RANDOM TICKET

Three years after their debut, Finnish RUSH-influenced rock band SUBSPACE RADIO released their second album. The debut didn't receive very good feedback here, and mostly it remained unnoticed. While still not quite in the first row of Finnish growing prog scene, things have notably improved. This follower is not half as monotonous listening experience as the debut was, and the elements of progressive rock have increased especially in the song writing. The opening track is over ten minutes, not an epic really but the changes between sections work nicely, even if the song is on the heavier side and thus not among my favourites.

It's the thick, loud guitar playing that dominates the sound, but every now and then you hear also more delicate guitar sounds reminiscent of Marillion. Keyboards tend to have taken the back seat (again comparable to the later-day RUSH) which is a shame: with more solos by various instruments the music would appear more interesting. All in all, their direction is good. Considering the Heavy Prog subgenre (not my cup of coffee), I found surprisingly lot to enjoy here. But I realized after listening to this that I'd rather listen to RUSH themselves. The vocalist doesn't stand out from the crowd as Geddy Lee surely does!