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Spencer Eldon
Den nakne babyen på Nirvana`s ”Nevermind” heter Spencer Eldon, og er nå i 2008 rukket å bli så gammel som 19 år. Han deler i dag villig vekk noen av sine tanker om det å bli stjerne i all sin nakenhet i så ung alder.
“It’s kind of creepy that that many people have seen me naked. I feel like I’m the world’s biggest porn star. I have to use stupid pickup lines like, ‘You want to see my penis … again.’”
“It’s kind of cool, knowing that I’ve been on an album cover, but I feel pretty normal about it because growing up, I’ve always known I was the Nirvana baby. It never really struck me as like, ‘Oh, sh*t, that’s me on the cover.”
Spock`s Beard
The Morse Family
This story starts in Sylmar, California (a suburb of Los Angeles), where Neal Morse grew up as the youngest of three sons of a singing teacher. All three of them, Richard, Alan and Neal, and their sister, developed a deep love for music and it is no surprise they're all working in the music-business. The Morse-family was a healthy environment for young talents. As Neal Morse recalls: "my Dad, and Al's too as it turns out, is a musical director. Choirs mostly. So we had a lot of classical music around and general harmonizing. Apparently we were singing parts when we were two or something. I don't remember. I do remember singing lead in the opera "Amahl and the Night Visitors" when I was nine. What an amazing piece of music that is! But then I was also always very into the Beatles, which is pretty obvious from our records."
By the time the eldest of the three brothers, Richard went to high-school, the three of them started to play in a band together playing songs by Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper and Yes.
Around this time, Alan developed his special way of guitar-playing, as
Neal recalls: "Al actually decided to play guitar without a pick because
I told him (when we were 12 and 13 years old) that he'd never be able to
do it. Talk about a healthy competition! We used to trade licks and he
was determined to kick my ass....and he did! In our later teens I became
the bass player!"
After that period, Richard managed to start a professional career as a
solo-artist. Up till this day, he plays small gigs on an almost
day-to-day base. His repertoire (mainly covers) has grown over the years
and includes everything from Abba to Zappa, and about 2500 (!) song in
between. Since 1991, Richard lives in Germany, because of the better
possibilities to make a living out of his music.
Maybe because of Richard's career, Neal decided he wanted to go 'professional' as well: "I was trying to get a deal as a singer/songwriter for most of my life. I used to play around L. A. with my own band, the Neal Morse band, between '84 and '91. Before that I was in band with Skipper Wise (from Windows and Color Club) called 'Five Figures' and a Styx sounding band called 'Casanova'. Al was in both those bands. None of them ever really did anything to speak of, except rehearse a lot! Actually, Al and I were both in a 'new' Kiss type band in the early 80's called 'New Dynasty'. Somewhere there's photos of us in Kiss style make up!"
His ambition to be a professional musician even lead Neal to the point
where he started to write a musical: "I've always wanted to do something
big. When I was 22 I decided to write a musical and wrote three or four
numbers that I really loved, but then I got stuck in the story, (which
is about a little boy who goes to the island of Haiti in the early
1800s) and didn't do anything on it again until I 
was
30. While I was finishing the first one, I had the idea for the second
one. I wrote 'Hitman' in about a month - book, music, lyrics, the whole
deal. It's changed a lot since then; I had a cast in L.A. and a director
who reworked it, cutting some numbers and adding others." Neal remains
hopeful of getting 'Hitman' produced, but it's currently lying on the
shelves with Spock's Beard being the immediate priority.
Towards the end of the '80s Neal started to write a different style of
music, progressive rock, which he already knew from his youth, but never
did anything with in a composing way: "my musical roots are The Beatles.
That was the first music I truly loved, of course at the same time I was
singing classical music with my family, so that all got mixed together,
I suppose. Then I saw Yes open for Black Sabbath and I've loved prog
ever since. I'm terribly glad there's a progressive rock scene to be
related to. When I first started writing this stuff I had no idea, but
when I first started writing prog, it was like a religious experience.
It sill is, actually, there was so much freedom! I had been writing pop
and country songs and Musicals, but with progressive I felt I could do
whatever I wanted."
The Early Years
Spock's Beard was formed in Los Angeles in the spring of 1992, as Neal
told the English prog-magazine 'Wondrous Stories'...
"Well, at first it was just me and my brother Al recording for fun and
doing whatever we felt like doing. Then in spite of our pasts, we
thought it would be cool to put a band together. This was around the
spring of 1992."
In the fall of '92, Neal and Alan started to record the first 'real'
demos of later 'Spock's'-tracks. Among these were original versions for
The Light and Go The Way You Go, both to appear their debut album. But,
of course, no album could be recorded without a band. Neal explains how
he found the other members:
"I met Nick d'Virgilio at a musicians jam night thing. We both were
called up to play some blues. I played horribly - he was great. Anyway,
I sent him a cassette of the demos and he flipped out over it, which
shocked the hell out of me. I mean, I didn't think you could get such
great players for a project so clearly uncommercial. And it was pretty
much the same deal with the other guys. We had a different bass player
originally and when it came time to find a new guy, Al and I both
thought of Dave (we'd known him for a long time). And by God, he wanted
to do it! Amazing. Not that we weren't good or anything, but I guess I
had just gotten used to people not being into the same stuff as me."
When people were found, a bandname had to be chosen. The band have
admitted
several times that they are bad at finding artwork and titles for their
albums, but their bandname was a great choice, since it has been subject
to many discussion over the years. In an interview bass-player Dave
Meros did in May, during Progfest '97, he said : "In the beginning, we
had the name "One", but we were always looking for a good, serious name.
We could never think of one. As a joke, the name "Spock's Beard" always
came up. In the end we thought why not, it sounds funny. Besides, it
doesn't matter that much what name you're using. Pink Floyd is actually
also a very funny name."
In 'Wondrous Stories' Neal reacts: "As far as the name goes, I think it
was pretty much Al's idea. It was/is a joke name, but when we were
choosing a name, you know we all had these serious names and all, but we
liked Spock's Beard the best." Neal however has played a major role
himself in creating confusion about the name's original. He has 'spread
the word' on at least to different origins: "As far as the name goes,
our current story is that Nick had a really weird Dog named Spock who
had some sort of facial hair problem...... but don't hold me to it." But
he has also been quoted saying: "It's difficult to say. No one really
knows. I heard the name was derived from some weird homeless dude who
used to hang around Dave's house in Venice. The rumours never cease."
The Recording Sessions
However, Spock's Beard was ready to record, but a record label still had to be found. Finally, Spock's Beard had an offer from a small prog label, but, after months of negotiations, they chose to make the album themselves. In 1994, the band went into the studio and recorded their debut album 'The Light'.
The album is opening with the title track. A fifteen-minute long song in
the classical style of an epic from the 70s. In the liner-notes from
their rarities-album From The Vault, Neal tells about the demos for the
light: "There's definitely something wrong with me. I recorded over the
original demos of 'The Light' album, thinking "I'll never need that
stuff!" A cassette is all that's left. What a dork! Recorded in L.A. in
the fall of '92, I remember taking my 8-track cassette deck over to Al's
so he could do most of the electric guitar parts." From The Vault also
features an old chorus of the 'One Man' part of the song 'The Light'. "I
never liked it", Neal explains, "but I could think of anything else,
'til Al came to the rescue right before we finished the CD version." It
is for this reason that the only spot where anyone than Neal get
song-credits in the booklet is: One Man.
Despite this prominent position of Neal, no-one in the band seems to
complain about it and his pivotal role remained up till now.
Nevertheless, the other band-members really seem to be satisfied with
this situation: "Spock's Beard is the most fulfilling band that I've
been in," says Dave Meros. "Neal's songs are consistently superb,
everyone can really play add everyone really gets to play. It ROCKS!"
Go The Way You Go is another long song (over 12minutes), but is a bit more 'coherent'. It doesn't consist of many different parts and has a more Genesis-like feel over it. A demo of this song is also included on From The Vault, where Neal explains that the songs underwent many changes to reach it's final form. However the final version on the album is a classic and (together with 'The Light') a live-favourite by both band and fans 'till now.
The Water is the longest track (23 minutes!) on the album and I'd rather call it a composition than a song, because it's more a string of different songs of themes, not unlike Supper's Ready by Genesis. Musically it's totally different, but it features the same 'adventurous' mood, with different styles and sounds. Starting off with a great cello part, The Water takes you along bombastic multi-vocal parts, a jazz-rock inspired interlude, the aggressive 'F**k You' part and a polite excuse in 'I'm Sorry'. A really adventurous trip!
On The Edge is the final song on the album. This is the shortest and most straightforward song on the album, starting with a very 'Lamb'-like introduction, followed by some compact, powerful verses and a great spot for Dave Meros' Rickenbacker bass.
Around the time of recording The Light, a fifth member was brought into
place: Ryo Okumoto, from Osaka in Japan ,was brought into the band by
Alan, who had done some gigs with him at some point, and remembered him
when it came time to look for players for the band. Originally they only
wanted to have an extra live-keyboardplayer, but eventually he became a
full member of the band. Neal Morse recalls: "Ryo came into the first
rehearsal with everything written out and played out the entire first
album almost perfectly! At the end we all laughed and said 'Dude, I
think you got the gig!' "
The Final Stage
When 'The Light' was released in 1995 on a small scale, it immediately
received great reactions. With influences, as diverse as Yes, Jethro
Tull, King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Genesis, Pink Floyd and many other
progressive rock greats it was no wonder that Spock's Beard seems
received very positive reactions from many fans from those bands.
Spock's Beard's fame is slowly increasing, but when Dream Theater's
drummer Mike Portnoy declares his enthusiasm about the band, they are
directly into the spotlights of prog-fans all over the world. According
to Portnoy: "The Light is the best album I heard in 1995. Spock's Beard
are the best progressive rock band to come around since Marillion!"
Spock's
Beard is invited to the 1995 version of the L.A. Progfest and, by their
now famous energetic performance, they convince their audience of their
quality. Despite Neal's negative words in the program for Progfest 'we
play music, probably no-one will like', the gig is a huge success and
the recordings will be released one year later as 'the official live
bootleg'.
But not only for this reason L.A.Progfest '95 is crucial for Spock's Beard. One of the visitors of the festival hands over a copy of 'The Light' to Martin Orford, keyboardplayer with IQ and main man behind GEP-records. He is immediately enthusiastic and decides that GEP will bring Spock's Beard to the European market. One year after it's US-release 'The Light' (with a new cover) finds it's way to the European fans.
Soon after, their second album 'Beware Of Darkness' is released and their fame starts to grow on the European side of the ocean as well. Asked about he things of this critical acclaim, Neal Morse can do nothing but answer: "The reaction to 'The light' has been amazing. The things some critics have said "best album since 1978", this one guy from Germany just went nuts over it. I mean he says something like "the pillars of rock music have been pulverized and out of the rubble comes this record!", something like that. It was album of the year in several British papers and Burrn! Magazine in Japan gave it a 96 out of 100. Listen to me, I sound like an ad or something. Suffice to say the response was quite good."
Discography
http://www.spocksbeard.com/discography.html
Links to 2008 Spock`s Beard and the members now:
http://www.spocksbeard.com/band.html
http://www.myspace.com/davemeros
http://www.myspace.com/ndvmusic
http://www.myspace.com/alanmorse
It’s that time of the year again. The folks in cyberspace will, once again, find time to renew their bitching about the merits of Spock’s Beard post-Neal Morse.
There’s no point going there anymore, if indeed there ever was. As far as I’m concerned, Neal wrote most of the old stuff, and the old stuff is fucking glorious, but it was these guys who really brought Neal’s music alive. Of course, even the biggest progholes that troll the internet forums will likely agree that D’Virgilio, Meros, Morse and Okumoto play fucking great, but slag them off as writers, right?
OK, here’s a challenge for all of you snobs and music experts out there. Sink your teeth into this little baby:
Kick ass call and answer intro between the guitar and organ, right? It’s got everything the Beard’s about, right? the classic Morse Beard? Well, that’s what jumpstarts this album, put together by these guys you say “can’t write”. So just stop already, and fucking listen before braying any further doucheness. If you do, you’re likely going to be very pleasantly surprised.
So, that was “On a Perfect Day”, and bears repeating: it kicks ass. Right after that, the Beard brings us an instrumental keyboard & guitar frenzy called “Skeletons At The Feast”. This tune fucking RAWKS! And yes, for those of you who fastidiously insist “prog” MUST have odd time signatures, the main riff is in 11/8. It’s enough to make you moist, right? More importantly, this is a composition that proves beyond even the most cynical critics of this band that they have perfected their own distinct sound and musical idiosyncrasy, still steeped in the old Spock’s Beard sound, but fresh and uniquely theirs.
If these were the only good tunes on the album, it still would be more than enough to justify BUYING it. Note that burning it, downloading it or acquiring it using creative ways of stealing should be punishable by instant atomic wedgies on all parties concerned (unless you lift it out of Neal Morse’s car, in which case it’s OK). If you’re on a tight budget, iTunes offers the entire album, and you can listen before you buy, so do the right thing.
I could go on, describing every track, but that’s such a cliché I won’t. Besides, as Frank Zappa once wisely said “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture”. I guess I could transcribe bits of every song, to make it precise, but it’s probably better to simply skate to the iTunes site and listen.
I’m not saying the album is flawless. For my money, there are a few songs I would have left out of the album. I mean, does every fucking CD really need to be 70+ minutes long? Regardless, I can’t think of a less worthy tune for addition to the album than “Is This love?” Unfortunately, the answer in this case is “No, it’s mostly crap”. Picture a tune that boldly combines elements of the lamest Glenn Hughes Deep Purple with a little Devo-like break, peppered with lyrics such as:
Break my heart,
Break it like you mean it
Cause you won’t get a second chance
I’m sorry, Beard dudes: that’s just a load of choad. Skeptics need not take my word for it though; go to the Inside Out Myspace page or the iTunes site and judge for yourselves - I give it a hearty thumbs down.
With that aside, I would have also opted out of forcing the issue with the rather predictable and formulaic stuff. I guess it’s clear I ain’t a big Glenn Hughes fan, though I guess Ryo and the rest of the guys are, which probably explains why the audio files of tunes like “Wherever You Stand” weren’t dragged to the trash. “Hereafter” is OK, but maybe a bit too cheesy sentimental, and “Sometimes They Stay, Sometimes They Go” should’ve really just gone the way of the dodo.
Maybe that sounds harsh, but I’m just saying had they trimmed the fat, the album would have gone from a good 70+ minute ordeal to a slim, 50-minute all-killer rock album. In addition to the first two tracks, I especially enjoyed “All That’s Left”, “The Slow Crash Landing Man”, “As Far As The Mind Can See”, “Rearranged” and “With Your Kiss”. In all of those songs, it sounds to me as if they have taken what they learned making Feel Euphoria and Octane, and sharpened the good bits. Bottom line, the album is mostly excellent, and it rocks. It has everything we’ve come to expect from these guys, but the arrangements and compositions are more confidently executed. It obviously has the obligatory epic, for those of you who feel that length equals quality, broken up into 4 parts for those of us who don’t have length issues.
Note that the Beard will be headlining at RoSfest in 2007, so if you haven’t seen them live, this would be a PERFECT place to pop your cherry. The Phoenixville theater is a fantastic room, of just the right size for the magic to happen. I bet the show will be amazing, as it always is with this band, and hearing the new stuff alongside the old should decisively put to rest any doubts about their ability to write good music that can bear to stand along with Neal Morse’s stuff. It’s a tall order, but they’ve finally really done it.
Check out the audio samples, make an informed decision, and if you do buy it, don’t expect anything except good music. Listen without preconceived notions, and you’ll be rewarded with an excellent rock album.
I refuse to give it a grade. I mean, what does that really tell you? There are 14 songs on the album, and I only one of them sucked truly, with another two or three I though were boring and/or predictable, but which aren’t BAD. What does that give, a 7.8 (11/14)??? Does that do anything for you folks reading this? Besides that, just because I thought those tracks sucked doesn’t mean they actually do, and I’m sure there are people out there who think they are great.
They are wrong, of course, but that’s ok…
Track List:
01. On A Perfect Day
02. Skeletons At The Feast
03. Is This Love
04. All That's Left
05. With Your Kiss
06. Sometimes They Stay, Sometimes They Go
07. The Slow Crash Landing Man
08. Wherever You Stand
09. Hereafter As Far As The Mind Can See
10. part 1 - Dreaming In The Age Of Answers
11. part 2 - Here's A Man
12. part 3 - They Know We Know
13. part 4 - Stream Of Unconsciousness
14.
Rearranged
Nick d''Virgilio - vocals, drums, guitar | Ryo Okumoto - keyboards | Alan Morse - guitar, vocals | Dave Meros - bass
Splinter
Splinter is a rock band from Holland and consists of 5 ambitious musicians. Although they are close friends, each band member has a different musical background. Therefore the music of the group is often described in reviews as ‘a new style on its own’.
Splinter started out writing material in the ‘Progressive Rock’ style. Even though magazines in this genre were very enthusiastic, the band unconsciously changed and headed for a more commercial style of writing. The music became less complicated and more sensitive, without becoming simple. The lyrics of Splinter often describe deep inner feelings we all have in daily life.
Mothers’ Finest guitarist John Hayes produced Splinters first demo "Reflections" (released in 2004) which was received with extremely positive acclaim in magazines like Oor, Aardschok, Background Magazine and iOpages, to name just a few. Also, the band went on tour in the Dutch club circuit as support act for Hayes’ group Maxima.
In 2005 they recorded most of their repertoire for the unofficial release "The Devil's Jigsaw". Again, critics were extremely positive about this so called "collection of demo songs". Later that year, the band played a gig as support act for the progressive ‘supergroup’ Karmakanic, featuring former "Yngwie Malmsteen-vocalist" "Goran Edman", and did a short tour with the Swedish band "The Flower Kings". As a result the band gained a solid fan base.
The most important step was taken in 2006 when top producer Jonas Reingold suggested to record their debut album with him.
Enclosed with the "Dreamers" album, you'll find a unique 'Dream-code' to give access to the exclusive backstage area on the band´s website.
Splinter may be considered as a new star born in the Progressive Rock
scene, also a talented young band from the Netherlands, that after some
critically acclaimed demos, finally they have released their first full
length album titled "Dreamers". Splinter plays a quite unique form of
progressive music, sometimes highly melodic and symphoic, sometimes
almost harder, combining several musical styles, in the line of
Symphonic Rock, Classic Rock and Progressive Rock, blending a particular
combination of musical elements from older bands like "Yes", "Genesis"
and "Gentle Giant", including a large dosage of modern prog rock style
from band such as "RPWL", "The Flower Kings", "Porcupine Tree", "The
Tangent" and others. The production of the album is fairly nice, lovely
melodies, fine vocal performances and atmospheric progressive keyboards,
where refined electric guitar solos are dominant. Listen carefully all
tracks, you must have a special attention to the songs "Reflections",
"Bio Engine" and "The Devil's Advocate" you will find perfect
arrangements, interesting and vibrant compositions, full of emotions
which make you shiver each time you listen to it. Brilliant, and amazing
work, highly recommendable for all progressive rock fans around the
world...
The present line-up of the Splínter are:
Ewout Ongering - Vocals
Didier Kerckhoff - Guitar and Vocals
Menno Broer van Dijk - Synths, Hammond, Keyboards and Vocals
Berry Vink - Drums and Vocals
Marcel Everts - Bassguitar, Basspedals and vocals
As a guest:
Rob Palmen - Backing Vocals on tracks 1, 2 & 8
Dreamers"
01) Goodbye
02) Bio Engine
03) Reflections
......Part 1 - Dreamer
......Part 2 - The Dream
......Part 3 - REM
......Part 4 - Wake Up
04) Anthony's Songs
05) Korsakov
06) The Devil's Advocate
......Part 1 - Dreamworld,
..................The Saint
......Part 2 - Realworld
......Part 3 - The Devil's
..................Advocate,
..................Distinctness
This Special Edition version contains a bonus DVD on which we can find items such as:
01) Dreamers + lyrics
02) Live Footage
03) Photo Shoot
04) Biography
05) Reviews
06) Credits
Produced by Jonas Reingold, mixing by Jonas Reingold and Slpínter
Much more infomation about the the band, and their history, send a mail to Splínter.
Subterra
Cautiverio
I have stated it before and it remains a truth in reviewing music: the ones that are really great are easily described. The same goes for the really bad ones. The ones somewhere in between are the hardest. And as you might have guessed. Subterra's Cautiverio is one of the last category. Without really being able to explain why, this album does not immediately spark my enthusiasm. I must note however that this second offering by Subterra (a review of their first can be found here) is not too bad, not bad at all.
From their sound it is clear that Subterra started out as a Marillion cover band. The guitars and atmosphere of Subterra certainly bring up a kind of Marillion feel. Not that their music is much like Marillion, Subterra moved towards a not too heavy kind of prog metal but still it is clear where this band takes it's roots. Strange thing is the first track is very much like the start of Jean Michel Jarre's Revolution. Throughout the rest of this album the guitars take the lead and they do a good job. Small and original riffs that do not exhaust you by trying to be too complicated. Unfortunately vocalist Max Sanchez feels the need to scream throughout nearly all this fine music. His voice is not out of tune, but it is not a real singing voice either, so it is often no more than an annoying scream. But then in Las Cuatro Paredes, one of the best tracks on the album, he shows us that he actually has a pretty pleasant voice. Other examples can also be found and it makes me wonder why he finds it necessary to null all that with the other tracks.
The music on this album does not always seem to flow naturally. It is a bit sharp-edged and that makes it hard even after a number of spins to understand where the music is going. I understand that this is all a matter of taste, so probably someone else will like for exactly that same reason. The quality of the mix leaves room for improvement: the music could have done with a more full sound - as it stands it is all a bit hollow. This is a bit of a pity because it slightly masks the fact that the people in Subterra are very good musicians.
Subterra is a more than average band but somehow they are not able to grab me. Tracks like Las Cuatro Paredes, Bomba De Tiempo and the instrumental Mordaza have bits and ends that show that there is more to this band, but is just is not clear through the complete album. I should not leave unmentioned the best track of the album: Duelo Ciego with its dark atmosphere, perfect vocals and excellent keyboards - this shows the band's full potential.
So I have really been trying to like this album (I did spend a lot of time for this review), but as it turns out - things like that just can't be forced. Subterra produce a prog metal/neo prog kind of music, which does sound great on paper and as it turns out - a little less good on CD.
Tracklist: Sentencia (2:12), Altar Caníbal (6:29), Las Cuatro Paredes (4:27), Alfabeto (6:00), Bomba de Tiempo (8:24), Mordaza (5:23), Duelo Ciego (4:33), Pánico (5:17), Cautiverio (5:24)
Satellite
A Street Between Sunset And Sunrise
Neo-prog from Poland? Not generally the sort of thing found in my pile of albums to review and it was only on a recommendation from a friend that I got it.
Having lived with it for a wee while, I must say it would be criminal if I didn't scribble a few words, on what is a simply superb album. On a long car journey my friend Chris put this on the stereo and 72 minites later he just looked at and said: "I've gotta buy this".
Founded by Wojtek Szadkowski (best know as the mainstay of Collage) this release had apparently been highly anticipated in neo-prog circles and I'm happy to report that it has been well worth the wait. Joined by former Collage colleagues Robert Amirian, Mirek Gil and Krzysiek Palczewski this is simply one of the best albums of its type I've ever had the pleasure to listen to. Concentrating on long, atmospherical compositions where the melodies and mood entwine the listener bit by bit, the ten songs on offer drift effortlessly between power and beauty.
As you'd expect this is a concept album of sorts dealing with choices - how we can understand and see our world in two completely different ways - like choosing one side of the street or the other. In the words of Wojtek: "Some people can see or feel more than others. May be all of us could find a more sensitive side of ourselves but unfortunately for different reasons we do not have enough time or we don't want to see anything else than our little grey everyday lives." And in case you wondered, the cover artwork and logo was designed by Mark Wilkinson (Marillion and Fish among others).
Tracklist: The Evening Wind (12:45), On The Run (14:51), Midnight Snow (4:59), No Disgrace (5:34), Not Afraid (3:55), Now (10:13), Fight (4:29), A Street Between Sunrise And Sunset (11:18), Children (3:56)
Conclusion: 9.5 out of 10
Satellite
Evening Games
It remains a total mystery to me how albums work. For example; some albums you can place into the CD player and from the very first listen you know it is one that will have enduring appeal, while some releases go straight into the 'sell on eBay when I get around to it' category. Similarly there are certain discs that you know will take a few spins to really get into but then remain fresh for years, and others that you know will be absolute monsters for a few months and then fade away. Then, there is what I will refer to as the 'Satellite Category' - albums where half a dozen listens in and you still haven't a clue whether it is just about to unfold its beauty, or whether you are just faffing around and wasting your time!
It certainly wasn't this hard last time around. A Street Between Sunrise and Sunset, the debut album from this Polish band was an almost instant hit with me. A glorious musical journey across summer landscapes, that proved one of my most enjoyable progressive purchases of recent years. So it was with high expectations that I awaited the follow-up.
There are a couple of immediate differences to take note of from the debut. Firstly it appears that Satellite has become a real band. Instead of a project by former Collage mainstay Wojtek Szadkowski, this time the sleeve lists a simple full line-up as opposed to guest musicians and shared credits. (Although only Wojtek gets a photograph, so either I'm wrong or the rest are camera shy!) The line-up has also had a wee change - the loss of Mirak Gill, leaving just Sarhan Kubeisi to handle guitar duties.
The music also takes a noticeably darker vibe, with a much wider musical range including some heavier, rockier sections lurking in a few corners. Wojtek, who writes, arranges and produces all the music as well as being the drummer - is a huge Genesis fan which shows repeatedly throughout the album, although there is a very distinctive neo-prog influence, especially of English bands such as IQ, Pendragon and Marillion. On the meatier segments, there's a certain similarity to the vibe of fellow Poles Riverside.
The album opens with the title track which is a pure progrock song and weighing in at almost 17 minutes can safely be given the description of 'Epic'. This is a real piece of class, inventing and reinventing several musical themes and then mixing them up and putting them back together again.
The second track is the most instantly accessible. Never Again has a real catchy melody line as does the ballad Love Is Around You - one of the songs that really took a while to sink in for me. It's here that Robert Amirian's voice is really put on show. Half-spoken, half-sung in parts, yet gently or even tenderly melodic in other parts - it really does suit the Satellite sound perfectly and gives the band a very distinctive sound that really appeals. Why is the rockiest and most experimental track, that features a cool guitar/keyboard theme, some double bass drumming, a cleverly reworked melody and some very odd rhythms. Along with the title track it's my favourite on the album.
The only song that still hasn't sunk in is Beautiful World - and by now I don't think it will! Amirian tries a more forceful vocal style that just doesn't work while the slightly staccato rhythm and rather menacing vibe doesn't really flow with the delicate melody and the second half of the track is just too drawn out.
The bombastic and slightly pomptastic Evening Overture resumes normal service with a memorable hook in a similar poppy vein to the second track and a clever remodelling of some of the melodies from the opening track. The label's website also lists two bonus tracks but as there is no mention of them on my preview copy, you'll have to enjoy them as a surprise. My listening experience bows out on a high, with the beautifully whimsical, yet concise Take It As It Is.
I really can not say why it took me so long to get into this album. Maybe it's just one of those, where I had to be in a certain frame of mind to appreciate its charms. Anyway, I'm glad that I stuck with it. Evening Games is certainly a worthy successor, if not better than its predecessor and is an album that I would recommend as having appeal to almost anyone who enjoys progressive rock.
Tracklist: Evening Games (16:45), Never Never (7:02), Rush (5:47), Love Is Around You (5:39), Why (6:59), Beautiful World (9:05), Evening Overture (10:38), Take It As It Is (3:39), Follow the Rain [bonus] (3:25), You Know and I Know [bonus] (6:44)
Conclusion: 9 out of 10
Source
All Along This Land
Everybody who reads this review – please buy All Along This Land. Let me begin there. It’s not often that I’m as excited by a new band as I am about The Source. This is a band that combines all the best things about seventies progressive rock with much of what’s best about what’s going on now and comes up with a sound that has one foot in the past and one foot in the future. It’s an immensely satisfying album, and it’s going to be difficult for me to do justice to it in words.
In the photos on the CD booklet and the website, the band members look about twelve years old – maybe fourteen – but I’m sure they’re not. However, they’re clearly too young to be this good, to sound so mature, to have incorporated so many musical influences so seamlessly into a unique sound of their own. Even before reading the band biographies on the site, and after hearing only the first couple songs on this album, I knew that guitarist Harrison Leonard must have grown up listening to and learning from Steve Howe, and indeed his biography confirms that fact. I’ve never heard a guitarist who can incorporate not only Howe’s style but also his trademark tone into a wholly new context, fitting remarkably fluid guitar lines into songs that sometimes echo elements of Yes but never sound derivative. Nor was it a surprise to me to hear that most of the band members are fans, not only of progressive rock, but also of jazz, because even the most complex songs here really swing. I don’t like to do this kind of “if you cross a chicken with a milkshake” comparison, but I’m at a loss for a touchstone for this band’s sound otherwise. Imagine a sound reminiscent of Yes, Steely Dan, King Crimson, and the great old Canadian band Klaatu, but without ever doing more than paying homage to those and other bands and styles, and you’ll begin to have some idea of this band’s versatility.
I ought to talk about the individual members’ contributions. Drummer Isaac Watts can lay down some mean rolls and fills, but in most songs, he chooses tact over flash and fits his drum patterns into the songs in a way that both supports and contributes to what the other musicians are doing. Bassist Nico Photos is capable of an impressive range of sounds and styles, suiting his work to the demands of each composition but rewarding attention paid by those attuned to inventive, soulful bass playing. I’ve already praised Leonard’s guitar work, and I’ll add only that, while the sound will often remind you of Howe’s, Leonard makes all the guitar work on the album completely his own (even, say, the acoustic guitar intro to Unspoken Love, which is not entirely unreminiscent of The Fish (Shindleria Praematurus) from Fragile. Nor is he chained to one or two sounds; Leonard’s also capable of, for example, fluid jazz leads when they fit the song. Finally, Aaron Goldrich, keyboardist and vocalist, is the band’s secret weapon, in my opinion. His singing is equal parts a smoothed-out Liam Gallagher and Terry Draper from Klaatu. His piano work is clearly influenced by his classical training, but his contributions on Hammond organ go right back to the great progressive rock of the seventies.
So yes, this is fine stuff. I won’t even try to single out exceptional moments. There isn’t a weak track on here, not even the Overture to the All Along This Land suite that takes up almost half the album. The songs combine the members’ love for and inward understanding of many genres with the clear joy they take in composing and performing music they’re enthusiastic about and want to share with others. I’ve almost no adverse criticisms of the album (a rarity for me, as is the extremely high rating I’ve given it); in fact, I could only wish that the production, which is actually very good indeed, had a bit more depth – the drums, particularly, occasionally (but only occasionally) sound a trifle “tunky,” a bit shoeboxy in this or that roll or fill. But that’s it – don’t look to me for any other complaints about this fun, engaging, all-around excellent debut CD. Okay, guys – get to work on your next one.
Tracklist: From The Start (4:02), All Along This Land: [I] Overture (7:45), [II] Over And Under the Stars and the Sun (4:22), [III] We Are Here (2:56), [IV] The Fall of Babylon (4:09), [V] Inside This World (3:16), Bridges (7:23), Unspoken Love (7:49), Dreams (7:31)
Sylvan
Posthumus Silence
Sylvan is a German band, who have been releasing albums on a regular basis since 1999. Posthumous Silence is their fifth release.
Musically, they are not too unlike early Marillion. They use lots of keyboards to create lush atmospheres for other instruments to play upon, and in several songs the guitarist use a technique I think of as "plucking" which sounds quite similar to the guitar sound you'll hear in the more mellow songs from early Marillion.
But Sylvan are by no means a Marillion clone, and neither would it be fair to classify them as a typical "neo-prog" band.
Although the keyboards are used extensively, there's no self-indulgent flamboyance offered here by the keyboard player. The keyboard is rarely allowed to dominate the soundscapes offered, instead the piano more often takes a leading role by providing melodies.
Furthermore, Sylvan use a lot of metal guitars throughout the album. They could have chosen to let the guitar dominate several tracks, creating a more prog metal atmosphere. Instead, they have chosen to mix the guitar quite far back in the soundscape, and most often the raw and rough edges of the metal guitar has been taken away as well - leaving the guitars role in the soundscape to create dark moods and to enhance the overall mood of the songs. In the few tracks where the guitar then appears more in the forefront of the soundscape, the effect is extremely effective.
Instead, the electric guitar played without the typical metal fuzz and distortion are used extensively to carry melodies along with the piano.
And the voice of vocalist Marco Glühmann can be said to be an instrument as well as a provider of lyrics on this release, as he has a good voice with a good range, and clearly know how to best utilize his voice to communicate and enhance emotions and moods.
The track listing on the album lists up a massive amount of 15 songs. For the prog nerd, it may be a comfort knowing that musically, it could just as well have been listed as two tracks. All of the tracks here are parts of a whole, where sections has been singled out as single tracks.
As for the songs offered, I won't go into detail. It is a concept album, as you may have guessed from the previous paragraph, and a high quality release without obvious weaknesses. The songs are well made in writing as well as performance, and explore the darker side of life; melancholy, sadness and desperation are moods and emotions extensively projected throughout the record.
Personal favorites among all the great tracks on this album: "In Chains", "Message From The Past" and "Posthumous Silence".
Discography:
Presets (2007)
Posthumous Silence (2006)
X-Rayed (2004)
Artificial Paradise (2002)
Encounters (2000)
Deliverance (1999)
Track listing:
1. Eternity Ends
2. Bequest Of Tears
3. In Chains
4. Bitter Symphony
5. Pane Of Truth
6. No Earthly Reason
7. Forgotten Virtue
8. The Colors Changed
9. A Sad Sympathy
10. Questions
11. Answer To Life
12. Message From The Past
13. The Last Embrace
14. A Kind Of Eden
15. Posthumous Silence
Marco Glühmann (vocals) - Matthias Harder (drums, loop programming, sound effects) - Sebastian Harnack (bass) - Kay Söhl (guitar) - Volker Söhl (keyboards) - GUESTS: Stefanie Richter (cello) - Guido Bungenstock (additional guitar) - Ensemble Vokalkolorit (choir)
Sarah Berg
Sarah Barg (20) lastet ned musikk til festen. Så banket platebransjen på døra. Sarah, som er student ved Lincoln Nebraska-universitetet i USA, skulle bare laste ned noen 80-tallsballader og en Spice Girls-låt som hun og venninnene kunne le litt av. Kort tid etter kom det et brev fra en av platebransjeorganisasjonen RIAAs advokater. I brevet forlanger RIAA sju dollar og 87 cent (om lag 47 kroner) pr. låt. Samlet regning for de 383 låtene hun til sammen hadde lastet ned ble itt over 3000 dollar – om lag 18 000 norske kroner.
20-åringen sier hun har mange venner som rutinemessig laster ned tusenvis av låter, og at de aldri har blitt tatt for det. Foreldrene hennes valgte likevel å betale. Hadde de ikke gjort det, ville datteren ha måttet gjennomgå en rettssak som hun trolig ville ha tapt. Og da hadde saksomkostningene til RIAA kommet på toppen av regningen.
Andrew Johnson, som studerer sammen med Sarah Barg, fikk et tilsvarende krav i fanget. Også han betalte. Men det skjedde med blandede følelser. Han mener at RIAA bevisst forfølger studenter og andre folk med lave inntekter. Rett og slett fordi de ikke har ressurser til å gå gjennom en rettssak.I Norge har platebransjen signalisert at de i likhet med sine amerikanske kolleger vil forfølge hver enkelt fildeler. Men siden identifikasjon av den som eier en IP-adresse i motsetning til i USA krever rettslig kjennelse, er det betydelig vanskeligere å ramme vanlige fildelere her til lands.
Dette kan imidlertid komme til å endre seg med nye EU/EØS-regler som er under utforming. I det nye regelverket legges det opp til at film- og platebransjen skal få avgrenset politimyndighet, slik at de selv kan innhente bevis fra bredbåndsleverandørene.
Steppenwolf
It's ironic that the group most associated with shaping the American music scene for an entire generation actually hailed from Canada. The son of a serviceman, John Kay was born in Germany and grew up listening to the armed forces radio network. Influenced by the likes of Elvis, Chuck Berry and Little Richard, he moved to Toronto at the age of 14. An early disciple of the blues, he cut his chops playing the local coffee shops while still a teen and set out on his own travelling across the continent, playing small blues venues, shortly after graduating from high school.
Upon returning to Ontario in '65, he formed a band called Sparrow with some local musicians from Yorkville. They released their self-titled debut with Columbia Records the next year as Jack London and The Sparrows and had the single "Hard Time With The Law". Less than a year later London's name was replaced by Kay's on the marquee and another self-titled record hit the stores. A fairly loyal following developed after the group moved to the New York area and had three singles on the airwaves over the course of a year. Disputes with the record company, however, spelled the end of the group less than a year and a half after the album's release.
Kay, along with Jerry Edmonton, his brother Dennis (who went by the name of Mars Bonfire), Goldy McJohn and Nick St. Nicholas re-emerged in late '67 in San Francisco as Steppenwolf. Their self-titled debut came out in '68 on MCA in the middle of flower power and is one of the most important records in rock history. Backed by the instant classic "Born To Be Wild", the overall psychedelic sound blended with a hard-driving beat to instantly make Steppenwolf the spokesmen for North America's attitude during the late 60's through to the mid 70's. Other classics such as the Willie Dixon blues classic "Hoochie Koochie Man", "Sookie Sookie" and the Hoyt Axton-penned tune about the life of a drug dealer called "The Pusher" quickly turned the album gold.
The group came back the same year with STEPPENWOLF - THE SECOND. Supported by the smash "Magic Carpet Ride", and "It's Never Too Late", the closest thing they ever did to a ballad, the record stayed true to what would become their signature sound. AT YOUR BIRTHDAY PARTY was released in '69 and despite it being their third record in barely a year and a half, it was soon certified gold behind the support of "Jupiter Child", "Rock Me Baby" and "It's Never Too Late". The group's first live record, EARLY STEPPENWOLF, six tracks taped in England came out that same year. Notable is a version of "The Pusher" that takes up the entire second side of the album.
The band ushered in the '70's with MONSTER. Amid the turbulent turn of the decade, MONSTER contained the controversial "Fag", a diary of San Francisco's night life. Along with the title track and "Draft Register", both commentaries about the Vietnam War, MONSTER was certified gold that same year, just in time for the release of the double album, STEPPENWOLF LIVE. Recorded at various California venues on the MONSTER tour, it gave the band time to regroup, following nearly four years of constant touring. The lull in the schedule also saw the release of their first greatest hits package, STEPPENWOLF GOLD. Released in '71, long before a 'best of' package had remixes and previously unreleased classics, it was the quintessential biker record and turned gold practically overnight.
The time off seemed to go by unnoticed when they came back with FOR LADIES ONLY in the summer of '72. Though it produced two singles, neither the title track nor "Ride With Me" broke new ground. Despite more gold for the band, a new sound was emerging, and like it or not, bubblegum was going to stay for awhile. That same year also saw the release of REST IN PEACE. Instead of re-thinking their approach, another biker album that year seemed to almost over-stuff the market.
MCA released another greatest hits package the next year while the group toiled in the studios. But while 16 GREAT PERFORMANCES fed a market already dominated by them, the release of SLOW FLUX in the summer of '74 disappointed the critics who, by this time were jumping off the 'rebel ride' and on to the 'pansy express'. Yet another greatest hits package came out that year - this one called 16 GREAT PERFORMANCES - (same songs - different order)
HOUR OF THE WOLF hit the shelves in '75. The mid seventies were a time of change, no longer a time of rebellion as such. Without decent support from their label and no real expansion of sound, HOUR OF THE WOLF was, in retrospect, the beginning of the downward spiral. Their second record in a row to fail to produce a single was released the next year in SKULLDUGGERY. The ABC COLLECTION released that same year was just another run of the mill greatest hits package. The group's status was in hiatus at this point and REBORN TO BE WILD was released in '77, a compilation of the second stage of the group's career.
Legal squabbles over the use of the Steppenwolf name ensued for the next few years. Emerging from the court room victorious and returning to the record stores came in '81 when John Kay won the right to use the name and released LIVE IN LONDON that year. Now free of the '60's lifestyle and now middle-aged, Kay's return album on MCA featured such classics as "Sookie Sookie", "Magic Carpet Ride" and of course "Born To Be Wild". Everything you'd expect really - but the fact is it was a pinnacle album. It signalled Kay's return, and his apparent realization that though his music would always be stereotyped and his course had run, he was back clean and still able to please a crowd. More importantly, it signalled that even in England people in the 80's were still interested in Steppenwolf's message. Though the market was mostly the same people, just in smaller numbers, the niche was there.
WOLF TRACKS was the first released on Kay's new label, Wolf Records, distributed by Attic here in Canada, hitting the stores in '82. Though not a bad album, it displayed Kay's trademark vocals and the tour across England and North America showed he could still attract the crowds. Notable about the record is it contained a remake of the Argent classic, "Hold Your Head Up".
'84 saw the release of PARADOX. Interesting about this is it has a song called "The Fixer", sort of a "The Pusher - Part II" ..Poor sales however forced Kay into the background until he released '87's ROCK 'N ROLL REBELS. Again he dropped out of sight and Steppenwolf wasn't heard from again until - you guessed it - BORN TO BE WILD - A RETROSPECTIVE hit the stores in '91. Kay even released a compilation of his work with Sparrow two years later. FEED THE FIRE came out in '96 followed by '98's RISE AND SHINE. Needless to say neither album exactly made Shania worry about her album sales.
Though John Kay and Steppenwolf have a niche that for the most part grows smaller as time goes on, the fact he's still going and people still listen to their message spells legend in the language of rock and roll. I had the privilege of seeing Steppenwolf live at K Days in '95 and was surprised to see the number of kids young enough to be Kay's grandchildren. And not because it was a free concert with admittance to the Exposition, but because they knew who they were listening to. Even the band was half Kay's age. But the name Steppenwolf was synonomous with an entire generation, and the attitudes and beliefs they held true. Most of those people either still buy his discs or see him live or have influenced their kids' tastes in music. Supply and demand even prompted Kay to agree to '98's first 'John Kay and Steppenwolf Weekend'. A weekend full of bikers, beer and rock and roll, it signifies the attitude at its best. Steppenwolf's sound paved the way for the modern grunge scene and although I still remember my brother's band wailing away to "Magic Carpet Ride" in the basement, his interpretation was in reality what Steppenwolf was meant to be: rebellion.
Steve Unruh
Out Of The Ashes
Out Of The Ashes is Steve Unruh's ninth album in eight years, not bad going for an independent artist who has a full time job to contend with. His back catalogue includes four other solo albums (five in you include an instrumental retrospective), a folk/rock album (with his first proper band Sign Of Saturn), a jazz album (with the Egeria Jazz Trio) and an album with 'jam band' The Dayfly 4 (who Steve intriguingly describes as a lying "somewhere between Phish, the Grateful Dead, and Willy Nelson"). If that wasn't enough he also designs and makes violins for a hobby (although hobby is probably too tame a word to describe his spectacular creations, see the examples on his website to get an idea, I particularly like the fish-shaped instrument!).
A proficient multi-instrumentalist (drums, violin and guitar being his main instruments, with bass and flute more than adequately 'faked'), Steve creates music that is really in a style of his own. He describes it as 'progressive folk etc', which is as good a description as any. The elements of progressive rock (extended pieces, ambitious arrangements, recurring themes) subtly fused with the traditional aspects of folk music (lighter acoustic textures, social commentary). However, as with most things, it is possible to over analyse these things and categorisations only ever tell half the story. As lovers of progressive rock we should be acutely aware of just how broad a spectrum the category encompasses.
The main stay of Out Of The Ashes is the three-part title suite, which takes as its theme a personal reaction to the violent start the human race has made to the 21st century. The first component of the suite, Miracle Mile is an outsider's view of the political shenanigan's leading to conflict and the fact that it is beyond the control of the isolated individual. Undoubtedly a reaction to the September 11th terrorist atrocities and the resulting aftermath, the lyrics are personal, political (in terms of the bigger societal picture) and of high literary quality. The music covers a wide range; reflective periods of acoustic guitar and vocals are mixed in with angry electric guitars, some reggae-tinged moments entwined with heavier rock elements. Strength in diversity - the arrangement is exceptionally good, particularly coming from an individual, one tends to find that the most exciting arrangements, particularly in longer pieces, tends to come from bands of accomplished musicians who all want to throw their ideas into the mix. For one person to achieve this is very impressive.
Battle, the instrumental part of the second section, is self-explanatory really. Rather discordant in nature, the music is often harsh and always uncompromising. An actual battle unfolds through the speakers as electric guitar (left speaker) takes on violin (right speaker). A war ensues (portrayed by bass and drums) with victory being heard through the speakers (listen through headphones for the full effect!). Aftermath deals with the consequences of the victory, a clever juxtaposition of the individual's questioning of the conclusions of victory sung over the sound of the victor's instrument. Significantly, the losing instrument is nowhere to be heard. Resolution is attempted in Breaking Free, but first one has to deal with the political repercussions and the fact that the old adage is invariably true - history is written by the victorious. Searching for truth with resolve, the final conclusion lies not with the winner of the battle but with the changing of ideals to prevent the battle in the first place. Musically similar to the first section (ie, as diverse), the arrangement has metaphorical overtones; it is not insignificant that the losing instrument makes a comeback towards the end of the piece.
The CD is completed by two additional tracks. Slowly As The Lights Go Down is a rather plaintive acoustic number with an air of fragile melancholy. In many respects a music antidote to what has gone before (although not necessarily lyrically so), this piece is a lovely conclusion to the album. At least it would be if a somewhat superfluous violin/drum piece hadn't been tagged to the end of the CD. Recorded live at a Psynapsis (Steve's latest band project who, apparently, play really fast progressive rock) it is basically a violin solo followed by a drum solo (Steve plays both) and, I suppose, is best viewed as a bonus piece. To me it ruins the flow of the album and would best have been left as a website download or as an extra on the forthcoming Psynapsis DVD or CD). Perhaps Steve himself was in two minds about including it, as it is unlisted on the album's sleeve.
So what is the overall conclusion? It took a while to get into this album having initially preferred Steve's 1998 solo album The Beginning Of A New Day that he kindly sent along with the latest album. However, after a few hearings I began to understand the ideas behind Out Of The Ashes and appreciate the complexities, and subtleties, behind the music. Reading through the erudite lyrics helped confirm that this is a very mature piece of work from an extremely accomplished musician. The scope of the work is rather immense and my only criticism is that I hadn't heard any of Steve's music prior to this release. Recommended for those who like diverse, original music with thought provoking lyrics. I'll certainly be on the look out for more of Steve's albums!
Tracklist: Out Of The Ashes (40:39) (i. Miracle Mile [16:03], ii. Battle / Aftermath [10:21], iii. Breaking Free [14:15]), Slowly As The Light Go Down (5:06), Violin / Drum Solo (6:21)
Saga
Full Circle
Saga's musical history is one of highs and lows: classics like the first three albums and the recent concept album Generation 13 alternated with disappointing albums like The Beginners Guide To Throwing Shapes and Steel Umbrellas. When classifying the new record, it must undoubtedly fall into the first category. Full Circle harks back to Saga's early years, while at the same time presenting a modern sound.
Opener Remember When immediately sets the tone for the rest of the album: bombastic keyboards accompanied by that distinctive melodic rhythm guitar sound. One thing that is immediately apparent is that the production on this album is just awesome: very fat as we would say here in Holland.
The One is a very heavy track, a little heavier than we're used to hear from Saga, but it's still a great track, with a leading role for Ian Crichton who gives it his best on his guitar. How different is Follow Me, which starts with acoustic guitar before evolving into a slow ballad. Halfway into this Marillionesque track Michael Sadler is even accompanied by a children's choir.
The very varied Uncle Albert's Eyes starts with some great keyboard rhythms and melodies. The second part of the track has a blistering duel between guitar and keyboards. Home is a largely acoustic track, which gradually builds up in strength to a driving finale.
Don't Say Goodbye again starts with those hallmark keyboard / guitar rhythms before going over into a style reminiscent of Generation 13, with some great bass work by Jim Crichton. A couple of weird noises lead into Time Bomb, which is second only to The One in heaviness. The contrast between light verses and heavy chorus is greater the former track, though. It's those keyboard / guitar rhythms again, although they now alternate eachother.
Not This Way is the third Chapter song on the album (that tradition has been given new life, too) and a real ballad with a leading role for Michael Sadler who is given the chance to demonstrate his vocal capabilities. A Night To Remember is a real Full Circle track again (you know what I was going to write next, so I won't!), while closer Goodbye is a slow track starting with very emotional guitar. This is a perfect closer, finishing the album but at the same time hinting at things to come.
Saga have certainly redeemed themselves again with this release, which is in my top-5 albums of 1999. The high point of this album is that it is consistently good, containing some very strong tracks but no weak tracks. And I would like to stress again the incredible production. In my opinion, the production determines at least a quarter of the quality of an album and in the case of Full Circle it has made that album a quarter better than it already is!
Tracklist: Remember When (Chapter 9) (5:20), The One (4:21), Follow Me (5:07), Uncle Albert's Eyes (Chapter 13) (5:22), Home (5:06), Don't Say Goodbye (5:33), Time Bomb (4:05), Not This Way (Chapter 10), A Night To Remember (5:44), Goodbye (3:59)
Symphony X
For years, Symphony X were victims of the cruel fate which befalls many an American act, the “Big In Europe/Japan Syndrome.” Since signing to InsideOut Music, the situation has improved, but The Odyssey, the sixth studio album from this heretofore underappreciated New Jersey outfit, Symphony X will make a major impact here at home! The nine tracks expand beyond the progressive metal base that has earned the band a devout audience, who travel hundreds, if not thousands of miles, to witness one of the rare Stateside appearances, including co-headlining gigs at both ProgPower USA festivals. Poised for their first US tour, supporting the live debut of Blind Guardian, scores of new converts are on the horizon. “We are really looking forward to touring in our own country,” offers Michael Romeo, a seasoned veteran of many overseas jaunts. “We didn’t want to do a concept album again, so it was back to old stuff, more striped down, aggressive.” The Odyssey unites Symphony X hallmarks: top notch musicianship and sharp melodic vocals, with some new, heavier guitar tones and gritty production values. That isn’t to say they skimped on the recording. “There is still piano and some of the nicer, longer songs, but guitars and vocals are just up front this time, more heavy riffs, a little tougher,” explains the guitarist. “From the start of songwriting, we decided to let the new material sound harder and rawer, more ´in your face`, if you like. It was great to see it all, even Russell had fun making his vocal lines more spontaneous and harder.”
´Wicked`, and ´Incantations Of The Apprentice` prove the decision to employ a more punishing sound was successful, while the aptly titled ´King Of Terrors` (complete with sinister Vincent Price voiceover), is one of the most lethal songs in the Symphony X arsenal. “The lyrics to ´King Of Terrors` are based on The Pit & The Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe,” says Romeo. “We had the feeling that this dark, heavy song needed dark spooky lyrics. Edgar Allan Poe is perfect for stuff like this.” Some might worry the band’s stellar abilities will be overshadowed by this newfound muscle. Fear not. ´Accolade II`, a continuation of the song on The Divine Wings Of Tragedy, is proof the heavier sound hasn’t completely buried the band's more melodic, epic side. The 29-minute title track, sub-divided into seven distinct chapters, is a breathtaking musical trip through Homer’s epic poem. A standard of literature classes around the globe, various stages of Odysseus' harrowing post-Trojan War journey home are played out, in both lyrical and instrumental forms. Symphony X relates the Greeks’ episode with a Cyclops (‘The Eye’), the temptations of the Sirens' song (´Sirens`), their conquest of Circe (´Circe – Daughter Of The Sun`), a perilous sea journey (´Scylla And Charybdis`) and finally the hero’s return home, with all its bloody consequences (´The Fate Of The Suitors / Champion Of Ithaka`). “Originally, Mike (LePond, bass) came up with the idea,”enthuses the guitarist. “I had just been watching The Seven Voyages Of Sinbad. God, I love Ray Harihousen. So I asked if it had the Cyclops in it. I especially like the chapter about Scylla and Charybdis, which we included in the form of a long instrumental part. It was a really exciting stage of Odysseus' journey. We’ve given it a real Wagner-like flair and lots of depth.”
In order to realize their visions of an exciting and deliberately harder album, Symphony X took over almost all the work on The Odyssey. In addition to the songwriting and arranging, all pre-production and the work in the studio was kept firmly in the musicians' control. “That requires a Hell of a lot of energy, but it’s definitely worth it”, Romeo says with satisfaction. Only the final mix of the songs was done outside the band. “I did all the pre-production at home and it was sounding good. I went out, bought a computer and took a month to learn how the (mixing) software worked. I started doing stuff, until ‘Disc Full.’ I thought, ‘What the Hell do we do now?’ That’s when I called Steve.” The person in question is Steve Evetts, who had worked with the band, on The Divine Wings Of Tragedy and who, in the meantime, had also mixed for Sepultura. “We got to a point where we needed someone objective, who could listen to the material with an open mind. Steve had an intuitive feeling about how the songs should sound. Luckily, he’d just returned from Brazil, so he said, ‘Bring your stuff over.’”
History
Symphony X sprang to life in April 1994, following the release of Michael Romeo´s demo tape, The Dark Chapter. In addition to the former Gemini guitarist, the initial line-up included keyboardist Michael Pinnella and drummer Jason Rullo. That same year, the band recorded an eponymous debut. Eight months later, their sophomore release, The Damnation Game, introduced new singer Russell Allen, The album received tremendous critical praise. In the Fall of ‘96 their third installment, The Divine Wings Of Tragedy, Symphony X became an international sensation, garnering top marks with the European press and lofty positions in the annual Readers’ Polls in the most important metal mags throughout Germany, France and Italy. Accolades such as “the best Progressive Power Metal band in the world” and “the best Progressive Metal album of the year” were heaped onto Symphony X. After a line-up change, which saw Thomas Walling temporarily replaced Jason Rullo on drums, Twilight In Olympus hit stores in March of 1998. Around the same time, Symphony X made played their first concerts. The on-stage debut was in Japan, which kicked off a worldwide tour. Drummer Jason Rullo returned to the fold in time for the fifth studio album, appropriately entitled V—The New Mythology Suite. A European tour, in support of V, followed, in the Fall of 2000. During the tour, Symphony X recorded a 2 CD set, Live On The Edge Of Forever, at the legendary Paris venue, ´Elysee Montmartre`. The live album was released in October 2001, just in time for another European tour, this time supporting Savatage. Once again, the shows displayed the tremendous technical capabilities of each of the five band members. Symphony X is mentioned in the same mesmerizing, technically proficient breath as contemporaries like Dream Theater, Savatage and Transatlantic because of the superior quality of their music, as well as the superlative talents of band members Michael Romeo, singer Russell Allen, drummer Jason Rullo, keyboardist Michael Pinella and bass player Michael Lepond. These facts are not only underlined by every releases to date, but demonstrated more than ever on their new album, The Odyssey.
Speaking To Stones
Speaking To Stones
How easy is it to gain the interest of somebody by saying that a band sounds like Dream Theater? In my eyes it is a very tough job and you always run into the risk of getting people to believe that the band you are talking about is just another copycat. Having said that, I will try to justify why Speaking to Stones is a very interesting ensemble and - to me - one of the rising forces in the field of melodic progressive metal. The band is a four-piece and comprises guitarist Tony Vinci, bassist Dave Callari, Rich Dellapietra on keyboards and vocalist Richard Fink IV. The majority of the material is written by Tony and the rest gradually added their own building blocks to the completion of this debut album, which took more than two years to be finalised. Notice the absence of a drummer in the line-up - what you hear in the album is drum programming.
Speaking to Stones' music is described by their label as incorporating influences as diverse as progressive and RnB, Marillion, Soundgarden, even Peter Gabriel. Well I do not know if it is a disappointment but I didn't discover SUCH diverse influences. My description would be an amalgam of Enchant with Dream Theater. One could also identify elements of Fates Warning and Marillion or even Queensryche and Conception. Apart from these classical influences I also see an AOR component, which I find positive because it gives a special colour without appearing out of the blue.
The vocalist is really spectacular and the way he sounds as well as the way he sings is striking. Furthermore, it's a singer with two faces: one is very tender, that you could at times mistake as Enchant's Ted Leonard (as in Waiting For...), but the other is harsher, possibly a bit in the likes of Ark's Jorn Lande. And basically, this by default transforms the nature of the track. The guitar work is of very high quality and at times brings Douglas Ott to mind, at times John Petrucci, or to go a bit further, it has a certain AOR feeling to it. Very pretty and "clean" solos adorn the final product, together with the abundance of acoustic moments. The main difference in the music with Dream Theater is that there are not too many solos, no changes that seem "unexpected" - the approach to song writing is more simple, direct and...poppy. Keyboard solos are only present in a couple of instances and more as a guest, while throughout the album the synths mostly fill up the atmosphere.
Most tracks are rather short, with very catchy refrains, combining melodic singing but also some harder parts. Still Life is definitely one the best songs out there in the genre, and I more than recommend to give a listen to it in their myspace page. Some songs are more mid-tempo like Rescue Me and other are ballads, like Waiting For... and Close to the Sky. The surprise though are the two long tracks, My Final Sin and Shallow, which are more of a challenge since you clearly see the group departing from 5' song writing and going towards more ambitious and technical areas. Both are very good tracks, the latter a bit too reminiscent of Dream Theater's Home though and the former a bit too long. The vocal melodies are really well done and thus the refrains are really interesting and complement perfectly the technical solos and heavy riffs. The album closes with an acoustic ballad, Nothing, that again points to the AOR side this time of Dream Theater.
Without playing something particularly innovative or being pioneers, these guys play it VERY well. There are very few weak points in this album. Shortly, I doubt that there are many fans of melodic prog metal out there that will dislike this release and therefore this album is definitely recommended. Great song writing and vocal melodies, great guitar work and a vocalist to remember. I think that they should get a.s.a.p. themselves a drummer, depart a bit from the legacy of DT, and maybe their next work will be a milestone in the genre. Absolutely great debut from this rising force. If you are into well-played melodic prog metal with a strong catchy AOR-oriented component, you don't have to look further...
Tracklist: Still Life (6:43), Rescue Me (5:12), Waiting for.... (5:25), Down (4:57), My Final Sin (9:00), Close to the Sky (5:01), Shallow (10:02), Nothing (4:52)
Slaviour
Slaviour is the new band of former Fates Warning/Warlord drummer Mark Zonder has inked a worldwide deal with Inside Out Music for the release of their self-titled debut album due in early 2007.
A versatile, melodic hard rock/metal act, Slavior's debut album features elements familiar to Zonder's progressive metal past, but also introduces a wide array of influences including reggae, hip-hop, a