MANTIS

A mantis is a predatory insect best known for the habit of the female of the species biting off the head of the male in laboratories while mating and indeed the main theme of the songs on this album are about relationships gone bad from a male perspective.

I'm a newcomer to this band and have only tried out one other album and two live DVDs so far and I don't think anything I'll hear from these guys will ever disappoint. Their earlier works display a heavy influence of many prog artists. I think they're moving in to their moving forward into their own unique vein here. Still there are many familiar musical elements present.

Made To Measure has a very Beatles/XTC feel to it. Preamble kicks off the beginning of a set with the melody on keyboard that will be central to the title track, Mantis, which while epic in length though not in theme has a wonderful complexity to it musically. I detect an old Supertramp influence with Cemetery Walk. Cemetery Walk II wraps up a set which started with Preamble instrumentally, reminds me a lot of Stereolab. More goodies still in store, Turn And Run is more uniquely McGee, I can't really detect any overt influences of others in it. Spires has a really soaring aspect to it musically and lyrically again about relationships. I'm still trying to figure out what Prophesy Now reminds me of, arrgh, they're definitely stretching out with this one sylisticaly. Red Tape sounds like it could be a Bears track with the exception that the Bears don't have a keyboardist. 1348? more KrimsonicsitllBelewBearsistic. Nice wrap up for the album. I really had to check to see that there weren't any guys from the Bears here.