I regard this is as a grown up version of Misplaced Childhood. It is easily the Big Man's finest solo work and combines all sorts of Celtic, jazz, prog, and classic elements.
The key to the whole work, though, is the fact that it was written because of emotional upheaval, his split from Heather Findlay, in much the same way as his great first solo LP was born from his leaving Marillion. Perhaps Fish should only write LPs at such times as this!!
The tracks are even better performed live, but his emotive discussion of a failed relationship on Arc of the Curve is simply classic Fish. He feels and means every single word. Manchmal has everything, including a stunning guitar solo. Dark Star speaks atmosphere, and, indeed, many of the tracks have a mellow and melancholic feel to them.
Square Go has a deep thundering bass and guitar opening before closing with a melodic keyboard backing to as mournful statement of loneliness. Zoe 25 contains a lovely mix of vocals with piano and guitar backdrop. It is emotive and real.
Where in the World is a nice prog ballad with wistful vocals combined with again beautiful keyboard and guitar work.
13th Star, the album closer, starts off gently before coming to life with powerful music and vocals before calming down again with wistful meaning. You feel the man's pain.
This is a great LP and is thoroughly recommended to all who enjoy their music to mean something.
Marillion – Somewhere Else
An album which divides Marillion fans just as much as prog fans in general, Somewhere Else had the extremely unenviable task of following up one of the all-time classic progressive rock albums, Marbles.
Let's say straight away that this album is nowhere near that league, but, then again, I wouldn't expect it to be. To be fair to the band, they have reached those dizzy heights on more than one occasion, especially with Brave and Misplaced Childhood, and many bands never even get there once.
That it is still a very good album, and that they, once again, attempted to move forward rather than merely copying a classic is a great credit to this band, and shows up the massive virtue of not being beholden to record company whims.
The opener The Other Half is an utter classic, with sensitive vocals and lyrics backed up by some exquisite Steven Rothery guitar work, but, unfortunately, these high standards are not consistently applied across the album as a whole.
See It Like A Baby was a single from the album, and is good, but, unfortunately, nowhere near as good as many of the more commercial tracks the band have performed over the years.
The album is a loose type of concept based around Steve Hogarth's marital difficulties at the time, and, as such, much of it has a slightly mournful and desolate feel to it. Even the next single, Thank You Whoever You Are, dealing with a romantic tryst, is very much rooted in the blues, as if H sincerely regrets what has happened, especially forgetting the lady's name, whilst all around him collapses.
Most Toys continues the band's proud tradition of social commentary, basically stating that you leave this earth with as much as you entered...nothing. It is a track that races along at a hundred miles an hour but is perhaps too frenetic to be wholly effective.
The highlight of the album, for me, is the title track Somewhere Else, which deals directly with the loneliness and despair caused by divorce and living away from your loved ones. The lyrics are exceptionally sad and bittersweet. Many have commented on the fact that H doesn't do castrato very well. I disagree, and this, Kelly's piano, Trewavas's bass, Rothery's delicately understated guitar, and sensitive percussive work by Mosley combine to create an arid atmosphere which is almost too beautiful for words.
Elsewhere, there are solid enough tracks in Voice From The Past, the very thoughtful and bluesy No Such Thing, and The Wound. The final two tracks bring us a magnificent conclusion. The Last Century For Man continues the excellent series of tracks the band have made dealing with the threat of climate change, and Faith, a great acoustic track which ends the album on a high point, looking forward rather than back with a renewed sense of purpose and optimism. Of course, this was true with the band as well as Hogarth personally.
If you have this, and haven't spun it for quite a while, I would heartily recommend that you do. It is an album which stands up very well in isolation, away from comparisons with other monumental works by this quintessentially marvellous English band. If you don't have it, then it comes highly recommended. This band do not do bad, simple as that.
Recommended for everyone who especially wish to hear easily the finest rock guitarist on the planet at the moment. The rest of them aren't half bad, either!
DREAM THEATER - SYSTEMIC CHAOS
Looking back at this 2007 review from a 2022 perspective, it is perhaps unfair and certainly written from a new Prog Archives member’s thoughts that it would be better received by that site’s membership. I haven’t rewritten it, but perhaps I should in the future.
I should start this review by stating that I started my serious musical journey by listening to what we called heavy rock/metal prior to commencing my prog journey. Bands such as Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, and Rainbow, amongst others, were my staple diet from quite an early age until I was introduced to the joys of symphonic prog. Hell, my first gig was Motorhead in 1978.
So, I think that I have quite a good pedigree in listening to, and enjoying, metal. It's just that, for many years now, I have listened to far more prog and folk.
However, given the fuss that was made regarding this band's breakup, I decided to give this a spin, a CD I brought when it came out on a whim, as much as anything else.
I played it quite a few times, enjoyed it a bit, and then put it away. So, what do I think upon revisiting?
Well, the first thing to say is that this is a technically very accomplished album. The playing throughout is excellent. LaBrie makes for an excellent heavy vocalist, and the rhythm section is awesome, with, of course, Portnoy at its heart.
But do you know what my problem is with this? Simply that this could have come from any number of technically accomplished metal bands in the 1980's such as Maiden, Priest, Saxon, and the rest. I just see very few hints of what I regard as progressive rock in here. Maybe that's very unfair, but there it is. It is a metal album, albeit a very enjoyable one with some very well played difficult time signatures. However, a concept does not a prog album make.
My favourite track on this is Repentence, simply because it is the most melodic, and dare I say it, thoughtful track on the entire work. However, again, all great metal bands of days gone past have included ballads or slower tracks in amongst the chaos. Again, this track does not a prog album make. A fantastic piece of music, though.
My comments will probably be seen as a little bit controversial by some, but they are not meant to be. This is a very solid album, and it will probably stay at the top of my pile for a while, and I might even start getting a few other works by a band who court more controversy than most on sites.
This is a good album, and very much worthy of purchase. To me, however, it is not an essential part of any prog rock collection.
SATELLITE - INTO THE NIGHT
Class Polish prog.
An exceptional prog album from Polish band Satellite, this has turned into one of my favourite purchases of the year, and I got it on the strength of reviews.
This is a band who provide an almost perfect mix of melody, melancholy, and riffing out as if they were born to do metal. For an example of this, listen to the opening section of the epic track Dreams, which blazes along at 100 miles per hour, before settling down to some more recognisable symphonic inspired keyboards and guitars. I especially love the closing section, which features an exquisite guitar solo backed by huge sounding keyboards, and a pulsating rhythm section, before rocking out in mad fashion at the end. This is a track of many moods and is a fantastic listen.
They can also do more commercial, melodic prog very well, and I would particularly mention Downtown Skyline here, with its swirling keyboards, and upbeat rhythm. It would have made a good long single. Melodic also applies to Heaven Can Wait, which has at its heart a huge sound, mainly affected by some superlative, grand, keyboard work.
The contribution by all musicians is superb, and this is as about as tight knit an outfit as I have heard for many a year. I have Moonshine by Collage, a predecessor band, and the similarities are obvious, but, if anything, this band have brought a fresh focus to their obvious inspirations, in addition to this album having a much harder edge.
The highlight of the album, for me, is Don't Go Away In Silence, and this portrays that tight musicianship exceptionally well. Very low key, dark, almost sparse, but played and sung very well, especially the guitar. The solo bursts in the mid and end sections have to heard to be believed.
If you are a fan of acts such as Fish, Yes, Rush, King Crimson, Porcupine Tree, and Genesis (yes, the inspirations are that diverse), but also of material from bands such as Riverside, their fellow Poles, then you will find a lot to enjoy here.
Into The Night is a fine album. On the back of it, I have bought last year's album, and am looking forward to seeing how this band progress.
There is a lot of good stuff coming out of Poland - this is amongst the best. Highly recommended.
Porcupine Tree – Fear of a Blank Planet
A very difficult album to both rate and categorise, this is the latest studio release by Porcupine Tree, a band I fell for in a big way.
There are so many moods in this album, it's hard to start describing them. The opener is the title track, and can be best described as dark, with heavy riffs accompanying what sounds very much like Wilson being sampled on vocals. It's not my favourite track, but, as with all I've heard from the band, I think they are incapable of making bad music. It's just that they can make much better. This, to me, is somewhat rushed and not at all typical of Wilson's exceptional vocal talents at all. That said, I do enjoy the last couple of minutes when the heavy riffs die away to an almost ethereal keyboard backing Wilson in more thoughtful mode.
This leads into My Ashes, which is quite fantastic. The keyboards on the start of this and the end of the title track are almost Floydian, but when Wilson launches into the chorus, backed up by wonderfully arranged strings, you know you are in the company of genius. Very much keeping with a dark, almost mournful, tone, this is a highlight of my collection.
Anesthetize is the longest track on the album, clocking in at over 17 minutes. It's nice to hear Alex Lifeson, one of my favourite guitarists, guesting on this track. His solo is a highlight of the album. I love Harrison's drumming on this track, which certainly provide a fine backdrop to the, again, almost mournful Wilson vocals and other instruments at the start, before the track explodes into a rich, heavy scene, before quietening down again. The mood changes are incredible. Thoughtful in the first segment, heavy and fast in the second, and mellow and sad in the third. At first listen, the end segment seems repetitive, then after a few listens you learn to lose yourself in the utter beauty of it all. A great track.
Sentimental is mellow, with a quiet and thoughtful piano accompanying Wilson's vocals and a stunning guitar lead, which are quite lovely. Special mention again to Harrison for some fine drum work. I really love the end keyboard and piano mood.
Way Out of Here follows. The great Mr Fripp guests on this. It starts off very quiet and thoughtful, and again quite melancholic in its mood. Then, some two minutes in, the riffs explode, and the track evolves into one of the album's heaviest, both in terms of sound and mood. Very bleak, especially the riff about halfway through leading to a repetition of the dark chorus, before the track concludes with Fripp inspired sounds, accompanied by an incredible Colin Edwin bass piece.
Sleep Together concludes the album. Again, the mood swings are very noticeable. Starting off quietly, with more Wilson vocals that verge on the introspective, again very much sampled, the track then explodes again with heavy riffs with some excellent Barbieri keyboards. These are very much to the fore as the track concludes, possibly for a couple of minutes too long, but still effective for all of that.
Porcupine Tree are sometimes described as a Wilson vehicle. I think the man is exceptionally talented, but this album absolutely demonstrates that he has a magnificent bunch of musicians accompanying him.
At times bleak, very moody, but always very good, with some fantastic production, this is a great piece of work. Original and inspiring, even in its darkest moments, of which there are many, this is an excellent addition to any collection.
This is not a true prog album, but it is a fine musical treat, especially at Christmas time. I had it brought for me at 2007 Christmas, and we all enjoyed listening. The album certainly highlights what a fine vocalist Squire is in his own right - Run with The Fox (easily the most recognisable prog track) is fantastic and has attracted quite a bit of UK radio airplay.
The album does what it says on the tin - a collection of mainly Christmas songs arranged, with a distinct rock twist, with Swiss Choral choirs, except there is no Swiss choral choir on it!
Steve Hackett is the most recognisable and distinct guest on the album, and I can't wait for their next promised collaboration.
You will likely only get this LP out at Christmas, aside from Run with The Fox, but you will be rewarded with an enjoyable collection of songs and arrangements from one of the finest musicians of his or any other generation.
Fun!