ODYSSEY - THE GREATEST TALE

This lavish international progrock project includes 3 CD featuring nine more or less known progrock bands (each one 'epic' composition) and their musicians and instruments and a 56-page booklet that contains drawings, lyrics and stories about this project and the Greek saga the Odeysey (about Odysseus and his travels on which he met Cyclopes and Sirens).

CD1 (73:29) 1. Opener is Canadian band Nathan Mahl, led by multi-instrumentalist Guy LeBlanc (keyboards, bass and guitar). He colours the alternating music very pleasantly with his vintage keyboards (Hohner clavinet, Rhodes electric piano, Moog and Hammond), the fiery electric guitar is a strong counterpart. During the more than 20 minutes Nathan manages to keep my attention due to great soli, a wonderful vintage sound and lots of strong musical ideas. 2. Argentine band Nexus is my favorite band on this project and they don't disappoint me, the music delivers splendid early Keith Emerson inspired keyboards (fat Moogs and powerful Hammond), some heavy and propulsive guitar riffs, warm Spanish vocals, a piece with classical guitar and many great breaks, accellarations, build-ups and 'grand finales', A MASTERPIECE! 3. USA band Glass Hammer is perhaps the most known progrock band on this 3-CD, they sound here very familiar to their fans: dynamic and alternating with a melodic and accessible progrock sound featuring wonderful vintage keyboards and fiery electric guitar.

CD2 (79:23) 4. XII Alfonso from France sounds very original: an opening with classical orchestrations, choir samples and percussive sounds, then many musical ideas like jazzy with a Hammond solo, dreamy with twanging guitar and soaring keyboards and bombastic with sparkling piano, fiery guitar and flashy syntehsizers. 5. Simon Says from Sweden is another favorite of mine (I love their album Paradise Square from 2002). You have to be up to the a bit theatrical and very distinctive vocals but the duo-keyboard players deliver an outstanding and varied sound. The guitar soli are fiery (he uses an E-bow) this composition is build upon many strong soli. 6. C.A.P. is an experienced Italian band with powerful Italian vocals, lots of organ and piano and some fat, very spectacular sounding Moog soli. This song sounds fluent and often bombastic, C.A.P. is just another good, new Italian band.

CD3 (68:07) 7. Tempano from Brasil is the most original but also less accessible sounding band on this 3-CD. The track starts with church organ and opera-like vocals, then adventurous and a bit wayward progrock featuring sensitive electric guitar work, wonderful choir-Mellotron and great synthesizers. 8. Minimum Vital from France makes alternating and melodic prog with that special blend of church organ and Mike Oldfield- like electric guitar (flowing and fiery). The bombastic final part with howling guitar is very moving. 9. Aether from Brasil is the warm and pleasant final act on this 3-CD. they sound traditional with strong echoes from the neo-progressive movement with music that ranges from swinging with fluent electric guitar to dreamy with soaring keybards and mid-tempo with exciting synthesizer flights. The end is beautiful with sensitive acoustic guitar.

I would like to end with my intro: NOT TO BE MISSED IN ANY SERIOUS PROGROCK COLLECTION!!!

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