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AtomicCrimsonRush 
Special Collaborator 
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
 Posted: April 30 2012 at 18:53 |
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1994 - continued
645
A review by SouthSideoftheSky: Thrashhold? Having recently reviewed albums by the Neo-Prog
band Shadowland, I was reminded of Threshold because of the presence of
guitarist Karl Groom in both these bands. Groom is (I discovered just now),
however, not the only member these bands have in common. Also drummer Nick
Herradence was a member of both these bands. But despite this overlap in terms
of personnel, anyone looking for musical connections between the
two bands would be hard pressed to find any on this album. Comparing
Psychedelicatessen with Shadowland's Through The Looking Glass (that was
released the very same year and involves both Groom and Herradence) the
difference in musical style and approach is striking. The Neo-Prog tendencies
that were displayed on Threshold's first album (and to some extent also on
Extinct Instinct) are almost wholly absent here. Psychedelicatessen is possibly
Threshold's heaviest and least melodic album. I'm not saying that this is not
melodic, just that there is more focus on riffs than on melodies. Some moments
are not far away from (melodic) Thrash Metal. (It is absolutely not Psychedelic
despite the title!). Psychedelicatessen is quite different from the rest
of Threshold's albums. Comparing it to the two albums that surrounded it,
Wounded Land and Extinct Instinct, is indeed not entirely out of place to
wonder if this really is the same band! One major factor here is that both of
these two other albums had Damian Wilson on vocals, while Psychedelicatessen is
the sole Threshold album with Glynn Morgan handling those duties. While not as
distinctive as Wilson, Morgan is a fine vocalist that does a good job here. But
the vocals are not the only thing that sets Psychedelicatessen apart from
Wounded Land and Extinct Instinct. As I have said, this one is a bit heavier
and has much less of the Neo-Progressive tendencies of those albums. However, though perhaps less overtly progressive,
Psychedelicatessen is still a good album. It takes longer to get into compared
to other Threshold albums, and with every listen I'm enjoying it a bit more. It
sometimes reminds me of Black Sabbath's 90's albums, particularly Cross
Purposes that was released the same year. The music is riff-based and the solos
and instrumental breaks alternate between guitar and keyboards. They obviously
know how to play their instruments! But despite their talents, they often come
across as slightly anonymous on this album. The sound they produce lacks a
strong identity of its own. There is a decent balance between aggressive and
mellow moments and between riffs, melodies and instrumental work outs. Under
The Sun is a pleasant Symphonic ballad based on piano, acoustic guitar and some
flute-like keyboards and as such stands out from the other songs. There are no
songs that stand out as great, but there is also nothing weak here. I would not
recommend starting your investigation of Threshold with this album. Both
Wounded Land and Extinct Instinct offer a lot more progressive value. Good, but hardly essential. A review by Bonnek: I used to be entirely unimpressed by this album. I
liked some songs but after the stellar debut it was a bit of a letdown. The
vocals of new guy Glynn Morgan weren't bad but could simply not be compared to
Damien Wilson's superior performance on the debut. And most of all the
production was terrible. I've sort of revised my opinion with the 2001
remaster that solved the sound problems and consequently immensely improved the
listening experience. In most cases the whole re-mastering hype is just baked
air but here it really improved the drum and guitar sound. It made me finally
start appreciating this album that boasts some of their best compositions next
to the debut. Generally, I must say I find the tag progressive a
bit flattering for Threshold. They sure make long songs but all the way through
the main ingredients are just fairly basic Sabbathy guitar riffs. Luckily they
had a keen sense for melody and worked for a great epic impact.
646
A review by Conor Fynes: Ozric Tentacles is a band I would not normally
like; I would usually find a band with such loose compositions and focus on
spacey effects to get boring or irritating, but as it stands, the Ozrics have
risen to become one of my favourite psychedelic bands out there. They have a
very unique sound to them that sounds like the audio equivalent of an
out-of-body astral trip. Quite often upbeat, this band uses plenty of
synthesizers, space effects, and guitar doodles, but they usually manage to
back it up with some sort of intelligent composition behind it. This is why I
like Ozric Tentacles. On the other hand, while they have such a unique sound to
them, it can often feel like they are a band that continues to recycle one
direction until it is completely exhausted. Entering my fanhood of Ozric
Tentacles with the album before this one, 'Jurassic Shift', I get the feeling
here that Ozric Tentacles are doing basically the same thing that they have
done before on 'Arborescence'. The loose and soaring jam pieces are here and
follow the same direction as they did on the previous record, but to a slightly
less exciting degree. All the same, if you can try to overlook the fact that
Ozric Tentacles have not done anything here to change up their sound, the
listener is given another excellent dose of material from the band, as well as
another slightly different soundtrack to travel through space with. Virtually anything I could say about the music on
'Arborescence', I have already said when I reviewed 'Jurassic Shift' some time
ago. The music is instrumental, although it uses ambient vocals to mesh in with
the characteristically dense sound. The band essentially has two modes here to
go with; the upbeat jam that makes no subtle use of synth flourishes and
arpeggiated keyboard notes, and the slower, more exotic tracks. Both of these
formulas seem geared towards providing a psychedelic, spiritual experience for
the listener, and give that sense of floating over the proverbial mushroom
kingdom. This is nothing new for Ozric Tentacles, and while 'Jurassic Shift'
did the same thing significantly better, that does not stop 'Arborescence' from
being fun as hell. The light mood throughout the album, mixed with the
dense production and walls of sound make the music on 'Arborescence' a perfect
psychedelic formula. At the same time, I do think that Ozric Tentacles' vast
discography would greatly benefit with some more variety, as this album greatly
indicates. All the same, on its own and outside of the context, 'Arborescence'
is a very good album.
647
A review by Mellotron Storm: I like this more than the follow-up "Crisis In
Clay". "Hunger's Teeth" is easier to digest , although make no
mistake this is complex and innovative. Kumar, Kerman and Drake (sounds like a
Lawyer firm doesn't it?) make up the band here with several guests helping out
including James Grigsby. "Well...Not Chicken[&*!#]" is a
fantastic opening number. It opens with keyboards as vocals and other sounds
join in. Check out the vocals yelling in the background. Huge bass comes in
briefly. Love how this sounds after 1 1/2 minutes. More chunky bass after 2
minutes with some stellar drum work as well. I really like the dissonant guitar
sounds that join in too. Killer track. "Roan" opens with what sounds like wind
chimes while in the background it sounds like a volcano is going to erupt.
Vocals come in then it kicks in after 1 1/2 minutes. Some excellent guitar here
then it settles with vocals. "Mangate" is basically Thomas DiMuzio
making electric and computer generated sounds for 3 minutes. Interesting.
"Geronimo" features vocals and other sounds then it kicks in before a
minute. Great sound. It settles again quickly as contrasts continue. It turns
dark before 3 minutes. Powerful sound 4 1/2 minutes in. Love the bass and drums
here. "Glue" is dark with drums and bass out
front. The vocals and the guitar are pretty twisted. "Opportunity
Bangs" opens with a full sound with vocals. It picks up a minute in. Organ
too. Killer sound here. It settles then picks back up. It ends in a haunting
manner. "The Shears" is a funny tune about people who cut hair for a
living. You can hear the door opening and the sound of scissors as vocals join
in. "Bachelor Needle" has a strange intro
then it kicks in. Vocals are processed with piano helping out. The tempo then
picks up with normal vocals. "Truth, Justice, And The American Way"
is dark with vocals, piano and a heavy pulsating sound. Great sound before 4
minutes then the vocals return. Amazing tune. So much going on late to end it.
"Equus" features vocals, piano and eerie sounds early. It changes a
minute in. Nice bass and drum work before 2 1/2 minutes. Organ follows then
guitar. Female vocals after 4 minutes. "Traveler Waits For No One" is
uptempo with female vocals. Some huge bass after 3 minutes. A solid 4 star album maybe even 4.5 stars.
648 Hundred Sights of Koenji
A review by Bonnek: Debut album from the Japanese Zeuhl collective
Koenjihyakkei. At times it sounds almost more teutonic then Magma, adding a
power and aggression to Magma's classic sound that was non-existent in the
70's. Yes, this one is really wild, insane, over the top, bombastic, hermetic,
uncompromising and delirious. The album is what would happen if Guapo recorded an
album with true operatic Magma vocals. The music is intense, tribal and
hyper-active. The opening suite Loss/Doi Doi is magnificent,
über-Zeuhl and vibrant. Molavena starts a bit less energetic
but gets more Avant as it goes along, still melodious and beautiful in its own
weird way. Gepek takes another
turn and becomes almost industrial noise rock accompanied by a swinging jazz
rhythm, as such recalling the good old Foetus projects from Mr. Clint Ruin/Jim
Thirwell. It's certainly equally frightening and challenging. Yagonahh takes
us further down into the lunatic asylum and does an extra twist on the crazy
circus vibes from Samla Mammas Manna. Ozono Fall returns to
the Zeuhl choruses of the opening tracks but quickly gives way to another look
into the insane minds of these artists. The experience is powerful and
disconcerting. The next remarkable stop is Zoltan a very
modernist and ethereal Kyrie Lyson. Avedumma provides quite a
contrast and starts with a Yes-y intro before firing off into another frantic
drum & choir attack. Not recommended without proper Zeuhl-initiation and
the ability to accept the beauty of something that on initial encounter looks
like the chaotic noise of a bunch of lunatics. For me this album sits perfectly
in the middle between Magma's MDK and Guapo's Five
Suns and is almost as deserving as those titles.
649
A review by Finnforest: The journey ends for a psych-rock luminary. On 28 June, 1995, Petri Walli climbed to the top of
a church tower in Helsinki and jumped to his death. The uber talented guitarist
and leader of Kingston Wall was 26 years old. Bassist Jukka Jylli: "I think that
was almost like Petri's solo album, this third one. It was really funny...
because we didn't really have any idea what it will be... the result... Petri
knew... we just tried to do our best. It was a very different album. Petri
thought that the band was going to change somehow after this third album. Well,
it changed because we split. I don't know what he actually wanted to do. He did
not want to go on like before. So we released the album in Autumn 1994 and I
met Petri the last time on Christmas Eve, the same year... and then he went to
India and after that I never saw him again. He tried to call me but I was not
home. I was in the states..." [KW's Jukka Jylli, a brief excerpt
from an interview by Scott Heller from Aural Innovations 4/99]. Kingston Wall came together in 1987 when Petri
Walli convinced Jukka Jylli (over drinks) to call him back about starting a
band. Jukka seemed less than thrilled about the talkative young man at the time
but he made that call. Eventually the stars aligned and they picked up one of
the most incredible drummers around, Sami Kuoppamaki. After playing live for
some time they released their first spirited album in 1992, followed by their
personal masterpiece KW2 a year later, and their mystifying swan-song KW3 (aka
Trilogy) in 1994. They played their last gig on 6 December, 1994, and split up
the next day. It was not clear that it was a permanent split though, perhaps
more of a hiatus. Petri travelled to India after that as he was very interested
in spiritual things. He is buried in Helsinki's Hietaniemi Cemetery, very close
to the church where he took his life. Lyrics from all three albums, written by
Walli, contain not-so-veiled messages about the state of his mind and speak
openly of death. Some contend that the lyrics for "For All Mankind"
from the final album are a suicide note in the form of a song lyric. (see
below) The first KW album is a rather rough and tumble
affair. As mentioned, it is a spirited and occasionally fun musical equivalent
of a car chase but it is not even in the same universe as the phenomenal second
album. KW2 badly pummels the first album in every category you wish to compare:
songwriting, playing, overall vision, overall wow-factor. The final album KW3
is somewhere in between from one perspective. But it is so different and
bizarre that it's almost impossible to compare. While still retaining some of
the psych-jam band glory of the first two albums, the 3rd gets downright
experimental at times via adventurous songwriting, way-out concepts,
electronica, keyboards and sax, and a more studio album approach. The first two
albums were essentially recorded live in the studio, often from material
already road-tested, whereas the final album was the only true
"studio" album according to Jylli. KW3 is an album that will irritate
many fans of the second album's approachable, accessible sound. It will rock
the boat and was likely intended to push buttons and challenge fans like groups
often do when ready for a change. But for those who go in ready and willing for
Walli's weirdest moments the album will still reward you. The band charges furiously out of the gate with
"Another Piece of Cake." Petri's very first solo sounds as aggressive
and climactic as most album's showcase solos. Sami and Jukka are again as tight
and brutal as Chad Smith and Flea. But as the track seques into "Welcome
to the Mirrorland” it becomes obvious this album is not a repeat of the last
one. Strange, spacey loops of odd noises and synth gurgles fill out the
landscape with Petri's voice taking on an otherworldy effect. "Take You to
Sweet Harmony" embraces a little reggae with groovy echoed guitar wahs and
a nice solo. "Get Rid of Your Fears" is a nice spacey guitar
experiment with a heavy wall of bass. "Party Goes On" sounds like it
indeed, a total psych-out with bizarre voices and instrumental cacophony. "Time"
is the only track that sounds a bit serious, a bit sober as it laments the
human condition over some laid back mode Hendrix guitar. And then there is
"The Real Thing," another epic like "Mushrooms" from the
first album, this one a tad leaner at 18 minutes. It's a better track as well,
spanning a wide variety of moods and energies from quiet and spacey to balls
out rock and roll. Mostly rock and roll with the power trio going for broke on
every jam. With the best playing and even a killer long sax solo it is easily
the stand-out track and a respectable, fitting farewell track for this amazing
little band. The booklet is very cool with lots of cymbals and
imagery that Petri was fond of. This is a good album but I still cannot call it
essential. Once again I recommend the second album for anyone new to this band
and if you like that, then perhaps move on and check out the other two. As for the controversy about whether the lyrics of
"For All Mankind" are Petri's farewell note to humanity, here's a
couple lines, judge for yourself: "Look out world it's time to die,
no more crying with my mind, when we'll sing no lullabies, and all of us have
real eyes, the shaman seeds for all mankind, one day we will say goodbye, to
all of them who live the time, no more need to compromise, balanced heart needs
no disguise" [P. Walli].
650
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: Gilmour, Mason and Wright remained of the Pink
Floyd money making machine. The best thing about this album is Pink Floyd were
able to take it on the road to produce some of the best of their tours since “The
Wall”. The music sounds similar to that on “Momentary Lapse of Reason”, very
accessible rather than progressive. The melodies are infectious and easy to
sing to for the live performances. The songs focus on many themes as usual, but
they are still harping on about old Syd with songs such as ‘Keep Talking’. The
lapse or complete lack of communication is the key theme, seen primarily by the
striking cover art of two mute souls conversing, an optical illusion from the
dark ages that works well for an album cover. The tracks are quite famous now as they appear on
live DVDs such as “Pulse”. My personal favourites are the cynical ‘What do you
want from me’, ‘A great day for freedom’, ‘Take it back’, ‘Coming back to life’
and ‘Keep talking’. The latter track features a convincing voice over by genius
paraplegic scientist Stephen Hawking. The best song on the entire album is
undoubtedly the atmospheric haunting ‘High Hopes’. This track is quintessential
Pink Floyd with a startling bell tolling effect and very emotive performance by
Gilmour. The majestic closing section is an incredible performance by the band.
The film clip promo was brilliant and seen in the live shows on the circular
screens. There are some strange tracks that never rang well
with me such as the lengthy ‘Poles apart’, that is perhaps too long and drawn
out. ‘Marooned’ is also a strange one but sounds great as background music.
Overall this was a huge album at the time and the last studio album for the
band before they became a live act only. It is definitely one of the better Floyd
albums of recent years and a fitting way to bow out of the studio recordings.
A review by SouthSideoftheSky: The ringing of The Division Bell had begun! I might be the only one holding this opinion but I
think that The Division Bell is actually Pink Floyd's best album. I have never
been a big fan of the band, but I find this album excellent. The material here
is very strong and very melodic. Some say that this is more of a David Gilmour album
than a Pink Floyd album, and it is true that Gilmour dominates this album with
his vocals and guitars, but for me that is just what makes The Division Bell so
great. Gilmour has both a distinctive singing voice and a very distinctive
guitar sound that really comes to the fore on this album. This music is
unmistakeably Gilmour and therefore unmistakably Pink Floyd. But we should not forget Richard Wright's role in
the band. His keyboards are also a part of the sound of The Division Bell,
perhaps more so than on many other Pink Floyd albums, especially The Wall and
The Final Cut. Wright even sings one track on this album, Wearing The Inside
Out. This song is exactly similar in style to the material on his solo album
Broken China. In my view this is the least good song on the album and slightly
out of place, but still good. Wright has a much more anonymous voice. Music is a lot about expression and emotion and
there is a lot of instrumental and vocal expression in these songs. The lyrics
are great and it is clear that they care about what they are singing. All the
songs are very good, but A Great Day For Freedom, Coming Back To Life and High
Hopes are my particular favourites. High Hopes is really a Symphonic Prog
masterpiece! The acoustic and the steel guitars are fantastic here. While I think that Pink Floyd is a good but
overrated band overall, this particular part of their career - encompassing The
Division Bell and the previous Momentary Lapse Of Reason, culminating in the
excellent live album PULSE, containing songs from these two albums as well as
older classics - is underrated. Highly recommended!
651
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: An album that too often settles into safe
territory, but there are shining moments on "Mosquito". "Mosquito" is undoubtedly for this
reviewer the worst of the 4 Psychotic Waltz albums, and they raised the bar so
high with "Into The Everflow" that this is a major let down. There
seems to be something missing here that is unmistakeable when one listens to
the 4 albums back to back of this incredible legendary band. It is not until I got to the third track that I
even felt remotely interested. The sound is so different and less technical to
the previous masterpiece. There are still some wonderful moments and I have to
mention ‘Haze One’ as one of the definitive highlights. A terrific lead break,
aggressive riffs and powerhouse vocals drive it into your skull. The quiet acoustic and flute on the following track
‘Shattered Sky’ is a welcome change to all the intense metal. The gentle vocals
are multi tracked as always and sound peaceful. The distorted riff locks in on
the choruses, and there is a sense of tension and release as the flute chimes
in over the verses. The melody line is quite beautiful in the ambient moments. ‘Cold’ has some inspired lead breaks but the vocals
are sounding very similar and there is not enough variation. The multi tracked
style is always present, and the riffs are overlayed and too dirty and I detest
fade outs on metal songs. Hopefully the next song will be as good as PW's
first albums. I listen with patience to ‘All The Voices’ and I hear, a weird
psychedelic carnival sound. Okay this is better, the vocals are estranged and
have psych prog lyrics, "follow me into the day, won't you open the eyes
of your mind, follow me into the sun, all of my friends will be with me
again." The keyboard motif that make this sound unique is welcome. The
whammy bar works overtime with lead flourishes, then it fades out before it has
a chance to progress. Why? Where is the technical excellence and time sig
wizardry of "Into The Everflow" or the debut? The next track ‘Dancing in the Ashes’, has a
fantastic fast and frantic riff driving it headlong. The vocals are more
intense, and furious, the riffs are wonderful in the chorus and the lead break
has some speedy little licks that are worth emulating. A highlight at last on
the album, but it is only 2:31 in length! I don't get it! Next a slow crawling moaning track that grows on
you eventually, ‘Only Time’, ironically with a simple time sig overall. I don't
mind this at all. The riff is rather Sabbath like and morbid. The twin lead
break is sensational , perhaps the best from the twin lead virtuosos. Then it
fades, I wish the guy on the fade out button was vaporised at this stage. It is
a commercial device and not necessary for a band like this, effectively killing
any chances of the band to break out into lengthy instrumentals or innovative
time changes. Next on the agenda is ‘Locked Down’ and the riff is
great, stopping dead while Lackey's vocals rave on; "You better lock it
down, well come on down, down , better lock it down, better lock it down,
locked down, low to the ground, this town is burning down, so you better lock
it down etc etc etc". Anyway, the lead break is quite good though way too
short. This is a repetitive song with too many vocals and not enough innovation
but it doesn't fade out at least. ‘Mind Song’ is the longest track at 6:08 so I was
hoping for a myriad of time sig changes and complexity as with their last 2
albums. It begins with a Pink Floyd type feel, the melody sounds spaced out,
the vocals are quite good. There is even a reggae style on guitars. The
keyboards dominate for a while, then there is a very nice lead solo. The
psychedelic sound is strong and it builds to a new time sig, hooray! The half
time feel is really a song within a song but delightfully reminiscent of the
usual Psychotic Waltz complexity. This is the problem. The band are capable of
brilliance and too often settle into a safe straight metal sound. Nothing wrong
with that if that's what you want, but with Psychotic Waltz who are renowned
for tech metal, most fans would be expecting the same technical excellence of
the first 2 albums. The last song then is a real highlight, and even features a
wah wah lead motif while a sustained lead solo rings over the top. The lead
work is astounding and showcase the talents of Rock and McAlpin. Well there you go. Still a good album but should
have been better. Fans did not want an accessible album from the legends of
tech metal, but we are stuck with it. The commercial approach did not do the
music any favours and really if you compare this to the other 3 albums it is
perhaps not worth considering for newbies to the band who may be turned off. It
is not very progressive because the band does not utilise their talents in the
same way as the first 2 albums. Still, this is a nice add on but definitely
does not hold a candle to the other master class albums of the band. A review by Bonnek: On Mosquito Psychotic Waltz made quite a turn, away
from their earlier complexity, shedding a lot of the shredding and exuberance
in return for focused and at times even groovy songs. Depending on how you
appreciate the preceding albums this might either be your favourite or least
favourite PW album. This album has gone through quite a change in my
appreciation. At the time of its release it fought for the top 1 in my 1994
year list against Skyclad's Prince of the Poverty Line. I was huge on grunge at
the time and on this album Psychotic Waltz almost sounded as if they wanted a
piece of the big grunge-cake. In the ensuing years I found myself listening less
and less to this album as it failed to continue captivating my attention. I
thought every track to be quite alright still but too straightforward and
sterile. I missed the big harmonic soloing, the adventurous song writing, the
passion and most of all the unique vocal approach of Buddy Lackey. On this
album he mainly just sings along with the riffs instead of bringing entirely
different melodies. Now hearing it back for this review after a good 5
years without playing it the disappointment is even bigger. Despite the good
song writing, the continuous slow pace and lack of daring ideas on this album
make it sound weary and exhausted. On their next and final album they would gain some
of their flashing extravaganza back. Here I'm torn between 3 and 4 stars. Maybe
I should check out the remaster. With just a slight improvement to the sound I
might still upgrade to 4.
652- live Maida Vale (The BBC Radio One
Sessions)
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: This is a fantastic live album
with a rare performance of Van Der Graaf Generator live and in fine form. It sounds very different than “Vital” that had
a booming bass. This concert was clearer
recorded with good equipment from the BBC and the set list is terrific classic
VDGG. 'Darkness' is the perfect
opening, an incredible eerie track with Jackson brilliant on sax, followed by
quintessential 'Man-Erg' from "Pawn Hearts" and dark and brooding
'Scorched Earth' from "Godbluff". All three are killer classics and never bettered
live. The version of 'Sleepwalkers' is a
10 minute zombie outbreak of prog with epic proportions. 'Still Life' may be the best live version
available, so powerfully moving and Hammill convicting and emotional. 'La Rossa' is a colossal beast of 10 minutes
with pounding drums and killer guitar. Hammill's piano cries in agony and this is a
definitive highlight with a tour de force of Evans and Banton's rhythms. 'When She Comes' is a strange choice but still
good to hear and we end with a wonderful version of 'Masks'. I would have preferred 'Killer', 'Pioneers
Over C' or 'Arrow' but it was interesting to hear these live versions. The Maida Vale BBC Radio One
Sessions is a must for Hammill and VDGG fanatics that never fails to please and
is of the highest quality. The crowd are
low key, and it is more like a Radio session than a concert. And it is all the more enjoyable as a result. Hammill, Evans, Banton and Jackson are a force
to be reckoned with and here they are captured in all their glory at the peak
of their powers. A review by Sean Trane: Actually very few live recordings of VDGG exists
because on the group's own admittance, they were horrible on 40% of their gigs
and bearable on 30% of the others. This
left only 30% of the gigs were they could've recorded (given that they knew in
advance they would smoke and that conditions allowed the recording) and this
explains that the only real live album was Vital under the VDG moniker. So are
we thankful that the Beeb existed. While
not really live recordings per se, the sessions made that they played together
some of those real classic tracks. Unfortunately most of the tracks are from the
second era (I said unfortunately but I like that one better than the first) so
the early stuff is not well represented here as well. I think the material from Pawn Hearts or The
Least is most interesting to hear live. Nevertheless we have some kind of live recordings
and it should please all unconditional fans.
Edited by AtomicCrimsonRush - May 01 2012 at 09:11 |
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: April 30 2012 at 18:48 |
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1994 634
A review by Conor Fynes: To me, Ulver are one of the all-time most
intriguing bands. It would be difficult for me to name another band who is so
versatile, and manages to produce masterpieces that vary wildly. Released when
frontman Krystoffer Rygg was still in his teens, 'Bergtatt' is considered to be
a classic opus of the then-relatively young style of black metal. Ulver have
since gone down a path of avant-garde ambient music that now has little to do
with metal or even rock, but 'Bergtatt' is enough to plant the band as an
essential of black metal. Years before Agalloch or Drudkh made their mark,
Ulver laid down the foundation for this arboreal sound in atmospheric black
metal. Taking the ambiance of Burzum and taking it two steps further,
'Bergtatt' is as relevant today as it was in 1994. Many modern metalheads may draw comparisons to
Agalloch when listening to 'Bergtatt.' It should be appreciated, however, that
Ulver crafted this sound first. The black metal mold had been forged over the
decade prior, and Ulver furnishes it with lavish arboreal folk instrumentation,
melodic riffs, and even clean vocals; something that was often looked down upon
in black metal. 'Bergtatt' was indeed ahead of its time, although nothing on
the album feels contrived or forced to sound 'progressive' in the commonly used
sense of the word. Split into five chapters, 'Bergtatt' is not afraid to
incorporate acoustic guitars as a primary element in the sound. Many bands
dabbled with mellower dimensions, but they often were used merely to break up
the intense black metal, as opposed to, you know, complimenting the musical
experience directly. Of course, no masterpiece would be complete without
masterful composition, and this is something that sees no shortage in
'Bergtatt'. Ulver hit a sweet spot that balances harshness and warmth, black
metal and folk, melodic sensibilities and melancholic aggression. To mention
that Ulver were in their teens when 'Bergatt' was produced only makes the feat
more admirable. Potentially the only time when I could be convinced
that 'Bergtatt' is not perfect is with the more puritanical black metal
elements here. Like the rest of the album, they are performed with passionate
intensity and a sense of purpose, but in the midst of some of the most
beautiful acoustic guitars ever heard in metal, and a wonderfully arboreal sense
of melody in the cleaner moments, the times when Ulver goes full-force with the
blastbeats and dark energy feels underwhelming by comparison. That's not nearly
enough to keep me from calling 'Bergtatt' a masterpiece, however. It is
essential listening for anyone even remotely interested in black metal; it is
rivalled only by Mayhem's 'De Mysteriis Dom Santhanas' as the most glorious
classic of black metal.
635
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: My first introduction to this incredible band began
right here. A friend said you have to hear this and I had no idea what to
expect. When I heard that choppy off sync riff of ‘6:00’ I was hooked
immediately; "6:00 on a Christmas morning, 6:00 on a Christmas
morning". The amazing dexterity of the group, the skills of Petrucci,
Portnoy and LaBrie are unsurpassed. I knew this was a super group and of course
they are still churning out one excellent album after another. Back in 1994 “Awake”
was flooring the critics; they were hailing Dream Theater as master musicians,
and they have improved since then. Rudess replacing Moore was one way, although
Moore is an accomplished keyboardist on this album. Myung is a fantastic
bassist and shines on “Awake”. Best songs are ‘6:00’ which begins with Portnoy's
drums and a crunching memorable riff. I love the chorus with LaBrie powering
out an amazing performance; "Melody walks through the door and Memory
flies out the window, nobody knows what they want til they finally let it all
go". ‘Caught in a Web’ is truly a masterful track that
sounds awesome here. LaBrie is fantastic on vocals, his high register is
faultless. Moore is a virtuoso on this too, and since I have heard Rudess on
this and both sound amazing in the solo section. ‘Erotomania’ is an instrumental that is tight, taut
and terrific. Lots of fast paced lead work makes this one of the great
showpieces of the album. ‘Voices’ is one of the all time greatest DT tracks
with a strange time sig and massive lead break. It became a fan favourite live
for good reason. LaBrie is powerful and retains a complex melody blending
perfectly with the instruments. ‘The Mirror’ is another of the highlights with
monster riffing guitars and keyboards to accompany. This one should have been
played live more often, but it is great to return to on this album. ‘Lifting Shadows Off a Dream’ features very melodic
verses and once again Moore is able to fly into a wonderful keyboard solo. ‘Scarred’ is awesome due to Myung's contribution
along with Portnoy. They are an indelible rhythm machine. It builds into a full
blown metal passage, and detours into many time sig changes. ‘Space-Dye Vest’ is a classic DT song and the last
time Moore would play on an album before being replaced. There is a melancholy
feel as though saying farewell to a friend. The spacey atmospherics are
wondrous and it is a perfect way to end an excellent prog metal album. So overall I was blown away by “Awake” and of
course ended up getting hold of everything the band would produce. I can
comfortably award this 4 stars as it is one of the best DT albums and one of
the best of 1994. A review by UMUR: I remember waiting for this album outside the
record store on the day of its release. The album was highly anticipated and I
ditched school that day to sit down and listen to the new Dream Theater album
Awake. I was very surprised as it didn´t sound much like Images and Words. But
after continued listens it ended up being a classic album for me. I just love the drums that start the album off.
They always make me feel good. And this is exactly what the rest of the album
also does to me. It makes me feel good. This is not particularly happy music,
but it´s just so cool. The production is godly and Kevin Moore gets to use
more keyboard sound on Awake than he did on Images and Words which makes this
album a little more diverse. The same can be said about John Petrucci. He uses
so many different guitar sounds on Awake that I can´t count them, especially in
a song like Erotomania which is an instrumental tour de force. John P also
introduced his 7 string guitar on this album, which means that some of the
songs are played in a very low key which sounds really heavy on Mirror and Lie. The album is a masterpiece and Dream Theater proved that they could still evolve their style without losing melody. I love this album and always will. 636
A review by UMUR: The Flower King is actually a solo album from Swedish
prog rock legend Roine Stolt, but it´s regarded by most fans as being the first
Flower Kings album as many of the musicians who would later be a part of that
band plays on The Flower King. The songs from The Flower King is also a part of
The Flower Kings repertoire when they play live and as such this is a Flower
Kings album. I know many people despise The Flower Kings and
especially Roine Stolt for his retro approach to prog rock and his hippie Christian
outlook on the world and, although the latter can also be a bit too much for me
in some of the songs, his seventies inspired prog rock is seldom heard more
inspiring and competently played. The man is a genius in my eyes. All the best
parts from seventies prog rock and hard rock is present in The Flower Kings
music. Virtuosity, adventurism, hard rocking riffs and complex (mostly very
long) compositions are some of the features on The Flower Kings albums. On this album The Flower Kings consist of Roine
Stolt (Kaipa, The Tangent, Transatlantic, Karmakanic) on Lead vocals, Guitar,
Bass, keyboards and percussion, Hans Fröberg on vocals, Ulf Wallander on
Soprano Saxophone, Hasse Brunisson (Sammla Mammas Manna) on drums and
percussion, Jaime Salazar on drums and percussion, Dexter Frank Jr. On
keyboards and electronics and Don Azzaro on bass guitar and Moog Taurus. All
musicians are outstanding and the combination of Roine Stolt and Hans Fröberg
on vocals is really good. Roine´s voice reminds me of a mix of the talking
singing style of Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) and Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull)
while Hans’ voice reminds me of a more raw Jon Anderson (Yes). Hans only sings
on The Flower King and Scanning the Greenhouse but would contribute more and
more to The Flower Kings music. The album is almost 70 minutes long, so you´ll get
something for your money and in this case quantity doesn´t mean that the
quality isn´t high throughout the album. The quality is actually very high and
the only song I don´t find excellent is the short semi-ballad Close Your Eyes
and the closing song Scanning the Greenhouse. The rest of the album consists of
great prog rock songs with lots of special guitar soloing. Roine Stolt is a
great guitarist. He has lots of the anarchistic ideas in his playing that Zappa
also had and virtuosity which sometimes remind me of Steve Vai. His solos which
are a big part of this album are generally very melodic and he obviously puts
lots of emotion into the solos. The music on The Flower King is arranged as it
is on every Flower Kings album so don´t expect too much improvisation. There
are so many great songs on the album and I´ll mention a few things about some
of them. The first song which is called The Flower King is a
classic in The Flower Kings repertoire; it´s the ultimate ode to Love and
Happiness. The lyrics are a bit too cheesy for me but on the other hand it´s
just such a nice positive song that I enjoy very much. My dark metal heart gets
a bit soft. The rest of the songs are also truly magnificent and songs like
Dissonata, The Magic Circus of Zeb, The Pilgrims Inn and The Sounds of Violence
are excellent and sometimes dark tracks which really shows the diversity in The
Flower Kings music. Listen to the beginning of The Magic Circus of Zeb and tell
me this doesn´t sound like Zappa. The song has lots of other influences too
though and never ends in rip-off. The 21 minute long epic Humanizzimo should
also be mentioned. The start of Humanizzimo is one of my favourite moments in any
Flower Kings song; it´s just so beautiful. The last song Scanning the Greenhouse
is a variation over the first song and it isn´t very interesting. The production is very good even though it´s not
the best sound on a Flower Kings album. I really like this album very much and
even though I don´t feel it´s a complete masterpiece it´s really a high quality
prog rock album. Roine Stolt took the world by storm with this one and he
hasn´t looked back since. 4 stars is well deserved for this excellent album. My
only complaint is that sometimes the atmosphere is a bit too happy and just a
bit too easy listening for me, but it depends on my mood whether or not I am
bothered by this. A review by Mellotron Storm: After reading the enthusiastic reviews of the
latest THE FLOWER KINGS album I decided to start here where it all began. This
is not an official THE FLOWER KINGS album, but given it's title, and the fact
everyone playing on it would become members of the FLOWER KINGS I felt this was the place to start. Even the
final track "Scanning The Greenhouse" would become the title of THE
FLOWER KINGS compilation record. I have already (some time ago) reviewed two of
their double albums "Stardust We Are" and "Flower Power". I
have to say the guitar playing of Mr. Stolt impressed me greatly on this one. I
also like the thoughts he shared in the liner notes as to what he was thinking
when he recorded this record. "I wanted to come out as an alternative to
the flood of destructive, dark 'n evil-hardcore-death-thrash-speed-black n'
suicidal metal music of today. So I created "The Flower King" - Prophet,
Healer, Hippie, Joker, Spacetraveller, The Great Gardener and possibly...son of
God." R.S. 1994. "The Flower King" opens with some
tasteful guitar. This is simply a feel good song with positive lyrics and a sing
along chorus. I like Roine's unique
sounding vocals, but having Hasse Froberg singing lead during the chorus was a
wise move. The guitar just soars
beautifully on this one, as well Roine fires off some raw solos as well. There
is a GENESIS feel to the keys as we get about 5 1/2 minutes of pure
instrumental work before the vocals return before 9 minutes. "Dissonata" reminds me of THE
TANGENT, with Salazar (who plays with
them) on drums. This is more of a serious tune with Stolt doing his Fripp
impression at times. After 6 minutes
Roine sounds just like Vai. Then 7 minutes in we get some latter day KING
CRIMSON heaviness. Ok maybe not quite
that heavy, but it does sound like them. "The Magic Circus Of Jeb" is an
instrumental. Other then the drums this
is all Stolt who plays guitar, bass and
keys. He's so fluid on the guitar, and 4
1/2 minutes in he goes on and on. Nice. "Close Your Eyes" is a mellow tune
with tasteful guitar throughout. "The Pilgrims Inn (Part 1&2)" is my
favourite song on here. An instrumental
that recalls CAMEL. It's simply gorgeous
with sax and what sounds like flute. The guitar starts to slowly break my heart.
At 6 minutes the flute-like sounds and
guitar join together to end part 1 of this track beautifully. The last 2 minutes(Part 2) is different with
gentle acoustic guitar and flute-like sounds. The last 30 seconds is a soaring
guitar solo. "The Sounds Of
Violence" is another instrumental that opens with some uptempo keys and
ripping guitar 2 minutes in. The drums
are crisp and very active. The last 2
minutes are calm and reflective. "Humanizzimo" is an almost 21 minute
epic. Hasse Bruniusson is back on the
drums as he and Salazar share the duties on this record. Hasse played drums for both SAMLA MAMMAS MANNA
and ZAMLA MAMMAZ MANNA previous to this. This long track has so many amazing
moments. Very pastoral early with lots
of smooth sax melodies before we get many twists, turns and mood changes. More angular guitar from Stolt. "Scanning The Greenhouse" opens with
some scorching guitar melodies before the vocals arrive. Froberg adds some lead vocals to this one. Great sound ! The bass from Roine is prominant.
The song ends with a reprise of
"The Flower King". I know some people feel that this is too sugary, that
Roine is living in a dream world. And
although i wouldn't want to listen to this all the time, "The Flower
King" truly is a symphonic pleasure to listen to. Easily 4 stars.
637
A review by Mellotron Storm: COLLAGE presents an emotional and uplifting album
in "Moonshine". I can't get over how much they sound like SATELLITE,
of course three of COLLAGE's members started that band up including the
vocalist so it's no wonder they sound so much alike. From the keyboard passages
to the soaring, melodic guitar, to the emotional well sung vocals, this is
Neo-Prog at it's best. This is very polished, with layers of sound, that are
simply ear candy. Lots of orchestral-like passages created through the
keyboards as well. "Heroes Cry" is so moving, especially the
chorus. There's even some heaviness with guitar after 2 minutes. Some nice instrumental work to end it. Amazing sound 6 minutes in. "In Your Eyes" opens with keyboards
as fragile vocals come in. It kicks in
after 2 1/2 minutes. Passionate vocals
with guitar a minute later. The tempo
and mood shifts continue. The guitar just lights it up 7 minutes in. It's so moving 9 minutes in. "Lovely Day" is such a transcending
track both instrumentally and the lyrics. Lots of piano in this one. "Living In The Moonlight" is another
emotional track with fantastic vocals. Love the guitar before 3 minutes as well. "The Blues" is uptempo and they really
put on an instrumental display here. The mood and tempo changes a lot and
themes are eventually repeated in yet another great track. "Wings In The Night" is mellow to
open as fragile vocals join in. It
starts to build then settles with piano after 3 1/2 minutes. I like when it settles again after 7 minutes
and the guitar comes in. "Moonshine" opens with drums as synths
join in. A full sound before a minute
and then it settles when vocals arrive. As per usual this song really changes a lot. The highlight for me is the final song
"War Is Over" which is pure joy as the title would suggest. ANEKDOTEN have a song called "The War Is
Over" from their "Gravity" album that is just as uplifting as this
one believe it or not. This song is
addictive though as the chorus keeps spinning in my head over and over. When I hear this song I just want to celebrate.
A solid 4 stars and my favourite album from all the
COLLAGE and SATELLITE albums. A review by UMUR: It´s very seldom I listen to neo prog albums that I
really like besides Fish era Marillion which I absolutely adore and a few other
exceptions. Moonshine which is the third album from Collage is one of those
exceptions. It´s a very unique album and even though many of the ideas on
Moonshine were also heard on the two previous albums from Collage, Basnie and
Nine songs of John Lennon, the ideas are fully developed on Moonshine and with
the massive production and elaborate synth layers this makes for quite an
experience in melodic prog rock/ neo prog. The music is heavily synth layered but the guitar
leads from Mirek Gil is also omnipresent throughout the album. On top of that
there are some excellent melodic melodies sung by Robert Amirian. It´s close to
pop at times but the music is always done with finesse and attention to detail
that you won´t hear in commercial pop music. The pop moments are only
tendencies though and with many of the songs being well over 10 minutes long
the structure is not commercial at all. The album starts with Heroes Cry which is a really
excellent song that starts very bombastic and has a nice memorable chorus. In
Your Eyes which, with it´s 14:04 minutes, is the longest song here and is a
great, very dynamic song. It has subtle beautiful moments and full on symphonic
ones. There are many sections on In Your Eyes but everything fits nicely
together. Lovely Day is a ballad type song but it never gets long or cheesy for
that matter. Listening to the next song Living in the Moonlight for the first
time I was sure it was a cover song of an eighties pop hit, but I´m sure it
just bears lots of resemblances to one. It´s the most melodic and memorable
song on Moonshine and, even though the cheese factor is pretty high here, it´s
a great song. The rest of the album continues without much change in quality.
All songs are of high standard. One of my few regrets with Moonshine is that
the arrangements and the sounds Collage uses are very much the same throughout
the album and it makes the listening experience a bit trivial at times. This is
not a major problem though and for once I won´t complain too much about
quantity even though Moonshine is a very long album. The musicianship is outstanding but I have to
mention Wojtek Szadkowski on drums as he brings something special to the music.
His style is very unorthodox especially when you think of how the drums are
generally played in neo prog. I would call him a very busy drummer and that
might even be an understatement of his style. He makes millions of different
fills and small time and tempo changes that keep the music exciting. I´m sure
his playing is an acquired taste though, and some might think he is too busy,
but I really enjoy his playing. The production on Moonshine is really unique. It´s
one of those larger than life productions that is so full of reverb and chorus
that you think your ears are gonna’ explode any time when listening. This is a
positive remark if anyone should doubt it. It´s so grand that it sounds like
it´s recorded on a mountain. Personally I love that kind of a production and to
me it´s an important part of Moonshine. Moonshine is a really excellent album and I will rate it 4 stars. It´s a bit too long (there I did it again! Complained about quantity instead of quality, but I just can´t help it) and had it been a little more focused and cut down just a bit, it might have been a 5 star album, but on the other hand I really like the long songs on the album because it´s here that Collage gets to play all the beautiful melodic sections that´s so enjoyable. Well although how I see it, Moonshine is a very excellent album but falls short of a masterpiece. It´s very recommendable though to fans of the neo prog genre and some fans of symphonic prog rock might be enchanted too. 638 Somewhere But Yesterday
A review by Ivan_Melgar_M: CITIZEN CAIN is one of the bands I avoided like a
plague after reading in several places they were GENESIS clones, because even
when I'm a hardcore fan of the Charterhouse School guys, the total imitation of
even the best band, without a bit of creativity is something I can't stand. A band can play in the vein of other decades and
that's great for me, they can even be hardly influenced by a determined band
and still release great albums, because they add something of their own, but a
total copy is something that goes beyond my understanding. So, after many years and only a couple months ago,
while searching for some music, I found three CITIZEN CAIN albums including
"Somewhere but Yesterday" and the surprise was huge, yes it's true
that except for certain similarities between "Cyrrus" voice and Peter
Gabriel's (To be honest, he sounds like a Gabriel, Collins, Fish and Nick
Barrett fusion), I find no huge resemblance between the two bands. The keyboard approach of "Stuart Bell" is
absolutely different than the one characteristic of "Tony Banks" and
the use of guitar is much, more aggressive and less delicate than the one of
"Steve Hackett", so those that believe this band is a GENESIS clone,
must have an absolutely dissimilar perspective with me. The album starts with "Johnny Had Another Face
(Parallel Lines)", which begins with a strong introduction with some
MARILLION reminiscences, even the keyboards sound closer to "Mark
Kelly" rather than to "Tony Banks", but the style is richer and
much more versatile, seems that the band capably blends moods and atmospheres of
different eras and sub- genres. A totally frenetic song with amazing changes and
well elaborate sound, an excellent start for an even better album "Junk and Donuts (An Afterthought)" marks
a radical change, starts soft and narrative, in the vein of "Wind &
Wuthering", a soft flute softens the strong aggressive intro and leads
towards something totally different, some sort of Symphonic - Folk with
profound and dramatic transformations in the structure. Even better than the
precious track. "To Dance the Enamel-Faced Queen (Beyond the
Boundaries)" is simply breathtaking from the first note, without any
warning, "Stuart Bell" hits us with his organ, giving no rest until
the vocals join. At this point, anything can be expected, the horror to silence
what these guys have is evident, because they cover every single fraction of
second with the sound of an instrument, giving no time to rest, something that
can be too exhausting for the casual listener, but is a delight for the
Progressive Rock fan. "Somewhere But Yesterday" is "the
piece of resistance", a 25 minutes multi-part epic that covers all the
possibilities the band has, from soft, almost lyrical to aggressive and almost
brutal, but always making the perfect change and working exquisite arrangements.
They can disconcert us because we can't imagine what comes next, but never
disappoint or lose the coherence... An accomplished piece of art. CITIZEN CAIN left one of the most explosive songs
for the end, if they surprised us along with the whole album, in "Strange
Barbarians (The Mother's Shroud)" they present us different approaches and
sounds, they even play some sort of "Jazz" by moments, but the star
is the organ, that takes us through the 70's without copying any band or style
in particular, they simply capture the atmosphere. Excellent album that I regret having left behind
for so many years due to other reviews, but this is a mistake that can be resolved;
I already have three of their albums and waiting for "Serpents in
Camouflage" that will be delivered in the next days. The rating is hard, I'm tempted to rate
"Somewhere but Yesterday" with 5 stars, but due to the fact that I
haven't heard all their discography and compared releases, will stay with 4
stars until I have more perspective.
639
A review by Mellotron Storm: I cannot praise this band enough. Their debut album
is a Japanese flavour of Zeuhl that is simply intoxicating to say the least. Not as much guitar as HAPPY FAMILY, but more
Zeuhl sounding with the relentless bass and drums along with the amazing female
vocalists. They implement some
xylophone, miramba, violin and glockenspiel as well. The violin is actually quite prominent and is played
so tastefully. "Holly Roller" opens the proceedings as
drums and guitar riffs set the pace. Violin jumps in with vocal melodies to create
a great sound. "Arabia No Zou"
is the song that appealed to me right away upon first listen. What a catchy beat with those heavy drums with
two female vocalists singing at times the same parts, and then different parts.
Nice. Kido on guitar grinds out an
amazing guitar solo. What a song! And the most Zeuhl sounding too. "Kodomo No Torokko" has some incredible
vocal arrangements. The drums are again dominant before it all calms down as a
violin melody is beautifully played. The
drums are relentless and then the violin is replaced by the acoustic guitar. It all grows in intensity as vocal melodies
come back along with violin 8 minutes in to the end of the song. "Rigo" is a cool song, a little
different. Female vocal melodies along
with xylophone and violin. "Octopus-Command" makes me say "Here
we go!" as pounding drums and killer female vocal melodies are joined by
violin that is on fire. The vocals here
remind me of Mauricia from ZAO's debut. This is truly amazing stuff. Some ripping guitar comes in before the melody
just stops with only deep bass sounds to be heard. Very atmospheric until the guitar comes
crashing back in. It then becomes quite
frantic before settling down a wee bit. "Hikou Suru Ko" opens with some beautiful
vocal melodies and a powerful drum/bass rhythm. The violin replaces the vocals briefly before
we get a guest male vocalist 4 1/2 minutes in. "Kakuu No Sakana" gives us time to
relax a little as it features acoustic guitar in a rhythm that sort of drifts
along. Some sweet sounding violin comes
in after 3 minutes. "Kinzoku No
Taiji" opens with drumming at the speed of light. This song is complex and very much in your
face. A wall of sound at times. The guitar solo 3 1/2 minutes in just goes on
and on. We're not worthy! Check out the
bass! It's the vocals and drums turn to show off 6 1/2 minutes in. This has the best ending ever!
"T-Rex" features pounding drums and scorching guitar. This one gets a little extreme, but it's great
with some guest sax later that borders on dissonant.
640
A review by Ivan_Melgar_M: The guidelines of this page tell us to be very
careful with 5 stars rating, but when I make reviews of ÄNGLAGÅRD it's very
difficult to be careful because the music is so majestic that's almost
impossible to leave away the impulse to give the album the maximum possible
rating. The main difference between Hybris and Epilog is
that this album is instrumental and much more mature, maturity should be good
in any normal band, but in the case of ÄNGLAGÅRD it's hard to know because
something I admired very much in the debut album is that innocence they showed.
The band didn't care how many influences they played with, so it was easy to
notice Crimsonian passages, Yes sounds and Genesis chords all mixed together,
almost like a child builds houses with his multicolor bricks, but they were
able to build incredibly beautiful and intelligent music, almost as if the
child would have turned into an architect who can make monuments using the same
color bricks to remain innocent. In Epilog their own sound is more developed, the
listener still notices that King Crimson and Genesis had a strong influence in
ÄNGLAGÅRD, but it seems more distant. The absence of Tord Lindman's voice may
satisfy those fans who believed he was weak and maybe too feminine, but the
sound is colder without him, you notice something is missing, even if you're
not a particular fan of his vocals. The music is stronger and less derivative
but they lost that naïve charm they had in Hybris. The album starts with "Prolog"
(Prologue), and what a way to begin; simply delightful music, I'm sure that any
person that doesn't know about ÄNGLAGÅRD will qualify this track not as Prog'
Rock but classical music. The Baroque atmosphere achieved with guitar, violin
(by Martin Oloffson who is a guest) and keyboards is simply perfect; it's sad,
melancholic but extremely beautiful. At the end you feel 2 minutes are not
enough, they should have made this song 5 times longer. "Hostejd" (Rites of Fall) is a song where
all the band shows how much they matured, there's clear King Crimson
inspiration, but they work it being less evident than ever before. The abrupt
changes perfectly fit one after the other, the whole band's work is amazing,
but Anna Holmgren's flute is the one that carries the weight of the track, you
can feel the main melody as if it was surrounding the sound of louder
instruments until they all melt in one. Also great drumming by Mattias Olsson
who has better feet work than in Hybris. "Rosten" (The Voice) doesn't really
deserve a comment, 14 seconds of almost non audible sounds do not provide too
much to talk about. "Skogsranden" (Eaves of the Forest)
starts again with a flute semi solo by Anna, soon followed by the piano. Again the
band takes the path of classical music, but this time less baroque and more
romantic until the piano and organ announce another sound explosion that reminds
us we're dealing with a very complex progressive band that can go from
classical to shocking rock, and then to a soft keyboard and chorus section as
almost no band ever before. In this track Thomas Johnson is outstanding, as he
uses piano, organ and mellotron with equal skills. The song ends with another
surprise for the listener, a hard complex instrumental section that ceases in
one instant without anything that makes the listener guess the end is near. "Sista Somrar" (The Last Summer) starts
with a soft piano that works as an introduction with a soft violin and guitar,
the track remains calm and soft until about 6 minutes when the complexities
start, beginning with a strong passage followed by an almost silent section that
leads again to another explosive and rhythmic chord where all the band show
what they are capable of. Before the end, there is a guitar and drums section
that reminds me of Focus, especially to Jan Ackerman's solos, this resemblance
is more obvious when Anna joins with her flute. A very complex song. The album ends with "Saksnaden Fullhet"
(The Fullness of Longing) another short track that may easily be confused with
classical music, played only with a sad and melancholic piano. Simple and
beautiful. The album is as beautiful as Hybris and probably
more complex, that is for most fans their masterpiece, and I can't disagree
because it's obvious that ÄNGLAGÅRD is at this point a much more solid band,
but still there are things I miss from their debut, especially the criticized
vocals by Tord Lindman and the simplicity they left behind. Sadly this is the last chapter of ÄNGLAGÅRD's short
saga (Except for Buried Alive, an album recorded in Nearfest). As a bright star
they shone with great intensity and illuminated the 90's but as anything so
shiny they burned too fast. Let’s hope for their rebirth, something not too
hard when most of their members are still in the late 20's and early 30's. This time I will restrain my high rating impulses
and give Epilog four solid stars, even when 4.5 would be the exact rating.
641 The Downward Spiral
A review by Conor Fynes: Using a hefty dose of anger and disillusionment to
his benefit, Trent Reznor has hereby created one of the most unique and
disturbing albums I've ever listened to. To anyone that isn't familiar with the
term 'industrial' in the musical sense, it will be a bit difficult to explain
how this music exactly sounds. Having been under the impression that this
strange and unexplored genre had a lot to do with using atonal machine sounds
as instruments, I had been turned off to even looking into it for a while.
However, after having been given the explanation that the realm of 'industrial'
was an extension of the psychedelic scene - exploring music by experimenting
with new, as yet unheard sounds - I decided to start my journey into this genre
with a band I had already heard plenty of good things about. While I had heard
a few fleeting moments of NIN beforehand, this would be my first experience
with Reznor's music, and suffice to say, I'm very happy that I made the leap of
faith. The first listen to 'The Downward Spiral' as you
can imagine, was something of a system shock. I wasn't sure whether it was
amazing in its arrangement and density, or unlistenable in its atonality and
heaviness. As the music first starts going, the listener is bombarded with a
collage of controlled noise with a subdued vocal melody singing over top of it.
Before long though, some strong melodic hooks are thrown in as a perfect
counterbalance to the harsh tones. This style and emphasis on dissonance
carries out through most of the album, with a few segments (such as the
interlude 'A Warm Place') counting as exceptions. While the songs themselves are enjoyable, possibly
the most enjoyable thing about 'The Downward Spiral' is it's sense of
experimental production and sonic density. At any given time, there are multiple
things going on, which can make it a pretty challenging listen at first until
you start getting a hang of the basics. The sounds and loops used here are also
a point of interest, because a lot of these sounds cannot be heard in nature as
we would think it. While most rock bands focus on the melodies and songwriting
and seem to forget about the importance of the actual sound itself, Trent
Reznor seems to be meticulous in the way he crafts the sounds of the studio to
his liking. What emerges is something that can only be described as sounding
'dystopian.' 'The Downward Spiral' is described as being a
concept album about one man's decent into insanity. While there isn't a real
flowing narrative here, the general running tone of the album helps to bind it
together as a single piece of music. While the middle section of the album
seems to be a bit of a dip in quality ('I Do Not Want This' is a good track,
but doesn't compare too well to the rest of the fantastic music) the final
moments make up for it and more. Strangely enough, Trent Reznor decides to top off
the album with a track that’s quite unlike the rest of the album that came
before it. 'Hurt' is what you could call Nine Inch Nails' version of a ballad;
poignant, dense yet filled with emotion and poignancy. Being quite a bit more
melodic and laid- back than a lot of the other music here, it makes for a
really heart-wrenching end to an album which I can safely say has changed my
view on music.
642
A review by Mellotron Storm: This will probably be the last QUEENSRYCHE album I review.
This will be the sixth review I have
done of their recordings. I rate this
one as the fourth or fifth best, so yes, this one isn't one of my favourites
from them. One thing that has bothered
me for a while is how these guys (who I do like a lot) could have been so
successful commercially, when a band like FATES WARNING never were. In my opinion QUEENSRYCHE aren't even close to
being the band that FATES WARNING are. Maybe that isn't such a bad thing though, because
that is sort of what the title of this album is all about. As Geoff Tate says "Reaching the
"Promised Land" is a metaphor for obtaining the American Dream of
prosperity, materialism and the happiness one derives from the ownership of
things. The manufactured image
constantly sold to us that materialism will make us happy is, I suppose, the
only REAL THING in our society of simulation and consumption. " Geof Tate
went into this recording disillusioned about the fact that the band, because of
the success of "Empire" were now rock stars, which seemed to preclude
them from being artists. QUEENSRYCHE was
now a business. It's not a surprise
then, with Tate taking the lead on this album, that it would become a dark and
melancholic record. And that is why I implied
that it's probably a good thing that my favourite metal band FATES WARNING
haven't become rock stars, because they just keep releasing amazing albums, and
they make the music they want to make. I really like the first half of this record, then
it goes downhill for me. "9:28
AM" is really samples of sounds in a hospital and of a baby being born. "I Am I" is one of the best tracks
on the record. Just a great sound to
this one, especially Tate's vocals on the chorus. I love the drumming and the tasteful guitar
solo 2 1/2 minutes in. "Damaged" is another solid tune with
catchy riffs and screaming guitar 3 1/2 minutes in. "Out Of Mind" is a beautiful, dark
song with reserved vocals, light drums and acoustic guitar. "Bridge" is a straight forward tune
with meaningful lyrics about a son and father relationship. "Promised Land" is PINK FLOYD influenced.
This song opens with lots of atmosphere
before becoming intense with some good guitar. "Dis Con Nect Ted" has some samples
and the vocals are almost spoken as dark sounding guitar melodies play. The
drums sound good late. "Lady
Jane" opens with children singing, piano and deep vocals. Then it becomes more like a power ballad
actually. "My Global Mind" has more energy as well
as more samples 3 minutes in. "One
More Time" sounds really good after 3 minutes when the guitar comes in. "Someone Else ?" features fragile
vocals and piano. One of the best tracks
on the album. This almost seems like a farewell album but it's
not. There certainly is enough good material on this record to recommend it. A review by UMUR: Four long years had passed from the release of
Empire and something must have happened within the band as Promised Land sounds
very different from Empire. It seems like Queensryche got tired of their
Stadion Heavy rock/Metal and wanted to experiment a little. Listening to
Promised Land in retrospective I can hear that Grunge had an effect on the band
too (they were from Seattle after all). But don´t worry it´s just a hint. This is maybe the most interesting Queensryche
album for Prog Heads as the experimentation in songs like Promised Land and
Disconnected is nearer to that kind of music than it is to traditional Heavy
Metal. I´d like to mention Lady Jane as an example of a beautiful melody which
is also present on Promised Land. It´s a little uneven though as if Queensryche
didn´t really know if they had made the right decision with this one. It´s like
they didn´t take the full step, and the album suffers in quality because of
this. There are a bit too many filler numbers, and that´s not good enough. I
favour this over Empire, but it is still only worth 3 stars. Good album! Nothing more. 643
A review by Finnforest: Superb, beautiful album While not the biggest Neo-prog fan you'll find, I
have to join the side of those who proclaim "Brave" to be a great
album. Oddly enough I don't consider it to be "sad" or
"depressing" as many do-but then I don't consider "The
Wall" depressing either. What I hear in “Brave” is uplifting musically and
without a question one of the most beautifully and delicately constructed albums
of the 90s. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. The story may be a sad tale but the
music parts are often so beautiful that they lift me up rather than make for a
melancholic album. “Brave” is one of those subtle albums that take
many plays to truly reveal all the intricacies of its hand. It is a long
conceptual feast of ambient and moody landscapes telling the story of a
troubled young woman, but I actually believe it is meant to be a more sweeping
social commentary on our fading humanity, life priorities, etc. I love the fact
that besides the fairly obvious rock of "Hard as Love" the band has
made a very uncompromising album, placing texture and detail above crowd
pleasing. It is definitely a more Floydian work than anything Genesis
influenced, it sounds almost like taking the slow, brooding portions of
"Shine On Your Crazy Diamond" and melting it into the lyrical short
story style of "The Final Cut." You have Hogarth telling the story
but doing so between these long delicious instrumental sections that are all about
sound and atmosphere. some of the sections rock but most are just content to
ooze melody and emotion. Pure music that takes time to appreciate but rewards
tenfold once the connection is made. I find all of the performances to be
exceptional across the board, dramatic, full of life and conviction. "Runaway" is a highlight with guitar work
that grabs my head and my heart, a great solo but also dramatic buildup
throughout, and these lovely drop-offs at the end of the build-ups. The only
problem I have is the same one I have with The Final Cut. In the chasm between
the soft and loud portions of the album it is really obnoxious dealing with the
volume extremes. The soft portions can be very quiet and so I turn them up
quite a bit because I want to hear everything. Then you get absolutely pummelled
when the rock kicks in, and that does drive me crazy, but I'll deal with it. The album's weakest moments without question fall
into the 14 minutes devoted to "The Lap of Luxury thru Paper Lies"
where you get some standard, rather boring sing-along rock. Given the length of
the album it would have been perfect to condense this section way down-keep
enough of the better parts to advance the narrative but perhaps cut down the
repetitive parts. "Hollow Man" features some great lyrics about those
who are essentially already dead as they slumber through work-a-day existences
with "lies behind their eyes." In the finale of the final three
tracks the band nicely wraps the album while going out with a bit of sunlight and
hope. "Brave is all about the
spiritual aspect of life dominated by the non-spiritual, so we filled the songs
with as many sounds and pictures as we could dream up-I sent out sound engineer
out at dawn one morning to record silence for the beginning of the album!...I
think of Brave like a Christmas cake full of hidden ingredients which only
reveal themselves gradually. I can still listen to it and discover moments I
don't remember being there before." [Hogarth] He also
says that they had mikes set up everywhere in the Chateau Marouatte in the
hopes of picking up "ghosts" and that he can feel them throughout the
album. His advice is to play the album alone, in one sitting, loudly, and in
the dark for maximum results. Hopefully you will hear some passing ghosts.
There certainly is a presence, something hard to articulate, that hangs in the
air throughout Brave. It is an achievement to package that kind of feeling into
music that is entertaining. This is my first Hogarth-era studio album but if it
is representative of the quality of the era, then Marillion is miles ahead of
the other bands I've heard from their genre. I look forward to hearing some of
their other titles. It is a real shame they blew the film version of “Brave”,
this music deserved so much better. “Brave” is a fantastic album that I would
recommend to anyone into concept albums.
A review by Warthur: With Brave, Hogarth-era Marillion finally hit its
stride, producing its first masterpiece which is easily the peer of the very
best Fish-era releases. Taking the iconic concept of exploring the pressures
and trauma which lead a teenage girl to mutely contemplate suicide on the
Severn Bridge, the band adopt what I would consider to be a true crossover prog
sound, combining their progressive approach with a wider range of mainstream
genres than the light indie pop which informed Holidays In Eden. From the dance music rhythms which worm their way
into the twisting, turning bad acid trip of Goodbye To All That, to Mark
Kelly's organ line hidden within Hard as Love which lends a certain 60s vibe to
the piece, to the mingling of New Age and mild folk influences on the title
track, the album sees Marillion finally hit on their H-era sound: emotional in
a confessional way as opposed to emotional in a theatrical way (which was the
Fish-era approach), not afraid to include sounds from the retro to the utterly
modern, and drawing on rock, pop, and other musical traditions to enrich and
embellish the sound. It's also structured remarkably well, with the
somewhat lighter songs Hard As Love and Paper Lies helping the pacing by
allowing the listener to take a breather after the emotionally raw material
that precedes them. Lyrically, H and John Helmer pull no punches, masterfully
evoking the confusion and hurt attendant with being a teenager and hinting at
the abuses and mistreatment which makes it all too much for the story's
protagonist. And it all comes together with the album's magical, moving,
incredible closing movement - the rage-filled confrontation of The Last of You,
the surrender of Falling From the Moon, and the blissful catharsis of Made
Again. It's down to the listener to decide exactly how the
story has ended - on the vinyl version, the band included a clever double-track
trick which meant that the album could end with just a bunch of water noises or
play the redemptive Made Again, but I actually think there's plenty of
intriguing room for interpretation in the regular CD track listing. Our heroine
has been "made again" and feels able to face the world anew, but what
form did this take? Did she find religion, a political cause, a new favourite
band? Did she meet a new friend, a new lover, a sympathetic therapist, or a
kind mentor who helped her work through her issues? Is she essentially singing
to herself in praise of the inner strength she found to choose life? Has she in
fact died and entered a better state of being, or been reincarnated into a new
life wiser for the lessons of her previous one? Was she saved by someone's
intervention on the bridge, or was it the recollection of some kindness in her
past which helped her see the world in a new way? You could, conceivably, come up with a different
answer every time you listen to the album, which is the beauty of it: the
narrative structure is strong enough to figure out in general terms what the
deal is, but there are enough ambiguities (what stops her jumping, does she in
fact jump after all, who's this b*****d who's caused her so much misery and
what exactly did he do, etc.) that each listen-through opens up new possibilities
in the story - just as each repeated listen reveals new secrets and influences
and embellishments in the music. I think it's one of the greatest achievements in
progressive rock.
644 Gothic Impressions
A review by Ivan_Melgar_M: It's very rare to find a super group that actually
works because normally they present a collection of huge egos trying to prove
each one is absolutely superior to the rest, and the result is chaotic in most
of the cases. I believe Pär Lindh found the perfect formula in
"Gothic Impressions", he kept his name for the band and joined the
most competent Swedish musicians from ÅNGLÃGARD, FLOWER KINGS, PÄR LINDH &
BJORN JOHANSSON plus the PÄR LINDH PROJECT members and the CAMERATA VOCALIS.
But there was no doubt, the leader and mastermind of this album is Pär Lindh
and all the rest are almost guests, so the fight for power was avoided. There's an urban legend that this album was
recorded during the 70's and due to lack of support it wasn't released until
1994, but this is not very likely, because musicians as Mattias Olson and Anna
Holmgren were born in 1975 and 1969 (respectively) plus the fact that Pär Lindh
joined his first Hard Rock band (Anthena Baroque) in 1977 and only in 1978
joined an Art Rock trio called Vincebus Eruptun who played several gigs, but he
almost immediately left the rock world and returned to his classical career as
Pianist Harpsichordist and in 1980 joined The Royal Swedish Chamber Orchestra. It's only until 1989 when he decides to dedicate
his live to Progressive Rock and joins a local band called Manticore during
that period he built his own studio where he recorded "Gothic
Impressions" with the best Swedish musicians available in the moment
including Roine Stolt, so believe it or not, Gothic Impressions is a product of
the 90's with the clear sound style and quality of the 70's. In the beginnings of the 90's Sweden was a fertile
ground for Progressive Rock's rebirth with a lot of classically trained
musicians and a great love for early Prog', many bands started before PÄR LINDH
PROJECT but all this second air has its base in "The Swedish Art Rock Society"
formed in 1991 by Pär Lindh. Now, how to describe "Gothic
Impressions", is it a Symphonic Prog Rock album with huge classical (as a
broad term that goes from late Medieval or Gothic to Modern Classical) and
special emphasis in late Gothic and Baroque or a Classical Orchestra with Rock
touches? Sincerely I don't know or care, because the music
is spectacular and that's all that matters, Pär's skills as keyboardist are
highly underrated, I believe he's in the same level as such monsters as
Wakeman, or Emerson, but with a most solid formation. His compositional skills are very well developed
due to a very complete formal musical education in several instruments and a life
devoted to music. But of course one of the reasons of his success is that he
chooses the best musicians available, so the result is simply outstanding. The album opens with “Dresden Lamentations", a
gothic piece of music, dark and haunting with clear Canonic/Religious sound
that proves what a great Organ player Pär is, a great intro that blends
perfectly with "The Iconoclast", a more Baroque piece of music with a
hard Rock edge, where Lindh proves he's as good with Hammond as with Church
organ. The vocals seem to be out of key sometimes, but in my opinion it's done
with the clear intention to create a desired Gothic sound almost like monks
praying. It is outstanding work by Mattias Olson with the drums, especially if
you notice that the guy was 19 years old by that point. When the song reaches
to organ climax and seems to ends, there is a short instrumental section
clearly influenced by the Anglagard members that lead to softer and a slightly
cacophonic end. Brilliant. "Green Meadow Land" starts softer and
somehow is Flemish oriented but again the powerful chorals by Camerata Vocalis
bring us back to the late Gothic era mixed with Rock fugues, the vocals (Joke
Ramsell) seem out of tune but fit perfectly with the desired atmosphere. They appear
to be simpler and less ambitious than the previous tracks until around the
middle where Anna Holmgren and her wonderful flute make the change. The music
flows gently in crescendo leading to an explosive Organ section and an early
Crimsonian vocal Pärt somehow reminiscent of “In the Court of the Crimson King”
album. Not my favourite track, but still very good. Now is the turn for "The Cathedral" a
19:33 minutes epic that starts with a religious church organ section that soon
blends a dramatic chorus and Baroque Organ. The vocals are amazing in this
case, the Medieval obscurantist atmosphere is perfectly achieved until suddenly
everything explodes; the Hammond blends with guitars and drums to create a very
symphonic Rock section during which Pär Lindh has the chance to play with all
kind of keyboards and create very complex musical sections. After a while it gets
softer with Björn Johansson playing his classical guitar mixed with Anna's
flute and the vocals to create a spiritual atmosphere that is empathized by the
harp, but again out of nowhere a very heavy section a la ELP starts to make a
new change and a very psychedelic guitar by Jonas Endgegård completes the
fusion of sounds. The track ends with another spectacular Church organ solo;
19:33 minutes of the best Progressive Rock you can get. "Gunnlev's Run" is an early Medieval
track with harpsichord where the incredible voice of Magdalena Hagsberg fuses
completely with an outstanding chorus, you can feel the spirit of traveling
troubadours, with some Baroque fugues. It is completely different to the
previous, but one of my favourites, though the only thing I lament is that it's
so short. "Night on Bald Mountain" is the Mussorgsky
classic that has been partially recreated by several Prog musicians and bands,
but this is by far the best arrangement and performance I ever heard. The whole
strength and drama is captured, the whole essence is present without being just
a copy, and it's much more; another highlight of the album. It is a completely
new but, at the same time, respectful version of this masterpiece; excellent is
a poor word to describe it. The rating is not a problem, less than 5 stars would
be unfair, as this is a terribly forgotten gem that should be in the top ten
list of every site. It's not by chance that "Gothic Impressions" was
elected as one of the ten best Progressive albums of all time by the
Argentinean Progressive Rock Society 1997, but they are not from UK and that's
a sin hardly forgiven by some fans. Edited by AtomicCrimsonRush - May 01 2012 at 06:49 |
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: April 20 2012 at 08:15 |
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: April 20 2012 at 06:47 |
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1993 - continued
625
A review by Mellotron Storm: 4.5 stars. This album along with "Hall Of The
Mountain King" are my two favourite SAVATAGE albums by a long shot. "Streets" would be a distant third. "Edge Of Thorns" is interesting
because it was the first album with new vocalist Zachery Stevens as Jon Oliva
decided to quit singing and focus on the keyboards and lyrics. Also this is the only album with Zach singing
where I really like his vocals. Sadly
this would be Jon's brother Criss Oliva's last album for the band as he would
be tragically killed by a drunk driver. "Edge Of Thorns" opens with piano then
the heaviness takes over before a minute and the vocals join in. This is laid
back but heavy at the same time. It
picks up before 3 minutes. Hell yeah!
And check out the guitar. It settles
back and ends with piano. "He
Carves His Stone" opens with gentle guitar as reserved vocals join in. It kicks in before a minute with crunchy
guitars. Check out the instrumental
section starting just before 3 minutes. Incredible! The vocals come in screaming. Not worthy. "Light's Out" opens with some killer
guitar as the vocals join in and impress. Love the guitar throughout this rocker. "Skraggy's Tomb" opens with relaxed
guitar and a dark atmosphere. It kicks
in heavily before a minute. Vocals too. Great sound before 4 minutes. "Labyrinth" is a short piece that
features piano and tasteful guitar. "Follow Me" is mellow with guitar
and reserved vocals to start. It turns fuller and we get some emotion half way
though. Then we get this powerful but laid back instrumental section before the
vocals return and it picks back up. So
good. "Exit Music" is a beautiful track filled
with piano melodies. "Degrees Of
Sanity" is dominated by riffs quickly as the vocals join in. A killer instrumental section starts before 3
minutes then the vocals return. "Conversation Piece" has this heavy
soundscape of drums and riffs as the reserved vocals join in but they don't
stay that way for long. The guitar is
ripping it up 3 minutes in. "All
That I Bleed" opens with piano and fragile vocals. Some heaviness 2 1/2
minutes in. "Damien" is better
as we get some energy and I love the
guitar. "Miles Away" has to be
my favourite track. Beautiful guitar to open as these uplifting vocals join in.
Gorgeous. It kicks in before 1 1/2
minutes. We get a tasteful guitar solo 3
1/2 minutes in. "Sleep" is
mainly strummed guitar and reserved vocals. Love the cover art too. Amazing album that is
guitar driven and really the perfect record to remember Criss by. I may bump this to 5 stars one day as it's
almost flawless. 626
A review by Conor Fynes: The early 90's can be seen as the golden era for death metal. Particularly in the south- eastern United
States, bands like Death and Atheist were taking the young genre to heights of
perfection, fusing classical music and jazz into the gritty, extreme sound. On the other side of the Atlantic ocean is
Pestilence, a band that sounds quite a bit like the aforementioned groups. Hailing from the Netherlands, this band takes
after the American pioneers, adding on a few elements onto the existing style,
and comes out with an absolute masterpiece of progressive death metal. 'Spheres' may not be as widely regarded as the
magnum opuses of Pestilence's US counterparts, but it is just as exciting of a
listen. Upon my first listen to this classic, my first intuition was to
draw the comparison of Death's 'Symbolic' album, released around the same time
as this. The growled vocals seem to be
crossbred between Chuck Schuldiner of Death, and Kelly Shaefer of Atheist. With these sorts of comparisons, it’s a
surprise that Pestilence isn't from Florida, as opposed to Holland. On a purely musical level, this band is very
closely related to them. The guitarwork
is composed of dark, jazzy-infused metal riffs that will get your head banging
and thinking at the same time. Also an
important aspect of this brand of death metal is the heavy presence of the bass
guitar. Thesseling's bass performance is
very jazz-influenced and clean, contrasting the guitars, filling the mix, and
giving something to listen for on subsequent listens. The album is very short, lasting little over
half an hour, but the tracks flow together as if 'Spheres' was a single piece
of music. I may have preferred this
album to last a little longer, but the brevity is only reason enough to take it
for another spin right after. While Pestilence is very close in sound and style to the
Floridan death metal scene, they do bring one very unique element to the table,
that being the use of synthesizers. In
tandem with the proggy death metal madness, there is a back up of strange synth
sounds that give the music a spacey, sometimes otherworldly feel. 'Spheres' would have turned out to be a very
capable death metal album without this addition, but with it, it creates that
much more of a distinctive musical experience, and makes me feel like I am part
of the album art, lost in space amidst the debris. Pestilence could be called a clone of the
American bands, but I do think they bring enough fresh material to the table to
be worthy on their own merits. Not only
that, but they manage to take the progressive death metal style and make
something of it that really amazes me, perhaps even moreso than Death or
Atheist ever did. This is a really
incredible album. 627
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: A great Rush album released during the early 90s. The excellent production quality brings out
the clanging guitars of Lifeson, the pulsating bass and high falsetto of Lee,
and of course Peart's pounding percussion. Not every track is an instant classic but
there is enough here to satiate the Rush appetite, namely the first 4 songs. ‘Animate’ is a brilliant memorable rocker with innovative
lyrics and killer riffing as good as it gets. ‘Stick It Out’ is driven by a hard rock guitar
riff, one of Lifeson's most inspirational moments, and very powerful vocals. ‘Cut To The Chase’ is a melodic gem that is
well sung and performed by the group. ‘Nobody's
Hero’ is a terrific single with very strong melody and unforgettable chorus. Another highlight is the ground pounding ‘Leave
That Thing Alone’ instrumental with great lead breaks and keyboard work. Each track features the trademark resounding echoing
phased guitar sound, and Lee's accomplished high octave treatment of the vocals.
He is in fine voice throughout and the
songs became favourites for MTV boasting promo clips for the first few songs. The songs have also been played live many
times through the years and are fan favourites. Overall this album is one of the best among the
Rush 90s years, when Prog was coming back to the forefront of the industry. Rush are certainly one of the most important
acts to keep prog flourishing, and this album is one of their best in this
troublesome period. A review by Conor Fynes: Boy, was this a surprise... Generally bands that are out and active as
long as Rush are pretty much hopeless in terms of making an album that matches
up to the phantasm of their classic works. Well, this is what 'Counterparts' is. A fantastic work that could rival most of
their traditionally considered 'essential' works, and a fair contender for my
favourite Rush album (possibly losing only to Moving Pictures). What makes this album so amazing? It's definitely not a highly
progressive album by any measure. There
aren't any epics here; just regular songs, with pretty conventional songwriting.
There aren't any virtuoso guitar solos,
or some concept behind the music that ties it together as a masterpiece. It's simply for the MUSIC. While it's pretty modern rock for Rush, it's
still not something that I would quickly simply want to characterize. It's just music, and very honest music at that.
Instead of trying to go all epic and
ahead of the times, Rush has composed an album that's sincere. The flow and songwriting are both great, and complement each
other very nicely. The music is
beautiful without losing it's teeth, and the lyrics don't try to be all cryptic.
They simply tell stories. And to add to the mix, there's an occasional
prog section to liven things up. 'Counterparts' is fantastic. The band is in top form here. It works together both as a single work of
music and as individual strong songs. Uncompromised, honest enjoyment. 628
A review by Warthur: 1993 was a fantastic year for neo-prog, with a
number of top-flight bands - IQ, Marillion, and Pendragon - releasing
absolutely amazing albums which saw them following their progressive instincts
and spurn commercial considerations. For
Pendragon's part, The Window of Life is a refinement of the heartwarming
feel-good neo-prog sound that was test driven on The World, honed to perfection
thanks to superior production, more intricate songwriting, and a bigger
emphasis on lengthy progressive epics. The end result might occasionally tip its hat to
prog rockers of the past, Pink Floyd in particular, though I'm inclined to say
the opening to Walls of Babylon has to be a conscious and deliberate homage to
Shine On You Crazy Diamond as opposed to the plagiarism unkind critics have
accused it of being in the past. Pendragon might not have been playing the most
technically complex neo-prog out there at this time, but with this they showed
themselves masters of creating moving, emotional music which deftly avoids
degenerating into over-twee sentimentality. A treat for all neo-prog fans. A review by SouthSideoftheSky: Window of the world After two weak albums, Pendragon had finally found
their musical direction with the previous The World. And why change a winning formula? The Window
Of Life follows closely in the sonic footsteps of The World (and the basic
formula, with minor changes, would be used again on The Masquerade Overture and
Not Of This World. Even the sleeve
pictures of these four consecutive albums are very similar in style). You could probably take a song from Window Of
Life and put it on The World or vice versa and it would be hard to detect. That's how similar these two albums are. The sound of Pendragon has as its essential
components the distinctive vocals of Nick Barrett and his slow, sustained David
Gilmour-like guitar sound as well as the ever pleasant and lush keyboard washes
of the great Clive Nolan. Also quite
characteristic is Barrett's particular song writing and the very high
production values. As I said in my
review of The World, in order to see what makes this music progressive you
have to look both at the "micro" and the "macro" level. That is, both in the small details and in the
larger structures. In between the finer details and the
bigger picture there is really not much "progression" going on. As I also remarked in my review of the previous
album, I have always found the music of Pendragon to be too lightweight and
light-hearted for my taste, somehow lacking in depth and substance and
especially it lacks a much needed edge. It somehow is too tame, almost as if it is
"children's Prog"! The cover art picture could just have well been
the cover for a children's fantasy novel which doesn't help either (BTW, isn't
it Harry Potter in the lower right corner?). However, there is no denying the talents of
the musicians involved and the appeal of the sound they produce. We find on this album several Pendragon classics
that would become fan favourites and take permanent place in the band's live
set. These songs include Nostradamus
(Stargazing), The Last Man on Earth, Breaking the Spell and The Walls of
Babylon which are also the best songs here. The other two leave very little impression on
me to be honest. Overall, this is another good Pendragon album in
their typical style. But they certainly
did a bit better latter on. 629
A review by Conor Fynes: The first half of the 1990's was a very important time for
extreme metal. While the Norwegian black
metallers were out getting infamous for church burnings and murder, the Florida
death metal scene was really taking shape. With such now-legendary acts as Death and
Athiest getting their foot in the door by throwing in a bit of jazz into their
extreme thrash sound, Cynic would take its own form on the heels of these
giants and create a classic in their own right. A guitarist with experience in Death as a
backing guitarist for Chuck Schuldiner, Paul Masvidal was already an
established musician in metal at the time his flagship project's debut album
took form. Now considered an essential
piece of work for progressive death metal, 'Focus' certainly shows a great band
in action, but like so many essentials of the genre, it is something I find
more appreciation in its historical context than the music itself. Being a relative newcomer to the music of this band, I was first
introduced to Cynic through 'Traced In Air', the band's second album that was
released a long 14 years after a hiatus. With that in mind, I cannot help but to
compare this record with that one. While
'Traced In Air' has since become one of my favourite metal records of all time,
this one feels far less intentioned than its successor. Regardless, the music here is as technical and
complex as it would ever be for Cynic; blistering riffs, the drumwork of an
atomic clock, and plenty of weird psychedelia to give the jazzier elements of
this album an even darker feeling than the metal elements. Possibly Cynic's
most distinct aspect are the vocals, in which frontman Paul Masvidal sings
through a vocoder to give his voice a futuristic, 'robot' sound. Alongside him is Tony Teegarden, who reprises
the growls on 'Focus'. While I was always
in big favour of the clean vocals on 'Traced', 'Focus' shows Masvidal taking
the robot sound perhaps a little too far, and the technicality rarely works
well to incorporate the vocal melodies; which are rarely too well integrated. Instead, 'Focus' focuses (pun by all means
intended) on the more death metal and weird aspects of Masvidal's genius. As far as the metal goes here, 'Focus' is in top form. Unrelenting technicality of riffs, strong
growls and fair dynamic go hand in hand. Unfortunately, what is quite clearly brilliant
musicianship and technical composition gets marred somewhat by the relatively
weak production. The jazzier guitar
elements fare a bit better, especially on such a track as 'Textures', which
showcases Paul scaling through frenetics as if he is being chased by a demon. As for the psychedelia incorporated here, it's
quite a mixed bag; some sounds (such as the opening synth on 'How Could I') are
incredibly tacky and weak-sounding, while the soundscapes generally work to
give a spiritual side to Cynic's debut that isn't seen on other Floridan death
metal albums. A very good album by all accounts, and certainly influential. It is the production here though that really
takes its toll on the music, and while immensely indicative of the band's
talent, it feels often more like a brilliant, yet grossly flawed work over any
label of perfection. A review by UMUR: One of the most sure five star albums is Cynic´s
sole album "Focus". The album is so wonderfully progressive, heavy
and melodic at the same time, that it deserves even more praise than it has
already recieved. The musicianship is astonishing, we´re dealing with
the most gifted musicians in death metal ever. Paul Masvidal, Sean Reifert,
Sean Malone and Jason Gobel are all incredibly gifted musicians. They each
bring a lot to the music. I was very much into death metal at the time
"Focus" was released, and we had been hearing rumours about this band
for quite some time. Tony Choy from Atheist had been playing with them, Paul
Masvidal and Sean Reifert had been hired to record and tour with Death, Jason
Gobel played on Monstrosity´s "Imperial Doom". As I recall Paul is
also featured on Master´s "On the eighth day God created Master" (If there
ever was a lame album title this is the one). All this heightened our
expectation to Cynic, and boy did it pay off. Songs like Veil of Maya, Textures and How Could I
just blew me away. I had never heard anything like this before. Today my
references are more broad than they were back then, so of course I can hear
more influences in their music, but Cynic is still one of a kind. The only band
they sound a bit like is Atheist, but that´s not too bad now is it? This album comes highly recommended, everyone who
likes tech death metal with jazz influences should give this one a try; prog
heads might find this a bit too heavy, but I hope you´ll try it out anyway. Very essential. 630 Rocking Horse And Other Stories
A review by SouthSideoftheSky: A past that tells a story of a future that never
was To fill the gap between 1992's The Meeting and
1995's Mouse, Aragon released Rocking Horse And Other Stories From The Past in
1993. This album contains material that
dates from before the band's debut album, Don't Bring The Rain. This means that the material featured here
goes back to the band's early days sometime in the 80's. It is unclear to me whether it is the
compositions only that date from before the band's debut album and that the
present recordings of these songs were made later, or if even the recordings
themselves date from before Don't Bring The Rain. Regardless of which, the sound quality of
these recordings, though not perfect, is actually better than that of the debut
album itself. Interestingly, and this is
the important part, the compositions also by far outshine those that actually
made it onto Don't Bring The Rain. Indeed, to have such great pieces as the 20
minute Rocking Horse and the haunting Ghosts on their hands and decide not to
include them on their first album release cannot be explained by anything else
than bad judgment or possibly by pure madness! The songs featured here are
generally excellent and certainly include some of the best songs the band ever
did. The song Ghosts appears twice, first in a studio
version and then in a live version. This
emphasizes the compilation nature of this album and distracts somewhat from its
inherent qualities. If I allow myself to
dream a bit, I would say that had Aragon released a full-length studio album
containing the best songs from the present collection plus good-sounding
versions of the very best songs from Don't Bring The Rain and The Meeting, they
would doubtlessly have a truly excellent album on their hands. As they stand, however, none of these releases
deserve a higher rating. Still, I would
say that at least Rocking Horse (the track) is essential listening for any fan
of Neo-Progressive Rock. Recommended, but not excellent all the way. A review by Warthur: I have to agree with SouthSideoftheSky here in
saying that the pre-Don't Bring the Rain demos collected on Rocking Horse are
truly excellent, and I'm also baffled that fantastic songs such as Rocking
Horse or Ghosts weren't included on the band's debut album. Had these pieces been released in the latter
half of the 1980s, when they were originally recorded, the entire history of
the band might have been very different and they might have been held in much
greater esteem than what they enjoy today. Combining a Marillion-inspired theatrical neo-prog
approach - singer Les Dougan rivals Fish when it comes to emotionally
expressive vocals in the neo mould - with more prominent and varied keyboard
work, at points drawing more on the progressive electronic genre than on the
symphonic prog keyboardists most neo-proggers found inspiration in, the band
come up with a truly original and haunting sound which is expressed perfectly
in the songs collected here. It's rare
that I feel inclined to give what is essentially an odds-and-sods collection a
high mark, but in this case I feel compelled to. The band's decision to hold back this material
- only releasing it after the neo-prog high water mark had come and gone - must
surely go down as one of the greatest strategic blunders on the part of any
neo-prog band. 631 Le Porte Del Silenzio
A review by Mellotron Storm: This album is very much a tale of two halves in my
opinion. The first half is good but
fails to capture my imagination, I'm not sure why they decided to sing in
English on the first two tracks either. Still it's quite enjoyable, especially the
flute. The second half is actually the side long title track. They sing in Italian and the highlight is the
guitar to end this over 27 minute track. Things get started with "Livin' Alone"
which features some good contrasts and tempo changes. I like the flute and synths to open. Sax before 5 minutes followed by vocals for
the first time. Pretty good tune. "I Know Your Soul" has lots of piano,
flute and drums early. Vocals a minute
in. A change after 2 1/2 minutes and I like the guitar a minute later. It's an ok song. "Libero" is where we hear Italian vocals
for the first time. Some excellent
soaring guitar before 3 minutes, vocals follow. Some more nice flute then the tempo picks up
before 7 minutes with sax to end it. "Nel Labirinto" is a short
instrumental with some cool guitar melodies throughout. "Le Porte Del Silenzio" is the closing
title track. A good atmosphere thanks to
the synths early. The guitar cries out
followed by vocals 2 1/2 minutes in. The
guitar is back a minute later. I like
the vocals that follow, they have some passion to them. Piano takes over 5 1/2 minutes in then flute
joins in. Lots of synths and flute then
those vocals return 11 1/2 minutes in. This sounds so good. A calm with keyboards follows. It picks back up then vocals return 18 1/2
minutes in. Guitar leads the way 20 1/2
minutes in. Flute 22 minutes in as it
settles. It kicks back in with scorching
guitar 23 1/2 minutes in. Vocals a
minute later. I like it. More guitar creates an incredible finish. I really like the title track, it's such a ride!
Overall though 3.5 stars seems right. 632 The Grand Scheme Of
Things
A review by SouthSideoftheSky: As far as I'm concerned this is the most satisfying
of all of Steve Howe's solo albums. While his first two solo albums had
experimented with different guitar styles and his third album Turbulence had
been entirely instrumental and more Jazz-Rock/Fusion oriented, this one is
Steve's first (and only, at least until Elements was released in 2003) real
rock album. And even if Steve plays most
of the instruments himself, it does feel as if he had a real band behind him on
the rockier tracks. And this is partly
true with his two sons Dylan and Virgil on drums and keyboards respectively
plus help from Nick Beggs on bass, Keith West on harmony vocals and harmonica
as well as an Anna Palm on violin. The
instruments played by Steve himself involve electric and acoustic guitars,
steel guitars, mandolin, koto, flute and keyboards. The Grand Scheme Of Things is also more Yes-like in
its sound than any other Steve Howe solo album. Indeed, this is one of the most Yes-like solo
albums by any Yes member, rivalled only by Chris Squire's Fish Out Of Water. You can almost imagine that if Jon added some
vocals, and Rick added some more keyboards, and Chris some bass guitar, this
could have been a Yes album! Not one of the better Yes albums of course, but it
wouldn't have been entirely out of place following Union (an album I like a
lot, by the way). Maybe The Grand Scheme
Of Things can be seen as a hint of what Yes might have sounded like in the
early 90's if Steve had stayed with the group after Union. It would have been better than Talk for sure
(not implying that Talk is bad). The balance between vocal numbers and instrumental
guitar pieces is optimal on The Grand Scheme Of Things, with about equal space
given to each. Also the mix between
slower and rockier material is very well balanced. This is however, hardly a hard rock album,
like the GTR album for example. Rather
it has the same feeling and sound as some of the mellower songs from 90's Yes
albums (excluding Talk on which Steve didn't play). One criticism of this album is that it takes too
much advantage of the abilities of the CD format. With 16 tracks and a running time of almost an
hour, it tends to drag a little bit in the middle. This is not because any of the tracks are bad,
or boring. But the material maybe could have
been edited down to 45 or 50 minutes, thereby making it a somewhat stronger set.
There is really no need to mention
specific tracks because there are no real standout tracks here, that are better
than the rest. But there are no low
points either. It is a very even and
consistent album with the same sound and quality throughout. Steve's vocals are much, much better here than they
were on his early albums and he even came up with memorable and melodious songs
for this album. The lyrics also reflect
a more mature Steve Howe and there is certainly no sign of the type of light
weight lyrical themes present on most Asia songs. The guitar work is wonderful as always with Steve
and he uses a variety of stringed instruments - including some unusual ones as
well giving some tracks a somewhat "exotic" and relaxed feeling,
without ever going into New Age territory (as he would do later on during his
collaborations with Paul Sutin). The Grand Scheme Of Things is a great place to
start if you want to discover Steve Howe's solo career. Highly recommended for serious Yes fans. Even people (like myself) who were a bit
disappointed with previous Steve Howe albums should give this one a chance. 633 – live
A review by SouthSideoftheSky: I'm never going to let go of this! Dust And Dreams was the best Camel album for a
very, very long time. Indeed, it has
become one of my all time favourite Camel albums. It is performed here in its entirety on this
fantastic live album. The set list is divided into two parts and is
basically the very best of Camel on two discs. The material ranges all the way from their
debut album up till Dust And Dreams. All
songs are given magnificent performances. Latimer's guitar work is better than ever. His sustained guitar notes sends chills down
my spine - such emotion he puts into his playing! He can make a guitar speak
like very few people can. The first part of the set consists of classic Camel.
Basically all the songs here are better
than on the studio recordings. The
opening Never Let Go is significantly different from the original and all other
live versions I have heard of this classic song. It is a very stripped down, acoustic version. Very brave to start the concert like this! The selection from The Snow Goose significantly
benefits from being played live; it has more power than the original version. Many of the songs are somehow given new life
here. Ice, an instrumental from the I
Can See Your House From Here album, is simply breathtaking. The second set consists of Dust And Dreams (plus an
encore including the eternal Lady Fantasy). The Dust And Dreams songs sound even better
here than they did on the studio album, primarily because of the improved drum
sound. The studio version had those
stale 80's sounding drums. Here the
drumming is more lively and "genuine" for lack of a better word. If I must point out a weak link in this album it
has to be the keyboards. They could be
more organic and "real", especially
on Lady Fantasy where the organ is replaced by electronic keyboards. Doesn't quite fit this song, I think. But the amazing guitar work overshadows any
lack in the keyboard department. I will not say too much about Dust And Dreams here,
but I can say as much as this though; It is a stunning conceptual masterpiece,
very emotional and Mother Road is a great rock song with an excellent guitar
melody. Even if I like this live version
very much, I wouldn't say that it makes the studio album redundant. If all you know from Camel is their first four
studio albums, this double live album is an excellent place to start if you
want to explore some later Camel stuff. However, I would say that the Coming Of Age
live album (which is available both as a double CD and a live DVD) is slightly
better than this. The old Live Record
from the 70's, on the other hand - great though it is! - doesn't even come
close to any of these two, and both Never Let Go and Coming Of Age are
extremely highly recommended. Edited by AtomicCrimsonRush - May 01 2012 at 02:08 |
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: April 20 2012 at 04:19 |
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1993
617
A review by Conor Fynes: Although it may be their sophomore 'Unquestionable Presence'
which has gained the classic status amongst most metal fans, Floridan death
metal group Atheist seems to have found their trademark sound with the third,
and- at least for almost two decades before the release of 'Jupiter' - final
album 'Elements'. Helping to innovate
the fusion of heavy metal and jazz music that so many bands have followed since
its release, 'Elements' stands as being an essential album in the history of
death metal, as well as an incredibly tight piece of music by any metal
standard. With 'Unquestionable Presence', I found myself incredibly
impressed by the band's great musical capability and thrashy sensibilities,
even if the sound was a little too chaotic for its own good. With 'Elements', I would tend to agree with
the general consensus here; the technicality has been kept more or less intact,
but there has been quite a bit more diversity and memorable hooks here. Not least among these is the marvellous jazz
and Latin segments the band throws in here and there. Especially for the time that 'Elements' was
released, hearing a chugging technical guitar onslaught followed by a quirky Latin
rhythm and acoustic flamenco solo was fairly fresh, and still sounds unexpected
today. With the band's talents already hailed from the first record
onward, the musicianship of Atheist cannot be held in question by this point. They take the 'technical' label and run with
it, not just necessarily playing fast, but playing well together. Much like a jazz band might, each musician
seems to play off of each other, creating a sound that is surprisingly organic
for a metal band. Of special note is
bassist Tony Choy, who was always a highlight on earlier releases for his great
skill and interesting style, but here he really takes the spotlight. Each track is made even more impressive
through his rapidfire and clever bass hooks. Luckily, he is also held highly enough in the
production mix to hear his fantastic performance. The vocals of Kelly Shaefer are also very
distinctive, although they are sure to be the point of derision towards many
listeners. While they may have sounded
tighter on 'Unquestionable Presence' and they can sometimes even detract from
the musical power here, Schaefer's vocal diversity is scarcely heard in the
death metal genre. A great conceptual masterpiece from these talented Americans,
and arguably the greatest thing Atheist has ever done. A review by UMUR: Elements is the third
full-length studio album by American technical/ progressive death metal act Athiest. Elements is a
great Atheist album and a natural successor to its predecessor
Unquestionable Presence (1991). Not in the sense that Elements sounds
like Unquestionable Presence because they are very different
albums, both in regard to composition and sound. Drummer Steve Flynn left and a new
session drummer (Josh Greenbaum) plays on this album, he is a much more
"loose drummer" and the precision playing of Flynn is
replaced by more groove (Almost samba/ bossa at times). A third guitarist was
also added (Frank Emmi) as they must have realised that Kelly
Schafer couldn´t possibly both sing and play these complex parts live. It
works well with the three guitarists on record too though, and many parts are
enhanced a lot by the third guitar. Tony Choy still plays the
impossible bass parts and the only two founding members Kelly Shaefer and Randy
Burkey are there too, Randy Burkey playing some of his
most inspired soloes on this one. The production is quite odd and it overloads
several times especially on the voice. I find this to be a minor problem I have
learned to live with through the years. The music is so fantastic you just have
to. Mark Pinske is the producer on this album and I´m not sure
about this, but is he the same man working with Zappa on the Them
or Us (1984) album. Well never the less he also produced Malevolent
Creation´s Stillborn (1993) album and it sounds exactly
like Elements. Either you like it for the originality in the sound
or you´ll probably hate it and think it sounds amateurish. The production aside the music is fantastic. A mix
of various genres. I´ve always felt a strong latin touch to their music on this
album and it´s not just because of the song Samba Briza which
is pure latin music, but also on songs like Water and Air.
The lyrics are about the four elements, and pretty interesting if you´re not
only into the death and mayhem part of heavy metal. Atheist were
always the hippies of Death Metal lyrically and continue to be on Elements.
Look in the sleeve notes where they praise Weed as their prime source of
inspiration. This was unfortunately the last album by Atheist,
and maybe that was alright. Three fantastic albums are quite a good testimony. Elements is just as
essential as Unquestionable Presence, even though the two albums
are very different from each other. I can´t think of many other albums I would
give 5 stars before this one. A true masterpiece in its genre. 618 Individual Thought Patterns
A review by Conor Fynes: Nestled safely in between two landmarks of death metal,
'Individual Thought Patterns' doesn't seem to get the same sort of attention
that it's predecessor ('Human') or successor ('Symbolic') would earn over time.
However, despite suffering a bad case of
middle child syndrome, Death's fifth album can be labelled as one of the first
truly progressive death metal albums ever. With a much stronger lineup of musicians and
more consistent songwriting than 'Human', 'Individual Thought Patterns'
signifies the beginning of the era in Death's career I believe to be their
greatest. Stylistically, 'Individual Thought Patterns' is in fact, quite
similar to 'Human', although the improvements make all the difference here. First and foremost, Death mastermind Chuck
Schuldiner saw fit to enlist an all-star cast of heavy metal musicians from
around the United States. New to Death
are two of the greatest heavy metal musicians around, Andy LaRocque (best known
for his axework with King Diamond) and Gene Hoglan- also known as the 'human
atomic clock'- who would go on to be the drummer for Devin Townsend's Strapping
Young Lad. While Chuck Schuldiner always
seemed to tower over the other musicians in previous works (especially the
earlier material), he seems better matched with these musicians, whose
technicality easily rivals his own. Still, Chuck Schuldiner's dependence on the
phrygian mode can wear a bit tiresome when employed for virtually every solo,
but the guitar work here is more memorable than previously. On a related note, 'Trapped In A Corner' would
feature Schuldiner's best guitar solo to date, effortlessly flowing through the
music, while adding fresh new ideas to the song. Lyrically, Schuldiner should be commended for putting a deeper
meaning behind the music than the typical graphic violence and movie horror
most death metal bands defaulted to (and still do) but structurally, his lyrics
feel like they need some work on them. The rhymes are generally kept very simple and
very little abstract imagery is used, instead simply choosing to describe
things as they are. Minding this, it is
likely an artistic choice of Schuldiner to do so, although the lyrics tend to
leave little to the imagination. The album is undoubtedly worth a listen from progressive metal
and death metal fans alike. While I
would be the first to admit I haven't 'been into' Death before listening to
this album of theirs, 'Individual Thought Patterns' represents the first time I
have been impressed by the band's work; even 'Human' did relatively little for
me. While 'Individual Thought Patterns'
doesn't feel as if it fully realizes Death's potential, it stands as being a
great album from the metal icon. A review by UMUR: This album is a natural successor to Human. The
lineup of the band had changed once again with Gene Hoglan (Dark Angel,
Strapping Young Lad, Old Man´s Child) on drums, Andy Larocque (King Diamond) on
Guitar and only hired survivor from Human Steve G (Sadus) on bass. The compositions didn´t change much though as Chuck
had found his style at this point. The individual contributions from the
musicians are what make this album different from Human. Gene Hoglan has a
technical style like Sean Reifert but they play very differently. Being a big
King Diamond fan, I was thrilled to hear that Andy was going to play on a Death
album, and rightly so. Andy delivers some really inspiring solos on this album.
Steve G is heard more on this album and it makes this album sound more
technical than Human. I like this album a little less than Human, though not
sure why, but maybe it´s because Human was so groundbreaking, and that formula
is just continued here. Nothing new is really added, and I don´t like the
production as much as that on Human. It´s still a brilliant Death Metal album
though and deserves a 4 on the scale (maybe even a 5 but as I gave Human 5 and
like this less, a 4 will do). 619
A review by Conor Fynes: Like many of the best bands, Canadian progressive thrash legends
Voivod have been known to reinvent their sound with each album. From their beginnings as a more run-of-the
mill metal band, Voivod took leaps and bounds into progressive territory with
'Nothingface', a schizoid rockfest which has since become a thrash landmark and
one of my favourite albums ever. For the
next handful of albums after that, Voivod would continue to change up their
sound, and this streak of changes would culminate with 'The Outer Limits', an
album which takes the band's science fiction themes to new conceptual heights. Although I cannot say that Voivod's seventh
outing has the same unique vibe and charm as their crowning work 'Nothingface',
'The Outer Limits' is an incredible album that takes some time to grow on the
listener, and results as an exciting masterpiece from one of the best
progressive metal acts ever. Quite contrary to the proggy, frenetic and unconventional metal
riffing I have heard from Voivod in the past, 'The Outer Limits' opens with a
deceptively straightforward number, 'Fix My Heart' is the sort of track you
would expect to hear from a hard rock band like Deep Purple; a driving rock
with bluesy licks and fills. An
instantly likable track for those who don't need their metal to be particularly
brutal or heavy, the song did not originally hit me as being excellent, but a
few listens in convinced me otherwise. Instantly memorable melodies and some
excellent straightforward riffage from Denis L'Amour opens 'The Outer Limits'
on an exciting note. Things get somewhat
more complex and atmospheric from here on in, however. 'Le Pont Noir' was among the first Voivod songs I ever heard
years ago that really struck my notice, and in the context of the album, it is
even better. Trailing two fairly
upbeat-oriented songs, the track is hypnotic, mysterious and eerie. Reminding me often of a metal-oriented sound
of The Doors, vocalist Snake's vocals really shine here. He has never been among the more technically
accomplished singers, but his voice really works for the sound here, along with
much of the music on 'The Outer Limits'. Perhaps the most notable aspect of 'The Outer Limits' is the
seventeen minute epic 'Jack Luminous', which has received otherworldly amounts
of praise in the past as being one of the most excellent pieces of progressive
metal. Although its quality is evident
right from the start, I must say that 'Jack Luminous' is a piece of music that
takes several listens to appreciate fully, and is the biggest reason bar none
as to why 'The Outer Limits' is a grower piece. Taking a tongue-in-cheek science fiction
concept with a keen social commentary and setting it to music, there are plenty
of sections to this song, but the melodies are kept strong. One thing that potentially harms the impact of
'Jack Luminous' is that it does not have the same cohesion as a more well-known
prog metal epic like '2112' or 'A Change Of Seasons', instead going more down
the route of being a musical journey of ideas, with an implied beginning,
middle and end. As it stands though, the
musical ideas work so well together on the track that it certainly takes its
rightful place as being one of Voivod's greatest achievements. The songwriting on the album is consistently strong, and it may
come as a surprise to some that the only potential flop on the album is the
Pink Floyd cover of 'The Nile Song', a relatively obscure track from Floyd's
'More'. Although the song does little to
deter the rest of the album, it simply does not have the same charm as the
earlier Pink Floyd cover of 'Astronomy Domine' that Voivod played on
'Nothingface'. 'The Outer Limits' is arguably Voivod's most mature record, as
well as being remarkably consistent throughout. Quite a bit more streamlined and to-the-point
as much of the earlier work, this album is a natural development from 'Angel
Rat', but really takes Voivod's staple themes of science fiction to greater
depths. The album takes a while to warm
up, and doesn't have quite the same jaw-dropping effect as 'Nothingface', but
while less immediate, 'The Outer Limits' is one of the best prog metal albums
to be released in the early '90s. 620 Jurassic Shift
A review by Warthur: One of the
Ozrics' crowning achievements, Jurassic Shift doesn't do a whole lot different
from most of their other early 1990s albums - it just does it better. The performances are top-notch, the production
is perfectly judged, the compositions are good and the album is varied enough
in its sound so that it's constantly surprising the listener and never becomes
repetitive or tiring to listen to. With
all the usual range of musical styles you expect from the Ozrics - trippy Gong-
inspired space rock, mellow Middle Eastern-derived tunes, and all the rest -
Jurassic Shift is perhaps the best starting point for any exploration of their
discography. If you only own one Ozrics
album, make it this one. A review by Conor Fynes: Although I would not yet consider myself to be an expert of all
things Ozric- having only heard a handful of their albums at this point- but
they are quickly becoming one of my most liked bands in the psychedelic and
space rock styles. Having a good thirty
or so albums under their belts since coming out of the woodwork in the
eighties, Ozric Tentacles has become a very well regarded band, while
maintaining their stance as an underground act. 'Jurassic Shift' is one of the more acclaimed
records by this band, recommended to me as an ideal place to start my journey
with these guys. If the band's 1993
effort is any indicator of their career, than after many listens to this gem, I
would reckon I have many great days of superb listening ahead. Fusing numerous different sounds together into
one signature blend of 'space fusion', Ozric Tentacles creates a massively fun
and exciting listen with this one. When it comes to the sound of the Ozrics, I must say that they
do have a very recognizable sound, despite being part of a style that generally
recycles the ideas of the first psychedelic wave. Ozric Tentacles make instrumental music that
is deep, ambient, trippy, and- above all- fun to listen to. Each of the compositions on 'Jurassic Shift'
is quick to make me smile, there is almost a happy-go-lucky attitude to a lot
of the music that this band makes that would make a perfect soundtrack to the
perfect acid trip. Despite being fun and
generally upbeat though, the compositions are fairly dense in their sound. Although the songwriting tends to get somewhat
drawn out- keeping in touch with their genre roots- the songs build and ebb
with a good feeling of intention to them, and the musicianship of each member
is peaked for this sort of music. Ed
Wynne's guitar solos could sometimes do with a little more moderation, but
never lets go of the atmosphere. The
bass grooves here are incredibly catchy and memorable, especially in the upbeat
rocker 'Stretchy'. Possibly most
engaging here though are the keyboards and electronics, which- did I mention-
have enough spaced-out energy for them to make Timothy Leary consider settling
down for a job as an insurance salesman? A surprising aspect of the band's sound is the fact they they
use a lot of ethnic instrumentation in their sound; something I was not quite
expecting from a band like this. With
'Feng Shui' or 'Half Light In Thillai' both take the listener to ambient
soundscapes of other cultures, which does well to both soothe and excite. The fusion of world music into the Ozrics'
formula of space rock is really great, and adds a new level of depth of the
music that I really was not expecting. The last two songs on the album are not quite
as memorable as I would have liked them to be, but the album is fairly
consistent, constantly throwing new interesting things at the listener for the most
part. I can only hope that the rest of this band's discography is so
good; with Ozric Tentacles' 'Jurassic Shift', they have found themselves a new
fan in me. I am not usually into this
sort of music, but with Ozric, there is a real intelligence to back up the
trippy vibes and spacial harmonies. This
is a really excellent album. 621
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: Anekdoten provide thought provoking, mellotron-soaked
music on an amazing debut My first listen to Anekdoten has been a pleasurable
experience. The melancholy and ambience
the band emit with mellotron, cello and soft vocals is akin to the type of
material heard from the legendary King Crimson. The guitar work is so refined and creative it
takes music to new levels. The debut album, “Vemod” translated in Sweden as
'sadness' is a master work of mellotron-soaked heavy prog. The musicians play like a well-oiled machine,
the rhythm section, consists of the bassline hammering of Jan Erik Liljeström
who incidentally provides all vocals, and the drumming of Peter Nordins who
keeps time with precision. The
Fripp-inspired guitarist Nicklas Berg is also a mellotron muso and he is joined
by Anna Sofi Dahlberg, on mellotron, keys and cello. At times she sings parts which add to the
texture and nuances of the songs. On
piano is Per Wiberg who provide some lovely scales and arpeggios preferring to
play pianofortissimo, in fact the whole band like it loud. The subtle shades of dark and light tones are
evident on every track, where sound provides an atmosphere of darkness with
heavy deep basslines, and light when the piano is allowed to be joyful, and the
mellotron cascades across the void. There are so many highlights including the
mesmirising 'Karelia' which is an instrumental focusing on bass and drum
patterns, odd time signatures and full blown mellotron. The real interesting component of the track is
the slicing Cello which feels menacing and creates tension in the soundscape. Another great track is 'The Old Man and The Sea'
that begins and ends with an industrial scraping bass effect, incredibly played
by Liljeström. There are layers of sound
including cello and grand piano that add a true sense of adventure to the music.
It is like nothing else I have heard. The band are genuine virtuosos and they never
hold back although you sense at times they pull out to release members of the
band to shine. The sustained mellotron
shimmers with increasing volume and feels chilling to the marrow when those
deep resonances are unleashed creeping through your senses. The vocals are well sung on this and it adds a
sense of dread the way the lyrics are written; “The storm has raged here for
hours, the water's plunging in on me, The remains of my creation is swallowed
slowly down by the troubled sea into unconsecrated ground, gone eternally, gone
eternally, Feeder of my visions, carrier of my soul, The last hope for the
dreamers, now crashing to the shore, pinioned and torn In presumption and with
my foolish pride, I challenged the storm, I challenged the storm.” It reminds
me of the old adage of a man battling against the elements similar to the tale
of Moby Dick in some respects; the perfect prog theme. 'Where Solitude Remains' begins with a blistering
heavy bass riff that is chunked up to the max, and the mellotron sweeps across
until finally it breaks to a quiet pad and Liljeström's vocals softly tell the
strange tale; “I watch the clouds through my window, sail across the sky and
underneath the canopy, gulls, they wheel and glide, the shoreline stretches
endlessly along these windswept plains, I wander through this barren land where
solitude remains, I've made myself a universe in this far-off home, unseen from
the outside world, here I live and roam and though I've tried assiduously to
heal the wounds with time, you'll haunt me in my memories until I die.” I think
the lyrics are some of the best I have come across expressing true alienation
and loss, foreboding but thoughtful, and the music answers perfectly with
appropriate precise emotional nuances. The instrumental at the end is so arresting,
emotional and played with excellence; it seals the deal that this is another
definitive highlight. 'Thoughts in Absence' is a type of break in
transmission, a much softer approach with mellotron, clean guitar and clear
vocals about life's ups and downs; “ease and calm you give but life begins... my
time has come now, this bird has flown, a glimpse of hope but still an everlasting
moment.” Certainly it is cliché driven dialogue but it works as a balladic
piece, in sharp contrast to the relentless riffing on other songs. The song is sugarsweet, shimmering and short. It works nicely between two killer tracks. 'The Flow' is my favourite, it really grew on me
and I cannot get over how incredible the music is. It begins with minimalist woodwind sounds and
chimes, a monkey wails and jungle echo percussions give an ethereal atmosphere.
The guitar fades in with relentless picking ala Fripp style. There is a blood curdling scream signifying
that the band are ready to go into full flight. The chord changes are fastidious and fabulous,
descending and doomy. The monstrous
bassline is astonishing and an off kilter drum beat adds the perfect balance. The fluid, lulling mellotron pads are huge,
creating a massive wall of sound. Then
it phases out during the soft vocalised verses; “Random lines fall in place,
adulterines slowly fade away, I'm sucked in deep by the flow, taken in by the undertow.”
An instrumental break is unleashed with Dahlberg's heavenly cello that is
grinded and tortured before an angular guitar blazes away. It is simply awesome and I had the chills when
that chord progression suddenly took a detour and the foreboding cello sliced
to its conclusion. Another highlight is 'Wheel' with an accentuated
angular riff that is constant with some estranged vocal harmonies. The flugelhorn on this is divine, amidst a
backdrop of booming bass and off beat drums. The main thing I am really impressed with here
is the ghostly, ethereal vocals of Anna Dahlberg who compliments Jan Erik
Liljeström beautifully. The lengthy
instrumental break is uplifting and multilayered with mellotron and guitar. 'Sad Rain' is the bonus track to the CD that
heavily relies on soft mellotron, sounding at times like a flute, very pretty
and melancholy. The lyrics are heartfelt
bittersweet about walking on a path that never ends; “and so our time has come,
my friend, the child who cries and no-one seems to care, the echoes of the
birds are gone, the sky is painted grey, but it's so warm, searching for a
light in the darkness, trying to keep your eyes from the dirt, taste the bitter
wine of tomorrow, I'm walking on a path that never ends.” Wonderful emotional music
that is invigorating and thought provoking. There seems to be strong recurrent themes on this
album about being lost at sea and feeling a sense of isolation and alienation
from society, a loss of great magnitude is all pervading, and a sense of hopelessness
and reaching out in despair. Yet I could
not call it a concept album, as it is more subtle than that but there is no
denying the thematic content is linked. As this is the debut for the band I had
reservations about giving a masterpiece status but, hang it, the album is
astounding and deserves recognition. It
is not often you encounter music at the measure of this calibre, but when you
do, it is mesmirising and you cannot get enough of it. I became hooked on the band from this debut
and made an effort to systematically get every album. That in itself is a true sign as far as I am
concerned to award 5 stars and so I shall, without reservation. 622
A review by Finnforest: Hey Phish and Moe fans! Now THIS is my idea of a
jam band! The legend that is guitarist Petri Walli doesn't
take much effort to appreciate. Sometimes it's just hard to find the adjectives
to do something justice. Kingston is
pure fiery rock and roll joy, a burning power trio that is a little bit Dungen,
a little Dazed and Confused, a little Hendrix, a little jam band, a little
Frusciante, a little pysch flavored magic mushroom music. Or maybe just real rock and roll played with
spiritual intensity. There's no point in a track by track. With the exception of 1 or 2 fairly
conventional rock songs (which are still good) every other song is pure
jam-rock nirvana. Blissful, soaring,
epic lead guitar playing by a true master of the instrument, solid bass that
you can actually hear, and monster drum playing. Lather-rinse-repeat. Occasionally some nice acoustic, violin, or
sax add icing to the cake. Exceptionally
intuitive playing will leave you breathless. Especially "Shine On Me" and
"You" which actually make me feel young again if you catch my drift. How many songs do that to you? "Shine On
Me" literally makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up, especially
when Walli sings "see my future see a dead man. " Terribly haunting
stuff that stands up with the great epic rock songs. The drumming on here is also unbelievably
good, Sami just rolls and pummels with killer instincts. Petri's singing voice is somewhat limited but this
album isn't about the vocals. I'll make
this as simple as possible. If you are a
fan of Zeppelin, Hendrix, Dungen, Cream, Rush, or any combination thereof, you
need to hear Kingston Wall 2. You need
to hear it soon. Sadly, Petri took his
own life at a young age denying the world of a truly special, gifted songwriter
and guitarist. A damn shame. But this is not mopey, depressing music. This music is alive with passion! A solid 4 stars for me although I completely
understand those who gave it 5. I was
very close. Essential for guitar rock
fans and a clear candidate for one of the top albums of the 90s. A review by Mellotron Storm: I love this band! This one isn't as spacey and
psychedelic as the next one "Tri-logy" as that one had synths on it
and this one doesn't. But man, talk
about guitar driven rock with a psychedelic edge! The production is great too
as you can hear the fantastic bass playing clearly throughout this record. As a matter of fact this three piece band are
just amazing players, period. "We Cannot Move" is a melodic song with
some beautiful guitar melodies throughout. "Istwan" is an instrumental that
reminds me of LED ZEPPELIN at times, and features some guest violin playing and
some tasteful guitar melodies. This blends into the next song "Could It Be
So?", again the guitar playing of Petri is the best part of the song. This has a real a psychedelic feel to it. "And It's All Happening" is an
instrumental and one of my favourite songs on the album. Everything is slowed right down and is
atmospheric. The guitar playing is so
beautiful, he had such a gift. The
melody picks up before 3 minutes. "Love Tonight" opens with percussion
and vocals and we get a full sound 2 minutes in. The sound is heavy and we are
treated to some great solos after 4 minutes. The rest of the song is simply awesome! "Two Of A Kind" is another killer track. It gets better as it goes with some blistering
guitar half way through. "I Feel Love" features bass and drums that
create an uptempo rhythm as vocals soar over top. This is like a dance song
played by a hard rock band! A real hypnotic beat to this one. "Shine On Me" has a bluesy feel to
it at times although the bass playing reminded me of RUSH. There is some atmospheric guitar and some nice
sax melodies in this slow but powerful tune. The guitar is too beautiful for words!
"You" is the longest track and another favourite. Tempo shifts, vocal
melodies and some amazing bass playing in this one. The melody around 6 minutes in rocks and is
the best part of the album for me. "Palekastro" is an instrumental that
hits you in the face right away with a heavy blow. The guitar playing is mind
boggling and the drumming is world class! Well I may have felt that "Tri-logy" was
not quite a masterpiece, but this one definitely is a masterpiece of
progressive music! 623 Up The Downstair
A review by Mellotron Storm: The 2004 edition that I own is a double cd with the
second disc ("Staircase Infinities") being the EP that was released
originally on a Dutch label called "Lazy Eye". These two discs really are companions anyway
as the songs from the "Staircase Infinities" were actual leftover
pieces from the "Up The Downstair" sessions. That is except for "Yellow Hedgerow
Dreamscape" which is from the earlier cassette days. The reason Steven
Wilson had these leftover songs in the first place was the fact he was going to
make "Up The Downstair" a double album with "Voyage 34" as
the centerpiece. Instead he released
"Voyage 34" as a single and then decided to make "Up The
Downstair" a single album release instead. The title "Up The Downstair"
actually is a line in the song "Voyage 34". Steven Wilson has said that "Up The
Downstair" is really the first "proper" PORCUPINE TREE album as
"On The Sunday Of Life... "was really a collection of the best songs
from his earlier cassette days from 1988-1991”. "Up The Downstair" opens with the short
intro track called "What You Are Listening To". The synths build then spoken words come in as the
song blends into "Synesthesia". This is an uptempo song with a catchy beat. The guitar is aggressive as Steven fires off
some scorching solos. "Monuments
Burn Into Moments" is a 22 second intro to "Always Never", which
is such a great spacey, dreamy song. Acoustic guitar and synths lead the way until
the outbreaks occur which are fantastic! The drumming is so crisp (and real, haha)
with some cool guitar. The song turns atmospheric and spacey 4 minutes in, while
a minute later Steven blesses us with some ripping guitar melodies. Nice. "Up The Downstair" has some spoken words
from Suzanne Barbieri, while her husband Richard implements some electronics on
this song. It is very spacey for 2
minutes, and then we get a beat, and then a full sound 1 1/2 minutes after that.
This is great! Spoken words come back 7
1/2 minutes in and what a powerful sound 9 minutes in. What a song! "Not Beautiful Anymore"
has more spoken words as pounding drums come in. There is such a powerful sound
to this one as well, and the spoken words come and go. "Siren" is a short intro to
"Small Fish". This song has
vocals and an amazing spacey soundscape. The drums sound so good and the guitar
soars to heaven. "Burning Sky" are the last two words that
are sung from the previous song "Small Fish". This is an instrumental
with some blistering guitar and more fantastic drumming from Gavin Harrison. Synths arrive before the song calms down for a
spacey interlude. It kicks back into
gear with some incredible guitar before 9 minutes. The song builds to the point
where you think it's going to explode. "Fadeaway" is one of Steven Wilson's
favourites off this album and mine too. It's like waves of pleasure rolling over me
again and again. "You are only coming through in waves, your lips move but
I can't hear what you’re saying... " Disc two the "Staircase Infinities"
begins with "Cloud Zero". It opens with various sounds as drums rise
out of them and are joined by guitar. Nice melody as synths arrive as well. "The Joke's On You" has some very
psychedelic lyrics, and is the only song on this second disc with lyrics. Acoustic guitar is strummed as reserved vocals
come in. I love it when Steven really
sings out as the soundscape also gets louder. It sounds incredible! This contrast continues.
"Navigator" features drums, synths
and some guitar melodies that sound incredible. The song has a spacey ending. "Rainy Taxi" opens with spacey sounds
that continue for 3 minutes when the guitar joins in. Beautiful. This song reminds me of "The Sky Moves
Sideways" it's just so darn emotional, there is some organ as well. "Yellow Hedgerow Dreamscape" is a
live song with drums pounding slowly as waves of synths come and go. The beat
speeds up before 4 minutes as the guitar lays down some good melodies. It feels like the song is going faster 7
minutes in. "On The Sunday Of Life..." was a
collection of diverse songs that often brought to mind the Syd Barrett era of
PINK FLOYD. This double album brought to
mind the "Dark Side Of The Moon" era of PINK FLOYD, if only for how
melodic, dreamy and spacey it is. I have
never heard Steven play as aggressive as he does on these discs either. I love that combination of great guitar with
spacey soundscapes. And Steven just
blazes a trail through space on this one folks. It's tough to even pick the top three songs
here because they are all so amazing. This is my favourite of his psychedelic period. A masterpiece! A review by
AtomicCrimsonRush: Porcupine Tree's early album is a surprisingly
psychedelic musically driven album with very sombre atmospheres and a great
degree of melancholy. Wilson sounds
brooding and serious and the music is catapulted by long swathes of synths and
gentle vocals. The guitars are often
aggressive but as the album progresses the songs get longer and more in the
neighbourhood of psych prog with a decidedly spacey soundscape. The music is hypnotic and dreamy overall, I like the way this opens with a nod towards the
Timothy Leary recreation pastime and how essential LSD was to the music of the
60s, similar to what Tool did. 'Synesthesia' is a very good track with some
compelling lyrics; "It's only a number, It's only a death, another soldier
died in action, The telegram regrets, I'm lying on a stretcher, They're lying
to my face, There's no-one left to help me, I'm just a waste of space. "
The mood is chilling and haunting throughout. 'Up the Downstair' is a mesmirising track with
bleak dream of consciousness lyrics; "Sleep, Until the colours dissolve,
Leave the dream to rain-soak forever, In blessed moments, Viewed from trains of
half-truths." The poetic nature of the lyrics is propelled by white hot
synth washes and a steady tempo. Another
highlight is the improvisational style of jamming as on 'Not Beautiful Anymore'
that opens with a woman talking and is experimental and mostly instrumental. I also like 'Burning Sky' with the Hackett
like guitars and Ozric Tentacles atmospheres with nuances of Pink Floyd
scattered here and there. Overall, the 1993 album is a very pleasant journey
and quite different than other Porcupine Tree albums. I prefer the more recent Porcupine Tree sound
but was nevertheless delighted that the band were able to generate such a
psychedelic spacey sound back in the early 90s. 624
A review by Warthur: The period between Are You Sitting Comfortably? and
the creation of Ever was a time of crises and tragedy for IQ. As well as Tim Esau and Paul Menel taking
their leave of the band, the remaining group members were rocked by a series of
deaths of people close to them - including Les "Ledge" Marshall, the
long-time friend of the band and bassist who momentarily replaced Tim, and
former Twelfth Night frontman Geoff Mann, whose untimely demise was a shock to
all the members of the extended neo-prog family who emerged from London's
Marquee club in the early 1980s. John Jowitt stepped into the breach to take on
bass, whilst Peter Nicholls was so moved by the events that had occurred that
he readily agreed to return to the vacant vocalist spot. All five performers were determined to save
the band in honour of Ledge's memory, and as the new album took form the commercial
musical direction taken with the two Paul Menel albums was comprehensively
abandoned. It's quite fitting, in fact,
that Ever seems to pick up IQ's more complex neo-prog style right where The
Wake left off - because whilst The Wake was a concept album about death from
the point of view of someone who has died, Ever tackles very similar subject
matter from the point of view of those who are left behind. This evolution from narrative fantasy about the
afterlife to contemplative musing about bereavement shows a maturing in the
band's lyrical focus, and it's accompanied by a maturing in their sound. It isn't as gloomy an album as it might have
been by any stretch of the imagination - it has its sad and subdued moments, as
the subject matter demands, but there's also peace, tranquillity, joy,
excitement, and a sniff of nostalgia; in other words, all the best emotions you
might feel when recalling happy times that cannot be reclaimed (due to death,
distance, or any other reason) but which seem as vivid as though they were
yesterday. It's one of the most
incredible comeback albums I've ever heard. A review by SouthSideoftheSky: Leap of faith Unlike other subgenres, the Neo-Prog genre seemed
to have taken a long time to get off the ground. Most of the usual suspects like Pallas,
Pendragon and IQ all started out in the late 70's/early 80's but it wasn't
until the 90's and 00's that they made their best works. (The majority of the albums in the Neo-Prog
top 20 are from the new millennium which stands in sharp contrast to other
subgenres where most or even all of the top albums are from the genre in
question's first few years of existence). After four albums in the 80's, IQ entered the
90's with Ever which was arguably their strongest release at the time. The first two albums suffered from bad
production and after that original vocalist Peter Nicholls left the band. Then they made two further albums with a
different vocalist which received a rather lukewarm reception from the fans. In my opinion, all of the first four albums
had at least some good moments but none of those albums managed to impress me
very much. Nicholls returned for the present album which, in
my opinion, was the album on which IQ finally found the direction that they
would follow on subsequent albums. Ever
is thus, as I see it, the first album by IQ as we know them from later releases.
This is not to say that the two albums
with Paul Menel on lead vocals are bad (I actually enjoy Are You Sitting
Comfortably?), but they are so different from later IQ releases that they could
have been by a different band. I have never been particularly fond of IQ and Ever
is, in my opinion, good but hardly fantastic. It starts out well enough with The Darkest
Hour which is one of the strongest tracks here. Another good one is Leap Of Faith. But one problem that I have with many works by
IQ is that they come across as rather tired and almost lethargic to my ears. The music somehow lacks in passion and energy.
Like several other albums by IQ it is
surely a pleasant and enjoyable listen, but it fails to grip me. Indeed, only Dark Matter has had that ability.
Ever is indeed well-produced and well-recorded and
the instruments are all well played, but the end result somehow lacks something
important. Perhaps edge and punch.
Still, there are some great passages
here like the inspired instrumental breaks on Leap Of Faith, for example. Overall, I find this good but rather tame and
it fails to leave any lasting impressions on me even after many listens over a
long period of time. Edited by AtomicCrimsonRush - May 01 2012 at 02:00 |
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: April 19 2012 at 06:39 |
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1992 - continued 606 Megalázottak és Megszomorítottak
A review by Mellotron Storm: 4.5 stars. The music is as beautiful and melancholic as the gorgeous cover art. Man I like that album cover though. It reminds me when I used to jog on the beach in the dark and the only lighting was the from the moon. For me this is AFTER CRYING's best work. I like the debut ("Overground Music") a lot but this is more mature with a lot less vocals. And the vocals we do get are in their native language (Hungarian) this time. Lots of viola, cello, trombone, trumpet, aboe, flute and bassoon, besides the usual keyboards, bass and drums. The album opens with a side long suite called "A Gadarai Megszaliott" which is over 22 minutes. Themes are repeated and we get lots of atmosphere especially early on and late. I like when it turns darker and heavier after 4 1/2 minutes, this is followed by atmosphere with piano, cymbals and cello. Vocals around 8 minutes. Horns before 10 minutes after the vocals stop. Spoken Hungarian words 12 minutes in then bass, cello, piano and drums take over. Drums and atmosphere dominate 16 minutes in. Female spoken words after 17 minutes until it kicks in with aggressive horns, drums and piano. Atmosphere only after 18 minutes then back to the drums, piano and horns before 19 1/2 minutes. It ends as it began. "A Kis Hos" features strings and female vocal melodies. "Nokturn" has these reserved male vocals to open as a beat then aboe joins in. "Megalazottak Es Megszomoritottak" opens with dissonant strings of some sort with cymbals and bass, church organ floods in but it's brief as the viola or cello returns. The tempo picks up with piano and drums after 2 minutes. Strings join in. It settles with more dissonant strings before 3 minutes then it picks back up. Horns before 4 minutes as it settles again. Reserved male vocals before 6 minutes then when they stop we get trumpet. Great tune. "Vegul" opens with strings then the drums kick in and dominate right to the end. If you’re into that classical style or chamber music you should really check this album out. 607
A review from Warthur: Jadis' first proper album - the earlier self-titled release was actually a collection of demo recordings, produced by friend of the band Steve Rothery - is a charming collection of guitar- focused neo-prog tracks. The main driving force for the band is Gary Chandler and his guitar playing, with loyal drummer Steve Christey on drums on all their releases and a number of different bassists and keyboardists drifting in and out over time. In the case of this album, the band were lucky enough to have Martin Orford and John Jowitt of IQ as guests to round out the lineup - Jadis having befriended IQ as a result of numerous gigs as support act to them, and the album itself being the first release on Orford's Giant Electric Pea label. The end result sounds an awful lot like a sunnier version of early IQ, with perhaps a bit of influence from IQ predecessor band The Lens, but I wouldn't say this is down to Orford and Jowitt's presence. Gary Chandler is very much the primary soloist and spotlight instrumentalist on the album, with Orford's keyboard work only creeping in here and there to provide a little texture, and his guitar style is rather reminiscent of Mike Holmes' work in IQ and The Lens. In particular, both Holmes and Chandler seem to be greatly influenced by Steve Hackett's work of around the time of Spectral Mornings and Defector. The end result is an album which is a real treat for fans of prog guitar, particularly recommended for those who are into early IQ and the better Hackett solo works. That said, it's far from perfect - Chandler's vocals, in particular, are rather weak, and indeed the album would have probably been stronger had it been an all-instrumental affair. But even with this taken into account, More Than Meets the Eye is in my reckoning easily the best Jadis album; I don't really feel the need to possess more than one album of their music (their sound having not exactly evolved radically over the years), but when that album is this good I'm more than satisfied with it. 608
A review by Finnforest: Queen of the Nerds "boy you best pray that I bleed real soon, how's that thought for ya?" Self-proclaimed "Queen of the Nerds" Myra Ellen Amos was born in 1963 in the great state of North Carolina, daughter of a Methodist minister. A big believer in reincarnation, Tori claims it was she who chose to be born to the Amos family. This little girl was an incredible talent from earliest childhood, beginning to play piano before she could string sentences together. By the age of 5 she had passed an audition and won full scholarship at the prestigious Peabody Conservatory where she would study for years. But it was not long before Tori's mischievous free spirit began to butt heads with the conservative instructors at the school, who were less than amused by her "interpretations" of classical legends. In the 5th grade she smoked her first joint, found Robert Plant, and Playgirl magazine. Soon after she experienced the traumatic loss of her maternal grandfather to whom she was incredibly close, her Mother claimed she would go to his grave three times a week to sing to him for years. She claims Tori "never got over his death....he was the only person she ever completely respected." When her older siblings moved out soon after, Tori felt even more alone and began to sink into depression. Her parents continued to encourage her music even though she had parted ways with the Peabody. In a brave but truly loving move her father took the unusual step of helping Tori become a piano bar performer, to give her an outlet for her passion, and perhaps a way forward in music. She was still underage, and her father would often come along and agree to chaperone so the bars would not be charged for employing someone underage. It was a move than changed her life, as she became an amazing pianist and a seasoned performer from this experience. In 1984 she took off for LA to follow her dream. The 80s were hard on Tori as she was raped early on, then spent years spinning her wheels in the infamous "Y Kant Tori Read" band. (Few realize this was a reference to her inability to read sheet music and not simply making light of inability to read). The band released an album which was supposedly not as bad as you'd expect, though cheesy, but it failed miserably. The end came when she walked into a restaurant and a record company executive laughed at her. She realized she was seen as a joke in this band and nearly gave up the dream. Her friend Cindy Marble convinced her otherwise, and Tori rented a piano and started over. The rest is history. Tori believes none of us are truly honest, that we show different sides to different people, as convenient for us: "You can compartmentalize different sides of yourself. You put them onto different shelves, and then you bring them out as you need them. Everybody has a barroom personality and a Sunday lunch personality; one personality for their husband and another for their tennis instructor." And so this quote perfectly sums up the emerging Ms. Amos, who was beginning the process of dealing with the different boxes of her personality through song. Finding a bridge from the strict Christian upbringing she had to the essence of her own adult self. Atlantic Records gave her six months and one more chance, and thus she began the work that would become "Little Earthquakes." When some initial efforts failed to impress the Atlantic guys, Tori again grew depressed until Cindy once more pulled her through. She then created a "faerie ring" in her living room, a magic ring for writing inspiration. Before you laugh, Tori credits her "faerie sh*t" with opening her up to the creation of 11 tracks that changed her life. The execs still didn't know what to think of the new material so they shipped her off to London to deal with the team in place there. Tori took to London "like a duck to water." The album was released in early '92 and the comparisons to Kate Bush by the rock press were immediate. The actual comparisons to Kate are largely superficial and to their credit many of these journalists would later recant. Tori's ascent from this point was rapid, long fought for, and richly deserved. She and her "children" (as she calls her songs) would be among the most important of the crowded female songwriter field of the 1990s. "Little Earthquakes" is a turbulent debut; spirited, sassy, occasionally disturbing, and often just flat out beautiful. My God, the strength in the middle of the album is formidable. A run of some of Amos' strongest tracks begins with "Girl" as Amos proclaims her(?) independence with "she's been everybody else's girl, maybe one day she'll be her own." "Silent All These Years" is where she forges her famous style with one number: heartfelt, passionate vocals and orgasmic piano melodies. "Precious Things" turns a bit darker and more dramatic as those Christian boys are cut down to size once and for all with a zinger of a line. "Winter" is perhaps the most beautiful lullaby-vibed melody Tori ever wrote; stark and searching are the notes of her piano. The song is one of my very favorites as she talks about love and change. "Happy Phantom" sees her move another direction, perhaps creating the most light-hearted and upbeat song you'll ever hear....about death! "Phantastic" piano and lyric! "China" is like getting an encore of "Winter," another sweet-sung and mellow piano ballad. "Leather" finds Tori getting saucy and playful with her flirtatious vocals and sensual rhythm. The last four tracks are not quite as perfect in my book, but decent. "Me and a Gun" is a painful account of the sexual assault Tori endured in LA, and is very difficult to listen to. But I can only assume it was therapeutic for her and that I do respect very much, as well as her creation of RAINN, a network for victims of sexual assault and incest. "Little Earthquakes" is a very solid debut album from a woman who should make Americans proud, a truly unique and inspirational artist from North Carolina. She put together an impressive body of work and boasts one of the most devoted fanbases you will ever see in music. In that sense, she is just like Kate Bush. 3 ½ stars. 609
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: The 17th studio album for the band "Electric Tepee" turned out to be quite an excellent album featuring some of their most endearing material since the masterful "Chronicle of the Black Sword". Since then the material has been very touch and go with many tracks just instrumentals with voice overs but on this album the songs are terrific and although the spaceship had crash landed in the past, the sound on this release is certainly a return to form. Ironically there were only 3 Hawkwind survivors after the crash landing, that being Dave Brock, guitarist, synth player and all round awesome vocalist, Alan Davey on bass and keys and Richard Chadwick on drums. Brock is terrific on this album on such killer tracks as 'Right to Decide'; "you can't do this, you can't do that, you can't go forward and you can't go back". This track is certainly a wonderful song with trademark Hawkwind sound, chugging guitars, infectious melodies and chorus with loads of spaciness. This was a double vinyl album and fits nicely onto a CD to produce a lengthy and highly satisfying Hawkwind journey. 'LSD' has a familiar Hawkwind sound, electronic spaceytronics and a chugging riff. The vocals are echoed and forced as only Brock can to great effect. I like the way the track gets heavier and relies on distortion on guitar rather than synths. The band are breaking away from the synth domination of the 80s and getting into a heavier sound at this stage and it is a welcome change. 'The Secret Agent', 'Mask of the Morning' and 'Sadness Runs Deep' are all Hawkwind songs with heavier guitars and lengthy jamming improvised sections. The more poppier songs are strange but a nice diversion though 'Mask of the Morning' wears out its welcome at over 9 minutes in length. Sure that works for the incredible 'Orgone Accumulator' from "Space Ritual" or 'Born to Go', but this track is not quite as good as these tracks to to fill out that much time. 'Sadness Runs Deep' is a delightful track with a wonderful Oriental flavour sounding a bit like the Arabesque music on Blancmange's excellent 'Living on the Ceiling'. It works here just as well, and for me is a highlight on the album, with some wah wah lead work and an odd time sig. It is great to hear Hawkwind cranking out some hard rock especially 'The Secret Agent'. Brock enjoys a fast rapidfire delivery and tons of echo, as a spacey guitar riff cranks out, reminding me of 'Needle Gun'; "I'm a secret agent, What's your name, what's your game." The improvised jamming on this could have been trimed but it is enduring in its own way, at least the guys were rocking out. Having said that Hawkwind still tend to meander in New Age ambient instrumentation with tracks such as 'Blue Shift'. This is very spacey and heavily permeated by mellotron sequences and sustained pads. Not all that inspiring but nice after the crunching opener. Next is 'Death of War', more narrated voices, and synths that the band wallowed in during the 80s. Others in a similar vein, instrumentals with odd effects, are 'Garden Pests' (a hypnotic phone ringing over some sequenced synths), 'Space Dust' (Pink Floyd influences), 'Snake Dance' (spacey electronica and Arabian style guitar melodies, like a futuristic snake charmer), 'Rites Of Netherworld', 'Don't Understand' (a hypno trance piece with spacey noodling and effects such as sound bytes from "Blade Runner"), 'Going To Hawaii' (lengthy ambient atmospheres and organic dreamy waves of synths and electronics) and 'Electric Tepee' (tribal chants and synths). Being that this is a long Hawkwind album there is enough on offer to satisfy any Hawkwind fanatic. The instrumentals are okay as transitions to the songs but this is the first double studio release for the Hawkwind starship so no complaints from me. Overall it is one of the better Hawkwind 90s albums and a welcome return to form for the band. 610
A review by Mellotron Storm: While their self titled debut album focused more on the Island of Iona and it's history, this release draws our attention to the "Book of Kells". As the band notes "The "Book of Kells" is an illuminated manuscript of the four gospels, written in Latin and dating back to the 8th century. It was created by the monks probably at the monasteries of Iona, off the west coast of Scotland, and Kells in County Meath, Ireland. Seen by many as the pinnacle of Celtic art, it stands as a testament to the faith and devotion to God of those who spent more than thirty years working on it. It's 680 hand written pages are beautifully illustrated with the most intricate detail... Natural sounds, such as those of the sea, wind and rain are used on the album as they are the sounds that would have been heard by the monks who began the book on the island of Iona.... The actual "Book of Kells" is housed at Trinity College Library, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. " The band plays less of the traditional Celtic instruments than they did on the debut. I was surprised that this record is even more atmospheric than their debut, which really makes the vocal led songs sound even more dramatic when they arrive. I was actually reminded of "The Sky Moves Sideways" at times because of all the synth waves on this record, but that is where the similarities end. Sax, flute and guitar are the main supplements to the synth washes. "Kells Opening Theme" is one of the best songs on the record. What a way to start! It opens with waves of synths as the haunting and beautiful vocals of Joanne proudly appear. Some sparse Celtic instruments only add to the atmosphere. "Revelation" is a straight forward tune really with great vocals and guitar. The sax towards the end is a highlight. "Matthew-The Man" opens with a nice contrast between the tribal like drums and the synth washes, that contrast continues until we get some acoustic sounds followed by synths. There is an explosion of sound before 8 minutes in as vocals come back and the tempo speeds up. This song is a ride! Dave Bainbridge wrote " For me, this is one of the key pieces of the whole album as it combines all the elements that I believe are at the heart of the music of IONA. There are powerful rhythmic sections, atmospheric passages, the use of traditional acoustic instruments in conjunction with electronically created sounds, tightly arranged and also improvised sections and of course Joanne's haunting vocal and incredibly evocative lyrics. " "Chi- Rho" is musically a triumph, with the beautiful acoustic guitar melodies and her perfect vocals. Drums come in 1 1/2 minutes and some fantastic sax follows. Amazing song about Jesus Christ and his sacrifice, while the chorus is inspired from Colossians 1:13- 23. "Mark-The Lion" has a strong drum rhythm from two drummers for a thunderous effect, while Bainbridge doubled his improvised guitar solo in the studio. "The River Flows" was inspired by the book of Revelation that describes a river running through the Holy city. This one has some uilleann pipes on it (the song not the city). "Luke- The Calf" is surrounded by the sounds of the sea, as a beautiful flute melody is played. Nice. "Virgin And Child" is very atmospheric with a Celtic harp playing. Gorgeous. "Temptation" opens with a spacey soundscape before drums take over, then finishing with a souna which is a Chinese instrument. "The Arrest-Gethsemane" is Eastern sounding with sax and synths. "Trinity-Godhead" is a floating song with lots of atmosphere. Sax melodies after 3 minutes and it ends with the sound of rain and thunder. "John-The Eagle" features sax and synths, with a floating keyboard melody. "Kells" may be my favourite song. After so much atmosphere when the vocals come in they are so uplifting! They sound fantastic! I'll let the band describe the final track "Eternity-No Beginning, No End" "The end of the track was inspired by a passage from the Book of Revelation in the Bible:... Revelation 5:9-14. The aim was that the end of the track should sound like a glimpse into this scene, almost peering into the heavenly realm !... The sea of voices on the album was the response that came as David Fitzgerald and Dave Bainbridge came to the end of their performance of the piece and as people spontaneously began to worship God through the Spirit-a very emotional, humbling and joyous experience. " Robert Fripp would play on their next studio release "Beyond These Shores", as well as on the live "Woven Cord". As for this one? 4.5 stars. Breathtaking! 611
A review by SouthSideoftheSky: He's doing a balancing act in the dark Ring Of Roses is the first out of three albums that was released by Shadowland during the first half of the 90's. The band's leader, principle songwriter and lead vocalist is none other than Clive Nolan, better known for his role as keyboard player extraordinaire in Pendragon and, first and foremost, as the brain behind the fantastic Arena, in which he is responsible for the music, the lyrics and the keyboards as well as for some backing vocals. While in Arena, Nolan's constant partner is ex-Marillion drummer Mick Pointer, in Shadowland it is guitarist Karl Groom, better known for his later work with Prog-Metal band Threshold. Groom is a very good guitarist and his playing in Shadowland is very different from what can be heard on Threshold's albums. The band is rounded of by Ian Salmon (who also would end up in Arena later) on bass and acoustic guitar and Nick Harradence on drums. Clive Nolan is indeed a multitalented artist as he is a brilliant songwriter (both from the musical and lyrical perspective) as well as a great keyboard player and - surprise! - a good singer too. Admittedly, he is perhaps a less effective singer than he is a keyboardist and songwriter, and it was certainly a very wise choice to employ other vocalists for Arena. But having said that, I must say that Nolan does a fine job singing lead in Shadowland. He has a distinctive and emotional voice. Some qualities of his voice and the way he sings even bear some similarities to the vocalists of Arena (John Carson, Paul Wrightson and Rob Sowden). Hearing Nolan sing here makes me think that he had much of the vocals for Arena's music figured out in advance and that he instructed these vocalists according to how he would sing the songs himself. The music of Shadowland (despite these and perhaps some further similarities) is very different from that of Arena, however. Fans of the dark and hard edged sound of Arena (or the heavy sound of Threshold) are almost certain to find Ring Of Roses to be a rather lightweight and almost poppy affair; the choruses are often very catchy, the guitar sound is clean and the production is polished. Coming from a band that bears the "dark" name of 'Shadowland', this album is surprisingly light-hearted and easy on the ear. The overall feeling and mood of the music can aptly be described as 'romantic' and Ring Of Roses is thus much closer to Marillion's Misplaced Childhood and Pendragon's Masquerade Overture than to anything by Arena (or Threshold for that matter). Some of Fish's solo work (A Gentleman's Excuse Me?) might also be an appropriate reference point to understand what Shadowland is about. Songs like The Whistleblower, Painting By Numbers and Ring Of Roses have infectious melodies that will stick in your mind after only one or two listens, the title track in particular has an overly sweet melody and romantic sound that, for me, makes the song, particularly the chorus, almost a bit cringe-worthy! This is also the low point of the album for me and pretty much the only low point. Jigsaw is a very existential and emotional song, Nolan really knows how to capture feelings with words. Life is indeed a one-way street as this song has it - you can look back, but you can't go back and change things or re-live your life. Songs like Hall Of Mirrors and Scared Of The Dark, on the other hand, takes a few more listens to get into and as such these have more lasting appeal compared to the shorter songs. The Kruhulick Syndrome is the album's only instrumental and it is a very good one; I particularly like the acoustic guitar solo and the nice classical piano that builds up towards a great electric guitar solo. Also in Hall Of Mirrors is a very nice acoustic guitar passage. In conclusion, Ring Of Roses is a very good, very melodic, but perhaps not very original Neo-Prog album made by some very talented people. While I very strongly prefer Nolan's later work in Arena, I would certainly strongly recommend this album to those who like the more "romantic" side of Prog. But anyone expecting anything like Arena (or anything like Threshold for that matter) might be much less impressed. I used to rate this with three stars only, but after a longer time of listening to it I have upgraded it to four stars. This is definitely the place to start with Shadowland! 612
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: Gabriel proves he hasn't run out of steam! The Peter Gabriel trademark sound is the first thing you hear as this CD starts. Lots of over emphasised, loud African tribal percussion crashing down, and Gabriel's smooth voice. There is no real rock rather a lot of pop and a very soft ballad about the ‘Blood of Eden’; a dark textured meandering slow sleeper. The first three songs float by without raising too much ire and then the familiar single pumps out; "Stand back! Give me steam? " I always loved this song built for radio airplay, even before I had heard Gabriel era Genesis, so it has a special place in my heart with its memorable video clip and extraordinary claymation. Following on from ‘Sledge Hammer’'s structure and rhythms ‘Steam’ is like a twin brother right down to the quirky overblown video clip. The brass trumpet sound is bold and bright, the drums are steady, the guitars are crystal clean, and Gabriel sounds fantastic vocally, though the song is a fish out of water on this album. The melody will lock in the brain quickly and you may never get it out of your head and grow sick of it. I know that as soon as I heard it after all these years it was as familiar as the day it was rocketing up the charts. But I love the chorus, and the song has an innovative structure, and utilises a variety of musical talents. Great lyrics too; "Give me steam, real is anything you see, get a life with the dreamers dream? you know your stripper from a paint, you know your sinner from a saint, You know the quick from the dead. You know the trouble from the breaks, you know your straight line from the curve." It has some wonderful melodies. The lead break is quite innovative but the real drawcard is that infectious tune and Gabriel is so good on this. It is loud and abrasive and wakes you up if you are settling into the ambience of all the other tracks on a cold, windy night. It is a great chartbuster and helped Gabriel gain worldwide recognition. The following song is ‘Only Us’ which brings things down considerably with an ethereal chanting and off beat time sig that chops and fractures the rhythms made by a duduk. It is a weird sound but very effective as something different from the poppy radio friendly ‘Steam’. This crawls along wrapped around the sporadic drums and ambient keys. Gabriel sings, "I hear you calling, yes I can read you loud and clear, further on I go oh, the less I know, friend or foe there's only yes. " ‘Washing of the Water’ follows on, and is even quieter with subtle multi layered vocals, evoking a sense of beauty and tranquillity; "River show me how to float, I feel like I'm sinking down, here in this water my feet won't touch the ground. River deep can you lift up and carry me. " A lot of this has Gabriel on husky vocals and some high falsetto. "Letting go is so hard the way it's hurting now", Gabriel croons, with a lot of heartfelt emotion, "the washing of the water, will you take it all away, bring me something, take this pain away. " A groovy bassline drives ‘Digging In The Dirt’, a song I first heard on the astonishing DVD "Growing Up Live". It has a catchy hook with jangly guitar, and a great passage I always loved with Gabriel excellent on vocals, "don't talk back, just drive the car, shut your mouth I know what you are, don't say nothing, keep your hands on the wheel, don't turn around this is for real". The music on this is very well structured, an effective keyboard and brushed percussive metrics. Another definitive highlight of the album. ‘Fourteen Black Paintings’ begins with an Eastern feel on snake charmer style woodwind and howling wind effects. It transports you to a far off Mystical place instantly, and there is a gorgeous organ sound. The lyrics are quite surreal; "From a tree, from a vision," when the sound builds midway through there is a chilling atmosphere generated with echoing voices and droning keys, an off kilter drum pattern, as strange as Gabriel gets on “Ovo”. ‘Kiss That Frog’ takes us in another direction. Industrial pounding drums and a haunting mellotron sound, and then a friendly choppy guitar riff kicks in. This one has a whimsical nature as the title suggests about a princess and a prince who is a frog, awaiting he magic kiss, "he's wanting it so much, oh can you see the state I'm in, kiss it better, can you hear beyond the croaking, don't you know that I'm not joking". The instruments on this are terrific, weird harmonica, happy impulsive organs, funky bass, and female backing singers enhance the capricious parody. ‘Secret World’ is another track I knew from the DVD so it was familiar immediately and comforting. The spontaneity of the music with its multi layered structure is a pleasant sound. Gabriel's vocals are brought up in the mix lending itself to a more intimate setting. This is a rather sombre reflective song to close the album and one of the longest at 7 minutes or so. But it works to bring things to a satisfying conclusion. So this is perhaps my third favourite Gabriel album after “Up” and “Peter Gabriel 3”. A lot of the songs from this are performed and played better live on the “Growing Up Live” DVD, although when you get used to a certain way a song is performed it is difficult at times to go back to the studio version. "Us" delivers as a personal and well developed album with some of Gabriel's best material to date that sinks into your system like osmosis. 613
A review by Finnforest: Each TB# improves on the last Many will argue with my opinion that each TB release was better than the previous, but few Oldfield fans will argue that the live video presentations of each smoke their studio counterparts. This is most true of TB2 and TB3, both of which are pretty dry, arguably sterile in the studio form, yet absolutely filled with life and beauty in their live outdoor video performances. If you have the chance to score the DVDs of TB2 and TB3 live in concert, you can seriously skip the studio recordings altogether. Musically TB2 lacks the explorer's spirit of the original but takes more care in putting together cohesive, memorable melodies. Oldfield's guitar playing is fantastic as ever, with leads that soar, with sections that are quite moving to the listener. After the predictably good electric playing of "Sentinel" it is the acoustic charmer called "Red Dawn" that really blows my mind: simply stunning classical guitar joined by operatic female vocals in one of Mike's most lovely, if far too short compositions. Others, like "Sunset Door" employed sampled human voice against Mike's playing to great effect. The sense of melody and joy carry through TB2, providing a grandiose sounding piece of music, really like a great classical music concert. Whereas in the original some of the "experiments" were a bit silly or naïve, by this time Oldfield was a better composer and it shows here. Except perhaps for "Altered States" with the annoying caveman back for an encore. My biggest problems are some occasionally cheesy sounds to the keyboards primarily, and the fact that some sequences either didn't grab me or were a bit repetitive. With regard to the latter, the next chapter TB3 would correct this and provide the rare case where the finale was the best part. By all means check out all three numeric TB selections if you love Oldfield, but if you can get the live DVD or videos, you'll have the better versions. And if you're an Oldfield noob, start with the Hergest Ridge through Incantations period, which was the undisputed peak of Mike Oldfield's career. 614
A review by Sean Trane: Yet another intriguing album from Hammill, at least from the artwork point of view and for a long time, I thought there was a link with The Roaring Forties and its intriguing artwork also, but thankfully Fireships is a much better album than TRF. The main obvious difference is that the drumming is not quite as awful as on the other album, but it still is a very basic straight-ahead boring sound. Actually this remark is valid for a lot of Hammill's albums where Guy Evans is absent. And I would never thought I'd say this one day, but actually I wish Hammill would've used drum machines rather than ask drummers to play this poor and unimaginative. I think he actually does on this one! Aside from this remark (I specify again this is valid for many of his records), the album is rather above the average compared to his entire discography, but again the same remarks also applies to this album regarding the choice (dare I say the relevance?) of the tracks: half of them would've gained their inclusion elsewhere. Hammill's usual collabs of the time are again present (Potter, Gordon and to a lesser extent Ellis and Jackson), but the difference with this album is David Lord with his kb, strings orchestral arrangements and he even gets a co-writing credit and a co-production credit. Not that his contributions are changing anything under the Hammill Sun, as the tracks are still generally slow-paced allowing for some interesting ambiances (start of Incomplete Surrender), but again this album fails to take off. I realize that Hammill's songs (with generally extremely profound and personal lyrics) are not designed to "take-off", but we can only be slightly disappointed when the tracks speed up slightly, the level of decibels slightly rise above the quiet-mark, only to be cruelly deceived when the track falls back down to its previous levels. Exception must be made of the lengthier title track, which does temporarily raise the tone of voice, but it is unfortunately marred by awful drum programming sounds. Not anymore than essential than his other records from the era, the least we can say is that Hammill's inspirations were not at an all-time high in the early 90's. Best discovered after his 70's and early 80's (and even his 00's) albums. 615
A review by SouthSideoftheSky: Mystified I have now reviewed all of Shadow Gallery's studio albums and for some reason I left this self-titled debut album for last. While there seems to be a consensus that this album displays a somewhat less mature Shadow Gallery compared to subsequent albums (and I agree with this as well), I must add that this is a very promising debut indeed. On the first few listens it was inevitable to compare this album with the fantastic ones that came after it and as such this debut initially suffers somewhat. However, on further listens this album holds up extremely well in its own right and constitutes another great album by this wonderful band. Indeed, I enjoy this more than the most recent couple of albums by the band. Most of the elements that made later albums so great are already here including the influences from classic Symphonic Prog (Kansas comes to mind), Classic Rock (Queen-like harmony vocals) and Neo-Classical Metal (Yngwie Malmsteen), strong vocals (often reminding of Geoff Tate of Queensryche) and instrumental prowess. They would perfect this style on Carved In Stone, but already here it is very successful. If I must complain about something it would be about the quality of the recording which could be better. But the quality of the material and the performance of the band more than makes up for it. Highly recommended in addition to subsequent albums. A great start for a great band! A review by UMUR: This is Shadow Gallery´s debut album. The album was
released in 1993 which was progressive metal’s heyday. Just about every
progressive metal band who released albums in the early nineties were
considered innovative and original. I clearly remember those days with joy.
Bands like Dream Theater, Psychotic Waltz, Queensrÿche, Sieges Even and Fates
Warning were some of my favourites back then (and some of them still are). I
didn´t listen to Shadow Gallery then, but it´s really a shame as this album has
lots of good elements. Shadow Gallery is in the eighties progressive metal
style that bands like Queensrÿche and Crimson Glory is also an exponent for.
There is a bit of Dream Theater in the instrumental runs but Shadow Gallery
also has strong neo classical US power metal leanings that can be compared to a
band like Symphony X. Their solos which are played by both guitar and keyboards
have a similar style to the one used by Symphony X. The vocal style is
comparable to Geoff Tate from Queensrÿche even though I also hear a Midnight (Crimson
Glory) sneer once and again. The album consists of seven songs and lasts for
about an hour. There are no fillers on the album and every song is memorable.
I´ll mention the last song on the album as a highlight. The queen of the city
of ice is a really good epic song with very beautiful vocal lines and lots of
great acoustic guitar playing. 17:22 minutes of soft progressive metal. In
addition to the normal instrumentation of guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and
vocals, bassist Carl Cadden-James also plays flute on a couple of the songs,
which adds another dimension to Shadow Gallery´s music. The flute is not used
extensively though. The musicianship is really great and one of the
best things is the vocals from Mike Baker. He is a very skilled vocalist. I
really enjoy both the guitar and the keyboard parts from Brendt Allman and
Chris Ingles too. The drums are not very well played though, and it´s
definitely one of the weak spots on this album. The other weak spot is
unfortunately the production which drowns the bass totally. Therefore I cannot
give an analysis of Carl Cadden-James bass playing. As mentioned the production is pretty awful and it
ruins much of my listening pleasure which is a real shame as the compositions
are very strong. If you like soft progressive metal from the start of the
nineties this should not be missed even though the production is horrible. I
think Shadow Gallery have made a really good album and I´ll be looking forward
to listening to the rest of their discography. The music is complex but not in
a tech metal way which means that you´re in for a more emotional progressive
metal experience compared to the more technical bands in the genre. I´ll rate
this album 3 stars. 616 – live The Great Deceiver: Live 1973 - 1974
A review by Sean Trane: For decades, Crimsonheads around the world, if you wanted to
know what the second-era KC sounded like, you either had to buy the USA live
album with its rather muddy sound or had to rely on diverse quality bootlegs. One may understand that bootleggers are
ripping off the artistes, but in Crimson's case, the fact that the only live
albums available were rather poor quality (listen to Earthbound to dig what I
mean), and the many improvisations that the group was experimenting on stage
were excuses enough for fans dishing out money for pirated tapes. In the mid-90's, some groups became well aware
that those bootlegs were of extreme quality and there was no reason for them to
bootleg the bootlegs and making money of those now-finally legal tapes. ELP, Tangerine Dream and Crimson are three of
the groups in progressive rock that have adopted this strategy, and are we not
so happy they just jumped the gun? But now Crimsonheads are faced with a dilemma: Which of the
three main releases to get? The four CD box-set being reviewed here, the single
concert release of The Nightwatch or the finally re-released (and improved
sound wise and great bonus tracks) USA Live? Clearly one of the main criteria
of selection will be the sound, which would almost automatically dismiss the
third potion if it was not for the fantastically superb and superlative improv
Asbury Park still not available elsewhere. Another criteria will be the price for a
single Cd (USA), a double set (Nightwatch) and this heavy box-set (probably a
limited edition too and a hefty price) and in this case the first eliminated in
the previous criteria is the clear winner. The first Cd from this set is made up of one concert in
Providence (stretching on to the second Cd) where the sound is as pristine as
the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, but the track list contains absolutely awesome
and one of the two improv Cosmos is simply astounding (and maybe the closest
sounding to Asbury Park from USA), only two tracks for the patchy SABB album, a
superb rendition of Easy Money and icing on the cake a version of Starless with
David Cross on violin: fabulous. The
Providence improv is much more entertaining than on the studio album too. The second 2 finishes the Providence concert, gives a piece of a
Penn State Uni concert (with a superb improv to closer off the disc) but is
mostly concentrating on a Glaswegian concert ending with a rare Cat Food and
the Peace theme from the Poseidon album. Even with those minor surprises and many
improvs, this second disc is not as brilliant as the first one, partly because
the track selection is less successful, but the continuity is broken by three
separate entities. Only one declared
improv but another four are just as well improvised. The third disc is a bit less disjointed, but another piece of
the Penn State concert ends it. A
whopping four improvs (most of them average quality - which means they develop
into nothing special - but great to hear anyway) grace this disc and one
strange Doctor Diamond, which is (as far as I know) a full composition never
available anywhere else - and a worthy one too. The closing improv is one hell of a scorcher
too!!! The last disc is certainly not the least of the four is also
split in two concerts, one at Toronto's Massey Hall (I am just sick thinking I
was only 10 when this gig happened around my turf) and a Swiss show. The Canadian gig has a demented improv and a
calmer based on Trio. The Swiss has some
rather unusual improvs on the No Pussyfooting theme but also another two part
improv and a definitive version of Talking Drum as a closer. As far as repeats arte concerned, throughout the four Cds, the
only track you will hear more than twice is Easy Money (3. 5 times) and Night
Watch (three times), which out of 47 tracks total is rather fair. But life is never that simple, and soon or later, the
Crimsonhead will want the other releases, which is another debate altogether,
is it not? In my case, I consider this box-set indispensable and even more than
absolutely essential (it has a superb booklet and tons of improvs), and I still
like the USA live album for historical reasons, so The Nightwatch might just be
the odd one out. Any takers for my copy
of it? A review by Warthur: An embarrassment of riches, the Great Deceiver box
set - whether bought in its original format or as two 2-CD sets - is a
treasuring of King Crimson live material ranging from the wake of Larks'
Tongues In Aspic to the cusp of Red. The
set opens with a full show - a Providence set from 1974, from which the version
of 21st Century Schizoid Man was extracted for use on the USA version. I actually prefer the sound here to the one on
USA, since the Eddie Jobson overdubs on that one seemed to have been calculated
to bring the track closer to its original studio version, whereas here the aura
is more definitively of the mid-70s unit. The rest of the set contains extracts from other
shows of varying sizes - some quite substantial, some only snippets. On the whole, I'm not going to give this
essential rating simply because I don't think it is essential through and
through - shows and tapes inevitably vary in quality, after all, though the
cream of the crop is represented here, and furthermore I suspect the package
here presents rather more live King Crimson than most people will ever need. I still think that the essential Crimson live
album from this era of the band has to be the incomparable Night Watch, which
ought to be your first stop in any exploration of live Crimson; this one is
great value, but is really for those who simply cannot get enough of them
Larks' Tongues. Edited by AtomicCrimsonRush - May 01 2012 at 01:44 |
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: April 07 2012 at 06:46 |
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1992
597
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: The infamous legendary prog album "Hybris" from Swedish proggers Anglagard marked an indelible place in prog territory in an era that was deprived of the prog brilliance of the 70s. Anglagard sound like they are from the 70s and are comparable to early Genesis, ELP and King Crimson. It begins with 'Jordrök'; the opening is dark chilling piano and male choral voices. The time sig is strange and off beat. The music is tight and definitely prog, and there is an excellent catchy melody on guitars by Engdegård. This instrumental continues as an acoustic treatment is given with bells and ambient keyboard pads from Johnson. A sublime flute chimes in from Holmgren; a very gentle lulling sound that is dreamy and surreal. A huge pipe organ cathedral sound blasts forth. The time sig changes completely as keyboards and guitars crash in. The shimmering Hammond is wonderful and a real feature. The track changes pace again, the flourishes of keys and drums are fascinating from Olsson. The whimsical flute returns, followed by a dark heavy section. A silent passage with minimalist woodwind begins. Then melodious blasts of organ riffs with a scorching guitar take hold of the track. An absolutely essential piece of prog music. 'Ifrån Klarhet Till Klarhet' begins with an off kilter quirky amusement park effect then it goes in to full swing with a prog time sig and Engdegård's very cool guitar riffs that are incessant and relentless. It builds and locks into a strange time sig with irregular drum patterns. The Swedish vocals of Lindman are very clean and follow the strange rhythm, with nice organ chord changes, jazz fills on guitar and jazzier drumming. The acoustic interlude is gentle and played with feeling. It finishes on a powerful instrumental focussing on shimmering Hammond organ and guitar sweeps. 'Kung Bore' is another highlight with Engdegård's guitar picking introduction, a heavy bass and drum patterns fade up and a strange time sig locks in. The music is complex and compelling. It is an uplifting sound, with light and dark shades utilising many instruments to create a delightful atmosphere. Lindman's vocals are gently sung in Swedish language. The sound is often like Pink Floyd with huge mellotron keyboard chords from Johnson and space guitar passages. Holmgren's flute sections are divine throughout. Time sigs change towards the end gaining in pace, then a wall of symphonic washes take the tune to its conclusion. A single flute is heard bookending the piece. A quintessential progressive album.
A review by Warthur: Anglagard's debut album is a remarkably confident fusion of symphonic prog influences - the pastoralism of Genesis, the wildness of King Crimson, the tranquility of Camel - into an original and unique sound which provided a much-needed shot in the arm for symphonic prog. Though the band wore their influences on their sleeves, they still had sufficient tricks unique to them to make them a worthwhile listen for any fan of classic, 70s-style prog rock - the flute work of Anna Holmgren, for instance, sounds nothing like Ian Anderson (the usual go-to guy for unoriginal prog bands looking for someone's flute technique to rip off), and doesn't even resemble Andy Latimer's flute playing on, say, Camel's The Snow Goose. Everyone knows how this album, among others from around the same time, electrified the online prog audience and paved the way for the prog renaissance since then - unlike some albums that become "internet darlings", however, Hybris has the meat to match the hype. It's an unabashed nostalgia exercise, of course - but when the nostalgia's this good I can overlook that.
A review by Ivan_Melgar_M: As with some old progheads, I usually pay more attention to classic bands from the 70's than to the later ones, so I really never cared too much about ÄNGLAGÅRD until another reviewer invited me to a musical clinic dedicated to this magnificent band, and my perspective changed in 180 degrees; really I haven't been so impressed with any other group since I heard Gabriel Genesis for the first time. ÄNGLAGÅRD means Garden of Angels, and never has a name of a band been so perfectly chosen. Their music is almost celestial, even when they belong to the 90's, and the members avoid the use of instruments that weren't used in the 70's by their predecessors. Plethoric of magnificent keyboards and Mellotrons, it is hard not to place ÄNGLAGARD’s CD's in the same section of the old dinosaurs as Yes, Genesis and King Crimson. "Hybris" is everything that progressive genre represents; it is simply brilliant and I will take the risk to affirm it is absolutely original, even if some progheads believe they are too influenced by early bands. It's clear that "Hybris" has strong influence from Yes, Genesis but specially from King Crimson and even from Focus, but ÄNGLAGÅRD took this influence and worked with it in their own unique way, avoiding simpler works as the Neo Prog Bands or cloning some great tracks. You can notice the influence of the mentioned bands but it is almost impossible to affirm they are copying a determined song, they did their own original stuff, inspired from classic prog' bands. The first track Jördrok (Earthsmoke) starts with an unbelievably beautiful piano section, somehow dark and melancholic as the winter season in Sweden but also haunting and scary, almost as announcing the Crimsonian explosion that will follow. There are precise flute touches, lots of Mellotron and baroque Organ sections by the excellent Thomas Johnson (Who was born long after the invention of the Mellotron but plays it with great ability) that complete this incredible opener; hard to describe in modest words, 11:10 minutes of pure and pristine progressive rock. "Vandringar I Vilsenhet" (Wanderings in Confusion) is another almost 12 minutes epic that starts with a soft flute followed by a dark organ reminiscent of Bach, again the hard passages are softened by the sweet flute of Anna Holmgren. This is the first song with lyrics in Swedish, which of course are impossible for me to understand, but who cares about lyrics and words when music talks so loud and clear. Tord Lindman's voice is delicate and acute but absolutely unique and appropriate for the music. Another perfect track. "Ifrån Klarhet Till Klarhet" (From Strength to Strength) starts with a circus like music, the first and only section I really don't like, but so short that it really doesn't matters at all, and again followed by a shocking crimsonian section and Tord Lindman's voice, this time lower and less feminine than in "Vandringar I Vilsenhet". For the first time I can listen to a passage clearly inspired in early Genesis with a flute that sounds almost like Musical Box, with great versatility of Anna Anna Holmgren who has a style closer to Thijs Van Leer than to Peter Gabriel, but easily adapts her style according to the needs of the song and I also must mention Johan Högberg who does a terrific job with his bass. "Kung Bore" (King Winter) is the closer of the album, that starts with an acoustic guitar section followed by keyboards and the whole band using a derivative style that I can hardly identify with any main ÄNGLAGÅRD influence, but it has a bit of Crimson, Focus, Yes and Gabriel Genesis but nothing specific of anyone in particular, and that IMHO is what influence should be, only inspiration but not a simple and cheap copy. In this track Tord Lindman proves he's a versatile vocalist using different ranges, the whole band is again perfect and I won't try to describe all of this track because it's an impossible task; I can only say that it's less dark but more nostalgic than all the previous songs and almost perfect. I can't end this review without mentioning Mattias Olsson who plays drums with the skill of Bill Bruford but wasn't even born when The Yes Album and Larks Tongues in Aspic where released; a real talent. If there is an album that deserves 5 stars without any doubt it is Hybris, the first chapter of the short but brilliant saga of ÄNGLAGÅRD.
A review by Sean Trane: This is the first one from that Swedish trilogy from 93 that made another Golden Age of prog and created if not a wide public, a wide array of band that followed on the heels of this one and Landbrek and Anekdoten. The influences here are clear Genesis, KC, Yes etc,,, but so well digested that this becomes original again . As one listens to this with the headphones, his head starts to turn as the music twists bends, twirls, dances from one movement to the next. Mind boggling how they can find their way through the numbers in concert. I just have one slight complaint: the first number might have been placed last on the album for the sheer harshness of it as it makes it difficult to board this as it should. Every time I listen to this I program it as such: 2,3,4,1 and this goes exceedingly well. 598 Images And Words
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: The reinvention of Progressive rock. Did “Images and Words” begin prog metal? 1992 seems
like an eternity away now but in its time this album was absolutely the
pinnacle of what became prog metal. So many bands owe their existence to this
album. It is little wonder why crowds get excited when LaBrie shouts "we
are going to do one from Images and Words!" The real master tracks are
obvious as they are the ones played live often and they are the ones that every
DT fan loves. One of those tracks is the brilliant ‘Pull Me Under’. Infectious
riffing and melodic cohesiveness makes this one of the all time greatest prog
metal songs. Another one of the classics is undoubtedly ‘Metropolis
- Pt. I "The Miracle And The Sleeper"’. This may be in the top 10
best DT songs, as it features an epic majesty made possible with layers of
Moore's keyboards over Myung's relentless bass and Portnoy's sporadic drumming.
The time sigs are off kilter and deranged at times. Amidst the chaos LaBrie
shines on vocals. If that does not grab you the lead guitar fret work is
impeccable from Petrucci. ‘Under A Glass Moon’ is a definitive DT track
appearing in many concerts. The guitar solos are phenomenal and there are quite
a few. The riffing is incredible too making this a bonafide classic. The lead
breaks are indispensable and ingrained in metal history. ‘Learning To Live’ is quintessential DT with
virtuoso solos and musicianship. LaBrie is on fire and you have to love the
time sig and bassline. LaBrie's voice is powerful throughout the album, higher
than recent years of course because his voice was undamaged by age. Of course there are other tracks and they are all
very good, some may call them masterpieces. The point is, this album is a vital
component in the resurgence of prog rock. Prog was dying in the 80s, and barely
surviving in the early 90s, but Dream Theater created the music they wanted to
hear despite the avalanche of rap and other so called musical styles trying to
drown out the voice of prog for ever. “Images and Words” is all killer and no
filler, the way an album should be. It may not be as genius as “Ocatavarium” or
in the same vein as “Scenes From A Memory” to come, but this is an important
album that cemented prog metal as the new giants of the industry. After this
album there was no looking back - the gods of prog metal had been awakened.
A review by SouthSideoftheSky: What better title could there be for an album by a
band called 'Dream Theater' than 'Images And Words'? This album is a true classic of the progressive
metal genre and in my opinion the very best of the whole genre. The opening
song, Pull Me Under, is the one I like least, it has an alternative
feel to it and it also ends rather abruptly for no good reason it seems. But it
is still great! The closer, Learning To Live, is a true masterpiece of
progressive rock. And all the songs in between are fantastic too! The influences on the music include among many
others a Jazz-Rock/Fusion influence which creates a truly unique sound together
with the 70's and 80's metal and Symphonic Prog influences. This is one reason
that this album is so groundbreaking. In my opinion Dream Theater would sink like a stone
after this album and never again create anything even remotely close to the
brilliance found on this album. This album has all their best songs. Essential for anyone with even the slightest
interest in Prog Metal. This is the place to start! Very highly recommended! A review by Conor Fynes: If someone came up to me and asked for a perfect example of what
Progressive Metal should be, I would give them a copy of Dream Theater's 'Images
And Words.' Although the metal isn't really found in an extremely heavy supply
here, there's just enough heaviness to have it considered as a metal release.
As with the band's true debut 'When Dream And Day Unite,' I consider this album
to be more along the lines of 'heavy neo-prog.' However, it's overall influence
and effect upon the progressive metal world is undeniable, and it remains among
the greatest progressive albums of all time, up there with 'In The Court Of The
Crimson King' and 'Dark Side Of The Moon.' This is Dream Theater's first run with their new (and current)
singer, James LaBrie. 'Images And Words' offers the singer's talent in droves,
and stands as being his greatest vocal performance. While this album has the
band's (as of March, 2009) only hit song, 'Pull Me Under,' it is in fact the
worst song to be found on the album. While it is great, there are so many
better pickings to be found here. For example, the grandiose 'Metropolis Pt 1:
The Miracle And The Sleeper' was good enough to spawn a sequel album of it's
own ('Metropolis Pt 2: Scenes From A Memory'), which runs alongside this album
competing for the placemark of being Dream Theater's best work yet. The two extended compositions on the album ('Metropolis Pt. 1'
and 'Learning To Live') both have their places as being two of Dream Theater's
most epic songs. The musicianship is fantastic, however, unlike some of the
band's later works, there isn't nearly as much pretension. The virtuosity is
kept in check, and works on both a logical and emotional level. While 'Images And Words' comes in no short supply with the heavy
progressive compositions, it is not without it's softer songs. 'Wait For Sleep'
was the first Dream Theater song I really fell in love with. Clocking in at
under 3 minutes, it is one of the band's shortest songs, but it's also one of
their most beautiful. Kevin Moore really works wonders on the keyboard, and
remains (in my opinion) Dream Theater's most 'musical' keyboardist. This is glory that has been yet unsurpassed, not even by 'Scenes
From A Memory.' Having been recorded in 1991, the world was mostly unfamiliar
with the realm of progressive metal. This album opened doors and paved the way
for an entire genre of music to flourish. One of the truly essential progressive
albums, and a must-own. 599 Somewhere Far Beyond
A review by Conor Fynes: Up until this point, Blind Guardian was more or less a speed
metal band with some fantasy- themed lyrics and content. It was really not
until this album that Blind Guardian made a name for themselves as being
masters of their genre. It's a classic for power metal, and a great album in
general. 'Somewhere Far Beyond' also has progressive significance, and it was
the first album where Blind Guardian started to have some forward-thinking in
terms of their musical style. Despite the fact that Blind Guardian was starting to experiment,
this is still first and foremost; a power metal album. Being a casual fan of
the genre, I really liked it, although I could understand a purely progressive
listener not appreciating it. While the complexity hasn't reached the levels that 'Nightfall
In Middle Earth' and especially 'A Night At The Opera' reached, there's
songwriting skill here that was not seen in previous releases. Multilayered
vocals, impressive melodic playing and machine-gun guitar riffs all function to
create a feeling of 'epicness.' Songs like 'The Bard Song' and the Blade Runner
themed 'Time What Is Time' are very memorable, energetic tracks. The album
doesn't have the progressive resonance to warrant it being called a prog
masterpiece, but it's very good and all fans of the band should be able to appreciate
it as being a great album. A review by UMUR: Typical German Power Metal with fantasy lyrics is
what Somewhere Far Beyond is known for. Much like their three previous efforts
this album doesn´t hold much interest for prog fans. The album starts with the powerful tune Time What
is Time which is rather fast paced, and continues with a mix of heavy songs and
more folky slower songs. All delivered Blind Guardian style which is elaborate
and bombastic, with lots of guitar and vocal layers and choir (their style was
not fully developed yet, and would be more and more bombastic through the later
albums). I´ll have to mention the very weak track Spread
Your Wings, which I find to be ridiculous, and I find it to be a really bad
decision that Blind Guardian included this song on the album. What´s with that
mood? This is way too cheesy for me. The production is not my cup of tea as I find it
hollow. The musicians are brilliant and the ideas behind most of the
compositions are terrific, but I think something is lacking, if I should give
more than 3 stars. This is an ok album, and if you like power metal (the german
variant) this might please you more than it pleases me. 600 Into The Everflow
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: A Milestone of Prog Metal leaves the rest for dead! "Into The Everflow" is an amazing album
that has received rave reviews across the internet and I have finally been
treated to its craftsmanship of technical metal and symphonic grace. OK
confession time again. Psychotic Waltz have somehow eluded me over the years
although I am a confessed prog metal freak into Dream Theater especially, but
Psychotic Waltz are in a league of their own. Indescribable complexity that
ranges from dark intricate distorted riffing that blows the wall apart to
gentle acoustic and soft vocals that lulls you into a dream. The beauty of this
metal is there is none of that death metal growling and yet the brutality of
the metal is ever present. The band do not just launch into an all out speed
assault without leaving a space for the music to breathe, rather the music is
given huge scope with an assortment of fused styles of pure emotional depth.
The structure of the songs are astounding with complex shifts in time
signatures that are difficult to emulate. There are passages of symphonic
ambience and then an onslaught of power riffing. At times the band settle into
melancholy territory with heartfelt ballads and then the next track will strip
the wallpaper with full blown metal shredding. Razor sharp riffing and blazing lead breaks are the
forte of the band along with a tour de force vocal performance from Buddy
Lackey who is also on keyboards. He might just be the best metal vocalist of
the 90s. This band mesmirise with pure metal riffing genius! It's a tragedy
that the band disbanded years ago. They have been rightly labelled one of the
most underrated bands in history! Highlights are here though the whole album delivers
some of the best prog metal on the planet. 'Ashes' is symphonic at the
beginning, with cathedral synths that provide an ethereal mood. The guitars are
gentle over the orchestrated synths with a Gothic feel. Leggio's marching
timpani drum begins with huge metal distorted guitar chords crunching in. The
synths are beautiful though dark. At 3:18 the vocals finally enter and lift the
track to a new level. The vocals are terrific and are similar I guess to James
LaBrie but not as high pitched and operatic, a nice harmony too of multi
layered vocals works well. 'Out Of Mind' is an all out riffing assault, a
relentless shattered macrocosm of power metal with sporadic squeals and
psychedelic vocals. One of the heaviest Psychotic Waltz tracks. The
Slayer-esque, Morbid Angel-esque riffing is broken by a lead break mid way through,
but the riffs continue relentlessly and with bizarre time sigs. The chugging
riff at 2:10 is wonderful. This could have been a song ruined by death metal
vocals but instead Lackey's vocals are well sung and restrained, and this is
why the band appeals to non death metal fans as myself, despite the death
thrash metal of the guitars. 'Tiny Streams' has a Black Sabbath feel throughout
though ten times heavier. The melody is early Sabbath and the lyrics even
contain "psychic burning, Black Sabbath record turning" referenced.
Then we hear the quote "Don't you understand, I am stoned, I am
stoned!" which I believe is from the Cheech and Chong movie "Still
Smokin'". Is this an affectionate homage to 1970s pop culture or just a
clever in joke? The Sabbath style and references are certainly intentional, it
even sounds like Ozzy singing at times. The track has some innovative licks on
guitar too. 'Into The Everflow' is a mini epic with many time
sig shifts melting the mood swings from darkness to light. The tune has a
fabulous hook, and there is a lot going on in the vocal department before a
scorching lead break screams in. The lyrics on this get into some dark
territory too but they are sung with a lot of feeling by Lackey; "Tortured
tongues feast their frenzy, They hiss out all that is nothing, The night time
of the hearing flower, Has put aside the laugh dancing flame, No longer warming
the wings, Of their fluttering dust angel mistress, The petals have closed for
this long night, Their brittle limbs are thinning, their meek and weeping
gesture fares their well, To the falling paper blossoms, One by one, down into
the everflow" It is an incredible symphony of blazing metal riffs and a
powerful vocal performance. The lead break is stunning on this again with speed
picking, screaming string bends and twin guitar picking and harmonic guitar
trade offs from Rock and McAlpin creating one of the best lead breaks I have
heard. A definitive highlight of the album. 'Little People' has an odd riff that drives it along
and some off kilter vocals that don't match the riff but bizarrely works
somehow; "Look into these little boxes... everyone has lots of money,
everyone lives in style, little people, little houses, happy living little
lives, when they wake up with perfect makeup, it makes me sick." The
humourous theme is similar to the 60s protest classic "Little Boxes"
song. The structure of the song is all over the place but the chaos suits it.
The vocals are fantastic on this, and I love those screaming guitars of Rock
and McAlpin. 'Hanging on a String' is a very melancholy and
gentle ballad in a darker sense, a song about hanging on to sanity and life
"that seems to all get taken away, it seems like life is just a
game?" 'Freakshow' features a killer power metal riff and
funkadelic bass. It sounds a bit like early Slayer in the riffing but the
Lackey's vocals and the slap bass give it that eclectic metal style that is
definitely unique. A haunting melody drives this with intriguing vocals,
"In this state of mind, I'm more than myself, I could reach up into the
sky, color in the sun, In the eyes of my imagination I can roll a bigger stone,
I've cut the ties that build the rule of lies, And then I tripped away into the
void." A number of intricate time sigs are joined by quite enigmatic
vocals. The riffs are strangely familiar at times but always interchanging into
new shapes. I like the lyrics on the verse: "So I write this song of mine,
To soothe my ears and ease my mind, And so another written page, Will turn into
the everflow, Where no one ever really knows about me, Should they even
care?" Great melodies and nice metal tones drive the
lengthy 'Butterfly' with gorgeous guitar arpeggios. Little squeals and odd time
sig changes in the melody are given virtuoso treatment from both Rock and
McAlpin. The song has a Queensryche style at first, with the keyboards as a
deft touch, and then sounds similar to Symphony X. Dextrous guitar riffs lock
in over a howling guitar moan. The bizarro riffs continue, and it is King
Crimson like, in the way the guitar doesn't quite synch; almost a jazz time sig
follows, quirky vocals and Evans' slap bass figure. The melody changes
completely, and then a new time sig with speed riffing which sounds more Dream
Theaterish in this passage. Leggio's tom tom drums punch out an African rhythm
and a collection of rock classics are paid homage to including 'Purple Haze',
'People Are Strange', and 'Fame' among others. There is a really cool vibe
generated. Evans' bass is divine here too slapping with funky shapes over
voodoo Santana drums. A new time sig blasts away until the keys return over the
main motif; "I am the Butterfly, I am forever." A truly mesmirising
song. I was in awe of Psychotic Waltz after listening to
this album and have hunted down everything they have done. You can guarantee a
true exploration of true prog metal on every album. This may well be their best
as it captures everything that is great about them, the intricate time sig
riffing, the manic sporadic drumming, the acrobatic vocals, the fractured
rhythmic pulse, the shades of symphonic beauty and the dark lyrics. A 5 star
triumph!
601
A review by Gatot: It's a beautifully crafted album - a masterpiece! This second album by Echolyn is really an excellent
one in any definition of prog music you might consider. I can see the style of
Gentle Giant throughout the music offered by this album and less symphonic that
I can feel. Therefore this album should be labelled under eclectic prog instead
of symphonic. Yes, of course there are parts that remind me of symphonic prog
but not that much. Under whatever subgenre you might consider I bet you would
appreciate how excellent the music this album produces. I enjoy it right from
the start to the end of the album. As I consider the music quality is top notch
I think there are shortcomings as well. First is the production quality of the
album which does not sound quite good as the bass is less. The second one is
probably not a shortcoming but it's more as suggestion. The album spans two
sets of music: 1. The collection of ten songs (track 1 - 10) plus one epic that
comprises 11 movements (parts). I think it should be better if the epic
"Suite for the Everyman" is not cut into digital pieces in every part
because it looks funny. It should be something like Yes' "Close to The
Edge" or Genesis' "Supper's Ready" where the epic is basically
only one digital song comprising many parts. The music of this album is quite unique and it
forms a class of its own. From the opening track right through to the epic at
the end of the album I always enjoy every single bit of the musical segment.
Yes, there is a lot of the Gentle Giant style but I do not hear any segment
that is very close to any song of Gentle Giant. Take the example of the
energetic style of the opening track that is so stimulating inquiring the mind
as it has a really unique style performed in a dynamic mood. Even on the mellow
track like "In Every Garden" you can find a beautiful insertion of
musical dynamics indicated by its energetic drum-work. "A Little
Nonsense" is really a beautifully crafted song with great composition
combining energy as well as musical virtuosity - the music moves in an unpredictable
way but it ties together nicely from one segment to another. The choir section,
drum-work as well as bass and piano are all great! "The Sentimintal
Chain" demonstrates a great string section of acoustic guitar, flute
(oboe?) and violin. The eleven part "A Suite for the
Everyman" (28:13) is really a masterpiece combining different styles of
music in an unpredictable direction. I was quite surprised the first time and enjoyed
it because I did not expect the music to move so abruptly, but Echolyn maintains
smooth transitions from one segment to another, from one song to another. All
of them are beautifully crafted. I could not believe I was enjoying such unique
and top notch musical compositions like this. It's totally PROG to the bone!
Take a look at the third part "Bearing Down" that definitely reminds
you of gentle Giant but in a relatively much faster tempo and unexpected
musical movements. It's so dynamic and it's so energetic, I can tell you! All
of a sudden you are then brought forward to the next part "Mr Oxy
Moron" which moves in an unnoticed way. It's wonderful, really! You will
also be surprised with the part titled "Cannoning in B Major" where
it suddenly changes the style of music into a marching style which might
associate them with Genesis' "The Battle of Epping Forest" kind of
music. It moves nicely to "Those That Want To Buy". I love this part,
really. The album concludes beautifully with album title track in mellow
fashion combining vocal, acoustic guitar, string section and percussion. It's
really a nice closing. A review by Mellotron Storm: ECHOLYN's second album is where I probably should
have started with them instead of "As The World" which I couldn't get into. No orchestral sections here
like on "As The World" and it's a shorter album than that one too. I
don't know but this one hits the spot and that's all that matters isn't it?
This is powerful with a GENTLE GIANT flavour, and the clever lyrics are like the cherry on
top if you know what I mean. "21" kicks in quickly and the guitar is prominent.
Vocals before 2 minutes. It settles 4 minutes in before kicking in again.
"Winterthru" opens with samples. The lyrics and therefore lyrics are
the focus here and both are excellent. I really like the dreamy chorus too.
"Memoirs From Between" is another amazing song. So touching. Piano
and reserved vocals to start. Acoustic guitar and synths follow. I like the
vocal arrangements 4 minutes in then it kicks into gear. Great sound. The tempo
continues to shift. Love the repeated words "Set a course up ahead
straight into heaven". The next track is the short "Reaping The
Harvest" where strings lead the way. "In Every Garden" opens
with multi-vocals then the music kicks in. The bass, drums and keyboards are
killer. Vocals are back. Powerful sound before 4 minutes as he shouts
"Suffocating the bloom!" "A Little Nonsense" sounds so good
instrumentally to start then the vocals take the spotlight. Both shine in this
one. "The Sentimental Chain" features flute, acoustic guitar and
violin as it blends into "One Voice" where reserved vocals join in.
Strings follow. Guitar and drums after 3 minutes then it settles again until
later. "Here I Am" has this powerful intro then vocal melodies before
a minute. Nice chunky bass follows then vocals. Great song. "Cactapus" is a laid back instrumental.
It's a beautiful tune. Some tasteful guitar after a minute too. Next up is the over
28 minute "A Suite For The Everyman" which deals with the "loss
of innocence and idealism". It's broken down into 11 tracks and many are
very short pieces. "Only Twelve" opens with mournful strings then it
builds. "A Cautious Repose" is a pleasant, feel good track. It's
fuller before 2 minutes. "Bearing Down" has such a good sound to it
with the drums, vocals and chunky bass. "Cash Flow Shuffle" is less
than a minute of fantastic instrumental music. "Mr.Oxy Moron" has some attitude early.
It settles after a minute and sounds even better. It kicks back in late. Killer
track! "Twelve's Enough" is simply gorgeous then synths and drums
join in. Guitar leads late. "I Am The Tide" has these pulsating
sounds as reserved vocals join in. "Cannoning In B Major" features
marching style drums and cheering. "Picture Perfect" opens with
guitar, bass and drums that get aggressive. "Those That Want To Buy"
puts the focus on the vocals although the bass is fat. Some GENESIS-like synths
before 3 minutes. "Suffocating The Bloom" ends the suite in a
beautiful way. Acoustic guitar and vocals lead. Some piano and strings too
later on. This is just too good to give anything less than 4
stars. I'm impressed. 602
A review by SouthSideoftheSky: Play on! Casino is a kind of "super group" of
Neo-Progressive Rock with members better known from bands like Arena,
Pendragon, Threshold, Twelfth Night and Pallas. My CD version of this sole
album by Casino - which was hard to find and very expensive - has a sticker on
the front that mentions all these bands. Pretty much the entire elite of
Neo-Prog right there! Surprisingly, Shadowland is not mentioned which might
have been an even more relevant reference point considering that both Clive
Nolan and Karl Groom are part of both Shadowland and Casino and also
considering that the Casino album must have been made around the same time as
Shadowland's Ring Of Roses (both albums being released in 1992) while neither
Arena nor Threshold had released anything yet at that point. Nolan is a man with many different talents and many
different musical projects in which he can make use of them. Casino is one such
project and here Nolan provides the music and lets Geoff Mann handle the lyrics
and vocals. There is a concept behind the album revolving around gambling and
addiction, it is quite brilliant! Both the subject matter and the actual music
is dark and in that sense, and really only in that sense,
similar to Arena, the hard edged sound of that future band is completely absent
here. The music of Casino actually reminds me a bit more of Pink Floyd than of
many Neo-Prog bands. The dark mood reminds me of the great Animals album. Also,
you will not find any overly sing-a-long-friendly choruses here like in many of
Shadowland's songs, for example. Casino consists of only six tracks, four of which
are over ten minutes in length. Several tracks include extended
"soundscapes" with pieces of conversation, sampled sounds of slot
machines, etc, further reminding me of Pink Floyd. Some of these bridge
passages are perhaps slightly too long, but they do help to tell the story and
set the mood. The only song here that I don't really like is Stranger which
sticks out like The Poles on Rick Wakeman's 1984 album to which it even bears a
slight resemblance in style! This song doesn't really fit in on the album. Despite some minor flaws, Casino tells a quite
intelligent story by quite intelligent means. Like all of Clive Nolan's
projects Casino is a first-class production; very well made and sonically
faultless. Also, like most other Nolan projects it tends to grow on you with
each listen. I used to rate this with three stars, but over a long period of
time I have returned to this album many times and at some point I decided to
raise the rating to four stars. Highly recommended! 603 The Voyage - A Trip to Elsewhere
A review by Mellotron Storm: I can certainly appreciate why this is rated so
highly. This is an ambitious effort from
these Swedes who boast 13 musicians along with a choir. And there's over 78 minutes of music. This is
very Classical sounding which is reflected in my rating as I'm just not a fan
of this style, especially when there are church choirs involved. "The Adventure Of The Whirling Delirium"
opens with the sounds of helicopters and planes flying over then the sound of a
door closing and footsteps. Spoken words
then violin and a beat come in. It kicks
in heavier at 3 1/2 minutes. Chunky bass
8 1/2 minutes with lots of strings. "A Telescope And A Hot Air Balloon"
opens with someone walking again as piano and strings take over. It kicks in with drums before 3 minutes. Nice bass and guitar too. Strings dominate late. "Picassiette-First Walk" opens with
someone looking for a good radio station as the piano plays. Flute before 1 1/2 minutes. It settles down with piano late. "La Sagrada Familia-El Dia" is choir
led with flute. Not a fan at all. "Das Junkerhaus" is mellow with sax
but it does get a lot fuller. "Picassiette-Second Walk" opens with
piano followed by strings and sax. "La Sagrada Familia-La Tarde"
features choirs and flute. "Wild As
A Toad" is the longest piece at almost 18 minutes. Helicopters and planes can be heard like on
the opening tune then the music kicks in. Drums, piano, strings etc. A calm with mournful cello 5 minutes in. Strings are more passionate after 7 minutes
and before 10 minutes. The sound kicks in after 14 minutes. "Picassiette-Third Walk" is mostly slowly
played piano melodies with violin coming in late. "La Sagrada Familia-La Noche" is a
return of the choir. "Nimis-Wotan's
Tower" is flute, bass and drum led. I like the guitar after 2 minutes. "La Sagrada Familia-La Manana" opens
with what sounds like rain as the choir sings. "Magnificient Gigant Battles" is
great to start with that dark mood as piano and other sounds come and go. Strings 2 1/2 minutes in and the drums kick in
before 3 minutes. Check out the guitar a
minute later. I can appreciate this certainly, but enjoying it is another
matter. 604
A review by Sean Trane: Actually,
the best thing from any Floyd alumni or Floyd itself since the Wall. This was
quite a surprise and the title had me worried that this would be somber than
Kaos but I quickly realized that although no GonG album , this had the same
cynical humour as Hitch-hiking. One cannot help but feel that if he and Floyd
had joined forces instead of tearing themselves apart, and a combination of
Division Bell and Amused To Death had been combined , this would have made a
gigantic album . Instead we have two good albums but this one is very much
under-rated as Bell is slightly over-rated. A review by
Mellotron Storm: The emphasis
on this album are the vocals and the lyrics. So it's a bit of a shame that Jeff
Beck doesn't get to show off his skills more. I prefer great instrumental music
to great lyrics any day, but. this is something very special. I can't get over
how good these lyrics are, they are so sarcastic, so critical, so funny, so
wise. Roger takes a lot of shots at people, and groups of people, and he
doesn't pull any punches. Andrew Lloyd Weber is probably still holding his jaw,
ha ha. "The
Ballad of Bill Hubbard" sounds so much like a PINK FLOYD song, the guitars
and samples. Jeff Beck really shines on the first two tracks. He lays down some
scorching guitar on "What God Wants part I" This song rocks out
pretty good, and the female vocals are great. Waters is criticizing all the
groups of the world who claim God supports their interests. "Watching
TV" works very well with Don Henley from the EAGLES contributing on vocals.
Terrific tune. "It's a Miracle" is a very emotional commentary on our
society. I was blown away by all the lyrics in the liner notes, I've never seen
so many words for one album. This is Mr. Waters best solo release and well
worth checking out. A review by
Gatot: The Anti-War Concept album. For sure, this is Waters' masterpiece - at least
for me personally. Looking at the theme of this album which was dedicated to
Private William Hubbard (1888 - 1917), Eighth Batalion of the Royal Fusiliers,
City of London Regiment, this must be a very emotional album for Roger Waters.
Who cares with what has happened in the past? At least, Roger does! As my
spiritual guru taught me: "If you wanna succeed in life, you have to
understand history and learn people’s characters, comprehend them and take the
best parts with you and know how to manage the worst parts when you deal with
people with such behaviors", history means something for me. Oh yeah, I
don't read a lot about history but it does not mean that I don't care about
history. For one thing, Mr Waters taught me through his wonderful compositions
that history does mean a lot! Why liking this album? It's better to start with what this album means to
me. First off, when I looked at this album displayed at a local music shop in
Jakarta, I was in doubt on whether or not to purchase it. At the time I was not
into internet heavily so the information about this album was not available for
me. So I decided to buy the cassette version because it's cheap. I liked it at
first spin so I purchased the CD a couple of months later. The way I see this album was very similar with Pink
Floyd's "The Final Cut" and "The Wall" as it contains many
reflections of what happened in the past and its meanings to life that went on.
As for the Pink Floyd "The Final Cut", I love this album. It's not a
plethora of credentials the band has earned with its previous albums but it's
more on the music per se. If I was not given any information that this is a
Pink Floyd album I still love this one. Two reasons that support my opinion: 1.
I like the energy the singer sings throughout the album which basically has
less music than vocal line. 2. The music is thematic even without knowing
what's the story line of the album. In fact, I purchased this album in cassette
version but I got trouble with the noise level that became obvious because this
album has many silent parts. So, a couple of years later I purchased the CD
format. The result is remarkably different: now I can hear clearly the sighs
and silent sound effects in its subtleties especially if I listen to it using
earphones or decent stereo set at home. The similar experience happened to me with
"Amused To Death". Having it on CD format is much better than the
cassette as I can eliminate all noises. The albums starts beautifully with
"The Ballad of Bill Hubbard" (4:19) in which Alf Razzell telling the
story of how he had to leave the wounded Bill Hubbard behind enemy lines. What
a sad story! This ambient piece is augmented wonderfully with guitar work that
at first listen was like the work of David Gilmour. It's not! When I looked at
the CD sleeve, it's being played by Jeff Beck. Jeff plays emotionally and in
line with the music characters of this atmospheric opening track. The stream of music flows beautifully to next track
"What God Wants, Pt. 1" (6:00) in an R&B style using female and
male vocals plus blues-rock guitar work. The "Perfect Sense, Pt. 1"
(4:16) and "Perfect Sense, Pt. 2" (2:50) continue in the similar
style. My favourite track is "It's a Miracle" (8:30) which has a very
tight composition, catchy melody, excellent lyrics and great ambient. Two things that make this album excellent: First,
on vocal line, Roger delivers his best vocal range like he did with The Wall
and The Final Cut where he sings in high as well as low register notes
brilliantly - some with sighs. His delivery is really top notch! Second, this
album offers brilliant composition where the music does not necessarily get
complex but it's not as simple as pop or R&B music. For example, Jeff
Porcaro does not need to play dazzling drum work but he's played it "just
enough" to fit the music and nothing more. Observe how he plays it at
"It's a Miracle" which to me sounds very simple but it gives
excellent nuance for the music. Why (you are) NOT liking this album? If you expect something complex and challenging,
this is definitely not meeting your expectations. This album is the kind of
music (and story) that suits a peaceful condition because it contains
reflections about life at war. As most of Pink Floyd music is not complicated
at all, you should not expect something complex from this key member of Pink
Floyd. Conclusion Overall, this album represents Roger Waters'
masterpiece and it has tight composition, great vocal line by Waters and
backing vocals. I really love how he sings "It's a Miracle"
emotionally. It's so wonderful! "We've got a warehouse of butter /
We've got oceans of wine / We've got famine when we need it / Got a designer
crime / We've got Mercedes / We've got Porsche / Ferrari and Rolls Royce /
We've got a choice / She said meet me / In the Garden of Gethsemane my dear
." For those who like concept albums with a strong story line they must
have this album. This also applies to all of you who love Pink Floyd. It's an
excellent addition to any prog music collection. 605
A review by Mellotron Storm: ASGARD take their name from Nordic mythology which
is also the subject of their music. And
you can tell from the titles of the songs on this album that it's all about
folklore. Unless the first song "A
Gathering Of Fairies" is about something else (haha). Their sound is similar to MARILLION's although
I was reminded more of GENESIS,
especially the synth sounds. There is
also a gothic element to their sound as heard at the beginning of both "A
Gathering Of Fairies" and "Olaf Stonehand". The vocals are very solemn to open the first song
"A Gathering Of Fairies" as acoustic guitar and piano melodies come
in. The vocals change as we are treated to some GENESIS sounding synths that
pulse as the drums build. Before it's
over we get some sad sounding keys and spoken vocals. "Wulfstan" is a good song that opens
with pounding drums and guitar melodies. The vocals sound like Gabriel and the
synths again sound like GENESIS. Yes it
all sounds beautiful. Things speed up as the melody starts to sound more like
SAGA. "Olaf Stonehand" opens with solemn vocals
again and the atmosphere is dark. The
sound builds as the drums and synths come in and the vocals return to normal. Yes it sounds like GENESIS again until 10
minutes in when the first reminder of MARILLION has come. The song reverts back
to the sound of the intro to end the song. "The Mirror Of the King" is slow paced
with acoustic guitar and reserved vocals. We hear flute for the first time and after 6 minutes
the tempo picks up as the MARILLION sound comes back. 9 minutes in we get some scorching guitar
solos and crisp drumming. Nice. The song
closes with piano melodies. "The
Queen Of Ice" reminds me of Hogarth era MARILLION and there is a good bass
solo along with an uplifting vocal melody. "The Squirrel" is a fast paced acoustic
guitar instrumental, while the next song "The Breath Of A Veiled
Goddess" is a piano instrumental with a vocal melody part way through. The
final song "The Lords Of The Mountain" opens with synths shooting off
then vocals, followed by flute. Then we
get some machine gun drumming with keys before it gets dreamy 4 minutes in with
relaxed vocals, synths and light drums. Then back to the heavier melody. "Wulfstan" and "The Queen Of Ice"
are the highlights for me although there are many highlights throughout this
record. This was worth the search and it
was quite the search to find what most people feel is ASGARD's best record. I found rating this quite difficult for a
number of reasons but settled on 4 stars. A review by Warthur: Asgard had
improved substantially since their debut, and by this album had developed a
distinct style of their own; the bedrock of their sound is still Genesis-influenced
neo-prog, but Asgard distinguished themselves from the many bands working in
the same vein by placing a greater emphasis on the folky, acoustic side of the
Genesis sound, as well as introducing a few traditional folk sounds from around
Europe which Genesis had not incorporated into their own music. I still
wouldn't rank them amongst the upper ranks of the neo-prog scene, but I'd say
this album is a decent listen for anyone who thinks "acoustic folk pagan
Genesis" sounds like a good concept for a band. Edited by AtomicCrimsonRush - May 02 2012 at 05:27 |
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topographicbroadways
Forum Senior Member 
Joined: May 20 2010 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 5575 |
Posted: April 07 2012 at 04:03 |
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596
 . Surprised you've made it so far. Good job for persevering i guess |
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: April 07 2012 at 03:15 |
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^^^ Yes indeed, mainstream jazz still creeps into prog lists but overall the lists focus on prog as we know it. Still working on new lists and it is a time consuming but rewarding experience.
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DocurRhodes
Forum Newbie 
Joined: October 27 2011 Location: Glendale, AZ Status: Offline Points: 7 |
Posted: April 07 2012 at 01:09 |
 I gotta say I agree with most of your choices (some early Heavy Metal was progressive)....some however push right into mainstream jazz
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: April 02 2012 at 04:46 |
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1992 - coming soon
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: April 02 2012 at 04:40 |
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1991 - continued 586 Yume No Oka (Dream
Hill)
A review by Sean Trane: Fifth Studio album (sixth overall , excluding, Self
Portrait, a compilation) from the Kenso band that is now still a quintet but
revolving around guitarist Shimizu and keyboardist Oguchi, the rest of the
members having changed since the early 80's' line-up. Dream Hill (that's the
album title's translation) comes with a peaceful pastoral landscape of a heard
and again features most tracks written by Shimizu, leaving the two keyboard
players Oguchi (2) and Mitsuda (1) crumbs, and his music seems inspired, even
thematic as the album is book-ended by Phases De La Lune tracks. I'm not exactly sure when Kenzo turned their
sleeves inside out and opened their musical propos towards jazz-rock & fusion,
but this album is certainly quite a departure from the first three albums,
which were symphonic and light years from jazzy thoughts. Yes JR/F is a facet
of their music, but if they sound sometimes like Brand X (Ancient In My Brain),
it is mostly through their Genesis influences (so obvious on their early
albums), rather than a fascination to RTF or Hancock. While Shimizu has
definitely asserted his guitar in the group, much of the sound still relies on
the two keyboards, which develops digital sounds so typical of the 80's, which
of course does not sit well with this proghead, especially when the sound
chosen are sometimes plain incompatible with the music, ie: the "symphonic
sound of the keyboards on a jazz-rock piece is unconvincing. When they do sound
a tad more convincing , they sound like a second grade Brand X or
fifth-dilution of Mahavishnu or Gentle Giant. What irritates me a bit is the
drummer's sound (not his technique), although I've heard much worse elsewhere
but at the start of Alfama, it is infuriatingly bad. Some tracks are complete
bores (OIA), others would've gained a great deal with better drumming (Fourth
Reich). An amazing improvement over the early 80's album,
much more guts and balls, this album is worth a good listen, but pales in
comparison to the albums it looks up to. And in some weird way, you could call
this neo-jazz-rock, rather than retro-jazz-rock. From what I gather, it would
be another 8 years before Kenso would record their next album, Esoptron, a more
Crimsonian jam-band affair, but I have no idea why they kept silent for so
long. Way over-rated, certainly; but still worth a spin. 587
A review by Conor Fynes: Although I'm entering the fanhood of Voivod a little later than
most of the band's dedicated apostles, I've been listening to the albums from
this band's illustrious career, and piecing together a timeline of their
stylistic changes. The band started out with a clearly defined root in thrashy
speed metal, but around the middle of their career, Voivod was morphing their
sound with every album. 1989's 'Nothingface' was one such album that showed
Voivod doing something new, and as the peak of their metal output, it was a
jaw-dropping display of progressive thrash metal. Now, after such an exciting
style that the band had finally found for themselves, a fan of the band at the
time would probably have thought that Voivod would continue to pursue that
sound for themselves, releasing album after album of similar sounding
'Nothingface' successors. Even though it came out twenty years ago, the band's
sixth album 'Angel Rat' still comes as a big surprise to me. Instead of
sticking with this golden style that they had innovated with 'Nothingface',
they instead move on again in search of new ways to approach their music Toning
down their metal grit in favour for a more mellow take on Voivod's distinct
sound. I would restrain myself from calling this a metal album; while
Voivod was most certainly a metal band in earlier albums, there is not nearly
the same bite here that they used to have. The songs are given mostly conventional
structures, and if I was going to give any label to this music, it would have
to be 'spacey hard rock'. While hearing 'Angel Rat' described like this would
have me think that they were dumbing down their sound in the commercial vein
that a few other thrash bands did in the early '90s, but Voivod would maintain
their progressive edge in the music, despite things being a little less
sporadic in the music itself. The songs here still have the sci-fi vibe of
earlier Voivod material, and these songs feel more influenced by Voivod's prog
influences than the metal. Piggy's riffs are still quirky, but the vanguard
experimentation has been toned down. This is a very band-based effort that
focuses on good songwriting. It lacks the shock and jaw-dropping nature of
'Nothingface', but the music is good. The band's performance is tight, and this
may be Denis Belanger's greatest vocal performance in Voivod's history. Despite the concise nature of the songwriting, I do find this to
be Voivod's biggest grower album, and it's precisely for the fact that it is so
mellow, when compared to the rest. There's no 'in your face' attitude or proggy
vibe here, just songs, and for a band who would have me constantly guessing at
what new exciting things would be coming the listener's way, that can be a big
adjustment. Although I didn't find myself liking it all too much at the
beginning, 'Angel Rat' is a greatly written album that fits snugly into the
middle of Voivod's golden years. 588
A review by Mellotron Storm: 4.5 stars. This album is such a blast ! It's
impossible for me to pick a top three even because the songs are all so good. "White Rhino Tea" is definitely a live
favourite with the OZRIC fans. I was surprised that I was reminded of RUSH when
it turned powerful early on. Great sound 2 1/2 minutes in as well. I really
like the bass and guitar. Kicking ass 3 1/2 minutes in. "Sloosh"
opens with water sounds as a beat comes in and takes over. Turn it up! Spacey
sounds come and go. Guitar after 2 minutes. "Saucers" is guitar and drum led as
synths come and go. "Strangeitude" is fantastic! Atmosphere to open
as a Middle-Eastern vibe roll in. I can almost smell the aroma of hydro here.
Sounds stutter than drums lead the way as synths wash in and out. Nice bass and
we get some voices too. "Bizarre Bizaar" sounds so cool.
Intricate yet powerful as the flute plays over top. Guitars turn. Voices too as
themes are repeated. "Space Between Your Ears" might be my favourite
although the live track that follows is also in the running. Drums pound as
bass joins in. Synths follow. The guitar before 2 minutes grinds away. Flute 4
minutes in. Amazing sound 4 1/2 minutes in, so intense. The guitar is lighting
it up! "Live Throbbe" opens with spoken words then flute takes over.
Synths follow. Drums and an incredible sound before 2 minutes as the guitar
joins in. So good. Without a doubt one of my favourite OZRIC albums. Play it
loud! A review by Bonnek: I really believe Ozric Tentacles are an essential
part of any progger's discography. But when it comes to singling out that one
essential and defining album, matters are less obvious. None of their albums
really stand out above the rest. They're all very closely related, in form,
style, sound, and even in quality. If I really had to choose, I'd go with the majority
and pick Erpland and Jurassic Shift as the
most inspired efforts. The Strangeitude album sits in between
those two and while it's a very strong record it has a hard time claiming an
individual identity. The Ozrics sure did try to make it a bit different. There
is a stronger emphasis on their entrancing dance beats. No matter whether they are
rocking, funky, dub, techno or inspired by World Music beats, this stuff simply
grooves all the way! The title track and the Passport-inspired Sploosh that
once served for a BMW commercial, are good examples of the Ozrics trance
qualifications. Middle-eastern rhythms and Arabic scales feature
abundantly as well, Bizarre Bazaar is a great example of it.
Other characteristics are the liquid guitar solos and washes of space-synths
that seem to come straight out of Gong and Hawkwind albums. Fans of the early
Porcupine Tree albums should find a lot to appreciate here. Strangeitude is a great
album that almost reaches 4 stars for me. But I'm sure the Ozrics won't mind if
I'll round it down to 3. After all, in the galaxies that they inhabit, there's
a zillion of stars already. 589
A review by SouthSideoftheSky: Let's dust off this dream album! What an amazing return to form this album was after
a long period of silence following an even longer period of merely good and
some less-than-good albums. The previous album, Stationary Traveller, had been
better than its most recent predecessors, but Dust And Dreams is a very large
step up from that album. I would even say that Dust And Dreams simply was the
best Camel album since Moonmadness and it is still one of my all time favourite
Camel albums (and all time favourite albums full stop)! Andy Latimer had formed his own label - Camel
Productions - and now he finally had the creative freedom he needed to make
such great albums as the present one and the next one, Harbour Of Tears.
Previous albums had been hampered by the record company wanting to have hit
singles and more commercially viable music. Andy had to compromise his great
musical vision. Not so here. Dust And Dreams is a monumental work on a grander
scale than anything he had ever done before including Nude and The Snow Goose. Dust And Dreams is a story-based album just like
Nude, Stationary Traveller and Harbour Of Tears. You will have to discover the
story for yourself, but I can reveal that it is a rather sad one, and the
melancholia is very present in the music. The guitar sound of Mr. Latimer
is unbelievable and the guitar breaks are often stunning. For
me, this is clearly some air guitar material here, I have to get up and play
air guitar on that song! Songs flow into each other here; there are musical
themes that keep coming back on several tracks; the album feels like a whole
rather than a just a collection of individual songs. Dust And Dreams is varied
with rather conventional (Hard) Rock songs like Mother Road and End Of The
Line, the very progressive instrumental rocker Hopeless Anger (that almost
approaches Metal territory!), together with the mellow, soft material on most
of the other songs. The vocals are the strongest Andy Latimer had ever
done before. His voice is great here, very emotional. Indeed, everything about
this album is very emotional. There are great harmony vocals on this album,
with some female vocals in well chosen places. If I must point towards a weakness of this album, I
would have to say the drum sound. The drums are not at all horrible, but
they have that somewhat sterile 80's sound. I have now heard the full live
version of this album that is available on the fantastic official live
recording Never Let Go, and the drum sound is better live. While I gave also
that live album the full five stars, this studio version is a masterpiece in
its own right! Having at least one version of Dust And Dreams is truly
essential! Dust And Dreams is a masterpiece of progressive
music! 590
A review by Warthur: There's a recurring theme of travel and wanderlust
in the lyrics, but for many fans The World is where Pendragon truly came home.
No longer the schizophrenic group of the 1980s, Pendragon have stopped trying
to mix melodic pop-rock numbers into their act and have increased their
emphasis on Nick Barrett's soulful guitar playing. In the three years since Kowtow Pendragon had
mainly focused on consolidating Toff Records, rereleasing their old albums
under their new label and producing the Rest of Pendragon compilation. But they
clearly weren't idling musically speaking; instead, it seems that they've gone
through a period of consolidation there too, finally deciding on what direction
they want to take and pursuing it with gusto. They chose the perfect time to do it. With
Marillion and IQ taking a decidedly more commercial direction, and Pallas,
Twelfth Night, and Solstice all on hiatus, 1991 was a dark time if you were a
fan of the veterans of the Marquee scene and their early 1980s sound, and The
World was an excellent alternative, rooted in the neo-prog sound and
incorporating influences from Marillion and other big names without
compromising Pendragon's own style. Hand on heart, I can't say it's an
*essential* neo- prog album, but it's still a great disc which filled a gap at
a crucial period in the genre's development. It's preaching to the neo choir a
little, but it's a fine fine sermon indeed. A review by SouthSideoftheSky: The third world in the UK. The World is Pendragon's third full length album
overall but it was the first on which the band found their own sound and
musical identity. Indeed, the formula established by this 1991 album would then
be followed quite closely on subsequent albums up till and including Not Of
This World that was released exactly ten years after the present album. Like
the music itself, also the fantasy inspired cover pictures of these albums (The
Window Of Life, The Masquerade Overture and Not Of This World) follow very
closely the form and aesthetic of The World. The previous two albums were quite immature and
contained only traces of the typical Pendragon sound that can
be found from this album onwards. This sound has as its essential components
the distinctive vocals of Nick Barrett and his slow, sustained guitar play as
well as the ever pleasant and lush keyboard work of the great Clive Nolan. Also
quite characteristic is Barrett's particular style of song writing and the very
high production values. In order to see what makes this music progressive you
have to look both at the micro and the macro level. That is, both in the small
details and in the larger structures. In between there is not much progression
going on to be honest. Three songs from this album are parts of a 20 plus
minute suite called Queen Of Hearts. These songs are Queen Of Hearts, A Man
Could Die Out Here and The Last Waltz. These songs would have to be declared
the highlights of the album together with the American sounding The Voyager.
The latter features harmonica and Country-like, bluesy acoustic guitar licks. Personally, I have always found the music of
Pendragon to be a little bit too lightweight and light-hearted for my taste,
somehow lacking in depth and substance. However, there is no denying the
talents of these musicians. This music is not particularly groundbreaking in
any sense, but they do have a distinctive sound of their own which is more
important. While their next album is slightly stronger than the present one, on
The World is where it all began. The World is only the first in a series of
good Pendragon albums. While I find it quite hard to fault this album, I
also find it very hard to conjure up much enthusiasm over it. It is a good
album, but that's all it is. 591 Rings of Earthly
Light
A review by Mellotron Storm: I know a lot of people feel this is a modern
classic, and it is a nice piece of pastoral Italian music ,but for me it's
lacking that atmosphere. If they had used more synths or included mellotron it
would have made a huge difference for me. Now understand I'm not big on Prog-
Folk which this would be classified under if it wasn't Italian. Too bad they
sing in English and not in Italian. "Rings Of Earthly Light" opens with flute
before it kicks in quickly. I like the sax. Vocals 2 1/2 minutes in. A great
sound follows. The guitar starts to solo after 4 minutes before settling right
down with reserved vocals. Sax and drums take the lead 6 minutes in. Vocals are
back 8 minutes in. Guest female vocals at 9 1/2 minutes then the male vocals
return. Flute then leads the way until about 15 minutes in. Sax is back and
guitar comes in late. "In The Rising Mist" features acoustic guitar
melodies with synths and flute helping out. Vocals 2 minutes in. "The
Broken Path" builds before the guitar leads the way. "Glares Of Mind" opens with acoustic
guitar before the flute joins in. Beautiful track with some violin too.
"Pushing Together" opens with a pastoral soundscape. Reserved vocals
before 1 1/2 minutes. The sound does get fuller. Electric guitar after 3 1/2
minutes. "You'll Become Rain" starts out with acoustic guitar and
fragile vocals but does get fuller. "The Way Home" is mellow to start
with vocals, flute and acoustic guitar. Light drums arrive. It's fuller 2 1/2
minutes in. Sax follows. Electric guitar after 4 minutes. It then settles. Sax
before 7 minutes. Synths join in. Great sound. Vocals follow and sax ends it. A good nineties RPI release but one that is lacking
for me in many ways. 592
A review by Mellotron Storm: 4.5 stars. Getting to know this band has been a
real journey for me. I'm just thankful I didn't give up after not really enjoying my
first experience with them because now I have four albums from them that I enjoy very much. And yes this is one of the
four. This one really surprised me though because most consider it to be one of
their weaker albums and I couldn't
disagree more. First off the song writing is fantastic and the instrumental
work is tight and inventive. It's the emotion though that really makes this
album a special one for me. "Fountainhead" opens with samples from
the movies which is kind of cool. It turns epic sounding 2 1/2 minutes in to
the end. "The Great Men" is a top three track for sure. Nice instrumental
work early before it settles after 1 1/2 minutes and the vocals join in. So
moving. The lyrics are so meaningful. Passionate vocals after 3 minutes. Check
out the instrumental work after 5 minutes as well. Amazing tune! "On Any Given Nite" settles quickly with
keys and reserved vocals. It's fuller before 2 minutes. Emotion. Contrasts
continue. Beautiful. It kicks in even fuller with guitar late. Nice.
"Carpe Diem" is uptempo with vocals. The vocals give way to the
guitar 2 minutes in but not for long. Aggressive guitar and drums late to end
it. "Shades" is another top three tune for me. Acoustic guitar and
reserved vocals to start. It kicks in at 1 1/2 minutes then settles back.
Passionate vocals 3 1/2 minutes in. The song continues to contrast the laid
back and powerful sections so well. "Clumps Of Dirt" is a nasty
instrumental especially the organ work. Drum show 2 1/2 minutes in then a guitar
solo a minute later. "Peace In Time" is a pleasant and
uplifting track. Vocals after a minute. Tasteful guitar 3 1/2 minutes in. I
like this one a lot. "Meaning And The Moment" is the other top three.
Acappela singing to start followed by music that builds. This one is too good
for words. Again the lyrics are so meaningful. "Breath Of Fresh Air"
is what this album must have been like to prog fans in 1991. Another feel good
song. "Until It Rains" has some great sounding
synths in it early on with growly bass. Vocals after a minute then it picks up.
Sax 4 minutes in. "The Velveteen Rabbit" touches on childhood with
the question "Remember when...?" coming often. This isn't the only
track to talk about our childhood on this album. I just get lost in this song.
There's so many tracks that could be my top three which is saying a lot. I love this album and would list only "Cowboy
Poems Free" as perhaps one I like more. An absolute pleasure. I have to
thank Prog-Traveller(Mike) so much for the honour of hearing this album. A review by Gatot: An excellent debut album! Yes, this is a debut album. But, take a look at the
music produced by these gentlemen and you will agree with me that their music
has already matured with this debut. It's an excellent album by any measures:
composition (arrangement and songwriting), musicianship, performance and
originality. Yes, there is a bit of similarity with early Genesis and even
later generation of prog: Pallas, but, Echolyn music is truly Echolyn. However,
this album is different to any of its successors as, with this album, I never
found any style that is similar or close to the music of Finneus Gauge (Buzby's
tranisition band). I never regret having this album in my collection. The album opens with sort of movie dialogue cuts in
Fountainhead (3:48) that comprises three short parts; followed by a floating
music colored with acoustic guitar fills and nice violin. I was really hit by
the violin work - so cool. From the first track I can sense the sort of
wonderful composition by the band. It's like watching a movie because the music
is backed with an orchestra and people's dialogue. It moves to second track The
Great Men (8:30) with stunning guitar work accompanied by medium tempo music.
Drums contribute its dynamic style augmented with inventive guitar and bass.
When voice enters it reminds me of neo prog music like Pallas or IQ even though
the arrangement is different. Inventive drumming and basslines are demonstrated
in the middle of the track. The unique sound of keyboard has made this track
enjoyable. With similar style the next track On Any Given Nite
(5:01) also starts off with stunning guitar work followed by howling / sliding
style. It reminds me, again, of Pallas music - at least its nuance. Judging
from this opening only, I may conclude that this is a neo prog band, but the
other tracks prove to be different. Carpe Diem (5:11) has some flavor of rock
'n' roll beats at least in its opening part, dominated by guitar work. The
interlude part in the middle shows great drum sounds and powerful voice. Shades
(11:46) is another great song with excellent composition where in some segments
I can sense Genesis style combining complex parts and nice parts beautifully. Highly recommended! Overall rating is 4 ½
out of 5 stars merely due to tight composition, strong songwriting,
excellent performance and musicianship. 593 Burning The Hard
City
A review by Sean Trane: This album is the highpoint in Djam Karet’s
early career IMHO and I can only recommend to start by this one if you are new
to them. A lot of the material smokes on this album and sometimes veers towards
metal with MC5 or Stooges guitar distortions or Frippian riffs. I also hear
many elements in this early album that I will find in much later albums such as
Baku or New Dark Age. Note to Lethe: I am not sure how this album can be
a "backwards step" to an album that will come in three or four years
later. Sure this album is not the quiet Collaborator (Boooring) . I must have a
different version of this album (and with a different cover than this one
above) and have not noticed problems soundwise. Of course one cannot do
miracles with poorly recorded master tapes but there is nothing shameful. A review by Mellotron Storm: I'm
perplexed as to the low ratings given to this amazing band. Thankfully Sean
Trane rates this one very highly, as do I. This particular record has more
aggression in it then their other albums do. This in part due to the fact that
they released this record and "Suspension & Displacement" at the
same time. This one is mostly hard and heavy, while the latter is spacey and
atmospheric. Kind of what OPETH did in releasing "Damnation" and
"Deliverance" at the same time. There are still the atmospheric
moments on this disc, but it's not like the previous record "Reflections
From the Firepool" where we have a nice balance. Now having said all of
that, I love hard and heavy! In the liner notes the band describes this album
as a "classic instrumental progressive rock that is angry, powerful and
relentless in it's pursuit of rhythmic intensity and passionate soloing". "At the
Mountains of Madness" features lazy guitar melodies for 2 minutes before
some great bass takes over, then they all join in. There is another change
before 4 minutes as all of a sudden we have a jazz feel. Some incredible guitar
follows, eventually leading us to some heavy, experimental guitar passages to
the end of the song. "Province 19: The Visage of War" is the darkest
and heaviest song on the album. There is a letting up at one point but not for
long as the guitars rule this song in a heavy handed way, including some
blistering solos. "Feast
of Ashes" is a song that displays the bands talent for spacey and
atmospheric soundscapes. Some good guitar towards the end of the song, but this
is for the most part a dreamy, spacey, synth laden feast. "Grooming the Psychosis" opens with
electronic sounds that are followed by a catchy melody. Some raw sounding
guitar with drums being more prominent than usual. Guitars take the driver’s
seat for the rest of the ride. "Topanga
Safari" has some fantastic guitar solos, and the bass lines are way out in
front. Nice. Apparently these guys are from a place called Topanga in
California. "Ten Days to the Sand" has a fairly uptempo melody with
more amazing guitar throughout. "Burning the Hard City" is my
favourite track on this album. It opens with an eerie and haunting soundscape. The
guitars and pounding drums break through this sound before being replaced 4
minutes in by FLOYD like sounds with soaring guitars leading the way. Beautiful.
A guitar/drum melody sounds great before
we get some screaming guitar. I feel
really privileged that I can review such an amazing band and album. And there
are more coming, I'm just getting started with this band’s body of work. I have
to mention again that the album cover art on these re-issues are incredible! 594
A review by Sean Trane: By the early 90's, Wyatt had become a fixture of
the underground, piling up the albums of equal quality and political calibre
since Rock Bottom. With Dondestan (Wher'ryou?), he seems to be a tad more
inspired and a little subtler in his political rants (here, penned by wifie
Alfie). With a very static drawing gracing the cover (a bit reminiscent of
RISTR), this is very obviously the couple at a seaside resort in Spain, where
they resided for a few years. Music-wise, Wyatt still hasn't changed his style,
the songs being depressive and full of KB layers that would be dronal if they
weren't binary (two notes). The song themes seem to be axed onto religion, more
than actual politics, and if the accordion has disappeared, harmonica (or a
melodica? Difficult to say) pops in for an odd solo (Jeebies), but early on in
the album, there is not that much to rejoice upon, as it sounds more of the
same, but slightly updated. However, unlike the previous albums, there are some
experiments like the weird Shrinkrap, with a highly synthetic beat and a weird
oddball piano (in its bass register) providing some humor and entertainment.
Some of the latter tracks in the album are combined, like Left On Man and Lisp
Service (the latter in collab with Hugh Hopper) and make for an interesting
moment and even a slight nod at Matching Mole or Rock Bottom. The next combo is
the 11-min+ NIO/Dondestan, where Robert upheaves the UK's order over a low
Canterbury-esque organ, before going nutty with an absurd piano and crazy
percussions in the title track, in a very burlesque almost Daevid-ian way,
before the organ comes back for a slow death. . While Dondestan is in the rough average of Wyatt
albums and an improvement on recent history of his, due to a much stronger
second half of the album, but it's definitely not enough to raise the album
above the floating line. Prefer this one over OR, but certainly not over
Shleep. 595 The Fall of the
House of Usher
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: Edgar Allan Poe reimagined... I must admit, although I am a fan of both Edgar
Allan Poe and Peter Hammill, this release left me rather cold. It simply is
overdone and does not feature enough melodic memorable tracks to warrant
repeated listens. However, in saying that, it is a one of a kind project, and
deserves at least one listen, and it is quite an absorbing experience
initially. Hammill is more bombastic and vindictive than ever with his
narrative storytelling vocal style. He incorporates many guest artists to
retell this macabre infamous tale of a house that possesses its occupants to
the point of utter madness. Hammill plays "Roderick Usher" and
"The House" as well as all instruments, which is a feat in itself,
and he is joined by Sarah-Jane Morris as the "The Chorus", Andy Bell
as "Montresor", Lene Lovich as "Madeleine Usher", and
Herbert Grönemeyer as "The Herbalist". Indeed, the Poe story emerges in snippets of
dialogue or the author's famous lines, though these are repeated ad nauseam. At
first the album is a curio that grabs my attention, but the idea soon wears
thin and then becomes stale. This is very unfortunate as I expected something
special given the content and the artists involved. The Alan Parson's Project
did it better on "Tales of Mystery and Imagination"; the reason it
worked was simply great compositions, musicianship and attention to detail encompassing
many of the tales, rather than labouring on the one solitary tale. Poe's tales
are short little shockers and they are meant to be enjoyed in one sitting like
a one act play. There are some stunning pieces of classical music
and it is all rather dark in passages. This is apt to build a threatening
atmosphere of foreboding and gloom. It is perhaps an experimental approach that
failed in many respects as Hammill never returned to this type of
self-indulgent album making (though he did release a remaster with added
features). It is impossible to recall any particular track as
it merges together as a whole. Though I firmly believe the first track and the
last part of the album are gripping and definitely deserve attention. Act IV
with Lene Lovich is one of my favourite segments; I always loved her voice, and
the music dominated by cathedral organ, is very dynamic and ethereal. Act VI is
very interesting as it incorporates my favourite Poe, The Tell-Tale Heart,
reimagined by Hammill as 'Beating of the Heart', and then the climax is the
girl rising from her grave to exact revenge and the house crumbles into the
Tarn. The reason I believe the album should be listened
to, despite its flaws, is to experience the dramatis personae of the visionary,
who had the sheer audacity of releasing it in the first place. The drawcard is
obviously Hammill's inimitable vocals, and he revels in the dark power of the
text. He is better off with Van der Graaf Generator when his musical genius is
at the height of its powers, but nevertheless his solo material is always an
intriguing project. Every Hammill solo album rings differently, and it doesn't
get much more different than this! This is one to savour as a curio and
certainly will generate a topic of conversation. 596 – live The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life
A review by Mellotron Storm: 4.5 stars. Zappa released some amazing live albums over the years and this one has to be right near the top. This was from the1988 tour as was the "Make A Jazz Noise Here" double live album. Anyway both are so incredible. They combine that wacky humour with some of the most complex and outstanding instrumental music you will ever hear. This particular recording features big-band arrangements for the most part, so lots of horns. There are no over-dubs of any kind on this double disc live set. "Heavy Duty Judy" opens with lots of
horns then the guitar comes in before 2 minutes. Frank then says
"Hello" before 4 1/2 minutes as he talks about meeting Johnny Cash
for the first time and how he invited him to perform with them that night and
he agreed, but then Johnny's wife got sick so he had to cancel. That is what
inspires their cover of "Ring Of Fire" which is a reggae version and
freaking hilarious. "Ow,ow,ow".
"Cosmik Debris" is classic Zappa and they bring the "Ring Of
Fire" theme into this as well. "Find Her Finer" is catchy with
horns. "Who Needs The Peace Corps?" is going way
back and I love the lyrics. It blends
into a brief "I Left My Heart In San Francisco" instrumental before
another classic in "Zomby Woof" kicks in. I was telling a friend about a lady coming
into the store when this was on and asking who it was. I could tell when I said
Frank Zappa that she had no clue who he was. She continued to listen and upon
leaving commented on the complex lines they were playing. Yeah it made me proud.
I don't know if she was a musician or music teacher but she seemed to know
music. "Bolero" has a reggae rhythm at first
then lots of horns. "Zoot
Allures" is such a great sounding instrumental. The guitar solos for the
last 3 minutes or so. "Mr. Green
Genes" is horns, vocals and a good rhythm. "Florentine Pogen"
has vocals after a minute and a nice guitar solo after 6 minutes. So good. "Andy" is all about the lyrics and
fast paced instrumental breaks. "Inca Roads" continues with the Zappa
classics. Lots of vibes and a brief
"Stayin' Alive" section. It
closes in style with "Sofa #1". Disc Two is where Jimmy Swaggart gets his butt
kicked over and over (haha). It opens
with two covers including "Purple Haze" and "Sunshine Of Your
Love". Both are electronic versions
I guess you could say and the second one is hilarious. "Let's Move To Cleveland" is complex with
lots of horns and the guitar comes in at 2 1/2 minutes. We then get a couple of short instrumental
covers in "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" and "Godfather Part II
Theme". Next is the funny political monologue called "A Few Moments
With Brother A. West". "The
Torture never Stops" parts one and later part two are killer and two
definite highlights. We get another instrumental cover in "Theme
From Bonanza" then "Lonesome Cowboy Burt" which starts a string
of songs aimed at Swaggart, including "More Trouble Every Day",
"Penguin In Bondage" and "The Eric Dolphy Memorial
Barbeque". Funny stuff. A cover of "Stairway To Heaven" ends it
in style with funny effects. I honestly wasn't expecting this to be so good or
to hear so many older Zappa classics. Lots of guitar in this too. Edited by AtomicCrimsonRush - June 22 2012 at 03:57 |
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: March 29 2012 at 07:45 |
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1991
578
A review by SouthSideoftheSky: Leaving the past behind (slightly) Following the influential Perfect Symmetry album,
the almost equally excellent Parallels saw Fates Warning transforming a little
bit. Moving slightly from more underground towards more mainstream Metal. This
album is thus a little bit less complex and more melodic, less progressive if
you like, a more polished production. The ambition was probably to attract a
wider audience without alienating the already converted. But the energetic
riffs are still here. My own initial impression was less favourable to this
album, but it has grown on me a lot since I first heard it. Even if it does not
quite rival Perfect Symmetry, it is certainly one of the best albums by the
band. There is a nice variation between slower and faster
tempos and between riffs and melodies, but I miss the slightly richer variation
in instrumentation found on Perfect Symmetry. I might be wrong, but I hear a
bit of Rush here in addition to the more traditional Judas Priest and Iron
Maiden influences. The band sounds confident and professional and they are
clearly a well-oiled machine. Another very good Fates Warning album and a highly
recommended companion to Perfect Symmetry A review by UMUR: "Parallels" is
the 6th full-length studio album by US progressive metal act Fates
Warning. The album was released in October 1991 by Metal Blade
Records. "Parallels" was re-issued in 2010 in a
Deluxe Edition. In addition to the original album, The Deluxe Edition contains
a bonus CD with live tracks and demo tracks and a bonus DVD which features a
full concert recorded live in New Haven, Connecticut on February the 13th,
1992. Fates Warning had with each album, since their inception
in the early eighties, added more and more progressive elements into their
heavy metal sound culminating with the release of their, at the time, most
progressive release "Perfect Symmetry (1989)". If the
fans had expected an even more progressive release with "Parallels",
those expectations weren´t met. ...in fact Fates Warning crafted a
much more melodically accessible and subtle progressive metal release in"Parallels".
The album features a pleasant warm atmosphere and mellow thoughtful melodies. A
stark contrast to the cold, hard and at times even aggressive sound on "Perfect
Symmetry". While the tracks on "Parallels" are
certainly progressive, they are not progressive in an abrasive fashion and I
see why some people would question if "Parallels" is a
progressive metal album or actually more a melodic heavy metal album. If you
listen closely to the music you´ll find plenty of time signature changes,
unusual off-beat drumming and other features that are usually associated with
progressive metal. Other than the 8:11 minutes long "The
Eleventh Hour", which features a moderately complex structure, the
song structures aren´t terribly adventurous but again there are subtle
progressive details in all tracks that keep the tracks interesting throughout.
The most obviously progressive tracks on the album are the above mentioned "The
Eleventh Hour", the opening track "Leave the Past
Behind", "Life in Still Water" and "Point
of View". Tracks like "Eye to Eye", "We
Only Say Goodbye" and "Don't Follow Me" are
very accessible and some people might say commercial sounding, but all three
tracks feature subtle time-signature changes and off-beat playing that ensure a
progressive edge. I guess the only track I haven´t mentioned is the closing
track "The Road Goes on Forever". A beautiful mellow/
soft and again subtly progressive track and a perfect closing track (check the
lead guitar part in that track. Just beautiful). One of the defining features in Fates
Warning´s sound at this point in their career (besides the clever and
sophisticated drumming by Mark Zonder which is also a feature
that stands out a lot) is how the two guitarists (Jim Matheos and Frank
Aresti) complement each other´s playing. Jim Matheos plays
a lot of clean (non-distorted) electric guitar parts under the distorted rhythm
and lead guitars by Frank Aresti. The consequence is a layered
"busy" soundscape that´s very characteristic for this era Fates
Warning. The dynamic it gives, that you have both mellow/ soft clean
guitars playing at the same time as heavy distorted guitars, is vast. Many
metal releases suffer from the fact that the bass is either too low in the mix
or that it just follows the guitar, but that´s certainly not the case with "Parallels". Joe
DiBiase is a very active part of what makes the sound on the album so
special. You´ll often notice his sophisticated yet powerful playing. Lead
vocalist Ray Alder delivers an emotional and pathos filled
vocal performance. His vocal style on "Parallels" is
quite different from his style on "Perfect Symmetry". He
sang in a very high pitched screaming vocal style on that album and while his
vocals are still occasionally high pitched on"Parallels", he
mostly utilizes more "human" registers and lower volumes too, which
gives his performance a more varied sound than on earlier releases. The lyrics
on the album mostly evolve around broken relationships and emotions. "Parallels" is superbly
produced by Terry Brown (Rush, Voivod, The
Rolling Stones, Lizzy Borden...etc). A perfect sound which
emphasize both mellow warmth and colder edge. A very suiting dynamic sound
production to these ears. "Parallels" has been a
favourite of mine for many years now. It´s one of those albums that gets
several spins in a row when I listen to it, because I simply can´t grasp how
good it is and I always discover a little detail I hadn´t heard before. Very
few albums have that effect on me and of course "Parallels" deserves
a 5 star rating. 579 Unquestionable
Presence
A review by Conor Fynes: All opinions aside, there is no question or doubt that Athiest,
and their second album 'Unquestionable Presence' are legendary within death
metal. At the dawn of the 1990s, the genre was still in its infancy, and was
still considered to be largely untested grounds in a global metal scene that
was slowly giving weight to a less controversial and accessible sound. Instead
of going the route that existing metal giants like Metallica and Kreator would
go with watering down their thrashy sound, Florida metallers Athiest dabbled in a fusion of genres that had
rarely -if ever- touched upon; merging the death metal sound with jazz. Having
now virtually been done to death over the two decades since this album's
release, 'Unquestionable Presence' may sound familiar by today's standards, but
even disregarding its massive historical context and innovation, the album is a
powerhouse of talent and energy, leaving ample room for its interpretation as
being a masterpiece, despite some imbalances in the songwriting throughout its
relatively short length. The music here is rooted in the love of the riff, and Kelly
Schaefer's unique thrash/death vocal style. Under the howl of the
higher-register guitar riffs are also some very impressive bass riffs played by
Tony Choy; certainly a highlight of the sound here. However, each musician
seems to take a comparable footing in the sound here. The guitars generally
lead the course of the song through fast-paced, constantly changing and developing
riffs and leads, with the rhythm section adding a huge element to the sound.
Unfortunately, while the musicianship here is top notch, the production of the
album feels rather weak, leaving some parts of the mix a bit muddy and many
guitar tones sounding tinny, especially for the more melodic playing. The drums
here do feel as they could have used more of a showcase, as it is clear that
Steve Flynn is a remarkable jazz-influenced drummer. Of course, there are also the vocals themselves, presented here
by Athiest's founding frontman Kelly Schaefer. While my first experience with
the music of Athiest really did not lend well to my appreciation of his
thrashy, very distinct style of growling, it does grow with time. His far less
guttural approach that most death metal singers gives Athiest a very thrash
metal vibe, which I have noticed strongly in much other Florida death acts.
While Schaefer's vocals may be the most distinct aspect of the mix however,
they can be inconsistent in how effective they are throughout different parts
of the album; at times having brilliant rhythmic flow, and at others feeling
quite underwhelming. The songwriting here is especially unique for the death metal at
the time, still a very young genre in itself. Athiest's defining trait is its
jazz sensibilities, which certainly doesn't show through much of the
metal-heavy guitar work of Rand Burkey or Schaefer, but instead through Steve
Flynn's jazzy fills and Choy's Latin-tinged slap bass solos. The music here is
complex and rapidfiring for most of the album, although some songs certainly
leave more of an impression than others. Being quite a short album (which some
could say is a weakness when purchasing), the music never gets old, but the
first three songs (the classic 'Mother Man' through 'Your Life's Retribution')
do feel as if they keep up the optimum flow and power to them. From there, the
album feels a bit less cohesive and memorable in its riffs, although by no
means ever getting uninteresting. For all its worth, the technicality and
intensity stays very high throughout. There is no denying what 'Unquestionable Presence' and the dudes
from Athiest have done here for death metal and fusion music, despite the flaws
and imperfections that weaken the overall impression. As it stands, Athiest's
second album is a very strong album- easily a landmark- and much worth a listen
for a dose of energetic, complex metal. 580 Streets - A Rock
Opera
A review by Mellotron Storm: This is a
well done, well thought out concept album about a character called D.T. Jesus. I
must admit I'm not big on concept albums but SAVATAGE have kept the music at a
high level and still tell a great story. For many this is SAVATAGE"s crowning
glory and it's hard not to argue, especially with the Oliva brothers involved. "Streets"
features a children's choir to open only to be replaced by these haunting keys
and a dark atmosphere. Jon comes in with
his rough vocals almost speaking the words. The tempo starts to pick up and the choir
returns backing him up. A good heavy mid-paced tune. "Jesus Saves" opens with this guy
talking on the streets to people. The song kicks in powerfully with vocals. Gotta
love Criss' guitar work on this one. Great chorus as Jon shouts "Jesus
saves!". Check out the guitar 3 minutes in. "Tonight
He Grins Again" opens with piano as Jon comes in sounding a lot smoother
vocally, that does change as he gets passionate. "Strange Reality"" opens with
these catchy riffs vocals join in. Check out Criss after 4 minutes. Just a
killer track. "A Little Too
Far" opens with reserved vocals sounding like Roger Waters with piano. "You're
Alive" is an uptempo rocker. "Sammy And Tex" opens with fast
paced riffs and vocals followed by some ripping guitar. "St. Patrick's" opens with fragile
vocals and piano before kicking in to a higher gear. "Can You Hear Me Now" opens with
acoustic guitar, synths and drums. Nice sound as the vocals join in. It kicks
in heavily before a minute. Contrasts continue. Incredible guitar before 3
minutes. "New York City Don't Mean
Nothing" features strummed guitar and vocals. Cool sound. It kicks in
after a minute. Nice heavy sound here. Criss lights it up 3 minutes in. "Ghost
in the Ruins" opens with atmospheric guitar before kicking in heavily. Amazing
tune right here. Jon is in fine form too. Check out Johnny Lee Middleton on
bass 2 1/2 minutes in as Criss solos tastefully. Wonderful section. Jon returns
spitting out the lyrics. "If I Go
Away" opens with piano as vocals eventually join in. It gets fuller. "Agony And Ecstacy" sounds amazing
to open with that guitar as Jon comes in theatrically. The tempo picks up and
continues to shift. "Heal My
Soul" is piano and fragile vocals. "Somewhere In Time" kicks in
after a minute. This is emotional stuff. Great lyrics. It picks up after 2
minutes. "Believe" is the
closing track and it has the most lyrics. And I have to be honest these lyrics
bring tears to my eyes. Rest in peace
Criss. Bless you Jon and Criss' family. And thankyou. 581
A review by Conor Fynes: While I gather that my opinion may garner some heat from other
metalheads, Death still seems to be falling short with some aspects of their
delivery in what is generally considered their seminal masterpiece, 1991's
'Human.' Since 'Scream Bloody Gore,' each album from this well-known Florida
metal act has developed upon the sound of the previous release, constantly
building the sound of Death towards an ever more technical and complex style of
playing. While 'Human' was the band's most technical and lyrically profound
work to date, the songwriting itself doesn't seem to have evolved beyond such
albums as 'Leprosy.' That being said, 'Human' was their best record yet,
although it would be soon trumped by such works as 'Symbolic' and 'The Sound Of
Perseverance.' While typically labelled as being 'death metal,' the music on
'Human' (and much of Death's other work) is best described as a death/thrash
crossover, with some progressive inclinations. The music revolves around the
guitar talents and distinct howl of Chuck Schuldiner, and a very riff-based,
fast-paced approach to metal. While it shares alot of the same sound of past
Death albums, there is a tighter performance here, in no small thanks due to
the fact that Chuck Schuldiner would finally start employing some fitting backing
musicians for this album. With such musicians featured here like Paul Masvidal
(of Cynic fame), the musicians here are evidently much more capable of playing
on technical par with Schuldiner, making 'Human' feel like a more fleshed out
band effort than before. As first witnessed in 'Leprosy,' Chuck was dabbling
with increasingly spiritual and philosophical themes over the graphically
violent topics that defined the debut. With such areas as euthanasia ('Suicide
Machine') and intolerance ('Together As One') being discussed, Schuldiner is
more ambitious with his lyric work than most death metal acts, and 'Human'
represents the thus-far peak of the profundity. With all of these merits having been said, what makes 'Human' no
big leap over any of the previous albums is the songwriting itself. Schuldiner
seems to still be using the same structures in his music as he did with
'Leprosy' and 'Spiritual Healing,' and the only difference in musical quality
is really the way it is performed by the band. Barring that, the only tracks
that really seem to distinguish themselves in their ambition are 'Lack Of
Comprehension' and the instrumental 'Cosmic Sea,' which while both experiencing
the same muddy production quality as the rest of the album, throw in some
mellow moments to give some added dynamic. While 'Human' has obviously blown away many a metal fan since
being released, I have yet to be impressed by Death's classic fourth album, and
while the noticeable developments are welcome, it would take another album or
two for Chuck and company to really start striking gold, in my books. 582 Voices Beyond My Curtain
A review by Mellotron Storm: This is one of those releases that leaves me
sitting on the fence. I really like the dark and atmospheric soundscapes they
create, but it's really the female vocals that are hit and miss with me. One
reviewer mentioned in reviews it was her vocals that kept him from giving it 4
stars, and I have to agree with him. There are times I like them, but there are
also times that they really take away from my enjoyment of this recording. The first track "The Knell" is my
favourite. This is almost 15 minutes long and her vocals throughout are really
kept in check. Haha. Acoustic guitar melodies lead the way for almost 2 minutes
when it suddenly turns dark. Vocals before 3 minutes as the sound builds
slowly. The sound becomes full after 4 1/2 minutes. An eerie calm 7 1/2 minutes
in that continues for 2 minutes when acoustic guitar comes in just like at the
beginning of the song. Synths are in the background as vocals come in gently a
minute later. The sound becomes full again around 12 1/2 minutes as we get a
taste of how harsh her vocals can be. Some nice electric guitar, and then it
ends as it began with acoustic guitar. "Craven Smiles" opens with synths and
vocals. Not a fan of the intro but when it gets going 1 1/2 minutes in I like
it a lot. The guitar soars tastefully until a calm arrives with piano before 3
minutes. Vocals come in softly. It stays mellow until 6 minutes in when vocals
and sound both get passionate briefly. Not a fan of this one overall, but loved
the guitar solo. "Prisoner Of Cutting Light" opens with
synths and vocals. A fuller,uptempo sound 3 minutes in with some minor riffing
to follow. I like the guitar solo 5 1/2 minutes in. A calm a minute later
before it builds with theatrical vocals then minor riffs. The guitar goes on
and on from before 9 1/2 minutes, and then vocals return. More tasteful guitar
late. "Choices" opens with spoken words before vocals come in. They
do get passionate as this contrast continues. "Flying To Fade" again opens with spoken
words. I like this song from when she stops singing after 2 minutes until we
get an annoying vocal section after 5 minutes. The guitar 8 minutes in is
fantastic though to end it. "Pale Light Of The Morning" features some
guest flute 2 1/2 minutes in. Before that we get reserved vocals. Guitar 5 1/2 minutes
in is joined by piano before vocals return. The tempo picks up a lot after 9
minutes with some excellent guitar. I do have a fondness toward bands like TALE CUE who
released progressive music in the early nineties, but there's not enough here
for me to give it 4 stars. 583
A review by Mellotron Storm: 4. 5 stars. I
would describe this record as a combination of RUSH and FATES WARNING. Although
not as melodic as the albums of those two bands, this is definitely melodic, and
more complex. The lyrics are intelligent to say the least, and incredibly well
thought out. The only band that they thank in the liner notes is PSYCHOTIC
WALTZ. "Prelude:
Ode to Sisyphus" is a short intro track that brings RUSH to mind right
away. The sound is so clear as we hear outbursts of guitar, bass and drums. The
vocals are very well done by Jogi Kaiser. "The Waking Hours" really is a stage
for the band to display their skills. This is complex yet melodic music. The
vocals really stand out as well on this one. "Behind Closed Doors" features some
intricate guitar melodies and crisp drumming on a song that again brings RUSH
to mind. "Change
of Seasons" is literally a classical piece of music with violin, cello, acoustic
guitar and reserved vocals. I grew to appreciate it but this song (in part)
keeps me from giving this album 5 stars. "Dimensions" is my favourite song on
the record, and the best song I have heard in some time, and that is saying something with all the
great music I listen to. The RUSH like intro is amazing! I am reminded of FATES
WARNING as well in this one. The acoustic guitar and vocals sound wonderful as
a powerful display of drums, guitar and bass comes in. I love the guitar, and
the vocal melody is cool. "Prime"
has some crisp pounding drums as synths swirl about, and the bass and vocal
melody is great. Another cool vocal melody, and I have to say that this song is
so uplifting at times. And that is really in part what separates this album
from most metal I listen to, especially complex metal. This is so emotional at
times, like ZERO HOUR's latest record. "Epigram
for the Last Straw" is mellow for the first couple of minutes, then we get
some amazing drumming. This song is blessed with lots of time signatures and
strong vocals. The guitar and drum melody is impressive. "These Empty Pages" is my second
favourite, and the longest song on the album. More short, crisp outbreaks of
drums and guitar. Some scorching guitar solos as well. Geddy like synths come in, reminding me of the "Moving
Pictures" era. What an album! This is the best SIEGES EVEN record I have
heard so far. A review by UMUR: A Sense of Change is the third full-length studio album by German progressive metal act Sieges Even. Jogi Kaiser has replaced lead vocalist Franz Herde who sang on both Life Cycle (1988) and Steps (1990). The usual suspects are guitarist Markus Steffen and the Holzwarth brothers Oliver and Alexander on bass and drums respectively. I was introduced to A Sense of Change in the early nineties by a friend of mine and I´ve heard several people refer to the album as one of the classic progressive metal albums of the nineties. The album never really convinced me that it was something special and even though I´ve given A Sense of Change several chances throughout the years, my impression hasn´t changed a bit. The music on A Sense of Change is
technical progressive metal. Sieges Even have developed their
technical approach to progressive metal even further since the release of Steps.
New lead vocalist Jogi Kaiser is skilled and has a strong
voice. I´m not particularly fond of his voice but that´s got nothing to do with
the quality of his performance. The songs have multiple sections, very complex rhythms
and intricate and quite melodic playing. Especially the Holzwarth brothers
rhythm section is incredible, very fusion influenced, extremely tight and
innovative. Guitarist Markus Steffen is also quite the asset.
His playing sometimes remind me of how Alex Lifeson from Rush
sounds. Actually there are many references to Rush throughout
the album but also Perfect Symmetry (1989) by Fates Warning must
have been a big influence on Sieges Even. The music on A
Sense of Change is much more complex than anything those two acts ever
released though. There are 8 tracks on the album. Most tracks are in
the trademark complex and technically challenging Sieges Even style
but the track Change of Seasons (hmm...does that ring a bell
anyone?) is a bit different with its use of strings. The songs take quite a
while to get to know, but repeated listens help. It´s not the most accessible
music in the world and it´s probably not meant to be either. The melodies are
not that memorable to begin with and personally I find them a bit weak if I
have to be honest. It´s often that the technical playing gets in the way of
power and while the music flow pretty well I could have wished for more focus
on strong melodies and less focus on impossible to play time signature changes.
But it´s probably the lack of power that gets me the most. It´s like these guys
forgot that they were once a metal act. It´s all very sophisticated but I
really miss some bite. The production is professional but a bit cold if
you ask me. I like music to captivate me and conjure up emotions in me. Anger,
happiness, melancholy...etc. The music on A Sense of Change conjures
up nothing like that for me. In fact it leaves me completely cold. It´s an
excellent display of technical playing and in that field Sieges Even are
way ahead of most other acts in the genre. And that´s actually saying a lot
when you consider the general high quality of playing on most progressive metal
albums. The music is quite soulless though and while I can enjoy the technical
playing on the album from a musicians point of view, the lack of emotion and
power becomes a big problem in the end. It´s not a bad album as such and
there´s a chance others might feel emotionally touched, but, as I said above, A
Sense of Change leaves me completely cold and I´m stretching when I`m
giving this album a 3 star rating. 584
A review by Sean Trane: While
waiting for the Spirit of Eden album to come back to the library, I rented this
one and I can start to understand why this album has something linked to prog.
I had the same reaction to The Church than this band saying at first that they
did not belong on prog lists, but I went ahead and re-listened to them (As well
as It Bites). I was
definitely not impressed by the Church (and did not change my mind on It Bites)
and still think that they do not belong, but this album is somehow different. Talk
Talk always made moody pop tunes with a certain "Joyfull Sadness"
sound that only them could make and this album is no exception: unmistakably
Talk Talk. But something changed here and the preceding one (I am trusting my
fellow reviewers here) and The music is much more acoustic than before, takes
its time to develop and has a real atmosphere and might even have a concept
behind it. I will
re-listen again this week but the chance that this enters my top 500 is very
thin, but it did break into my top 1000, although as Maani pointed out in the
forum, one should be very careful upon our feelings about an album just after
its discovery - I think that a newly acquired album should never be rated
higher than 4 stars and maybe moved up (or down ) after one year or so, hence
this 3 star rating. A review by
Warthur: On Laughing
Stock, even the jazz influences which provided some sort of cohesion and
reference point on Spirit of Eden began to break down, and Talk Talk's role as
the sires of post- rock is even more evident, with long brooding sections
resembling territory which would later be explored by the likes of Tortoise and
Godspeed You Black Emperor. I'm inclined
to agree with Phil Brown, engineer on the project, when he describes it as
being "dark and claustrophobic"; I'd also say this is a mild step
down from Spirit of Eden, because whilst the band have tapped into a powerful
and unique sound, they also don't quite seem to be comfortable with it and
aren't entirely sure what to do with it. Not surprising, of course - an entire
subgenre of artists haven't yet exhausted the possibilities opened up here - but
it does lead to a less cohesive work than its predecessor. 585
A review by Ivan_Melgar_M: RICK WAKEMAN was the first Prog legend who came to
Perú back in September 1991 so there was easy to find information about him in
the newspapers and among it I read he had released recently an album called
"Softsword - King John and the Magna Charter", the name instantly brought
to my memory the early stages of his career after a decade full of New Age
releases, so the day I went for my concert tickets I also bought the album,
though sadly my first impression was negative. It's true that the album had some moments but still
not in the level of Rick's first albums, but slowly the album started growing
on me. Now I believe I can judge it with a clear perspective and what I see is
a musician who had lost the path of his career trying to regain the respect of
his fans who had abandoned him, and honestly he did a nice job, as the album is
at least satisfying. The opener "Magna Charter” is a 12:16 minutes
epic that clearly reminds me of "Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the
Knights of the Round Table", the whole bombasting sound that I loved so
much when learning about Prog is back, the track is very solid despite the poor
vocals by Chrissie Hammond (Well, Wakeman was never accurate when choosing
vocalists) and the programmed percussion, some excellent changes and a coherent
atmosphere make of this song a good starting point for the album. "After Prayers" is a weak point in the
album, sounds poppy and artificial, like trying to add Symphonic arrangements
to a simple and absolutely ordinary ballad, the first point against Rick. "Battle Sonata" reminds me of the sound
from "White Rock", still not bad but well charged of cheesy selection
of keyboards, despite this fact the performance of Rick makes me forget the
flaws in this song. "The Siege" is a nice change, the
distorted guitar intro by David Paton is interesting and a change in Wakeman's
music. The song turns cheesy again when Rick makes a terrible selection of
keyboards and starts sounding pretty poppy, but when Rick starts with his organ
and the heavy riffs by Paton follow him, everything improves a lot on another
good track despite the uneven moments. "Rochester Collage" is a nice dreamy
instrumental that again reminds me instantly of "Myths and Legends",
to be precise to the song "Arthur". This time Wakeman's choice of
keys is simply perfect, another very nice track, so things are getting better. "The Story of John (Love)" is terrible,
repetitive and absolutely lacks interest, two words come to my mind when
listening to this track, uninspired and filler, not even the nice guitar by
Paton saves the song, so I always avoid it. But again Mr. Wakeman retakes control of the album
with another pompous and solid track "March of Time", somebody should
have told him that he is good with the overblown music so he had avoided some
boring ballads being that only progheads buy his albums and that's not what we
normally expect from him. If you have a skip button in your CD player, better
press it when "Don't Fly Away" is being played, completely
forgettable example of the boring and cheesy ballads the Caped Crusader one must
avoid at any cost. "Issabella" is a very nice instrumental,
soft and slow but absolutely interesting maybe if he had reduced it in one
minute the result would had been even better, because the next instrumental
"Softsword" with it's short 1:45 minutes is perfect as a reliever. The album ends with "Hymn of Hope" which
is simply excellent. Wakeman proves how versatile he is with his synth and
organ while again Paton and Sawney make a good job with the guitar and
percussion, a great and dramatic closer for an uneven album. If you are expecting a masterpiece like "Six
Wives of Henry the VIII" don't buy it, because this is a transitional
album after the weakest decade in the life of RICK WAKEMAN; but if you like his
music, get it because it's a breeze of fresh air after the crimes against music
he committed in the 80's and gives hope to the bored fan who expected a
resurrection of his idol. Never the guidelines were so clear as in this case,
"Softsword" is in no way an essential album (leave that honor to
Journey, Six Wives, Myths & Legends and Criminal Record) but surely is a
great addition to any Prog collection, so four stars from me. Edited by AtomicCrimsonRush - May 01 2012 at 00:40 |
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: March 29 2012 at 07:40 |
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1990 - continued 571
A review by Sean Trane: Devil Doll is one of the more bizarre/absurd group
gathered in the database. This Slovenian character Mr. Doctor is the leader of
this project somehow mixing classical music with gothic ambiances (mostly due
to the vocals) and a rich symphonic prog with incredible hooks in the music.
But the vocals can also be putting off some progheads, because they are simply
overbearing at times, and borderline "grand-guignolesque", which is
not always serving the music to the fullest. As there are many great rock
passages, large portions of the music are closer to classical music, a very
dramatic and expressive kind of music, further outlined by the vocals. To add a
tiny but consequent remark, Mr. Dr.'s diction is not always perfect especially
when he tries to be more macabre or gothic, but this stays a very minor flaw.
In some respects, the fusion between rock and classical approaches the
perfection of Pär Lindh's Project in their album Mundus Incompertus. But unlike
that album, in this one, the music is simply too much to handle. DD certainly has a lot to please many progheads,
but their "musical formula" quickly wears thin, so I suggest you get
one of their album, but stick with it, as one gets the uncomfortable feeling,
that once you have one DD album, you have them all. All in all, it comes down
to your actual musical tastes, and for newcomers, DD's music can either draw
very positive reactions or can be highly repulsive. In my case, I can only be
impressed by the execution of the album's music and the excellent sound, but
even 10 years down the line, I wonder whether I actually like this type of
music, regardless of the many qualities it has. To ask the question is almost
giving you the answer. 572 Ancient Afternoons
A review by Mellotron Storm: EZRA WINSTON is a highly thought of modern RPI band
who released their first album in the late eighties. This is the followup
called "Ancient Afternoons". There's no questioning the talent of
this band but for my taste this was a long listen. Not a fan of the vocals
although they certainly don't ruin it by any means. It's that Classical flavour
that bothers me the most I suppose, although it's more than that. "The Painter And The King" opens with the
birds singing before flute and orchestral sounds take over. Man I don't like
this at all. Talk about getting off on the wrong foot. Thankfully it gets
better when the guitar comes in around 1 1/2 minutes. Vocals before 2 1//2
minutes and it's very pastoral. I like the atmosphere after 3 1/2 minutes then
the drums start to build as the guitar then sax comes in. Not a bad track
overall. "Verge Of Suicide" is mellow to start
with vocals and flute. There has to be fairies prancing around too. Marching
style drums arrive before 7 minutes then it's pastoral again.
"Night-Storm" has this tasteful guitar with a beat and vocals. I like
the guitar late. "Ancient Afternoon Of An Unknown Town" is the 26
minute epic. For me this feels like it's patched together too much, although
there is one section that I like from before 19 minutes to the 24 minute mark.
It's led by drums and horns. "Shades Of Grey" is laid back with
vocals. Flute after 1 1/2 minutes then it kicks in somewhat with drums and
guitar. I must admit it's hard to even offer up 3 stars for
this one, but out of respect for the fans of this album that is my rating. 573
A review by Warthur: This French
album combines a classic neo-prog sound - which to my ears sounds a little more
like early Pendragon than Fish-era Marillion, with a bit more emphasis on the
keyboards than either band - with the excellent vocals of frontwoman Maiko,
whose singing, influenced by the "chanteuse" style, is reminiscent of
a French Annie Haslam. Marillion
fans will be interested to hear Steve Rothery's guest solo on the closing
track, a live recording of Folle Marie from when the band were supporting
Marillion on the Seasons' End tour, though I think few others will consider it
a particularly high priority release - it's a pleasant enough album but it
doesn't really add much new to the format. A review by Marty McFly: This album has an interesting, and quite a sinister
cover. In other words, this is a weird cover, though a nice one. I wonder if
album cover art can be better than the music itself, just a question. Fortunately,
this is not the case with Patchwork. One can't know everything and I have to admit
that I lack knowledge about Marillion of this era. So as far as my ears are
concerned, I can say that I like it. That is enough for me, but I will also express
my reasons for believing so; to think about the music that I'm listening to and
to understand it more, I am only too happy to elaborate. It is reminiscent of Nightwish perhaps to some, but
I am not so sure. The use of higher woman vocals doesn't mean that the band
automatically is a Nightwish soundalike. The metal element is perhaps 1/10-2/10
of these songs. It's quite short and because of this, my rating is not going to
be above 4 stars. This may appear to be unfair, but it is only a little bit
over 20 minutes in length and therefore is not as interesting as a 40, or even
80 minute running time. The problem is it's almost over before you notice
anything. Therefore, this is not good neo-prog. But I will award it 4, - one
star due to its short length, and believe me or not, I regard that as a
mistake. 574
A review by Warthur: Atheist's debut album is an intriguing hint at what
was to come. Though incorporating a wider range of influences and a tricker
variety of time signatures than typical death metal groups of the era, the
band's sound was at this point still rooted in the genre's typical sound (the
more technical end of it, at any rate) and hadn't yet brought their avant-garde
jazz influences to the fore as they would on Unquestionable Presence. What you
get on Piece of Time, then, is a bizarre mixture of well-performed death metal
with the occasional jazzy or proggy interjection inserted here or there. Blink and you'll miss 'em, and might be left thinking
"Wait, did Roger Patterson just play a Chris Squire bassline or am I just
hearing things?", but pay attention and Piece of Time will unveil more and
more signs that it's more than just another response to Possessed. Still, even
more experimental territory was coming up. A review by UMUR: This was a very welcome addition to my metal
collection when I purchased this album in the early nineties. I was very much
into Death Metal at the time, and "Piece of Time" is essentially a
Death Metal/ thrash album. There are not many prog tendencies on this Atheist´s
first album. The hints are there though, mostly in Roger Patterson´s brilliant
bass playing. Steve Flynn was still a rather normal Death drummer on this album
(quite a good one I might add). The production is not the best in the world making
it hard to listen to the album in its entire form without being irritated at
some point, but if you like it raw and unpolished this will do. The songs are all good but two songs stand out from
the rest. "Piece of Time" and "I Deny", which showed where
Atheist were heading, especially the brutal and wonderful "I Deny" is
a classic with the break in the middle of the song were Kelly Shaefer is
screaming: "It´s God´s way says your horrid wife" (yes you guessed
right, Atheist is angry at organized religion). This track alone is worth
purchasing this album for. One of the best Atheist tracks ever. At first I gave this one 3 stars as there are too
many things (the bad production, the fact that there are only 2 really
outstanding tracks) that pull this one down to a 3. It is recommendable to
metal boys though, the Prog heads will probably run away seeing this as useless
noise. This might be a very raw and at times primitive album but it´s also a
very original and unique recording so I changed my mind concerning the rating
of Piece of Time to 4 instead of 3. 575
A review by Mellotron Storm: MINIMUM VITAL are from France and they play a sort
of Symphonic/JRF mix with some Folk elements thrown in. This album was released
in 1990 and the only thing I've heard from them prior to this was their contribution
to the "Odyssey-Greatest Tale" concept album where I felt they
offered up the best track. That was in 2005 and to my ears an improvement on
what we have here. Still it seems most rate this album or their most recent
2009 release as their best. There's plenty to enjoy with this record, it just
didn't meet my high expectations although it's still a low 4 star rating for
me. Unfortunately all the liner notes are in French because there is a long
list of instruments used on this record, much more than is attributed here on
this site. "Le Chant De Monde" opens with acoustic
guitar followed by the accordion that eventually leads. It kicks in with
guitar, drums and more before 2 minutes. Excellent. It does settle back a
little with flute-like sounds, bass and drums standing out. The guitar is back
leading before 5 minutes. "Port Sur L'ere" is acoustic guitar
melodies throughout. "Sarabandes No. I" his some prominent chunky
bass early as other intricate sounds come and go. Flute then guitar after 1 1/2
minutes. This is great. Vocals for the first time on the album a minute later.
Guitar follows. "Cantiga De Santa Maria" has these synths
that pulsate slowly with intricate sounds as the vocals join in. It's fuller 2
minutes in. "Sarabandes No. II" opens with spacey synths then a full
sound kicks in. Guitar follows. It turns jazzy 4 1/2 minutes in then kicks back
in at 6 minutes with the guitar lighting it up. "Hymne Et Danse"
opens with piano then we get a change after 2 minutes. Vocals 6 minutes in as
it settles right down to the end. "Danza Vital" has these horns blasting
away like royalty has arrived then it kicks in after a minute. Great sound
here. Check out the bass, drums and guitar ! "Le Bal Diable" is the
short classical sounding piece. This is too good in my books not to give 4 stars
to, there's so much here that I enjoy. 576
A review by Mellotron Storm: This is very good flute/keyboard led instrumental
music from Hungary. I was a little
disappointed that the guitar wasn't as prominent as it was on their
"Nostradamus Book Of Prophesies" album. The keyboard seems to have taken that prominent
role on this one, after the flute of course. This is a double cd with a lot of
previously unreleased and live material. It flows quite well though, and the playing is
very good. Disc one starts off with "A Viking
Visszater" an upbeat tune although the tempo changes back and forth on
this one. Some nice guitar 2 minutes in.
Lots of synths after 3 minutes. "Ellenpont" opens with some amazing
piano melodies, although the flute ends up dominating the sound. "OZ" is one of my favourites with
spacey synths followed by flute and drums. Guitar 2 1/2 minutes in returns 2 minutes
later and it's even better the second time around. "Mickey Mouse" is an uptempo synth
led track. What else? "Eden" is another favourite of mine. I like the atmosphere that comes and goes. A tasteful guitar solo 1 1/2 minutes in
followed by flute a minute later. The
guitar returns a couple of times before this one is over. "Hullamok" is a bonus track with
some organ. "Egeszeges
Optimizmus" is the other bonus track. It's fairly catchy with spoken words that come
and go. "Los Angeles 2026" is
a side long suite at over 23 minutes. It
has a dramatic and epic intro before it levels out. Some excellent bass 4 minutes in. Piano 6 1/2 minutes in. Bass is back 11 1/2 minutes in. Flute leads the way 13 minutes in. Some JETHRO TULL-like moments at this point. Some good guitar late as it ends with an
amazing sound. Disc two starts off with "Ejszakaitarlat"
as keys and flute lead the way early. This one gets quite intense before
settling down to a calm 4 minutes in. After each odd numbered track is a short song,
each called "Kozjatek". The first one of these features a lot of
electronics. The second is the best as
the guitar is plucked. The third has the
sound of blowing wind. Then there is the
fourth and fifth. Back to the longer
songs. "Szabadjatek" opens
with some mellow flute for 1 1/2 minutes. A full sound of drums and synths mainly 2
minutes in. "Ejfeli Valcer" has this waltz-like rhythm
throughout. "Jozsi Mateszalkara
Megy" is a bit of a mixed bag with the flute, drums, guitar and synths
each taking the spotlight. "Ejszakaitarlat V. " is slower paced
with lots of atmosphere. Drums and flute
lead the way. "E-Moll
Concerto" is all over the place, slow, fast, noisy, calm. Some vocal melodies even. The bass is great. "Paella" sounds like a Spanish
guitar solo throughout. "A Kigyo
Szive" has a nice full sound with flute and guitar shining bright. "Ez Nem Kan-Kan" is less than a
minute of different sounds coming and going. "Magyar Tanc" is a cool sounding
uptempo track. Lots of intricate sounds.
They're just showing off late in the
song. Haha. "Duo" is mostly flute and acoustic guitar. That is
probably why it's called Duo?! The final song is "Solaris 1990" and
we get snippets of famous movie soundtracks and classical music pieces. They
are all pieced together while what sounds like a drum machine keeps a beat
going. Over a 100 minutes of music here from
"SOLARIS". I just don't think it's essential. I would suggest you get
your hands on "Nostradamus..." or "The Martian Chronicles"
first. 577 Tales from the Twilight World
A review by Conor
Fynes: The reason that Blind Guardian can be considered a progressive
metal band is from the great complexity of the music found on their two
'masterpiece' albums, 'Nightfall In Middle-Earth' and 'A Night At The Opera.'
However, unfortunately all of their music isn't that complex, and while I am
admittedly a great fan of power metal (especially European-style)'Tales From
The Twilight World' feels a bit too raw for its own good. For starters, I will say that
Blind Guardian is one of my favourite metal bands, and the two masterpieces are
two of my most cherished records in my collection. As a fan of power metal, I
have listened to a lot of different power metal bands, and while there are only
a few that really stand out; Blind Guardian being one of them. For a band that
was just getting into a progressive, complex swing of things, the fact that this
album is sort of simple (at least compared to later work) is understandable and
forgivable. But being no stranger to power metal, I'm not even sure if this can
be considered real power metal. Yes, there are references to fantasy (hell,
they even have a song here called 'Lord Of The Rings!') and Blind Guardian is
first and foremost, a power metal band but this would better be described as
just being 'speed metal.' The European power metal style is usually accompanied by a great
style of finesse and elegance; an epic quality as if to evoke thoughts of what
it's like to charge into an army of orcs and goblins. However, this is very
stripped down, and besides a few moments (the 'LOTR' song, for instance) where
a feeling of fantasy and otherworldliness is evoked, it sounds more like a band
some leather clad 1980s youth from LA would listen to, as opposed to the
traditional 'swords and sorcery' lover archetype that power metal fans are
associated with. As a power metal purist
(traditional speed metal has its merits, but I don't care to listen to it) I
find this failure to sound really 'epic' sort of disappointing. But it's Blind
Guardian, so if you like this band, I guess this is worth at least checking out
regardless. Edited by AtomicCrimsonRush - May 01 2012 at 07:39 |
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: March 26 2012 at 05:01 |
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1990 561 A Social Grace
A review by
AtomicCrimsonRush: A debut that kicked things off in the right
direction for Psychotic Waltz. What I really like about this band is their ability
to create complex intricate music that has the distinctive metal edge and very
dynamic singing style. The lead breaks are as good as you will hear and the
structure of each track is replete with energetic time signatures ranging from
speed metal blasts to acoustic and flute beauty. The album begins with a very
pronounced style and typifies the type of music Psychotic Waltz revel in. There
are twin lead breaks and multilayered riffing throughout from Rock and McAlpin,
with some inspired percussion by Leggio. The vocals of Lackey, who is actually
known today as Devon Graves, are a trademark for the band, and he is able to
sing gently and melodically on songs such as the intro to ‘Halo Of Thorns’, and
he is also able to belt out killer songs such as ‘Another Prophet Song’. Often Lackey is harmonised with his own multi
tracked vocals, high falsetto tenor to mid range alto. The sound of the album
is rather raw, as is typical of a metal debut during the early 90s. At times I
would like to hear more bass and distortion and a better mix, but it is very
complex and seems to flow fluidly from one track to the next. Highlights abound, such as the technical metal of
the opening track, and the progressive heavy ‘Another Prophet Song’ with a
killer riff and strong vocals that at times remind me of early Ozzy. The
metrical shifts are vigorous with a tight bass and drum rhythm section
underplaying insane guitar licks. The swathes of synth from Lackey augment the
intricacy of the track. Another classic track is ‘Successor’, that has some
dark choppy riffs at the intro, and then a very fast complex guitar motif. The
vocals sound backmasked and strange, this is a real treat on the album. The odd
time sig is as bizarre as metal gets, and it keeps changing and taking
unexpected detours almost randomly it seems. The awesome ‘In This Place’ has some crazy
drumming; a genuinely sporadic beat with very elaborate riffage. The way the
song keeps changing direction is a progressive characteristic, thus the band
are one of the first prog metal bands to surface in the 90s. During the lead
break a voice explains the meaning of Psychotic Waltz, "is a trip through
time, the subconscious brain, an expose of time, a state of mind, a psycho
analyst." The lyrics with echoed vocal effects make some kind of sense
such as; "I cannot stand to see what I see, I can't stand this place, just
say goodnight my friend, what you hear with your eyes, kiss me goodnight my
friend". One to download and check out for yourself. There are quiet moments of exquisiteness such as in
‘I Remember’, that floats along a sea of acoustic and flute with Jethro Tull
like vocals, and dedicated to Ian Anderson! It builds gradually to a dynamic
lead flute break, that is beautiful and dreamy. It reminds me of the flute on
any Tull or ‘Nights In White Satin’'s break. ‘Sleeping Dogs’ is an instrumental with synth pads
and very spacey effects that may be reminiscent of Hawkwind, and the pulsating
drones and effects have an ethereal atmosphere. The album sounds very different
at this point but delightfully so. After this gorgeous interlude the riffs return in a
powerful track ‘I Of The Storm’. Another highlight, with slow power metal
guitar chords and amazing majestic vocals. The lead break of twin guitars are
wonderful. As always the song changes tempo throughout into fractured rhythm
shapes. At the end it takes off into speed metal territory. A lone piano begins ‘A Psychotic Waltz’, then is
joined by acoustic and very high vocals; "turning and winding in circles
they spin never ending". The crawl metal signature follows and eventually
the track blasts out an excellent lead guitar solo, with string bends and fret
melting hammer ons. A strong composition that moves along patiently and
methodically. ‘Only In A Dream’ has soft acoustic and a very
pretty melody to begin with. The band are very capable of beautiful tunes and
ambience. It threatens to break out and does in the first verse, a sparrow
dying with broken wings is the topic here. The lead work spirals out of control
at times, speed licks and high fret arpeggios played to perfection. ‘Spiral Tower’ is one of my favourites, that begins
with high feedback loops and whammy bar trills that create a dark doomy
atmosphere. The manic laughing that follows and slow riff further augments the
darkness. Eventually the verse slams out in a wonderful memorable riff and
powerful vocals. One of the best lead breaks follows with twin harmonics and
high pitched screams. The longest track is only 6:38 but ‘Strange’ is one
of the best Psychotic Waltz with heaps of lead breaks and time sig shifts in
tempo. The mood is dark and aggressive, and I adore the time sig changes to
open up space for some incredible lead work. The complexity of the piece is
undoubted and there is even an eerie vocal effect mid way through with high
pitched King Diamond vocals. This one has extreme technical percussion and
bass, violent riffing and powerhouse vocals. An absolute masterpiece track. It ends with ‘Nothing’, beginning with more
acoustic flourishes played virtuoso style. Crunching distorted chords follow,
and a slow beat over the vocals. The time changes are there and it ends in a
fury of fiery metal riffs. So as far as a debut goes, the band hit the nail on
the head in every department, metal riffs, lead work and vocals are exemplary.
The best was yet to come for the band definitely on such albums such as the
amazing masterpiece "Into The Everflow", but this is a solid debut
and deserves recognition from all metal addicts. 562
A review by Sean Trane: First album what is often regarded as a "supergroup"
(even if the notion if RIO is rather inept, because musicians in that realm
cannot be considered as popular stars) and easily their better one. UT was
obviously well entrenched in the now-solid American branch of RIO with Thinking
Plague, Frith's New World adventures and 5UU etc. Printed on a luxurious paper
but sober presentation (a typical Cuneiform product of those days), the booklet
and artwork, the self-titled debut album is a bit of a condensed RIO/chamber
prog résumé, presenting most of the more representative side of the movement. Starting out like a madman out of his cage, the album is off to
a completely wild and atonal (ala John Cage) intro of the 15-min One Nail Draws
Another, before Emily's singing and James' guitar makes the track come back on
traditional grounds (if you can talk of U Totem in terms of traditional), with
many other influences interfacing and interlocking among which Henry Cow, Frank
Zappa and Univers Zero (or Present to make the Kerman connection). This formation
is incredibly tight and all musicians excel at their craft, but I'd like to
point out Kerman's fantastic drumming and Johnsson's impressive wind
instruments between Lindsey Cooper and Michel Berckmans, while Emily Hay's
voice (and her flute parts) is simply dashing. But all is not perfect and
Yellow Umbrella Gallery is a little too much nonsense for this writer, while
the ingestion of the whole album (lasting over an hour) might prove a little
arduous, because of some repetitions. Exactly the type of album that confirmed that prog's supposed
lean years in some departments were among the strongest in the Opposition,
picking up the slack when Univers Zero was down for the count. This album is
easily in my top 5 of that year and most likely in the top 20 of the decade. I
will cite another reviewer: "UT were what Henry Cow wanted to be!"
Even if only for this album alone, that is not far removed from the truth, if
you eclipse the fact that UT is fairly derivative of HC and UZ. 563
A review by Warthur: Phillips
turns multi-instrumentalist on this album, creating a single continuous piece
of music on which his guitar playing is eclipsed by his use of synthesisers and
other instruments. Don't expect a Tubular Bells retread, however, even
considering the similarities in format: this piece is rooted in Anthony's
classical music interests, the synths doing a decent (if somewhat dated) job of
standing in for an orchestra. Fans of
Phillips' guitar playing will feel very disappointed, those fond of his ear for
classical composition may be enchanted - for my part, I think it's a good
listen, though the rather dated and cheap synth sound prevents it from
attaining excellence. A review by Marty McFly: I can't always give a five star rating and again
I'm going against the stream. When I've marked Beardfish's new album with five
stars, two other reviewers gave it three. There's not a majority of five stars
for Slow Dance either, but I will settle for four; and there's nothing wrong with
that is there? Now to the album. As a lot of Anthony Phillip's work, it's very quiet. You can even use it as a form of Ambient Music (a special term used by me, sometimes), but that would be a waste. This album has one thing that I appreciate a lot, and I'm not afraid to call it Melody. By the way, I'm preferring not to use a track-to-track style here. The music here is nice, slow (dance) and pleasant. You're likely to love it. The first part of the first track seems to end after five minutes, or does it continue? In these collected songs (which are long) it’s always hard to tell (for me). It's different rhythms, using other instruments, but something here is similar. Actually everything here is similar to everything elsewhere here, because of the theme of this record; I mean this should be a one themed track. I didn't realise that the songs changed from part 1 to part 2 on a first spin. At the end there is nice synth work, though I could be confused and this is actually a real orchestra. This album comes recommended. 564
A review by Mellotron Storm: "Mike Oldfield's twelfth studio album
"Amarok" reunited him with Tom Newman, the producer who had
contributed to Mike's first album "Tubular Bells". The creation of
"Amarok" was also similar to that of "Tubular Bells".
Instead of using computers, Mike played almost everything by hand, using over
30 acoustic stringed and percussion instruments. The kaleidoscope of sound also
includes Paddy Moloney of the CHIEFTAINS playing his uillean pipes, Zulu
percussionists, a Margaret Thatcher impersonation by comedienne Janet Brown and
the sounds of Mike himself brushing his teeth and stomping around the
studio". That was from the liner notes. Oldfield himself considered this album as sort of a
Ommadawn II. In fact looking around the "Net" this is the highest
rated album since "Ommadawn". Although i honestly don't understand
why. I am a Mike Oldfield fan but after many listens this still sounds like a
mixed up mess to me. Actually a reviewer says it well in calling this
"...weak and disjointed". Finnforest's review is very enlightning and
I certainly agree with his thoughts and rating. The enjoyable moments are few and far between for
me. 3 stars. A review by Finnforest: "Cloth-eared nincompoops" I love Mike Oldfield, but I've always found his
personal health warning to the "cloth-eared nincompoops" to be a
thinly veiled, childishly defensive preemptive strike against critics who may
be of the opinion that they were listening to an artist short of ideas. An
artist ripping off his own past glory as the basis for this somewhat contrived
mess of an album. He felt the need to let listeners know that they might not be
enlightened enough to follow him down the road he was about to take them. Not
as effective as the standard rock musician line about making music to please
myself, and if others like it, great, if not, that's great too. Mike opted for
the preemptive insult instead--which I guess is an invitation for critics to be
more frank than they might otherwise. Going a step further and comparing the
oft-mentioned album covers of Ommadawn and Amarok (for people often consider
Amarok an update of Ommadawn), one will notice that the Ommadawn cover shows an
Oldfield at peace, rightfully pleased with the work finished I'm sure. The
cover of Amarok on the other hand looks like a Mike Oldfield who just read an
Amarok review written by one of his nemesis "nincompoops." He looks
anything but pleased. But we move on to the all important music. Amarok
is of course an hour long (tortuous) extravaganza (throw everything at the wall
and see what sticks), a work that takes classic Oldfield musical sprites and
arranges them in a "fresh and exciting" way (gimmick album.) You have
a chaotic tapestry of bits glued together, guitar licks, keys, some vocals,
lots of noises, odd instruments, and the kitchen sink. It's well done of course
as is every Oldfield album, the artist being a fantastic musician as well as a
studio wizard. I'm a huge fan of his earlier albums but found him occasionally
floundering for substance in later periods. This is a monster regurgitation of
past "impressions" gussied up to be something deep and profound when
it is neither, a "weak and disjointed" composition as one reviewer
notes. Being provocative and seemingly edgy does not always result in a great
piece of music, acclamations I believe are sometimes given too easily to
artists who do something "louder or weirder." What absolutely does work here is the performance
of Mr. Oldfield on his guitar. You will find these exquisite little snips of
brilliance here and there, moments where you wish you were hearing Oldfield
attempt another grandiose idea in another true epic composition. Then of course
the moment crashes and burns in yet another pointlessly jarring noise (ticking
clock or ringing telephone anyone?) or simply letting the brilliance die into
another manic musical twinkie. For here ideas do not progress or evolve
to states of developed bliss---instead they are born, scream briefly for
attention like a musical toddler, and then die within the space of seconds or
if you are lucky, perhaps a minute. It comes complete with a spoken-word ending
which is cute on the first play and tiring by the 5th play. My opinion is
certainly the minority as many thoughtful reviewers compare this to
masterpieces and great albums like Ommadawn, Hergest Ridge, or Incantations. For me Amarok is nothing but an occasionally
amusing play for his ardent fans. A parody of Mr. Oldfield offered by the
artist himself, giving it a great degree of authenticity, while not nearing the
heights offered by his more thoughtful, original works. Even the caveman is
back for an embarrassing cameo that feels as necessary as having Steve Martin
host SNL one more time. Just as in cooking, a musician can attempt to impress
with flash and presentation. It is far more difficult to slave over that stove,
adding and tasting just the right ingredients for hours to create that special
family dish that nourishes and stays with your gut. Oldfield's best offerings
(and there are many) are the work of a wise old soul with a hunched back over a
large cauldron of the finest stew you ever had, served with great crusty bread
and some fine ale or vino. Amarok feels like the work of a first year pastry
chef on their final exam for class---lots of oohs and ahhs but 30 minutes later
you're still starving for some real food. Again, most find this album to be
fantastic so judge for yourself. But be warned, a few of us see it as a mirage
to be bothered with only after his 1970s masterpieces have been devoured, and then
only with your heartburn pills. A review by Warthur: A
reimagining of the approach of Tubular Bells, Hergest Ridge and Ommadawn for
the CD age, Virgin had been desperately hoping for a Tubular Bells II out of
this one but what they got in the end was more reminiscent of Ommadawn than the
other two of Mike's first three albums - the fascination with Irish folk music
is back with a vengeance, in particular. Starting out with a more dissonant and
chaotic section with heavy amounts of sampling, once the piece actually gets
underway what we get is a 1 hour revisit of the Ommadawn concept which, whilst
it isn't quite up to the high standard set by its predecessor, comes very very
close indeed. 565
A review by Mellotron Storm: Every AFTER CRYING album I have seems to sound
different from the next one even though we always get that classical vibe with
cello, viola, bassoon, trombone, trumpet, aboe and flute. Add bass, synths and piano along with vocals
and there you have it. No guitar or
percussion here makes this sort of unique I'd say. This is different from the rest of their
recordings for a couple of reasons. First the vocals are in English instead of
their native tongue (Hungarian) like the following albums, and there is this humour that brings
Canterbury to mind at times with the lighter vocals. I thought of WIGWAM at times as well. Check out the title of this album
"Overground Music" instead of a popular term "Underground
Music". The first track "European Things" is a
tribute to Frank Zappa. It's light and
classical sounding with piano and strings standing out. The male vocals remind
me of WIGWAM. Flute before 3 minutes
followed by female vocal melodies. Piano
and flute lead late as well. "Don't
Betray Me" features male vocals, piano and aboe but we do get horns
joining in as well. "Confess Your
Beauty" opens with fast paced piano and vocals. The vocals get pretty
passionate from time to time. Flute and
strings come and go. I really like the
strings after 3 minutes. Piano and bass
take over 4 1/2 minutes in. "Madrigal Love Part One" is a short
vocal/piano piece. "...To Black... "
features more vocals and piano but aboe, strings and other sounds help out here.
Horns before 2 1/2 minutes. "Madrigal Love Part Two (Over Every
Sea)" is more uptempo with vocals and piano. Some brief horns after a minute then female
vocals before 2 minutes. Male vocals
return later. "Madrigal Love Part
Free" is quite jazzy to start but it changes quickly. "Shining (...To The Powers Of
Fairyland)" has this heavier than usual opening then it turns pastoral
with female vocals. Piano and strings
only before 3 minutes. Aboe after 4
minutes in a beautiful section. Female
vocals are back 6 minutes in. That
opening heavier sound is back after 8 1/2 minutes. It took a while but I do really like this. It's challenging yet whimsical, complex yet humorous.
The vocals take some abuse from reviewers but for me it's part of the charm. A review by Gatot: This album is very impressive to me and even though
this band is considered symphonic prog, I'd rather call this album as eclectic
or avant-garde in nature. I have known After Crying for so long and have
listened to some of their later albums. Only recently I got a chance to have
this album and was impressed at first spin for two things: music composition
and sonic production - all of them are excellent. Why do I stress on
composition? It's merely due to the facts that the overall album does not include
the so called "catchy" melodies. Well, I know that this is very
subjective. A friend of mine commented that Genesis' "Firth of Fifth"
is not catchy while to me it's so catchy. Impressive debut album! The good thing about this album is how dynamic each
song in the album is in terms of tempo as well as style changes. There are
different time signatures in even the shortest segment of the music. The
opening track "European Things (Hommage à Frank Zappa)” (8:27)
demonstrates exactly what I mean. Observe how the time signatures change quite
frequently throughout the song while the melody is sacrificed. However, with
the lack of melody, you can enjoy the music with the harmonies among
instruments and vocals produce throughout the song. As the title implies, this
is definitely Zappa music interpreted uniquely by the band. The use of string
section and piano combined with energetic singing is wonderful. "Don't
Betray Me" (3:02) is a mellow track with powerful vocal and piano as a main
rhythm section while trumpets accentuate the song. The ending part with cello /
violins combined with trumpets is nice. "Confess Your Beauty" (6:50) is probably
a catchy song with nice piano work at the opening part followed by energetic
singing. Again, the band demonstrates, despite this being a debut album, its
maturity in music composition. The piano and string section combination plus
piano solo and violin solo are all great. "Madrigal Love Part One"
(2:14) shares a similar vein with "Don't Betray Me", using piano and
vocal as main component. "...to Black... "(5:05) according to my
preference is a catchy song, sung beautifully by the lead vocalist.
"Madrigal Love Part Two (Over Every Sea)" (3:00) brings the music
into faster tempo with nice acapella followed by great piano work.
"Madigral Love Part Free" (0:51) concludes the epic with piano and
acoustic work followed with acapella in the vein of Gentle Giant. It flows
wonderfully through great piano work to "Shining (...to the Powers of
Fairyland)" (10:44) which features flute and female vocals. According to
my book, this song is quite catchy in its melody line as well as the rhythm
section by piano as well as string section. The solo section in the middle of
the track using brass instruments followed by high register notes of female
vocal singing has resulted with this track being a true five-star. 566
A review by Warthur: The Ozrics
followed up Pungent Effulgent with this packed CD (or a double album for those
getting the vinyl) of music which presents their cleanest and most
well-produced sound yet. Though there isn't an enormous musical advance over
their preceding releases - there's the Hawkwind and Gong influences, there's
the Middle Eastern music, and over there's the reggae vibe right on cue - the
album stands out both in terms of providing excellent value for money in terms
of the amount of material here and in having truly excellent sound quality. All
this makes the album a fairly good starting point for any exploration of the
Ozrics' unique sonic world. A review by
Mellotron Storm: Not as
energetic or dynamic perhaps as "Curious Corn" but this has a variety
of sounds and styles to keep you entertained. This was originally released as a
double album, so we get over 73 minutes of music here. I like the opening track "Eternal
Wheel" the best, it has some fantastic guitar melodies as well as some
scorching solos. The drumming and synth work really stands out as well. Check
out the swath that the guitar cuts out of the soundscape later on followed by
some ripping solos. Flute and a spacey atmosphere to end it. "Toltes
Spring" features various sounds with percussion and flute. "Tidal Convergence" opens with
synths before the song accelerates with drums and bass leading the way. Some
good guitar 4 1/2 minutes in, but the drumming that follows really shines. "Sunscape" opens with some excellent
guitar, and the percussion is great too. "Mysticum Arabicola" as the title
suggests has an Arabic feel to it, as the tablas pound away. "Cracker Blocks" almost sounds like
chimes clanging with synths. Waves of synths arrive before 4 minutes. "The
Throbbe" features pounding drums and a spacey soundscape. "Erpland" is an uptempo tune with
bass, guitar and drums leading the way. "Valley Of A Thousand Thoughts"
sounds like you’re in a jungle with bird-like sounds and tribal drumming. "Snakepit" has some nice crisp
drumming and intricate guitar melodies. The latter part of the song doesn't do
a lot for me though. "Iscence"
has a reggae beat, and the drumming on this track is incredible. "A Gift
Of Wings" has spacey atmospheres, an island beat and Eastern sounds, as
they try to combine all these elements on the final and longest track on the
album. I really have no complaints about
this album at all, and I recommend this
record to all the fans of Space Rock music out there. This is a trip around the
world! A review by Bonnek: If there's one way to sum up the Ozrics it would be
that they're just entirely pleasant: colourful melodies, bright sounds, clean
licks you could eat off; all served at a relentless and exciting dance groove.
That's what they have on offer and that is why you should shove them in your CD
player when doing the dishes or cleaning the house. If you want one album from them I would recommend
this Erpland. If you'd like two, you could choose the 2CD package with Jurassic
Shift. If you would really feel like getting more than two, then ... why should
you unless you have similar addictive impulses as I have? They're all very
similar, only a bit (or a lot) less exciting than this one. 567
A review by Conor Fynes: First off, this is a good album. Secondly however, it's nothing
like the Queensryche seen on earlier material such as 'Rage For Order' and
'Operation: Mindcrime.' Despite being labelled as a progressive metal band,
Queensryche has released an album that is much better described as hard rock as
opposed to full out metal, and only has a faint smattering of progressive
influences. However, if you look past the seemingly commercial feeling this
album has for the most part, you'll find an album with an absolutely smashing
first side, and a compilation of some great rockers. Like most commercial albums,
there is little focus on the album as a whole, but instead a plight to squeeze
out a few really memorable songs. In that respect, 'Empire' certainly achieves
it's initial goal. 'Silent Lucidity' is the song that the world outside of
progressive music knows Queensryche for. It's one of the most beautiful songs
in modern rock, and everything fits in perfectly. Each note is accounted for,
and blends in heart melting harmony. The only real prog-song on here
is 'Della Brown' which is a great song, although I'd rather listen to a dose of
'Mindcrime' anyday. Despite the album's feeling of only being a 'group of
songs,' there seems to be a common lyrical theme of sorts, about the state of
the streets (homelessness, crime, drugs) which is quite profound for hard rock
music. As far as song quality goes,
the songs are all very good and memorable, with the exception of 'Resistance,'
'Hand On Heart,' and 'One And Only' which aren't necessarily bad songs persay,
but they're utterly forgettable and kiss any chance goodbye this album might
have had in terms of 'flow.' The first half of 'Empire' is pristine, though. 'Empire' is not an album for a
hardcore metal-roots fan; and some may be very disappointed by the route
Queensryche chose to take with this, but while it's essentially nothing more
than hard rock, it's honestly better than 95% of the hard rock that's out there
to begin with. Four stars. A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: "Empire"
is a solid Queensryche album with some of their best material. The metal is
subdued and not as aggressive as other albums but Tate's vocals are up to
scratch and powerful at times, and he knows how to belt out a soft metal ballad
such as ‘Another Rainy Night (Without You)’. The band are
united on this and some great killer riffs are present such as ‘Best I Can’ and
‘Jet City Woman’. ‘Silent Lucidity’ is quite a popular Queensryche song and has
an infectious hook in the chorus. The lead breaks are soaring and well
executed. ‘One and Only’ is a powerful track with great lyrics and ‘Anybody
Listening?’ is emotionally driven and melodic choruses drive the album to a
close. This is not the best QR album of course as that honour belongs to
"Operation Mindcrime" but I like "Empire" as a relaxing way
to spend an evening with some metal edge and powerful vocals. 568 Vigil In A Wilderness
Of Mirrors
A review by UMUR: Vigil in A Wilderness of Mirrors is
the debut album by former Marillion vocalist Fish.
Fish and Marillion parted ways in 1988 after
making four of my personal favourite albums. EMI had the rights to Fish’ solo
recordings because of a leaving members clause but Vigil in A
Wilderness of Mirrors would be the only album Fish released
on EMI as he would leave the label after a lengthy legal
dispute in 1991. Most songs on the album are co-written by keyboard player Mickey
Simmonds (who would also tour with Fish on the
following tour for the album), but Janick Gers (Iron Maiden)
and Hal Lindes (Dire Straits) would also contribute to
the writing of a few songs on the album. The music ranges from slightly progressive rock and
ballads to pop/ rock. My favourites on the album are the opening title track
which is probably the song on the album which sounds mostly like Fish-era Marillion and
the heavily orchestrated A Gentleman's Excuse Me. The
Company and Family Business also comes off as
sounding quite successful to my ears. The rest is rather forgettable though and
not really something that impresses me. Big Wedge with its brass
arrangement and female backing choir even annoys me a bit. Most of the songs
are lacking in the instrumental department though and that also counts for the
better songs on the album. This album is clearly a solo album by a vocalist. Fish shines
as ever and his lyrics are as usual of high quality but I wish he would have
concentrated more on making interesting music as well. The musicianship is good, but the performances of
the musicians are a bit anonymous simply because the song arrangements are too
generic. The performance needs bite and it´s really only Fish who
sounds like he means it. The production is good, but again there´s too much
emphasis on the vocals and too little emphasis on the music as a whole. It´s safe to say that I had big expectations of
both Fish solo albums and Marillion´s post-Fish ditto.
None of them have delivered what I would call better than average rock albums
since they parted ways and I must admit to be one of those who cry myself
asleep every night because of the split. Fish-era Marillion simply
had a wonderful magic that neither the band nor Fish have been
able to create since. Vigil in A Wilderness of Mirrors is
overall a pretty good album from the singer though and deserves a 3 star
rating. 569
A review by Warthur: There's a legion of neo-prog bands out there who
take their lead from Marillion's sound during the Fish era, but for me Collage
stand out as a particularly excellent one. Their debut, Basnie, is a case in
point: whilst many other bands simply try to preserve Marillion's sound from
whichever Fish-era album happens to be their favourite and don't really take
the music forward, Collage learn lessons from all the phases of the Fish period
- the angst of Script for a Jester's Tear, the anger of Fugazi, the delicacy of
Misplaced Childhood and the wry wit of Clutching at Straws - and combine all of
these moods (and the musical underpinnings thereof) to form the core of their
sound and take it in an entirely different direction from the one Marillion
seemed to be pursuing at the end of the Fish era: more raw, more energetic, and
significantly more complex. Their compositions are simply stuffed with
energetic solos and performances from the band's instrumentalists, whilst
frontman Tomas Rozycki's passionate and confident singing style is genuinely
individual and could give most other singers from major neo-prog bands a run
for their money. A brilliant debut to a career which after this was,
unfortunately, rather patchy and inconsistent. Still, there was at least one
more widely-embraced landmark to come. A review by Gatot: Excellent debut from Poland's
Neo-Progger! I had never imagined how this band sounds because
neo prog is quite wide in its horizon. Is it something like Marillion? Or
something like Pallas? Or IQ? Or Pendragon? When I spun this CD the first time,
it blew me away right away. What impressed me was the fact that Collage uses
multi-layered keyboards nicely, coupled with stunning guitar playing in the
vein of neo prog music. I would say the music of this album represents the
combination of Pallas, IQ, Pendragon, Jadis and a bit of Pulsar. Why Pulsar?
Well, you might observe how the melody leads the music through a bit of spacey
kind of nuance. The other attraction point for me is the fact that non-English
lyrics are being used. It does fit with the music. The music is dynamic,
performed in high energy. Why liking this album? Fan of Neo Prog. Definitely,
if you claim yourself as a neo progressive music fan, owning a copy of this CD
is a must - and no compromise for this! I can tell you that the compositions
are all stunning! Every single track is excellent! The opening track
"Jeszcze jeden dzien" (One More Day) (4:10) projects how neo prog can
be presented in an energetic way but still maintaining the ambience of neo prog
music through floating keyboard work combined with stunning guitar. You might
associate this song with IQ and I don't blame you. The vocals have great power
as well. I do enjoy the combination of guitar and keyboard soloing. The
keyboard style reminds me of Clive Nolan of Arena / Pendragon. The music gives
drum solos at later parts of the song. Excellent composition. It then flows naturally to second track "Ja i
ty" (Me and You) (3:20). Maintaining the soul of the previous track. From
track to track the music is consistent in neo prog style and if you are not a
neo prog fan, it's probably time to kill your CD player and change the CD with another
band. But if you really enjoy neo prog, there are many subtleties you would
find until track 8 "Rozmowa" (Conversation) (4:45) which is mainly
very interesting keyboard solos and guitar. Melodic Segments. As a neo prog
band it is required that the music must contain melodic / catchy segments. I
can assure you there are many catchy segments produced on this album. You might
go straight to track 3 "Kolysanka" (Lullaby) (4:30) for an example.
Observe at approx 3:10 when the music interlude produces melodic notes. This is
only one example and it's very melodious, but I'd rather trust your feelings
than mine. Symphonic Music. This album
has significant symphonic nuances that would attract those of you who adore
legendary bands like Yes, Genesis, ELP. You might go straight to track 4
"Basnie" (Fairy Tales) (10:00), the album title track, which is an
epic with many great shots on symphonic music. The intertwined guitar and
keyboard works represent what usually come out of symphonic prog music. All
tracks contained in this album have symphonic elements. The guitar intro at
"Dalej, dalej" (Farther and Farther) (7:00) reminds me of Steve
Hackett's guitar fills and the keyboard at the background provides wonderful
symphonic nuances. Observe the way pulsating keyboard work overlays the music
especially during transition pieces augmented with guitar solos. Excellent keyboard. If you like
keyboard-drenched music, this album is for you, no doubt! As you explore the
music you will notice that keyboard is the main contributor of the music. In
some parts you will find Rick Wakeman style but in another part you will find
Clive Nolan's style. Combined, these two styles produce nice harmonies. Why (you are) NOT liking this album? Getting bored. This
statement applies to those of you who do not (or can not) enjoy the floating style
of neo progressive music. You might find this album has dull variation. All the
tracks might sound alike in your ears. If this is the case, well... I cannot
help you my friend. One thing for sure, you have missed all the beauty that neo
progressive music presents: simple composition, catchy melodies and smooth
transition pieces. Bearing this in mind, you might find minimum (or even no)
surprises; everything seems predictable. If you get bored with this album, try
to stop your listening when you reach track 4 and enjoy the rest the next day, and
I'm sure you will get the right subtleties of the music. Nothing new. If you always
search for something new in an album / artist, you will end up not re-spinning
this CD. Why? There is nothing new. Yes, you might find the music is similar to
other bands like IQ, Pallas, Arena. Conclusion Straight to the point: this is an excellent
addition to any prog music collection. It has powerful composition with
excellent songwriting and overall performance. All instruments are played
dynamically. Overall production, including CD sonic quality is good. The only
concern that I have is the drum sounds which are recorded / mixed thinly. The
rest are okay. What I do like is that this album concludes with the excellent
track "Rozmowa". 570
A review by
Mellotron Storm: So many people love the vocals of Hiroko Nagai but I
can hardly listen to them. She really reminds me of a Broadway singer or
someone singing in a cheesy musical. There is no question she can sing, but it
also reminds me of some of the Christian artists that used to leave me shaking
my head. The orchestration is also a distraction for me. Now if we talk about
the lead guitarist and drummer, we're talking about outstanding musicians. They
do often come and go like a tornado. They are both furious players, and
although the quick start and stop style is impressive, that again is not
something I enjoy a lot. I failed to hear the Canterbury flavour, but I'm sure
that's just me. So 3 stars for me. I can see why so many give this
album 4 or 5 stars, MR.SIRIUS are impressive at what they do. This just doesn't
suit my tastes that's all. Funny but after I gave it one final listen I put
MOVING GELATINE PLATES on and thought this is more like it, no comparison. A review by Warthur: Though its
opening passages may lure you into thinking you're in for another mostly
tranquil listen along the lines of the preceding Barren Dream, it becomes
apparent very soon that Dirge shows a different side of Mr. Sirius, with
regular outbreaks of louder, somewhat RIOish playing and almost operatic vocals
from Lisa Ohki. Whilst the
last album presented a mixture of symphonic and Canterbury-flavoured styles,
this album is more firmly in the Canterbury/RIO camp, with the influence of the
likes of Henry Cow much more prominent. A very successful noisy counterpart to
its quiet older brother, Dirge is another fine accomplishment from a Japanese
band which unfortunately doesn't seem to have released very much since. Edited by AtomicCrimsonRush - May 02 2012 at 04:37 |
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: March 26 2012 at 02:39 |
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1989
553
A review by Conor Fynes: Although I would consider myself to be a fairly
well-versed metalhead through and through, thrash metal is not a genre I have
ever had much luck with. Being introduced to thrash by such albums as Slayer's
'Reign In Blood', I was never impressed and found the obsessive tendencies
towards soloing and speed to be somewhat tasteless. Now, enter Voivod; a
progressive thrash metal band from Montreal that would not only change my view
on thrash metal, but also my perspective of how one could play the guitar.
Since being introduced to this majestic album, I since consider it to be one of
my favourite metal albums of all time, and for very good reason. 1989's
'Nothingface' is a unique album like no other in thrash, and with its
combination of powerful originality and strong songwriting, Voivod have created
what I now easily consider to be the greatest thrash album of all time, bar
none. Starting out as a more typical metal band,
'Nothingface' would see Voivod inherit even more progressive trends into their
music. Changes in time signature, hallucinogen-addled lyrical themes and
experimental musicianship would equate to a sound quite far flung from
virtually all of the other metal released in its day. Like all of the best
bands, Voivod's sound is equally divided amongst its four members. Perhaps most
important is the atypical and disharmonic style of riffing from Denis 'Piggy'
L'Amour, now unfortunately laid to rest. A very clear alternative to the 'skill
through speed and soloing' approach adopted by most thrash musicians, Piggy
makes his talent show through using very irregular, at times unsettling chord structures
and frantic switches between riffs. As a guitarist myself, Piggy's intricate
work with chord experiments and unique tone stands as being one of my greatest
influences; a guitarist who showed me that there was much more to metal guitar
than going down the route of shredding. For that, I am indebted to him. Also here are the keen bass lines of Jean-Yves
Theriault. Usually the bass is not a particularly important instrument (instead
gravitating towards a back-up), but Voivod makes it nearly as important as
Piggy's guitar in the mix. The result is a mixed sound that has a much deeper
resonance to it than most other bands. There are some surprisingly technical
bass riffs here, which add to the already schizoid nature of Piggy's riffs.
Denis Belanger's vocals on the other hand are not nearly as skilfully
accomplished as the craft of the bassist or guitarist that are full of charisma
and expression. An incredibly unique voice with a bit of a Francophone tinge to
it that can only be found in Quebec, he leads the band very well, although some
of the lyrics can get weak and amount to little more than technobabble over
abstract science fiction concepts. The least remarkable aspect of the
performance on 'Nothingface' is the drumwork of Michael Langevin, but it remains
quite strong, leading the time signature changes with precision. 'Nothingface' is easily one of the strongest metal
albums ever made. Some strong songwriting is made even more incredible by the
band's innovative performance. If you're like me, you might be starved for some
really original sound in the genre of metal. Voivod has accomplished this with
'Nothingface', and in doing so, they have made what is one of my favourite
metal albums ever. A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: Detached technical metal with some shining moments. Another very technical prog album from Voi Vod,
"Nothingface" follows along the same lines as the previous release
"Dimension Hatross", science fiction concepts, odd time sigs that
change constantly and very heavy riffs. Snake's vocals are easy to listen to,
no growling at all, and lots of innovative styles. The sterile lyrics and sheer
detachment the band conveys on this will alienate some and, in my opinion,
hinders it from being up to the standard of the previous release. It begins with ‘The Unknown Knows’, a low droning
sound is heard that builds into spacey industrial noise, then Piggy's distorted
mega riffs and howling lead screams out. The riff that follows is a fast tempo
fractured asymetrical pattern. It sounds the same as "Dimension
Hatross" album but delightfully so as that was a terrific release. It
doesn't take long until the odd time shifts begin; at 3:44 a broken signature
pummels the order into glorious chaos. The bass pounds deep and resonates with
excellent pulsating drums. ‘Astronomy Domine’ is one of the best Pink Floyd
covers, Voi Vod also did other Pink Floyd songs but nothing comes close to
this. The harmony in the verse is similar to early Floyd. I love the way Piggy
plays the metal riffs to this classic instead of the "oooooohs". The
lead break is astounding, as good as I have heard on this song. It also has
that "Ummagumma" quiet section, and is very spacey and must be the
heaviest version ever. Quite simply this track is a masterpiece. ‘Missing Sequences’ has a strong rhythm and
features a booming bass solo and some innovative guitar work. Snake sings some
excellent melodies on this track, and definitely it is a great performance from
Piggy who keeps perfect timing with the percussion in very complex technical
patterns. ‘X ray Mirror’ lyrics make sense "Tunnel seems
so long, Touching the bottom, A slim reflection, Punctured my vision, I didn't
notice, Beside the last door, Standing on nothing, There was a mirror."
The time sigs are in constant flux, competing with odd drumming and bassline
shapes. ‘Inner Combustion’ is a great song with powerful
lyrics; "All am I, I am all, Fluorescent light, Pellucid mineral,
Essential dogma, Excludes the logical, Immobile centre, One, two, three for
nothing, Projection ponder, Under a raven's wing, Catalyst fusion, Inner
combustion." Piggy's metal riffing is second to none and he is simply at
his best here, especially the grinding lead break. Snake's vocals remind me of
Hawkwind’s Dave Brock at times. ‘Pre-ignition’ is a faster song with some inventive
signatures and weird lyrics; "Grinding round, The hydraulic wheel,
Extraction, The ultimate greed, Now hidden from view, Surveying stable shifts,
A feeble groove, Unintentional split." It's not a love song. The industrial
sounds add to the overall concept of decayed social damage by pipes and
factories that pollute the skies in an apocalyptic future dystopia. ‘Sub-Effect’ has some awesome riffing that slices
and dices any sense of consistent timing; perhaps it is consistent in that it
has chaotic punctuations consistently. It has a terrific middle section with
chiming guitar, especially the section where Snake sings "Please no, Too
late for S.O.S. Mute island, fish-eye view, Circling the border line, No
resource, no rescue, I'm stranded, I'm otherwise." There are lots of moments to savour for metal heads
and prog fans alike but this album did not impact me as much as "Dimension
Hatross" previously. Perhaps it was too similar, or too mechanised; either
way it did not surprise me and did not feature as many highlights.
Nevertheless, "Nothingface" is a solid Voi Vod album and worthwhile
seeking out, if only for the ‘Astronomy Domine’ masterpiece. 554 Perfect Symmetry
A review by SouthSideoftheSky: This highly enjoyable album is rightly considered a
classic of progressive Metal, or at least an important forerunner to the genre
as it would develop in the 90's with Dream Theater and others. Perfect Symmetry
could be seen either as an early Prog Metal album or as an influential
proto-Prog Metal album. As such, Fates Warning are somewhere in the middle
between (the Judas Priest and Iron Maiden inspired) Queensryche and Dream
Theater. Kevin Moore from the latter group provides some keyboards to the track
At Fate's Hands which is also the track closest in nature to Prog Metal as we
know it today. It is also the absolute highlight of the album and an excellent
song in its own right. But the rest of the album is not bad at all. I must admit that I was not impressed by this album
(or anything else by Fates Warning) on the first few listens. I gave it a rest
for a long while and returned again with fresh ears a couple of years later to
find, to my surprise, a great album. The energetic and complex riffs, powerful
lead guitar and many nice touches of acoustic guitar, occasional piano and
keyboards and even violin at some point creates a varied enough and appealing sound.
The tone is dark and melancholic much to my taste. The 80's style Metal vocals
is probably an acquired taste and might put some people off, but I have learned
to enjoy this style. This is perhaps not the most original and ground
breaking album (especially not by the standard set by classic progressive Rock
from the 70's) and to some people it might even sound a bit dated today, but
this album certainly constitutes an early example of Metal being taken further
than it was by the vast majority of its practitioners in the 80's. As such it
was showing the way to the Prog Metal of the 90's. Highly recommended! 555
A review by Finnforest: Great soundtrack to an amazing film. "The Last Temptation of Christ" is one of
the most beautiful pieces of cinema I've ever seen. It's unfortunate that many
people have missed it because of falsehoods propagated by the religious right,
many of whom spoke out against the film without even seeing it,how enlightened.
What they failed to balance in their hysteria was that the film was [A] a
confessed work of fiction.and a very pro-faith message made clear at the
end. It is a fictional story about Christ experiencing some of the fears and
temptations of mankind and overcoming them, beating them, and being a great
example for mankind. It shows him rejecting Satan's offer to help him so that
he could save mankind. All of these controversial "obscene" visions
that people freak out about took place only within thought as he was dying on
the cross and he never engaged in them. He rejects them outright in a very
dramatic ending. But nope, because of the smear campaign typical of these religious/political
forces, many followers refused to watch this very good movie. What a shame. It is a drop-dead gorgeous film to watch, and
Gabriel's "Passion" is what brings the movie to life. There are very
few films I can think of where the music is such an integral part of the
overall experience. An army of exotic instruments, painstaking attention to
detail, and beautiful performances from musicians from all over the globe set
against a backdrop of North African rhythms. The music is world music based and
injected with some of the ambient elements that will make it appeal very much
to fans of Popol Vuh, Third Ear Band, or Eno. The music is so very successful
at transporting the listener to the film's location and making what you see
believable-when you think about this is really the primary goal of the
soundtrack-to make what you see plausible to your mind. Peter Gabriel recalls "I was excited to be
asked to work on the music. When I first discussed the project with Martin in
'83 I wanted to find out how he was intending to film this controversial novel.
He wanted to present the struggle between the humanity and divinity of Christ
in a powerful and original way, and I was convinced by his commitment to the
spiritual content and message...We recorded some of the finest singers and
soloists in the field of world music. It was a wonderful experience working
with such different and idiosyncratic musicians." Gabriel fans should note that the Criterion DVD of
the film contains an interview with Peter, along with still photos of the
unusual instruments used in the soundtrack. If you have not heard the music or watched the
film, do so and experience both at the same time. They are a perfect marriage
and neither is as effective alone. Decide for yourself where the heart of this
film resides. Recommended to all. A masterpiece for Gabriel and Scorsese. 556
A review by Mellotron Storm: There are so many things I dislike about this album
I'm not sure where to start. I know this
one is rated highly among avant-garde fans and I'm a fan of the genre but this
is one album I just don't appreciate very much. It all boils down to my specific tastes in
music. There's lots to like here as well,
I really enjoy the sax especially when he's playing in a dissonant manner or
just screaming away. There are parts of many tracks here that are fantastic to
say the least. And that's one big issue
with me, the way they tape and paste these different sections of a song
together so we get lots of patch-work. All these different styles and genres in one 2
minute blast is not what I enjoy, in fact I'm not much into variety period when
it comes to one recording. I don't want
to hear Country (ever), Jazz, Lounge, Film Music, Noise, and on and on all on
one album let along one song (haha). Okay I'm exaggerating but you get the picture.
I'm not into "noisy" music
either. And the vocals sound like they
were sampled from the cartoon character The Tasmanian Devil. They are so lame
it's not even humorous. So this album comes off as one of those novelty
albums I normally detest, and yet there is so much here that I enjoy that it
make it unfortunate. Another negative is
that there's 36 short tracks here. 36! Another negative for me is the guitar
and bass both of which sound like they came out of some fifties spy movie much
of the time. I don't care how good these
guys play, that sound and style makes me cringe. I miss Zappa when I hear something like this. Someone who could actually play challenging, funny
and adventurous music that I'm proud to share with friends. Still there's more than enough good music here
to give it 3 stars and besides I don't want to upset their fans anymore than I already
have. 557 Control and Resistance
A review by Conor Fynes: In the 1980's, thrash was a-boomin'. As a style
that already values technicality as one of its central tenants, it can be
expected that the progressive variant of this would be something to behold.
1989 in particular was an incredible year for thrash metal, with two of my
favourite albums of that style being released. The greater of the two was
Voivod's 'Nothingface', an inventive beast of a record that felt miles ahead of
most everything else coming out at that time. In fact, one of the only other
albums in metal that year that hoped to compete was my second pick,
Watchtower's seminal release 'Control & Resistance.' After a major critical
success with their debut 'Energetic Disassembly', this colossal Texas outfit
struck harder than ever with their sophomore. 'Control & Resistance' picks
up what Rush started, and sets it on fire, screaming. This is without a doubt,
an album that still does not receive the wide attention and love it deserves. Watchtower guitarist Ron Jarzombek is the key here,
the man through whom I discovered this album. Described as the 'father of
technical metal', that label certainly is not far off, if it isn't already spot
on. Although thrash is generally fast and technical as it is, there is a much
greater sense of tightness and calibration to Jarzombek's shredding and riff
work, then say- a band like Slayer. The music is certainly thrash, but there is
much more nuance to the performance than the genre is generally used to. In
particular, the vocals of Alan Techhio (a fitting name, eh?) hit most every other
vocalist in thrash out of the ballpark; his vocals attack the same falsetto
range as Geddy Lee, with the precision and scope of an acrobat. The drums and bass here are marvellous, with the
band as a whole constantly changing up their act and tone of the music.
Although there is a fairly stable sound set that 'Control & Resistance'
abides by- that being speedy thrash- there are so many nooks that Watchtower
exploit along the course. The songwriting is explosive and fierce, and the
lyrics take the same thinking man's approach as the music. Topics revolve
around society and war, and the relationship these two concepts have with each
other. Although Techhio's vocals are sure to pierce one's ears at the surface
level, the intelligence invested in the lyrics improves on subsequent listens. I did not expect any of Ron Jarzombek's earlier
work to be any pushover, but I was blown away by Watchtower and this album in
particular. Although the diversity is lacking and over- the-top shriek of Alan
Techhio is at times jarring, I cannot help but love and revere the music here;
an album that sounds as fresh now as it did back then. 558
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: Yezda Urfa - A buried treasure! If you dig deep enough in the prog goldmine you may
occasionally unearth some buried treasure. In the case of Yezda Urfa the
treasure consists of two master works. The first is the demo which became “Boris”
and featured many of the tracks on this, their official release, resurrected
from the 70s; brought back to life solely to enthral progheads, as the band are
long since gone and scattered into musical directions only known to themselves. So we are left with this “Sacred Baboon”. In a
similar way to the masterpiece by Argentinian proggers Bubu, the one and only
full album of Yezda Urfa will go unnoticed by the music world but to progheads
it is one album you must get hold of. The band adopt a ferociously original approach and
yet draw on influences such as Yes and King Crimson, and there is nothing wrong
with that. I could not get hold of the infamous and elusive “Boris”, that has
received high accolades, so this is where it begins and ends for me with Yezda
Urfa, and I was pleasantly surprised. All of the tracks from “Boris” that made their way
to this “Sacred Baboon” are brilliant tracks which says something about the
quality of that debut. There is much on offer here that would make any
connoisseurs of prog drool over. 'Cancer of the Band' is an odyssey of musical
textures, that begins with multilayered soft flute. Finely crafted songs are
the order of the day with a smattering of Gentle Giant and huge dollops of Yes
influences. The multi harmonies are total Yes and there is a Gentle Giant sense
of humour, even lapsing into Gong territory occasionally but this is still
original enough to hold the interest. I can recommend this over many of the other
offerings in that bleak year of 1989. 559
A review by Mellotron Storm: I had mentioned to my spaced-out, Krautrocking
Brother-In-Law a couple of months ago how badly I wanted to have TWENTY SIXTY
SIX AND THEN's debut album. Well would
you believe he shows up the day after my birthday with this cd in his hand. It was the best birthday gift I received this
year. We proceeded to have a few beers
while listening to this recording then OUT OF FOCUS' live album. It was a good evening. Now the tracks on this particular release are
earlier versions of the debut because the master tapes have long been lost. Some who have heard both prefer these longer
earlier versions anyway. There is some
mellotron and flute but this is mostly organ and guitar led with a fantastic
rhythm section. Vocals are in English. "At My Home" has a good beat as the organ
plays over top. Vocals join in. This is catchy. Flute before 2 1/2 minutes followed by an instrumental
break I really like that is led by the organ. A nice and heavy rhythm section here as well. Vocals are back before 6 minutes. "Autumn" builds slowly before it
kicks in with a killer rhythm section. Vocals after 1 1/2 minutes. This is excellent. I like the lyrics too. The guitar is smoking 3 1/2 minutes in then
the tempo picks up a minute later. It
settles again with almost spoken vocals. It's melancholic with mellotron to the end. "Butterking" makes me laugh, especially
where he sings "The butterking!" then the music goes da da da! Like
in an old TV show. This song opens with
nature sounds then you can hear someone walking then he says
"Butterfly" and in comes the music, and it kicks in heavily. Piano after 2 minutes as the tempo picks up. It settles with acoustic guitar, drums then
vocals. Flute arrives then it picks up
again. "Reflections On The Future" was the
original title track and almost a side long one at that. This is my favourite track. A nice heavy intro with lots of bottom end as
the guitar plays over top. It settles a
minute in with vocals. A heavy rhythm
arrives before 5 minutes as the guitar lights it up in a big way. Killer! It settles back before 7 minutes as
the vocals return. Check out the organ
and bass combo before 10 minutes. It turns experimental and spacey after 11
minutes until 14 1/2 minutes in. Klaus
Schulze would be proud. Passionate
guitar and vocals to end it. To my Brother-In-Law who's always in a psychedelic
haze, thankyou. 4.5 stars. 560
A review by SouthSideoftheSky: They've got their hooks in me too! For me, Season's End is by far Marillion's best
album. This is music that clearly has a strong meaning to those who made it and
therefore to me as a listener. Every single note is played and sung with such
overflowing emotion, passion and instrumental expression that I have rarely
heard in my life! This is a very beautiful and excellently executed album. The
guitar work is absolutely exceptional throughout the whole album. When the
guitar kicks in on The King Of Sunset Town, for example, I just cannot sit
down, I have to get up and play air-guitar! And the drums on this very powerful
opening salvo are excellent as well. As soon as the vocals set in it is clear
that new guy Steve Hogarth is not a Fish sound-alike. I much prefer Hogarth to
Fish and his vocal performance on this album is simply stunning! Easter is an exceptionally beautiful song that
could move you to tears. I have noticed that many songs connected to Ireland in
some way or other usually are very emotional experiences for me. This might
just be a personal thing since I lived in Ireland for a short while and I
played this album a lot during that time (together with Camel's Harbour Of
Tears album which also has a connection to Ireland). Anyway, Easter has a folky
feel to it and brings to mind pictures of the beautiful Irish countryside.
Again, the guitar solo at the end of the song is exceptional and very powerful. The Uninvited Guest is more of a melodious Hard
Rock song that perhaps wouldn't be overwhelmingly interesting standing on its
own, but in the context of the other songs it works really well to make the
album diverse and varied. Indeed, it is one of the strongest aspects of this
album that it is varied, yet unified and very consistent. There is a good
balance between acoustic and electric songs and between vocal and instrumental
passages. The title track is another beautiful and emotional
song, again a very passionate vocal performance and lyrics. There are no weak
tracks on this album, but Holloway Girl and Berlin slow things down a bit as
they both share a similar mood. This is remedied towards the end, however, with
the cute acoustic ballad After Me and the Pop Metal (!) song Hooks In You.
Again, these songs would perhaps not be masterpiece songs in their own right,
but they fit perfectly in between the other songs to break up the mellow mood
of most of the material here. Then comes The Space which is, again, remarkably
strong! Very impressive song and again moving and emotional like few other
pieces of music I know! The guitar work is truly exceptional, as are the drums
and the vocals and the lyrics and the keyboards and the bass and the production
and the cover art... I'm certainly not a big fan of Marillion or Neo-Prog
in general, but this album is a masterpiece to me. It is not really
groundbreaking music, but it is extremely well made and performed with such
overflowing passion for music and the subject matter of the music. One of my favourite albums of all time! A review by Warthur: Marillion's first album of the Hogarth era probably
has the worst cover of any of their studio albums. The four elements concept
isn't bad, but what irks me is the almost gleeful destruction or effacing
various Fish-era symbols as part of the cover. Under the circumstances, it
can't avoid looking like a mean-spirited stab at the former frontman - and even
worse, it means that the cover ends up saying more about what the new Marillion
is *not* about, when it really needed to state what the new band *was* about. It's a particular shame because musically speaking
the album is actually a pretty decent reinvention of the band's sound, evolving
the direction taken on Clutching at Straws and diverting it into something a
bit more esoteric and contemplative than might have been expected with Fish
fronting the band. The way I see it, both eras of Marillion often come back to
the same sort of subjects; you have a mix of songs commenting on various
real-life issues of importance to the band, and you've got songs exploring
people's emotional inner lives. In the former case, Fish had the likes of
Forgotten Sons and White Russian, whilst Hogarth has Out of This World,
Estonia, and on this album tracks like The King of Sunset Town, Easter and
Holloway Girl. On the emotive side, you've got Fish era tracks like The Web,
Sugar Mice, and Script for a Jester's Tear lined up against Hogarth-era
material like, in this album's case, The Space or After Me. What the crucial difference between the two
singer's styles is not, then, the subject matter they choose to turn their
attention to. Nor is it really Fish's tendency to thesaurus-like verbosity,
because whilst that is a habit of his it isn't a constant - the lyrics of
Kayleigh use fairly simple and effective language to make their point for
instance. No, the way I see it the difference between Fish and Hogarth is that
Fish's style is theatrical and performative, whilst Hogarth at his best is a
lot more naturalistic and intimate. Fish always comes across as though he is
putting on a drama, or giving a speech, or regaling a large group of friends at
the pub with an anecdote; Hogarth, on the other hand, often sounds as though he
is confessing something to the listener, or taking you personally aside to tell
you a secret. This is not a criticism of either performer's
styles, but it is a fundamental difference in approach which Marillion adapt to
on Seasons' End marvellously - in fact, I would not be surprised if they picked
Hogarth for their new singer precisely because they wanted to move in this
direction. The weakest songs on the album are probably The Uninvited Guest and
Hooks In You - attempts at boisterous rocking out which don't suit Hogarth's
performance and which were presumably included to present EMI with suitable
material for a single. The other shorter song on the album, After Me, I think
is actually quite good, transitioning from an acoustic confessional to an
energetic exorcism and in doing so charting a course for the Hogarth era's more
successful rock-out tracks; I do wonder whether the band's post-Fish fortunes
wouldn't have been markedly improved if After Me had been released as the lead
single from the album, since it feels to me like it chimes well with the
direction many bands on the UK indie scene were taking at the time. As it stands, I can't deny that this album doesn't
quite hit the level of consistency of the four Fish-era releases; in
particular, The Uninvited Guest is unremarkable and mildly repetitive whilst
Hooks In You just doesn't sound like it belongs in the company of the rest of
the material. But the other songs on here - King of Sunset Town, Easter, Berlin
and After Me in particular - are so successful at charting a new course for
Marillion and exploring the possibilities of what they could achieve with Steve
Hogarth as a frontman that I can't not give it an enthusiastic thumbs up. It
scrapes into the four-star category by the skin of its teeth. END OF THE 80's
Edited by AtomicCrimsonRush - March 26 2012 at 05:46 |
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: March 26 2012 at 02:37 |
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1988 544 A Little Man And A House And The Whole World Window
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: Cardiacs are well known in prog circles for their
incredible masterful "Sing To God" album, but before that there was
"A Little Man And A House And The Whole World Window". Each track
signifies a highly original approach and a refreshing attempt to bring something
vibrant and new to the table in a decade when prog really struggles to maintain
respect. The upper class twit lyrics and style and contrasted by intelligent
musicianship and inventiveness. It is a little like a deranged form of the band
Madness. 'A Little Man And A House' features full blown
orchestra and lots of shouting, but starts the album off with a bang, and we
know we are instantly in the mad world of Cardiacs. 'In A City Lining' has good
rifffing and wall of keyboards as Smith's punkish vocals have attitude. I like the
way it speeds up like a manic circus theme. Much like the material on
"Sing To God" which would eclipse this release for sheer
inventiveness. There is a time sig in 3/ 4 and a Ska style thrown in for good
measure. It speeds up frantically again at the end. Lots of fun and
experimentation on this track, one of the album highlights. The album continues to impress with raucous
compositions such as 'I'm Eating In Bed', that begins with some footsteps and
effects before the circus music chimes in. Smith sounds less serious and the
music is rather delirious and often hilarious. After many time changes it slows
to a satisfying conclusion. 'Is This The Life' is a catchy song, and a fan
favourite, with a moderate tempo and some delightful saxophone. A definitive Cardiacs
highlight, the song also had quite a disturbing film clip as a promo. The
instrumental break features a high pitched lead guitar solo that cries out in
pain over the steady tempo. This is followed by 'Interlude', a short blast of
trumpets and some unusual revered effects with organ. This leads to another highlight, the high energy
pacey 'Dive' and the feisty vocals are very new wave punk here. It never
detracts from the sound as there is a constant clever use of weird instruments
or normal instruments played weirdly. The whole thing sounds odd and way off
kilter, playful yet dangerously over the edge. The piano tinkling is especially
effective, and the xylophone plink plonks insanely along with nasty guitar
chords and a jazzy sax blast. Together it makes a wonderfully delirious
spirited sound fit for an asylum. 'The Icing On The World' has a pronounced drum beat
and odd tempo, with the circus jazz music an ever present force. Smith's vocals
are relentless hammering out lyrics that never make sense, and almost self
parodies the style of music, that is unreservedly RIO and carnivalesque. 'The Breakfast Line' begins with some banter, an
argument at the table or something. The chimes and weirdness soon take over.
Time sigs are off the scale for a while and the piece goes all over the place.
The way it keeps slowing down and then breaking into a silly tempo is
absolutely a Cardiacs template. There is a violin interlude and then a heavier
guitar crunches over. The extended Coda at the end is excellent; a real wall of
sound. 'Victory Egg' has a minimalist organ and some
vocals for a while. Eventually it builds into an almost Elizabethan style, and
the vocals are rhythmic and relentless. Finally the pace settles with a melodic
break on guitar and keys. The brass section at the end is a good way to end a
song. 'R.E.S.' sounds like King Crimson at the start with
a lot of clinking and clanking until the playful organ strikes up with a quirky
melody and Smith's vocals catches up with it. This one is very strange and
certainly one of the funniest Cardiacs tracks. It grabs hold of you though and
has a cool synth motif ad odd time changes. The break in the middle is
absolutely out of the box musically, throwing in jazz blasts, woodwind,
glockenspiel and brass with a feast of sax. One of the great songs on the album
with a very complex structure and even an excellent lead guitar solo to revel
in. It even returns to the main theme of the opening track. 'The Whole World Window' ends the album on a high
note, with ambient sax and keys at the intro. Smith's voice is underplayed for
a while. The melody and style reminds me of Gabriel for a while. There is a
pleasant sax and piano trade off in the break, that is a more beautiful side of
the Cardiacs. Eventually it gets to a very shouty part with Smith going off his
head unintelligibly. It has an emotional impact and once again the music is
soaring and majestic. Overall the album does not measure up to the
classic "Sing To God" but this lead to the release of that
masterpiece and exists as a good blast of fun from some of the most original
avant garde musicians to come out in the 80s. 545 Operation: Mindcrime
A review by Conor Fynes: Here we have it, one of the most critically
acclaimed progressive metal albums of all time. This is the album that brought
Queensryche from being a very underground, relatively unknown band to one of
the most intriguing and innovative bands in metal. It's not hard to see why. 'Operation: Mindcrime' is a brilliantly written
conceptual piece dealing with pleasant and cheerful topics such as cults,
assasination, political radicals, prostitution and crack addicts. Not exactly
an album you would buy for Mother's Day, but all family holidays aside, it
comes together to forge a dark and psychological saga that by the end of the
story, actually has you feeling sympathy and pathos for the characters, as if
'Mindcrime' was a very well-written book. There are very few rock operas that
can evoke that sort of reaction, and it really works to the album's favour. Every song on this is fantastic to listen to, and
each could be considered a 'highlight' in their own right. However, the cream
of this crop (for me, at least) would be the heart wrenching 'The Mission' and
the grim epic 'Suite: Sister Mary,' which clocks in at almost 11 minutes long. While I'm not going to say this is a
super-progressive album (despite the epic) I will say that the music is
intelligent and effective all the way through. As opposed to a focus on
complex, polyrhythmic arrangements, Queensryche steers clear and instead
focuses on a more melodic based brand of prog. There are elements of prog, but
the magic can always be traced back to the excellent core of songwriting. This is the best work by one of the best
progressive metal bands. It's in the top three prog metal albums of all time,
up there with my other two contenders, 'Metropolis Part II: Scenes From A
Memory' by Dream Theater and 'Remedy Lane' from Pain of Salvation (all three
being concept albums, coincidentally.) Powerful and moving; everything that music should
be. An essential masterpiece. A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: This is a bonafide masterpiece. I first heard of Queensryche on the internet and
methodically and systematically collected all their albums after this
introduction. Nothing else QR have done can touch this absolutely brilliant
concept album. The concert experience on DVD is even better as you can really
understand the concept as you watch the visual animation. Geof Tate's vocals
are amazing, he has to be one of the most powerful, accomplished vocalists on
the planet. Every track on this album is part of the whole but it is possible
to enjoy them individually. Here's some quick thoughts on my favourites: ‘I Remember Now’, ‘Anarchy-X’ and ‘Revolution
Calling’ - what a way to begin an album, with a nurse visiting a patient with
vindictive attitude. The guitars crash out of the speakers until we get to the
melodic, metal 'Revolution Calling'. It has such a catchy chorus it is
impossible to forget. ‘Operation: Mindcrime’ is simply a great song that sums
up the main themes of the album. ‘Speak’ is my favourite track, once heard,
never forgotten, and Tate is brilliant on this, he performs so well in concert
too as if he is the victim and is reliving the storyline. ‘Spreading The
Disease’ is another very good track with high powered vocals and great lead
breaks. A concert favourite I noticed too. ‘Suite Sister Mary’ is awesome and I
love the way it changes time signature and the female vocals are very well
executed, in particular the performance on stage is a sight to behold. ‘The
Needle Lies’ is a classic track that is once again a popular concert staple. ‘Breaking
The Silence’ has a Def Leppard feel, as it is radio friendly, but it still has
powerful guitars from Chris De Garmo. ‘I Don't Believe In Love’ is the single from the
album ready for radio airplay, very catchy and the lyrics are powerful. You
will find it on the QR compilations. ‘Eyes Of A Stranger’ is an excellent way
to end the concept album; very memorable and with wonderful musicianship. If you do not have this, get to the CD store now
and grab it. It knocked me out when I first heard it and it is comparable to
other great prog concept albums such as Pink Floyd's “The Wall” and Dream
Theater’s “Scenes From A Memory”. The second part to this “Operation Mindcrime”
concept was recently released and is great but does not hold a candle to this. I say it again, “Operation Mindcrime” is simply an
indispensable masterpiece. 546
A review by Conor Fynes: Before even touching upon the music of this
Canadian band's classic fourth album, I should say that over time, Voivod have
become one of my favourite metal bands of all time. With one of the most
inventive and unique approaches in thrash metal, the work of the band's classic
lineup (being everything up to 'The Outer Limits') has not disappointed me, and
'Dimension Hatross' is no exception. Widely considered to be the band's
greatest album by their more thrash-leaning fans, there is not yet the sort of
perfection that would be heard on the fifth record 'Nothingface', but the charm
and quirky excellence here still ranks this among the band's greatest
achievements. One of the greatest things about Voivod is that
they have never been content to stick with the same sound throughout their
career. Falling in between the raw speed metal of the band's earlier material
(via 'War And Pain') and the proggier, Floydian leanings of albums like 'Angel
Rat' and 'The Outer Limits', 'Dimension Hatross' is a very strong transition
record for this band. Voivod remains an overtly thrashy act here, but by this
point, progression was seeping through the cracks of their style. Even from the
irregular time of the album's opening riff on 'Prolog/Experiment', Voivod
places themselves within the realm of the 'thinking man's metal'. As with much
of Voivod's material, their biggest distinction here is the dissonant and
left-of-center style of their guitarist, Denis 'Piggy' L'Amour. While the
typical formula for thrash guitarists to prove themselves is through rapidfire
soloing and speed, Piggy puts his very original spin on playing the guitar into
each song, often using chords that don't at first sound right to the human ear,
but don't take long to become equally as catchy and fun as anything more
conventional. Although the sound and songwriting isn't quite as
outstanding here as it is on my personal favourite 'Nothingface', the album has
a surprising longevity for a thrash metal album, with appreciation only growing
from listen to listen. The only song here that feels unnecessary or
out-of-place is- as anyone who has heard the album may tend to agree- the final
track, which is a cover of the Batman theme song. Although undeniably fun and
indicative of Voivod's tongue-in-cheek nature, it does feel as if it takes away
from the otherwise highly intelligent nature of 'Dimension Hatross'. Personal
highlights from the album would include the spacey 'Brain Scan' and
'Chaosmongers', but perhaps most of all, the incredible song 'Tribal
Convictions', which has one of the most exciting introductions to a metal track
I have ever heard. As one may guess from the song titles alone, the lyrical
themes here generally revolve around spacey, science-fiction themes. Although
he may be light on technical skill as a vocalist, Denis 'Snake' Belanger
manages to take these abstract topics and make them incredibly fun and
enjoyable, although they can tend to amount to technobabble at times. 'Dimension Hatross' comes very close to being a
masterpiece for me, although it is evident that there would still be room for
improvement, most notably in the way the band's sound is mixed and produced.
Although it would be improved upon and perfected with the follow-up
'Nothingface', 'Dimension Hatross' is a classic, and rightfully so. A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: Complex time sigs, science fiction concept and
crunching metal riffs - Voi Vod! Voi Vod have a style, a sound, a concept all of
their own and albums such as this cemented their reputation as progenitors of
technical metal. From the outset this album signifies a new approach in metal.
The metal distortion of Piggy's raw crunching guitar is still as prevalent as
their “War and Pain” years, that I used to thrash in the 80s, but this is a
more mature sound with plenty for the non metal fan. The complexity of time sig
changes is astonishing, and Piggy is a revelation on the guitars. Snake sounds
great on vocals without all that roaring that he used to do. ‘Experiment’
begins this and demonstrates Voi Vod are turning a corner as one of the more
innovative metal bands of the late 80s. ‘Tribal Convictions’ has to be one of the best Voi
Vod tracks with menacing intro, syncopated rhythms in the vein of Sepultura’s “Roots”,
and back breaking blasts of metal distortion. The slow sustained chords are
typical of early Voi Vod but the dissonant guitar riffs are certainly out of
the box. There are science fiction nuances in the effects and overall
structure. It becomes a maelstrom of speed metal at one point and ends with an
ominous performance from Snake. ‘Technocratic Manipulators’ begins with machinated
guitar riffs, and a fast tempo that threatens to remain consistent until it
breaks into shattered fragments with a time shift on the line "Is it the
same message, For the preconceived children? Let me know, before I go",
followed by awesome riffing and lead breaks. Snake sings, "Death of their
liberty, Feeds the supremacy." Then we return back to the fast riff and it
ends suddenly after a flurry of sporadic riffing. ‘Macrosolutions to Megaproblems’ has a jazzy little
intro and then a driving riff. It completely changes after a minute and a half
into one of Piggy's best riffs. The choppy defragmented time sig is difficult
to pin down and it keeps the interest. The lead break is killer on this track
and there is even a punk inspired vocal section. Finally the sig shifts again
at the end, "you'd better shake up your mind," Snake warns, and then
an elongated factory sound rumbles to the next track. ‘Brain Scan’ is one of the highlights of the album
that features another dynamic riff, low chanting monotone vocals, and some
excellent effects. At 1:30 it launches into a quirky riff that chops and
changes in complex patterns. The time sig changes constantly and it ends with
high speed double kick drumming and finally returns to the main riff. ‘Psychic Vacuum’ crunches out very dark riffs and
Piggy sounds great on this. The metal is loud and brutal, and is perhaps more
straightforward in structure. ‘Cosmic Drama’ chugs along with a galloping riff
that keeps breaking time sig making the ear strain to latch onto a beat. This
features robotic vocals in places and some activist lyrics; "too many
reasons, too much oppression, there is no freedom, no satisfaction, I want some
action." ‘Batman’ is a cool variation on the original with
heavy loud guitars and Snake screaming "Batman!" and seems an odd but
fitting way to close the album, one of Voi Vod's best releases without a shadow
of a doubt. 547
A review by Mellotron Storm: It would be easy to
dismiss this record as extremely tentative, sluggish and boring, if you didn't
give it your full attention. It's like
there is not a note out of place, and I was amazed at how many instruments were
used in this recording including trumpet, clarinet, violin, harmonica, aboe, bassoon,
harmonium and many more. This is a complex, detailed and intricate record that
seems to defy TALK TALK's earlier pop music. Witness the guitar work
in the opener "The Rainbow" at 2 minutes in that seems to be the
first real signs of life in this song. Or the melody of piano, percussion and
vocals that comes and goes in "Eden", and is contrasted with the
fuller sound that includes guitar. Or the atmosphere that is broken in "Desire".
The haunting lyrics in "Inheritance", that say "Heaven Bless You
In Your Calm" throughout. Or the ambience of "I Believe In You".
And lastly the organ and words in "Wealth", words that say "Take
My Freedom For Giving Me A Sacred Love". This is the kind of album that
requires patience, and the reward for that effort is well worth it. A review by Warthur: Talk Talk's previous
Colour of Spring album hid amidst its gorgeous baroque pop hints of an interest
in a more jazzy direction, but even taking this into account Spirit of Eden is
truly unprecedented. Blending classical music, jazz, rock, soul, and countless
other influences into a heady mixture - usually calming, but occasionally, as
on Desire, bursting out with feverish energy - it created an entirely unique
sonic landscape which has rarely been matched even to this day, in which the
distinction between improvisation and composition is blurred entirely. When I
first heard people talking about this album as being the very first post-rock
release, I thought they must have been exaggerating. If anything, it's an
understatement: many post-rock artists only attempt to cover a fraction of the
ground explored here. 548
A review by Conor Fynes: This album holds a special place for me. It's
technically the first progressive metal album I ever bought, and my very first
taste of prog-metal. I remember being twelve years old and thinking it was the
most amazing thing ever after listening to the CD a few times. Years later, I
still think of it very fondly. While Crimson Glory had a relatively short streak
of true musical quality (their first two albums, including this one) and the
rest of their music is more or less disposable, this band certainly had a
profound impact on Progressive metal. While Dream Theater was still under the
name of Majesty, and Fates Warning was still essentially an Iron Maiden clone,
this band was writing some very interesting prog material. That's not to say
they were the first prog-metal band, but they were with the movement pretty
close to the start. 'Transcendence' marked the height of Crimson Glory's glory.
It is a fantastic, albeit flawed work, and I can credit it to opening up my
now-preferred genre of music. The three highlights on the album find themselves
in 'In Dark Places,' 'Burning Bridges,' and the title track 'Transcendence.' It
is in these songs that a really progressive sound can be heard. The rest of the
album is something along the lines of power metal, with traces of prog. Being
that I am a fan of both subgenres of metal, this album finds a good place in my
heart. The problem with the band's music (although it's
not a major one) is that the lyrics can get a bit annoying. While the band is
certainly not 'emo' by any stretch of the imagination, the lyrics are
pessimistic and morose to the point of making the music sound corny. The title
track has some rather introspective and atmospheric lyrics though, that I
enjoyed. 'Transcendence' is an amazing work, and one of the
inaugural works of progressive metal. Not the most progressive album (although
it's more progressive than most metal albums at the time) but it's some of the
best prog/power metal ever done in the '80s. In a decade of mediocrity, this
album stands out. A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: Crimson Glory’s “Transcendence” is one of the early
prog metal albums coming in at the end of the 80s decade. As such it suffers
from the 80s hangover but still manages to captivate with some masterful tracks
that are incredibly complex and intelligently structured. One of the most dynamic tracks is ‘Eternal World’ with
amazing speed picking, screaming lead solos and unbelievable vocals from iconic
screamer, Midnight. The tempo changes and melody are enhanced by accomplished
fast guitar riffage and atmospherics. The power metal of ‘Lady
of winter’ is a dynamic opener with a killer riff and excellent vocals. This
was the sound of 80s metal when metal really took off and spawned some of the
most amazing bands such as Metallica, Iron Maiden, Slayer and Megadeth. These bands
dominated the 80s but Crimson Glory fell below the radar for me although I was
heavily into metal at the time. The band are definitely very accomplished
musicians, the lead guitar is incredible by Jon Drenning, backed up by the
rhythm guitar of Ben Jackson. The rhythm machine of bass from Jeff Lords and
percussion by Dana Burnell are never less than technical. There are the obligatory
acoustic power ballad segments such as on the opening of ‘Burning Bridges’. All
metal albums seemed to have these moments. The lead guitar work on this is
excellent with soaring passionate string bends. The solo at the end is worth
waiting round for, fast arpeggios and speed picking merged with a steady tempo. Another highlight is ‘In Dark Places’, one
of the longer songs at 7 minutes, with Midnight sounding emotional and passionate.
This one admittedly sounds like the type of metal of the year 1988, along with
Megadeth’s “So Far, So Good, So What”, Helloween’s “Keeper
Of The Seven Keys”, Queensryche’s “Operation Mindcrime”, Fate’s Warning’s “No
Exit”, Iron Maiden’s “Seventh Son of a Seventh son”, Metallica’s “And Justice
for All”, and Slayer’s “South
Of Heaven”. As you can see it was definitely an amazing year
of metal with some of the best albums coming out one by one. The template was
to present shredding, melodic riffs, amazing lead breaks and powerhouse vocals.
Midnight was certainly one of the best vocalists but he was in good company
with the likes of Dickenson, and Tate. Even Christian metal sounded like this,
with the high vocals and shredding guitars. What made Crimson Glory stand out within
the maelstrom of metal that dominated in this era? The intricacy and
technicality of the music was a key factor. The album features strong prog
elements that would bring something new to the scene. Listen to ‘Masque of the Red Death’ for some technical guitar
riffs and especially Burnell’s sporadic drumming. In the half time feel the
guitars blaze with soaring twin lead harmonics, until Drenning takes over with
screaming lead wizardry. The pitchy singing is vibrant and Midnight is revered in
metal history for this type of singing. ‘Painted Skies’
begins with acoustics, Midnight singing melancholy lyrics, “spread your wings,
you can fly, But the dove
is never free, In painted skies that shade the colour of your dream, Only
nightmares are real, Another softer balladic
song is ‘Lonely’ with nice harmonics and vocals. The sadness is wrapped in well
written lyrics about unrequited love; “She awakens from a dream to a silent
room, where shadows speak of memories, Another sleepless night afraid to face
the day.” The song builds into a heavier riff though maintains the melancholy style.
The album is hailed as a masterpiece of metal by
many and is highly revered for the late Midnight’s legacy and overall metal
technique. Midnight died of a kidney and liver failure at the age of 47 in
2008. One of the first prog metal albums, “Transcendence” must rank highly as
an influence to prog metal to come in the 90s decade. 549
A review by Mellotron
Storm: Enter new vocalist Ray
Adler, but that's about the only major change from their previous release
"Awaken the Guardian". Like it's predecessor "No Exit" is
punishingly heavy and quite dark. The band thanks WATCHTOWER and QUEENSRYCHE in
the liner notes, and it wouldn't be such a stretch to say this release is like
a cross between these two bands. I have
to agree with other reviewers, that it seems strange that this record is named
after this 41 second opening song, that is a slow paced, vocal and guitar piece
that is rather forgettable. The first two songs do not do anything to make fans
forget about John Arch, as the vocals in both are not his best by a long shot. I
actually find them almost annoying in the second song "Anarchy
Divine", but the guitar throughout is great, as the drums and bass provide a good rhythm. "Silent Cries"
is one of the best songs on the album, the faster paced sections sound similar
to the previous song but it's the quieter, atmospheric passages that make this
song so amazing! "In A Word" is another incredible tune with
passionate vocals and wild guitar moments. Great song! "Shades of heavenly
death" opens with pounding drums, and guitar that is on fire in this uptempo
rocker. The vocals get better as the song goes along. Nice guitar solo 3
minutes in, and 4 minutes in the song gets even heavier and darker. "The Ivory Gate Of
Dreams" is a side long track that consists of 8 sections, beginning with
"Innocence" an acoustic guitar track that is just over a minute long.
In "Cold Daze" the power is turned up. Here we go! This is a melodic,
uptempo section with scorching guitars. In "Daylight Dreams" Ray's
vocals are at their best, even singing in the same style as Mr. Arch. The
ending of this section is heavy duty. The "Quietus" section is one of
my favourites on the album. Opening with piano, this is pastoral until things
start to pick up with some good guitar melodies and pounding drums. This all accelerates
even more, and it sounds awesome! The section ends as it began with piano. "Ivory Tower"
rocks out really good, with guitars galore. "Whispers In the Wind"
opens with acoustic guitar, as vocals and drums are added to this slow paced
tune. "Aquiescence" is hard, fast and heavy. The ending section
"Retrospect" is a minute of acoustic guitar. This may not be as good as "Awaken the
Guardian" but if you liked that record I'm sure you'll like this one as
well. I highly recommend this beast! A review by Conor Fynes: Save for the twenty one minute long 'Ivory Gate of
Dreams,' there isn't too much of a progressive theme to be found on this album.
There is certainly some progressiveness to the other songs, but that's the song
that gives this release such a ground breaking element to it. Until then, there
really wasn't too much of a progressive metal scene going on. Having a song
cycle of such epic proportions thrown into a genre that was generally (at the
time) about drinking, women and drugs was quite a shock to the system. However, everything considered, I'm still not a big
Fates Warning fan. I find Ray Alder is a technically accomplished vocalist, but
I simply don't like his voice all too much. This might be however, a result of
my other major problem with the band; their lack of attention to actual melody.
The vocal melodies on this album (and a lot of Fates Warning's other work) seem
like they were just put in for the sake of having a singer. Some of the
acoustic parts of 'The Ivory Gate of Dreams' however offer an exception to
this, which is always a refreshing change to listen to. The aforementioned epic is a real journey through
many different emotions; melancholy through rage. It's very surreal and while I
didn't really think it worked especially well altogether on my first few
listens, months after buying, I realized that there are so many recurring
themes that weave their way through the music that make it a sort of song cycle
you have to listen to from start-to-finish to really get a kick out of it. The other tracks on the album range from very good
to mediocre. The eponymous intro to the album segues into the most memorable
'single' track on the album, 'Anarchy Divine,' with some absolutely amazing
guitar solos. 'Silent Cries' doesn't do much for me, but the other two songs
have some very cool moments, especially the fifth track before the epic begins,
'Shades Of Heavenly Death.' This album would probably interest metal fans more
than actual prog fans, but seeing as I am both, it's definitely not a poor
addition to my collection. While I would certainly not compare it to the strands
of Dream Theater’s 'Scenes From A Memory' or Symphony X's 'New Mythology
Suite,' it's definitely a good listen. Think an American, more progressive
version of Iron Maiden. 550 The Serpent's Egg
A review by Sean Trane: If perusing through the Dead Can Dance (DVD) racks
in a record store, I'd be careful not to associate this album with their
"ethnic/world music" later career (ala Spiritchaser) of the 90's:
indeed the tropical artwork is misleading, but we are firmly entrenched in
DCD's Gothic era as Serpent's Egg is almost a carbon copy of Realm Of A Dying
Sun, if you'll forget about the track lengths, much shorter on the average
here. Some might say that this album is almost a stop in DCD's progression,
wanting to stop a little further with Dying Sun, but not wanting to make
something much different-sounding. Nothing in this album is to prepare us for
the upcoming superb Aion though, despite a few discreet hints. Lisa Gerrard's Eastern European origins appear to
take a definitive presence in the group's music, as there are now hints of mid-Eastern
classical music, giving an odd ethnic feel to the album, but nowhere near as
close as their 90's albums. Musically, what's to say more than Dying Sun? Slow
gothic church-like vocals, tons of synth layers (unfortunately and most likely,
they were not aware of mellotrons), a full string quartet featured and Perry's
use of a hurdy-gurdy (also hinting at further advances in the following albums
by highlighting his Irish/Celtic ascendance) are the few differences from the
previous album. But these seem minute, compared to the similarities between the
two discs, thus not really making both albums really owning the two, unless
you're a confirmed fan. Personally I like Dying Sun for its originality (back
then), but Serpent is a tad more complete. Your call between these two. A review by Warthur: The followup to Within
the Realm of a Dying Sun is essentially a continuation and complementary piece
to that album, with Gerrard and Perry leaving behind gothic rock entirely in
favour of strange, ethereal realms. The crowning glory of the album has to be
opening track The Host of Seraphim, in which Gerrard's ghostly vocals and the
instrumental backing create an evocative and unique fusion of Gregorian chant
and ambient music. Indeed, the album as a whole is an intriguing mixture of
traditional music and ambient or New Age influences, yielding a cross-genre
masterpiece which can be approached and appreciated from many different
perspectives. 551 – live You
Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 2
A review by Mellotron Storm: 4.5 stars. I would have to say that this is the
best live Zappa album I've heard so far. Everyone mentions how tight they were
at this point and for good reason. Basically this is the same lineup that did
"Roxy & Elsewhere" mostly in December of 1973. So here we are in
Finland in September of 1974. All those live gigs in between have made these
guys tighter than a duck's bum. Sorry that Zappa humour is rubbing off. As
usual we get lots of talking and verbal skits during the show along with some
absolutely amazing instrumental work. "Tush Tush Tush" makes me laugh with two
of the guys talking almost over each other. The crowd cheers when Frank comes
out on the stage 2 minutes in and introduces the band. "Stinkfoot"
has Frank on vocals and we get some raw guitar after a minute. We get some
dissonance after 2 1/2 minutes then more guitar. "Inca Roads" has George Duke on vocals. Lots
of vibes. Guitar 2 1/2 minutes in and the piano joins in. The guitar goes on
and on. The piano leads after 8 minutes and we get some prominent bass too. Vibes
10 minutes in then the vocals return. "RDNZL" has lots of vibes from
Underwood early then it kicks in after 1 1/2 minutes. Piano and sax later. What
a great sounding instrumental. "Village Of The Sun" is an uptempo rocker
early then it calms down with vocals. It
picks back up and the vocals come and go. We get a sax solo too and organ later.
"Echidna's Arf (Of You)" opens
with some guitar as vibes and sax come in. It blends into "Don't You Ever Wash That
Thing". Guitar after 1 1/2 minutes. Zappa starts speaking before 2 1/2
minutes then check out the drums and vibes that follow. "Pygmy Twylyte" has some raw guitar as
vocals arrive a minute in. I like this one a lot. The relaxed guitar after 4
1/2 minutes goes on and on. So good. "Room Service" has lots of spoken
dialogue. "Idiot b*****d Son"
causes the audience to cheer when they realize what song it is. And this is a good one. "Cheepnis" has some fast paced
vocals. Disc two begins with "Approximate" a song
that is all over the place really. Gotta love the drum show from Chester before
5 minutes then Frank responds in kind with the guitar. "Dupree's Paradise" opens with
conversations then we get music before 8 minutes. Maybe the highlight of the whole album is the
instrumental section from before 8 minutes to the end. Especially until around 15 minutes. Incredible! "Satumaa" is a crowd pleaser as they do a
Finnish Tango. "T'Mershi
Duween" reminds me of AREA believe it or not, especially the keyboards. "The Dog breath Variations" is fantastic
of course. Lots of vibes in "Uncle Meat" while "Building A
Girl" is somewhat experimental. "Montana" is maybe the funniest part
of the show because a fan yells out "Whipping Post" and that starts
Frank off and he includes the words "Whipping Post" in the song
"Montana" much to the delight of the crowd. They also like when Frank
starts the song by singing "I might be moving to Helsinki soon..."
Love the guitar 6 minutes in. "Big Swifty" ends it with this short
instrumental then Frank introduces the performers once more then leaves the
stage. This is a must if you’re a Zappa fan. A review by Warthur: The crown jewel of Zappa's You Can't Do That On
Stage Anymore series. Whilst the other double-disc sets were grab-bags of
recordings from a range of performances, for this release Zappa chose to focus
on the tapes from a small set of performances over a couple of days in
Helsinki. The album does not present a recording of any one concert in
particular, but is compiled in such a way as to provide a cohesive concert
experience for the listener and to cram as many of the different tracks into
the set as possible. As far as editing goes, it's absolutely seamless -
then again, Zappa had decades of tape manipulation under his belt at this
point. The particular care and attention given to these performances suggest
that Zappa considered them a particular high point of his concert career, to
the point where he felt they deserved a complete YCDTOSA set devoted to them.
On balance, I really can't disagree with him: the performances here are superb,
easily the equal of Roxy and Elsewhere, but this album goes one better than
Roxy by providing more material (including the amazing instrumental workout
that takes up most of the second disc, from Dupree's Paradise to Building a
Girl), as well as ensuring that the material captured is always entertaining to
listen to. (I always thought the Bebop Tango from Roxy and Elsewhere was the
sort of thing that was more fun to watch than to listen to.) In short, this - and not Roxy and Elsewhere - is
the definitive live document of the mid-1970s incarnation of the Mothers of
Invention, and the care and attention with which Zappa has produced this
comprehensive overview of the Helsinki performances is time well spent. 552 - live The
Thieving Magpie - La Gazza Ladra
A review by Mellotron Storm: This blew my expectations to smithereens. For fans like myself who are more into the
Fish era of MARILLION you can't go wrong with this live double disc recording
that spans those first four incredible albums. The second disc includes the
whole of "Misplaced Childhood" played in it's entirety and considering
that's my favourite album from them it's a real pleasure to hear this. This
whole recording sounds fantastic though as these songs equal and often surpass
the studio versions. Not a fan of the Classical crap to open the
proceedings and even "Slainte Mhath" seems to get off to a slow start.
That all changes with "He Knows You Know" with those passionate
vocals and guitar. Nice finish too. "Chelsea Monday" might be my
favourite of disc one. The emotion is incredible and Rothery is playing with
lots of that. "Freaks" sounds
good once it gets going. "Jigsaw" with those repeated words
"Stand straight, stand straight" is a killer turn. "Punch And Judy" is a fan favourite.
Those words "Whatever happened to. . . " have so much emotion. "Sugar Mice" is beautiful. "Fugazi" is a great track with the
early piano and vocals. "Script For A Jester's Tear" has so much
passion after 2 minutes and emotion after 6 minutes. "In Communicado" builds and there's
lots of synths and energy as the vocals join in. Uplifting after 2 1/2 minutes
then again at 4 minutes. "White
Russian" is a great song to end it with and a top three from disc one. Love the drumming and Fish's passionate vocals.
I like the calm too, 4 minutes in. So we get about 70 minutes dedicated to three
of their albums then 42 minutes for my favourite album by them. No problem here. Disc two as I mentioned is "Misplaced
Childhood" played in it's entirety. This is simply a joy for me and I like
the way many of these tracks blend into one another. Apparently this was the first time they had
played this complete album live, but I think this was also the last. The
atmosphere is incredible on the opening "Pseudo Silk Kimono" as it
blends into one of my favourites in "Kayleigh". So good. "Do you
remember. . . ". It blends into
"Lavender" where the crowd is clapping along. "Bitter Suite" is about the
atmosphere and random drum patterns early. Love the guitar later. I like when Fish shouts "Rain on me"
in the song "Heart Of Lothian". "Waterhole (Expresso Bongo)" has
atmosphere and guitar before it kicks in. Nice percussion too. "Lords Of The Backstage" has some
energetic guitar from Rothery, later followed a great section after 4 1/2
minutes. "Blind Curve" opens
with atmosphere and spoken words as the drums beat. He shouts out after 2 1/2 minutes then it gets
fuller after 3 minutes. "Childhood's End?" has guitar to
start as the crowd claps along. "White Feather" ends it with some
fast paced vocals from Fish and a big finish. Easily 4 stars and I'm so glad to own this. A review by Warthur: If you want to pick up Marillion's The Thieving
Magpie, I heartily recommend the CD version over the vinyl, because it is only
the CD version which presents a complete live rendition of Misplaced Childhood
on its second disc. This performance is by far the most attractive feature of
the album, since it is a continuous performance, whereas the first disc
consists of scraps from here and there - a song or two from the Fugazi tour
here, a clutch of songs from the Clutching At Straws tour there. This means
that the first disc is perhaps the most muddled live Marillion release of the
Fish era; Recital of the Script, Live at Loreley, Curtain Call and Early Stages
all offer complete shows, and Real to Reel is structured so that side A comes
from one show and side B comes from another (and both shows are from the same
tour) so it at least has some conceptual cohesiveness. Still, The Thieving Magpie remains the only viable
option for getting a complete live version of Misplaced Childhood (performed by
Marillion, at any rate) unless you want to go to the effort and expense of
tracking down a copy of the now quite rare Curtain Call boxed set. Three stars
for disc 1 and four and a half for disc 2 yields a fair score of four stars. |
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: March 21 2012 at 08:08 |
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1987
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: Marillion present one of the best prog albums of 1987. Neo-prog progenitors Marillion's followup to the
"Misplaced Childhood" masterpiece certainly does not disappoint and
features some of the tracks that permeated their live concerts. Fish was a commanding
theatrical presence during this early era and knew how to move an audience
through an emotional experience using just the right dramatic intonation and
costumes to evoke a response. He was a master vocalist similar to Peter Gabriel
in the early Genesis phase. Musically the band are legendary implementing into
the songs intricate structures, the pleasant synths of Mark Kelly, strong
melodies held together by the drums of Ian Mosley and the basslines of Pete
Trewavas, and of course the powerful lead breaks of Steve Rothery. Of course
the drawcard is the vocals of Fish; a key element to the brilliance of the
early incarnation of the band. The band were the dominant force of the prog
80s. If it were not for bands like Marillion or Rush, prog would have suffered
during the difficult 80s period. Fish story telling vocals are prominent such
as on 'Hotel hobbies', 'Warm wet circles' and 'That time of the night (The
short straw)'. The reverberated guitars and synths generate an ambience as Fish
softly croons. These first 3 tracks flow together seamlessly. Then
the first power ballad comes with 'Going under'. The vocals are exquisite,
"I'm going under fast, slipping fast, am I so crazy", and very spacey
symphonic textures draw the listener in. 'Just for the record' has a faster tempo and
heavier guitars and drums. The 80s synths are everpresent but this also has
some heavy distorted guitar. The synth solo is terrific and it has a striking
melody. A howling wind begins 'White Russian'. Fish sings "where do we go from
here" until a driving riff motors along and the next verses are sung more
forcefully with images of terror, war, poppies on the cenotaph, the holocaust
and uzzies on the street corner. Fish sings with insightful conviction
"replace our faith in human rights" in this anti-war song that is a
highlight on the album. It finishes with a musical box song, a nice touch.
'Incommunicado' is one of the fan favourites sung many times live, and it
features a prevailing hook, and fast beat with progressive time sig changes.
This one is a blockbuster, loud and brash, it breaks through the serenity with
some stunning organ runs and Fish at his most roguish, singing aggressively and
abrasively. A quiet guitar begins 'Torch song' and Fish is
temperate in mood, "burn a little brighter now". There are some
narrative sections over a chiming synth and guitar. It segues directly into the
melodic 'Slàinte Mhath'.Fish is excellent on this, "this is the story so
far", and the guitars of Rothery are hypnotic. The music on this album is
truly infectious. 'Sugar mice' is a Marillion classic with very
serene passages in the verses and a commercial sound suitable or radio. In fact
it was a single for the band. The lyrics are quite iconic, "I heard
Sinatra calling me down through the floors". The power ballads of the 80s
are an 80s fixture and this is Marillion's version. It builds in the mid
section with loud lead guitar break, effective bassline and 4/4 percussion. The
straight forward feel is welcome after the more intricate songs. The wonderful
melody is soaring and easy to soak in to the system. 'The last straw' closes the album and features Fish
performing a duet with the powerhouse vocals of Tessa Niles. It closes the
album with a soulful approach and the repeated phrase "we're clutching at
straws" is echoed by Niles' "still drowning". Thus ends a very effective album with consistent
quality and some of Marillion's best material. 1987 was admittedly a very weak
year for prog but "Clutching at Straws" was one of the saviours as
far as prog was concerned. A review by Warthur: Although I think Script For a Jester's Tear has
some of Fish-era Marillion's best songs, I think Clutching At Straws beats it
out in my estimation as their best album. Whereas Misplaced Childhood was an
occasionally twee look at an ultimately safe topic - everyone sympathises with
romantic disappointment, after all - Clutching At Straws sees Fish directly
confronting the subject of his own binge drinking behaviour which at the time
was spiralling out of control. The opening triptych of Hotel Hobbies-Warm Wet
Circles-That Time of the Night showcases this theme particularly well, Sugar
Mice is a heartbreaking account of how people end up disappointing each other,
whilst White Russian shows that through it all Fish still hadn't lost his social
conscience. Incommunicado, the single from the album, might be
a fairly poppy merry-go-round, but like Kayleigh you get a lot more out of it
in the album context - in this case, the jollity expressed by the song is
clearly a facade which finally crumbles with The Last Straw. On the whole, the
album sees an excellent performance from the band - in particular, Mark Kelly
is absolutely on fire this time around - and it also features a deft inclusion
of female backing singers which works far better than anyone could have expected
it to. It might represent the end of Fish-era Marillion,
but talk about going out on a high. I think it's the best album they ever made
with Fish, and must surely be in the pantheon of their best albums ever. 540 Secrets of The Beehive
A review by Mellotron Storm: This album is a slow
paced, atmospheric and beautiful piece of art. Something similar might be TALK
TALK's "Spirit of Eden", although I would say this is more
accessible, and I like the vocals here more. David Sylvian sounds like David
Bowie, he has a warm, deep singing voice. The highlights for me are the far too
short opening song "September" with David's singing accompanied by
piano and strings. The lyrics on this record are very good and thought
provoking, some songs are simply telling a good story, like "The Boy With
the Gun" the only song I believe to feature electric guitar and double
bass. "Maria" is a
short, spacey and eerie tune. "Orpheus" is the best song in my
opinion, it just flows and it is so melodic, I've hit the repeat button many
times to hear this amazing song again and again. "The Devil's Own"
features a vocal and piano intro that comes back later, in between synths and
woodwinds are added to the mix. "When Poets Dreamed of Angels" is an
excellent tune, with a Steve Howe sounding acoustic guitar melody throughout, on
a song about a woman who is being physically abused. "Mother and
Child" has a jazz feel to it. "Let the Happiness In" is a great
song featuring trumpet, fluglehorn and synths. I like "Waterfront"
too, with the strings and piano complementing the vocals. This is a record I highly
recommend. 541
A review by Conor Fynes: When it comes to the fast-paced and volatile world
of thrash metal, few bands have been as inventive and groundbreaking as
Canada's Voivod. Also one of my favourite metal bands, it is rather remarkable
to hear them go from the relatively primitive speed metal of their early
records to the more dissonant and experimental thrash of what I consider to be
their best albums. Their biggest transition album would be their third record,
'Killing Technology'. Although it is much less refined than the following masterpieces
'Dimension Hatross' and 'Nothingface', it sets the stage for them by presenting
Voivod's exciting refurbished style, and progressive tendencies. Although the
first two albums were charming enough, 'Killing Technology' is where the Voivod
I love really came alive. Hot on the heels of the band's second record
'Rrröööaaarrr', 'Killing Technology' is most notable for being the first record
where Voivod decides to adopt a progressive metal sound into the thrash
formula; something that was even more rare back then, than it is today.
Although the fairly raw bite of the early Voivod is largely left intact,
'Killing Technology' features more complex and intricate compositions, as well
as a more adventurous style of musicianship than before. Most notable and
progressive in the way that Voivod plays is the excellent and startling guitar
work of Denis 'Piggy' L'Amour, who remains one of my favourite rhythm guitar
players ever. Heard here, he has a very unique style of riffage that relies
mostly on strange chords and frantic switches that sound as if they could be
rooted in space rock. As with every notable Voivod album, Piggy's guitar work
remains the centerpiece of the music. Looking back on Voivod's career, it does feel as if
the follow-up 'Dimension Hatross' overpowers 'Killing Technology' in virtually
all respects, taking the paranoid prog thrash sound to the level of mastery,
The work here is fantastic all the same however; staying fast and energetic
throughout most of the record, but throwing in surprises that keep the music
interesting. Although it is usually up to Piggy (especially on this album) to
make the band's sound unique, the other musicians flesh out Voivod's sound very
well. Michel Langevin's drumwork here stands out, often going beyond merely keeping
time and giving some killer fills to the songs. Denis Belanger's vocal work
here is much less melodic than it would be in the band's future, instead
revolving around a much more thrash-oriented style of screams and howls, which
can get monotonous at times when compared to the much more dynamic melodic
style of Belanger, but stays on par with the energy of the band. Unfortunately,
Jean-Yves Thierault's bass playing isn't nearly as audible as it would be on
the next two records, but it still manages to keep the rhythm section going
while Piggy solos. While not nearly as impressive as some of the
material Voivod would release in the few years after this, 'Killing Technology'
is an essential album in the band's development, really taking both them and the
thrash metal sound to new heights that had not been yet heard before. Things
still sound a bit raw and light on memorable songwriting to call 'Killing
Technology' one of the best Voivod albums, but it remains a great album for the
band and genre. 542 Within The Realm Of A Dying Sun
A review by Sean Trane: By 87's Within The Realm Of A Dying Sun, DCD didn't
sound anything alike the gothic post punk band they were. Of course DCD was to
remain in the gothic spectrum, as this album is probably still considered a
founding monument for many specialists. Of course the change didn't come
abruptly and overnight, the previous year's Spleen & Ideals had already
started hinting at the present changes, but it is with their third
"opus" that the changes become plainly evident to all but this
proghead, too busy elsewhere to notice. I must state that the super-Gothic
graveyard artwork did not help me to actually give it a chance. Right from the descending synth bell chimes of the
opening Anywhere Out Of This World, you know that the music has veered
completely around, adopting most often a classical stance often aided by the
use of many acoustic instruments. Indeed DCD is now more of an ambient gothic
group. Both Windfall and Wake Of Adversity should sound a bit familiar to you
(as it did to me, but had no idea who it was) and Dawn Of The Iconoclast has
probably been heard all over the planet at the time on the airwaves. Although a vast improvement on their early
releases, WTROADS is also a fairly vacuous album. Indeed there are few hints of
medieval and classical influences, but the album is by large a very ambient
one, never raising the tempo or getting down to serious business. It has a
certain je-ne-sais-quoi that lacks. Bravado, intensity (or more like the lack
of them) and virtuosity, are simply not key words in this release. Subtlety,
finesse and reflectiveless, however are much more While demanding progheads, looking for complex
rhythm patterns of virtuoso solos, will probably not get satisfaction from such
an ambient album, Dying Sun is still an album much worthy of a good listen, because
it might surprise a few set-minded music fans. But hardly is it an essential
album, in regards with prog’s scope of interest. A review by Warthur: On Within the Realm of a
Dying Sun, Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry steer Dead Can Dance more or less
completely outside of the goth rock context the band originally formed in to
explore esoteric blends of progressive folk, Gregorian chant, medieval compositions
and world music. Lisa Gerrard's ethereal vocals are given plenty of chance to
take the spotlight, particularly in the second half of the album, but Brendan
Perry's vocals also show distinct signs of improvement; it sounds to me as
though he is no longer trying to compete with the likes of Peter Murphy, Andrew
Eldritch and other goth frontmen and is singing in a style more natural to him,
allowing a bit more warmth to creep into his distinctive baritone. On the
whole, this is the first true masterpiece by the band. 543 Hall of the Mountain King
A review by Mellotron Storm: I remember how taken
aback I was when I first heard this record. I had listened to 3 of their
records (later ones), and was not prepared for the sheer power and heaviness
that "Hall of The Mountain King " would provide. Even Jon Oliva's
vocals are the best I've ever heard from them. As noted in other reviews, the
previous album really bombed due to some bad managerial advice. They lost a lot
of fans (temporarily) over that record, and at the end of the tour for it they
were ready to call it quits. Then in comes Paul O'Neill who flew down to
Florida to see them live, as they were just finishing up the tour. Paul was so
impressed with not only the chemistry of Jon and Criss, but their amazing
talent, he knew he had to work with them. He convinced them to carry on, and
let him produce their next record. Paul also wrote many lyrics for this record.
So what we have here is a band who is angry and desperate to win back their
fans. And who also have someone who really believes in them and is on their
side, in Paul O'Neill. So it's no wonder this record absolutely smokes. Highlights for me are
the opener "24 hrs. ago". This showed the world SAVATAGE were back. "Beyond
the Doors of the Dark" is one of Jon Oliva's favourite Savatage songs. It
starts slow but really kicks into gear, powerful riffs. The bass playing on
"Legions" is killer. "Strange Wings" has a definite
SCORPIONS feel to it. The title song is my fave. It's also a bonus live track
on the disc I have. Another highlight is the
short instrumental "Last Dawn" and the final song "Devastation"
which is the second and last bonus track, also done live. Lastly the song
"Prelude to Madness" is kind of cool because here we really have the
first example of what later would become TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA . Awesome
record! Edited by AtomicCrimsonRush - March 22 2012 at 07:21 |
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: March 20 2012 at 03:16 |
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1986 533 Awaken The Guardian
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: Fate's Warning
"Awaken the Guardian" may be the best album for this metal band,
along with "No Exit". At times they may be channelling Iron Maiden,
especially with the air raid siren vocals and vibrato like Dickinson. The music
is very different though and is the real drawcard. The
album cover art is iconic and one of the best in the metal world. The
inspiration for the imagery is obviously from Star Trek's "City on the
Edge of Forever' episode from the 60s. The Guardian in this episode is almost
identical to that on the album art. The spacescape in the centre of the
formation is intriguing as the time travel portal of the episode only showed
images from the past. It is a spacey scene but the music on the album is more
prog metal than space rock, though some of the thematic content has a fantasy aspect
such as 'The Sorceress' and 'Exodus'. 'The
Sorceress' has some powerful riffing and a strange time sig. The vocals of the
great John Arch are strong almost dominating the metal guitars. It changes into
a faster blaster mid way through, and then a new sig takes over at 3:30 and the
feel is better, with more chugging riffs and a new melody, like a song within a
song. The lead break is well executed; Aresti and Matheos have a powerful
guitar style. 'Valley
Of The Dolls' has some awesome guitar and riff within riff. Arch blares
brilliantly sounding as high as King Diamond's octave vibratos. The speed metal
segments here are terrific. There are so many time changes and this is very
precise and technical playing. 'Fata Morgana' is another great song thanks to
the incredible vocals of Arch, and even sounds a bit like Queensryche vocally
in places. 'Guardian'
is a metal power ballad, that builds slowly in to heavier passages, and the
vocals are incredible throughout reminding me of Helloween. 'Prelude To Ruin' begins
with pounding drums slowly keeping rhythm and the guitars ring soundly before
the riffs lock in. Arch's confident high falsetto vocals follow as the sig
breaks up, and this is some incredible guitar work. 'Giant's
Lore (Heart of Winter)' has an interesting story. The lead break in this is
incredible with hyper fast speed picking and overall this is one of the best FW
songs. 'Exodus'
is one of the definitive highlights with stirring vocals by Arch and awesome
lyrics; "Distant vision tempting water, fall to my knees, I'm going to
drink it dry, Blazing desert sun reflection on the water, He caught my eye, Up
in a tree looking at me, vulture of fear why don't you go away, He said you're
mine one day, Spit out the sand of the mirage, Be on your way." The lead
break is one of the better here from Matheos. The way the song settles into a
slower pace is a great way to balance all the speed. It builds again with a new
sig and power metal riffs. This
album reminds me a bit of Helloween's "Keeper of the Seven Keys"
period. The melodies in the vocals are strong and the diction of Arch and
intonation is always above the average metal singer. Arch has a cult following
and this is definitely one of his shining triumphs. Guaranteed to please metal
heads without a doubt. 534
A review by Mellotron Storm: This was a big let down
after the amazing "The Warning". The band here gets away from the
straight forward metal of their previous release to a more experimental, keyboard
driven sound. I know for most people this is a good thing, and it paves the way
for "Operation Mindcrime",but I miss the crunch of "The
Warning". Besides this record has a lot of tracks I would call weak, although
the opening three tracks are what makes this a good album. "Walk in the
Shadows" is a straight forward, commercial sounding tune, but it works
somehow. Good opener. "I Dream in Infrared" is almost ballad like, and
Tate is in fine form. Nice guitar solo 3 minutes in. "The Whisper"
opens with a memorable guitar melody, and Tate again sounds great! "Gonna Get Close to
you" is a song I detest, especially the bonus track version where it
sounds like they are using electronic drums. It really sounds like eighties
trash to me. "The Killing Words" has a keyboard intro, and a good
soaring guitar melody that turns into screaming solo. The bass work is great as
well. "Surgical Strike" and "Neue Regal" are both ok. "Chemical Youth (We
are Rebellion)" is a good uptempo rocker. "London" features
slowly pounding drums with vocals, while the synths come in during the chorus. Good
tune. "Screaming in Digital" is a hard one for me to get into, with
the theatrical vocals. The drumming is prominent, and a good guitar solo stands
out. "I Will Remember" is a good ballad like song with reserved
vocals, and acoustic guitar. Good record, but definitely not essential by any
means. 535 Les Morts Vont Vite
A review by Conor Fynes: Taking it's name from a beast in the H.P Lovecraft
mythos, French chamber act Shub-Niggurath's first album is arguably some of the
darkest music to ever come out of the bubblegum-stained 80's. First associated
with the French Zeuhl scene of avant-garde music, Shub-Niggurath is quite a far
cry from the tongue-in-cheek nature of compatriots Magma. Instead, this music
takes the operatic jazz-fusion style first made famous by Christian Vander and
company, and takes it far into the depths of hell, R'lyeh, or whatever
Lovecraftian nightmare you can conjure in your mind. However, despite an
incredibly promising opening sound and first track, 'Les Morts Vont Vite'
ultimately loses quite a bit of it's magic and consistency as the album
plunders on, although the fact remains that this is one of the most disturbing
classics I've ever listened to. Shub-Niggurath and their sound is defined by a
remarkably dark and tritonic brand of jazz- fusion, mixed with the operatic
soprano of Ann Stewart. The resulting effect is one of total chaos and
dystopia. In fact, the band may very well have had a real masterpiece on their
hands, had this debut been more consistent throughout. The album begins with
the true highlight and epic of the album, 'Incepit Tragaedia', which is- in
it's own odd and atonal way- the most memorable and melodic on the album. A
solemn dirge that builds very slowly and intentionally to it's chaotic climax,
the odd harmonies between Stewart's distinctive vocal approach and the
maddening tones of the lead instruments is brilliant. All the while, the
foreboding and sense of doom only grows, to the point where a comprehensive
song structure can't hold back the darkness. From there on, the album takes a
much more chaotic, almost 'jam-like' nature to it, focusing more on waves of
sound and a jazz- influenced improvisation mixed with segments of hymnal doom. Disregarding the obvious comparisons with bands
such as chamber rock legends Univers Zero and Zeuhl innovators Magma, the
biggest relation in sound I am reminded of is actually of King Crimson, circa
their 'Red' album, in which a gloomy bass was used heavily, and the harmonies
used were nothing, if not quite unsettling. However, Shub-Niggurath take that
sound set, and makes it about as uncomfortable (read: unsettling yet
interesting) as is possible. However, despite the album only getting more
experimental as it goes on, the lack of structure can make some parts feel too
noisy and chaotic to warrant a memorable experience. An album of dark proportions I might only be able
to compare to Scott Walker's 'The Drift' and some of the most sincere black
metal out there, Shub-Niggurath will leave an impression on the listener,
regardless of relative enjoyment. While the first track is the only one that is
memorable on it's own, this French band has made an unlikely classic of it's
first album. A review by Sean Trane: If the other Shub-Niggurath album was a really perky
album with its twisted odd ditties, this one goes a slight bit deeper in the
depression. This album makes Univers Zero's world like Univers Billions $ as
this is really BLEAK and gloomy and send gothic rock groups back to their
cribs. The album takes its name after the 1839 Horace Vernet painting gracing
its sleeve. I have, because of my RIO tastes, heard many sombre
albums, but like this one, I must say that it might be among the top five along
with Present's first two and UZ's Heresie, while not delivering as much energy
as those. This album with its gloomy soprano vocals close to classical music
and rather complex structures also does hint clearly at some Zeuhl influences,
but we are clearly on the outer fringes of rock music more like Avant Rock. However
impressive this album may be, one of the main gripes I have with it, is its
repetitive nature with the same endlessly slow patterns and booming bass
thumping allowing of course for plenty of doomy guitar wails and gloomy organs,
but this comes back on almost every track. But Shub-Niggurath is not just
content on slow macabre paces, as when La Ballade De Lénore picks up speed they
get down to even more ignominious moods, prompting even Dracula to take the
night off!!! (Yes, THAT bad!!!!!!! ;-) If one day your kid-cousin is turning towards goth
rock, and you would like to get him interested in a proggier current than his
actual tastes, you might want to introduce him to prog rock through a band like
this!!! No doubt he will be impressed and maybe . just maybe ... also
interested enough to borrow the album to his buddies and who knows what could
happen? Worth a shot, aint'it? 536
A review by Mellotron Storm: Well here it is, my
favourite UNIVERS ZERO record. They have continued on with their more
"electric" sound that began on the "Uzed" album. They have
increased their lineup from 5 on the "Uzed" record to 7 on this one. They
added a guitarist, and a second keyboard/synth player, the returning Andy Kirk
who would also compose the two longest tracks on this one. Not that this
matters, but I feel sort of justified in my high regard for this album when I read
one of the "Gnosis" reviewers saying that "Heatwave" was
"far and away their high point". It would be 13 years before they
would record another album. I really
like all 4 of these tracks a lot. The album opens with the
title track "Heatwave" a Kirk composition. Percussion and sax create
a great sound. There is more of a melody after 3 minutes as the drums lead the
way. Sax returns and some wonderful guitar 5 1/2 minutes in. It ends
dramatically. "Chinavox" and
the next song are Daniel Denis compositions. "Chinavox" features just
an amazing collage of sounds. Lots of percussion and clarinet on this dark and
intense track. "Bruit Dans Les
Murs" is quite intense with electric piano and drums leading the way. This
is dark with some incredible drumming on it. Sax arrives before 2 minutes. The
song builds 5 minutes in as things get frenzied. Nice. The drumming is
outstanding! "The Funeral
Plain" is the epic at over 20 minutes and the album's highlight. It opens
with electronic sounds with no real melody. It builds in strength with electric
piano and clarinet standing out. The violin joins the piano 4 minutes in, and a
couple of minutes later the drums join the clarinet and piano. It's like a
release before 9 minutes as the tension is broken. Dark sounds follow with lots
of atmosphere. Percussion sounds replace the dark vibe but only briefly as it
returns. Drums and violin create a full sound. The tension returns before 17
minutes as the guitar is just screaming. This is truly an amazing piece of
music as I got goosebumps 19 minutes in. You know Daniel Denis and Andy Kirk shine on
this album. Electric piano and drums lead the way on this one, with the horns
and violin more in the background. This is a masterpiece. 537
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: “So” is a great album, not excellent like “Melt” or “Up” but well worth a listen. The highlight of the album is the quintessential Gabriel track 'Sledgehammer'. One of the best rock songs of the 80s along with its mind-blowing video clip that was the benchmark for special animated, claymation and beyond, effects in the 80s. The song certainly put Gabriel on the rock map, many who had never heard of him suddenly had to sit up and take notice. It is a far cry from his Genesis years of course but he had reinvented himself and was once again making millions. Most people will remember the album promoting this track and it was drawcard for buying the album. Kate Bush once again features in the beautiful 'Don't Give Up' that is one of the greatest duets. In my opinion this is the best track on “So” particularly due to the storng melodies and musicianship, along with Kate’s haunting melancholic vocals. I also enjoyed 'That Voice Again' and 'In Your Eyes'. This is a very pleasant album, extremely mainstream, but still has some prog elements hidden within. “So” is an accessible Gabriel album and a memorable one for many reasons. Gabriel, a genuine prog legend, was back on the charts with a blockbuster in the mid 80s, and that is not something to be taken lightly. A review by Finnforest: SO superior.finally. And then there was So. With many artists, fans and music lovers can point to albums in their career where one feels they "sold out" and the artist will be justifiably ravaged for it. They will also point to the underdog or fringe albums as some of their favorites. While the critics hail Harvest or Rust Never Sleeps as the essential Neil Young albums, his real fans know that Zuma, TtN, and On the Beach are the great stuff. It didn't work that way for Peter Gabriel. His underdogs (1/2/4) really are..dogs.for the most part. And his "sell-out" album is probably the album of his career. And then there's the issue of the term sell-out. So is not a sell-out. I call it that because a lot of people think it is, but in my opinion selling out means lowering the quality considerably (think 90125) for calculated commercial reasons. Perhaps Gabriel's So was a calculated release but it sure as hell was not lower quality. Compared to the torture of sitting through his previous album Security, So is like a revelation of the sublime. "So" is, quite simply, Peter's "Hounds of Love." On about every front measurable, So raises the bar considerably and crushes his previous efforts. The songs perfectly achieve the balance of great artistry while being engaging, musically interesting, and fun. They flow, they sound confident and comfortable with each other. The quality of the songwriting has skyrocketed from the silliness of early material to the sheer boredom of some Security tracks. He has harnessed great energy and passion from the performances of his guests and backing musicians. His vocals have never sounded better: strong, confident, and clear. Even the presentation scores. The simple black and white cover with a photograph that finally allows the listener some emotional connection while projecting maturity. Some will say they prefer the looseness and anything goes attitude of the early albums, and while I understand the point, I will take the new controlled Gabriel in a heartbeat. The album is bookended by two of PG's most successful songs to date in "Red Rain" and "In Your Eyes." Lovely art rock tracks that are instantly likable and yet very classy. Like many Gabriel hits, were they not ruined by the nasty over exposure of radio play they would likely be much more highly regarded by critics of this album. "Sledgehammer" and "Big Time" are understandably going to add to the critics arguments that So is a pop sell-out, they are very radio friendly. But set those two songs aside and look at the rest of the album. "Don't Give Up" is one of his finest moments and one of the most memorable duets ever. Simply astonishing. "Mercy Street" is another favorite of mine, as beautiful as a dream, floating along like the camera pan in a European art flick. "We Do What We're Told" is quite atmospheric with its bubbly samples and electronica, it sounds like the kind of music that Bjork would be singing over about 10 years later. Beautiful stuff that is sadly too short. "That Voice Again" and "This is the Picture" are less known but still decent songs as well. It's true that this album is a more mainstream release that is miles from his progressive Genesis roots. But in its own way of merging progressive tendencies with popular music it was at the very top of its game, and like Hounds of Love, has aged much better than many other projects from the mid 1980s. "So" suffers from overexposure to be sure but I can't hold that against such an accomplished and stylish piece of music. Bold and classy, with rich, thoughtful playing by Levin and Rhodes. Superb effort. 3 ¾ stars. 538 – live
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: All Hail, Mighty Hawklords of Chaos, this is a wonderful surprise! Where do they hide these master tapes? A reissue of the 1986 live album with extra concert tracks and some bonus material, plus a 20 page booklet. This is irresistible for any Hawkwind Addict. The highly revered 'Chronicle of the Black Sword' material is featured plus other treasures such as 'Magnu' and a new version of 'Masters of the Universe'. Its all here, 'Sea King', 'Angels of Death', the space swooshes of 'Rocky Paths', The Sigue Sigue Sputnik feel of 'Fight Sequence', manic laughter in 'Wizards of Pan Tang', the hard driving 'Needle Gun' and the space poetry of Moorcock. The incredible narrative of Elric the Enchanter is captured live to a captive audience, harking back to the wonderful, weird lunacy of 'Space Ritual'. The bizarre concept concerns a wild array of characters such as Elric, Zarozinia, wizards with black swords, dragons, soul drinkers, Arioch, Lord of the 7 Darks; it's all Hawkwind. "Rise to defend the Dragon Throne," echoes the poet of 'Dragon's Song', and then the new song is unleashed, 'Dreaming City'. It is a competent enough track, chugging along nicely. The concert hangs together well, with melodic clarity, Brock's echoing vocal style and those excellent guitar riffs. The 20 page booklet features some lyrics with psychedelic illustrations, plus 10 pictures of the band including a fold out pic of the group in those days. 30 tracks, 2 CDs, this is a must have for all serious heavy proggers. A sonic attack on the senses, astounding sounds, amazing music; Hawkwind fanatics rejoice! 4 stars Edited by AtomicCrimsonRush - March 21 2012 at 08:08 |
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AtomicCrimsonRush
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator Joined: July 02 2008 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 14258 |
Posted: March 16 2012 at 17:33 |
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1985 524
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: This is one of the most influential, timeless
albums of the neo prog 80s. Marillion effectively reinvented prog. “Misplaced Childhood” is Marillion's magnum opus.
Each track blends seamlessly into one overall powerful experience. It is the
best the band have produced unlike the flawed “Fugazi” and “Script for a
Jester's Tear”, this CD works on every level; musically, conceptually and
vocally Fish has never been better. It begins with the hypnotic keyboard motif that I
had to learn after hearing this. A beautiful serene piece of art with the
wonderful vocals that chime in instantly transports us in to Marillion's world.
The narrative begins of a man who is attempting to revisit his innocent
childhood days that have been lost in the sea of fire - the trials and temptations
that have plagued his life robbed him of the innocence and thus his dreams have
been squashed. ‘Kayleigh’ is the bonafide single that all
Marillion fans have heard. It was my introduction to the band, found on the
best 80s compilation CDs. Steve Rothery blasts a memorable riff and the
keyboards soar over the top with a crystalline sound that is essential mid 80s
fair. The melody is wondrous and memorable and one of the best from the band as
a result. 'Lavender' is another single that takes on the
theme of the nursery rhyme that is a childhood memory but the lavenders - the
positive side of life - are gone robbed by negative effects on the life of the
protagonist. ‘Bitter Suite’ features a beautiful piano with encircling guitar
motifs that hook onto an infectious melody. ‘Heart Of Lothian’ begins with an incredible
introduction and then locks into an off beat metrical pattern that shifts from
4/4 to 7/8 and back again. There is an ethereal ambience in the keyboards that
compliments the vocal prowess of Fish. His vocal gymnastics never tire on the
ear on these tracks. ‘Waterhole’ is an anthemic rocker that leads
seamlessly into ‘Lords Of Backstage’, an effective short transition track that
segues into ‘Blind Curve’ and here is where the album really excels. The vocals
are poetic and Fish's artistry is second to none. There are dark overtones but
it feels uplifting simultaneously. Listen to Fish build to the crescendo climax
as he reflects on the dark memories; "the childhood, the childhood, the
childhood, oh please give it back to me" and there is a significant break
in the meter where the jagged guitar solo launches into full volume. It is an
amazing track and one of the best I have heard from Marillion. "Childhoods End?" has a very deep bass
line that throbs throughout and is significant to the dark tone of the lyrics. Is
it the end or the beginning of innocence? The concept is heavy handed but the
real star of the track is Fish who wails up a storm with an amazing vocal
performance; "it was morning and I found myself mourning for a childhood
that I thought had disappeared, I saw you... Hey you, surprised... to find the
answers to the questions were always in your own eyes, do you realise.... for
she's got to carry on with her life and you've got to carry on with
yours..." Simple and direct but effective to touch on the theme of a love
lost and how to survive "to be reborn in the shadow" to find
"the leading light of destiny burning in the ashes of your memory..."
Powerful. I love the guitar riffs and the lead breaks over Fish's vocals,
"There is no Childhood's End, There is no Childhood's End, oh lead me
on". Then the iambic pentameter changes completely in order to segue
immediately into ‘White Feather’. A low key track that is a low point on the
album but it certainly wraps it all up concluding the CD, fading away in true
80s style. How to conclude this review is to simply state the
fact. This is as about as good as Marillion gets. The first few albums are all
great but this is the masterpiece make no mistake. I would even be bold enough
to state that if this album does not appeal to you, Marillion is perhaps not
for you. But on the other hand for those of us who have discovered the genius
of this band, this CD is truly a pleasurable experience. Great headphone music
and one of the best outright examples of Neo Prog. A review by Finnforest: The jewel of the Fish years. And the best Neo album I've personally ever heard.
Events in my personal life have had me thinking about the past a lot lately, I
suppose it's just the next midlife crisis. Some would say I look backwards too
much but I would counter that too many people seem to be running from their
past, which is no better frankly. I think there is much to be learned by
thinking about events and outcomes of decades gone by, as I've found they can
be clues to explaining things in your midst today. Is it coincidence that this
old friend found its way back into my rotation after many years of not hearing
it? Maybe. But the rush of memories and emotions it brought back were nothing
short of intriguing. "Misplaced Childhood" is a masterpiece for so
many reasons and it is easily the best of the Fish years. The album comes from
the high point of the first Marillion era, when the band members said they were
confident and happy, and stated that the album pretty much "wrote
itself." The good times were short lived of course but what a statement
they left. The thematic concepts of the album come primarily from one wild
night when Fish took a double hit of some solid LSD and spent the night writing
between bouts of freaking out, providing yet more evidence that some of the
best rock music ever written was assisted by chemical inspiration, as much as
some would like to deny that fact. "An envelope arrived one of
these days. Inside there was a short letter from an old girlfriend with the
recommendation to digest the accompanying contents - a tab of very strong acid.
Very Alice indeed! Not having indulged for a while I swallowed a cautious half,
and after a few hours and with a pleasant euphoria, I took the other - setting
off on my bike to Steve Rothery's house. Very bad mistake....Steve had to drive
me home and after locking all the doors I set off into a long white-knuckle
roller-coaster of a night....I immersed myself in a warm bath for a while,
returning to the womb and trying to reassemble myself. I spent the rest of the
night crouched on the floor listening to music, watching walls breathe....I'd
started to doodle and scribble in my lyric book on the off chance of catching
something from the trip. It was sometime during the night that I was visited.
'Incubus' was on the deck; I was in 'Padres Bay' when suddenly I felt a child
standing behind me on the stairs. I knew he was dressed as a soldier and
vanished as soon as he entered the corner or my eye. Perhaps it was my muse;
perhaps it was the drug. It was enough to propel me into reaming off a large
scrawl of prose. Contained within were the diamonds and structure on which
would hang up the entire concept of Misplaced Childhood." [Fish, from
Marillion.com] Lyrically and musically the album is almost magical
in its successes. The concepts Fish wrote about were personal mostly, but great
rock concepts have a way of allowing the listener to assume emotional control
of the content: "Kayleigh" becomes *your* lost love, the melting
chalk hearts from *your* playground, the haze of summer lawns emerge from our
*own* memories. (Not literally of course, the names and places will be
different, but you catch my drift-we internalize the tracks to our own
experience). He delivers the storylines masterfully and with incredible
passion. The band rises to his challenge of performance here delivering
heartfelt melodies, interesting proggy interludes, beautifully linked songs and
transitions, recurring themes, and spirited jamming. When you consider all of
the elements the album can compete with works like Dark Side or Trick of the
Tail (while it falls short of Floyd for me it easily bests TotT). But think
about Dark Side's recipe: great transitions, poignant lyrics, interesting
proggy moments and great melody....same recipe. The difference is mainly in the
"sound" of the two bands and the time periods. Some proggers will
blast the album for being too overtly accessible but in reality it is not so
different than those highly approachable '70s albums. I love how dynamic and briskly paced everything is
kept. From the mysterious beginning of "Pseudo Silk Kimono" to those
amazing first chords of "Kayleigh", which if you listen carefully
perfectly sound-simulate the effect of time travel leading to the "do you
remember?" lines of the songs....just freakin' perfect melding of sound
and theme. They dive right into another contagious track with
"Lavender" showcasing Rothery's abilities to mimic that gorgeous,
transcendent Gilmour quality of pleasurable note production. "Bitter
Suite" begins with an understated but dramatic little drum solo, a great
touch by Mosley. "Blue Angel" revisits the "Lavender"
melody as the album displays the kind of recurring themes throughout that give
it that cohesive, confident, and deeply considered compositional base.
"Misplaced Rendezvous" opens with a lovely acoustic swirl before
"Windswept Thumb" closes this amazing suite with my favorite, simple
piano melody. Mark Kelly lavishes the album cover to cover in beautiful texture
and mood, while Pete Trewavas delivers this huge, thumping bass
throughout....giving the album some real rock punch! The second side tries to best "Bitter
Suite" with a 10-minute emotional bloodbath in "Blind Curve"
which deals with the death of a close friend (I believe.) The interlude between
"Mylo" and "Perimeter" is fantastic---and the pain, loss,
and anger expressed through the suite is deep. Just when it begins to get a bit
much at the end they pull it back nicely with a refrain of the pleasing
"Lothian" riff. If only they had ended with the upbeat and natural
sounding conclusion of "Childhood's End" which so perfectly wrapped
it. The one black eye of this album is the tacking-on of the dreadful last
track "White Feather" with its cringe-worthy, utopian lyrics, which
was simply so unnecessary. My rating of 5 stars is tainted by the fact that I
hate the last track, so I must qualify that I stop the disc after
"Childhood's End." Perhaps that's cheating, but hey, it's my review.
I can't penalize such a treasure like this for one dud track. Get yourself a remastered version of this album and
hear one of the best rock albums of the 1980s. The cynical (of which I often
include myself in their ranks) may mock you, but when you get this disc in your
car alone, you'll enjoy it just like the other guilty pleasure albums people
sometimes diss....Grand Illusion, Wind and Wuthering, Moving Pictures, Snow
Goose, In Absentia, Point of Know Return, etc. "Misplaced Childhood"
may not be the greatest progressive album but it was a perfect moment in time,
a band hitting full stride, and somewhere to take refuge in the mid '80s. 525 Le Poison Qui Rend Fou
A review by Sean Trane: Present's second album is a bit more of the same
than its debut: dark, sombre, macabre , sinister and one can say gothic in a
way (although I have never seen Goth-heads present at their concerts ;-). The
group comes back with a slightly changed line-up: Ferdinand Philippot is now
handling the bass duties, but the change is minor. The artwork is plainly
sinister but with a touch of romantic inspiration and fits the music quite well. Starting off with an epic 15 min+ first part of the
title track, featuring an operatic-voiced guest vocalist, Present plunges again
on a metronomic groove with the two pianos helping out a great deal and a lengthy
trip is undertaken through the insane meanders of Trigaux's mind. A shorter
Ersatz is reminiscent of Belew era-Crimson, and definitely more upbeat and
almost joyful compared to the habitual stuff. The almost 10 min second part of the title track
(on the second side of the vinyl), is the logical follow-up to its debut, but
is totally instrumental. The closing 9 min Samana (Rochette-penned) is not much
different but not quite as dense and might be a little clumsy in its middle
section, but it remains in the mould. Not an easier than the debut album, and just as
difficult to recommend, these first two albums are uncanny oeuvres that must be
heard by every proghead, but most likely, if they do not like adventurous and
partially un-melodic prog, repulsion or rejection will be an understandable
reaction. But if the proghead should persevere with present, soon the full
merits of the music will come rewardingly. Both albums now come on a 2 on 1 Cd,
which is probably the safest bet you can make as acquiring both albums
separately will not bring much more. This will be the last album from them for
over 12 years, when Trigaux will start playing with his son then reform
Present. 526 Metal Fatigue
A review by SouthSideoftheSky: I previously knew Allan Holdsworth from Tempest,
UK, Bruford and I now also have some other of his solo albums. While UK is very
hard to match, Metal Fatigue is definitely one of the best albums I've heard
featuring Holdsworth's unique guitar sound. The best track on Metal Fatigue is the title track,
which is great! It has a quite Metal-ish riff, but the vocal melody is more Pop
oriented making for an interesting crossover between Pop, Hard Rock and Jazz-Rock.
The second track, Home, is a mellow and relaxing affair with beautiful electric
and acoustic guitar solos. Holdsworth understands (at least on this album) what
I feel that many artists in the Jazz- Rock/Fusion field fails to understand -
you don't have to be loaded and complex all the time, it is ok to be subtle
too! Indeed, it is often the more subtle and restrained moments that make the
complex parts shine. However, I sometimes feel that this album is maybe too
subtle at times. Several moments on Metal Fatigue actually remind me
of the Alan Parsons Project! This is both because of the excellent production
and particularly on the two tracks Panic Station and In The Mystery, which are
shorter Pop/Soft Rock songs in true Alan Parsons style. They fit in very well
here, making the album varied. About half the material on this album is
instrumental and half features vocals. There are two different vocalists but
they are similar enough to each other to avoid making the album disjointed
which is often the case with albums featuring several vocalists (Alan Parsons
Project albums are a perfect example of that mistake). One problem with this album is that it is front
loaded. The best tracks are at the beginning and towards the end the least good
tracks appear. The 14 minutes plus The-Un-Merry-Go-Round is slightly too long
and even features a drum solo, something that I think almost never works on a
studio album. Thankfully, the drum solo is reasonably short. Metal Fatigue is essential for Holdsworth
followers, but for the rest of us it is worthy of three (and a half) stars, I
think. One of the better albums of the Jazz-Rock/Fusion sub-genre. 527
A review by Warthur: IQ's first masterpiece is The Wake, a concept
album about a protagonist undergoing phantasmagoric experiences as he comes to
terms with the fact that he's died and learns to let go of his earthly
connections as he passes to an uncertain fate. Distilling the Genesis-influenced
approach of Tales From the Lush Attic into tighter, more carefully composed
tracks and showing an adept ability to include a few crowd-pleasing mainstream
rock elements into their sound without compromising the emotional and
conceptual integrity of the piece (as on The Thousand Days), the album shows a
far greater diversity of sound and mood than its predecessor, with songs
ranging from the foreboding Outer Limits to the relaxing Corners (one of the
few neo-prog tracks I'm aware of which includes an indo-prog influence thanks
to the inclusion of sitar) to the uplifting, soaring Thousand Days and
Headlong. As far as the band's performances go, the interplay
of Mike Holmes' guitar and Martin Orford's synths has rarely been equalled,
whilst Peter Nicholls' dramatic, theatrical vocal delivery is excellent on this
album. He left the band after this one to pursue his Niadem's Ghost sabbatical,
and I'd go so far as to say that even if he'd never returned he'd still have a
strong claim to being IQ's best vocallist based on his work here. Indeed, if IQ
had vanished into obscurity or sold out utterly after this point they'd still
have a warm reputation in neo-prog circles thanks to this classic; luckily for
us, they had more classics up their sleeve. A review by SouthSideoftheSky: A-wake and nervous While an improvement over the sprawling debut
album, Tales From The Lush Attic, and also more interesting than the next
album, Nomzamo, The Wake is not quite the classic it is often claimed to be.
Widow's Peak and the title track are indeed great songs that are eternal IQ
classics with a permanent place in the band's live set until the present day.
The rest of the songs do not have the same impact and the album tends to drag
in some parts. It is indeed listenable, but only the title track and Widow's
Peak really stand out for me. The rest is not particularly memorable, though
Corners has a very nice sitar-driven ending. Is this Raga Rock? Another problem is the subpar production which is
not noticeably improved over the debut. The sound quality is not downright
horrible by any means, but The Wake pales in comparison with other Neo-Prog
classics from the same period such as the albums by Marillion. The weak production
also makes this album sound a bit dated. Sonic quality is not everything, of
course. If it has great tunes a bad sound and production may be forgiven, but
as implied this album has only very few great tunes. Lead vocalist Peter Nicholls would leave the band
following this album but he returned for the recording of Ever in the early
90's. In my opinion, IQ wouldn't really find their own musical direction until
his return, but the seed of what was to be indeed lies here. The feeling and
mood of this album is darker than that of Ever and very much darker than the
almost cheerful (in parts) Are You Sitting Comfortably? thus foreshadowing to
some extent the dark and excellent Dark Matter from many years later. As far as
I'm concerned though, the peak of the band's career (which I would say came
with Dark Matter) was still many years away at this stage. The Wake undoubtedly constitutes an important part
of the band's history as well as the history of the Neo-Prog genre and this is
what makes it a worthwhile addition in the end, even if it fails to impress me
much. The album's best moments are featured in better versions on various live
albums together with other IQ classics similarly updated so this is not
essential. 528 Energetic Disassembly
A review by Conor Fynes: At a time when 'being thrash' usually amounted to little more
than playing fast and gurgling into a microphone, a band from Texas sought to
change everything. Called by some to be the first prog metal album, and many
more to be the first 'tech' metal album, Watchtower's debut 'Energetic
Disassembly' was a piece of music on another level than virtually everything
else that was calling itself heavy metal at the time. For that, this album can
be considered one of those ahead-of-its-time classics. Indeed, the work here
impresses, although there are some issues with the sound that would thankfully
be worked out with the band's near-perfect sophomore 'Control &
Resistance'. Although Watchtower is best known for its later lineup of Alan
Tecchio and Ron Jarzombek, the sound of Watchtower here is not any different.
The music here is fast, blistering, ferociously technical, and overtly flirting
with progressive structure. Even compared to today's thrash metal, Watchtower
are fiercely technical performers. Billy White's style of riffage is rooted in
the same thrash style as a band like Slayer, but there is much more activity
within the passages, and it doesn't let up. Rick Cocaluca's drum work shows
signs of jazz influence, but the sound of his set is booming. Doug Keyser's
contribution with the bass is the most subtle of the instrumentalists, but it
sports a technical prowess that almost parallels the guitars. And, of course,
the vocals of Jason McMaster are here as well. Although he would be latter
replaced by the superior Alan Tecchio (a dead-ringer for McMaster), Jason's
high-pitched falsetto is a core trademark of the band. The way he belts his
voice makes Watchtower a truly all-encompassing technical band. Although
McMaster's vocals are undeniably powerful, the unrelenting high-pitched shriek
can wear thin for me, and this is an issue I suspect many listeners will have
when listening to 'Energetic Disassembly'. The songwriting brilliantly incorporates the technical
virtuosity of the band, but ultimately, the songs are not very distinct from
each other, and it's not uncommon to feel a sense of deja vu within the second
half of the album. As well, I cannot help but keep comparing 'Energetic
Disassembly' to the band's second album 'Control & Resistance', and my awe
of that one. To me, it feels like the band improved virtually every aspect of
their sound with that one, from the replacement of vocalists, to more clearly
defined songwriting, and the trademark guitar work of Ron Jarzombek. Here, some
of the things I loved most about the second album had not yet been injected
into the band's system, but the core elements of what make Watchtower so great
are here in full. A great technical thrash album from a classic band. 529 Brother Where You Bound
A review by Sean Trane: Sister, I'm bound inside you With Hodgson now gone, the remaining quartet forged
ahead although the future outcome wasn't certain, since Roger was the main
"hit" writer, one of the most recognizable on radio and wrote at
least half the tracks of Supertramp. But Davies soldiered on and surprisingly
enough wrote their most progressive album since Crime. The average songwriting
is so high on this album that one almost doesn't miss Hodgson's presence, as
he's not replaced on vocals surprisingly enough Helliwell didn't get a shot at
it, despite often doubling Roger's voice; while the only place where there are
some guitars (the epic title track), Floyd's Gilmour and Lizzy's Gorham are
taking care of it. However, whatever few other guitars are handled by guest Marty
Walsh. With an evocative evolution artwork enhancing the album title, the most
amazing feat of Brother Where You Bound is its release date: 1985. A shock awaits the listener the first time he hears
this album: Cannonball is a very unlikely Supertramp song with its infernal
groove and a very 80's-ish rhythm, but that track got a lot of airtime on FM
radios and I believe an abridged version was released as a single. After an
average Still In Love, Davies hits the right spot with the poignant No
In-Between, a song where Rick bares it all with plenty of emotions. The
highlight of the A-side is definitely the very progressive Better Days
featuring Scott page's flute, a track that could rank just behind Rudy and
Fools Overture. The flipside is mostly occupied by the
superb16-mins+ title track epic divided in four or five movements (not
specified on the sleeve, though), with an incredible Gilmour doing a
not-too-Gilmouresque intervention. Although this is probably the most difficult
Supertramp track to listen to, this gains to be heard a few times before it
sinks in your brains and remains in there. The album closes on the unremarkable
Ever Open Door, maybe a call for Roger. A review by Finnforest: I'll take Davies over Hodgson any day Brother Where You Bound proved a few things to me a
quarter century ago when I first heard it. The first was that Rick Davies was
the heart and soul of Supertramp for me, not Roger Hodgson. If you've any doubt
about it listen to this album, then simply recall in your mind the track
"It's Raining Again." Case closed. Second, the album proved that
Supertramp were capable of quality progressive rock in 1985, something Genesis,
Yes (in '83), and Floyd (in '87) were not able to do. Brother is a restless,
unnerving album with a sound that in my speculation feels remarkably influenced
by Dire Straits and Pink Floyd's "The Wall" album. I hear songs with
a similar DNA make-up to "Love Over Gold" mixed with a Roger Waters'
lyrical heaviness. At a relatively low point in prog's timeline Davies
delivered an album that left little doubt who was Mr. Tramp. A classy and high
quality piece of prog rock with jazz and blues overtones delivered via cool
conceptual themes, social commentary, political intrigue, and impending doom. I
always thought some of these messages were meant for Hodgson while appearing to
discuss other matters. The only dud on this album is the overly slick and
repetitive opener "Cannonball" which is unlistenable to me....a skip
every time. But after that it gets good and stays good. Davies has never been
more on his game than here, vocally and at the keys. The keys alternate between
a crisp piano sound and a more floating atmospheric sound, contrasting a
certain spaciness with the direct production values. His singing is also
superb, never more poignant than on "No Inbetween" with its longing
sadness and introspection. The meat of the album lies in the darkness of
"Better Days" and "Brother Where You Bound", the latter which
features the lead guitar of David Gilmour. The two tracks combine into one epic
track and I recall there being some ambitious video of these tracks released.
The music is ominous and the lyrics Orwellian in nature with huge dramatic
build-up on the 16-minute title track. Here the band actually attempts some
less-than-predictable development which bands just weren't doing much of at
this time. While it's not exactly "Relayer" it sure as hell beats
"90125." After this chunk of material dealing with the darker side of
humanity the album closes nicely with a bit of sunlight in "Ever Open
Door," about a man looking forward with hope---although I'm guessing the
"open door" he speaks of here is not meant for Mr. Hodgson. Brother does suffer a bit from aspects of
"that darn 80s sound" but not enough to outweigh the great
performances and interesting songwriting. If you thought Supertramp died with
Breakfast in America or when Roger left, if you've never bothered to try this
one, you will be pleasantly surprised. Between 3 and 4 stars but closer to 4.
One of my favorite 80s releases from a '70s giant. A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: I was never a fan of Supertramp as they seemed to
epitomise the clichéd power ballad 80s sound that I avoided ('It's Raining
Again', 'Dreamer') but this is definitely one of their better albums. Yes, the
80s sound is prevalent such as on 'Cannonball' but the song is catchy enough to
endure, though too repetitious for its own good, built for radio airplay. The album peaks later on into prog territory with
'Better days' one of the great Supertramp compositions. The synths are dynamic,
the piano drives it headlong and even the melody captivates. The crispy drums
are too 80s but this feels darker with the ominous vocals and searing guitars.
When the flute chimes in and the sax solo is heard at the end, I am convinced
that this is one of the most progressive Supertramp songs and delightfully so. The real drawcard is especially the showpiece of
the album is the 16 minute treasure 'Brother Where You Bound'. The saxophone is
absolutely beautiful and there is great guitar from David Gilmour, always
incredible to hear. This track has a bluesy feel with piano dominating and
effective soulful vocals from Rick Davies. Thin Lizzy's Scott Gorham also makes
an appearance on guitar capping off a classic track. Midway through there is
surprising dissonance with a jazz improvisation, almost free form RIO at one
point, and it works brilliantly against all the 4/4 time sigs previous. There are love songs as usual on a Supertramp album
and mediocre moments, but this has enough to capture my interest beyond the
standard power ballad album. 530 Le Mariage Du Ciel Et De L'Enfer
A review by Sean Trane: Although Art Zoyd remains active still today, I
consider this sixth album of the last classic period, even if the music had
already taken a slightly different twist with the previous Les Espaces
Inquiets. Again a double album (as Phase IV had been) this is the music to
accompany a Roland Petit ballet. If the name of Roland Petit rings a bell to
progheads, it is because Pink Floyd did a project (un-finished and un-recorded)
during the DOSTM sessions and Petit was never far away from the prog crowd. The
line-up is by now very stable, the group is still without a proper drummer
(Daniel Denis being busy in UZ) as the two composers are sharing the percussion
work with Soarez and the compositions again fairly even between Hourbette and
Zaboitzeff. Bizarrely this ballet was first premiered in Milano
in June 84 then recorded in Switzerland in October, mixed in Belgium during the
winter and only organized for representations in France the next spring.
Musically speaking the album is well in the line of the previous ones, slightly
more accessible than Phase IV and less atmospheric then Especes Inquiets, on
the whole, this album is maybe the closest to early Univers Zero's Heresie or
Ceux Du Dehors. There are some superb moments, especially
Cryogenese (in two parts of 18 and 15 mins) where the winds add an incredible
out-of-this-world feel and the rhythms are leading you in a transient state of
mind, where musical particularities or tiniest details acquire a new meaning or
importance. Another excellent moment is the two-part Mouvance, specially the
second part which is called 1 - go figure it out for yourself - and that superb
piano dictating an infernal rhythm even when it is not present, repeating a
haunted crescendo: Du grand art, Monsieur!. Clearly this album actually really
deserves its title: the marriage between heaven and hell. The second Cryogenese
is the logical prolongation of itself, with some returning themes and its
awesomely disturbing (dare I say mind-boggling?) debut section: Wow! And
believe me that this is very danceable music also, so the ballet might be worth
a viewing if the shows were filmed. One of the weaknesses of this album is its duration
time, because this kind of music is not that easy on the nerves IF you are not used
to it, so listening to a double dose of it is usually driving to the overdose.
Still quite an impressive and fully worthy AZ album, this could be one of
Gerard Hourbette's finest hour. A review by Mellotron Storm: This was released as a
double album back in 1985 and was the music for Roland Petit's ballet called
"The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell". It's hard to believe this was used
as music for a ballet, although Petit was known for his theatrical productions.
He apparently saw ART ZOYD on television and so contacted them about doing this.
I must say I feel very fortunate to have this cd as it is the last of their
chamber music period before they went heavily into electronics. This is the
only one of their early period that is not out of print yet, and it's one of
their best. What's it sound like ? Well my favourite place to listen to music
is in my truck on my hour drive to and from work. I listen to the longer cds like this on my way
home because I can take my time and go the long way. I've been listening to
this all week at work and one customer gave me a hard time about it saying I should
have Christmas music on instead of this depressing stuff, I decided to let him
live. So tonight on the way home in the dark I had a careful listen to this
recording. The closest reference in my opinion is UNIVERS ZERO, in that this is
very intense and dark. This is more minimilstic and experimental but every bit
as good, in fact I like it better than UNIVERS ZERO's early works. "Sortie 134 (Part
1)" opens with a lot of tension as dual piano melodies and trumpet lead
the way before it calms down and we can hear children laughing. Some violin and
piano before a full sound comes back 3 minutes in that comes and goes. A change
before 6 minutes as we get lots of percussion and piano. Vocal melodies before
8 minutes. This is intense! Great track! It ends with children laughing again
as it blends into "Cryogenese (Reve Artificiel)". The sound of a
metronome ticking can be heard as trumpet blasts and piano comes in. A change 3
minutes in as the metronome stops and the trumpet and piano continue. Again
this is so intense. Another change 5 minutes in as metronome returns with piano.
I'm reminded of UNIVERS ZERO 6 1/2 minutes in. Trumpet a minute later. Actually
an outbreak of trumpet 9 1/2 minutes in goes on for a minute. It becomes so
intense and unrelenting. Another change 14 1/2 minutes in as some strange
sounds replace the trumpet. Sounds like synths 16 1/2 minutes in as the piano
stops. What a ride that was. "Io 1"
features sax melodies that are at times dissonant. "Io 2" is eerie and haunting. A cool
rhythm with sax comes in that stops and starts. I like this one. "Io 3" opens with almost a pulsating
sound as violin comes in. It stops and then continues but this time piano is
added. It stops again and restarts. This part is kind of spooky. Vocal melodies
join 4 minutes in. "Mouvance 2"
incorporates these wonderful piano melodies. A full sound before 3 minutes. "Mouvance 1" features more piano but
it's more aggressive. Trumpet comes in tastefully as we again have two pianos
being played. The intensity is removed as the song settles down. Violin comes
in as piano quietly plays on. "Cryogenese (Les Portes Du Futur)"
opens with outbursts of piano. Percussion comes and goes. Organ and trumpet 1 1/2
minutes in. The outbreaks come back. Violin 3 1/2 minutes in. Vocal sounds. Metronome
comes in. Organ 7 minutes in. The rest of the song is fantastic! One of the
best parts of the album. It has more of a melody with trumpet blasts, piano and
organ. "Sortie 134(Part
2)" has a good beat, and the
children laughing are back. Vocal melodies and speaking as well. Great ending
to this album. When I finished listening
to this I thought to myself "Was that just a bad dream I had?" ART
ZOYD have just been put near the top of my favourite Rio-prog band list. Get
this record!! 531 The Chronicle of the Black Sword
A review by AtomicCrimsonRush: "Chronicle of the Black Sword" is another
killer album with weird conceptual content from the creative mind of Michael
Moorcock, and remains a fan favourite. Much of the material is available in
live format on "Live Chronicles", but the studio album has garnered a
cult following over the years 'Song of the Swords' is a fiery start with strong
vocals and lyrics about the main concept of the sorcerer and the swordsman;
"Take up the sword and take up me, the Chaos Lord's answer is to be, Your
path is chosen, you have no choice, Come join us now! thus spake the voice.
It's paradise". 'Shade Gate' is an instrumental with 80s retro
synth melody ending on a zither sting. 'Sea King' has good echoed vocals and pulsing
rhythm, spacey effects and a distorted guitar riff. The lead break is effective
and the Hawkwind interstellar sound effects. 'Pulsing Cavern' is a transitional piece with
ambient mellotron and a heartbeat rhythmic pulse. It leads into 'Elric the
Enchanter'. The strong beat and echo on vocals is classic Hawkwind. The lyrics
are terrific telling the tale of Elric's exploits; "Sprawling in a Ruby
Throne, His head cupped in his hands, The Lord of Dragons, Elric's thoughts,
Were of quests to far-off lands, The Black Sword was at his side, Murmuring in
its scabbard cold, Waiting for the moment to arrive, To drink the very essence
of souls." The instrumental lead break is spacey guitar and weird effects.
The riff changes into a delightful half time feel which is ominous and doomy;
"He did not know that the sword he'd hold, Would turn his priceless empire
into fool's gold, The truth, the shadow of the sword will hide, 'Til it's too
late, a traitor at his side." The harmonies are excellent and this is
perhaps the highlight of the album. 'Needle Gun' is one of the more popular tracks
featuring on compilations. It was strange hearing this in context of the other
tracks rather than on compilations. The sound is a straight 4/4 guitar rocker,
with infectious melody and anti-tattoo lyrics; "Hear my laughter in your
head, It's a pity, it's a shame nothing's been said, It's a vaccination joy
with the ultimate death toy, It's gonna make you run, needle gun." It
feels more like a typical heavy rock anthemic song than a space rock epic, but
still fits in well with the album content. 'Zarozinia' features Brock's great vocals on the slow
space ballad, with wavering synth tones, minimal bass and refreshing wind
effects. The lyrics are quite beautiful; "Fire of destiny, Fire of
reality, Zarozinia, The burning of flesh, Flames loving caress, Zarozinia,
Water from a thousand tears, Feeling of a thousand years, Flow over me."
One of the highlights of the album. 'The Demise' features a weird whispered narrative
and otherworldy screams sets the scene. The preternatural soundscapes segue
into 'Sleep of 1000 Years' with Brock's familiar multi-tracked vocals and a
driving riff. A thumping bassline and spacey lead guitar augment the
atmospherics. 'Chaos Army' begins with motorik pulsing sonics and
weird percussion, until it breaks into a riffing guitar for 'Horn of Destiny'.
Brock's vocals are sung in trademark style with some gruelling lyrics;
"Many with madness in their eyes, stare gibbering at the white-hot skies,
foul birds circle overhead shadowing the living and the dead." The lead
guitar swells and sporadic percussion are effective in the lengthy instrumental
section. This is a concept album in the same spirit of
classic Hawkwind of the 70s and is a welcome return to form. It is one to seek
out though not easy to find. The search will be worth it as it is one of
Hawkwind's greatest 80s albums. 532 The Spectre Within
A review
by Warthur: Now, THIS is more like it! In the space of a year Fates Warning jumped from being amateurish and unimaginative imitators of Iron Maiden to being peers of their great inspiration when it came to songwriting and performance. Sure, John Arch's vocals still sound like a Bruce Dickinson impersonation, but it's a damn good one - and this time around the songwriting matches that of Iron Maiden when it comes to skill, and actually exceeds Maiden when it comes to the incorporation of progressive rock influences. Not until Seventh Son of a Seventh Son would Maiden
produce material quite as complex and intricate as the stuff presented here,
and some material - such as the closing Epitaph - is proggier than Maiden ever
dared to get. Forget about Brocken - this is where Fates Warning's prog metal
style really took off. A review by Mellotron Storm: This is where FATES
WARNING's started to define their own sound. So even though this is a
significant record, and better produced then the debut "Night On
Brocken", I still like the straight up IRON MAIDEN sounding debut better. This
record though would pave the way to their masterpiece "Awaken The
Guardian". The opener "Traveler
In Time" is a great song that opens with a guitar riff and a clock
chiming, that turns into some heavy riffing as Mr. Arch starts to sing. What
makes this song so good is John's vocal melodies and the way he holds a note. The
guy is incredible. "Orphan Gypsy"
opens with heavy sludge like riffs with a guitar melody overtop. The drumming
is fantastic, and the song becomes an uptempo rocker. "Without A
Trace" is another uptempo tune, but something is lacking, it's ok though. "Pirates Of the
Underground" opens with some fast paced instrumental work that suddenly
stops as a slower riff comes in with vocals. The guitar is really good before
the 4 minute mark. "The Apparition" is an amazing song. The vocals
are what makes this song tick. John is doing vocal gymnastics in this one. Nice
heavy riffing as well. Without a doubt my favourite song on the record. "Kyrie
Eleison" opens with what sounds like monks chanting until a guitar riff
blows them away! More incredible drumming, and I love Arch's vocals in this
fast paced tune. The final song "Epitath" is the longest and has lots
of tempo shifts. In the beginning of this song I was reminded of IRON MAIDEN
for the first time on this record. There is some great SABBATH like bass lines
as well as some scorching guitar solos. Incredible song! I like this album
quite a bit but I can't offer up that fourth star. Edited by AtomicCrimsonRush - March 20 2012 at 03:14 |
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1000 Prog Albums Over 46 Years: 1966-2011
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