Combination Head (UK)

- This is a new UK progrock formation featuring a keyboardplayer, guitarist/bass player and three different drummers for the eight compositions. Their eponymous, instrumental debut CD delivers fluent and dynamic music with a lush keyboard sound (including a wide range of ‘vintage keyboards’) and great interplay by the musicians. The sound is melodic and very pleasant, I cannot trace weak songs and especially the work on the Hammond organ is outstanding like in Clover RD R.B.C. (captivating and alternating, from dreamy with piano to compelling with a bluesy Hammond sound and an accellaration with fiery guitar) and Devonshire Crescent (swirling solo and splendid drumming). Halfway this CD a mellow, very beautiful classical piano piece is a short mellow interlude but in general Combination Head delivers swinging tracks like the Jeff Beck (Wired-era) sounding The Bonk (flashy synthesizer – and biting electric guitar solo along powerful Hammond runs), the ELP-inspired Clover RD DEF (exciting Hammond – and Moog sound and howling guitar) and the hypnotizing, electronic oriented Fourteen (a slow rhythm with spacey synthesizers). The final song For What? Is a very strong ‘musical goodbey’: a fluent rhythm with fiery guitar and a swinging end featuring a spectacular synthesizer solo and again fiery guitar.