UK

This album brought Allan Holdsworth to a wider audience, while Bill Bruford (Yess, King Crimson) , John Wetton (Family, King Crimson) and Eddie Jobson (Roxy Music, Curved Air), made their fame prior to this line up. A Supergroup of epic proportions, and one to actually live up to the billing.

In The Dead of Night, broken into three sections, is a tour-de-force of battered roto-toms, tortured keyboards, slashing violin and jaw-dropping guitar solos. I've always enjoyed Wetton's "edge of his range" vocals, straining and powerful. Part II, In the Light of Day, offers some respite, softly bringing forth the eye of the storm before the finale.

Thirty Years features some of the most powerful Bruford drumming on the record. Alaska/Time to Kill has great punishing keyboard work from Eddie Jobson. The intro to "Nevermore" is one of the best moments in music. The keyboard, guitar trade offs are incendiary. Mental Medication offers up even more tasteful solos, but leaves you hanging and wanting more at the end.

This is a classic, a "Must Have" for any progger.