AERIAL VIEW

Despite of lacking the symphonic touch of some US Progressive albums like Happy the Man or Glass Hammer- the present album is often characterized by leading powerful guitars,being in some circumstances more personal (regarding of their inspiration) and very interesting too, in comparison to a lot of new US fusion bands !!

Of course this is not a masterpiece!!In fact I think that within such "landscape" of fusion and generally experimental pop rock music, there are for instance bands like Uzeb and also the Dave Mathew's band (even though these latter much pop rock- oriented) which can be easier more appreciated by common people not involved with this sort of light "RIO" music. Well the Dave Mathew's band is not a progressive or an experimental ensemble, but their attitude is really "progressive" in the true meaning of this word,today at least; therefore I think of bands like Nine Inch nails, being as much versatile (often modern and fresh) as a small bunch of other fusion bands nowadays !!

Coming back to the present album, I don't believe that Gamalon were inspired by any music model or stereotype, but for sure They have been learning from the best progressive/fusion bands for some years in the eighties/nineties, without being labelled into a precise category: such bands, performing also some excursions into the experimental fusion (listen to the band "The Sonnambulist" or to A Triggering myth ") or making a completely different job within an art rock genre (for example the "Dixie Dreggs"), were delightful for the music fans of art rock. At the end I have made all these examples in order to make understand better their style and I think that their versatility consists of stunning harmonic solutions well performed, without any bombastic solo or virtuosity..but I don't want to affect your opinion anyway,so try to check it out!!

Recommended to the fans of Canterbury fusion or "RIO" music in a lighter vein...make your own choice!!

Gamalon is a jazz rock band from USA formed in mid '80's around the excellent musicians Tom and Ted Reinhardt. This is their second album from 1990 namjed Aerial view. Quite intristing release melting jazz rock with some progressive leanings here and there, Gamalon manage to create a solid album in this genre. This album, and aswell their next one, sounds more like a guitarist album , in vein Of Satriani, rather then a effort of a band, in a true sens of the word. Guitar orientated release with some excellent moments, well not a masterpiece for sure, but very good. Gamalon played a more upbeat jazz rock , they are more influenced by musicians as Joe Satriani, in places some pieces are one on one with Satriani's atmosphere, just listen to for ex to Lena, I swear this piece is taken from some Satriani albums from late'80's , early'90's. Of course the musicians is top notch, entirely instrumental, Gamalon manage to brig something great in this field, the prestation of the musicians , the ideas are great, and I can only recommended this band to be checked because worth every second. In some parts I can aswell trace some Dixie Dregs elements, that atmosphere from, What if, and even some experimental moments are obvious here. Well to the tell the truth , first time I heared this band, I was a little confused, because I expected to be a real jazz fusion album, instead I get some jazz rock album, who turns to be after some spins a real treat for me. 4 stars, for this Aerial view, some pieces are truly amazing, like the opening track, Lena and a couple more. Recommended.

This is fairly standard guitar based jazz rock fusion. The songs mostly alternate between loud and soft, fast and slow. The compositions are mostly simple melodic four four compostions. So while this is fusion, and therefore gets a listing here, it isn't terribly progressive. And for a band called Gamelon, there is a surprising lack of, well, gamelon.

Which isn't to say there is nothing to listen to here. Some of the pieces, by way of syncopation, manage to sound more complex than they actually are. And the last two songs, Aerial View and Relapse, manage to actuall use seven four and seven eight time signatures respectively.

So this isn't the best album by this band, but it's not too bad.

In 1989 Gamalon collaborated with legendary American sax player Ernie Watts in the album ''Project: Activation Earth'', a relationship which continued further onto the band's third album ''Aerial view'', released again in triple format on MCA Records and Amherst in 1990.Watts appears as a guest musician in one track, same as with Tom Schuman, who plays mini-Moog synth in one track and guest violin player Geoffrey Fitzhugh Perry.For the first time the production of a Gamalon album will switch hands and guitarists Bruce Brucato and George Puleo with help in the process.

Standard US Jazz/Fusion with a clean, guitar-led sound is the offering of ''Aerial view'', which shows Gamalon at a fine form, creating music that can be both accesible and virtuosic with a nice sense of melody and a good amount of mascular guitar moves, always supported by a solid rhythm section.The music is all instrumental as expected with plenty of fiery rhythmic parts, impressive guitar solos and more laid-back deliveries with an emphasis on atmosphere than technique.With every style Gamalon proove to be among the leading acts of the Fusion scene at the time and their sound is often colored with surprising vibes, such as orchestral preludes, Heavy Rock pounds in the vein of RUSH, Ethnic orientation in ''Relapse'' or even some discreet funky lines in the bass work.The fact that the band could switch styles with comfort is amazing, even if the album has often a slightly annoying nuance, typical of the late-80's Fusion productions.

Confident, melodic and demanding Jazz/Fusion with a palette of different sounds.Fans of guitar-based Fusion will love this at first sight.Recommended.