AND I'LL RECITE AN OLD MYTH

If you are a Tron Maniac, don't miss this convincing debut-CD. It contains four long tracks, the first two have many influences from the jazzrock scene (with hints from Colosseum II) featuring good interplay between guitar and keyboards. The third song is in the vein of the early King Crimson with beautiful waves of the ubiquitous Mellotron along some changing climates with captivating guitarwork (from French progrock Atoll's Christian Beya). The final track contains spectacular breaks delivering exciting guitars and again wonderful Mellotron. GREAT ALBUM!!

Occupying a middle ground between the dreadful MAGDALENA and the excellent OUTER LIMITS, but falling a good notch or two below the kitschy TERU'S SYMPHONIA, Providence here produced a work of considerable technical competency and virtually no emotion or memorability. The tracks are long but are really a showcase for the ADD of the group members, with nothing to hold onto even after multiple listens. A prime example of the problem is the 30 seconds of CRIMSON-esque mellotron that begin the title track, which suddenly, without even an attempt at transition, drop off the precipice into an almost inaudible acoustic guitar and vocal theme. The end result diminishes both parts, and this tendency is repeated throughout the disk. The integration of jazz with the neo progressive is fairly typical of Japanese prog of the time. For all its mythological pretensions, this effort is firmly transfixed on its own navel.

By late-90's the majority of the early Providence line-up had changed.Gone were drummer Chiba Hideki, guitarist Miyamoto Kenichi and bassist Kazuno Tsuyoshi, replaced by Yuichi Sugiyama, Satoshi Ono and Yasuyuki Hirose respectively.Now with a more stable crew Tsukada had the opportunity to record the band's first officias album.''And I'll recite an old myth'' saw the light in 1989 on King Records,featuring the contribution of Christian Beya,guitarist of Atoll,on the 20 min. epic of the album.

Four long progressive tracks with a variety of tempos and styles is what this album is all about.''Galatea'' is a 14 min. fusion adventure,very much influenced by U.K. with definite hints of Eddie Jobson's style on keyboards and Holdsworth-like guitar solos.Female singer Yõko Kubota has a sweet voice,singing mainly in high notes,while most of the track consists of complex interplays between keys,guitars and drums,except the last calm section,where some mellotron and piano gears things down.Good track,which however lacks in somewhat of conveincing solid structure.''Eternal children'' clocks at 8 minutes (the shortest of all tracks) and the U.K. influence becomes clearer,as this track is more song- based,maintaining its fusion-eque edge delivered by dominant keys and a heavy rhythm section.''Dream seeker's mirage'' comes like the slavation after the first 22 minutes fusion attack.Soft mellotron and acoustic guitars blended with Kubota's smooth vocals create a MOODY BLUES-like ballad atmosphere,though the track becomes a little boring through the way,due to its long duration and lack of changing moods.

Facts seem to disappoint me a bit by this point and I had to wait for the 20 min. opus to see if my taste for this album would change.The calm opening notes are followed by mellotron/organ-led nice 'n' groovy passages and a soft symphonic approach later.At the middle vprepare for a jazzy piano/drums obscurity,before Tsukada returns with grandiose symphonic keys to introduce the listener a heavy prog territory with fantastic guitar and piano work.Closing to the end and after a mass of complex fusion parts,Kubota accompanies the band with high-pitched vocals on a mellotron-filled ending with an acoustic closing part.Not a killer track,but a very interesting one.

I'm torn between 2 and 3 stars for this one.The first three tracks are not above average.The band is technically skillful,but all of them are missing of memorable moments.The closer is actually quite good,stepping nice and easy from acoustic music and Fusion to Symphonic Rock and Heavy Prog.At the end I will have to go with the 3 star rating,trying to compare this with U.K.'s (the band sounding closer to PROVIDENCE) masterpiece debut.Not even close to it in terms of composition level,but technically at the same level.Go for it at a reasonable price. (The album has been re-issued on CD)

PS:How the hell is this band listed as Neo Progressive?Not a moment of neo prog in here!

A lot of people feel that this isn't a Neo Prog album and I would agree. Andy from Planet Mellotron suggests that after the first track we do get something along the lines of sophisticated Neo Prog. I'm not sure about that. According to Andy the mellotron on here is not real but there's lots of it. Still it sounds pretty good, it's a plus for sure. The bass is very upfront and again a highlight for me throughout. The band is a five piece from Japan and this was their debut from 1989. I like the alternate cover art I saw on Discogs, more of a futuristic look on what I think was the first edition.

The singer is female Yoko Kuboto and she was previously in a band called FIRST DRAW a Metal band in the mid eighties. I really struggle with her passionate singing. When she sings softly and laid back it's all good but the tone of her voice is not good to these ears. So of course those who have no issue with her vocals rate this fairly high for the most part and rightfully so because of the amazing instrumental work throughout. Pity for me that the album is marred somewhat by the prominent vocals. So 3.5 stars seems just right dropping it back because I won't be keeping it in my play list options. We get four tracks over some 53 minutes and the closer features the guitar of frenchman Christian Beya of the band ATOLL. Not sure how that came about.