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Nessie - The Tree CD (album) cover

THE TREE

Nessie

 

Symphonic Prog

2.77 | 26 ratings

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apps79
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
2 stars No question, Belgium was among the countries that produced some groups towards the end of the 70's, which tried to keep the struggling Classic Prog movement alive like Flyte, Isopoda or Phylter.One of these cases was Nessie, a late-70's act from Verviers (near the German borders) with J.M. James Blanche on drums, Joseph Pons on bass, Henri Leruth on keys and Daniel Sarlet on synths and guitars.Their debut ''The tree'' was recorded at Michel Dickensheld Studio in Ougree in May 1978 and was released the same year as a private press.

Their style was a mix of melodic CAMEL passages, GENESIS' poppy symponicism around the period, PAVLOV'S DOG nervous lyrical moments and MACHIAVEL'S diversity, all of them blended nicely but with a less artistic nature than all of their aforementioned influences.For the most part of the album guitars remain silent, so the album is very much driven by the double synth attacks of Leruth and Sarlet with only a few organ and mellotron waves throughout.While the musicianship is good at moments, it is often interrupted by amateur multi-vocal lines.The sound of the synthesizers is too sterile and the mix is pretty bad, not helping Nessie's ideas, as some of them are decent to say the least, offering a few good symphonic-inclined moments.Additionally two or three tracks are too commercial and rather far from memorable.On the other hand a pair of compositions contain excellent CAMEL-esque flute work and impressive, grandiose synths to eventually deliver trully Classic Prog beauty.

Not among the good bands of the 70's, not even among the few ones,which dared to play progressive music in prog's farewell years.The lack of trully interesting material, the very short length of the album (29 minutes) and the presence of numerous amateur parts, both musically and in the vocal parts, make this one even questionable for a CD reissue...2.5 stars.

apps79 | 2/5 |

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