ONE AMONG THE LIVING

I'm sure there can't be too many PA members who aren't aware of the controversial replacement of Jon Anderson in Yes by Benoit David, singer with Canadian neo prog band Mystery. Whatever your views on the matter it will certainly have raised Mystery's profile amongst the prog community and their new album One Among The Living is bound to receive more attention than any of their previous releases as a consequence.

One Among The Living sees no great leaps or changes in style from their last excellent album, Beneath The Veil Of Winter's Face, where their sound owes as much to melodic AOR in the vein of Styx and Boston as it does to neo prog. Not surprisingly there's the occasional Yes moment in the sound too. As a result they're an easy and accessible listen with an emphasis on strong melodies. Overall the album matches ITVOWF but I have to admit there's nothing quite as good as Travel To The Night or As I Am here where the instant hooks and captivating instrumental close of the former demanded you to hit the replay button. Nevertheless, the quality never drops below good and is often excellent.

Highlights tend to be the most melodic songs; Wolf and Between Love and Hate being as good as it gets. Certainly not particularly complex; just great hooks with some powerful guitar work and lush keyboards. Special mention has to be made of Through Different Eyes, a 22 minute epic made up of 6 shorter pieces and is overall excellent. Well paced and structured with some strong instrumental work alongside the fine melodies. The Falling Man stands out for its darker sound and is another high point.

One Among The Living is another winner from Mystery sure to please any fans of the band and there's more than enough high quality material on offer to impress those who have decided to look in because of David's association with Yes and sure to win them a few new fans at least.