ZEITMASCHINE

Fairly average spacey German sympho vaguely in the Eloy mould. String synths and other synthesizers make up the bulk of their sound, with Floydian guitar textures present as well. Nice but unexciting vocals round out the mix. The overall sound is similar to Eloy circa OCEAN, but not as good. Which is not to say it's bad, just not really all that thrilling. Fans of the German style of prog should appreciate this, but it's mainly for the collectors who have to have it all.

This "only" album by the Germany band Madison Dyke represents true vintage prog rock with combined music styles of Camel, Pink Floyd and a bit of Genesis. Almost all of the compositions are mellotron-drenched overlaid by flute who is also played by the lead singer. The musical style is very similar with Symphonic Slam. However, the music of Madyson Dyke sounds raw and the recording quality is bad.

The opening track "First step" (10:05) has too long and repetitive mellotron work in spacey style. Because it's too long, it makes me "bored". Luckily the melody is quite okay when the lead singer starts to enter the music. There is nothing so skillful in terms of each member's skills that is obvious from the song. The melody line reminds me to the music of Camel. "Cooking time of an egg" (4:09) (what a title! - does not sound prog at all) starts off with a simple guitar fills overlaid by flute work. The whole song is basically an exploration of guitar fills, flute and vocal. "Next conceptions" (6:18) sounds like a continuation of "Cooking time of an egg" as it starts with acoustic guitar work and flute during introduction. The music flows in Camel style with mellotron, guitar and bass.

"Zeitmaschine" (16:40) is the concluding track which serves as an epic. The band has tried to make the song as epic as possible as it was common trend at that time. Unfortunately this epic fails to manage the cohesiveness of each music segments into one thing. Each transition does not sound natural, there are chords and notes that are forced to fit the song. The double guitarist line-up does not help improve the whole track. The bass lines are not that inventive and tend to be annoying. However, this is not a bad epic, it's just lacking on some elements of composition.

This album serves good for those of you who want to make a journey to the past. The past when all of it began and nourished, during the glory days of the 70s. Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

The German symphonic scene was so prolific in the 1970s that even today we do not know its full breadth, as labels such as Garden of Delights continue to unearth time capsules such as this 1977 one-off by Madison Dyke. This one was definitely worth rescuing, as all four original tracks offer an interesting synthesis of what was going on at the time in Germany and in UK. The closest comparison would be Jane circa Earth Air Fire and Water/between Heaven and Hell, with liberal smatterings of Eloy and Genesis, but the preponderance of flute also coerces a nod in the Camel/Jethro Tull direction. Madison Dyke does sound rawer than any of the above groups except for Jane, but this is an endearing quality and gives them more oomph than you would expect from this style.

The opening cut "First Step", builds slowly and atmospherically with plenty of mellotrons and other keys before the flute enters and the "song" begins. The music is tuneful and ranges from raucous riffs to gentle passages, often with little transition yet sounding quite natural. "Cooking Time of an Egg" is a delightful mellow piece with plenty of acoustics, delicate flutes, winsome vocals, and a subtle melody. It reminds me of Hackett's "The Virgin and the Gypsy" which it nonetheless pre-dates. "Next Conceptions" starts off even folkier but quickly becomes a Jane-like affair particularly in the style of lead guitars and the manner in which they are framed by mellotron. Even the vocals recall Jane, yet Madison Dyke somehow seem more genuinely symphonic and less bluesy.

The title cut clocks in at over 16 minutes and contains some more interesting dynamics, such as the highly melodic opening lead guitar lines, a rollicking bass, and expertly inserted and syncopated vocals which are semi-spoken at times. The later part features some nostalgic moog runs. Even if the track is a bit too lengthy for its import, it's still a winner.

The bonus tracks are a mixed bag with "Walkin" being in a straight rock style and not particularly interesting, and "Dice-box" could have fit in well on the original album, and features clever yet accessible changes of rhythm and a certain hard rock sensibility juxtaposed to their trademark flutes.

Madison Dyke produced an excellent album for its time, on par with what many of its longer lived contemporaries were doing. Recommended for fans of German symphonic prog.

Madison Dyke from Germany and their one and only album released in 1977 named Zeitmaschine aka Time machine. This is fairly decent towards great in places space prog very much similar with Eloy but without being very consistent as their county fellows. Also some folkish moments appear sporadicaly. 4 pieces on the album with 2 highlights, the short mellow acustical little gem with great flute and intresting arrangements Cooking Time Of An Egg and the ending track Zeitmaschine clocking aroun 16 min of pure delight space prog with some symphonic touches in parts. Great mood and tempo changes from smooth mellow spacey keyboards to more up tempo mellotron driven prog towards the ending track, really inspired pieces. The vocal lines are also good and in perfect match with the music. All in all an over looked little album, with plenty of memorable parts. 3.5 stars for sure.