ince
we feel that the metal scene is somewhat restricted we decided to start a column
for non metal music which we like. Here you can read reviews of 70's
re-releases, new albums of 70's legends, new bands with mostly non-metal
influences, stoner rock bands and basically everything we feel you should know
about. We'll also try to include some interviews with various non-metal bands in
every issue, and this time we have interviews with the US instrumental jazzrock
band Volarè and the fabulous Canadian Black Sabbath sound-a-like stoner rock
band sHEAVY. Personally, I'm a big fan of the 70's progressive rock scene and
the 70's in general, and it seems like more and more metal heads are getting
into great old bands like King Crimson, Yes, Gentle Giant, Van Der Graaf
Generator, ELP etc. Therefore you'll find a lot info on this kind of music and
the stoner rock scene (Rise Above Records rules!!) especially. If you have any
suggestions, comments or if you want discographies/biographies or something of
70's bands, feel free to write and we'll try to fulfil your wishes. Read on,
expand your musical interest and be open minded. Let's start with the reviews.
If you're having a hard time getting this releases, you can try to contact:
Moonchild
Artist
2636 17th Ave. Box #188, Santa Cruz CA 95065, USA
(http://www. moonchildartists.com)
Mellotronen
Kåkbrinken 16, 111 27 Stockholm, Sweden
Record
Heaven
P.O. Box 25, 230 42 Tygelsjö, Sweden
High
Vibration
Boks 225, 3701 Skien/The Missing Piece,
Box 30, 915 21 Robertsfors, Sweden
or
other distribution companies around the world.
¤ Martin Kvam
AMBER
ASYLUM:”Songs Of Sex And Death” (CD)
ANEKDOTEN:"Official Bootleg - Live In Japan"
(2CD)
ANEKDOTEN:"Live
EP" (MCD)
BIGELF:"Closer To Doom" (CD)
BJORN LYNNE:”Wolves Of The Gods” (CD)
BLUE SHIFT:”Not The Future I Ordered” (CD)
CHURCH OF MISERY/sHEAVY:"Born Too Late"
(split CD)
CIVIL DEFIANCE:"The Fishers For Souls" (CD)
DARIUS:”Somewhere aLIVE in the crowd” (CD)
DEVIL DOLL:"Dies Irae" (CD)
DIE A TRIBE:"Albatross" (CD)
E MOTIVE:"E Motive" (CD)
ELECTRIC WIZARD:"Chrono.Naut" (10" EP)
ELECTRIC WIZARD:"Come My Fanatics..." (CD)
FOLQUE:"Stormkast" (CD)
FOREVER TIMES:"FOREVER TIMES" (CD)
FRANK ZAPPA:"Mystery Disc" (CD)
GENTLE GIANT:"Under Construction" (2CD)
GORDIAN KNOT:”Gordian Knot” (CD)
JEREMY:”Salt The Planet” (CD)
INDEED:"Inter-Dimensional Space Commander" (CD)
J.R.S.:”Wings Of Gold” (CD)
JULIA DREAM:"Julia Dream" (LP)
KING CRIMSON:"The Night Watch" (2CD)
LISA GERRARD & PIETER BOURKE:"Duality" (CD)
LOTUS:"Fruitage" (CD)
LUCIFER WAS:"Underground And Beyond" (CD)
MAGUS:”Highway 375” (MCD)
NAEVUS:"Sun Meditation" (CD)
ORANGE GOBLIN:”Time Travelling Blues” (CD)
PROMETHEAN:”Somber Regards” (CD)
OZRIC TENTACLES:"Curious Corn" (CD)
SERPENT:"Autumn Ride" (CD)
sHEAVY:"The Electric Sleep" (CD)
SLEEP:”Jerusalem” (CD)
THE FIELD:"The Field" (CD)
THE FLOWER KINGS:"Stardust We Are" (2CD)
THULE:"- graks" (CD)
VALHALL:"Heading For Mars" (CD)
VOLARE:"The Uncertainty Principle" (CD)
WHITE WILLOW:"Ex Tenebris" (CD)
WYZARDS:"The Final Catastrophe" (CD)
WYZARDS:"The
Final Catastrophe" (CD)(mandrake root)
These Americans used 17 years to
release their debut. They started out in 1980, and after numerous break-ups and
reformations they finally managed to record their debut in '96. Wyzards play
hard rock with a progressive touch and influences from Rush, Black Sabbath, Kiss
and Yes. Most of the material is cool and groovy with good riffs and original
parts, but sometimes they tend to be a cliché hardrock band with stupid sing a
long choruses and stuff like that. The oldest material is from 1980-82 where the
Rush influenced "Generation X" and the Black Sabbath influenced
"One Wizard" stands out. The newest material is the 18 minutes long
"All Of The World", and if the band continues in that direction they
might release one hell of an album soon.
(MK)
ELECTRIC
WIZARD:"Come My Fanatics..." (CD)(rise above)
"You
are all the same the lot of you, with your long hair and faggot clothes".
God damn, this is so intensely heavy, powerful and groovy, and the sound is from
another world!! I feel sorry for the producer of this album. This is Electric
Wizard's 2nd album, and it crushes the debut. Here's six long, heavy,
improvised, groovy and dope influenced songs, that will make your brain pour out
of your ears. "Come My Fanatics..." has the most raw and intense
guitar and bass sound I've ever heard, so if you've got crappy speaker, don't
play loud. This is the ultimate doom metal album. Lee Dorian (Cathedral) said
one time that Electric Wizard sounds more like Cathedral than Cathedral
themselves, so there's nothing more to say. Just check out songs like
"Wizard In Black" and "Son Of Nothing", and you won't
believe your ears.
(MK)
CIVIL
DEFIANCE:"The Fishers For Souls" (CD)(blood orange)
Nice
to see a prog metal band that doesn't sound like Dream Theater, and I'll call US
Civil Defiance a strange mix of Metallica, The Tea Party, Zappa, Jane's
Addiction and Machine Head. One second they're playing some really heavy and
hard metal, and the next they're playing soft and easy rock. Apart from the
usual rock instruments, they use piano, violin, cello and koto, so the album is
really varied. Some stuff is really great and interesting, but other parts are
just messy and annoying. Next time they should slow down a bit and try to build
the songs around melody more and not breaks and changes of styles.
(MK)
VALHALL:"Heading
For Mars" (CD)(head not found)
Good
old Valhall's 2nd album is out, and it's more rock'n'roll than ever.
"Heading For Mars" is a mix between heavy, slow St. Vitus like songs
and more groovy Cathedral type of songs. What really makes the album is the
sleazy keyboard sound throughout the album. You'll also find Fenriz behind the
drumkit, and this time he has taken the name Lee Bress. The production could've
been better, and the same goes for the vocals, but "Heading For Mars"
is a good buy if you're into Cathedral etc.
(MK)
JULIA
DREAM:"Julia Dream" (LP)(kvarts musikk)
Anyone
who remembers Carpathian Full Moon? Behind the name Julia Dream you can find
most of the members, but the music isn't quite the same. I guess that a dream
has been fulfilled for Julia Dream, as they've released their two latest demos
on thick vinyl. The band says themselves that they try to combine the worst from
pretentious progressive rock with pompous pop, and they've managed that. The
newer songs are of course the best ones, and the music is a mix between
atmospheric and symphonic prog and more catchy an melodic pop. Vibeke Hansen's
Kate Bush-like vocals suites the music good, and the songs are quite original
and well played. I addition to the two demos, there's a new song called
"Under The Oaktree" which was recorded live at Chatou Neuf in Oslo.
The lyrics and description of the songs are included, but the cover isn't that
good. The only negative thing I have to say is that they haven't found their
style yet, and they have to work more with that. The material differ too much in
my opinion. Well, this peace of vinyl can be ordered from Kvarts Musikk, Enggata
46, 1636 Gamle Fredrikstad or Julia Dream, c/o Endre Begby, Mosseveien 14, 0193
Oslo.
(MK)
VOLARE:"The
Uncertainty Principle" (CD)(laser's edge)
When
I got this album, I really didn't expect to review a band that sounds like a mix
of the amazing 70's bands National Health, Hatfield & The North and Happy
The Man. American Volarè must have listened a lot to these bands, and the
result is overwhelming. The overall sound is maybe a bit different, but the
music is definitely in the same vein.
I guess you're wondering what the fuck I'm talking about.
Well, the before mentioned bands are the greatest bands to come out from the
70's Canterburry scene, which can be explained as spaced out, floating,
instrumental jazz influenced prog rock. The nice, calm and atmospheric parts are
here as well as the extremely technical, back breaking complex parts. They also
got a great deal of psychedelia here too. Most of the classic keyboards are
used, as well as mandolin, saxophone and the usual instruments. If I have to say
something negative here, it has to be that they sound too much like National
Health and Happy The Man at times (which is fine by me).
The whole material on "The Uncertainty Principle"
is excellent performed, and if you have some interest in prog rock or jazz you
have to check this out. Probably '97's best prog release.
(MK)
ANEKDOTEN:"Official
Bootleg - Live In Japan" (2CD)(arcángelo)
The
90's answer to the 70's King Crimson have been in Japan, and as a result of that
tour a dubble live album is released. Here you get the best of their two albums,
"Vemod" and "Nucleus", together with two new songs and a
couple of improvisations. The new songs are just amazingly good, and I can't
wait to hear them recorded in a studio. The sound is good, and the cover is the
coolest CD-cover I've seen up till date. It looks like a small gatefold. This is
definitely the best live album I've heard in quite some time, and fans of
Anekdoten and prog rock fans must have this in their collection. If you haven't
heard them before, get their albums now and be blown away!! I just can't wait
till their next studio album.
(MK)
GENTLE
GIANT:"Under Construction" (2CD)(alucard)
This
release is mostly for die hard Gentle Giant fans since it's a collection of old
unreleased material, demo recordings and out-takes. The first disc is the most
interesting cause it contains never before heard Gentle Giant songs and some
never before heard live recordings, but the other disc contains only demo
recordings and such. If you're an Gentle Giant collector, this is a nice buy,
but if not check out some of their albums like "In A Glass House" or
"The Power And The Glory" or the compilation "The Edge Of
Twilight" instead (especially if you're into 70's prog rock, cause Gentle
Giant is one of the best).
(MK)
BIGELF:"Closer
To Doom" (CD)(record heaven)
This
was originally released by Third Hole Records in the US as a MCD, but Sweden's
Record Heaven did a smart thing when they released it as an album with four
bonus tracks here in Europe. US Bigelf sounds like a heavy mix between Black
Sabbath, Uriah Heep and The Beatles with with a touch of psychedelia and a great
70's sound. The songs are masterly performed, the groove is excellent and the
whole feeling of the album just makes me happy. The whole trio sings and they
all got great voices, and I almost can't believe how they managed to write such
great material. They've also done a great version of George Martin's "Theme
One" (also done by Van Der Graaf Generator in the 70's). I just can't wait
to hear their upcoming album, but in the meantime, do everything you can to get
a hold of this one.
(MK)
ELECTRIC
WIZARD:"Chrono.Naut" (10" EP)(man's ruin)
The
new king's of doom has released a great EP here through Man's Ruin, on purple
10" vinyl. Great stuff!! The only song here is the 25 minutes long
"Chrono.Naut", which starts off as a groovy doom rock song and then
ends up in a long acid theme. The sound isn't as brutal as their "Come My
Fanatics..." album, but I really like their style anyway. If you can't find
the vinyl, look out for the split-CD it's released as together with Orange
Goblin.
(MK)
THE
FIELD:"The Field" (CD)(the field)
These
American's wishes to distance themselves from the neo-progressive wave and to
play real prog rock. A great idea in my opinion, but what they've managed here
is definitely not great. They bought the right instruments and stuff, but that
doesn't help when they can't play, sing, compose songs or anything at all. For
their sake I hope they'll practice the next few years, and then maybe they
manage to do something. You can contact them at Paul Lamb, P.O. Box 1601,
Forestville CA 95436, USA.
(MK)
sHEAVY:"The
Electric Sleep" (CD)(rise above)
If
you miss good old Kyuss, don't hang with your head anymore. This Canadian
quartet has already one album behind them, and their second release will take
away all your sorrows. At times, you might believe that "The Electric
Sleep" is a hidden Black Sabbath album from the 70's, cause they really
sound like them at times without being a copy. Steve Hennessey's vocals are also
extremely close to Ozzy's voice, and if I didn't know better I would have
thought that my old hero were singing here. "The Electric Sleep"
contains a nice mix of groovy rockers ("Virtual Machine" and
"Saving Me"), heavy doom songs ("Oracle") and nice ballads
("Velvet"), and everything has a touch of psychedelia and blues. A
must have for all Sabbath, Kyuss and stoner rock fans.
(MK)
LUCIFER
WAS:"Underground And Beyond" (CD)(record heaven)
Norwegian
Lucifer Was was formed in the early 70's and now they finally made it on
CD/vinyl. Musically they sound like early Black Sabbath with Ian Anderson
(Jethro Tull) on flute, but I don't feel that their song material is strong
enough. There are some good songs here, but overall it's not good enough. The
production isn't that good either, so I'm a bit disappointed here. When they've
been going on for so long, they should have been able to do something better.
(MK)
SERPENT:"Autumn
Ride" (CD)(heathendoom)
I
didn't like these Swedes debut that much, but they've improved a lot after some
line-up changes. On "Autumn Ride" they play high quality and heavy
doom rock, and the album is quite varied. Band's such as Saint Vitus, The
Obsessed, Trouble and of course Black Sabbath has made their marks in Serpent,
but they've found their own style now. Especially vocalist Piotr Wawrzeniuks
(also in Therion) does one hell of a job, and I feel that he's the one who gives
Serpent it's identity.
(MK)
J.R.S.:”Wings
Of Gold” (CD)(moonchild)
This
is the band of one Jeffrey Ryan Smoots who handle the vocals, guitar, bass and
keyboard himself, and on percussion he has help from David Beardsley. The guy is
a good instrumentalist and there are some solo parts here that are good, but
most of the material here is very straight heavy metal with some progressive
elements and time changes. If you like technical, but very melodic heavy metal
you’d like this, but this is not my cup of tea.
(MK)
WHITE
WILLOW:"Ex Tenebris" (CD)(laser's edge)
They've
taken their time to make this album, and I did expect a better result than this.
The album is good, but I expected something more. White Willow continues where
they left off on the debut "Ignus Fatus", and "Ex Tenebris"
is a natural follower. The music is calm, relaxing, melancholic and atmospheric,
but I was hoping they would experiment a bit more this time. As on the debut,
they used influences from folk music, classical music and the renaissance, and
the material is well played. The most incredible thing on the album is that
Mattias Olsson from the mighty Änglagård (R.I.P.) plays drums here, though
without making the album better. Anyway, "Ex Tenebris" is an album
that grows, and if you like atmospherical music, it's not a bad idea to check
out these Norwegian prog rockers.
(MK)
THE
FLOWER KINGS:"Stardust We Are" (2CD)(foxtrot)
The
third album from these Swedes are just a masterpiece of modern progressive rock,
and they've managed to fill two CD's of excellent and well played music without
a boring moment. They take the listener on a ride through pop,
progressive/symphonic rock, jazz, psychedelia and atmospheric soundscapes, and
the whole album is so damn catchy, varied, brutal, emotional, melodic and
excellent. Every fan of progressive rock (either neo prog or 70's inspired prog
or whatever) and every music lover will fall for this one, so just go and get
it. Nothing more to say.
(MK)
INDEED:"Inter-Dimensional
Space Commander" (CD)(indeed)
Indeed
is a one-man band from Brian Hirsch who plays keyboards, guitar, bass and
something he calls "the human drum sequencer". As his debut, this
album is instrumental and the music lies in the psychedelic/progressive
landscape. Musically it's a sort of a mix of Ozric Tentacles, Vangelis and
Emerson and Wakeman, and it sounds okay. I didn't like the drum sound that much
and some parts here and there isn't that good, but overall it's okay. Can be
ordered from Indeed, c/o Brian Hirsch, 2636 17th Ave. Box 188, Santa Cruz CA
95065, USA or visit http://indeedprog.com
(MK)
DEVIL
DOLL:"Dies Irae" (CD)(hurdy gurdy)
This
band is so unique, I can't believe it! You might call it for a metal opera
horror soundtrack with lots of avantgarde, but it's not really possible to
classify them. I just love the dark and mystical sound of Devil Doll with all
their theatrics and strangeness. The album is recorded with a symphony orchestra
and choir, and the music is exceptional. Every metal or rock fan who likes
classical and the macabre will love this, so run out and buy this and Devil
Doll's other releases. You won't believe your ears!
(MK)
NAEVUS:"Sun
Meditation" (CD)(rise above)
Rise
Above releases one good album after the other, and this time we're talking about
the debut of Germany's Naevus. They play 70's influenced doom rock with lots of
energy, cool riffs, heaviness, and the melancholic moods. Musically they can be
compared to band's such as Pentagram or The Obsessed, but Uwe Groebel's vocals
make Naevus stand out somewhat. Anyway, this is a safe buy for every stoner/doom
rock fan.
(MK)
ANEKDOTEN:"Live
EP" (MCD)(arcángelo)
If a
double live CD wasn't enough, Arcángelo has also released a nice live EP
recorded in Borlänge, Sweden in '96. Presented in the same way as the Japan
live, this one contains good versions of "Nucleus", "The
Flow", "Karelia" and the improvisation "A Way Of Life".
If you're a fan, just get it.
(MK)
THULE:"-
graks" (CD)(thule)
It
has taken these Norwegians (we're not talking about the black metal band here)
yet another three years to complete an album, but their fourth album has been
worth waiting for. The sound is definitely Thule, but the material is better
than ever. Again, we're served cold, dark and beautiful emotions, and the
strange Norwegian vocals fits in better than before. They really create a very
special atmosphere in the music. Thule's strange, dark and beautiful style of
prog should warm the hearts of many sorrowfilled souls, and "- graks"
is really an album you can dream to. I don't know the price, but contact Thule
Records, Boks 276, 9751 Honningsvåg.
(MK)
LISA
GERRARD & PIETER BOURKE:"Duality" (CD)(4AD)
Dead
Can Dance's better half is out with her second album, and this time she's
co-operated with a man named Pieter Bourke. I actually like this one better than
her debut, "The Mirror Pool", and I think you get a better feeling of
songs here than just atmospheres. Musically, it's not far away from what she
does in Dead Can Dance, which means a lot of ritualistic drumming, folk/world
music, church music and beautiful atmospheres. Her voice is as usual
exceptional, and the moods she creates are at times mindblowing. I don't believe
you can find anything like this in other kinds of music (except Dead Can Dance
of course), cause this is really something special. If you're familiar with Dead
Can Dance's music you will like this.
(MK)
OZRIC
TENTACLES:"Curious Corn" (CD)(snapper)
This
spaced out gang will never change, and their ninth (15th if you count the six
first demos which is now released on CD) is just as good as their previous work.
Ozric's music is just as catchy, spaced out, psychedelic, technical and groovy
as it's been in the 16 years of their existence, and still I find them just as
interesting and exciting as on their debut. They might have a more modern sound
now with more danceable beats and more advanced technology, but it still has the
same feeling. Songs such as "Papyrus" and "Curious Corn" has
some unbelievable melodies and great grooves. When you first get hooked on Ozric
Tentacles, you just can't stop.
(MK)
LOTUS:"Fruitage"
(CD)(record heaven)
I
didn't quite get into this album. These Swedes are heavily influenced from the
70's, especially by bands like Cactus and Mountain, but I feel that they tend to
be too much repetitive and thus boring. They also have a modern grunge sound
which I don't like. The positive sides is that this is a hell of a groovy album,
but the songs aren't strong enough. You have to have more than just groove. If
the before mentioned bands are your favourites, you might like this more than
me.
(MK)
FOLQUE:"Stormkast"
(CD)(briskeby)
Here's
a collection Folque songs from their late period (78-84), and I must say that I
miss their earlier material. Folque is a nearly forgotten Norwegian folk rock,
and their three first albums (74-77) are in my opinion folk rock classics. I
think I like their early period even better than bands like Fairport Convention
and Steeleye Span, who had a lot of things common to Folque. There are some
great tunes in the later Folque period too, but most of the material is to weak
and boring. The live recordings on this album includes some early songs, but I
feel that their first vocalist, Lisa Helljesen, had a much better voice than
Jenn Mortensen. Anyway, this collection is a nice way to get to know this
Norwegian legend, and also try to find the CD re-releases of their two first
albums, "Folque" and "Kjempene På Dovrefjell".
(MK)
CHURCH
OF MISERY/sHEAVY:"Born Too Late" (split CD)(game two)
The
Canadian stoner rock masters sHEAVY are joined by Japanese doomsters Church Of
Misery on this split which must be a doom rock fans dream. Church Of Misery has
a thing for mass murders and every songs deal with one. Their can be compared to
bands like Saint Vitus, The Obsessed and Pentagram, and I really like their laid
back, heavy and groovy style of doom. They've also done a cover of Saint Vitus'
"War Is Our Destiny". sHEAVY part of the CD contains four live tracks,
one demo version of "Destiny's Rainbow" and a cover of Black Sabbath's
"War Pigs" (which is great, especially with Steve's Ozzy sound-a-like
vocals). The sHEAVY material delivers nothing new, but the live tracks really
makes me want to see them live cause they rule. The only right thing to do is to
get a hold of this one, and you can do that from sHEAVY's Dallas Tarr Records,
c/o Ren Squires, P.O. Box 1262 Station C, St. John's NF A1C 5M9, Canada.
(MK)
FRANK
ZAPPA:"Mystery Disc" (CD)(rykodisc)
This
Zappa collection contains never before heard material which was first released
on the Old Masters Box Sets 1 and 2 in the mid eigthies. This material is now
compiled on one CD, and includes mostly strange happenings on stage or in the
studio and there's just as much conversation as music. A lot of the material is
quite funny, but some of the material isn't that interesting. I must say that
"Mystery Disc" is only for die hard Zappa fans, so if you got
everything else you must have this one too. If you're not familiar with Zappa's
music, I advice you to check out some of his albums like "Hot Rats",
Over-Nite Sensation", "Apostrophe (!)", "One Size Fits
All", "Sheik Yerbouti" and "Joe's Garage". Zappa is
probably one of the most interesting musicians in rock music, so do yourself a
favour and get to know him.
(MK)
DIE
A TRIBE:"Albatross" (CD)(access/moonchild)
This
was kind of interesting. US Die A Tribe plays groovy and jazzy prog rock, with a
great rhythm section. There's a really good drive and energy over the songs, and
I'm amazed by the bassist and drummer. The guitars are really good too, but the
sound is a bit weak at times. The drawback is the female vocals. They're not
bad, but she sounds a bit thin and out of place at times. It sounds a lot better
when she sings together with one of the guys. At times they sound a bit like
King Crimson in the 80's without the bad 80's sound, and songs like
"Foreshadow" and "We Don't See" is great. I believe that
this lot will do better next time, but "Albatross" is definitely an
album to check out so contact Moonchild.
(MK)
KING
CRIMSON:"The Night Watch" (2CD)(discipline)
How
many live recordings from the early days will King Crimson release? "The
Night Watch" is a concert recorded at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw November
23rd 1973 and can be found on many KC bootlegs. Around 27 minutes of this
recording was also used for their '74 album "Starless And Bible Black"
(only 12 minutes of that album were recorded in a studio (except for some
overdubs), though the whole album sounds like a studio recording), so it's cool
to hear the songs with the audience. Most of the material here are from
"Starless..." and "Larks' Tongues In Aspic", except for
"21st Century Schizoid Man" and some improvisation, and the whole
thing is really well played. This King Crimson line-up is my favourite, so I
just can't get enough of these songs. The booklet is as always good and
informative, and "The Night Watch" is yet another nice historical
meeting with the best band in the world. It's probably not a necessary buy if
your a die hard Crimson fan (especially if you already got the "The Great
Deciever - King Crimson Live 1973/4" 4CD Box), but if you want a classic
live album with Crimson, this is a good purchase. If you haven't heard them yet,
buy everything!!!!! Write to Disciple Global Mobile, P.O. Box 1533, Salisbury,
Wiltshire SP5 5ER, England for a full catalogue.
(MK)
ORANGE
GOBLIN:”Time Travelling Blues” (CD)(rise above)
Vroom,
vrooom….let’s head into Sabbath’s 70’s land. UK’s Orange Goblin’s
debut “Frequencies From Planet Ten” was great, but this follow up is even
better. Of course, the Sabbath influence is as ever present, but there’s more
too like psychedelic sounds, the Deep Purple rip off Hammond intro on
“Shine”, blues feel and a groove out of this world. Songs like “The Man
Who Invented Time” and “Nuclear Guru” is excellent and instant favourites,
and the ever present energy and great groove makes “Time Travelling Blues” a
major stoner rock album.
(MK)
PROMETHEAN:”Somber
Regards” (CD)(avantgarde)
I’d
never thought that Avantgarde would release a prog rock album with strong roots
in the 70’s, and I didn’t expect that the black souls from Black Crucifixion
would start a band like this. Their 2nd offering “Somber Regards”
is a quite catchy album with many folk influences and inspiration from the
70’s progressive rock scene. Their music isn’t that technical, but they
offer good rock song with a symphonic and folk music touch and songs like “Rat
Dance”, “Selfportrait” and “Pennywhistle” is good. I think that early
Camel have had an impact on these guys, cause there’s a lot of similarities
(except that Camel is way better). The vocalist could’ve been better and their
musical level could have been higher, but this is a good try. Hopefully
they’ll become lot more progressive next time, so keep on practising!
(MK)
BLUE
SHIFT:”Not The Future I Ordered” (CD)(mayday)
Quite
technical and symphonic progressive rock from these Americans. Their debut
contains lots of good work, and I hear some similarities with Yezda Urfa, though
not as extreme. I guess Emerson, Lake & Palmer andYes is also a big
inspiration, and vocalist Stewart Meredith sounds a bit like a mix of Jon
Anderson and the guy from Jane’s Addiction/Porno For Pyros. Blue Shift is
definitely not the straight and boring new prog band we’ve all grown tired of,
and they do a lot of interesting and extreme things. The arrangement’s can be
a bit better though and there’s always room for improvement, but all in all
this is good. They’ve also done a cool version of the Zep’s “Immigrant
Song” which ends of with some tunes from ELP’s “The Barbarian”. “Not
The Future I Ordered” will now be re-released on the French label Musea, and
hopefully they’ll get out something new soon too.
(MK)
MAGUS:”Highway
375” (MCD)(sky pines)
Let’s
float away in Andrew Robinson’s soundscapes. I must say that he has improved a
lot since his 2nd album “Traveller”, and if he keeps up this pace
his 3rd effort will be great. “Highway 375” consists of four
atmospheric and laid back spacy tracks, which are great to just relax to. The
music is instrumental, which is good, a bit synthetic maybe, and you might hear
some inspiration from acts like Pink Floyd, Ozric Tentacles and Porcupine Tree.
For a full-length, he may want to have some more variation, but on a MCD this
works fine. Contact Sky Pines Music, 180 Mountain Home Park, Brattleboro VT
05301, USA or atmospheric@hotmail.com
for ordering details.
(MK)
DARIUS:”somewhere
aLIVE in the crowd” (CD)(zizania)
Except
from High Wheel, I haven’t heard any good German progressive rock bands from
the 90’s. I haven’t heard any studio albums by Darius, but this live album,
recorded during their European tour in ‘97/98, don’t make want to hear
anything else from them. There are some okay instrumental parts here and there,
but most of the songs are very boring and has this straight AOR rock thing going
on. Also, the vocalist Dirk Bovensiepen, is probably the worst singer I’ve
ever heard. He really destroys anything the band has to offer with his ugly,
screamy, whining voice. Well, as I said, the music has some good parts, but most
of the time they’re a lightweight Saga or Marillion. I think it’s even a
shame that this is called progressive rock.
(MK)
E
MOTIVE:"E Motive" (CD)(broken neesh/moonchild)
Moonchild
brings us yet another great American prog act here. E Motive is a bit symphonic
and got some elements from ELP and Yes in them, and they are pretty technical at
times. As usual, the vocals aren't that good, but there's enough instrumentals
(and 3 improvisations) to keep it interesting. They've also done a pretty bad,
but funny cover of the first movement of Mozart's "Symphony #25 in G
min". If you're into some neckbreaking symphonic prog, you should give this
a try. Hope they'll go completely
instrumental next time.
(MK)
BJORN
LYNNE:”Wolves Of The Gods” (CD)(cyclops)
This
Norwegian composer has moved to England and is now out with his 7th
album. One might call Lynne’s music a mix between symphonic, electronic music
and progressive rock, but overall this is atmospheric, floating and dreaming
instrumental music. Lynne has composed all the music inspired by the novel of
the same name by Allan Cole, and he also plays all the instruments (guitars,
keyboards, bass, percusion and programming) except for additional guitar solos
played by Rory McLeish. The author of the book has written exclusive little
stories for each track, which captures the mood of the songs. There’s a lot of
good melodies and some good, complex parts here, and very few “dead” and
boring parts for an instrumental atmospheric album. If you’re into more
atmospheric music, this is something for you.
(MK)
SLEEP:”Jerusalem”
(CD)(rise above)
Stoner
legends Sleep’s third album was supposed to be released on big London Records,
but after recording an extremely uncommercial album and going far over the
budget, London Records decided not to release it and Sleep broke up. Rise Above
got a hold of the rights, and now this filth monster of an album is out.
“Sleeps Holy Mountain” is a classic stoner rock album, but on
“Jerusalem” they’ve created one hell of a heavy and monotone piece.
“Jerusalem” is only one 52 minutes song based on 2-3 riffs, and I must say
that it’s too much for me. I guess this can be enjoyed together with a kilo of
weed, but it’s too heavy, monotone and boring for me.
(MK)
AMBER
ASYLUM:”Songs Of Sex And Death” (CD)(release)
It’s
really hard to describe Amber Asylum. Their style haven’t changed much since
their debut “Frozen In Amber”, and this 3rd album is just as
beautiful and sad as I expected. They’re often put into the darkwave category,
but Amber Asylum is a hell of a lot more. If you imagine beautiful melodies and
emotions played with cello, violin, e-bow guitars, contra bass, organ, accordion
and samples together with sad female vocals, you might imagine Amber Asylum. The
music is really somber, sad, original, dark, melancholic and has more in common
with art and classical music than darkwave or rock/metal. This is not for
everyone, but it’s definitely worth a check.
(MK)
GORDIAN
KNOT:”Gordian Knot” (CD)(sensory)
Sean
Malone, a name many should remember from Cynic, has gathered some very well
known people for this instrumental project. From Cynic, he’s brought with him
Sean Reinert on drums, and the rest of the gang is Trey Gunn from King Crimson
on warr guitar, Ron Jarzomberk from Watchtower and Spastic Inc on guitar, John
Myung from Dream Theater on chapman stick and Glenn Snelwar on guitar. Sean
Malone is the main writer though all of them has contributed, and the material
is quite outstanding. The musicianship is extremely good, the songs are very
complex and the whole album is a sheer pleasure to listen to. When so many great
musicians is gathered on one recording, one could expect a lot of showing off,
but there isn’t any of that. There’s just some excellent musicians playing
great and well-written songs. The whole album is extremely well balanced on all
points, meaning genre of music, improvisation and composition and feeling and
atmosphere. Gordian Knot is one of the most exciting projects I’ve heard in a
while, and I hope they’ll continue this.
(MK)
JEREMY:”Salt
The Planet” (CD)(moonchild)
Jeremy
Morris has released numerous records on the now defunct prog label Kinesis, and
this is his first for Moonchild. He plays all the instruments, and the album is
as usual instrumental. For me, this gets too synthetic, but there are some good
and atmospheric parts here too. This is sort of a mix between Klaus Schulze,
Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, Ozric Tentacles, Enigma, Pink Floyd and Jean-Michel
Jarre, so if you’re into atmospheric keyboard music with a progressive touch,
you might dig this. I really don't.
(MK)
FOREVER
TIMES:"Forever Times" (CD)(zizania)
The
label makes a connection to The Gathering here, almost making them out to be the
new progressive The Gathering. I really don't see the connection except for the
female vocals that really don't sound good at all. The music is progressive
heavy metal, and though some parts are okay, most of the album is really tame
and boring. If a lightweight Dream Theater with female vocals that don't sound
good is your idea of good music, try it out and get disappointed.
(MK)