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CRUSH OF NIGHT

Izz

Symphonic Prog


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Rivertree
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Honorary Collaborator / Band Submissions
4 stars 'Crush Of Night' is announced to be the second part of a trilogy which has been started with 'The Darkened Room' in 2009. So first of all - this obviously is not the end of the story, good to know. New York based IZZ were founded by the Galgano brothers Tom and John nearly 15 years ago, and since then they are an absolute guarantee when it comes to catchy retro styled prog rock music with symphonic touches. For me a big trademark is that - often outfitted with female suppport - voices and instruments perfectly match..And this points to the fact that Anmarie Byrnes is aboard once more, immediately to notice when the first song starts with disitnctive vocal harmonies.

Words And Miracles features a guest appearance of Gentle Giant's guitarist Gary Green - a guitar dominated tune with great dynamics but also a semi-acoustic part by way of variation. Solid Ground convinces me completely due to the catchy main melody and wonderful polyphonic vocals. The balladesque Half The Way comes with sparkling piano leading into the album's 26-minute centerpiece, represented by two immediately consecutive and extended songs. The solemn This Reality with proper symphonic fundament and then the epic title song are showcasing several twists and turns. First this reminds me of german band RPWL a bit. Some sweet melodies follow, finally even jamming approach inclusive of guitar solos and synth excursions backed by a groovy background - the song-writing abilities are simply great here!

No filler to discover! With 'Crush Of Night' the band has delivered an excellent workout again in 2012 - definitely something to enjoy. Strong musicianship all the way through. I wouldn't say this is significantly differing from previous efforts, except an improved accessibility of the compositions maybe. As for that not really spectacular, one or two may say - however the songs certainly prove mature, can convince me absolutely. So I'm sure this one will be an excellent addition to every well-sorted prog music collection.

Report this review (#782022)
Posted Wednesday, July 4, 2012 | Review Permalink
ProgShine
COLLABORATOR
Honorary Collaborator
4 stars I've heard about the American band IZZ back in the year of 2009 when I was contacted by the Press Manager of the band. That year they released their album The Darkened Room (2009). I didn't know at the time, but that album was the first part of a trilogy. Three years later they released the second part of their story under the name Crush of Night (2012). This album is quite special to the band, since they got the legendary Gary Green (GENTLE GIANT guitarist) to play in 2 of the songs.

Crush of Night (2012) is not that different, sonically speaking, from The Darkened Room (2009). As it is supposed to be in a second part of a story, it's a continuation of their previous work.

One of the things that I like in IZZ since the beginning is the bass lines that John Galgano brings to their music, always clever. Also, the vocals are here too, at this point a trade mark of the band. It's quite normal on their albums to hear two voices at the same time, sometimes even three, which is a very original feature of the band.

'You've Got A Time' is the opening track and it's a typical IZZ track, superb quality with a little pop accent. The second, 'Words And Miracles' is more complex in the beginning. Lots of guitars including the mentioned Gary Green participation and great vocals by Tom Galgano (he's also the keyboard man). Anmarie Byrnes is the female voice on the track three, 'Solid Ground', but the electronics and the 'blips & blops' of the track bother me as hell! Especially because I know the track could be really better with a different arrangement. To compensate for 'Solid Ground', IZZ brings to the table the superb 'Half The Way', melodical and beautiful keyboard driven song. A great guitar solo by Paul Bremner is included! In the sequence we have the 'Crush Of Night Suite', as the readers of Progshine already know I'm a fan of long songs, this is one of them, but unfortunately it was divided into two tracks. Together they spam over 26 minutes. The Suite starts with 'This Reality' and a wonderful bass line by John Galgano. Around 3 minutes the electronics come along again, and it bothers me again, especially knowing the band has two drummers' I don't think it fits their music at all. The first part of the Suite is a bit weak in my opinion, it lacks the epic feeling that I know the band could deliver. In the second part of 'The Crush Of Night' we have once again Gary Green as a Special Guest in the guitars, but the overall feeling continues to be not that good. To me the song doesn't go anywhere, I know the band could do much better. Only after the 9th minute of the song I could feel the real IZZ in it, like I know they can be, which is kinda sad.

'Almost Over' finishes Crush of Night (2012) with one more guest, Greg Meade on the guitar solo, a great bass line, nice doubled vocals and a nice riff. Not enough to make me feel that the album is worth a million listens. In fact, I feel a little bit disappointed, cause I really like the band.

My overall feeling about this new IZZ album is that they could have done better! It's a good album, but it's not so remarkable as The Darkened Room (2009). Some pieces seem out of place, especially in the Suite. I will wait with my best high hopes for the next album, that will finish the trilogy!

Report this review (#895316)
Posted Friday, January 18, 2013 | Review Permalink
Matti
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars (Originally reviewed in the Finnish prog magazine Colossus in 2013. This review is basically just a translation.)

New York based IZZ came into my radar with their sixth album, but better late than even later (you see, "never" isn't an option to me). Such a delight to find a new, highly skillful prog band that doesn't attempt to widen their audience with metallic aggression. Izz plays symphonic prog, and undoubtedly classics like Yes, Genesis and Gentle Giant -- whose guitarist Gary Green guests on one track here -- have been influencers, but at the same time Izz sounds refreshingly modern.

Stylistic connections to pop, comparable to the likes of It Bites, don't decrease the charm at all, on the contrary. The arrangements are elegant as they combine art music flavoured, slightly Tori Amos reminding pianism with more synthetic soundscapes and the biting rock dynamics. The compositions are full of complexity and yet they stay away from self-indulgence.

The vocal harminies are mostly shared by the Galgano brothers while Anmarie Byrnes adds some female frequencies. Everything clicks together gorgeously. Perhaps the emotional pallette could be a bit wider on this album, but there's a lot to enjoy. Warmly recommended!

Report this review (#2419384)
Posted Tuesday, July 14, 2020 | Review Permalink

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