AND THEN THERE IS SILENCE

I stumbled over the band's name, because the drummer of VALINOR'S TREE Mattias Jarlhed is playing on SIMON SAYS' CD "Paradise Square", a very excellent record that should apply to all fans of Gabriel-era GENESIS which I bought recently. Listening through the album presented here, I have to say it's something completely different from that. And it's true, I can't find much simlarity with bands like WHITE WILLOW, ANEKDOTEN, SINKADUS or LANDBERK apart of the track "Tell Me a Story" which is quite good and could be as well one of ANEKDOTEN or LIQUID SCARLET. It has very Crimson-like guitar/bass playing, a nice mellotronic sound and great drum work as well. But in fact if one would buy the album after listening only to this song before, one would definitely be disappointed. Because for the rest of the album the title fits perfectly. Not really bad at all, but quite below average for a prog album. It varies from mellow alternative or smooth-jazz type songs, nice but not very exciting, to more or less pure alternative rock, just played with a prog rock equipment. I find the music as well not so much comparable with the newer releases of ANATHEMA (which I like) or RADIOHEAD (which I don't like). If there would be a thing called "Alternative Prog", I think this album could be described like that. Maybe it could be interesting for any alternative or mainstream rock listener as a starting point to come more into prog rock music. I don't know their debut, but reading the reviews it was obviously much better and more in a progrock vein. Prog listeners and fans of the above mentioned Scandinavian bands I'd like to advice to keep hands off this album. Normally I would rate it not more than 1 star, but I give one star extra just for track #3.