RISING

US band CHAMELEON was formed back in 1969, and was an active band unit until 1981, primarily performing live in their local area, from what I understand. They never got to release any material while active, but they had a few recording sessions over the years. These have been collected and restored, and the end result is the archival release "Rising", issued by the US label ShroomAngel Records in 2013.

Chameleon explored a very time typical variety of '70s US progressive rock on the archival collection "Rising". This is a band that has been rather deeply inspired by the classic progressive rock bands from the UK: Genesis and Camel in particular, and attempted to create their own US based version of it. At best done brilliantly, but the greater majority of the material is of the kind that hasn't managed to stand the test of time all that well unfortunately. If you don't mind that distinct sound of the less than great part of the '70s, including some rather cliche and odd keyboard textures and arrangement choices that are less than stellar, then Chameleon is a band that merits a check. Opening track Texas Cyclone is the exception to this description though, a shining jewel amongst gemstones that went out of style permanently sometime in the '70s.