ICU

Their third album and aswell thir swansong before disbanding an year after 1998, to me this selftitled album from 1997 is as good as previous one. Again nice passages going very much in neo prog realm with nice guitar parts, keybords, voice and a very good amount of flute on almost each piece. The opening track Poem is just excellent very strong and tight musicianship very worthy keybords and very strong guitar. Followed by another top notch piece Queer, I.C.U are still in bussines big time. I don't know why is considered the most unsuccesful and unintresting albums from their catalogue because contains some very strong pieces with brilliant passages that for sure keeps the same attitude as on their second offer Now and here. Maybe the pieces are not so long and very well develeoped as on previous albums but have a very strong sound and the flute is very well integrated in the mix, better and with more parts then before. I really like this album, no weaker parts. Just Over the Hill the longest tune from here clocking around 10 min is a total winner, complex neo prog at it's best. The course of the sun have a very positive and happy feel, specialy because of the keybords parts and aswell the guitars are top notch, the flute is also fantastic on this piece. Sometime some parts from here remind me of another geman band from the '80's Rousseau, beacuse of the flute arrangements. So, 4 stars again, another obscure and forgotten band managing to make some very fine albums who gone unnoticed world wide.

3,5 stars!!! In this third studio album from the Germanic neo-prog band I C U "ICU", they presents a sonority between JETHRO TULL's prog-folk and CAMEL's symphonic-prog style... This is easily noted along the entire audition, however, in some moments : mostly in some vocal choirs whit male/female counterpoints or pure instrumental solos, the sound gets a certain "self- identity" , like in track 3 "Just Over the Hill" ( one of the best tracks in the album) or in track 4 "Quest for Life" with a almost "reggae" vocal moment. Another detachable moment is the track 6 " Silent Girl " a very sweet ballad . In a gemneral way the album is very pleasant and in spite not be exceptional, deserves at least one audition. My rate is 3 stars !!!