MANTIS

At first, though delighted, I thought it was a little less than "Anchor Drops". Some time and listens made me realize that that "little less" is so much more: "Mantis" lets go of the 2004 (fantastic) album pout-pourry and focuses on that never too explored prog side of the band (probably a side more influenced by the early '80s and AOR one than of the glorious seventies). The album starts with "Made to measure", a surprisingly quiet track since UM had always opened with more striking numbers. Very beatlesque, it is followed by the title track that is by far the most progressive song in the sextet catalog, with tempo changes and different moments (from hard rocking to relaxed) that seam quite well thru the 11 minutes length. Nevertheless, the top track here is "Spires", with heavy guitars licks and piano veils introducing an acrobatic track with lots of memorable hooks, exciting moments and a dreamy epilogue providing chills. "Red Tape" is another great track, with lots of stop and go and fun uptempo playing. All the tracks are very good, and I consider this one the best among the UM discography and a very interesting suggestion for prog estimators.