REFLECTIONS

Line-up changes continued for Osiris through the mid-80's.Lead singer Isa Janahi and Debbie Moss had to leave the band and their replacement was Mohamed Shafii, who could play keyboards, flutes and sing.They had a good opportunity to play in Phillipines, where they were quite popoular, but lack of finance prevented the tour.However they reached a few TV broadcasts and played a small number of lives in 1986'-87', even if line-up shakes always struck the band.The younger of Al-Sadeqi brothers, Sabah, returned from the USA and provided vocals for the new album, which started to be recorded in the band's own and new-established Osiris Studio.During the process Khalid Almutawa left Osiris and bass duties were handled by Mohammed Al-Sadeqi until the arrival of 18-years old Ali Khonji.Sami Al Jabea provided additional keys on ''Reflections'', originally released in 1989 in cassette format in about 500 copies.However the album never got a proper vinyl issue and only came to surface many years later by Musea in CD format.

For the most of its part ''Reflections'' shows a tendency by Osiris to flirt with the 80's British Prog sound, sounding pretty similar to PENDRAGON, even having a more pronounced keyboard presence and more balanced guitar textues.This does not mean that the level of the compositions is decreased.Osiris still played a phrenomenal Progressive Rock with strong CAMEL and GENESIS vibes, led by incredible melodies, memorable solos, flashy keyboards and dreamy atmospheres.Vocals appear to be the best ever provided by the group, displayed with an almost perfect English accent.While the production is not of first class, it is sufficient enough to support Osiris' slightly updated style.The music is simply great, absolutely melodious and perfectly executed, full of dual keyboard lines, extended instrumental ideas with bombastic moves and lots of changing climates.After the middle the sound becomes more vintage-friendly, always based on the British school of Prog Rock.Razak-Aryan appears to use a Roland organ in order to deliver an old-fashioned touch in the keyboard parts, which sounds extremely charming in combination with the Moog synthesizer of Mohamed Shafii.Moreover the CAMEL influences start again to dominate the music.From the fiery guitar moves the music suddenly passes through more emotional soloing, while melodic flute lines eventually take a role in the instrumental lines.Rich, elaborate arrangements full of finesse and high quality.

Well, these guys came from Bahrain, but you should actually start to take them seriously in the worldwide prog scene.Yet another winner by Osiris, impressive Symphonic/Neo Prog with dramatic, dense and grandiose musicianship.Highly recommended.