ELECTRIC FOREST

Long before the time Gekko Projeckt and their debut "Electric Forest" rolled around, each of the musicians that comprise this quartet were experienced performers, and this maturity translates well into their poppy melange of prog rock. At forty minutes and ten tracks, they have created an album that even the most delicate rock listener could appreciate. Their talent is evident throughout, although this relatively unambitious take on prog leaves me in want for excitement.

The sounds of King Crimson, Rush, and Camel all find a place in Gekko Projekt. Above all, "Electric Forest" may be seen as an instrumental rock guitar album with a smattering of 'vocal' songs. Instrumentally, Gekko Projeckt find a familiar nook for themselves, drawing in the exploratory nature of fusion jazz with the classic style of symphonic prog. "Electric Forest" is then filtered through a sheath of poppy melodies and accessible song structures. For the most part, this works pretty well, thanks in large part to guitarist Peter Matuchniak's elaborate performance. With particular regards to the beautiful instrumental "Cognitive Dissonance", Peter is skilled with melodic lead playing as much as he is with finding the perfect guitar tone for the mood.

Though fairly few in number, Gekko Projekt throw some vocals our way. Of these, "Black Hole" is the most memorable, a warm and catchy track with some vocals I might expect to find in a folk rock album. The voices- performed on the album by Vance Gloster and Alan Smith- are not excellent from a technical perspective, but warmth and feeling is there. Instrumentally, the music is rarely complex, and, with the exception of Peter's guitar work, the musicianship does not really stand out, although I have a feeling that this is more a result of the fairly straightforward song structures rather than the talent of the musicians themselves.

In short, "Electric Forest" is a pretty enjoyable album to listen to; a fine piece of music to put on while relaxing. It delivers the warmth and sound of prog, however exchanging the genre's typically challenging song structures for accessible compositionship. Fans of Camel will enjoy what Gekko Projekt have to offer.

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