XANTIPA

An album of an EP size, Xantipa is really nothing special - even if you're favourite genre is heavy prog. Because this is 100% pure heavy prog, with two URIAH HEEP covers - and much more more or less direct quotations of URIAH HEEP's melodies here and there.

The sound is more or less awful. The delivery is clumsy to say the least.

The original tunes are not too inspired, nor original. The cover one are 10 times weaker than the originals.

This is certainly not an essential record.

However, I might recommend it to you if you don't mind clumsy performance (the organist is certainly not an outstanding technician) and bad production, because this little record have a HEART. And that is something I appreciate a lot in any kind of rock music - if it sounds sincere, warm, naive - it will mostly likely caught my attention.

'Bílý vrány' and 'Hrej se mnou fair' (which means'White Crows' and 'Play Fair With me' respectively - thanks both to MartyMcFly89 and Libor10 for that!) are, as mentioned, the two URIAH HEEP covers, of 'Easy Livin'' and 'Look At Yourself' respectively. . If you do know the originals, you will probably realise that SYNKOPY's main influence was one hell of a band, full of energy, and with great production. These version are sort of poor man's heavy rock - but, again, the charm is ranking them higher, and all the negative connotations are actually making them more charming. Even if this is not your type of music, you might wonder what will happen with these guys in the near future: will they turn into more awful and generic pop, some hard rock clichees, or perhaps develop their progressive side, as it could be heard in 'Ptačí sonáta', arguably the best output on 'Xantipa'.

If you'll investigate further, this band will provide some pleasant surprises. Actually, this one comes as a little but pleasant surprise too.

'Xantipa' is definitively much less ugly than it's Greek Mythology predecessor.