MIND VOL. 4 - PASS

My prog journey takes me into familiar symphonic territory but I am a colossal fan of electronic, folk, zeuhl, Canterbury, Eclectic, Cross-Over , jazz and even oblique RIO. I have traveled the progressive highway to distant lands that have a fan and musician base of devoted aficionados, and I am the richer for it. So a little dabble into the obscure is often highly pleasurable and has permeated my collection with delightful glee. The number of groups thus discovered litter my CD bookshelf and Isildur's Bane is no exception. This Swedish band has been around and they have ventured into a more vocal expanse that is vibrantly experimental, daring to tackle IMHO the progressive world's Achilles heel: the vocals. So it comes as no surprise that "Halo" is a short vocal wisp that shines the path for the monstrous steamroller "Heal", a Crimson-esque barrage that veers into immediate dissonance courtesy of some judicious strings and a blaring trumpet and shiny brass. The neo-classic vocal passage sets the tone with some poignant swerves and lush textures, perhaps closest to Peter Gabriel's recent output, chasing the sunlight. The harsh return is a crafty finale. "Cage" is edgy, almost punky, with a bizarre jarring structure that conjures up modern intonations in a schizoid sort of way. An oblique James Bond theme guitar foray further upsets the cart of expectancy. More "cold rush" vocals and a gung-ho spacy off ramp section. Weird ! "Good" is er? good, a bopping bass slithers this one along, a male- female duet that shoves this into dreamier spans, another stunning piece of music especially when the band kicks in with some devastating echoes, careening lustily at times. The too short "Open" is a majestic guitar flight with gurgling synth bubbling in the moss. The massively manpowered "Eyes" is intriguing, almost like a mistier Hoggarth era Marillion with a magnificent Jonas Christphos axe solo , a resounding melody, great vocals and suitable instrumental involvement (the liner notes read: "genuinely faked Mellotron". Priceless!). The inquisitive 'tron-drenched "Self" is again way too short as it swims in rushing luminosity. "Idea" is an 8 minute job that proves that these guys can stretch with best of them, walls of percussion melding with dizzying bass, slashing and dueling violin/guitar leads that are spectacular and the obligatory vocal to further ignite the lead guitar's full fury. Both male and female voices combine again to revive the Gabriel impression successfully, except that the jamming is way more jazzy and experimental. A brilliant fretless bass propels this further down the path, soft and hard contrasts collide with guile, a violin surfaces from the silo, targeting some distant bull's eye. After the moving and succinct "Talk", the next one really nailed down the verdict here, as "Rage" describes itself in no uncertain terms, tough electronica with furious voices fighting off the vibraphone barrages, vocoded rants, a gentler passage ensconced in a mixture of paranoia and despair with more hard-edged, almost Frippian guitar detonations, a truly masterful performance even though the sonic bubble bath can be overwhelming for the uninitiated. Not easy listening, this! Both "Dark" and "Part" are mini sketches that streak towards the ambient and dissonant, "Loss" prefers a more dramatic platform to weep and wallow, a depressing dirge that, again aptly defining the title, a forlorn sense of "loss of innocence and trust", close to No-Man/Gabriel territory with a synthesized chorus that inspires the heavens. "Ends" ends well with loads of treated instruments, dense programming and eerie sound effects, a modern orchestral maneuver that has flute rippling through it and a hard electro end. Like Hungarian band After Crying's output, this is not a recording one comes to often but when in need of challenges, the ear will be pleased to venture beyond the norms. That's what progressive is all about, I guess. 4 chanted halos.