MAN OF THE MOMENT

"Man of the moment" is a very professional album with nice easy accessible melodic symphonic rock a la 80's GENESIS, IQ, FISH-era MARILLION, PALLAS and PENDRAGON. The musicians aren't exactly the best I've heard in the progressive genre, but the music is very appealing although it's a little bit too soft for my taste. The compositions are very good but sometimes they tend to get slightly boring. Overall it's undeniable a high quality album that surely will attract many neo-progressive rock fans.

One of my favourite things is when you find a real musical gem and this is most certainly the case with MARTIGAN's "Man of the Moment". Boy... where did this band come from? Delicate song writing, vocal harmonies, enlightened symphonic keyboard work, inspired bass, guitar and drum melodic interplay. Always hard to draw comparisons but I hear dimensions of IQ, SAGA and The FLOWER KINGS. This album contains some truly inspiration symphonic prog rock and has remained in my frequent play list for a while now. Neo-Prog genre fans will need to go out and buy this CD at once and can contact the band at (www.martigan.de). Highly recommended music.

This is a record with Neo-Progrock at their BEST !! For Fans of the first MARILLION Decade with Fish, GENESIS in the Mid-seventies, IQ, ARENA, PENDRAGON and sometimes SAGA it is a MUST-HAVE. And when I say, that this band is from GERMANY, you may think that this is unbelievabe. Go and Check their soundfiles on the homepage - You won't be disappointed ! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

If you are a fan of Gabriel-era Genesis,Fish-era Marillion,or IQ, you really should check out " Man of the Moment". They have the DNA of all three prog-greats yet they have tere own distinct originality. Honestly I have been into prog for over twenty years and this is the real deal. Singer Kai Markwordt is the most original singer I have heard in years. The rest of the band simply fit together like a glove. Oliver rebban-keyboards,Alex Bisch- drums,Bjorn Bisch-guitar, and Peter Kindler-bass work so well together that they sound like someone you have listined to for years. This is one you have to hear, trust me on this one,truly a classic prog cd. Highest Recommendation!!!!!

This was a complete surprise for me. I had never heard about this band when my friends here on PA told me about them. I read the glowing reviews and decided to take a chance on it, even if I had a lot of great CDs to buy this year, like the new IQ album. But it was worth it. It is very hard to find such a melodic sound and, after repeated spins, still not being able to classify it. They actually make a very interesting mix of symphonic, neo and melodic rock. The result is, at the same time, both complex and accessible (think of Genensis around the time of Wind & Wuthering with a modern sound). Don´t be fooled by the nice, sing-along harmonies. Behind them you can tell they are excellent musicians and the arrangements are very well done. You don´t get bored a single moment in the whole 75+ minutes CD!

One thing that really caught my atention is their flair for writing the great tune: the album is full of fine, captivating melodies that a lot of composers would die for, one after the other. Their energy and inspiration seem simply endless. There is no endless noodling or pointless display of virtuosity, even if you can tell those guys are very skilled. Everything is put to work for the songs, small or long. Another great feature is their vocal hamonies, like the counterpointing voices of Kai Marckwordt and Mirko Bäumer on Closer Contact. The two completely different timbres do make a great effect and I hope they use this technique more times in the future.

It´s hard to point out a highlight on this CD. It´s quite varied, and yet it has a cohesive whole. The excellent production and mixing also helps a lot to bring their talents to the fore. But the guitar parts, with its emotional, short and beautiful solos are one of the band´s strongest marks, along with the tasteful keyboards textures.

In other words, a very promising band and I´m loking forward to hear their next releases. If you like melodic prog, you shold not miss Man of the Moment! Highly recommended.

It's no secret that I am not a big fan of the English neo prog scene. Sure, in small doses and for selected tracks I am quite susceptible to lush keys and dreamy guitars, but fustian lyrics, all-guns blazing arrangements and randomly inserted shards of metal ultimately challenge my stamina over 75 long minutes. I much prefer more melodically oriented groups from the continent like the Swiss CLEPSYDRA, so I thought I should give much touted Germans Martigan a chance. In fact their sound lies somewhere between classic neo and the nuevo neo, so it could appeal to both camps.

The longer opener and closer both suffer some of the indignities of artificial elongation all too common among the big guys, but do show hints of a more compelling mix, as well as a more direct infusion from post-Gabriel 1970s Genesis. It is on most of the remaining 8 tracks that the group really distinguishes itself, with keyboard atmospherics, careening lead guitar solos, and a generally warm and romantic yet wholly professional demeanour. While Kai Marckwordt's voice is not as distinctive as Aluisio Maggini, other comparisons to CLEPSYDRA abound, especially in "Out of Sight", "Closer Contact", and the ebullient "Images and Tales". "Scapegoat and Scarecrow" is a lovely simple ballad, and "Permission" is the most commercially oriented, but well executed especially in the vocal harmony department, and with a chorus you may be singing long after the needle lifts up.

I am torn between 3 and 4 stars, but will settle for 3 to reflect the somewhat rambling nature of the longest cuts as well as a few other weak numbers. Martigan promises to be much more than a band of the moment.