CRUSH OF NIGHT

'Crush Of Night' is announced to be the second part of a trilogy which has been started with 'The Darkened Room' in 2009. So first of all - this obviously is not the end of the story, good to know. New York based IZZ were founded by the Galgano brothers Tom and John nearly 15 years ago, and since then they are an absolute guarantee when it comes to catchy retro styled prog rock music with symphonic touches. For me a big trademark is that - often outfitted with female suppport - voices and instruments perfectly match..And this points to the fact that Anmarie Byrnes is aboard once more, immediately to notice when the first song starts with disitnctive vocal harmonies.

Words And Miracles features a guest appearance of Gentle Giant's guitarist Gary Green - a guitar dominated tune with great dynamics but also a semi-acoustic part by way of variation. Solid Ground convinces me completely due to the catchy main melody and wonderful polyphonic vocals. The balladesque Half The Way comes with sparkling piano leading into the album's 26-minute centerpiece, represented by two immediately consecutive and extended songs. The solemn This Reality with proper symphonic fundament and then the epic title song are showcasing several twists and turns. First this reminds me of german band RPWL a bit. Some sweet melodies follow, finally even jamming approach inclusive of guitar solos and synth excursions backed by a groovy background - the song-writing abilities are simply great here!

No filler to discover! With 'Crush Of Night' the band has delivered an excellent workout again in 2012 - definitely something to enjoy. Strong musicianship all the way through. I wouldn't say this is significantly differing from previous efforts, except an improved accessibility of the compositions maybe. As for that not really spectacular, one or two may say - however the songs certainly prove mature, can convince me absolutely. So I'm sure this one will be an excellent addition to every well-sorted prog music collection.