THE INNER MOUNTING FLAME

This is my favorite Jazz/Rock Fusion record of all time. OK, so i'm not a huge Fusion fan... I don't own very many recordings from this genre, but I believe the Inner Mounting Flame transcends all genres within the Progressive music spectrum. Every member of the band is a virtuoso and the songs are aggressive and relentless... they catch fire from the first note of the album and never cool off.

'Meeting of the Spirits' is astonishingly good and a classic song that I think ANY Prog fan would like, even if they typically hate Fusion. The soloing of John McLaughlin is bloody intense and emotionally frenzied as well as technically flawless. Billy Cobham is unrivalled behind the drum kit... and all the players are in top form here. By far this is the best song on the album.

'Vital Transformation' is similarly unforgiving and combustible... how this band can hold the music together and stay so tight at this velocity (while making it sound effortless) is mind-boggling to me.

The remaining songs bleed together a bit for me, but there is not a weak track on the album. Still, this style of music can only hold my attention for so long and I can't listen to this very often. While it is definitely THE masterpiece of Jazz Fusion for me, I still can only give it 3.5 stars. If every song were up to the standard of 'Meeting of the Spirits' it would be 5 stars... but such an album would be an impossible feat.