2025, Part 2: The Near-Masterpieces

  Somewhere beneath the level of timeless masterpiece status lies a group of albums whose quality and merit deserve categorization of something like "near-masterpiece." These are albums that have either achieved a Fishermetric score of between 90.0 and 89.0 or whose high points or quality level make it remarkable enough to remain affixed in my memory.

From the Year 2025, you will find below 6 album releases deserving, in my opinion, of the "near-masterpiece" designation.  

 The Near-Masterpieces:

(Ratings of 90.0 to 89.0)

DAAL Decoding the Emptiness

DAvide and ALfio are back with not one but two albums (released at the same time) of which this is the studio album (the other is a live album), the duo's eighth and ninth, respectively.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Alfio Costa / piano, Rhodes piano, Hammond organ, Mellotron, Minimoog, Moog Sub-37, Roli Seaboard and other synths
- Davide Guidoni / drums, acoustic percussions, noises and samplers
- Ettore Salati / guitars
- Bobo Aiolfi / basses
With:
- Joe Sal / vocals (1)
- Alphabeard / vocals (3)

1. "Decoding The Emptiness" (8:53) a long, two-minute two-chord bombastic power opening turns in the third minute into something more sedate for singer Joe Sal to sing over. Is it my imagination but does Joe struggle to stay on pitch? Mellotron and synths bring in a nice NeoProg sound but, sadly, it's still just a two-chord song--with the only development coming from the variety of instruments cycling through. The exceedingly poor vocal sound engineering really begins to stand out to a distracting degree around the 6:00 mark. Thank goodness for the stripped down atmospheric section starting in the eighth minute and carrying forward to the song's finish. (17.625/20)

2. "Attic Clouds" (7:56) this one opens as if something off of KING CRIMSON's Red (even to the point of Davide Guidoni crashing on a cymbal that sounds like the legendary broken cymbal that Bill Bruford used on "One More Red Nightmare") with long-held Frippertronic-like guitar/synth notes and crashing cymbals filling the first minute. After that a heavy two-chord motif is presented with organ, bass, and guitar chords carrying a Crimsonian melody along over Davide's excellent drumming. The fourth minute sees an Änglagård-like switch into "flute" synth instruments taking over the upper end of the musical spectrum. A switch back to the Crimsonian motif finds Ettore Salati soloing in a continued Frippian manner before a return to a softer, more spacious section that turns out to be the Anekdtoen "Hole"-like calm before the storm. The final 90 seconds display the cacophanous crescendo and post-coital fade in the final seconds. If you love King Crimson, you'll probably love this very well constructed and well-engineered song. Definitely a top three song for me. (14/15)

3. "Twilight" (7:02) discordant piano chords set the scene for "Alphabeard"'s sensitive vocal. The over all feel is something like that of a prog ballad from an early prog wannabe: employing very low standards for both complexity and performance polish. At the three-minute mark the vocal motif stops and a sparsely-populated instrumental passage begins that takes until the 4:20 mark to reveal that it is a continuation of the opening theme (using the same arpeggiated dissonant piano chord to gently prod the way). The musical palette builds, slowly thickening with keyboard, key-percussion, and muted guitar lead play until l6:30 when Alphabeard reappears to finish the song with the fretless bass notes and synth strings. (13.125/15)

4. "Horror Vacui" (7:40) "distant" piano arpeggio and synth strings chords slowly moves forward, establishing themselves in the listener's lap with fretless bass and sensitive acoustic drums joining the fray to provide a nice melancholy motif. At 2:10 everyone but the arpeggiating piano drop out to make room for a solo from what sounds like a muted cor anglais (produced by a guitar or synthesizer, of course). This lasts until 2:45 when the full band spring to life in yet another drawn out two-chord power motif in which the "muted cor anglais" continues playing in a Frippertronic way. This is not a long passage, is, in fact, alternated a few times with cleared-out spacey motifs that remind me of some of the softer sections of songs on PURE REASON REVOLUTION's The Dark Third. I especially like the one that starts in the sixth minute and continues flowing through the seventh. Were it not for the heavy parts and more electronic feel of the overall sonic palette, this could almost fit on one of Richard Wileman's old KARDA ESTRA albums--like Eve or Voivode Dracula. Nice tune! More thought and attention went into the construction and polishing of this song than I'm used to hearing from DAvide and ALfio. More like this, please! Another top three song. (14/15)

5. "Simulacra" (6:19) opening with some bombastic plodding that reminds me of ANEKDOTEN and some of the less-creative second tier NeoProg bands. The bass-heavy chord play (mirrored by some annoying high end synth strings) continues through the first 2:35 before a gentle KING CRIMSON-like "flute" and "'Tron" passage bridges the way into some delicate electric guitar strum-and-stroking. I like this part. Then the song slowly rebuilds into another heavier, thicker motif--all the while as DAvide beats away on his drum kit using his Bill Bruford snare hits. Interesting--and not bad; just not great. (8.875/10)

6. "Mademoiselle X" (5:41) synthesizer-produced "off world" animal sounds open this one before an electric piano arpeggio emerges and convinces the fretless bass and STEVE JANSEN-like drums to join in. The ensuing motif is slow, gentle, but interesting. I particularly like the freedom bassist Bobo Aiolfi has to express himself as well as the wonderful melodies played within the weave by Alfio on his saw-bassoon-synth. A stop at 2:56 allows us to return to trying to listen to the otherworldly voices from the beginning, but then the band jumps back into full action with guitarist Ettore Salati entering with some excellent solo electric guitar play. Another very interesting, very enjoyable. even memorable song. Kudos team DAAL! My other top three song. (9.3333/10)

7. "D.o.o.m. (Mortuarii Octavarii Obscuri Declamatio)" (13:00) a true suite-like prog epic with a PINK FLOYD-feeling sound palette that actually is made up of several disparate motifs, cleverly glued together. Unfortunately, the minor keys and plodding pace of the second and third (solo piano) motifs d.o.o.m. this to my "do not repeat" bin. The fourth motif (in the seventh through ninth minutes) is quite good as it brings to mind some of PORCUPINE TREE's finer heavy prog jams. And then the fifth motive with its THE FLOWER KINGS feel is just too bombastic--and then it's followed by a sudden opening into some industrial machine sounds for some seconds before emptying out into the sixth and final motif, which bounces on a quirky clavinet syncopation. My favorite feature throughout the suite is DAvide's excellent drumming: and it's recorded and engineered so perfectly--and finishes the song! (22/25)

8. "Return From The Spiral Mind" (Bonus Track) (9:25) another track that opens with before breaking out with a heavy MYRATH-like motif that is led by a Middle Eastern melody. A song that was probably better left off the album--slated for "further development." (17.375/20) 

Total Time 65:56

I have to admit that DAvide and ALfio's composition, engineering, and production skills have all grown measurably: Never has the sound been so good (especially of DAvide's drums); never have the compositions been as sophisticated and polished; never has ALfio's sound choices infatuated me as much.

89.96 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; an album of inconsistent levels of appeal, it is clearly one of DAAL's finest efforts: the band of four works much better (in my opinion) than the duo. 

DANEFAE Trost

Highly-texturized and mood-setting music from a group of Danes who claim to be rooted/oriented in metal traditions. If their band name offers any hints, I think of them more as the ambiguously-intentioned mischief makers who inhabit the hidden recesses of the woodland and swampland areas less likely to be populated by humans (because of their remoteness and/or tentative prospects for safe, sustainable living): the creepier, not-always-friendly faeries of Danmark.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Anne Olesen / vocals, piano
- Anders Mogensen / guitar
- Carl Emil Tofte Jensen / bass
- Jonas Agerskov / drums
With:
- Signe Laugesen / vocals (2,4)
- Andrea Hindkjær Andersen / vocals (2,4)
- Andreas Dahl-Blumenberg / vocals (5)
- Ole Olesen / vocals (5)
- Anders Øster / keyboards (3)

1. "Fuglekongen" (5:23) some moody music whose wisp 'o wil female vocals belie the metal assertion. Though the hints of metal certainly arise as the song travels along (mostly in the bass and heavy toms and kick drums), it's not until the 3:55 mark that the music definitely falls into "threatening" territories of metal music--and even here the vocals (both lead and background) remain steadfastly grounded in more Mediæval Bæbes-like fairy-folk conventions. And I love the fact that the band chooses to have their stories sung in their native tongue. It certainly lends even more folk-faerie frost and shiver to the songs. (9/10)

2. "Vaetter" (5:04) butterfly-like electric piano arpeggi open this before drums and voice join in. Again, Anne Olesen's vocal performance sounds so creepy: beautiful like a mythological Siren, but we all know the ultimate design of those bloodthirsty beauties. Again the music beneath serves to convey the same creepy underlying garment of deceitful beauty, with passages ascending into full-on doom metal (despite the lilting vocals in and around it). The peak crescendo at 4:00 to 4:52 is amazing! It feels so rare that keyboard-sounding guitars deliver that kind of JEM GODFREY-like twisted threat! (9/10) 

3. "Natsvaermer" (5:45) for 1:18 gentle piano and voice lull one into submission before the metal monsters explode into the soundscape to tell us otherwise. The melodies and vocal sounds don't grab me as much with this one, and the metal monsters are a little too aggressive and in-my-face on this one for me to really get into it. Another reviewer has commented how the volume/loudness of the "brickwalled sound in the louder parts" caused them some disturbance and I can see why: the volume of what I'm calling "the monsters" is a bit too much: too affronting, almost driving me back or away. (8.75/10) 

4. "Vandskabt" (5:33) decibel levels of the monsters are again quite overwhelming on this one. It really does affect how much I can get into and enjoy the gorgeous vocals and melodies of the singers. The engineering is good enough that I can still distinguish each and every voice and instrument but the volume of the guitar/bass combination simply murks up the forefront too much, making me turn the volume down on my headphones, thus diminishing my immersion into the totality of the music. (8.875/10) 

5. "P.S. Far er død" (12:40) two arpeggiated guitar chords open this one before Anne's delicate, vulnerable voice enters with spacious bass notes beneath. At 1:15 strummed acoustic guitar replaces the guitar and bass that were beneath as Anne reaches waif-like degrees of delicacy by reaching for the higher, breathier notes of her register. Enter gentle arpeggi from an electric piano and then we switch to a more folk rock palette of acoustic and gentle electric guitars, gentle bass and drums, and female-backed vocals. This carries forward until 3:30 when the band as a whole jumps into a heavier sound palette while Anne's vocal becomes more pleading and insistent (but still Prog Folk-ish). In the fifth minute a predominantly low-end drum and bass motif moves on as everybody else become incidental-only contributors while a mature male voice recites some lines in a spoken voice. The music slowly, gradually begins to thicken again as Anne returns again.  (I'm very surprised how far into the mix her voice is buried. There are actually background and "side-" vocalists who are given louder presence in the mix than the lead!) This is still a very cool Prog Folk passage--until 7:07 when a heavier, more metal-threatening passage takes over--complete with heavily distorted vocals from Anne and "monster" background vocalists. But, 45 seconds later we are returned to the temporary safety of some alcove for a brief breather before venturing back out into the malevolent chaos and confusion of the hunt (where we're the prey). While I'm not exactly bowled over by this epic, I recognize and applaud the creative theatric storytelling aspect of this. Truly an epic in the traditions of the old Viking sagas. An electric guitar solo in the eleventh minute makes me realize how few (if any) other instrumental solos are present on this album! Interesting. The final 1:15 (after the guitar solo ends) plays out like a cacophonous mélange of all of the themes and melodies used in the course of the song piled and compiled one on top of the other for a bombastic finale. (22.75/25)

6. "Trøst" (2:17) gently-picked heavily-treated electric guitar works its solo way into a kind of variation on some famous jazz or classical music melodic chord progression. Nice. (4.5/5)  

7. "Blind" (4:43) drums and chugging guitar and bass metal chords turn full-on metal at 0:30 for a brief repetition of a three-strum djent motif before backing out to allow a more atmospheric motif to take over for lead singer Anne Olesen to perform a vocal that is very much in the tradition of some of the great Prog Metal sirens of the Naughties and Teens (Simone Simons and Sharon den Andel come to mind first). I like the diversity and multiplicity of unexpected turns on this one. (9.125/10) 

8. "Sang om Håb" (3:51) syncopated group clapping opens this one before Anne and some deep-background siren present the pagan folk-like melody and lyric. At 0:43 violin-like arpeggi and chugging metal bass 'n' guitar enter to give this a much more demonic palette. Anne continues singing, gaining force and power from her companions yet her voice never quite reaches the thickness and force of the above-mentioned queens of Prog Metal: her pipes only deliver a thinner, more folk-like lilt instead of the unquestioned power of regal malevolence. Still, a pretty good song despite Anne's shortcomings. (8.875/10) 

Total Time 45:16

I love the duplicity of this band's music: very much like the Sirens reference, there is alluring beauty in every song--often all the way through a song--while there are also the threats of monsters and malevolence lurking beneath, often jumping out from under the bridge or out of the dark woods.

89.86 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of very interesting music from a band of young musicians whom I will look forward to following over their next few albums with high expectations for progress and improvement.  

OLOGRAM La mia scia

Members of the Gianni family in Saragusa, Sicilia, return with another album--this, their first since their 2022 debut, La Nebbia.

 
Line-up / Musicians:
- Dario Gianni / bass
- Lorenzo Gianni / guitars
- Roberto Gianni / keyboards
- Fabio Speranzo / vocals
- Giovanni Spadaro / drums
with:
- Gabriele Agosta / vocals
- Mateo Blundo / viola, violin
- Raffaele Schiavo / vocals

1. "22.43" (1:00) I'm a sucker for neoclassical a cappella vocal pieces and I absolutely LOVE this one! (5/5)

2. "Kasbah" (4:30) a very interesting, creative, unusual song construct: like a person with multiple personalities or switching television channels every ten seconds. (9/10)

3. "Luna piena" (4:09) the band's quirky musical sound and structural choices couple with their great sense of melody reminds me very much of MAD CRAYON's 2009 masterpiece, Preda. (8.875/10)

4. "Non sarai" (4:52) it's like unheard/unrealized music from the 1980s given full life in 2025! And then the 1970s GENESIS palette for the instrumental section in the second half of the song! Wow! (9/10) 

5. "Jacaranda" (4:44) despite Fabio Speranza's charming classic-RPI, Aldo Tagliapeitra-similar voice, he's not a great singer, but, worse are the background vocalists (or perhaps it's their arrangements). Love the presence of the 12-strings, piano, violin and Mellotron. Another odd song about which I feel quite divided. (8.75/10)

6. "Descent" (5:06) The inconsistent drum sounds bug me. The bass bugs me. I love the strings, keys on all levels and in all sections, and Lorenzo Gianni's guitars. Nice mish-mash of an almost-overwhelming number of ideas. (8.875/10)

7. "La mia scia" (4:21) with every album's title song comes slightly elevated expectations (thinking that this is the song that the band things best represents them at this particular time/stage of their careers). It is a slightly smoother, more cohesive construct--well engineered--and one of Fabio's better vocal performances--with some great 1980s Andy Summers/Jamie West-Oram guitar sound and play. But it ends up feeling a bit like a Yacht Rock/Prog Lite piece. Would've been a big hit in the 1980s! (8.875/10)

8. "1997" (6:45) more of those lovely 1980s guitar sounds with a great pensive vocal performance over the top. Again, this could've been a big hit in the 1980s (or, I guess, 1990s). Acoustic guitars strumming with 'tron and Tony Banks-like synths take us out over the final 90 seconds. Nice! (13.5/15)

Total Time: 35:30

The band feels like they're trying to mash together so many formerly disparate themes, sounds, and styles into each song that it leaves my head spinning. Great idea to layer and cut-and-paste all these great riffs and ideas but nothing feels consistent or flowing. And yet, overall, I find myself coming away with a very happy feeling--as if I really enjoyed the upbeat melodies and creative quirk. Though I'm glad the band didn't let Lorenzo Gianni use the Andy Summers/Jamie West-Oram guitar sounds and stylings throughout this album, it did help provide a very pleasant listening experience for me.

89.84 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a conglomeration of old sounds and stylings brought together in a modern synthesis result in a refreshing and quite enjoyable listening experience. Highly recommended--especially to those progheads who find rewards in the techno-New Wave sounds of the 1980s.    

RED BAZAR Blood Moon

Peter Jones and his highly-skilled Red Bazar mates are back with another, their sixth, studio album release. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- Andy Wilson / guitars
- Paul Comerie / drums
- Mick Wilson / bass
- Peter Jones / vocals, keyboards

1. "Fall On Your Own Sword" (7:26) too rudimentary/old school metal for my brain. In fact, I find it hardly listenable (unless you're really into lyrics and you want/have to figure out what they're singing about--then, Good luck!). I find it hard to believe/fathom that this is Peter Jones on the lead vocal. (13/15)

2. "When the World Burns" (5:34) gently-picked classical guitar chord progression with Peter Jones singing in a delicate Wind and Wuthering-era Phil Collins/GENESIS voice. Awesome vocal melody, powerful goose-flesh-causing electric guitar solo in the fourth minute. Interesting/unique Ozzie Osborne-like group vocal response in the fifth minute, and then we're back to the opening theme with Peter Jones singing us to the song's end. (9.3333/10)

3. "High Velocity" (6:26) a hard-drivin' instrumental that really shows the band in all its technical prowess as well as their commendable full commitment to their unique vision(s). This reminds me of something Steve Vai might do. Each of the individual musicians deserve big praise for their individual skills and performances--and for the fact that somehow they've congealed their talents to produce a nicely cohesive song. (9.125/10)

 
4. "Start Again" (9:14) this one starts out sounding like one of Peter Jones' classic soft-prog ballads. Great melodies (as usual) sounding a lot like a nice LIFESIGNS or FISH ON FRIDAY song for the first five minutes, but it's not until the song's seventh minute that the band really starts to fully display their progginess. Pretty versus powerful; The Beauty and The Beast--only here the Beast is never really fully-loosed. Again, kudos to all band members for their great individual contributions to a solid (maybe great) song. These veterans are all very much prog experts. (18.375/20)

5. "The Baron's Eyes" (7:41) drums and bass announce the potential for some metal but then the dirty electric guitar arpeggiated chords steer the band into a different direction. Peter and a second vocal enter confirming for me that the album's opening song was not Peter Jones: it was this second dude. As intimated in the song's opening, the metal elements begin to show themselves with the takeover of the second vocalist and then come to full fruition at 5:33 when the song goes full metal--which then carries through to the end. (13.125/15)
 

6. "Fighting Force" (3:48) NeoProg that begins to show the band's diminishing store of new/fresh ideas; it's too "heavy-prog-by-the-numbers." The musicianship is fine, the twists and turns, but it's the "ancient" sound palette that irritates: the "ancient" keyboard sounds, the "ancient" chunky bass sound, the stereotypic lead guitar tones, the poor (weird) drum sound captured. (8.5/10)

7. "Over" (7:31) this scratchy Peter Gabriel voice could be Peter Jones (we all know of his chameleonic vocal talents--which, of course, leads me to suspect that he could be the mystery metal vocalist of the two heaviest songs on the album, "Fall on Your Own Sword" and "The Baron's Eyes"). A very nice, very well-composed and executed song with great melodies and prog hooks--both vocally and instrumentally--and some great lead guitar work from Andy Wilson. The sudden and unexpected delivery of the scream vocals in the seventh minutes even help elevate this song into what I'll call the best on the album. (14/15)

8. "Blood Moon" (12:36) this powerful song sounds like the fairly-competent piecing together of many  old musical ideas, riffs, and motifs. The points of detection come in the "dated" guitar and computer keyboard sounds chosen as well as with the 1980s vocal delivery. Otherwise, this is a pretty decent, well-crafted prog epic. (22.125/25)

Total time: 60:16

I'll give these guys their props: thought they are all over the place with their styles, they are certainly 100% fully-committed to each song. These are immensely talented musicians with some fairly good (though inconsistent) compositional ideas and sound engineering support. The gut feelings I'm left with after completion of listening to this album (straight through) each time are total confusion and ambivalence: There are some great songs, great sounds, ideas, and performances from these seasoned veterans, but there are also some songs that feel either astringent, maybe even outright acerbic.

89.65 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a collection of inconsistent and sometimes dated-feeling sounds and songs that is elevated by the creativity, commitment, and skillful talents of these prog veterans. Recommended to all prog and metal lovers for you to make your own determination.

OAK The Third Sleep

After falling in love with their 2022 studio album release, The Quiet Rebellion of Compromise, the Norwegian quartet's third album, I have been waiting with great anticipation to see what might follow. My hopes are raised further by the knowledge that the band's membership remains the same since guitarist Stephan Hvinden joined the founding trio for 2018's False Memory Archive. 

 
Line-up / Musicians:
- Simen Valldal Johannessen / vocals, keyboards
- Stephan Hvinden / guitars
- Øystein Sootholtet / bass
- Sigbjørn Reiakvam / drums

1. "No Such Place" (6:06) strumming acoustic guitars, loud snare drum, and Simen Valldal Johannessen's deep crooning voice makes for a welcome and comfortable sound--like something by Richie Havens or John Martyn. A solid, quite likeable song--even with the uncredited soprano sax. I especially like the clear out at 4:45 for solo arpeggiated guitar before slowly bringing the band back together to finish. (9/10)

2. "London" (4:20) good music that opens with some cool odd sounds and then moves into an insidious, relentless motif that takes a few measures to establish itself before Simen joins in with his vocal. The sound palette is pretty cool, especially with the creative guitar sounds and play, and a cool chorus, and some powerful STEVEN WILSON /PORCUPINE TREE-like territory to the song's end. (9.125/10)

3. "Run Into the Sun" (5:34) a weave of muted/compressed instruments provide the base for Simen to sing. It's a fairly standard song that is based a progression of four chords; it truly sounds as if it could come from a ROBBIE ROBERTSON or Richard Thompson album. Nice but definitely nothing groundbreaking (especially without access to the message of the lyrics). (8.75/10)

4. "Shimmer" (7:36) moving further into the world of distorted perception, Simen gives another powerful Jon Ivar Kollbotn (Major Parkinson) (verses)/Mark Hollis (chorus)-like vocal performance. Uncredited soprano saxophone solo appears briefly in the first half of the fourth minute. Though guitar starts the song out, this is another piano-based composition--as evidenced by the extended soft-jazzy piano solo playing out from the fifth minute to the end. Again, how Mark Hollis like! (13.375/15)

5. "Shapeshifter" (7:58) another song whose opening reminds me of Ivar Bjørnson & Einar Selvik's 2018 Viking Folk masterpiece, Hugsjá, but then deep bass and drums join Simen in the second minute to give it a more insistent, urgent feel, almost metal-like. The wonderful tom-tom play sounds quite electronic (and why not?) while the instrumental fifth minute relies mostly on MIDIed electric piano layers before the toms and bass rejoin. Cool to have the toms acting as the "lead" instrument (as it turns out, not unlike Nick Mason's roto-tom work in Dark Side of the Moon's "Time." The layered vocal "chant" work in the seventh minute is cool--it leads into Stephan Hvinden's finest moment on the album with a searing electric guitar solo to take us to the the instrumental final moments. Very good song. (13.5/15)

6. "Borders" (6:24) more drum and bass lead-ins before PT/SW guitar power strums take us into the main motif. Piano-based with some programmed-sounding tracks (percussive in nature) in the weave leads to a heavy chorus with Simen's urgent vocals and some Viking choral phrases as well while the instruments ramp up their volume and noise. With the fourth minute the band presents some brief divergent passages to alternate with the power chorus: tuned percussion, piano, Mellotron, muted "background" drums, all carrying forward the main melody only in a softer, more minimalist weave. At 5:45 the heavier passage returns but sans vocals: only guitars, piano, and jaunty rhythm section. Interesting but nothing to write home about. (8.75/10)

7. "Sensory Overload" (8:12) bled over from the previous song, the same instrumental sound palette continues but the vocal performance is very different: there sounds to be either multiple vocalists or multiple tracks performed by Simen on which he transforms his voice credibly in several different ways. The tripart weave is remarkable but unfortunately, it fails to live up to what it seems to promise: fails to develop into anything more elevated or interesting. An instrumental mid-section explores keyboard electronica with some more creative drum pounding turns psycho-political with arrival of SEVEN IMPALE-like "saxophones" and then death metal growls. Not what we were expecting! And then crescendo and space-drone to end it all. (13.5/15)

Total Time 46:13

The music is still as melodic and accessible (and creative sonically) as their previous album (which I loved) but I feel as if there is less risk, less creative ideas being tried out on this one.

89.41 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; another excellent album of refreshingly creative music from one of Norway's up-and-coming artists. Definitely a band to keep following! 

PATTERN-SEEKING ANIMALS Friend of All Creatures

The project of former SPOCK'S BEARD members Ted Leonard, Dave Meros, and Jimmy Keegan and John Boegehold has become quite the favorite around these parts. This is their fifth album release since their 2019 self-titled debut.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Ted Leonard / lead vocals, guitar
- John Boegehold / synths, programming, Mellotron, guitars, ronrocco, vocals
- Dave Meros / bass
- Jimmy Keegan / drums, percussion
With:
- Diane Boothby / backing vocals
- Eliza James / violin

1. "Future Perfect World" (9:38) well-constructed, evenly-tempered prog feeling somewhere between Guy Manning's DAMANEK project and the folkier side of the end of BIG BIG TRAIN's Dave Longdon era. There are even a few memorable "hooks" --like the Andrew Lloyd-Weber-like vocal call-and-response of the seventh minute. And the music feels mature, not a mess of clichés being thrown at the audience nor the over-the-top bombast: just solid progressive rock music. (18.25/20)

2. "Another Holy Grail" (12:20) another very even-keeled prog song that seems to indicate a level of self-love, self-satisfaction, and self-esteem that no longer requires external validation for the music that they create. I am reminded in this song of Johannes Luley's first project with which he lept into the eyes and ears of prog lovers: MOTH VELLUM. Within the music of the first five minutes of this piece there is the continued feeling that we're listening to the overture/introduction to a rock opera being staged in a theatre in the West End. Then Ted Leonard enters and the music (with "orchestra" support!) definitely settles into full support of the introductory vocal. In the eighth minute the band tries to ramp things up as Ted wraps up the first round of his vocal storytelling but it's really more for the support of some kind choreographed dance or set movement on the stage. When Ted returns it is within a vacuum of simple piano-supported music (just like a stage musical!) but then the band (and "orchestra") returns and Ted and the instrumental tangents alternate for a bit before everybody gets on board a steady-moving train at the end of the ninth minute. The almost-exciting, invigorating ride lasts through to the end of the song, which is nice, and ends up being just the ride, not the story, which is also nice (since I don't process lyrics well). As the music to a stage musical, this is quite good. As a prog song I'm not quite as won over. (22.5/25)    

3. "Down the Darkest Road" (4:34) a song that has a nice instrumental sound palette (with some nice violin play in the middle) and some finely-crafted synthesized "orchestra" work, but its lack of development makes it feel as if it is an interlude filling space between songs (which would make sense if this album were, in fact, intended as a kind of theatric rock opera). (8.875/10) 

4. "In My Dying Days" (4:42) a fairly simple classic rock ballad song that chugs along without much proggyness. Even the choruses don't offer much to change this feeling, it's not until the bridges and brief instrumental passages that we hear anything interesting (which happens to be mostly violin). (8.66667/10) 

5. "The Seventh Sleeper" (8:11) very pleasant, laid back music with nice melodies and chord progressions over which the musicians have ample time and space in which to deliver some well-thought out and well-executed solos. Being a fan of the folk-side of Big Big Train I can definitely see the similarities here. Plus, I love Ted's theatric and athletic vocal performance--especially in the seventh and eighth minutes (the song's peak stretch). (13.75/15)

6. "Days We'll Remember" (3:54) an unfortunate opening prepares us for something that plods and drags along, though the instrumental palette is nice (rolling bass, acoustic guitars). There's a lot of STYX hear--especially in the chorus--which, if I remember correctly, is one of my criticisms of the old Beard sounds. A nice classic rock radio-friendly AOR song from the late 1970s or 1980s. (8.75/10)

7. "Words of Love Evermore" (8:41) this one does open with a different and interesting sound palette: one that sounds quite unlike the typical NeoProg fare. But then the power chords and straight time rhythm track step forward and take us into fairly typical NeoProg fare. The band clears out at the end of the second to make room for the entry of Ted Leonard's vocal--which brings us even more into the realm of simplistic AOR STYX. Nothing in the instrumental section of the fourth minute offers anything exciting, innovative, or exciting (despite some nice melodies). Though there is a little thickening of slightly more aggressive instrumental play in the final third, it still remains an almost-devotional sounding song. (Were the Beard always Christian-oriented? Even after Neal Morse left them?) (17.5/20)

Total Time 52:02

I cannot help but admit that I have a bias against this band (and this album) before I even sit down to listen to their music: I have never liked the cliché-filled, prog-by-numbers, NeoProg of Spock's Beard. In fact, I've always found their music cringe-worthy for the kitschy stereotypic sounds and structures they came up with (with or without Neal Morse). After seeing all of the high praise for this new album I decided to at least give this one a listen. However, I also decided to try to approach the listening of this album with a different, more "ignorant" attitude so that I might just take it for the music without any personal leanings (if that's even possible).

     These four guys have a history of having quite an affinity and talent for creating long, interesting, multi-part suites or "epics" and this album will do nothing but solidify that legendary status. On the other hand, the short songs here are so weak--so shamelessly simplistic--that it feels like a slap in the face to other prog artists to call them "prog."    

89.36 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; an excellent album for any and all prog lovers despite the "Jeckyll and Hyde" quality difference between the longer songs and the shorter ones. 

NAXATRAS V

High-quality, very well-produced Psychedelic/Space Rock from Thessaloniki, Greece. 

Line-up / Musicians:
- John Delias / guitar, vocals
- Pantelis Kargas / keyboards, synthesizers
- John Vagenas / bass, vocals
- Kostas Charizanis / drums & percussion

1. "Celestial Gaze" (5:05) sounds like something in between ALAN PARSONS PROJECT, THE BUGGLES and Depeche Mode. Even the reverb-drenched vocal sounds like something straight out of I Robot. I don't really want to like it but I do! A lot! Nice guitar work in the end section. (9.125/10)

2. "Spacekeeper" (5:09) okay; rendered dull by some fairly standard (Ozric) ideas and sounds. (8.75/10)

3. "Numenia" (5:09) with some Entwistle bass thrown in for good measure. The singing (and lyrics) are a bit underwhelming (and lazy) but the music is infectious. I love the Middle Easterns flutes and melody lines thrown into the instrumental mid-section. The second half sees the band ramping things up--as if shifting into a third gear for a Krautrock jam. Nice! A top three song to be sure. (9.125/10)

 

4. "Utopian Structures" (5:29) I love the Ozrics-like space-jungle noises filling space over and between the syncopated space-funk bass 'n' drums. Weird to have a long pause at the 2:30 mark, but then wah-reverb guitars set up a different motif for the second half. Cool percussive accents striking within the electronic weave of guitars and synths. All instrumental, this one even has a little Magick Brother & Mystic Sister feel to it. Another top three (9.125/10)

5. "Breathing Fire" (5:17) a fairly weak, fickle song that starts off sounding as if it's trying to be a funky jazz-rock fusion tune before turning into more of a four-chord classic rock tune for the next minute. At 2:09 it then turns down a more exciting, proggy side street before coming to a stop to watch a busy street from the trappings of a Krautrock Kosmicshe flashback. (8.66667/10)

6. "Legion" (4:51) middling; no more singing, please. Some if the modern trance-world synth work is cool but much of the song feels as if it's just waiting for something or someone else to come and rescue them from the mire of the tar pits. (8.75/10)

7. "Sand Halo" (6:01) solid and spacey (and I Robot APP again--especially the electric piano work) but those reverb vocals are so unnecessary. Nice guitar solo but I just love the more spacious groove sections. (8.875/10)

8. "The Citadel (5:55) not enough development--though the "full" PURE REASON REVOLUTION-like second half is better. (8.875/10)

Total Time 42:56

I really like the clarity in the mixes of these songs--and the imaging of the overall soundscapes; the sound on the album as a whole is very well, very thoughtfully, very intelligently engineered. This may be one of the best Psych/Space albums I've heard in a while. Yes, there's a bit of an Ozric Tentacles vibe here but the soundscapes are so much more dimensional, at least hemi-spherical. I also occasionally find myself thinking of Barcelona's Magick Brother & Mystic Sister while listening to this album. 

89.11 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent modern collection of Space Rock and Krautrock- influenced Psychedelic Rock songs. A band to continue watching for the flashes of pure brilliance. 

PAATOS Ligament

A band I will always find the time to listen to (more for the hope of hearing the magically-nuanced  performances of my favorite drummer of the Naughties). After 13 years (probably focused on raising children), the band returns with a highly-creative effort that would seem to deny that any time has passed at all.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Petronella Nettermalm / vocals
- Ulf Ivarsson / bass
- Peter Nylander / guitars
- Huxflux Nettermalm / drums, percussions

With:

Mikael Akerfelt / guitars, vocals (2)

1. "Chemical Escape" (5:53) Huxflux is back! He and Ulf Ivarsson present with an impressively complex high-speed weave from the opening note to the end while Petronella's calming voice characteristically (and magically) counters from the top. Keyboards are also almost always present within the mix as well, sometimes (especially at the end) providing Petronella's only support. (8.875/10)

2. "Beyond The Forest" (5:52) an eery folkish song that feels as if the music is built around the vocals: Petronella and guest Mikael Akerfelt alternating in a duet during the verses and then the faerie-like female choir vocals in the first part of the choruses (full band choir for the second part of the chorus). Drum, bass, synth, and guitar helps drive the song (especially in the fourth minute's drum-and-bass-less instrumental passage) but, again, it feels as if the song could exist as an all vocal a cappella pagan folk song. Interesting but not as engaging as one would have hoped. (8.75/10)

3. "I Deny" (5:02) opening with a beautiful Harold Budd-like arpeggio which is gradually joined by bass, harp, synth strings, and light percussion play. Petronella doesn't enter until the 90-second mark, here singing with an unusually airy-whispery upper-register voice. Gorgeous chords and melodies! Petronella's voice gets a little more forceful for the brief "chorus" recitation of the song title. (9.125/10) 

4. "Ligament" (2:09) weird little busy thing that defies categorization--except forthe fact that just about every track, instrument, voice sounds heavily-treated/processed. (4.375/5)

5. "Post War Limina" (2:23) interesting machine/robotic drone-like keyboard and bowed bass piece. (4.375/5)

6. "I'm Letting Go" (5:12) nice rolling tom play with snare hits on "The One" with Peter's droning electric guitar chords and notes and Ulf's active bass play beneath Petronella's strong (invested) vocal. The ambient guitar and/or synth sounds injected between and within the vocal lines are quite cool--as is the multi-voiced chorus near the very end. Cool, effective, and different sounding song. (9/10)

7. "Who Am I" (4:37) jazzy drums open this sounding a lot like some kind of Buddy Rich show from the 1960s or 70s while bass, guitar, and piano inject their long-sustaining minimalistic offerings here and there, providing some kind of chordal cushion for Petronella to sing over. Once again her vocal feels invested, she uses delicacy and power to equal effect--even holding some impressively-long notes with the exposition of the song title. Another song that just flies by and then evaporates as if into thin air! Masterful! (9.25/10)

8. "November" (4:26) guitar, bass, cymbals, all playing with Mark Hollis-like extreme delicacy and sparse dispersal of their offerings--which happens to be just enough for Petronella to deliver one of her signature delicate, vulnerable-yet-elegant vocals. Such impressive skill! (8.875/10)

9. "Last Ones Of Our Kind" (6:10) another solid, masterful song whose weak point, in my estimation, comes in its lyric (which is, unfortunately, lost to me). The music is unusual in its choppy flow but the consistency of this delivery makes it possible to get used to it. Not my favorite song but I cannot deny it's creative strength. (8.75/10)

10. "Svart" (3:59) an unusual song for being build over heavy (almost stark) music that is bass dominated--fully fulling out the low en--while Petronella sings in her light, airy voice over the top. It could have been better had the melodies--both vocal and instrumental--offered more engaging "hooks" for the listener to sink its teeth into. (I've always had this feeling--especially from the music of this band--that there is something quite foreign, something quite obtuse and inaccessible in the Swedish soul that we Americans cannot ever truly fathom or understand. Paatos is definitely one of the principle bands to leave me with this feeling time after time. I'm not judging [either Swedes or Americans]: just pointing out the consistent trend of my inability to comprehend, much less "like," some of these songs--this despite my understanding and appreciation for their creativity and maturity. They remain . . . "foreign" to me!) (8.75/10)

Total time: 45:43

Wow! After 13 years this is quite an impressive "renaissance" (comeback?) The band's propensity to deliver creative, highly-nuanced and unusual music with lots of unique sound and structural experimentation is as pronounced as ever! It's as if each and every one of the band members has been working super hard each and every day since their last album/tour to improve their skills, to nurture their creativity, to develop and let mature their ideas. I love that Ricard "Huxflux" Nettermalm returns with as impressive (and jazzy) drum work as ever--and that his wife seems as inspired and fully-committed to her performances--to the music--as ever. Yes, Ms. Nettermalm's talents are all on full display: her exquisite skills as honed as ever.

89.03 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent addition of unusual, often-experimental prog from a highly-skilled ensemble working at the absolute peak of their creative powers.  

THE LAB EXPERIENCE The LAB Experience

Brazilian songwriter Luiz Alvim (Sleepwalker Sun, Swappers Eleven) reimagining some of his older songs without vocals and with dynamic keyboards taking the place of guitars.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Luiz Alvim / keyboards, bass (2,6,7)
With:
- Paulo Gustavo / bass (1)
- Arild Brøter / drums (1)
- Rafael Marcolino / drums (2)
- Jorge Mathias (Sleepwalker Sun) / bass (3,4)
- Rodrigo Martinho (Sleepwalker Sun) / drums (3,5)
- Alex Curi / drums (4)
- Francisco Falcon (Vôo) / bass (5)
- Enrico Rossetti / drums (6)

1. "A Long Time Ago" (4:22) a upbeat weave of NeoProg palette sounds that has merit for its sophistication and intricate instrumental demands. The tempo and motif switch at the halfway point is rather subtle--"sneaky"--and it leads into a section that is impressive both for its Hammond and synth solos and bass and drum play. Well met! (9/10)

2. "m.a.r.i.k." (4:50) another well-constructed, sophisticated and up-tempo NeoProg song that consists of an impressive weave of typical NeoProg sounds and instruments that is, of course, keyboard dominant.  The ABABCAB construct is highlighted by some nice Hammond and synth work over solid bass and drum play. (Luiz is an impressive bass player!) The melodies and arrangements sound more like something from the modern RPI bands. (8.875/10)

3. "Parallel Dimensions" (7:31) opens with Alan Parsons Project I Robot melodies over more modern-RPI-like motifs. Jorge Mathias' bass playing is nice and Rodrigo Martinho's drumming quite solid as Luiz switches back and forth from synths to piano for the solos and main melody-playing. "Nervous" organ chord play at the end of the third minute is so Italian! Luiz definitely does a great job with switching palettes, tempos, motifs, and instrumental choices for the leads. The many short and often changing motif and tempo changes makes me wonder if we are in fact trying to convey the soundtrack to a cinematic "scene" or short-story. There is nothing wrong with this well-composed and rendered piece, it just seems . . . meaningless. (13.5/15)

4. "The Mind" (6:22) more of the same complex RPI-like NeoProg with some acrobatic synth soloing over Jorge chunky bass and Alex Curi's drum play. A couple of almost corny bridges are balanced out by some rather impressive drumming and synth work. I wonder what this piece would sound like if performed on acoustic "classical" instruments--like a piano and string quintet or small orchestra. This is definitely the song on the album that has the most setups for the display of individual instrumental prowess. (8.875/10)

5. "Future Dreaminess" (7:31) more of the same modern RPI instrumental sound palette, drummer Rodrigo Martinho's second appearance is well-featured as is the bass presence of Brazilian veteran Francisco Falcon (Vôo). The song presents a much heavier, almost cinematic-portentous mood from the get-go--kind of a sci-fi motif. I love the short-lived heavy saw-synth sound up front in the end of the second minute, but then Luiz switches directions for a dynamic bit. But then he returns to all of the previous motifs, each in the same order of first exposition, using slightly different expressions with each recapitulations. (The composer has definitely been well-steeped in classical music composition!) The rondo of rotating themes does start wear thin (they're not quite as dynamic, melodic, or intriguing as some of those from other songs). Impressive synth soloing from Luiz in the sixth minute, followed by some impressive drum-and-bass interplay in the seventh, and then it ends! (13.375/15)

6. "Astral Zenith" (10:20) long swirling organ intro bursts into full bombast at the one-minute mark with a great NeoProg motif that is diminished a bit by the arrival of a soloing synth over the top. A new piano-based, organ- and Chris Squire-like bass-backed motif takes over at the end of the third minute. I like the interweave of the piano, organ, and chunky bass. Another saw-like synth takes the lead around the four-minute mark but then organ and bass play around with each other a bit in the second half of the fifth minute before an IQ-like bridge takes us into a gentle ambient "after hours" carnival theme--which last s until 5:49 when a NEXUS-like organ-led theme takes over. The engineering, mix, and sound selections are all excellent (not unlike those of the afore-mentioned Argentine band). Great showy bass play in the eighth minute! Then there is a pause for the start of a bird-nature-like organ theme that sounds like something from GENESIS as the rhythm track turns into a syncopated Phil Collins-Genesis-like race across the sky. Mellotrons enter at 9:07 to exert an air-brake on the rest of the instruments for the song's plaintive electric piano closing. Nicely constructed, performed, and engineered fare that, unfortunately, sounds like so much NeoProg material that we've been subject to since the late 1970s. (18/20)

7. "The End" (3:37) soloing piano accompanied by layers of synth and Mellotron washes. This is the kind of stuff that Mozart might have been playing with in his spare time had he been a progressive rock artist.    (8.75/10)

Total Time 44:33

The dominance of keyboards on this album is no joke: at times that's all you hear! And the music is much more sophisticated that I expected--even broaching the edges of Jazz-Rock Fusion at times--but the palettes of overly-familiar, over-used NeoProg sounds and instrumentation are wearing thin for me: I mean, come on! It's been 49-years since A Trick of the Tail! Let's move on! 

89.03 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent display of complex keyboard-centric NeoProg compositions rendered to NeoProg perfection. Any lover of NeoProg will absolutely love this album! 

The Metric Rankings

        The Masterpieces

1. DOMINIC SANDERSON Blazing Revelations - (97.06)
2. CHERCÁN Chercán - (95.35)
3. MAUD THE MOTH The Distaff - (94.12)

4. HIROMI'S SONICWONDER Out There - (93.33)

        The Minor Masterpieces

5. DREAM THEATER Parasomnia - (92.62)
6. SOFT FFOG Focus - (92.03)

7. KARFAGEN Omni - (90.73)
8. SQUID Cowards - (90.13)
9. CORDE OBLIQUE Cries and Whispers - (90.07)

        The Near-Masterpieces
DAAL Decoding the Emptiness - (89.96)

DANEFAE Trost - (89.86)
OLOGRAM La mia scia - (89.84)
RED BAZAR Blood Moon - (89.65)

OAK The Third Sleep - (89.41)

PATTERN-SEEKING ANIMALS Friend of All Creatures - (89.36)
NAXATRAS V - (89.11)

PAATOS Ligament - (89.03)
THE LAB EXPERIENCE The LAB Experience - (89.03)

        Other Great Albums
IMAGINAERIUM Siege - (88.82)
LARS FREDRIK FRØISLIE Gemle Mester - (88.75)

LET SEE THIN Machine Called Life - (88.73)
MOGWAI The Bad Fire - (88.41)
CROWN LANDS The Heart Is in the Body - (88.11)
IQ Dominion - (88.07)

        Albums to Try for Your Selves
STEVEN WILSON The Overview - (87.50)