PUSH & PROFIT

The triumphant 2011 return of legendary Detroit outfit Discipline with their excellent comeback album 'To Shatter All Accord' has seen a big upsurge of interest in the group's previous recordings, both for long-term fans and brand-spanking newbies who, up until this point, simply weren't aware of the group's existence(this reviewer included). Problem is, despite their hallowed reputation, Discipline's latest offering happens to be only their third proper studio release, a fact that outlines just what an impact the four-piece have had on the progressive rock scene since their early-nineties inception. Although the group had been touring and releasing cassette-only albums since the eighties, 'Push & Profit', the first official Discipline album, would only appear in late 1993, sporting a considered Genesis-and-Marillion influence hitched onto the group's semi-whimsical sound, and it would be the only Discipline album(bar a couple of live albums) until 1997's much-heralded 'Unfolded Like Staircase'. Quite unlike the latter two albums, 'Push & Profit' has one foot very much in the late- seventies British prog style, the other inching towards the rough, hard-rockin' sound that would burst forth on 'To Shatter All Accord'. It's a strange, yet highly-melodic album, mixing elegant at-rock excess with poppy melodies and bucketfuls of over-elaborate lyrics, almost halfway between the twinkling, folk-pressed sounds of early Genesis and the more modern, keyboard-drenched histrionics of Marillion. Highlights include the jaunty 'The Reasoning Wall', which sports a distinctly neo-prog veneer, and the lengthy, maudlin opus 'America', which closes the album with a melancholy swirl of misty keyboards and glistening guitars. Although in the great scheme of things 'Push & Profit' seems to have been forgotten about in all the excitement generated by the group's welcome return, this debut album is well worth investigating, showcasing the gracious origins of one of modern prog's most talented outfits.

STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2012