GARDEN SHED

I know a lot of people who either claim this to be a masterwork of early Genesis meets Yes or who think it is a blatantly poor opportunistic venture by talentless hacks. I would go with the latter, but give it even more of a slamming than that. To this prog rock lover this is THE WORST EXPLOITATION OF PROGRESSIVE MUSIC EVER RECORDED AND STRICTLY TO AVOID! I had this album, and taped it. More and more times going back I am so horrified by the lyrics and "music" that I can't even get through the first track anymore. So what makes England so bad? For one thing, their name is a rude backstab against the country they came from, if there is one thing they don't represent it is the country of England. For another, you don't have to listen close to the lyrics of opening track "Midnight Madness" or the painful, agony inducing closer "Poisoned Youth" to know these are really sick people with a kniving obsession! Both tracks end with the main character stabbing himself to death in the most sick. violent, morbid, and horrifying manner. Add to the disgusting grotesque lyrics a drummer who can't keep time and who overcompensates by banging his fists into the drum kit like a bad Hollywood movie score, horrendously screeching tone deaf vocals, and useless screwing around on the keyboards and guitars in a blatantly awful imitiation of Genesis, and the only other band as awful as this is Barclay James Harvest. The tracks are too long, the influences merely a swipe and a copy, and the production horrific. I would expect this album to appeal to those who like BJH or Marillion, but whereas Marillion actually weren't horrible musicians I am strongly reminded of my most hated "symphonic" group BJH again, but with an even more unoriginal sound. BJH couldn't sing or play at all, and England can't either. Is there anything to redeem one moment of this album, even one good passage? No, there is not. This album is beyond bad, it is offensive and disgraceful. I have never heard another band from England who play and sing and write as horribly as this band does, and for the price an original goes for this is something to avoid at all costs. I may be a huge admirer of progressive music, but I know when I'm being taken for a ride and so should you. That's about all I have to say about this most horrendous album. They deserve to be denounced, brought before a court, and put in the dungeon of worst insults ever to music. BAD!