AMPERSAND

I am always sceptical with releases combing great left over numbers. Since the history of the band was rather short, some live tracks are added to come up with an appropriate length (over fifty minutes).

So, to my astonishment, the first song Ancient Memory is not bad at all. Vocal harmonies remind Yes and the hard guitar attack is close to what the band had delivered in their second album I Move. The track is elaborate and pleasant. A good left-over I should say. But it is the only one of that class here.

Not that the other songs are bad, but after an OK Afraid to Be Different, the mellowish The Wait Of It All is too sloppy for my ears and the jazzy acoustic One Slice To Go is just a filler.

Confusion is the second good piece of music from Ampersand. The vocal harmonies are beautiful and the music is quite atmospheric. It sounds far much better than the classic rock ballad The Bar Song.

The Crimsonian Razor and Star Evil. are the best moments from this album although I far much preferred the beauty of the latter in its studio version.

In all, this album is for dedicated fans; it doesn't feature a lots of great songs and it is the reason why I rate it with two stars.