THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT

This is the first Stalemate Factor album and while it's enjoyable, very little of it is progressive rock. Rather it's more of a singer-songwriter folk and blues rock album that doesn't give much indication of the prog direction that would be showcased on later songs like The Battle Of Emerald Skye and The Horizon Myth.

That said, I still have a lot of time for the songwriting here. Of interest is Across The Moors which rolls along for more than 7 minutes which no sign of percussion. Instead it relies on classical guitar, harpsichord, violin, viola and organ. Another highlight is Wisdom Of A Lie which gets very psychedelic towards the end.

Aside from that there is socially conscious material like the blues-tinged Affirmative and the heartbreaking Song For An Abused Child. Snow Sculpture is an engaging ballad and the Beatles influences are clear on Petunia and Baby Doll.

The Stalemate Factor always stood out on the Malaysian rock scene, and one listen to the album will show you why.

It's also noticeable that this album has a lot of guest performers behind the core trio that make up the band. I have to say that one or two songs seem to suffer from weak production but overall I really enjoy this album. Just that it's not very prog at all. That comes later.

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