ROOM FOR SURPRISE

''How to Make It'' was followed by the depature of Tore Bo, despite the warm critics regarding the album.Still Cyclops was reallysatisfied with Fruitcake and Mr. Sovik and company entered the studios for the recordings of the new album with only Siri Seland from the previous line-up.New additions were Jens Sverdrup on guitars and Gunnar Bergersen on bass.''Room for Surprise'' was released in spring 96', after one new track by Fruitcake was included in ''The Second Cyclops Sampler'' in 1995.

The several come's and go's seems finally to have a serious impact on the warm and atmospheric sound of Fruitcake.The song structures seem to have been simplified, including some long, repetitive and slow grooves of low music quality next to some very good instrumental ideas and grandiose synth passages.Sovik's voice still remains among the negative issues: Hypnotic, monotonic and with no particular color.The musicianship implies some heavy PINK FLOYD inspirations, some delicate GENESIS passages and good melodies in the style of PENDRAGON and IQ.But the certain fact is that it never takes off.Low-tempo steady rhythm with repetitve drumming, a very hypnotic mood and the lack of some trully great music parts is not what the listener expected from Fruitcake's next step.The talent of the band is there, the decent amount of memorable material is here to proove it, but ''Room for Surprise'' sounds more as a forced album than a well-crafted work.

Not a bad album by any mean, but this Fruitcake works seems to lack orentation and full focus.I should advice the prog listener to approach this album with caution...2.5 stars.