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Ratings:
The * rating (½-5) is my personal, entirely subjective and completely partisan rating of the music.
There is, of course, no 'Tron rating.
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Observator de un Uni-verso (1999, 45.37) **½Observador del Universo ILuz, Asombro, Obscuridad Cascada ¿Es Hora? Retorno a Kadiem Kiñe We Mapu Ta Ñi Yalalun Observador del Universo II |
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To be honest, this review of Daltonia's first album, 1999's Observator de un Uni-verso (they belated followed it with 2007's Fragmentos de un Viaje), will be less than glowing; I'm all for bands in all corners of the world trying their hand at this prog thing, but I'm afraid Daltonia simply aren't that good at it. In fairness, and going by my * rating above, they're not utterly horrendous, but the album's generic and lacking in any memorable songwriting, and many of the tracks go on for a geological epoch or two too long. Their style is loosely 'modern prog', with a heaviness on the guitar front that has crept into the genre over the last couple of decades or so, with a dollop of neo-prog stylings. The vocals are spoken, which is the one thing about this record that smacks of any sort of originality, although I suspect that it's more out of necessity than choice.
Cristian Céspedes Bascuñán plays keyboards, but apart from a short part in ¿Es Hora?, it's all digital synths, with some truly horrific sampled choir in places. The one diversion from this is in the aforementioned track, where he plays a sampled 'Tron string part for a minute or so. Do I know it's sampled? Well, Mellotrons are in pretty short supply in South America generally (read: none until recently), never mind Chile specifically, and, er, they sound like samples. Anyway, this one's more for the rabid prog completist than the casual listener, and I'm not sure I'd even recommend it to the genre fetishist.
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UnonoU (2008, 54.53) ***½UnonoUWhere Beauty & Terror Dance The Emerald Snow of Sleep A High or a Low Spinning Temple Shifting Down From a Cloud, Up From the Ground One Mind Gone Separate Ways |
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Danava are a 'prog metal' band who actually sound (mostly) like themselves, and nothing like all the other bands, who all sound exactly the same anyway, as far as I can tell. UnonoU is their second album, and probably actually fits more in to the 'epic hard rock' non-category than the prog metal one, with a distinct (and merciful) lack of screaming vocals, widdling guitars and, well, widdling everything else. I'm not saying the material's top drawer - it isn't - but it ain't bad, and I suspect, given time, they'll turn into a good little band eventually.
Although there are vaguely Mellotron-like strings on several tracks, closing epic One Mind Gone Separate Ways is the only definite use, and it is definite, with a horribly stretched high note at one point. The track itself is quite outrageous, too; how can you rip Zeppelin's Achilles' Last Stand so openly and get away with it? Anyway, not a bad record, if no classic, with some excellent moments. Worth a punt.
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Old Growth (2008, 50.38) *** |
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| Ain't Got Nothing (to Go Wrong) Between Me and the Ground What Needs Must Be Down Here 'Till Kingdom Come I'm Gone Seven Seers The Great Deceiver |
The Queen of All Returns Keep on Walking Hard People/Hard Times Either Way |
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Dead Meadow would probably like people to think of them as 'guitar-driven psych', although 'slightly psychedelic indie' might be closer to the mark. OK, there are tracks on their fifth album, 2008's Old Growth, with a psychedelic edge, but more often than not, they just limp along in an aimless kind of way (The Great Deceiver is typical). It's not all bad, but it's mostly rather average, unfortunately.
Rob Campanella's Mellotron strings open 'Till Kingdom Come, reiterating throughout the song, although with an attack like that, they have to be sampled. In fairness, they don't actually put 'Mellotron' in the credits, so we'll let 'em off. This time. Overall, then, really not that exciting, although probably OK to have playing in the background. Damning with faint praise?
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August in the Urals (2006, 71.03) ***½Inaugural BashAugust in the Urals Abandoned Mansion Afternoon A Squirrel The Solitude of Miranda |
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The Form of the Good (2009, 53.53) ****Before the Common EraThe Tree Factory Common Era Caveman Aggrandizement The Form of the Good |
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The oddly-named Deluge Grander have risen from the ashes of the Maryland-based Cerebus Effect, presumably with the intention of moving away from the fusion area. I have to say that they've achieved this with aplomb, producing, in August in the Urals, a full-on progressive album, although like so many modern efforts, a little editing may have been a good move. They wear their influences on their collective sleeves, with Genesis coming high on the list, although I definitely spotted some Happy the Man in places, particularly on opener Inaugural Bash. They're at their best when playing instrumentally, which is where (say) the exceedingly long Inaugural Bash wins out over the still quite long title track. Some nice (real?) Clavinet work on A Squirrel livens the piece up, although vocals are definitely not the band's strong suit.
Keyboard/guitar (and sometime vocal) man Dan Britton has told me that although they use Mellotron samples liberally, they're taken from an actual machine, rather than being third-party efforts from the M-Tron or whatever. They mostly sound very good, I have to say, with the usual strings/choirs/flutes being smeared over much of the album's length - this would probably be a TTTT effort, were it applicable. So, a pretty good modern prog effort, without any obvious neo- stylings (hurrah!); I suspect their second effort will sound more cohesive, and will probably be written over a shorter period of time. Not bad at all.
Three years on, and they're at it again, with The Form of the Good. Have they raised the bar? I think so, yes. The vocals are almost gone (hurrah!), and a Yes influence seems to have crept in from somewhere, but given some of the crud they could have been listening to... The album's intensity ratings are up all round, too, with some truly cataclysmic climaxes to be heard; makes me quite glad I'm listening to this on small speakers... Not all that much fakeotron this time round, maybe surprisingly; possibly a TT½, were it relevant. All in all, chaps, an excellent little prog album with only one completely monster track, and even that doesn't outstay its welcome. Splendid.
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Midnight of Hope (2000, 53.27) *½ |
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| On These Raging Streets What Kind of Church Fifty Years From Now As Far as My Heart Can See Why Do You Love Me This Heart of Mine At the Cross Remember Me |
Plastic Paradise Midnight of Hope Forgiveness Labor of Love |
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Andy Denton was vocalist with Christian AOR also-rans Ruscha (told you they were also-rans), then with breakaway faction Legend/Legend Seven, so we're not exactly talking 'Wembley headliners' here, unless it's the Wembley Dog & Duck (which may possibly be rhyming slang). For some reason, this gave Denton the idea that he could have a solo career, releasing the gospelly-inclined Midnight of Hope in 2000. So, let's see: Christian (I prefer 'Xian', 'cos it sounds like the aliens in a particularly schlocky SF series), AOR, ego. Not a promising mixture, eh? Correct. The album's horrible, veering between soft AOR (On These Raging Streets, As Far As My Heart Can See), vaguely funky AOR (At The Cross, Forgiveness) and the expected slushy ballads (Fifty Years From Now, Remember Me, nearly everything else). Lyrically, it's exactly what you'd expect, preaching to the converted. Oh, and me, but it's wasting its time there. The title track's especially obnoxious on this front, but they're all pretty grim.
I was hoping that the album's Mellotron sighting would prove to be erroneous, so I wouldn't have to write this guff, but there's a repeating flute part on Plastic Paradise which initially sounds like a 'Tron, but seems far too, I dunno, 'steady' to be the real thing, not to mentioned its uncredited status (most Mellotron users these days are keen to advertise the fact). All in all, then, a very nasty record with a little fake Mellotron. Please don't.
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Hand it Over (1997, 48.11) *** |
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| I Don't Think Never Bought it Nothin's Goin' on I'm Insane Can't We Move This Alone Sure Not Over You Loaded |
Mick I Know Yer Insane Gettin' Rough Gotta Know |
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Dinosaur Jr used a Mellotron a couple of times in the early '90s, after their supposed heyday, so I wasn't entirely surprised to read that there might be one on 1997's Hand it Over, despite the lack of any specific credit. The album seems to be Dinosaur Jr-by-numbers; perfectly competent Neil Young/Hüsker Dü-influenced tuneful post-hardcore, but despite the occasional use of unusual instrumentation (notably the solo trumpet on I'm Insane), somehow it never really catches fire, existing in a twilight world of J Mascis' own creation, where the normal rules of physics don't apply, and entropy as a concept no longer exists. Best track? Probably the lengthy, jammed-out Alone, where Mascis finally perfects his Like A Hurricane guitar tone, although his playing (intentionally?) lacks Neil's total wig-out quality.
Potential 'Mellotron' on a couple of tracks, with a repeating flute line in Never Bought It and very Mellotronic string chords in Can't We Move This, but the giveaway is in the closing seconds of the former, where the sustained flute note over the fade lasts too long, and you can actually hear the loop point. Ouch. Overall, though, a passable album which probably sounds better to non-fans than to fans, who will always compare it unfavourably with their early work.
See: Dinosaur Jr
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A Night for Baku (2003, 59.56) ****Dream PortalHungry Ghost Chimera Moon Heads of Ni-Oh Scary Circus The Falafel King Sexy Beast Ukab Maerd The Red Thread |
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Djam Karet's 2003 album, A Night for Baku, doesn't actually credit 'Tron, and I've had it confirmed by the band that it's samples. It seems to be slightly more reflective than most of their work, particularly opener Dream Portal, which reminds one more of Pink Floyd than anything. As for the sampled 'Tron, it isn't overused, as usual with the band; strings on opening and closing tracks Dream Portal and The Red Thread, with rather unconvincing choirs on Hungry Ghost and Chimera Moon, particularly on the latter. So; another excellent album; are these guys incapable of playing badly?
See: Djam Karet
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Reflections (2009, 40.41) **** |
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| Yule Frozen Winter Gone Spring Mayfly Over Pendle Water (Part One) Mayfly Over Pendle Water (Part Two) Lazy Summer Flame September (For Karen) |
Fern Angelus Winter Gone Spring (alternate version) sometimes my head feels like this |
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Manir Donaghue is a British guitarist of my acquaintance, one of the uncountable number of excellent musicians unknown to the general public. He'll probably hate me for saying so, but he and everyone else involved with his debut album, Reflections are or have been intimately associated with the UK Genesis tribute scene: Manir has managed ReGenesis and played in the short-lived Strictly Banks, amongst other projects, his friend and mine, Mark Rae played in In the Cage and plays in the non-Genesis related Sanctuary Rig) and flautist Tony Patterson plays with various artists (ReGenesis, Nick Magnus, John Hackett). Unsurprisingly, Donaghue's style (acoustic and electric) is occasionally redolent of Steve Hackett, without copying him slavishly like, hmmm, many others I could name. The material is pastoral and very English; think: acoustic Hackett with more variety and you won't be a million miles off, although the album holds a surprise or two in store, not least the 'drumless powerful bit' in September (For Karen) and the synths in sometimes my head feels like this, and yes, it's meant to be in all lower case.
Rae plays Mellotron samples, with strings on Frozen, Mayfly Over Pendle Water (Part Two) and Flame, with flutes on Angelus, distinct from Patterson's real one; although he used my M400 on Sanctuary Rig's Khnosti, I'd imagine the recording schedule here prevented a repeat performance, sadly. The samples are good, but... Overall, then, a fine album that should appeal to both guitarists and those looking for the kind of gentle, pastoral album suitable for the end of a busy day, if that isn't too clichéd. Recommended, and available from Manir's website.
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Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (2002, 96.24) ***½ |
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| The Glass Prison Blind Faith Misunderstood The Great Debate Disappear Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence Overture About to Crash War Inside My Head |
The Test That Stumped Them All Goodnight Kiss Solitary Shell About to Crash (Reprise) Losing Time / Grand Finale |
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After their excellent Metropolis Pt.2: Scenes From a Memory (****½ - probably Dream Theater's most cohesive piece of work, despite its overindulgences), it's back to business as usual with their sixth full album, the lengthy double Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, which has more in common with the overblown Awake (***) than their better releases; far too many solos and far too few tunes, although it does have its moments. The Great Debate is not among them, however, being (seemingly) about embryo stem cell research, with plenty of spoken-word samples. It's difficult to tell what the band's stance actually is from the lyrics, though they seem to be sitting on the fence a little, which makes me wonder why they bothered. As many of our mothers have been known to say, "If you can't say anything pleasant, don't say anything at all".
I've been assured by Mike that the 'making of' video for the album shows third keyboardist Jordan Rudess (ex-Dixie Dregs) plonking away at a Kurzweil K2600xs while recording 'Mellotron' parts, those being so-so strings on Misunderstood and a choir part on Disappear; this doesn't actually surprise me in the slightest, but I hadn't previously had any firm evidence to back up my suspicions. The second disc is another concept piece, and I have to say, DT seem to work better in the long format; dunno why, but while this isn't as good as Scenes From a Memory, it's an awful lot better than anything on disc one. Plenty of choirs, too, though I don't think they're (pseudo-)Mellotron-generated, meaning the album has even less (fake) 'Tron than their other relevant release, Falling Into Infinity.
I'm assured there's a single 'Mellotron' track on their follow-up, the rather poor Train of Thought; I shall report back when I can be arsed to dig my copy out of storage.
See: Dream Theater
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Let's Go Do What Happens (1998, 54.14) ***½ |
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| My Own Reality Sunflowers Perfect Shape Crazy is a Pitstop Jonah Riding on the Back I '95 Crazy Little Heart of Mine |
Home in My Heart Whoever Brought Me Here Revolution Give Up Your Day Job |
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Cumbrian Francis Dunnery split It Bites at the peak of their success, moving on briefly to Robert Plant's band before kicking his solo career off with '94's Fearless. Let's Go Do What Happens was his fourth release, and I've never been wholly sure about its inclusion on this site, due to its multiple credits for 'Doug Petty and his probable Mellotron'. Upon finally hearing said instrument it turns out to be, of course, samples, with the biggest giveaway coming at the end of opener My Own Reality, with an overly smooth, way over eight-second string chord that doesn't sound anywhere near as gritty as a real 'Tron.
As far as the album itself's concerned, it's quite aggressive singer-songwriter fare, by and large, with Dunnery using the stage (so to speak) as a platform for him to air his many grievances about, ooh, just about everything. Mind you, it's difficult to fault the sentiments behind tracks like Revolution or Give Up Your Day Job; I did the latter a few years ago and never looked back, but not everyone can just pack it all in and still get by. So, don't buy this expecting any genuine 'Tron, but it's not a bad album, and the samples are pretty decent.
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Attack of the Martians (2004, 45.49) **** |
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| Star Power Sputnik Attack of the Martians Part 1: Flying Saucers & Little Green Men Part 2: The Face on Mars Part 3: Martians Everywhere! Forbidden Planet Part 1: The Arrival (Innocence Lost) Part 2: The Intruder |
Part 3: The Krell Part 4: The Tempest/The Departure The Enemy of My Enemy |
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Attack of the Martians is a great little album I was introduced to earlier this year (2004), probably not long after its release. Instrumental progressive rock that pulls no punches, has integrity and refuses to compromise; why can't more bands be like this? The band consists of bassist Bill Noland, his wife Madeleine on wind-controller and keys, Derek Roebuck on more keys and drummer Mark Cella (from Pye Fyte), with no guitar. Five lengthy and involved compositions, with plenty of (remember this one?) MELODY, although there are a few moments where you think "Haven't I heard that bit somewhere before?" That's being churlish, though; this is an excellent album that I can recommend to anyone into inventive progressive rock.
A quick e-mail was enough to confirm that the album's 'Mellotron' use is definitely fake (OK, so that's one compromise), although the strings are extremely convincing. The album opens with a solo string part, reprised later in the track, and there are several male-voice choir interjections later in the album, although those samples are less successful. Bill tells me they're hoping to use a friend's 'Tron on the next album. Go on, you know you want to... Anyway; buy now.
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Seven Principles of Leave No Trace (2003, 45.34) ***SecretsMuted Thunderstorms Rio Abajo Rio Like a Jewel Was He a Poet Shirts for Pennies Fiction Seven Principles of Leave No Trace Brooklyn Flowers |
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Edison Woods are probably best described as 'close neighbours of post-rock'; their drifting, melancholic material has things in common with that style, such as it is, but Julia Frodahl's vocals remind me more of a 'typical' 4AD band. 2003's Seven Principles of Leave No Trace is their second album; I've no idea how popular this was on its release, but I'm afraid I find it difficult to engage with this music. Online reviews use words like 'gorgeous' and 'rich', but all I hear is a rhythmless dirge, which probably says more about me than it does about the music.
Frodahl's credited with Mellotron, but the flutes on opener Secrets, alongside real cellos and the solo flute section that opens Was He A Poet sound terribly sampled to me; far too clean and precise for anything but a brand-new machine, and even then, I'd expect a bit more grit. So; one for miserable people with no friends who like to hear a bit of sampled Mellotron every now and again. Harsh? Moi?
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Psychics F.O. [EP] (1999, 13.22) ***Psychics F.O.Showstopper Let it Flow |
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Electric Music (later Electric Music AKA) were a London-based outfit, whose pre-first album EP, Psychics F.O., features (credited) 'Mellotron' on two tracks. Showstopper's strings sounds genuine enough, but the game's up on Let It Flow, where a repeating rising string line moves into munchkinned squeakiness by its final notes. Musically, the whole EP can probably best be described as 'wistful', which is a whole lot better than 'horrible indie', which is what they'd become by 2003's The Resurrection Show album. Actually, this EP's sample-exposure makes me wonder just how genuine the 'Tron is on said album... Probably no way of finding out, but it has to now be in doubt. As far as this is concerned, it's a pleasant enough listen, but really rather inessential.
See: Electric Music AKA
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Juggling 9 or Dropping 10 (2000, 64.24) **½ |
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| Paint the Picture Rough Draft What to Say Bite My Tongue Colors Fade Juggling Knives Black Eyes & Broken Glass Elyse |
Shell of a Man Broken Wave Traces Know That |
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Tug Of War (2003, 65.42/72.10) **½ |
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| Sinking Sand Tug of War Holding the Wind Beautiful Queen of the Informed Living in a Movie Long Way Down See No Evil |
Progtology Comatose [Some versions add: Below Zero (live)] |
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Enchant's debut album, 1995's A Blueprint of the World (***½) is actually rather good, being progressive metal without sounding too much like Dream Theater, although displaying a noticeable Rush influence. Sadly, it seems that their own sound has slowly been subsumed over the years into 'prog-metal by numbers', at least going by 2000's Juggling 9 or Dropping 10, which displays few signs of a band attempting to progress in any manner whatsoever. No, it's not all bad, but it's extremely derivative (the first notes of opener Paint The Picture are copped almost directly from Rush's Xanadu, of all things), overlong and, I'm afraid to say, rather dull, with the tracks merging into one long widdle-fest, with guitarist Doug Ott showing off a few too many times. 40 minutes of this might be just about acceptable; over an hour approaches torture. Oddly, the rather surprising Mellotron isn't played by keys man Mike Geimer, but by Ott and drummer Paul Craddick, with background strings on Bite My Tongue and something credited but entirely inaudible on Broken Wave. 'Strings' are credited on three tracks, too, but sound like real ones.
Two albums and three years later, Tug of War is, basically, more of the same, only fewer tracks spread over slightly more time, which is not a good thing. Far too many of Enchant's songs really don't have enough ideas to sustain their lengths, to be honest, although this album's best bits are generally better than Juggling 9's. I've also just realised: vocalist Ted Leonard's voice really grates after prolonged exposure - he sounds like he'd be just as happy in an AOR band; also not a good thing. New keyboard player Bill Jenkins doesn't get to play the 'Tron any more than his predecessor, with Doug Ott having another go on the naffly-titled Progtology on what are quite clearly rather poor 'Tron choir samples. 'Mellotron' indeed... As a result, I think it's more than likely that it's samples on Juggling 9, too, so that's where these are going.
So; two rather lacklustre albums, I'm afraid, although if you're into that prog metal thing, you may find them very listenable - certainly more so than Vanden Plas and their ilk. Dodgy 'Tron samples, too. Avoid.
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Monumension (2001, 59.40) ***½ |
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| Convoys to Nothingness The Voices Vision: Sphere of the Elements - A Monument Part II Hollow Inside The Cromlech Gate Enemy I |
Smirr Sleep: Floating Diversity - A Monument Part III Outro: Self Zero Sigmundskvadet |
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Below the Lights (2003, 46.21) ***½As Fire Swept Clean the EarthThe Dead Stare The Crossing Queen of Night Havenless Ridicule Swarm A Darker Place |
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Isa (2004, 51.07) *** |
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| Intro: "Green Reflection" Lunar Force Isa Ascension Bounded By Allegiance Biolet Dawning Return to Yggdrasill Secrets of the Flesh |
Reogenesis Outro: "Communion" (excerpt) |
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Enslaved seem to be yet another Scandinavian metal band who have discovered that it's more interesting to be interesting, keeping a foot in both the extreme and progressive metal camps, as have Opeth and Spiritual Beggars, amongst others. The end result of this cross-fertilisation is a slightly uneasy compromise between silly 'cookie monster' vocals (no, you don't sound 'scary') and other death metal clichés and complex, progressive riffery with refreshingly unusual song structures, although they're probably too heavy to appeal to your 'trad' prog fan.
I think Monumension is their sixth album, the band having been active through most of the '90s, and I believe it's the first to take this more progressive approach. There are no straightforward thrashers here, although they do slip into cliché territory every now and again. Most interesting track? Has to be closer Sigmundskvadet, which can only be described as, er, a Nordic tone poem with chanted vocals, 'tribal' drumming and octave guitar? Completely unique, anyway. Guest Dennis Reksten is credited with 'MiniMoog, vocoder, synths/effects', and the 'Mellotron' is apparently sampled, with flutes on Convoys To Nothingness, and strings on The Voices, Hollow Inside and Smirr, although none of it sounds that convincing, to be honest.
2003's Below the Lights carries on in a similar vein, unfortunately still featuring those rather silly vocals, although every bit as good musically. Opener As Fire Swept Clean The Earth actually opens with a 'Mellotron' string part, and heard solo like this, they're quite clearly samples, as can also be heard on Ridicule Swarm, sorting out the 'real/sample' debate for once and for all. The following year's Isa (would YOU name an album after a form of UK tax-free saving?), sadly, sounds like the band's 'fresh' approach is growing stale, with a plethora of pointless riffs blasting away like they were going out of fashion, but ultimately going nowhere fast. The only obvious 'Tron samples are the strings on Lunar Force, with most of the other string parts sounding like generic samples, all of which adds up to: if you're going to buy an Enslaved album, don't make it this one.
There's supposed to be another Enslaved 'Mellotron' album, 2006's Ruun, though I haven't heard it yet. Monumension is about the best of the above bunch, and is likely to appeal to the more adventurous prog and/or metal fan, who can deal with Enslaved's 'death' past. The Mellotron samples, however, are far from the most important thing about this album, so I really wouldn't bother on their account.
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Second Sephira Cella (2004, 69.26) *** |
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| Entrance to the Ancient Flame To Enter the Tower of Shadows Rule of Utukagaba Refulgent Splendour Sephira Tephirot Miss Over Masshu Sixth Throne of Asaru Fashioning the Winds of 7 |
He Who Makes the Name of Masshu Abundant Where the Watchers Mourn Nindinugga Nimshimshargal Enlillara Reflection of the Last Rays of the Moon |
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Seemingly named for a Bathory 'song', Equimanthorn roots lie in the world of extreme metal, although what they do has progressed so far down that path that it's evolved out of the metal genre entirely. Their third album, Second Sephira Cella, is an intensely gothic work, without actually being 'goth', heavily influenced by Dead Can Dance, not least in the use of what sounds like a hammer dulcimer. More electronic than metal, singing isn't an issue here, all vocals being either chanted or intoned, while the instrumentation tends to be either modern synths or devices with their roots in the Middle East. Are you getting the picture? It's a shame the band seem determined to go for the 'Norwegian church burner' look, as it's bound to put potential non-metallic audience members off; at least they've dropped the corpsepaint... incidentally, every track title features a (sometimes lengthy) subtitle in parentheses, dropped here for the sake of brevity and common sense.
"Emperor Proscriptor Magikus" allegedly plays Mellotron and VCS3 (misspelt 'VC3' on the sleeve), amongst other devices, but what little 'Mellotron' appears on the album sounds somewhat sampled to my ears, with naught but a few string chords near the end of Refulgent Splendour (7 Conquerors And Their Multitude Part II). So; definitely interesting, certainly compared to the landfill's-worth of mainstream crud I seem to get through every few days, although also definitely not for everyone. Next to no 'Mellotron', either way.
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Au-Delà des Ombres (2002, 46.10) ****La Course aux PapillonsLa Traversée La Rose de Stalingrad Infantes Mille Couleurs Au-Delà des Ombres Ardeur Ternie |
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Ère G are the brainchild of Robin Gaudreault, who plays just about everything, drums excepted, on his debut album, Au-Delà des Ombres. By and large, he's influenced by '70s progressive outfits from his region (Harmonium, Morse Code et al.), although bits of neo-prog leak through occasionally and disconcertingly. Overall, though, the album's excellent, with inventive song structures and unexpected melodic interjections; what more could you ask for?
I was actually fooled by the 'Tron samples (no!), until I read that he uses the M-Tron plug-in; very good at what it does, and holds up well without being buried in the mix, but there are plenty of working 'Trons in Québec... Anyway, recommended, but can we have some real 'Tron next time round, M.Gaudreault?
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Tales of Ardour & Deceit (2003, 59.38) **** |
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| The Song of Marsh Stig Premonition Deceit Despair Outlaw Songs Kentish Suite The Lady of Castela Inês de Castro Dom Pedro |
Lament The Ghost of Yang pt.I Ardour Nepotism War and Escape The Exit The Ghost of Yang pt.II |
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Etcetera (not to be confused with Québecois Et Cetera)'s second album, Tales of Ardour & Deceit, is a damn' good slice of post-millennial prog, mostly influenced by the '70s 'greats'; Songs has a distinct Gentle Giant feel to it, and the overall vibe is of a classy first-wave outfit with the odd modern bit thrown in to keep you on your toes. Much of the material's instrumental, although the vocal stuff's fine, too, and the instrumental work is excellent throughout. The band boast that they're 'the only active progressive rock unit in Denmark, as far as they know', to which I can say; almost the only full-on symphonic outfit I've ever heard from that country, although I don't know what Zaragon sound like.
Frank Carvalho plays guitar and keys (the band are only a trio), so I'm not sure how thay manage live, but he gets a fair bit of 'Tron samples (although he owns an M400) down here. Most of the 'Tron work is strings, with particularly fine work on Lament and The Exit, but there's a brief flute part in Kentish Suite and some coruscating choirs on The Ghost Of Yang Pt.I, too. Frank promises he's going to use his real M400 next time round, but until then...
