DISCIPLINE

The resurrected King Crimson showcased on Discipline focuses on the New Wave art rock direction of Fripp's solo efforts (such as Exposure), with influences creeping in from the session work he'd done during the Crimson interregnum - Tony Levin joins after encountering Fripp during the recording of Peter Gabriel's third solo album, from which a tense, neurotic energy is borrowed, whilst Adrian Belew drifts in following Fripp's collaborations with Talking Heads, and like the Heads the 80s Crimson is fascinated with the possibilities of rhythmic experimentation.

The harsh metal-prog workouts of the mid-1970s Crimson is present and correct, with Fripp and Bruford being the crucial links to the past; the heavy portions of Indiscipline in particular are a direct link between the current band's work and the group's laudable history. What is particularly striking about the album is the way it manages to dispense of synthesisers and keyboards more or less entirely, instead relying on Fripp and Belew's guitar playing weaving intricate, interlocked rhythms and solos, creating a structure as complex and flawless as the Celtic knot on the album cover. Fans of Fripp's guitar work and prog fans open to the idea that 1970s heroes updating their sound for the 1980s can have genuinely progressive and interesting results will find an absolute treasure trove here.