A STORY TWO DAYS WIDE

Well to say that I am not a fan of neo-prog is probably the understatement of the millennium. But to find such a mediocre album is actually pushing me to call this type regressive rock. Not that this type of album is bad per se, but I have problems realizing who might actually enjoy it, knowing that this typical mid-80's neo-prog is still faithfully reproduced, warts & flaws and all, some 15 years later. I mean to want to repeat the early Marillion sound without having Fish's power is quite suicidal and a clear lack of personality knowing this is their fourth album repeating this formula. Well at least Illuvatar remains true to themselves: the same twee neo-prog with precious few real innovations and the same awful 80's sound that only them bothered with around the turn of the millennium. Sad, but true! Apart from those typical neo-prog vocals heard hundreds of time before, not even one track manages to stand out from the rest: all of them are uniformly and annoyingly bland and even irksome nowadays. That such an album might have been enjoyable in the mid-80's because there was absolutely nothing else around is one thing; to be able to believe that this type of album would still encounter much success from a demanding proghead is either naïve or playing on loyalty. In either case, this album is best avoided.