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DISCIPLINE

Symphonic Prog • United States


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Discipline biography
Formed in Detroit, USA in 1987 - Still active as of 2018

DISCIPLINE is one of those rare cases of obscurity combined with reverence. Much like Änglagård was the Swedish phenomenon, DISCIPLINE was the U.S. counterpart. They are bands that released two highly praised studio albums in the '90s, and then disappeared. The ensuing passage of time allowed them to become legendary. The most obvious difference from Änglagård being that the DISCIPLINE albums are still readily available.

Photo by Doug Susalla

Even though they did not have an official release until 1993, the band had been around since 1987. Guitarist John Preston Bouda, drummer Paul Dzendzel, bass player Mathew Kennedy, and singer/multi-instumentalist Matthew PARMENTER began in a place that is not usually considered fertile ground for prog. When one thinks of Detroit (Michigan) music, it usually conjures images of Motown, Ted Nugent, or Iggy Pop. I lived in the area in 1987, and I can tell you that I was not looking for the next best thing to Marillion to emerge in my neck of the woods. However, they took the bull by the horns, and created a loyal following in the Detroit area. It wasn't just the challenging music that drew fans. The live shows harkened back to Gabriel-era Genesis. Matthew Parmenter changed costumes for each song, and wore his now trademark mime makeup. This led to his nick name, The Magic Acid Mime. They had no recording contract, but their cassette tapes were very well received.

In 1993 Discipline recorded their first proper album, "Push & Profit." It wasn't exactly a smash, but it was a critical success. A supporting tour in Norway also proved that they had moved far beyond local hero status. To get proper albums out there, they created their own independent label. DISCIPLINE, and Matthew Parmenter, are the only artists on Strung Out Records. "Push and Profit" was not your typical Neo fare. They took cues from many different areas of the prog realm. Where lesser bands using this approach might seem unfocused, DISCIPLINE blended it together as if this is the way it is supposed to be done.

1997 saw the release of the much-heralded "Unfolded Like a Staircase." Most (if not all) of the whimsy found on the debut was gone. This was a much darker album, and consisted of four long tracks. For this album, a Peter Hammill influence was very much in the forefront. That did not deter the fans, and it so...
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DISCIPLINE discography


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DISCIPLINE top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.58 | 52 ratings
Chaos Out of Order
1988
3.57 | 176 ratings
Push & Profit
1994
4.25 | 457 ratings
Unfolded Like Staircase
1997
4.21 | 709 ratings
To Shatter All Accord
2011
3.69 | 122 ratings
Captives of the Wine Dark Sea
2017

DISCIPLINE Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

4.00 | 43 ratings
Into The Dream ... Discipline Live
1999
4.29 | 50 ratings
Live Days
2010
4.69 | 62 ratings
This One's for England
2014

DISCIPLINE Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

4.15 | 26 ratings
Live 1995
2005

DISCIPLINE Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

DISCIPLINE Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

DISCIPLINE Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Unfolded Like Staircase by DISCIPLINE album cover Studio Album, 1997
4.25 | 457 ratings

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Unfolded Like Staircase
Discipline Symphonic Prog

Review by Dapper~Blueberries
Prog Reviewer

5 stars As I stated before in my Hybris review, there were two big gothic retro progressive rock bands, Änglagård and Discipline. I already talked about Änglagård, so I figured to have a little discussion about Discipline. Discipline actually came a little before Änglagård, coming into the scene in 1987 but didn't make a full length album until 1993 with the album Push and Profit. Like Änglagård, after their second studio release they disappeared until 2011 with To Shatter All Accord, 2013 with Chaos Out of Order, and 2017 with Captives of the Wine Dark Sea.

They have a less European sound and go for more of what jazz style and experimental Prog bands like Van Der Graaf Generator and King Crimson were doing back in the 70s. In fact their name was adopted from the King Crimson album, Discipline. They still have a symphonic sound to them though, making their sound very artsy but tightly knit together. These factors definitely make this band a very unique and fun one to delve in. I am pretty excited to review this album because it has become a favorite of mine since I first heard it.

The album is kicked off with my favorite track on this album, Canto IV (Limbo). It is that beginning melody that really shows off so much. It is a solid hook, having these echoed guitars and drums rhythmically playing in a minor key that soon evolves into a more streamlined harmony is so well done. That is not even the best of what this song has to offer, really the strongest aspect this song has are three factors; the vocals, the consistency, and the guitars. Let us start with the vocals. The lead singer Matthew Parmenter delivers an excellent array of emotional, almost Peter Hammillesque harmonies that really turn the music onto its head. Despite him being an American artist, his singing has this flair to it that makes it feel very different from a lot of other American Prog rock bands that sprouted out at the time, making his vocals very unique. Now the consistency. While the song mutates throughout, it still has a consistent feeling throughout. You can definitely recognize each little bit of the song is in some way connected to each other even when things change. I definitely really enjoy this since it shows experimentation on the band's front while also remaining in their signature style. Lastly is the guitars. I just love how they sound. They have this ethereal tone to them which makes them stand out a lot. The best thing about them is that they do not feel overused, they are definitely used a lot, but they do not feel way too overbooked. In fact this strikes a balance of creating homogeneous styles. They can be a little weird at times, but they are clearly focused to where even the most bizarre moments create an awesome experience. Really this song is the peak of the album, and it never actually dips down at all.

I think Crutches is a good indication. The song is a little different, being less loud and abrasive, but a bit more reserved. Obviously there are moments here that delve back into the thick of it, but the song does start very differently with an acoustic number. Really this is probably their most soft song on here, but even if it is different, it still has that Discipline sound that really drives home that weirder side of Prog that I really love. Their use of a softer and more melodic focus on this song really does shape them to be a great band. They are experimental, and when it is done in a subtle way like this where you can notice it but still recognize that it is coming from a more abrasive song like Canto IV (Limbo). What I said before about the vocals and how consistent this song is stays true, but I would like to point to something else and that is the drumming. The rhythmic qualities shape this song and the album as a whole, and without it I think it wouldn't be as good. It flows through different patterns and tempos that even though they are all very different, still feels like they can be a part of the same sheet of music. It really does excel in a ton of qualities that I adore.

I think every Prog band has at least one really solid epic, and Discipline is no exception with Into The Dream. This 22 minute epic is just a treat from start to the end. It continues their cryptic sound from the last two songs, but we get some very fun shifts and changes. The mood never really changes, but how each part of this piece shifts around, ever so slightly, makes this such an amazing track to sit through. The song really does have a good amount of build up and crescendos that always interlink with each other. You can feel it all go up but never going down until the very end. Even with the best moments here you can definitely feel that it is rising to something, and I think that is the best thing about Prog epics, that build up to something great. The last piece on this song, part g. Turtles All The Way Down, really does show off this by putting emphasis on something you might've not noticed from all the other songs until this point, and that is the keyboard. They are putting a focus on it because I think to show off more aspects of the band besides their prowess on the guitars and drums. I think each song lets a member of the band have the spotlight, which is very awesome. This is definitely a great epic through and through.

Into The Dream is not the only epic here, there is one more and that is Before The Storm, parts one and two respectively. I am gonna be honest, while I still think this album is a masterpiece, this is still the weakest track for me. Not saying it is bad, no far from it, it is a very great song that showcases the band at their most tightly knit state as they create a 15 minute long track that takes you down a symphonic spectrum, but I do think it being on the tail end after three glorious tracks and being split into two parts definitely gives it a tiny bit of weight, not on my enjoyment but on the album, but not enough for it to lower my ranking down. As I stated before, the song is very tightly knit. The harmonies flow right, the singing is still as good as ever, the drumming is fantastic, the keyboards are the icing on the cake, the guitars are awesome, and that bass being elusive, yet still giving a backbone to this track and album as a whole really allows this entire experience a status for a masterpiece.

The name of the game here is the word subtle. Changes in each song are noticeable yet subtle to where everything feels like they are in their right place. You can feel the band work paying off in folds here. Every little guitar line and keyboard press makes every bit of these songs feel like profound magic. This is a must listen for any Prog fans out there. Definitely listen to stuff like King Crimson or Van Der Graaf Generator first because this style is a little more out of the way to the more happy, and fun filled spirit most other retro Prog bands have which may take a bit of time getting used to, but I think it is all worth it. Give it a try, I am sure it will not disappoint.

 Unfolded Like Staircase by DISCIPLINE album cover Studio Album, 1997
4.25 | 457 ratings

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Unfolded Like Staircase
Discipline Symphonic Prog

Review by kev rowland
Special Collaborator Honorary Reviewer

5 stars It is incredibly rare for me to review an album more than once, and generally there needs to be something very special for that to take place. Given that this is, in my opinion, one of the most important progressive rock albums to come out in the Nineties by one of the most innovative and important bands ever to surface in the States, this is not something I do lightly. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of this incredible release, the guys convinced Terry Brown to undertake a new mix, and that is what I am now playing. In this heavily connected world of ours it is often difficult to remember that it was not that long ago when music only existed in physical form, the internet was new and not many people had email. Although by 1999 I had already built a reputation in the UK for writing about progressive rock music, and was well-known by various European labels, it was more difficult to get material from the other side of the Atlantic just due to geography and cost. However, at some point that year I was contacted by Matthew Parmenter (vocals, keyboards, violin, sax) and been sent this album which had been released a few years earlier. This was their third album, and three years on from 'Push & Profit' they had settled down as a quartet with the departure of keyboard player David Krofchok, with the classic line-up of Jon Preston Bouda (electric and acoustic guitars), Matthew Kennedy (bass) and Paul Dzendzel (drums, percussion).

The four songs are epics, with a total running time of 65 minutes, and here we have a band who are heavily influenced by VDGG, while also bringing in some elements of Gabriel and Fripp, with the result being an album which is very American yet is looking deep into the Seventies with some classic sounds and influences. Looking back at my Discipline reviews in TPU Vol 1 I say at one point that they produce "Prog that is dangerous and exciting, harkening back to the past but very much looking forward to the future". There is no doubt that when looking back on many Nineties releases, they have not aged particularly well, but that is not the case here. It is a few years since this graced my player just because I am always trying to catch up on my reviews, but as soon as "Canto IV (Limbo)" kicked off I was transported and transfixed, taken back to when I first heard this all those years ago and soon wrapped back under its spell. There is no doubt that if in 2000 someone had asked me to list my favourite progressive rock albums from the Nineties then this would have made the cut, and if someone asked me in 2022 to undertake that exercise again there is no doubt this would still be very close to the top.

This is music which is exciting and vibrant, still with plenty of space but with complex and layered arrangements which Brown's remix has revitalised. There is just so much going on in this album, and one never knows where it is going to lead or what is going to happen next. It truly is a progressive rock album in all its facets, one which has not succumbed to banality or commerciality but rather was written and recorded just because the band had no choice, this is what they were all about. Remember, there was no ProgArchives back in 1997, it was a mere twinkle, and certainly no-one ever imagined glossy magazines devoted to the genre, it was hard enough to produce fanzines and standing over copies to reproduce them! It is direct, diverse, yet goes off at tangents so one must listen to hard to ensure nothing is missed and the journey can be completed.

25 years on from its debut, and this album is still one of the most important to have ever come out of the underground scene, from a band who should have been massive and known by all. Since this we have only had two more studio albums, but perhaps this will provide some impetus for the guys to get back into the studio. No progressive collection can be called complete without this.

 To Shatter All Accord by DISCIPLINE album cover Studio Album, 2011
4.21 | 709 ratings

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To Shatter All Accord
Discipline Symphonic Prog

Review by sgtpepper

4 stars This album confirms the increased maturity and appetite by the band that started with their third album. The album is long which allows the 5 compositions to stretch and develop slowly. There are slower, reflective parts that create emotional atmosphere. The band can create good textures, landscapes when keyboards, guitar or violin/saxophone join. Compositions are good, even if not outstanding, they are memorable after a couple of listens. I cannot recognize any cloning here but there are King Crimson or VDGG elements. "When she dreams she dreams in color" has a post-rock feeling with the repetitive and melancholic second part, it contains also a great violin solo.

Overall, the album contains enough contents to bite into even for a more demanding progger.

 Unfolded Like Staircase by DISCIPLINE album cover Studio Album, 1997
4.25 | 457 ratings

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Unfolded Like Staircase
Discipline Symphonic Prog

Review by Gallifrey

4 stars Listening diary 11th September, 2021: Discipline - Unfolded Like Staircase (progressive rock, 1997)

While I never personally bought the idea that progressive rock died after its heyday (if my favourite albums didn't make it very obvious) - I will concede that classic-style symphonic prog almost certainly did, which is what makes this album so remarkable. This is about as pure of a throwback album as you'd ever hear in 1997, but somehow the life and energy and passion that was around in the 70's has remained intact, unlike nearly every other artist that tried to do this. Perhaps it's because Discipline more than anyone emulate Van Der Graaf Generator, a band with a bit more modern staying power via their punk and post-punk loving frontman, and Discipline manage to tap into the creative muse of that edgier, more passionate style of symph. Still, this is an absolutely remarkable achievement given its context, and to this day I can't think of many genuine throwback albums that match it.

7.5 (5th listen)

Part of my listening diary from my facebook music blog - www.facebook.com/TheExoskeletalJunction

 To Shatter All Accord by DISCIPLINE album cover Studio Album, 2011
4.21 | 709 ratings

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To Shatter All Accord
Discipline Symphonic Prog

Review by Michael919

5 stars How is this band not well known? My gosh!

I am so happy to have stumbled on this significant album. It is a brilliant effort that covers many bases very well.

Other reviewers have already spoken a great deal of the VDGG similarities, but there is so much more than that. The album opens with great, classic rock with Circuitry, at least the heavier parts, but even that track takes you many places as it transitions to a nice prog flavour with nice piano and a bit of KC vibe. When the Walls Are Down then hits hard with an outstanding vocal performance that sucks you right in. Dead City, to me, is a decent track, but the least strong of the album. It has more of an 80's feel for much of it, but even then, it breaks into some really nice parts that redeem it.

Now things take a turn with two, epic, prog numbers that take you on a nice ride. When She Dreams reminds me of Stupid Dream/Recordings era Porcupine Tree in parts. The long jam at the end can feel quite long, unless you just immerse yourself in the music, with the really nice sax sounding violin (is there sax overdubbed in parts, IDK). Rogue is just a good 23 minutes of great music that goes all over the place. Some parts have a bit of a Jethro Tull sound, but more VDGG at times, and, well Discipline and their own sound throughout.

The instrumentation is phenomenal! Drums, bass, guitar, keys, everything. I'll add one more thing: Like a lot of the best albums, this one grows well. Growers are good and Discipline is an outstanding band that deserved to be far more known than they are.

 To Shatter All Accord by DISCIPLINE album cover Studio Album, 2011
4.21 | 709 ratings

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To Shatter All Accord
Discipline Symphonic Prog

Review by The Genre Spanner

4 stars Discipline are another modern band guilty of rehashing the 70s symphonic prog style with very little to add. But rather than copying the usuals like Yes or Genesis, they picked a less obvious choice and for me, this works in their favour.

If you take the band Van Der Graaf Generator, add a lot more guitar, lean it closer to rock than jazz, and add some mellotronic lushness, you get To Shatter All Accord. The dark and somber tone, eccentricity, vocalist - it's all quite similar. Although this Peter Hammill impersonator differentiates himself by singing with a less open mouth, which I don't enjoy as much.

The production has a fairly live and raw approach, and combined with the organ and mellotron we get that nice vintage 70s vibe. As with most prog of this persuasion, there's enough variation to keep things interesting - soft parts, rock parts, jazzy parts, rhythmically complex parts, and some sax and violin thrown in.

The songs are pretty strong, with striking and unexpected lyrical imagery and thoughtfully composed guitar solos. My only real complaint would be that 'When the Walls Are Down' and 'When She Dreams She Dreams in Color', become too repetitive towards the end, especially the latter which repeats the same chord sequence for 8 minutes!

What keeps me coming back is the masterwork 'Rogue'. It's a sinister epic with its middle instrumental section being the absolute highlight of the album and something to lose yourself in. The atmospheric build up followed by utter chaos with the vocalist's abstract screeching is enthralling and creative. But I must admit the song does lose its dark intrigue toward the end, with perhaps a little too much reliance on guitar soloing.

Despite being mostly derivative of the classics, this is a good listen.

7/10

 Captives of the Wine Dark Sea by DISCIPLINE album cover Studio Album, 2017
3.69 | 122 ratings

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Captives of the Wine Dark Sea
Discipline Symphonic Prog

Review by Sagichim
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

3 stars As much as I love Discipline I think that this is a step back from their previous effort To Shatter All Accord and their amazing classic Unfolded Like Staircase. Captives Of The Wine Dark Sea is of course a good album but I can't help but feeling something is missing here, could be the departure of guitarist Jon Preston Bouda, replaced by Chris Herin from the band Tiles, so that may effected the band's direction. Generally speaking the songs bear a more simpler approach, definitely less challenging and complex than what I would expect from these guys. I think the band was aiming a bit "lower" to a more conventional kind of songwriting (by Discipline standards of course) especially when 4 out of the 7 songs are at around 4 minutes long and are not that progy at all. I don't mind that the band has taken that road at all, the thing is the material here isn't just strong enough, it's good but doesn't rise to the next level.

Multi instrumentalist Matthew Parmenter is still in good form, his Peter Hammill like vocal approach is still very enjoyable, he is definitely one of my favorite modern vocalists. Although there's a change in the quality of the songwriting the music is still in the same symphonic/Neo prog style. There are 7 songs here, 5 short songs and 2 lengthy pieces that will naturally appeal more to prog fans, this is where the writing is more adventurous and bold, and the band shows their instrumental chops on top of some beautiful melodies. The shorter tracks ranges from ok to good but they are never bad.

The Body Yearns opens the album in a promising way, easily one of the highlights in the album and holds one of my favorite melodies by the band ever. Matthew's opening voclas and piano lead topped with that moderate guitar line is simply sublime, it takes about half the song and it is pure heaven. It changes half way through and becomes slower with a good guitar solo from Chris before returning to the main theme. Life Imitates Art is average, simply a standard song with a verse and chorus format, dark sounding at first almost sinister, but it's actually the chorus that brings the whole thing terribly down for me, seems out of context too, the rest isn't that exciting either. S is the title of the next song and it's an improvement, a short instrumental with some intense violin driving the rhythm, it changes half way and becomes more interesting, not anything special but definitely a good song. The catchy pop tinged little ditty Love Songs is I guess Intentionally titled like that since the lyrics indicates the opposite. "Don't speak to me of love songs" and then before the bluesy guitar comes in he sais "I just wanna be alone". This is a fun tune with some cool bluesy guitar based on a good melody but again is not intended to be thrilling and it's really not, I think this is the farthest they've gone from Unfold Like Staircase. Here There Is No Soul is another fun and catchy short rocker with Matthew's great singing, it's much too short to leave any impression...but it's ok I guess. The Roaring Game is a 6 minute instrumental which brings back a little bit of playing and musicianship. Although it uses the same mantra over and over it's good and becomes stronger towards the end as the tension rises, nice guitar by Chris and some powerful drumming by Mr. Dzendzel. The closing 15 minute track Burn The Fire Upon The Rocks is a great song featuring a mellotron for the first time. You can find all the great characteristics of this great band here, good instrumental moments, complexity, soulful vocals, beautiful melodies. It goes through all kinds of ideas and moods but feels like a unified piece, probably the best piece here.

So this is kind of a mixed bag for me, there are 3 really good songs here which takes more than half of the album but I don't think they are better than anything from Unfold Like Staircase or To Shatter All Accord, the rest isn't exciting at all so overall the lows are ok and the highs are not that high. You have to be in the right mood to really enjoy the whole thing. A good effort, 3+ stars.

 Captives of the Wine Dark Sea by DISCIPLINE album cover Studio Album, 2017
3.69 | 122 ratings

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Captives of the Wine Dark Sea
Discipline Symphonic Prog

Review by Corcoranw687

4 stars It seems like a good time to revisit some albums I didn't give enough of a chance to over the last few years of being so busy. With the world at a bit of a quiet standstill, perhaps my views may change on things I didn't consider earlier. The very first album I thought of was this one, which I bet would have received 3 stars from me upon release. There are reasons for the stylistic switch here, most notably a new guitar player. I remember getting far into the album and wondering where those guitars from "Circuitry" were, but as the band said, this was a "little step in a different direction". I'll go track by track here, but if you didn't give this a chance the first time, do it! 4 stars

"The Body Yearns" starts off with vocal and piano before we get to our main melody, featuring fantastic lyrics on the subject of learning and the brain's ability to process information, new and old. If Van der Graff Generator comparisons weren't on your mind already, the organ section will take care of that. The second track also reminds me of VdGG, but the later years. It's my least favorite on the album, it's also where I decided I didn't like it the first time. Track three is "S", a jittery instrumental that reminds me of Larks era King Crimson, and is also where I noticed the sound quality on this album is fantastic, certainly their best sounding album from a production standpoint. "Love Songs" and "Here There is No Soul" are surprising pop songs that aren't going to remind you of the band's previous two albums, but I like them. "The Roaring Game" starts interestingly enough, but then that guitar shows up to give us a riff! Parmenter has some great piano moments here, and we have a great guitar solo at the end. It fades out at an inopportune time though, I like where the solo is going but it's over in the middle of it all. The fina, track is the best one by far, I don't want to go section by section but we have a quirky bluesy riff that gets slowed down to be more Discipline style, Canterbury style vocals over the only mellotron on the album, and it just keeps giving. This is an all time Discipline track and a great ending.

 To Shatter All Accord by DISCIPLINE album cover Studio Album, 2011
4.21 | 709 ratings

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To Shatter All Accord
Discipline Symphonic Prog

Review by VianaProghead
Prog Reviewer

5 stars Review Nº 203

Discipline is a band from Detroit founded in 1987. The band gained a following amount of fans in the Detroit area, performing unusual original music, heavily influenced by the progressive rock music of the 70's, with a live memorable show for theatrics. Lead singer Matthew Parmenter delivered each song behind a coat of mime's makeup, often a different costume, bringing to our memory the vocalist of Genesis, Peter Gabriel, in the good old times of Genesis.

As many of we know, there are an infinity of groups with influences from the greatest 70's progressive rock bands such as Genesis, Yes, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, etc., with more or less success and more or less personality. But, in my humble opinion, this is the first time that a band drinks all the essence of the strange and difficult musical world of Van Der Graaf Generator. But what impresses me most is that they make it with a naturalness, quality and personality that make of this group a unique band, in the last thirty years, in the world of progressive rock.

It was only in 1993 that Discipline released their first studio album 'Push And Profit', and in 1997 they released their second studio album, their great masterpiece, 'Unfolded Like The Staircase'. However, it passed many years until the band has released another studio album. Until then, we only could enjoy some great live documents of the group. So, it was a big surprise for me that the band in 2011 released their third studio album, entitled 'To Shatter All Accord'.

The line up on the album is Matthew Parmenter (vocals, keyboards and descants), Jon Preston Bouda (guitars), Matthew Kennedy (bass) and Paul Dzendzel (skins and percussion).

'To Shatter All Accord' has five tracks. The first track 'Circuitry' isn't properly a true new track released by the band. A raw live version appears on 1997's ProgDay '95 compilation CD on the band's 1995 'Discipline Live' VHS tape. It also appears on their double live compilation 'Live Days' released in 2010. It's a song propelled by a down guitar riff with an organ underneath, some gentle piano and a saxophone work that evoke the sound of Van Der Graaf Generator. This is a song with a real vintage sound that promise to us a fantastic and unique musical journey that can brings to us again the glory days of the 70's progressive rock music. The second track 'When The Walls Are Down' isn't also a truly new track from the band. As happened with the previous track, a live version of the song appears on 1997's ProgDay '95 compilation CD on the band's 1995 'Discipline Live' VHS tape, and it also appears on their double live compilation 'Live Days'. The song has a dreamy saxophone work over a piano before the guitar riff and a tortured vocal work, which might be familiar to the fans of Peter Hammill and of Van Der Graaf Generator. Bouda's guitar work is absolutely incredible. This is a perfect track for King Crimson and Van Der Graaf Generator's fans. The third track 'Dead City' is the first truly new track on the album. It starts with a Bouda's psychedelic guitar style followed by Parmenter's keyboards before the beginning of Parmenter's unmistakable voice, this time with a mix between Gabriel and Hammill's vocal styles. This is really a cool track, very accessible, short and concise, completely different from the rest of the album. Still, this is my less favourite track on the album. The fourth track 'When She Dreams She Dreams In Color' is a very complex track with many jazz elements that reminds me strongly the sound of King Crimson, especially the sound of their fourth studio album 'Islands'. It's a very extensive track with about fourteen minutes long. This is, in reality, a great track with a gorgeous mellotron work perfectly in the same vein of the first two King Crimson's studio albums. It's a heaven for the mellotron fans. It has also a beautiful violin performance evocative of Kansas. Sure it pleases Kansas' fans. The fifth track 'Rogue' is the lengthiest track on the album with twenty-four minutes long. This is definitely the great highlight of the album, a song that any progressive fan should listen. This is one of the best progressive songs I've ever heard. The performance of all band members is outstanding. This is a song that incorporates magnificently and perfectly the musical styles of two of the best and most complex bands of the universe of progressive rock, King Crimson and Van Der Graaf Generator. I love this song that represents a perfect way to close this magnificent album.

Conclusion: 'To Shatter All Accord' is an incredible album which opens with a golden key the return of a great and unique band to our progressive world. This is an album that strengthens the musical influence and fuses perfectly the distinct sound of two of the greatest bands of progressive rock music of all time, King Crimson and Van Der Graaf Generator, without Discipline lose their own and unique identity. And now, the great question. Is it as good as 'Unfolded Like Staircase'? In my humble opinion, I don't think so. Sincerely, I continue to prefer that album. However, it's almost as good. This is simply one of the best albums you can ear in the progressive rock music, in our days. It's an album full of passionate music with a lot of emotion. Discipline was back with a fantastic new album. God bless them.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

 Captives of the Wine Dark Sea by DISCIPLINE album cover Studio Album, 2017
3.69 | 122 ratings

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Captives of the Wine Dark Sea
Discipline Symphonic Prog

Review by kev rowland
Special Collaborator Honorary Reviewer

5 stars There is no doubt at all in mind that one of the most important bands to come out of America in the last thirty years has been Discipline. For some reason they have never seemed to gain the column inches that bands such as Spock's Beard and Enchant have been able to generate, but if I had to choose a band that was trying to do in America what VDGG achieved in the UK then it would be to Discipline I would turn. Founder, multi-instrumentalist and singer Matthew Parmenter is still very much at the helm, along with drummer Paul Dzendzel and bassist Mathew Kennedy, but founder guitarist Jon Preston Bouda is no longer involved, with his place being taken by Tiles guitarist Chris Herin. Obviously, this has had an impact on the overall sound, especially as that band are generally more straightforward melodic and rocky than Discipline, but Matthew still has a very firm hand on the arrangements and his piano underpins everything that is taking place.

This is only their second studio album in twenty years, but it's all about quality over quantity, and while it doesn't have quite the edginess or danger of some of their other albums, it is still very much a triumph. Chris understands his place within the band, and while Paul and Matthew Kennedy lay down the foundation it is very much linked in with the piano, from which Matthew Parmenter then takes the music in multiple directions. There is only one fairly lengthy song on here, the closer "Burn The Fire Upon The Rocks", but these guys don't need lots of time to push and pull the music in multiple directions. This is what progressive music is all about, moving into and across boundaries so that they aren't following any themes or styles but are very much their own band. That anyone playing them would never think for a minute that they were American shows just how diverse an adept these guys are. The more I play this, the more I discover, and the more I like it. It is an album I fell in love with the first time I played it, and I have grown to enjoy it even more since then! Essential.

Thanks to ProgLucky for the artist addition. and to Quinino for the last updates

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