STAND UP

Excellent 90's English progressive rock band with some real sweet musical touches. In many ways this band has a character not unlike ARENA & PENDRAGON. FINAL CONFLICT are a tight band with some great musicianship and great vocals (kind of reminds me of Geoff MANN). Songs are nicely crafted and offers some great musical passages, without ever sounding light, cheesie or fluffy. Keyboard playing is well done and are quite symphonic throuhgout. This is truely clever music and is a great listen all the way through.

If you are keen on surprises, just pass your way.

This album is just a remake of their previous album which was a remake of their previous one. I guess that you have the idea. Another album with some Gabrielesque sounds (solo career), a few very good guitar work (Stand Up), pleasant vocal melodies (Whiteline Highway), some Floydian moments with the intro of Wasteland to remind you Run Like Hell.

Keys will irrevocable evoke Banks while they were three, but so is this Final Conflict album. Signature in the Sand being the worse song here and the best example of what NOT to do.

I have almost reviewed 200 neo-prog albums. And when I had covered the major ones of this genre (the genuine Marillion, Pendragon, Arena, IQ), I must say that I couldn't really find lots of bands who could hold the comparison (although I have a special tenderness for the melodic music of Grey Lady Down).

Final Conflict is no exception. Looking deeply for inspiration (T230). The listener has to wait for Days Gone By to find the second above average song of this work. As in Whiteline Highway, what will catch you is the excellent vocal harmonies : sweet, polished, emotional. But Andy Lawton's guitar work is adding a great touch as well. Pendragon is very near.

I guess that Floyd (later generation) is again on the rendez-vous with Miss D Meanour. Not very original perhaps (these synths solo are definitely too much Banks oriented and somewhat annoying because of their repetition).

I like very much the short instrumental Omen. Fully spacey (almost Tangerine Dream - Pheadra).

When I listen to Stop, the epic of the album, the vocal introduction draws me back in the sixties and Bang Bang (by Cher, but immortalized by Vanilla Fudge). It is another good number from Stand Up. I guess that you could say that it sums up all the characteristics I have outlined earlier on in this review. A fine piece of neo-prog music.

This looooong album (almost seventy minutes) holds too few good songs to be considered as a good album. Two stars.

"Stand up, move forward"

I first came across Final Conflict with their superb 2009 live DVD "Another moment in time", which included three tracks taken from this album. Metal Mind Productions, who released that DVD, have now secured the rights to re-release "Stand up", the band's third album. Here, it is remastered and presented as a limited edition digipak CD, with two newly recorded bonus tracks. The remastering was carried out by the multi-talented Karl Groom of Threshold.

Originally released in 1997, "Stand up" had actually been recorded some time previously, but the release was delayed when the band's record label went bust. Thematically, the concept of the album revolves around the challenges of life in the current era, but the tracks are essentially stand alone works.

Right from the opening "Stand up" it is patently obvious that this is an album of neo-prog of the highest quality. Groom's remastering brings out the full majesty of the keyboards layers and regal guitar chords, while ensuring that each of the component parts is afforded its own space. Musically, the highlights come quickly from the start, including a superb lead guitar solo by Andy Lawton on "Stand up", some fine backing vocals from guest Kristi Bonfield on "Signature in the sand" and a striking synth burst on the same track.

Further excellence abounds throughout the album, from the heartfelt cries of "Wasteland" to the overt synth rock of the largely instrumental "T230". From time to time we are reminded of other bands who travel a similar road, such as Arena, Pendragon, Pallas and IQ. There are also some obvious influences from the greats like Genesis and Pink Floyd. This is though a band with their own identity, intent on ensuring that their own branding is apparent on each of these carefully crafted pieces.

The original album closes at its highest point with the magnificent 15 minute opus "Stop". Here, the band gather in everything which has contributed to the fine tracks which lead up to this point. These tenets are then wound together to create one of prog's finest epics. The piece rounds off the original album perfectly.

The line up has seen a couple of changes since "Stand up" was originally released, and in order to link the older with the newer, two bonus tracks recorded by the current line up are added. The first of these is a re-recording of "Moment in time" a track from the 2003 album "Hindsight", while the second is a brand new song entitled "Losing it all". The resultant running time for the album is now therefore over 79 minutes.

If, like me, this album passed you by when it was originally released, you will be pleased to hear that it sounds every bit as as contemporary now. This is an essential neo-prog album.

UK outfit FINAL CONFLICT may arguably said to be among the lesser profiled acts that emerged in the 90's, issuing three albums prior to taking an elongated break, then appearing again a few years after the millennium releasing an additional two full length productions to relatively little acclaim. But following the excellent live CD and DVD issued by Metal Mind in 2009, interest in this act would appear to be rising, and due to that this fine Polish label decided to remaster and reissue their 1997 effort "Stand Up" in early 2011.

Final Conflict made a fine album back in 1997, and "Stand Up" would appear to be something of a forgotten jewel for those who enjoy art rock of the neo progressive kind. Whether you'd like to hunt down the original version or would prefer the reissue will most likely come down to personal tastes first and foremost, but the remastering by Karl Groom and the bonus tracks on the 2011 edition will arguably be details favoring the latter.

What followed the ''Quest'' album was an exhausting tour for Final Conflict, including dates both in the UK and Europe.During this period they managed also to be signed by Angular Records.The Gaolhouse Studios would again receive the talents of the band for the upcoming ''Stand up'' album.Dealing with social issues, this output was eventually released in 1997.

The 5-year period between the previous and the present album and the mass of live performances seem to have affected positively the 92'-established line-up with Final Conflict appearing here more tight and consistent with directed songwriting, inspired melodies and endless energy.Lying somewhere between PALLAS and JADIS, they deliver a dynamic and powerful Neo Prog with straight rockin' grooves, deep and atmospheric synthesizers and a great ability to switch between sharp passages and more elaborate textures.The new tracks are quite long, having a style which is based on groovy lines, lyrical expansions, decent guitar work and soaring synthesizers with the pompous but rather weak moments of the previous release being quite limited in the sake of a more atmospheric songwriting.Of course there are a few AOR flavors still present, reminding TRISTAN PARK or 2HOT4U, but the overall result is impressive with balanced instrumentation, memorable material and a crystalline production all the way.The 15-min. epic closer ''Stop'' is among the nice tracks produced by a Neo Prog band during the 90's: Emphatic music with great MARILLION-esque guitar work, muddy symphonic keyboards in the background, plenty of lyrical and tempo twists and a fantastic PINK FLOYD-ian outro with a spacey atmosphere, created by the floating organ and the melancholic guitar solos.

A great third effort by Final Conflict with the band apparently being back on track on producing well-composed and highly energetic music.Recommemded.

3.5 stars really

Third album named Stand up issued in 1997 after almost 5 years since the second one Quest, find Final Conflict a more mature with more intresting material as on previous two albums, who were not quite bad at all in neo prog circles. The line up established permanetly on Quest now is more confident in their skills and tight in arrangements. Stand up is probably among their best album is not the best album they ever made, at least to me. This is catchy consistent neo prog with nice guitars and keyboards, elaborated passages but aswell some more directly parts aswell , make from this release a winner in my book. All pieces stands as good, n particulary bad moments here at all, some forte ones might be Whiteline Highway, or the closer Stop. Still Final Conflict remaining largely unknown in neo prog zone, even they released over the years some respectable albums, in vein of Pallas, Galahad, Egdon Heath and others. 3 solid stars rounded to 3.5 in many places. Stand up is a head above Quest who was not bad, but this time they done it almost perfectly. Very underrated neo prog band and album. Desearves attention, their is some fine music here.