may know, this includes a great dose of religious themes, since Morse has deemed himself a born-again Christian. Even taking a look at the track listing here may turn off the more secular listeners right off the bat, but unlike a couple less successful Morse releases, 'Testimony 2' does not focus solely on his beliefs in God. I am atheistic and was not sure how Morse's religious themes would strike me before listening, but if anything, they are certainly tastefully done. Instead of blindly shouting out praise to his religion, Neal Morse only moderately dabbles in lyrics about his religion; the songs here are about much wider topics in his life. Among these are songs about his daughter nearly dying in childbirth, or missing his family while he is out on tour, and the straightforward, human way that Morse conveys these topics to the listener is touching.

The music here is very well arranged, but perhaps 'Testimony 2's greatest weakness is the fact that it is far, far too long for its own good. While there are albums out there that can make grand use of their long lengths, 'Testimony 2' does not feel as if it has enough musical dynamic or rising action to warrant such a long musical experience, which is nearly two hours long. Although the first disc has a nice narrative throughout the three epic chunks of music and Morse keeps the sound nicely arranged and lush, 'Testimony 2' stays mainly stays focused on upbeat symphonic prog, staying fairly fixated on vintage prog rock conventions throughout the whole thing. While I can certainly see the revivalist school of prog rock finding no qualm in this, the retrogressive style here tends to leave nothing to the imagination, and becomes very predictable, despite the great musicianship from everyone involved here. As for the second disc, the epic 'Seeds of Gold' is as strong- even perhaps a little stronger- than the three parts of disc one, but when compared to the already-lengthy first disc, the latter portion of 'Testimony 2' feels like it may have been better left off the record entirely, in order to make this expression from Morse a little more effective.

I was not originally sure what to expect from what was first reaching my ears as a religious album, but it is clear why Neal Morse is one of the rightful kings of the modern-day prog rock scene. While there is still a little fat on the edges of this steak that could have been trimmed off for the sake of ultimate flavour, 'Testimony 2' has made a believer out of me.

982

The Octopus
Amplifier

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

When you hear an excellent epic album it is apparent immediately

The enigmatic icon of the octopus logo led me to this album after seeing the logo appear in various forums and finally I have had my ears blessed with this incredible spacey music. Amplifier move from psychedelic prog passages to aggressive distorted metal blasts. The vocals are clean and come from another dimension removed from the music totally at times. They use echo effects and psych prog nuances to immediate effect. Influences must include psych prog acts as well as more recent Riverside, Anathema and Porcupine Tree. The music is always creating indelible melodies and very authoritative statements of fresh prog served up with blistering space rock. Some of this concept album is on the dark side, some expletives are heard, and at times the music is loud and overbearing but is never dull. The three musicians are tight and unrelenting on every track; Sel Balamir is the main focus on grinding and spaced out vocals; Neil Mahony is the bass engineering section and this is topped by Matt Brobin on drums. There are many guest musicians spattered throughout including some female vocalists to augment the sound.

This album is a beast running for 2 solid hours over 2 CDs. There are so many highlights on this incredible album. In no particular order, the songs that instantly lit up my mind include the 8 and a half minute 'Fall of the Empire'. This cranks along with killer riffing and strong emphasis on spacey guitars and odd time sigs. The Wave is like Hawkwind, especially the lyrics repeated, "In Another Dimension". 'Golden Ratio' generates cold atmospherics with echoed vocals and excellent phased guitar licks, using effects pedals that build to the raucous melodies. The guitar riffing is gold at time such as on the pounding guitar driven 'Interglacial Spell'. The sound is very heavy driving nails into concrete metal with ambient keyboards sustained over the top. The lead breaks are the type heard on psychedelic Hawkwind albums. 'The Emperor' is another blaster with effective and spaced out acid fuelled punctuations of sound. The heavy riff is broken by simple high pitched guitar tones. The melody is infectious with quieter passages and breaks. Belamir's vocals are excellent multitracked in places giving a vibrant full sound "over the edge of the ocean, the edge of devotion keep circling" It is a loud sound when the band go into full flight and let loose on their instruments, and it is an exciting sound.

Highlights are scattered throughout. 'Trading Dark Matter On The Stock Exchange' is an instant classic with magnificent atmospheric passages of guitar. The vocals are clearer and well performed by Balamir and it has a great melody that gets lost in layers of guitars. The lead break at the end is stellar, soaring into the stratosphere; revelling in arpeggios, and high impact melodic sweeps; absolute bliss.

'The Sick Rose' that begins the second CD has a creepy intro that reminds me of Roger Water's preternatural screams on 'Careful With That Axe Eugene'. The ambient atmospheres of keyboards generates a dark illusory peace, and a moderate pace follows with some otherworldly melodies that may remind one of Spanish or Greek music. The vocals add to this feel, then it locks into a distorted series of guitar chords. It builds over strong percussion and notable basslines with a repeated phrase "it's a life destroyed".

Also on offer on this epic work is the bass driving mini epic 'Interstellar' sounding like Led Zeppelin on acid. The time sig here is an incessant delightful off kilter motif. The melody melts into your mind and then is joined by dirty guitar distortion and some inspired harmonies. Once again this sounds like Hawkwind meets King Crimson. The unremitting riff is hypnotic and makes this one of the most memorable tracks. As soon as it starts you are met with that pulsating hammering riff and it is a pleasure to indulge within.

The concept of an octopus is prevalent in many of the tracks creating a conceptual framework. At times the music is more beauty than beast, such as on 'Minion's Song' that is piano driven, though no less dark in lyrical content than the rest; "well, catch them, catch them hold your waters, with fame and paradise not forsaken sing along to the Minion song, emerging from the jaws of each lion, treading on in a far constellation ride away on the wings of the Minion"

'Planet of Insects' has a chilling sound with multilayered keyboards and a powerful guitar grind. Sounds like Muse's guitar style in some ways with Porcupine Tree sounding vocals, though Amplifier are distinctive in style. Once again a consistent riff throbs consistently over the verses. There are some great slides down the strings on this track and it is heavy on every level. The lyrics are enigmatic; "it's all I know and ever see are your insects crawling over me" and you can interpret these any way you like. The buzzing sounds at the end add to the haunting atmospheres.

'White Horses At Sea / Utopian Daydream' is another fantastic track that is challenging and ambitious in structure. Riverside style vocals with crystalline guitar tones begin the track. Soon it builds to the mid section which consists of blasts of distortion and keyboard. There is a King Crimsonesque feel in the style of guitar finger picking also. Utopian Daydream continues quietly with otherworldly atmospheres, a sole piano plays, till we hear the voice say "excellent" that may be mistaken for Smithers from "The Simpsons" .

One last track worth mentioning is 'The Octopus' that begins with complex effects and a pulsating bassline. The melody is stunning, very stark and then Balamir's vocals alienate the soundscape further; "I never let you go" The guitars are terrific building an atmosphere of dread, though those melodies also hold a semblance of beauty. Then it builds into a swirl of chaos, with some metal guitars and a dark wall of sound. The effervescent music is present on every track, there are no filler tracks, and it keeps getting better with every listen. If you have 2 hours on hand this is one of the best ways you can spend them. Both CDs are equally powerful, some tracks will appeal more than others as always, and there are some awesome unforgettable moments that will astound, and some tracks go for too long, so not a masterpice, but on the whole this is one of the great releases of 2010/11.

983

Fables of the Sleepless Empire
Unexpect

A review by Conor Fynes:

In 2006, a band from Quebec quietly released an album that has since become the standard for avant-garde extreme metal. The band was UneXpect, and the album was 'In A Flesh Aquarium', a chaotic masterpiece which shocked many a listener for its uncompromisingly original take on metal, and complexity that bordered on insanity. Putting this band on the map with that album, it was natural for expectations (and tension) to be set very high for the release of the follow-up. The first months of 2011 were filled with apprehension for UneXpect's third record, given the aptly surreal title 'Fables Of The Sleepless Empire'. Although many bands tend to cave under the pressure of releasing an album that tops their magnum opus, UneXpect proves here that not only are they able to hold their fire, but are only getting more fierce. Although I had no problem calling 'In A Flesh Aquarium' a masterpiece even after many listens, it takes an album like 'Fables' to show me how flawed the band's second work really was. Maturing and consolidating their incredibly unique sound, UneXpect has once again raised the bar, and simply stated; created one of the most mind-boggling metal albums to have been released in quite a few years.

It's not that UneXpect have changed up their sound all too much from 'In A Flesh Aquarium'; their style is still technical, fiendishly complex, convoluted, and quirky as all hell. What does take 'Fables Of The Sleepless Empire' up to the next step in the band's evolution however is the fact that they have noticeably matured their sound from the sophomore. For all of its brilliance, 'In A Flesh Aquarium' was still quite a silly album that often sounded like it was trying to be 'avant' for the sake alone of being avant-garde and weird. Here, UneXpect sounds like they are trying to put together more cohesive compositions, with clearer melodies and greater dynamic between the chaotic tech sections and 'beautiful' passages. Remarkably, UneXpect has done this at no loss of weirdness or depth; 'Fables Of The Sleepless Empire' remains an incredibly challenging listen, especially to a listener who does not have the precedent of 'In A Flesh Aquarium' to fall back on.

Also, much of the tongue-in-cheek circus music which defined the second album for some is gone here, in the favour of more serious fusion sounds. Most notably among the non- metal sounds on 'Fables' is the often classically-nuanced violin work of Borboen, who gives the string section a strong foothold on the sound. Often when the guitars and mind-blowing bass work are blistering riff after riff of avant-garde madness, the violin grounds the band with a sense of near-gothic class. Musically, each member is at the top of their game, and after many listens to 'Fables Of The Sleepless Empire', it is difficult not to see these musicians as some of the best to have ever come out of the metal scene. Of special note is the bass work of Chaoth, whose fury with the 9 string bass is nearly unparalleled. Although the bass guitar is often lost in the mix of much rock music, the bass makes itself very prominent, especially in the most technical of 'Fables's instrumentations.

Vocally, the vocals may be the least remarkable aspect of what UneXpect has to offer, but also the greatest point of derision among prospective listeners. Featuring a variety of different growls, rasps, guttural vocals and even harmonies between these, the vocals are as over the place as the instruments, which can certainly be an acquired taste for some. However, these are placed in tandem with some clean vocals, occasionally falling to some low clean male vocals, but most often being placed on the unique alto voice of Leilindel. Due to the highly erratic chaos of the instruments and growls, she is left to defend most the melodic aspect from being overrun by the chaos, and for the most part, she holds her own, her jazz-affected vocal work swinging around the towers of guitars, bass, electronic samples and classical violin.

The songwriting here can be said to rest at the level of genius, even if it were only for the sheer amount of ideas and complexity that Syriak and company are able to push into each song. However, 'Fables Of The Sleepless Empire' reaches its level of near-perfection by the fact that each idea flows incredibly well into the next; each song is a condensed fury of ideas that each come at the listener with remarkable energy and context. Even with 'Unsolved Ideas Of A Distorted Guest' featuring ideas as disparate as a Celtic-tinged bass and violin intro to an electronic dance break, it all works perfectly, tied together by the melodic vocal work and dynamic ebb and flow that runs throughout the album. The last three tracks may have made more sense to have been combined into one track (as they make a running suite of music), but overall, 'Fables' runs and flows quite smoothly.

Regardless, 'Fables Of The Sleepless Empire' is an album that I would have new things to say about each time I listen to it; it's rare to hear such a wealth of ideas piled into fifty minutes, let alone to have things sound so well-arranged and cohesive. Although it may not have the shock value of such a groundbreaking album as 'In A Flesh Aquarium', it is certainly a fair step above its predecessor, taking the existing style of UneXpect, trimming the fat, and fashioning an experience that is detailed enough to present a constantly developing experience to the dedicated listener. Although I never tend to say this for new albums, it took me quite a few embroiled listens to realize that 'Fables Of The Sleepless Empire' is right up there with the other landmarks of progressive metal.

984

Rites At Dawn
Wobbler

A review by Conor Fynes:

It seems to be something of an unfashionable trend in the prog world for bands to look to the past to find their sound. Although prog was originally meant to push the envelope of popular music and do new things, so many otherwise brilliant bands have been passing me by as clones of a rather small selection of innovators from the '70s. Even this year, I have come across bands such as Magic Pie or Beardfish whose contribution to the new decade may have been ironically suited to have been released a few decades back. Historically, I have been fairly vocal regarding my disdain for these bands worshiping a decade they may have only experienced as infants, and Wobbler's latest album 'Rites At Dawn' comes to me as something of a surprise on the account. Although there is no trace of modernity to this music save for the production, Wobbler's savagely Yes-derived music manages to strike a real chord with me, and even though 'Rites At Dawn' is an album that will never outshine the legacy of its influences, Wobbler may very well have created the best 'tribute' prog record to come out in a long time.

Listen to a minute of the complex twangy riffs or sporadic, upbeat higher register vocals that Wobbler does here, and it becomes near impossible to not get impressions of Yes; hell, there are even times here where I feel I am listening to a long-lost Yes record. That is not necessarily a bad thing; the music here is done with enough vintage confidence that its a bit too easy to convince oneself that this is an undiscovered '70s masterpiece. I can certainly enjoy the album tons, hearing it from that angle. After all, Yes is perhaps my favourite of the classic progressive bands, so any band that can do their sound with comparable strength certainly merits some due respect. Blanketing their sound in rich keyboards and mellotrons, Wobbler's vintage appeal feels much more sincere than much of the paradoxical retro-prog I have heard. The compositions are filled with ideas, but are bound together by a fairly uniform vibe and pallette of sounds. The album flows remarkably well, and I found myself surprised by how much the album grew over listens. If I could bring myself to take 'Rites At Dawn' out of context, I could likely see it as being a masterpiece of symphonic prog.

But this is still a Yes clone we are dealing with.

Regardless of the fact that Wobbler does their style immaculately, it is near impossible to ignore the fact that despite the magnificent and convincing execution of the album, Wobbler are still more than content to fall under the banner of another band, they even seem to be doing everything they can do be a clone of Yes. Symphonic prog has often passed me as being a very derivative genre, and as a result, the truly masterful albums are usually those that both execute things brilliantly, and bring something new to the table. Wobbler has certainly done one of these things with near-perfection, and while I will no hesitate to say that I really like 'Rites At Dawn', its musical excellence still does not discard the fact that Wobbler is playing another band's ball game here.

985

Tales Of The Sands
Myrath

A review by AtomicCrimsonRush:

Arabian sounds blended in with powerful metal riffs create a mesmirising journey.

Occasionally one hears an album that surprises for its sheer innovation. Myrath's "Tales of the Sands" was an immediate love affair for this reviewer. The music is absolutely stunning in it's originality and sleek powerful arrangements. There are truckloads of distorted metal riffs to divulge in, but the real drawcard is the way the band integrate Arabian/Tunisian melodies and instruments into the mix creating a sound that is unique and compelling. Right from the start on Under Siege, there is no mistaking the fact the band are staying close and true to the style of their country, and not only is this commendable, it is refreshing as this makes the band stand out among the plethora of other metal acts rising up. The female vocals are present on some tracks and overall the vocals are well performed, clean and powerfully delivered. The music is very listenable and quite complex utilising killer riffs and crunching time sig shapes using full blown metal blasts. There are fast tempo sections, blazing guitars, hammering drums and frenetic keyboards all balanced with strong melodic metal.

Braving the Seas is a fine example of the style of the band. The time sig shifts are terrific and the pace varies throughout. Zaher Zorgatti is an excellent vocalist, perhaps as good as any metal vocalist I have heard over recent years. He sings in English making this very accessible yet the style remains as oriental as anything you will hear from Tunisia. There is an Arabian feel throughout the album and this is noticeable especially on Merciless Times. The melody is infectious, particularly the fractured guitar riffs and wonderful keyboards by Elyes Bouchoucha that sound like Arabian violins.

On the title track Tales of the Sands the Tunisian flair is even more prominent and the massive bassline by Anis Jouini is powerful. The female vocals soar across all the metal rhythms, and it actually captures a Middle Eastern atmosphere. The keyboards match the distorted riffs and there is a divine lead break with some fret melting speed work from Malek Ben Arbia. It ends with an acoustic outro culminating in an amazing track that I could listen to numerous times and never tire of.

Oriental violin sounds begin Sour Sigh that are joined by devastating riffs and the accomplished vocals of Zaher Zorgatti. It builds in an intense chorus and some heart pounding rhythms. The riff at 3:38 is mesmirising and the lead break is sensational, serving to lift the track to another level. It reminds me of Dream Theater or Symphony X at times; dynamic metal with incredible vocals.

Dawn Within is a heavier track at first that settles into a moderate feel in the verses. There are fast paced passages balanced with melodic metal. At 2:03 minutes in it locks into a choppy riff and then is followed by the insane lead work of Malek Ben Arbia. The drum patterns of Saif Ouhibi are intense and expertly performed.

Wide Shut is one of my favourite tracks with strong Arabian keyboard violin sounds and guitar riffing. The complex time shifts on this are quite astounding. I recommend this track to all those who want to try the band for themselves. It encompasses all that makes this album great and unique. The lead break is dynamite with high squeals and frenetic speed, and there is a fabulous keyboard motif that the guitars riff along with. It even has a quiet section that showcases the gentler vocal expertise of Zorgatti.

Requiem for a Goodbye follows another dynamic synth line and Metallica like riffing, and a crunching hammer of guitar chords leading to a melodic chorus. The double kick drumming of Ouhibi are relentless. I particularly like the way the keyboard violins balance off all the distortion. Once again the lead break is scorching, super fast speed picking and sweeps, traded off with keyboard flourishes, similar to how Dream Theater take turns in the lengthy instrumental breaks. The whole thing soon settles down into a minimalist piano but it is temporary as the heavy guitars soon drive the track to its conclusion.

Beyond the Stars is another of the more Arabian sounding tracks with a violin sounding break towards the end and some warbling Arab style vocals throughout. It is a powerful mix and certainly is a part of this distinctive sound, blending perfectly and without pretentiousness. It is one of the reasons I rate this album so highly; it is unlike anything I have heard in prog metal and the band are so damned good at their craft it is amazing.

Time to Grow concludes the album with a forceful melody driven track that features a fast keyboard motif and lengthy instrumental lead break. This track sounds least Arabian but is short and the power metal riffs make a satisfying conclusion. The bonus track that is available is Apostrophe for a Legend, and it is not too bad though not as good as other tracks, sounding more AOR, though I like the melody.

In conclusion, I gained an enormous amount of enjoyment from this album, in particular the standout tracks are the title track, Under Siege, Braving the Seas, Sour Sigh, Wide Shut, Beyond the Stars and Requiem for a Goodbye. Overall the album can be recommended to Dream Theater, Symphony X, Kamelot or Riverside addicts. It is hard to find fault with it, as it just delivers from track to track; all killer and no filler. Metal heads will love this as will the prog fanatic into a heavier sound. It is certainly one of the most refreshing unique prog metal albums of recent times. I am going the full 5 stars for this; I was completely mesmirised from beginning to end.

986

Sympathetic Resonance
Arch / Matheos

A review by UMUR:

"Sympathetic Resonance" is the debut full-length studio album by US progressive metal act Arch / Matheos. The album was released through Metal Blade Records in September 2011. Arch / Matheos is a project formed by former Fates Warning frontman John Arch andFates Warning guitarist and main composer Jim Matheos. After John Arch left Fates Warning in 1987, little has since been heard from the singer. The 2003 "A Twist of Fate" EP, which was released under his own name, and which was also created in collaboration with Jim Matheos, didn´t result in a comeback to the scene. It did however signal that John Arch wasn´t completely through with music and when he was approached by Jim Matheos, who had written songs for a new project, his interest was ignited and the two of them started sending music files to each other. Matheos would send his compositions to Arch, and Archwould write melody lines and lyrics to go along with the compositions. When it came to recording the album they enlisted a couple of prolific and greatly skilled musicians to record the bass, drum and lead guitar parts in bassistJoey Vera (Fates Warning, Engine, Armored Saint), drummer Bobby Jarzombek (Fates Warning, Halford, Iced Earth) and lead guitarist Frank Aresti (Fates Warning).

The music on the album is guitar driven progressive metal rooted in the eighties progressive metal movement (before keyboards became an integrated part of most progressive metal music). With all musicians involved being related toFates Warning, it´s impossible not to think of this album in relation to that band and especially the early John Arch-led releases, but ultimately "Sympathetic Resonance" doesn´t sound like neither that era or later Fates Warning eras. I think the Arch / Matheos have succeeded in finding a good balance between recognisable elements from theirFates Warning past (and for some present) and an original sound.

The riffs are dark and heavy, the rythm section provide complex and powerful playing and John Arch signature high pitched and nasal vocal delivery is the icing on the cake. The latter´s vocal melody lines are amazing to say the least. Not only is he one of the most powerful and distinct sounding vocalist in metal, his way of writing melody lines is brilliant too. Lots of twists and turns delivered with great conviction.

The 6 tracks on the album are structurally (for the most part) really complex. Especially the three longest tracks on the album, "Neurotically Wired", "Stained Glass Sky" and "Any Given Day (Strangers Like Me)", are really complex, going through multible sections and atmospheres. That´s why it´s also a great for the dynamics of the album that the band include relatively more "simple" and direct tracks like "Midnight Serenade" and "Incense and Myrrh". While the former is a powerful progressive metal track the latter is a beautiful ballad, that closes the album in great style. The dark and heavy "On the Fence" is probably the least remarkable track on the album, but it says a lot about the quality of the rest of the material, when a fantastic track like "On the Fence" is pulled out as an example of a slight decline in quality. And mind you I´m saying a slight decline.

"Sympathetic Resonance" is simply through and through a fantastic progressive metal release to fans of guitar driven progressive metal. We´re talking top notch musicianship, a warm and powerful sound production and outstanding songwriting. To my ears progressive metal doesn´t come better than this. "Sympathetic Resonance" is a born classic in the genre and fully deserves a 5 star (100%) rating.