MARBURG

One of the first albums I ever bought on CD, and one of the first big prog disappointments for me. Back in the old days of the Gibraltar newsletter, this was being hyped as some sort of "lost classic", Needless to say, it's not.

Kind of an attempt to marry symphonic rock (a la ELP) with hard rock (a la Led Zeppelin), it falls flat on its face more often than not. The playing is fine, a pleasant mix of violin and flute blended in with the usual suspects. The vocals tend toward the shrill and grating, and are definitely not the band's strong suit.

There's an interpretation of Smetana's "The Moldau" which, contrary to my expectations, is actually one of the nicer moments of the album. Not much to write Mom about here, though. Heavy rock with proggish trappings, for the most part.