Big Block 454 - They'd Bought a Packard (1998)

A thirteen minutes long EP from this English avant-garde band. It is now a free download too.

The band has never hidden their fascination for krautrock bands like Can. A fascination which surfaces on this three songs EP. The music has a strong beat and some bass, drums and electronica on the top of that again. It is typical Can and trip-hop territory. It is also a pretty eccentric. The music is also very minimalistic. 
Strangely enough, these thirteen minutes actually works. Each of the songs are (worryingly !) engaging. Sometimes, less is more. In the case of this EP, that rings true. This is actually a good EP which is well worth a download and your attention.

3 points

Their Bandcamp page

 

Circle - Manner (2012)

The brand new album from these underground legends. This is this Finnish band's 24th album since 1994. This is also my first meeting with their music.

Circle has a reputation for being totally unpredictable. They have gone from space rock to prog rock to krautrock to heavy metal and some zeuhl too. They are generally off kilter and pretty much treats every expectations with the contempt they deserves. And rightly so. Their attitude is to be admired.

Manner is a brew of everything they have done, really. Involuntary a kind of a compilation of all their styles, I guess. The material varies from straight heavy metal to krautrock and space rock. That and a lot of post rock too. I would mainly label Manner as a krautrock album though. They are leaning a lot on Amon Duul II on this album.

Most of the music, with the exception of the heavy metal stuff, is improvised spaced out workouts. There are even some sami folk music here. Joiks, it is called. This makes this a musically very varied album which really engages and never becomes dull. It is an intriguing album which begs the questions: Why is this the first Circle album I have ever heard ?

My main gripe is the lack of any great tracks. Besides of that, this is a good album which really showcases this band. I want more of this band.

3 points

October Tree - The Fairy's Wing (2012)

This is the debut album from this Maryland, US band/project. See more at the link below, their homepage.

The music is female and male vocals lead with a healthy dosage of guitars, keyboards, bass and drums too. The music is a mix of bohemian theatre music, symph prog rock, a bit Daevid Allen's Gong, a bit Frank Zappa and a large chunk of folk rock. I would label the music as art rock although the band uses the term prog rock. This album is a concept album too and the concept is both spelled out in the CD and on their homepage. A forty six minutes long concept album.

The music is both intriguing and good throughout. The plentyful use of Hammond organs. The vocals are very good too. The music is also very arty and complex. Some of the music is pretty immediate good. Other parts of this album require some time.

The Fairy's Wing is a very good album, done by some good musicians who knows what they are doing. I do understand why certain magazines has hailed this album as one of the best debut albums of the recent years. This album does not really sit that well with me. But nevertheless; check it out. You will not regret it.

3.5 points 

The band's homepage

Koenjihyakkei - 2 ni / Viva Koenji! (1997)

To say that this band's music is an attack on the listener's senses is an understatement. Koenjihyakkei continues their war against the listeners on this, their second album.

Koenjihyakkei operates within the zeuhl genre. Their music is not so much stringent zeuhl formula based as the likes of Magma. Koenjihyakkei has expanded their music into other territories too. None of their music is easy listening, though. The music is still zeuhl and very extreme. Elements from screamo, eastern music, hard core, death metal, jazz and opera has been implemented on this album. The result is a big flower bouquet with various flowers and smells.

The music is dominated by the opera female vocals. They are supported by male vocals, guitars, keyboards, drums and bass. All this delivered in very intimidating, menacing manner.

There is no really brilliant songs here as the opener Loss from their debut album. But there is no really dull moment either. The songs on this album is much more solid than the songs on the debut album. The amount of small interesting details is staggering. This is great music in my estimation and I am firmly in the Koenjihyakkei end of the zeuhl genre. This is progressive music in my estimation. Much more than the type of music which passes as prog rock these days. Check out a Koenjihyakkei album today.

4 points 

Gatto Marte - Marte Sulla Luna (2012)

Their eight album.

This band comes from Italy and is listed in the RIO/Avant Garde genre in most websites. I really liked their debut album Danae from 1997 and reviewed it last month. I have not heard any other albums though. After listening to this album, I am not sure if I could be bothered either.

Where Danae had nerve and a lot of bite, Marte Sulla Luna falls short in that respect. It is a RIO-light album with violin, piano, electric guitars (!!!), bass and drums. It is still instrumental. But the RIO and chamber orchestra element is watered out and the band has moved to more accessible, almost shopping mall cafeteria type of music.

The result is a lack of good tunes and a lack of what makes chamber rock so great. The electric guitars is also very annoying. It feels like it has been plastered on the music from the outside and does not feel integrated at all. It does not feel natural at all. Any good stuff is being harpooned and sunk by these guitars.

The end result is a decent album which could had been a lot more than that.

2 points

Bill In The Tea - Bill In The Tea (2012)

The debut EP from this Italian band. A band from Sicily, no less. They are here to give you an offer you cannot refuse. This is a free EP, in other words.

The indie rock like name betrays a sound which indeed is indie rock. The music is a mix of indie rock, a bit jazz and a large chunk of Italian progressive rock. The more pastoral part of the Italian scene, though.

The music is mainly performed with keyboards, guitars, drums and bass. That and some vocals. The band knows what they are doing, no doubts. The EP is full of small intricate details. The songs are not really that impressive. But this twenty two minutes long EP tends to grow on the listener and gets it's own life within the parameters of the listener's memory bank.

Instead of spelling out the songs in big letters, the songs is more hinting and whispering the songs. There are nuances in the songs which reminds me a lot about post rock. The song structures is in the post rock mould with no clear defined melody lines. There is no grand standing here.

Even after some listening sessions over two weeks, I am not entirely convinced about the quality at all. It is somewhere between decent to good in my estimation. This band has a lot of potential though and I hope they get the chance to follow it up with another release.

2.5 points

The EP

Magnum - On The 13th Day (2012)

Their 16th album since their start up in the mid 1970s.

I have never been a fan of this pomp rock band. A band who had their most successful days at the end of the 1980s where they toured with Iron Maiden and other bands in the British heavy metal scene. A scene they really not fit into.

I have never really given them much attention either, to be honest. Maybe I am missing out on something great here. This album shows a lot of promise. It also has some really good songs too. Yes, their material is pretty cheesy and entirely verse-chorus-verse based. The vocals are great. The music is based on guitars, keyboards, bass and drums. Most of the songs though are good to great. The title track is a great song though. The same goes for So Let It Rain. The rest of the material is mostly good and shows a band who really knows their pomp rock formula. This album has gone a long way to improve Magnum's image in my eyes.

3 points

Midwinter - The Waters of Sweet Sorrow (1993)

The one and only album from this English folk trio who later, minus the vocalist, became the much more well known Stone Angel.

This album was released in 1993. But it had been recorded in the 1970s and the tapes put in a storage. This is not unusual in today's scene. Another Midwinter album is still in cold storage, I have been told. It is not likely this album will be released though.

The music on The Waters of Sweet Sorrow is angelic vocals lead folk music backed by violin, guitars, harp, banjo and mandolin. It is as primitive as folk music can get. Their version of Scarborough Fair is stripped down and made into a middle aged sound. The rest of the album too follows that tradition.

The songs are pretty good throughout. Jill Child's vocals is excellent and her withdrawal is a loss to the music scene. The not so good songs material is outweighed by her vocals and makes this a good album. For those who seeks more than good vocals; bypass this album. For the rest of you; check it out.

3 points

Oldfield. Mike - Ommadawn (1975)

Ommadawn is supposed to be his real masterpiece and crowning glory. It is also his third album (fourth if the cash in turd The Orchestral Tubular Bells is included).

Ommadown is continuing where his debut album Tubular Bells and partly the follow up album Hergest Ridge left it. It very much feels like Tubular Bells, the Ommadawn edition. Various orchestral instruments and studio concoctions weaves two pieces of instrumental music. Altogether thirty six minutes, Ommadawn last.

The result is a crossover of celtic folk music, new age and some symphonic music. The two pieces are decent to good. Though not that interesting. I have to admit Mike Oldfield has yet to hit me at my home. This album and his music was very much the cutting edge back in the 1970s. In today's world, I can hardly stifle a yawn when listening to this album. I simply don't get it.

Ommadawn is a decent album in my estimation.

2 points
   

Nexus - Aire (2012)

The fifth album by this Argentine band. Aire is also the first of their two albums released this year. Nexus arrived on the scene back in the 1970s, but did not release anything before twenty years later. They still have a legend status in the scene, though.

Their music is symphonic prog in the vein of Genesis, the Wind & Wuthering era. The keyboards and guitars are very solid on Aire. Ditto for the Spanish vocals too. I have nothing bad to say about the bass and drums too. This album is a very solid handicraft from a band who knows what they are doing.

What is missing is the dot in the i. The little extra. Some great songs. Something that jolts the casual fan of symphonic prog out of it's chair. Aire is a good soundscape, but nothing more. There is nothing surprising here. There is no intricate details here which catches my imagination. It is a good album, but nothing more.
This is a good band and a band who can do better than this.

3 points

Jethro Tull - Minstrel In The Gallery (1975)

The eight album from this British band.

I really like this band. So much that they are among my favorite bands. The reason is albums like this one. This album is a welcome return to the concept album format. The music is performed with the usual guitars, flutes, organ, bass, drums and Ian Anderson's excellent vocals. This in addition to some orchestral arrangements. Vintage Jethro Tull, in other words.

The album opens with the concept of a band entertaining the royals in a court. It open with the excellent title track. A complex track. From there on and to the end, we are treated to some truly great music by this band. The music flows together and becomes one single entity. It captivates me and drags me into their world. A world I really like. This album is a grower and it has grown on me over the last two weeks. I regard it as one of the best Jethro Tull albums ever. In short; get it.

4.5 points

18 Karat Gold - All Bumm (1973)

An album who sneaked into the Krautrock box I bought.

18 Karat Gold is a German band and that is all I know. Their music is commercial middle of the road pop-rock. The vocals are in English and the sound is typical English too with bass, guitars, drums and vocals.
The band makes a very good job in hiding their origins at the same time as their music is appealing to the German market too. I would not be surprised if this album was a big hit.

The music is straight forward pop rock with no hidden depts and twists. The music is pretty good and this is a decent album. It is not my type of music though.

2 points

Medina Azahara - Sin Tiempo (1992)

For some reasons I don't really understand, I bought a lot of their albums last year. Not one of my most inspired decissions, it has to be said.

Sin Tiempo is their sixth album. After some rather promising art rock albums, the band is back doing what gave them a legend status in their homeland Spain: Passionate rock. That is hard edged rock with a lot of passion, hair, balls and guts. Some hard guitar runs is intertwined with some passionate ballads. All of it in Spanish. This album and their music has a lot of local flavour. It is not bad too. Neither is it good either. The songs are not particular good and the band is somewhat lost in a sea of mediocrity. In short, avoid this album unless Spanish hard rock is your thing.

2 points 

Reasoning. The - And Another Thing (2012)

A twenty minutes long EP from this British female fronted band.

The Reasoning has built up a pretty big fanbase during the last five years. They have released some albums too. Albums I have not bothered about due to my pretty indifferent attitude towards the type of perceived hypes spread by the Prog Magazine. It is just recently I have started to get into this scene. A scene with substantial substance.

There is very much substance in The Reasoning, judging on this EP. Their sound is off course dominated by Rachel Cohen's excellent vocals. Her vocals is some of the best I have ever heard from any vocalist in this scene. Not that I am an expert though. But her vocals are excellent. Her vocals lays on the top of a slightly celtic folk music coloured art rock sound. The second song on this EP; Apophenia, is a prime example of that. The best song of this EP by a long distance. The three other songs is pleasant enough. They are vocals and guitars driven art rock. A bit too commercially minded at times. But this EP gives me enough motivation to really check out their albums too. This is a very good EP which is worth checking out.

3.5 points

Magma - Mëkanïk Kömmandöh (1989)

The ninth studio album from these French zeuhl masters/inventors.

Mëkanïk Kömmandöh is the follow up to the pretty dreadful Merci album which took Magma out of zeuhl and into jazz and disco. Mëkanïk Kömmandöh is thankfully a return to zeuhl. It also feels like a rehash of old ideas from their 1973 album Mëkanïk Dëstruktïẁ Kömmandöh. Which indeed it is. It is the band going back to redo this album again. No wonder I felt I had heard it all before.

I very much like Mëkanïk Dëstruktïẁ Kömmandöh and see not much point in the 1989. It feels like the band is on it't last legs. Which indeed it was too for a long while. It took them fifteen years to release another album.

Mëkanïk Kömmandöh is a good album in it's own right. But it is not as good as Mëkanïk Dëstruktïẁ Kömmandöh by any means.

3 points

Kadaver - Kadaver (2012)

The debut album from this new German band. A band who has set out to capture the spirit for the 1970s.

They have very much managed to bottle the spirit of the 1970s on this forty-one minutes long album. This album is like coming straight out of the Hellhound Records record label. It is not though as the 'hound closed their doors twenty years ago. Kadaver does a mix of stoner, kraut and space rock. Obvious reference are the Ozzy era Black Sabbath. Others are St Vitus and the other Hellhound bands. Other reference are Hawkwind and the current generation of German hard rocking space rock bands.

The sound is dirty as in the 1970s sound. The music is performed by guitars, some synth, bass and drums. The vocals is a mix of Ozzy and Dave Brock. The vocals are very good and very much fits into the hard, guitars based sound.

The material is good throughout and this makes this album an enjoyable ride back to the 1970s again. My main gripe is the lack of any really great songs. This though is a debut album and I am sure the band will improve on this album on coming albums. For fans of retro prog and kraut; check out this album.

3 points

Stratospheerius - The New World (2012)

Hmm.....

The fifth album from a band who was sold to me by the shop as a mix of symph prog and fusion. Nothing could be further from the truth. Stratospheerius plays a mix of americana, rock and funk. The band is fronted by the violinist Joe Deninzon. He also doubles up as the vocalist on this album. In addition to plenty of violins and Joe's great vocals and vocal harmonies, you also get guitars, keyboards, bass and drums on this album.

The music is good throughout with some pretty catchy songs. A good example is the two minutes Tech Support song with lyrics which has made me a good laugh. Yes, those lyrics describes us well. There are also some good instrumentals here where the violins are let loose.

This album is well worth checking out if americana is your cup of tea. I liked what I heard.

3 points

Moody Blues. The - Days Of Future Passed (1967)

The second album from this band and the album which introduced mellotrons to the world. A historic album, in other words.

This album also owe The Beatles a big favour. It also owe the pre-Beatles pop crooners from the early 1960s a big favour too. The sound is a mix of those two periods. The sound also got a lot of mellotrons and classical orchestra (The London Festival Orchestra) too. The end result is an album full of mellow, symphonic prog. An album which complements the Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Band album by The Beatles.

The end result is a great album which rightly so has a massive reputation. Music from this album is also being used by BBC all the time as I recognise most of the stuff from this album from my TV. All songs here are great. The best song is the haunting beautiful Nights In White Satin. A couple of more songs like this and we would have talked an absolute masterpiece. I would still regard this album as a close to essential purchase.
It is a stunning album.

4.5 points

Yes - Time and a Word (1970)

The second album from this band after a very fine debut album.

I have to admit I had to take a double take on this album when I heard the music. The music is not particular Yes, to say at least. Only Jon's vocals alludes to the identity of this band.

This album has been over burdened with orchestras and orchestra arrangements. Some of the album sounds like a James Bond soundtrack. Most of it sounds like a band has got lost in a lack of good melodies and self control. Only Jon Anderson is doing a good job here on the worst Yes material I have ever heard. Even the 1980s albums is better than this one.

Thankfully, the final two tracks Astral Traveller and the great title track saves this album from being a total disaster. The six other songs are best forgotten though. This is a decent album I will never listen to again. Yes means more to me than this album. Much more.

2 points

XII Alfonso - Claude Monet Volume 1 1883-1889 (2002)

The third album from this very ambitious French band.

 This is an hour long album about Claude Monet's life between 1883 and 1889. # 2 of this two albums series was released three years later.

XII Alfonso's music is a blend of French folk music and rock. Their music is conceptual as in trying to be grandeur and symphonic. But the music is basically pastoral folk music performed with a variety of instruments. Mostly guitars, keyboards, piano and some male and female vocals. Most of the music is acoustic though.

The music is elegant. Elegant, conceptual with narrations and pretty dull throughout. There is not really enough variations in the music to keep the listener interested. This is a problem XII Alfonso had on their previous two albums too. The art of song writing is not something they have grasped on neither this and the previous two albums.  That is a shame because I sympatize with the band and wish them all the best. Unfortunate, this is not a good album. It may be worth checking out, though.

2 points

Spheric Universe Experience - The New Eve (2012)

The fourth album from these French prog metal merchants.

This album reminds me about why I am so bored about progressive metal. Spheric Universe Experience does a technical variation of the usual Dream Theater prog metal fare. This album starts with some deathcore and then move over to some ballads and more familiar prog metal territory. Very cleverly done. The band is very clever. The music is very clever. I also find this album and their music very boring. I have got my fill.

Their music is decent though. It is filled to the brim by cliches after cliches. This album gives the prog metal fraternity exactly what they want. This album is not my cup of tea though.

2 points

Threshold - Wounded Land (1993)

The debut album of this British band who has often been referred to the British answer to USA's Dream Theater. A bit of an unfair label. Threshold has very much stood on their own feet since the release of this album. They have very much had their own sound too. A big fat sound somewhere between neo prog and prog metal.

It is in this landscape we find this album too. Straddling the border between majestic neo prog and prog metal. The synths are very much neo prog. The guitars are firmly planted in the prog metal camp. Somewhere inbetween, we find Damian Wilson's excellent vocals. The bass and drums too is straddling this border.

I have always liked their pretty cheesy sound. A sound very much evident on this album. An album without any great or any good songs. It is a debut album where the band is announcing themselves to an appreciative world. But I can listen to their sound all night long. This is a good album and a good start to their career.

3 points

Luop Garou - Subliminal Naps Lazier Jams (2012)

This is an album given to me through the commentary field for another review in this blog. I said yes to review it and is hereby keeping that promise.

This is an album which makes the first Amon Duul albums sound like overproduced pieces of pure art. That says a lot because the first Amon Duul albums is very poor. But this album is even worse. I don't fathom how it is possible to get so bad sound in this computer age. Subliminal Naps Lazier Jams has a horrible sound and it is hard to even get an impression of the music. It feels like it has been recorded in an intoxicated past the planet Mars state of mind. The little I can detect of this music is some kind of vocals and some acoustic guitars. That is all. Avoid.

1 point

Check it out

Syndone - La Bella E La Bestia (2012)

The fourth album from this Nik Comoglio lead Italian band.

Syndone can safely be labelled as an Italian symphonic prog band. A modern symphonic prog band, though. They draws a lot on the 1970s Italian symphonic prog scene and sound. They also incorporate a lot of jazz and some blues influences into the music on La Bella E La Bestia. The lyrics and this album are based on Jeanne Marie Le Prince de Beaumont's musings from 1756. That does not tell me anything. I have just copied over this from the blurb given to me.

There is no guitars whatsoever on this album. The role of the guitars has been replaced by a lot of keyboards. That and bass, drums, vibraphone, marimba and flute. The music is pretty varied with some jazzy parts and some more pastoral Italian symph prog parts. The sound is great. The vocals are in Italian and very good. The music on this album is pretty complex at times. Unfortunate without really including some great melody lines or details. This album meanders away without really taking off into the skies. The overall quality is good throughout though.

La Bella E La Bestia is one of those slighly frustrating albums I really want to say is great. But it is not. It is an almost-there album. The same can be said about their previous album too, if my memories serves me right. Frustrating, but still a good album.

3 points

Fairport Convention - What We Did On Our Holidays (1969)

The second album from this band.

I watched an one hour long TV programme about this band on BBC last week. I have a handful of their albums, but has never bothered to listen to them. The TV programme made me dig out these albums. This is the first of them.

What We Did On Our Holidays is the first Fairport Convention album with the ethereal voice of Sandy Denny. One of the finest voices ever to come out of the rock/folk/jazz scene. I mostly know her from the Robert Plant duet The Battle of Evermore from the Led Zeppelin IV album. A truly wonderful song. Her vocals for Fairport Convention and on this album is also truly remarkable. The same goes for Richard Thompson's guitars. There are two geniouses at play on this album. Sandy Denny and Richard Thompson.

Unfortunate, the songs here are not that great. Not in the beginning. The best song by many miles is She Moves Through The Fair. Sandy Denny's vocals here is excellent and gives me goosebumps. That song and the two remaining songs Meet On The Ledge and End Of A Holiday is truly great songs. In particular Meet On The Ledge. The rest of the songs are decent to good.

I would still recommend this album though because it showcases a bloody good band. A band who is still going strong and deserve all plaudits coming their way. I will listen to the four other albums and perhaps raid Amazon for more albums too.

3 points

Epsilon - Epsilon (1971)

The first of three albums by this rather obscure German band. I got this album in a twenty albums plus krautrock collection I bought in an online auction.

The label Krautrock is not entirely telling the truth about this album. They sounds a lot like an early version of The Who on this album. The vocals are in the Daltrey vein. Powerful bluesy vocals in other words. I would label this album as hard rock with some krautrock influences. In particular the keyboards which sounds like Jon Lord in Deep Purple. Early Deep Purple is a good reference too. The version of Stones hit song Paint It Black is an oddity on this album and should not give you any false hopes about the band leaning on Rolling Stones.

The sound is very good throughout. The songs are decent. The music is good and the musicians does a very good job. There is no really good songs here and their version of Paint It Black is at best an oddity. It is frankly speaking not a good idea. This album is pretty obscure and it will forever remain so. If you are into early krautrock with a lot of blues, this album may rock your rocking chair. Mine is not moving, though.

2 points 

Eversham - Eversham (2012)

I got this album from a friend and I have heard this is their second album or so. I don't know where this band comes from either. I am in the dark and can only go by their music.

The music is heavy shoegazing post rock, bordering to experiemental metal. The music is instrumental and in it's entirety performed with guitars, bass and drums. It is also the normal shoegaze fare with lots of guitar cascades with lots of half acoustic guitars lead pastoral parts. Introvert shoegazing and very touchy feely stuff. The only thing that breaks up the post rock are some detours into metal now and then.

The music is well done and pretty much in the middle of the road when it comes to hard post rock. If you like this kind of music, you cannot go wrong with this album. You may even love this album. I though does not find anything unusual or new on this album. It is middle of the road and it is safe. And there is nothing wrong with that. I kind of like some excitement in my music and this is not really moving my earth. This is a decent album though. I will give them that. Download the album yourself.

2 points

The band and download link

Breathing Space - Below The Radar Live (2011)

Breathing Space was Ian Jennings band after he broke out of Mostly Autumn. Breathing Space was disbanded after three studio albums and this live album. They have now reformed again under the Stolen Earth monic and released their debut album A Far Cry From Home earlier this year. I gave their album a good rating in August this year.

Breathing Space was a pretty decent female fronted band in the indie/prog rock vein. Mostly Autumn is a good reference. Breathing Space was one of many bands in that scene and did not really have any success. During their Below The Radar tour or gigs, someone taped one of their gigs. The sound quality was dubious, but they still released it as a live CD and DVD. The bad sound quality really hides their music. The music is rather good though. But the value for money is rather poor. Avoid this live album and go for one of the three studio albums if this band interests you.

2 points

Area - Caution Radiation Area (1974)

The second album from this avant-garde Italian prog/jazz band. A highly influential band.

Where their debut album Arbeit Macht Frei had a lot of Soft Machine and sane moments, the band has gone all out for the lunatic asylum on this album. The album title does not lie. This album comes with a warning. A justified warning.

The music is scattergun avant-garde jazz with a lot of melodies. Scattergun because the melodies and ideas is scattered around this album as if distributed by a scattergun. There is method in this madness though. It takes the listener some patience and some listenings to get the concept. A concept delivered by hammond organs, woodwinds, guitars, bass, drums and Demetrio Stratos madman vocals. Or voice, as his vocals is just voices added on the top of the other instruments.

The result is a bewildering, but still a good album. It is also a good funny listen too. Most of the ideas and melody lines are good to great. Others again are pretty poor. Hence my good rating. This album never becomes boring though and it is worth checking out for all those of you with a robust mental health.

3 points

Anekdoten - Nucleus (1995)

The second album from this Swedish band. A band who was and still is important in the revival of the Swedish prog rock scene.

Anekdoten's sound is pretty dark and gloomy. It is indeed the sound of the Scandinavian depression. Dark forests and darkened minds. This is the sound of this album. It has been created by lots of mellotrons. That gives this album both a vintage and a gloomy sound. They are supported by vintage half acoustic and electric guitars. The vocals, bass and drums are in the indie rock vein. Radiohead is an obvious comparisson for this album. Anekdoten has also introduced a lot of King Crimson type of melodies on this album too.

The result is a pretty gloomy and complicated dense album which does not offers any free rides. Unfortunate, the music here is not that great either. It gets bogged down in repeated mellotron and KC copycat runs. The lack of great melodies is the problem with this album. An album with a great sound, but not much else. This is a good album though from a good band.

3 points

Ange - Tome VI (1977)

Their first live album. The first of many live albums.

Many Ange fans would argue that their finest albums was their first five albums. I don't know about that. Those five albums though is really great. This live album covers those albums and the stuff is really great. For those who does not really know this band, it is worth mentioning that Ange does a theatrical version of Genesis like prog. The Peter Gabriel era Genesis, that is. The French vocals is really important here and Ange really have this French culture feeling throughout. There is a lot of keyboards and guitar runs in Ange too and their music is really special.

And so it is here too. My main gripe is the bad, almost bootleg sound on this album. Tome VI screams out for a remaster with a cleaned up sound. That is a massive disappointment with this album. It serves as a good intro to Ange though.

Half a point deducted for the sound = .........

3.5 points

Subtilior - Absence Upon A Ground (2012)

The debut album from this Areknames side project.

We are talking RIO here in the vein of Aranis. A clean break with Areknames, in other words. All instruments are acoustic as in a chamber orchestra and the music is instrumental throughout.

The music is neither light or dark. The music is somewhat lacking in nerve and cohesion. It is somewhate pedestrian too and does not really break into a coherent unit. The masters of this genre, Aranis & Co, has mastered the art of making beautiful/disturbing pieces of music within the chamber orchestra genre. The same genre as Subtilior has broken into. It seems like Subtilior has not really grasped the nerve and the concept which makes Rio and avant-garde great when it is done by the masters in the genre. Absence Upon A Ground is just aimless meandering away. The result is a pretty poor album which is barely saved from they turkey farm by a couple of decent tracks.

This is by no means a good debut album and I would suggest try harder next time. Or rather; concentrate on Areknames full time.

2 points

Iron Duke - First Salvo (1974)

Dredging up a really obscure album and band.

Iron Duke was from Denmark and this is their debut album. Maybe their only album too. I am not sure. Their music is bombastic organ driven rock, somewhere between ELP and space rock. It is rock anno the 1970s with plenty of Hammond organs and guitars. Add bass, drums and vocals to the mix too. This music is heavy inspired by the rock scene anno 1970.

The music is decent throughout without really becoming good. The ELP copycat hammond organ is too strong to be ignored. This album is sorely lacking from both a lack of quality and originality. Sorry.....

2 points

Fates Warning - Best & More (2012)

A kind of a best off and some previously unleashed live tracks from this band. A double album and I got it directly from their record label as a promo.

I have never really been into this band at all. I am not a heavy metal fan. Neither am I a power/prog metal fan. Fates Warning straddles all these three genres. They have to a large degree invented the prog metal genre together with Dream Theater. Where Dream Theater has always been more symph prog orientated, Fates Warning has been leaning heavy on the heavy metal tradition. Hence, they are not a band which interest me.

Best & More is a two CDs album set and I guess their fans will lap this one up. I find this a pretty decent collection of songs and a reminder why I don't like this genre.

2 points

Renaissance - Prologue (1972)

The third album by the band called Renaissance and the first album by the Annie Haslam setup. The setup that made Renaissance famous and hugely loved. That by myself included.

"Transitional" is the word. Transitional between Jane Relf's Renaissance (later renamed Illusion) Annie Haslam's Renaissance. There is still a lot of the flower power and hippie Relf era (from the two first albums) hanging around on Prologue. There is also a lot of Annie Haslam and in particular Michael Dunford on this album. That is the more clean hybrid between classical music and female lead prog which Haslam's Renaissance was all about.

The result is an album which two great songs in the title track and Kiev. The other songs are more a mixed bag with some good and some more less satisfying stuff. I rate this album as a transitional album and a debut album. I think this is a very good album.

3.5 points

Amon Düül II – Wolf City (1973)

Their fifth album.

Amon Düül II was through a pretty creative periode with a lot of changes during this period. Each album sounds different from each other. Wolf City follows this trend. And this album is not easy to describe either.
Amon Duul II originated in this free improvisations anything goes commune Amon Duul. They thankfully gradually moved away from that philosophy and both went more artistic and commercial over a period over several albums. On Wolf City, the band implements a lot of theatre music in addition to Indian music and spaced out krautrock. Add some pretty David Bowie'esque music too and some commercial rock too and you get this album.

The quality is good throughout. This album has their trademark stamped all over it. An Amon Duul II album never really gets dull. It is just that this album never really gets going in my estimation. I like most of the music here, though. Some more spaced out krautrock would had been great, though. Wolf City is worth purchasing, nevertheless.

3 points

Akt – Déntrokirtòs (2007)

The debut album from this Italian band who has chosen to offer their albums for free. Link at the bottom of this review.

Their music is based on half acoustic and electric guitars, samles, bass, keyboards and drums. That and some good vocals. Akt's music has been described as eclectic prog. That normally means lots King Crimson and Gentle Giant references. In the case of Akt.... no. Their music is very difficult to describe. But yes, it has a lot in common with King Crimson. Both their philosophy and the guitars. Some of the music on this album is also very post rock like. Other parts of this album is very Italian too. The vocals are in Italian and Akt is clearly influenced by the Rock Progressivo Italiano scene too. Add Porcupine Tree and the post millenium prog rock sound too. That probably describe this album.

The music is intriguing complex and dense. It takes a lot of strange journeys. Too many journeys for my liking. My other gripe is the lack of a killer track. There is no doubts that this is one of the better free downloads albums around. I rate it as very good and one well worth checking out. Recommended, in other words.

3.5 points

Download link

Aqua Nebula Oscillator - Aqua Nebula Oscillator (2008)

The second album from this band whose the brand new album really impressed me. So I got their other three albums too. Accidentally, I thought this was their debut album. But they released another album a couple of months before this one. I will get back to that one in due time.

Aqua Nebula Oscillator's music on this album is a blend of raga/Indian music, garage and space rock. This is krautrock, in other words. The sound is dirty and garage like. The music is being performed by guitars, bass and drums. The vocals are clear and not particular distorted. The music is trippy at times. The music can be compared to Amon Duul II and Can.

The quality is good throughout. No songs stands out as either great or bad. This album is a good krautrock workout which would appeal to krautrock fans.

3 points

Akron - La Signora del Buio (1999)

The debut album from this Italian band. A side project of The Black, a doom metal band. Akron is the brainchild of  Elio "Akron" Nicolini, the bassist in The Black.

The music on La Signora del Buio is pretty dark too. Dark as in a dark splatter movie. It is also pretty heavy and theatrical with a lot of haunting soundscapes. The music is performed with mainly a lot of Hammond organs and other keyboards. They are supported by some guitars, bass and drums. That and some vocals of the theatrical sort. They are a bit one dimentional brutal and screamo like at times.

The music is good throughout. The music is not an easy ride, though. This is not easy listening stuff. Neither is it particular great music either. It feels a bit light on contents and is has too many cliches for my liking. It is a good album though and on the heavy fringe of the Italian prog scene.

3 points

Abacus - Abacus (1971)

The debut album from this German band. A band who had a seven albums long career. Their last album was released last year. It seems like they are still very active. Good !!

Their 1971 album is very much influenced by ELP, Pink Floyd, The Beatles and Genesis. The sound is typical krautrock and there is a lot of krautrock in the music too. The music is performed with plenty of keyboards, guitars, bass and drums. The vocals are in English and very good.

The end result is very pleasant to the ear. There is no great songs here though and that is my main gripe here. The sound is great though and I really like this good album. This is a very good album and a hidden gem.

3.5 points

Abacus homepage

Ninth Moon Black - Chronophage (2012)

The third album from this north-west coast US band. All albums released through Bandcamp as "name your price". Reviews of the two other albums somewhere else in my blog (google them).

Ninth Moon Black is playing instrumental experimental, post rock like metal with a pretty gloomy sound. They are far more gloomy and introvert on this album than on their previous two albums. We are not in sludge or doom metal land yet, though.

Ninth Moon Black's music is pretty atmospheric and full of soul. Very post rock too. Most of the music is pretty pastoral. Which explains the gloom. The music is performed by guitars, bass and drums. That works perfectly in the case of this music.

My main gripe with this album is the lack of any good melodies. I feel this album is a step backwards from their Kalyug album. The music on Chronophage feels a bit narrow minded and claustrophobic, I am sad to report. This album falls somewhat short and into the ocean between decent and good. Sorry.

2.5 points

The album

Acute Mind - Acute Mind (2011)

Progressive metal is not high on my list of favourite genres. Too many Dream Theater clones, in my view. The debut album from the Polish band Acute Mind neatly falls into this category.

Take a large chunk of Dream Theater, a couple of power ballads from the 1980s and some more metal from that era. The end result is this album. The music is very competent played. The vocals are good. The music too is at times good. The lack of any originality is a problem. In particular in a scene overflowing with the same kind of bands.

...When that is said, I pretty much like this album. The power ballad is pretty horrible and drags down this album. This album has a lot of pretty interesting details and hooks. It is in a desperate need of some good songs, though. It falls somewhere between decent and good in my estimation. A bit more soul and originality next time, please.

2.5 points

Titanic - Titanic (1970)

One of the first ever successful Norwegian acts. Actually, Titanic was the first and the most successful Norwegian band until A-Ha arrived on the scene, fifteen years later.

This is their debut album though and it is a mix of hard space rock and some cringe worthy pop ballads. The album opens nicely with the hard rocking Searchin. A good song which should had set the tone for this album. A couple of songs later and Titanic hits the iceberg (sorry, I had to get that one in). The iceberg is the horrible, strings soaked German schlager sounding Mary Jane. From there on, we are treated to some Beatles sounding music and some more hard rockers.

I am all for variations on albums. But this album is all over the place and has no real overriding concept. It is like the band is trying out a lot of ideas to see where it brings them. Some of the songs are very good. The album is destroyed though by the likes of Mary Jane and Cry for a Beatle. Those tracks are lumped together in the middle of the album and the album really never recovers after that. Neither does the listener, btw.

This is a debut album with all it's ills and diseases. It is a decent album, though.

2 points

Amon Düül - Psychedelic Underground (1969)

Legendary cover art work and the first ever album from the Amon Duul & Amon Duul II constellations.

Amon Duul were a pretty loose and free flowing collective. They managed to release four albums from the Psychedelic Underground jam alone. If the three other albums is as bad as this, I will give them a miss.

Psychedelic Underground is a very badly produced, free flowing jam with no structure and no particular purpose. It is open microphone in a room more than a proper recording session. The result is pretty poor, to say at least. The instruments are hardly audible at all. This is much more a drone album than a krautrock album. It is far removed from anything Amon Duul II did. Thankfully, I have to say.

Forget this album.

1 point

Sinister Street - Trust (2002)

The second & final album from this Dutch neo prog band.

Their debut album The Eve Of Innocence was released in 1992 and that was a pretty standard neo prog album. Sinister Street has developed that concept a bit and made their music a lot darker and gloomy. I would call it mature neo prog.

They still use the usual keyboards, guitars, bass and drums setup. The vocals are great and the best thing about this album. An album with neither any bad or any great songs. This is gloomy neo prog. Some may even describe this as art rock.

This is a good album. The best song is the Irish folk music influenced Through The Looking Glass. A song which is a pause from the usual neo prog fare on this album.

This is a free download album through bandcamp and it is well worth checking out. Those who hates neo prog may get their views affirmed by this album though.

3 points

The album 

Earth And Fire - Atlantis (1973)

The third album from this female fronted Dutch band.

There is no denying that this band sounds like Renaissance. Both the Jane Relf and Annie Haslam versions of the band, to be precise. On this album, they have retreated to the Jane Relf version of Renaissance, though. Plenty of funky keyboards, vocals and bass can be found on Atlantis. This is a concept album, no less. It is about this world who sunk into the ocean some thousands of years ago. A myth and perhaps a truth, too. Nobody really knows as nothing was recorded back then.

The music is pretty concept like, too. Plenty of grandeur keyboards & guitars driven melody passages intertwined with more female vocals lead pastoral passages. The rather naive sounding music is good throughout without really impressing me. Atlantis though is a good album which will appeal to everyone who likes vintage sounds and female vocals.

3 points

Soft Heap - Soft Heap (1978)

The only studio album from this Canterbury super group. With a name with "Soft" incorporated, comparisons with Soft Machine is automatic made. Soft Heap consisted of Hugh Hopper, Elton Dean, Alan Gowen and Pip Pyle though. Only Hopper and Dean played in Soft Machine. Gowen and Pyle played in other bands though. All of them very gifted musicians. Sadly, all of them has passed away now.

This album starts out like an avant-garde jazz album where Hopper is probably the biggest driving force. This album is a slow, slow starter which promises nothing. It opens up though after the first two compositions and the Gowen - Dean solo team really gets going with some very good solo runs. The album turns into a pretty intense groovy jazz album from there on. It never gets easy accessible or even melodic, though.

Unfortunate, this album does not turn out any really great melodies either. It is only saved by some really great musicianship. Musicians which does the best out of a pretty barren material. This is one of my least favorite albums from the "Soft" family. A very weak good award is awarded.

3 points

Vajra - Pleroma (2012)

Vajra is Annamaria Pinna's project and is heavy influenced by her stay in India. Vajra was sold to me as the next big thing in west meets east fusion.

Vajra is really female vocals fronted art rock & neo prog with some eastern/India influences. Think Touchstones and Panic Room with some Indian influences. You have the typical keyboards, guitars, bass and drums setup backing uo Annamaria's very good vocals and some Indian instruments infrequent scattered around. That is all to this exciting east meets west project. It is like a Glasgow invented curry on a late Friday night. Most of the Indian curries which is eaten in the Western world was invented in Glasgow. That's Glasgow in Scotland, United Kingdom. That's where I am now, btw. I am not in India and Pleroma is not an Indian album. Pleroma is fifty minutes with commercial and easy accessible music which is not taxing on anyone's heads in Europe and America.

When that is said, the music on Pleroma is really good. It is a bit on the heavy side as in prog metal though. I am not a big fan of female fronted neo prog. But this album is going down well in my place. Which reminds me that I should really get myself a curry tomorrow night. Long time since the last time I have had this Glasgow culinary speciality.

3 points

Vajra

King Crimson - Red (1974)

King Crimson's seventh album and one of the seminal albums in the annals of eclectic and progressive/art rock. Millions of words has already been written about this album so I will be pretty brief.

King Crimson was Bill Bruford (drums), Robert Fripp (guitars) and John Wetton (bass, vocals) on Red. They were helped by some guest musicians on woodwinds.

The best songs here are the title track, Fallen Angel and the monumental Starless. The latter one is hypnotic and incredible where some minimalistic melody lines is intertwined with Robert Fripps avant-garde guitar runs. He cements his position as one of the best ever guitars on Starless. The song is a masterpiece.

The more avant-garde stuff on Red is also good and I really like this album. It is not a masterpiece, though. A couple of nodding off moments drags it down a bit. Most homes should have this album, though.

4 points

Hostsonaten - Mirrorgames (1998)

The second album & the follow up to the excellent self titled debut album.

Plenty of moog and mellotron heralds a symphonic prog album. Well, sort off... A mix of neo and symphonic prog to be more precise. The songs are very long and the album is built up as a concept symph prog album. The music is more in the neo prog vein, though.

The great things here are long instrumental, mainly moog and melotron lead passages. The not so great thing about this album is the very weak vocals and the feeling of having heard most of the stuff before. Even the celtic flutes stuff. Mirrorgames is a very safe product where no chances has been taken and no decent vocalist put in the front of the microphone (sorry, Fabio).

This is though a good album and I like most of it. The instalment of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is good too. This album is a big let down though compared to the debut album. I hope this is a blip and nothing more.

3 points

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Second Helping (1974)

The second helping from Lynyrd Skynyrd and the follow up to the massive important debut album.

Second Helping starts with the hit single and very influential Sweet Home Alabama. A song which was a direct answer to Neil Young's Southern Man epos. A song from a northerner which did not paint the southern states of USA in a positive light. I have read both lyrics and I have to admit that Lynyrd Skynyrd has a valid point. Sweet Home Alabama is a very important identity building song and a badge of pride. It is also by many miles the best song on this album.

The rest of the album features a triple assault guitars attack. The songs are less immediate than the Alabama song. They are still good though. The music is typical southern rock with the basis in gospel, blues, rock and country. An eclectic mix, but it works.

Ronnie Van Zant is brilliant as usual and the guitars is also excellent. The rest of the band does a brilliant job too. The songs are good, but nothing more. This albums says U S A and the southern states in big letters. It is an album well worth checking out.

3 points