INFERNAL

So, here it is at last - the third part of Phideaux's epic prog rock opera trilogy which began with The Great Leap and continued on Doomsday Afternoon. If The Great Leap leaned hardest on the "rock" part of that equation and Doomsday Afternoon cranked the "prog" dial up to 11, the much-delayed Infernal is the "opera" phase, a double CD affair of torch songs and apocalyptic foreboding which wraps up the narrative.

It has its proggier moments, but I cannot put hand on heart and say it has anything quite as astonishing and exciting as the magnificent Micro Softdeathstar on Doomsday Afternoon. That said, Infernal is the beneficiary of a really finely judged mix - apparently the phase which caused all those delays, and in this case I'd say the extra time was worth it since bandleader Phideaux Xavier uses the production to make even comparatively routine material sound powerful and ominous.