SCAPELAND WISH

What a pleasant surprise by this US band from Connecticut,USA.Formed in 1997 in Fairfield County,SCAPELAND WISH claim to be influenced by various musical styles such as Classic Prog,Fusion,Pop and Prog Metal.Josh Ramirez (drums/vocals), Mike Stiskal (bass/keyboards/backing vocals) and Kevin Forsberg (guitars) were helped by some friends on the vocal parts of their first recording ''Reason'',which was privately pressed in 2000

...and it is a fact that ''Reason'' is heavily based on its lyrical content and elaborated melodies.Lead vocalist Josh Ramirez has a warm and emotional voice,perfectly suited in the band's atmospheric musicianship,while the multiple polyphonic harmonies make this work even sweeter and more elegant.Musically speaking there is only one band, that springs to mind, while listening to ''Reason'':ENCHANT.The album is deeply rooted in light interplays, great guitar solos, grandiose piano passages, sensational melodies close to the composing of ENCHANT's Douglas Ott.SCAPELAND WISH'es approach is definitely artistic and their style is actually not easily comparable.Some songs are closer to Pomp Prog (ASIA, SAGA, NEW ENGLAND) featuring strong vocal arrangements and over-sweet music material,some others are closer to melodic Heavy Prog,while a few short instrumental parts contain complicated jazzy solos as well...but notice that all this unrelated material is nicely mixed and superbly arranged by this talented band.

For fans of light progressive/art rock with fantastic lyrical moments this would be an ear's heaven!By my side ''Reason'' is an absolutely magnificent album that deseves to be spread wider!4 shiny stars!

"The Ghost Of Autumn" is the second release by the US prog rock trio SCAPELAND WISH whose first album "Reason" back in 2000 simply gave me shivers as I listened. Boy can these guys write, play and sing ! "The Ghost Of Autumn" is a magical album full of dynamic musicianship, postive energy and creative song writing. SCAPELAND WISH are Josh Ramirez (vocals and drums), Mike Stiskal (drums, guitars and backing vocals) and Kevin Forsberg (guitars). Musically hard to exactly peg down but with their balanced focus on both progressive and rock tendencies end up delivering a mesh of RUSH, STYX, ECHOLYN, CAMEL, DIXIE DREGS and KANSAS all in one! For those love great vocals will simply kills for this album as Ramirez's voice is clear and powerful and blends to perfection with the band. Guitar and bass work is also superb with some excellent soloing and interplay throughout. "The Willow Song" would have to be one of the best tracks I have heard in a long time by any band with its deeply emotional delivery, deep toned sounds, GiILMOUR'esque guitar solos, interesting timing, captivating gentle vocals/harmonies all surrounded by a fantastic themed song.

Ladies and gentlemen I would like to introduce you to one of the tastiest soft US Symphonic progressive rock bands on the scene today. SCAPELAND WISH blend lush orchestral symphonia with highly emotive vocals and continuous fluid harmonies throughout. Their songs are quite accessible with some lovely melodies and excellent instrumentation. At times in the instrumentation I get a semi feel of IQ and ECHOLYN (although not as complex). The vocals on this album are clear and picture perfect something many neo-prog bands do not offer. The best parts for me is when they let their hair down a bit and get into some lovely instrumental grooves. Without a question this trio have delivered an excellent album which I would heartily recommend to all fans of the Neo-Prog genre. .perfect for the lighter side of the progressive rock genre. You can order this CD direct from the band at the following link "Scapeland Wish".