Discography

Douar Nevez (77) Allex Dire a La Ville (78) The Earth's Lament (79) Acoustic (83) Musiques Pour Les Silences a Venir (85)

Reviews

French guitarist that loosely ties in with the Magma school (Widemann, Moze and Fouquet play on a lot of his albums), although his albums sound nothing like Magma. His early stuff like Douar Nevez and Allez Dire A La Ville are quite unique, while his more recent stuff like Acoustic and Musique Pour Le Silences a Venir seem more folk and Celtic influenced. Everything I've heard by him is great one way or another.

This guy is a fine guitarist, whose fretwork has graced recordings by Alan Stivell and the Fairport Convention. I own his first two solo efforts (Douar Nevez and Allez Dire a La Ville) which are a bit of a mixed bag. Most of the players (e.g. Benoit Widemann) on both of these are also associated with the great French band Magma, and they provide skillful, funky and interesting backup to Ar Bras' guitar and gruff, folkie vocals (in French). About 3 to 5 cuts on each of these records are instrumental and have a pleasantly aggressive jazzy fusion feel. Overall, I'd say both records are unique and very successful, but more rewarding for people interested in folk-oriented music. Sadly, Musiques Pour Les Silences a Venir sounded to me like very lame folk/New Age music with a vague Celtic pastiche, similar to the work of Alan Stivell, but nowhere near as interesting. -- Dave Wayne

Discography

Arachnoid (79) (ProgressoR review)

Reviews

Maybe the very best of the French one-shots, Arachnoid's 1979 self-titled album is a masterpiece, brimming over in intensity and plain good taste. Very Crimsonesque, and often symphonic, yet not in the normally associated way, the album is extremely original and likeable, with a full sound not normally associated with the French. A must!

One-shot French band from around 1976, heavily influenced by mid-period Crimson, yet still uniquely french sounding, instrumental with dual keys and blistering guitar, sometimes very strange and unique sounding, but overall it's nothing to write home about.

Ha, this is distinctly French, developed kind of mellowness. Mixture between Ange and KC? Maybe. Although it doesn' t sound all that mellow, but that's because here one can hear more dissonances than on all GG's and KC middle period albums together. Superb stuff. It's fairly dissonant but on the softer side. Sometimes I can imagine "I Talk to the Wind" with tritonuses would sound like that. Great!!!! Through and through progressive and unique, much better than other french bands. Hard to define, perhaps blending of early and middle period KC with Bartok or Stravinsky in a very wide environment. Sometimes it sounds very dark, almost like Univers Zero. I tried it with space cookies, but not succeeded to put it through. (What would happen if I'd tried Univers Zero?) Highly recommended for all adventurous progsters. -- Nenad Kobal

Discography

Live at the Quasimodo (81) others

Reviews

Arakontis is a Berlin-based, rather nondescript, funky fusion band with rock leanings led by guitarist Michael "Willy" Wilke. Others on Live at the Quasimodo include 2nd guitarist Dieter Anker, Gerard Batyra (bass), Andreas Hommelsheim (piano, keyboards), Lutz Hafler (drums) and percussionists Tommy Goldschmidt and Michael Tybus. The only familiar name to me is Goldschmidt, who also percussed in the last edition of the Release Music Orchestra, and in Supersession (a jazz-rock big band active during the early 1980s). On Live at the Quasimodo, Arakontis is captured live on New Year's Day, 1981. The first track here is a dedication to Geroge Benson, and sounds like something off of his Breezin' LP. Fortunately, the rest of Live at the Quasimodo isn't nearly so lame - in fact most of it is OK, albeit somewhat inferior to similar German fusion bands of the time, such as Virgo, Aera, and the Release Music Orchestra. Actually, one of the pieces reminded me a bit of Pekka Pohjola's later, less complicated stuff (e.g. Urban Tango), and another 2 had me thinking of those Janne Schaffer LPs that got released in the US during the late 1970s. Bassist Batyra reinforces the Pohjola comparison with his excellent playing - he's possibly the band's strongest improvisor. Wilke is a pretty good jazz guitarist with heavy blues and rock leanings and a trebly, rough-hewn sound (Carlos Santana is a big favorite of his, evidently). Keyboardist Hommelsheim is an OK soloist in a pastoral, bluesy Bruce Hornsby-like mode, except when he hops on the mini-Moog for a few choruses. I like the fact that he eschews string synths entirely. This one's for fusion nuts only. -- Dave Wayne

Links

[See Release Music Orchestra]

Discography

Don't Bring The Rain (88, Vinyl) Don't Bring The Rain (90, Re-release on CD w/ 3 extra tracks) The Meeting (92, Act 5 of Mouse) Rocking Horse (92, recorded 89) Mouse (95, Acts 1-4) Mr. Angel (98) Mouse (99, 2 CD set re-release which includes both Mouse and The Meeting as a complete set)

Reviews

They only have one release, Don't Bring the Rain, of which I am aware, and it is quite good. It is gothic in places, and the songwriting seems very mature for a first album. One problem: lack of a drummer. Most of the percussion is programmed and serves the purpose of keeping the rhythm only. The singer does take some getting used to, but it is not too much of a problem. He vaguely resembles the vocal style of Midnight Oil's singer in "Beds are Burning."

The music is pretty good, but I really can't stand the singer. I might be able to get used to him over time, but I'm probably not willing to spend the money to take the chance. Musically along the lines of Marillion, Genesis, etc..

Australian. Their only release, Don't Bring the Rain, is great. Very much like Marillion with Rush vocals, I think. Intelligent lyrics, strong music, despite the fact that they often make use of a drum machine. Recommended to fans of neo-progressive.

Nothing terribly interesting but I like it anyway. The keyboardist and vocalist are the redeeming qualities, while the guitarist absolutely sucks. This one's ok, but there are better bands to spend your money on.

Another Marillion wannabee with a truly nauseating vocalist. Aragon are an Australian fiasco that only barely sound like a progressive band, and along with the poppish drum machine sound, makes me absolutely cringe. Only for the UNadventurous, and for those who would settle for mediocrity in music.

Overall these guys come off reminding me a cross between Marillion and Rush, although the singer is *much* more powerful than fish in raw gut-felt emotion. The music is carried by strong guitar and keyboards, which are generally strong enough to cover up the programmed bass and unimaginative drumming. This all based on their 1988 release Don't Bring On The Rain. I haven't heard the new stuff yet.

I was looking forward to hearing this band, since they are still around. However, I wasn't impressed. I wouldn't call their music "progressive rock" in the same vein as ELP, Gentle Giant, and so on. Their style is more like Yes's late albums like 90125: a little more thought-out than straight "pop," but not much substance. "For Your Eyes" has a vocal melody reminiscent of Rush's melodies, sung in a style similar to Fish of Marillion. (Perhaps this similarity was intentional.) The vocalist has a high range but is not in complete control of his pitch. The chord patterns are cliched, and there are no solos to speak of. The drums are interesting but sound like a machine. (Maybe it IS a machine?) I heard only an excerpt (5 minutes) from "The Crucifixion." It has a lot of drones and simple, block chords. The soloing is minimal at best - listen for 2 measures, and you've heard everything the solo has to offer. I found the vocals annoying. In conclusion: the music was better than typical "pop," but it did not hold my interest.

Their music combines the influences of Genesis and Marillion with a tilt towards the latter, and they are certain to be one of the bands carrying the torch of progressive rock into the nineties. Rocking Horse is the long-awaited second release from Aragon, the Australian neo- progressive band, whose first release, Don't Bring The Rain was pretty well received. This is more along the same, Marillion-influenced, lines, with a 20-minute title track, with echoes of "Crucifixion" from their debut. Les Dougan's voice is a bit more subdued on this release, which will probably be regarded as an improvement by many, but, musically, this is on par with any other eighties progressive band, with a little more bite than contemporaries such as Pendragon, Casino, etc. The other tracks are a bit more spare and atmospheric, and include long instrumental interludes, composed around keyboards and percussion. The recording quality on this release is not quite as pristine as might be expected, and this is explained with the following sleeve- note "All songs ... were originally intended for demo release and therefore the recording quality may not be upto our usual standard. We nevertheless hope that you like the moods and atmospheres of the songs and that you will listen to them in the spirit in which they were conceived.."

Links

Click here for Aragon's web site Click here for CDistributions home page. Click on the LaBrad'or icon when you get inside.

Discography

Influencias (82) Quando a Sorte Te Solta Um Cisne Na Noite (82) Entre Um Silencio E Outro (83) Lucas (84)

Reviews

Araújo was totally unknown to me until I bought this LP online, on a whim (how many times has this happened to you?). Unfortunately, the insert with the personnel information is missing from my copy, so I am left to guess who plays what on this all-instrumental Brazilian progressive rock (not jazz, not fusion) LP [See following entry. -Ed.]. I believe Araújo is a guitarist, and his band (Grupo Mantra) includes bassist Zeca Assumpçâo (I recognize him from the band photo on the back - Zeca is best known for his work with Egberto Gismonti from the mid-80s to the present). Flute, drums and percussion also figure prominently on Influencias, and most of the 6 long tracks have rather elaborate horn and string arrangements. Araújo is a decent guitarist with some stylistic similarities to Mike Oldfield (on electric). Oddly enough, he's also got strong country and blues affinities - to that end, he plays a lot of acoustic guitar and even picks up the slide on a track or 2. It's hard to pigeonhole Araújo's music, but it's definitely not jazz or fusion or anything like that. His heavy reliance on simple melodies, elaborate arrangements, flutes and guitars (he uses few, if any, keyboards) will remind some of of Jethro Tull. Araújo's preference for American country influences is certainly not Tull-like, however. Also strangely absent are references to Brazil's distinct musical heritage. There's a "latin" feel to this, but it's more Euro-Latin than American-Latin. Though the music on Influencias is by and large too "symphonic" for my tastes (I am a die-hard jazz / fusion / RIO fan), even I have to admit there are some quite inspired moments here. Araújo has a few other LPs out - I've seen them coasting around on the Internet from time to time - but I wasn't sufficiently enthralled by Influencias to pick them up. -- Dave Wayne

Some informations about Marco Antonio Araujo - Influencias (reviewed by Dave Wayne): The musicians are: Marco Antonio Araujo (acoustic guitar, slide guitar and percussion), Alexandre Araujo (electric guitars), Eduardo Delgado (flute and percussion), Antonio Viola (cello), Ivan Correa (bass) and Mario Castelo (drums). -- Paulo Cunha

Discography

Andra lp (71) Arbete och Fritid (73) Ur Spar (74) Se Upp För Livet (76) ... Sen Dansar Vi Ut (77) Håll Andan (79) others?

Reviews

Incredibly eclectic and strange avant-rock band from Sweden. From what I can surmise, their lyrics are quite politically charged. But it's hard to surmise much when you don't understand Swedish. At any rate, Arbete och Fritid ain't gonna win many fans over from the Genesis / Marillion side of the prog rock continuum! They do, however, show some affinities with the RIO style of progressive rock. Several of Arbete's members were previously in groundbreaking Swedish psychedelic ensembles of the late 60s, such as Träd Gräs och Stenar (Trees, Grass and Stones) and International Harvester. The arty, noisy, avant-garde leanings of those bands are expanded and developed further by Arbete och Fritid. The first, eponymous LP is rather heavy on the Swedish Folk Music tip - 5 of the LP's 10 tracks are credited to "trad. arr.". About half of the LP is instrumental as well - and the vocals are a bit odd and are kept to a minimum. None of this is as experimental and flat-out weird as their subsequent recordings (no electronics at all), but this ain't no rock'n'roll LP for the most part (though they do a primitive-psych freakout thing on Side 2). It's all quite well done, the playing is spirited throughout and their choice of material is quite good. There's lots of trumpet and saxophone which, as a jazz fan, I really liked. I especially enjoyed the last section of "The European Way", which sounds like Ornette Coleman and Don Cherry jamming on a traditional Lithuanian folk tune. On most of the other pieces, they don't really 'jazz up' the folk tunes - preferring to play them straight (rather like Kebnekaise did, only with horns and violins instead of electric guitars). Like many of the underground Scandinavian LPs I've seen, the personnel and instrumentation is listed separately. So, you know who is on the LP and what instruments are played, but not who plays what instrument. The instrumentation is largely acoustic, and dominated by trumpet, saxophones, flute, violin, drums / percussion, and cello. Typical rock instruments such as bass, guitars, piano, and organ appear on one or two tracks only. The personnel are: Tord Bengtsson, Torsten Eckerman, Ove Karlssen, Roland Keijser and Bosse Skoglund. The only name I recognize is Skoglund - he's a drummer / percussionist who went on to play with Bo Hansson, Archimedes Badkar, Christer Bothen, and Bengt Berger. Karlsson and Bengtsson are multi-instrumentalists who sing and play violin, drums, accordion, cello, guitar, and keys on the group's subsequent LPs. As much as I like this LP, I must say that you have to have a yen for warped folk music to really appreciate it. Prior exposure to the music of Samla Mammas Manna helps a little. If Tom Waits came over for dinner, I'd play this LP for him. The group's third LP (I believe) is a two LP set titled Se Upp! För Livet ("Look Out! For Life"). It comes with a booklet and an elaborate gatefold cover. The cover art will grab your attention: it's a collage of cartoons, X-rated photos, movie stills, family snapshots, and news photos. Just looking at it, you know they are making an anti-corporate political statement! To which I say: "Bravo!" The booklet contains lyrics, plus more photos and commentaries (lyrics & commentaries in Swedish). The band's personnel had changed considerably - only Bengtsson and Karlsson remain from the first LP. New members include bassist Torbjörn Abelli, multi-instrumentalist Thomas Mera Gartz (both formerly in International Harvester and Träd Gräs och Stenar), Ulf Lauthers and Jan Zetterquist. The instrument list includes the same flutes, violin, cello, and various hand percussions found on their first LP. However, electric bass, guitar, tone generator and "explosion motor" are quite a bit more prominent in the mix. Each side of the 2 LP set is completely different. There is something here to please, and piss off, everyone. The first track on side 1, "Födelsemusik", is a 16+ minute-long epic slab of ecstatically quivering psych-improv, absolutely nothing like the first LP. The rest of the side continues in a similar zonked-out vein, only using ethnic / acoustic instruments until a darkly malevolent drone and some very strange vocals seep in. Side 2 contains 7 short tracks each in a completely different style. There's scratchy trad-folk, fake easy-listening pop (like Chad & Jeremy), acoustic folk-rock, primitive techno-minimalist electronics with chanted vocals (rather Kraut-sounding!), fake stripper music with some guy talking about sex in a funny voice, weird spaced-out electronics / drones with whispered recitation, and another folk-rock track. All of Side 2 is quite a disappointment compared to Side 1! The rest of the 2-LP set is similar, albeit a bit more palatable from a prog / psych point of view. Arbete attempts styles as diverse as punk rock, doo-wop (sorta), straight trad-folk, and warped trad-folk. Only the latter works for me. Fortunately, there are substantial interludes of Space Music on Sides 3 and 4. The best are two 8+ minute-long tracks that blend environmental sounds, distorted guitars and heavily echoed cello and violin with insistent and/or crashing drums and bass. Pretty amazing that this sort of music was still being made in 1976! I am sure there's A Message that I am missing out on here as a non-Swedish speaking person. Even so, I find the group's style-burning and eclecticism on this LP rather tiring. What makes Se Upp! För Livet so frustrating is the fact that their truly experimental music is so wonderful - the rest of it (except for the trad-folk stuff) just seems like a cabaret act performing throwaway music - done without flair or conviction. This is a classic example of an OK 2-LP set that would have made a wonderful single LP (e.g., all of Side 1 and the 2 long psychedelic tracks on Sides 3 and 4). The core of the band (Gartz, Abelli, Bengtsson and Karlsson) remained intact for Håll Andan. Jazz saxophonist Ulf Artan Wallander is a significant guest throughout (his playing is excellent, by the way!). Håll Andan is similar in concept to Se Upp ..., but so much more fun to listen to (despite Se Upp's intermittent greatness). Arbete's stock-in-trade remains weird folk and shambling psychy improv. Here, the band's execution of the novelty / eclectic material is much better - "Harmageddon Boogie" is totally plausible as a Louis Jordan-styled jump tune, albeit with political lyrics in Swedish. They also do a Stones-sounding folk-rock thing ("Kopparna På Bordet") with real skill and conviction - it's a good listen (particularly Wallander's sax work)! Previously, only the trad-folk stuff got this sort of respect from the band. Another new development is the tendency to shift styles within a single piece. One track has some startlingly Zorn-like shifts. "Jag Föddes En Dag" starts out as a steamroller of a punk tune (these guys love punk-rock!) that shifts abruptly (by means of a car crash) into a free jazz segment, which then warps into creepy droning ring-modulated guitars, gentle saxophone, and buzing cello. There's also a lovely Popol Vuh-like meditative piece ("Dorisk Dron"), and a thunderously rocking psych-instrumental ("Thulcandra") that could be Arbete's answer to surf music. The purely experimental stuff here is also first rate - "Kalvdans" would have the guys from Can hot with envy! Of the 3 LPs I own by Arbete och Fritid, Håll Andan is easily my favorite. It's also very unlike everything else that was going on in 1979. Essential!! I am not sure when, or if, Arbete och Fritd broke up. Ove Karlsson and Ulf Wallander formed a mindblowingly wonderful band called Nya Ljudbolaget with percussionist Hasse Bruniusson (Samla Mammas Manna) and trumpeter Karl-Erik Eriksson (Ramlosa Kvallar). Thomas Mera Gartz recorded several solo LPs and is now a revered figure in Swedish underground rock circles. -- Dave Wayne

Maquette (80)

Similar to Ange, Mona Lisa, or Synopsis ... lots of vocals and keyboards.

Discography

Breathe Awhile (69)

Reviews

Formed in mid-1969,a very early prog group. They made an album and a single before splitting. Both became incredibly rare, but Repertoire has reissued Breathe Awhile with the single tracks as bonuses-effectively the group's collected works. Very heavy and atmospheric hard-rocking stuff, with lots of organ and 12-string acoustic guitar. Breathe Awhile is described as being "full of anguish and despair, even in the quieter moments" but the anguish and despair is almost never strong, and quiet moments are rare. The group is a lot like Led Zepplin, the album is a non-stop roller coaster of speed and agression with no relief, the few and fleeting slow parts are only build-ups to the fast parts, and utter lack of contrast causes what little emotion is sprinkled throughout to sound bland, worn out by never-ending attempts to thrill. Breathe Awhile is one over-sized finale with no beginning nor epilogue, and worthwhile only for those who like continuously agressive and climactic music. Either a great group that didn't fulfil their potential or a bad group that made a fair album. The latter seems most likely, as the playing (especially the vocals) is too pompous. In particular, the frightfully incessant and astoundingly arrogant "Woman of a Thousand Years" is one of the worst prog tunes ever: brainless organ beats behind Robert Plant-style vocals and preachy lyrics, broken by a choral singing of the title. How pretentious can you get? In contrast, the 10-minute "Birth, Life and Death" opens with 6 minutes of crafty and glorious instrumentation (Birth). The vocal period (Life) mourns human life as a simple game of limited choice, then climaxes with a choral chant (Death). If you have nothing better to buy, get this album and try listening to this song first; it's by far their best, but its impact is deflated by the fact that most of the album is climactic. The single A-side, "Sing My Song", is filled with lonely organ,gentle guitar, and some striking riffs. The B-side, "Riding Alone", is similar but better, though brief. -- Robert Orme

Marron Dingue (79)

French progressive.

Discography

Four Daisies (88) Still Searching (90) Normality of Perversion (94)

Reviews

A rather boring neo-prog band from Italy. Not truly bad, but in the wake of Nuova Era and Ezra Winston, it seems like these guys just can't hang. Often very Gabrielesque, and although not sounding exactly like a British 80s neo-prog band, these guys cut it close

This Italian band has a sound falling somewhere between maybe Banco/PFM and Misplaced Childhood period Marillion, possibly with some mainstream tendencies Springsteen) thrown into the mix occasionally as well, and while not really stunningly groundbreaking, it's still a lot more interesting than the your average boring Marillion clone-oids. Instrumentation is the basic four, with added tenor sax and flute, and very stylish vocals (all in English) by Marco Galletti. Four Daisies is their first album, which is actually just a collection of their early demos, and tends to be weak and derivative. Still Searching is their latest, from 1990, and has a much more mature and full sound, with a lot of overlapping guitar-keyboard melodies, some overt symphonic tendencies, and a full range of acoustic-electric dynamic expression. Definitely this is the one to get.

Arcansiel are one of the better recent Italian bands to contribute to the progressive rock scene, along with Eris Pluvia, etc. While most of these bands are seventies-revivalists, Arcansiel has opted for a more neo-progressive sound very much in the spirit of early Marillion and prime-period IQ. The vocals are in English, and are not encumbered by any serious accents that tend to make the music sound unnatural. The title track on Stillsearching is a 21+ minute piece in eight parts with long instrumental interludes, and is probably the standout on this CD, with moods that vary from the quiet to the symphonic. Somewhat unusual is the presence of a sax player, who interjects occasionally with Mel Collins-ish contributions, without getting overwhelming.

Very good progressive.

Discography

Archaïa (77)

Reviews

Archaïa is an example of music were musicians have listened to and drawn inspiration from diverse music in extremely successful way. The music on the album is gorgeous mix of Magma era MDK, proto-world music (Jade Warrior, Oldfield), Arachnoid, Heldon, psychprog (Hillage), jazz fusion (Mahavishnus), dark chamber music (U. Zero) etc.. Group was basically trio of guitar, bass and percussions (no drums), and both guitarist and percussonist played fantastic droning keyboards. I have CD re-edition (released by little french label Zeuhl Soleil - also rereleased Dun recently and perhaps is going to release some more rare zeuhl sounds), which has three bonus tracks, one recorded in studio and others two live, though the sound is so good, that I would swear that they're not (recorded live of course). On this two tracks drummer is present, and this makes whole thing more eneretic. Tracks were probably rehearsals for the next album, never accomplished. As linear notes say, band was under heavy influence of Magma, because they invent similar (the meaning of this word is rather relative here) tale, based on the drowned Atlantis rising again, which is Archaia. Well, if I connect this with what I heard on CD, this second coming will be of a pretty dark nature, ))). And core members even give themselves sort of Cobaian pseudonyms (Pierrick Le Bras = Perig Ar Braz; Michel Munier = Mickaël Candasami Muntër), well, they must have drowned themselves in Mekhanik Destruktiw Kommandöh. But don't come over droning "This is pretentious, this is pretentious!" or "What a self-indulgence!" and so on. One should rather concentrate oneself on music, which is really good. Beside Cobaian component, band or at least one member, was heavily into Eastern meditation techniques, Hindu, maybe even Tibetan, what can be discerned from the differently pitched mantras (quite present on the recording). The obsession by "Eastern" is evident from the Munier's pseudonym "..Candasami..". Actually, the music seems to be appropriate for contemplation of mysterious things. For serious listening (and for the attempt of discovering something new with every listen) it might prove too disorientating, because one can be quickly drawn into one of the numerous vortexes in these nebulous, skyclad soundscapes, full of mystery and supernatural. Well, I would hesitate swallowing something before listening. In 1979 group disbanded apart from the numerous reasons, some mentioned in the linear notes, some not. Bassist Michel Munier later appears in the Ange/Mona Lisa clone-band Grime, cunningly and thoroughly hiding his roots. Perhaps, the work could be a bit more elaborated, at least one album more and things would set into hundred-percently proper mould. If you're into Magma, Heldon and heavy psyche dronners, you can dig this blindfold. If you're only into Hillage than rather listen to them first or wait for your auricles to become used to something heavier. -- Nenad Kobal

Links

[See Artcane | Grime]

Discography

Badrock För Barn I Alla Åldrar (75) II (76) Tre (77) Bado Kidogo (79, w/ Africa 70)

Reviews

Yet another weird and wonderful Swedish progressive band, Archimedes Badkar is perhaps closer to instrumental jazz-rock than their contemporaries and predecessors Samla Mammas Manna, Älgarnas Trädgård, Arbete och Fritid, Flåsket Brinner, et. al. Most of the music on Badrock ... is tightly arranged and very compositional. In fact, it starts off sounding like Samla Mammas Manna interpreting material from Frank Zappa's Burnt Weeny Sandwich - the first three tracks demonstrate that the band can play jazzy instrumental music with a healthy dose of whimsy, lots of odd time signatures and sudden changes in direction. The longest track on Side 1, "Wago Gozeze" is quite different. This is a trancelike, minimalistic piece with bubbling guitars, hand percussion and two soprano saxophones duetting over top. Unfortunately, the hand percussion is replaced by rather clumsy kit drumming about half-way through. Still, it's pretty successful, and an admirable illustration of the sort of broad eclecticism one can expect when delving into the Swedish psych / prog / fusion scene. Side 2 opens with a piece for solo mandola, followed by more Samla Mammas Zappa (the latter influence especially pungent via the use of wahwah guitar and marimba), and a piece that sounds a bit like less-frenetic Mahavishnu with trumpet and sax solos. There's also a cover version of the main theme from John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme" and some first-rate funky jazz-rock with all sorts of weird twists and turns. Overall, Badrock ... is an incredibly rewarding listen, and a stunning debut recording. The LP comes with a nice illustrated booklet, too. The personnel and instrumentation is as follows: Tommy Adolfsson (trumpet), Jörgen Adolfsson (saxes, acc. Guitar, mandolin, mandola), Per Tjernberg (piano, el. Piano, organ, vibes, drums), Peter Rônnberg (guitars), Christer Bjernelind (sitar, guitar, slide guitar, bass, piano), Mats Hellqvist (guitar, bass), Kjell Andersson (drums, percussion, bamboo flute), Pysen Eriksson (congas and percussion). Writing credits are spread fairly evenly throughout the band, with Tjernberg being responsible for the Zappa-ish stuff (mostly), and the jazzier bits credited to Bjernelind and the Adolfssons. Archimedes' second LP, titled II, is a complete change of pace. Of course, the change in musical direction is a symptom of changes in personnel. The band slimmed down to a sextet of Tjernberg, Bjernelind, Pysen Erkisson, the Adolfssons, and new member Ingvar Karkoff (piano, cello, acoustic guitar). Drummer Kjell Andersson is listed as a "guest", along with percussionists Bengt Berger and Peter Ragnarsson, tambura player Anita Livstrand (from the folk/ethnic band Vargavinter), and multi-instrumentalist Kjell Westling (from the jazz/ethnic band Spjarnsvallet). The band's growing fascination with multi-ethnic music is reflected in the cover art of this 2 LP set: a charcoal drawing of African and Asian musicians and dancers backed by what looks like a European folk ensemble. The music on II takes up two distinctly different strands: some merely hinted at on Badrock ..., others were already being developed (for example, on the track "Wago Gozeze"). The intricate compositions and sometimes funky jazz-rock feel predominant on the debut LP is all but gone. Instead, thematic material is adapted from, or directly inspired by, Middle Eastern, East Indian, Scandinavian, and African multi-ethnic folk musics. These developments take up most of the 2-LP set. On "Förtryckets Sista Timme", "Efter Regnet", "Vattenfall", and "Indisk Folkmelodi", acoustic and ethnic instruments (tablas, bendir, mandola, bamboo flutes, etc.) are quite prominent, and the music, while still quite intricate, tends toward the trance-like and minimalistic ("Afreaka II"), rather than exhibiting a series of peaks and valleys. It's really lovely stuff - comparable in a way to the work of Between, Popol Vuh, and some of the other meditative / progressive German bands of the 1970s, but with a distinct flavor all its own. There are also several long, minimalistic pieces on II ("Jorden", "Radio Tibet", "Två Världar") that utilize drones (tamboura, etc.), endlessly repeated figures, and both electronic and acoustic instruments in a way that would make Steve Reich proud. Rather than seeming cold and clinical (like most minimalism from the Western Classical tradition), there's a warmth and folksiness to these pieces that really seems to tap into the spirit of those (e.g., Terry Riley, LaMonte Young, etc.) who pioneered this sort of music in the first place. One track on II , "Två Hundra Stolta År" also gets way out there into the realm of improvised avant garde noise. Further changes in both personnel and musical direction are evident on Tre. Karkoff has departed, and two of the guest musicians from II, percussionist Bengt Berger and multi-instrumentalist Peter Ragnarsson have become full-time members of the ensemble. Saxophonist / multi-instrumentalist Christer Bothen, a member of the avant-garde jazz quartet "Spjarnsvallet" who would go on to form his own great band (Bolon Bata) also joined. Jazz has re-entered the band's realm of musical interests, only this time it seems to function more as an outgrowth of the band's fascination with various types of ethnic music. It's no coincidence: Bothen and Berger worked extensively with American expatriot trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist Don Cherry, who later joined Berger's "Bitter Funeral Beer" band. Though I wholeheartedly approve of the band's emphasis on jazz, with the exception of new members Berger and Bothen, they don't quite have the chops to pull it off in a thoroughly convincing manner. This is most evident on the opening track, "Badidoom", where shaky, derivative solos by Jorgen and Tommy Adolsson are followed by Bothen's beautiful, yet authoritative, bass clarinet solo. The ethnic / trance / drone aspects of the band's oeuvre is spectacularly well-developed, however, and the strength of these pieces alone make Tre easily recommendable to fans of Scandinavian strangeness. The fourth, and final, Archimedes Badkar LP is a joint effort with 3 Tanzanian musicians from the group Afro 70: guitarist / vocalist Patrick Pama Balisidya, and percussionist / vocalists Dick Unga and Sophie Nzuki-Balisidya. Archimedes Badkar, at this stage, was comprised of the Adolfsson brothers (Tommy and Jorgen on trumpet and reeds, respectively), Per Tjernberg (percission), Krister Bjernelind (bass), drummer Bengt Berger, multi-reedist / pianist Christer Bothen, and pianist Brynn Settles. The collaboration with Afro 70 (5 of the LPs 6 tracks) is a mild disappointment, as AB takes on the role of ‘backing band’ to the Tanzanian musicians. Those looking for the eclectic mix of experimental music, world music, drones, noise, and jazz from the band’s first 3 LPs might want to hold off on this one. However, if you enjoy enthusiastic, well-crafted (but not commercially-oriented) African pop music with jazzy saxophone and trumpet solos, you may well enjoy Bado Kidogo (which means "not yet" in Swahili). Balisidya is a fine vocalist, and a good songwriter, though his music is pretty straight-ahead. It’s readily apparent that Badkar’s playing is sharper than ever. Bjernelind is particularly impressive! He plays those snaky, tricky, heavily syncopated bass lines with funky grace and aplomb. The horns are tight and their soloing is inspired. The percussion team of Berger and Tjernberg plus the Afro 70 musicians is truly a marvel to behold. If you dig Osibisa, Dudu Pukwana’s Spear, Jabula, etc., you will love this! Africa 70 doesn’t appear on the LP’s longest track, drummer Bengt Berger’s adaptation of Ghanian Funeral Music, titled "Darafo / Darkpen". Here, Badkar are joined by bassist / guitarist Sigge Krantz and an uncredited organist. This track is a deep multi-cultural exploration that successfully blends traditional African ceremonial music with elements of jazz and psychedelic rock and recalls the best moments of Tre. A shame the whole LP wasn’t like this! However, Berger did go on to record at least two stylistically similar LPs in the early 1980s (one titled Bitter Funeral Beer was on ECM and is likely still in-print) accompanied by the likes of Don Cherry, plus a few former Archimedes Badkar members. Christer Bothen (with Berger, Krantz, and the Adolfssons) also formed a similar Afro-jazz influenced group called Bolon Bata following the demise of Archimedes Badkar. Finally, Bado ... comes with a richly illustrated and informative 4-page booklet. -- Dave Wayne

Discography

3rd and Short (84, Cassette) Soundtrack to an Imaginary Motion Picture (84-85, Cassette) Crystalized Intelligence (84-85, Cassette) Noodles (85, Cassette) Impressions of Ancient Souls (86, Cassette) Planet Nine from Outer Space (87, Cassette) Strange Dreams (87-88, Cassette) Odysseum Galacti (93) Viva (00, Live) Other Music (04, Live)

Reviews

Architectural Metaphor (1994-2000 line-up) - Deb Young (drums, vocals), Greg Kozlowski (guitar) and Paul Eggleston (guitar, synths, some vocals) Architectural Metaphor is (as of 2000) a three piece space rock band from the western Massachusetts. They have been around in some form since 1984. Paul Eggleston, one of the original founding members of the band, plays guitar, synths, and contribute some vocals. Deb Young (Playing Drums and Singing the lead! - A rarity indeed for a female musician) and Greg Kozlowski (Guitars) both joined the band in 1994, forming their current lineup. I had the opportunity to hear them live at a space rock festival during the July 4th weekend in 1999. While Space Rock is not exactly my thing, I was delighted to hear elements of some traditional prog rock groups. (Elements would be an understatement, as they opened with a cover of Pink Floyd's "Set The Controls for the Heart of the Sun.") According to the band, they have been influenced by bands such as Hawkwind, Roxy Music, King Crimson, Pink Floyd and Tangerine Dream. Originally, the band was supposed to have a spacier sound as they were heavy in synths with the guitar laying down a spacey wave through the music. Since the joining of Greg on guitar, the guitar has played a more dominant role in their sound, giving the band more of the rock elements of Hawkwind, Ozric Tentacles and King Crimson. -- Toufic Batouli

After her performance at Strange Daze 2000, percussionist and vocalist Deb Young left the band to focus on "other things in her life". She was replaced by Patrick Murphy, formerly the drummer for Dinosaur Jr. Due to various difficulties, the latest of which has been a bout of tendonitis in guitarist Greg Kozlowski's forearms (caused by the computer mouse, not playing the guitar!), there have been only a few live gigs played recently, and progress on a new studio album has been slow, though Kozlowski says they are about 75% done with it. They have also released a new live CD, Other Music featuring the new line-up. -- Fred Trafton

Links

Click here for Architectural Metaphor's web site Click here for a review of Viva on the Aural Innovations web site

Discography

Arco Iris (69) Blues de Dana (70) Tiemp de Resurrección (72) Sudamérica (o el regreso a la Aurora) (72) Suite No1 (72) Inti-Raymi (73) Agitor Lucens V (74) Los Elementales (77) Mañanas Campestres (79) Faisán Azul (86) Pipas de la paz (88, aka "Peace Pipes") In Memoriam (92) Peace Will Save the Rainbow (96)

Reviews

I believe Sudamerica (now available as a double CD) was originally released somewhere around 1970. Based on this album, they sound vaguely like a South-American Pink Floyd.

Links

Click here for web site (in Spanish)

Discography

Slow Death (89, Demo, as Mortem) Slow Death (90, EP, as Mortem) Promo 90 (90, Demo) My Angel (91, EP) Constellation (94, MCD/MLP) Aspera Hiems Symfonia (95) Constellation (97, LP) La Masquerade Infernale (97) Disguised Masters (99, Remixes Compilation) The Sham Mirrors (02) Aspera Hiems Symfonia/Constellation/My Angel (02, Compilation/re-release) Sideshow Symphonies (05)

Reviews

Arcturus - (not in photo order) Christofer Rygg a.k.a. Garm (vocals), Knut M. Valle (guitars), Dag F. Gravem (bass), Steinar Sverd Johnsen (keyboards), Jan Axel Von Blomberg a.k.a. Hellhammer (drums) 5/16/02: Arcturus are a project which emerged from the depths of the Norwegian "black metal" scene (the band was founded by members of Ulver, Mayhem and Ved Buens Ende) and proceeded to release two truly progressive albums before dissolving. The two albums, created by virtually the same line-up, have almost nothing in common, so here's an album-by-album description: Aspera Hiems Symfonia is in essence symphonic rock, where the "rock" component is replaced by black metal. The Norwegian sympho-black scene is hopelessly overcrowded these days, but instead of just adding bland gothy keyboards on top of usual metal riffing, Arcturus distinguish themselves by actually striving towards a more "composed" feel; the songs are multi-part, structured, and quite tastefully arranged. Guitar and keyboard parts play an equal role in their sound, building a powerful and epic atmosphere. The synth harmonies and lead-guitar melodies are strongly influenced by 18th/19th century classical music, mostly they sound really pleasant and dynamic. Besides harsh black metal shrieks, vocalist Garm inserts nice clear vocal chants and harmonies. The sound stays the same throughout the course of the album. In retrospect, Aspera Hiems Symfonia is one of the few symphonic black metal albums that actually do deserve the tag "symphonic", provides an enjoyable listen and displays occasional moments of brilliance. La Masquerade Infernale - what an appropriate title for this magnificent excursion! A complete musical transformation; the only leftover links to the first album are in the distinctive lead guitar style and occasional double-bass drumming - the sympho-black metal sound and screaming vocals all but disappear. On this record Arcturus are reborn as a mysterioso-dark-avantgarde-prog outfit exploring the more playful and ironic sides of evil nature - the devil is now disguised as a jester. The opener, "Master of Disguise" introduces the new musical face of the band: theatrical melodic sections with intentionally over-the-top (but none the less great) dramatic singing and narrations (in fact, the music is not too distant from the likes of Devil Doll) give way to more free, chaotic digressions - morphing, rotten mixes of soundscapes, noise, guitar scraping and feedback, electronic effects and samples, warped voices and just plain weirdness. The album boasts two vocalists : G. Wolf aka Garm, who is the band's original singer and performs those spooky dramatic vocalisations, and Simen Hestnaes - probably one of the most original and charismatic rock vocalists of the 90's who is unfortunately unknown to the general public - he sings in a higher quasi-operatic register and gives an outstanding performance, complementing to the overall aura of madness. On "Master of Disguise" they sing as a duet, and the result is unlike anything else in the musical world. The album continues with the enigmatic "Ad Astra" : a slow melody played by a string quartet is set into perpetual motion over trip-hop beats, but the repetition is tastefully flavoured with background squeaks, bells, noises, snare hits, feedback-bursts and processed vocal echoes; lead guitar weaves around beautiful and intense string crescendos; vocals appear towards the end, disguised behind the music, as if delivering a secret message, after which the pace becomes faster and more frantic, with technical guitar soloing, but the beauty of the main theme is kept intact. Next comes the creative pinnacle of the band, the unbelievable "The Chaos Path". The gloomy introductory theme, where guitars and keyboards groove in unison, leads us to a door through which we enter a bizarre and unsettling place : carnivalesque keyboards/organ melodies hover on top of heavy guitar foundation (imagine a third-generation mutant offspring of Pink Floyd's "The Trial"), while Simen Hestnaes takes the lead vocal spot and treats us with absolutely mad singing - something between Arabic and operatic vocals, but darkly twisted and surreal, sometimes crossing the line into screaming and high wailing; now and then the horrid farce dissolves for some serene but tense interludes, but then goes straight back - insect-like lead guitar buzzing pierces the pompous and captivating choruses made of surreal esoteric word-sequences : "Oh, well ... the maddening laughter growing louder with the memories. Atoms like incense rising, like a thousand candles all blown out at once ..." then suddenly everything recedes and disassembles in a hurry, the song ends. The remaining songs work just as well to sustain and enhance the established mood of the album, with some beautiful composition work and even more reminiscences of Devil Doll. "Alone" is more stable in structure, set to a poem by Edgar Allan Poe; "The Throne of Tragedy" has a disturbing and deceptively calm intro, a whispered voice on the wind, then a wave of voices suddenly rises and erupts into an energetic burst recalling their black metal roots, but soon enough converts back to already familiar demented territory; "Painting My Horror" is a breathtaking, theatrical and heavy piece, Arcturus' own version of symphonic prog, like on the first song the vocalists do another duet; "Of Nails and Sinners" devotes more time to relaxed, nocturnal passages to wind up the album. Arcturus then released Disguised Masters (a remixes compilation, which I haven't heard) and disappeared from view. Rumours keep on circulating about a new album, but so far nothing definite - most of the band members are busy with their primary bands. I wholeheartedly recommend La Masquerade Infernale to admirers of Devil Doll and weird/experimental prog. -- Andrew Orel

Addendum 7/6/07: On Sunday, April 22, 2007, the band released the following statement on their now-defunct web site: Arcturus disbands Official statement from Arcturus; A lot of rumours have been going around after our gig in Melbourne. Simen opened the concert with the words "Welcome to the last Arcturus-show ever". This is a decision we made some time ago. We all have a lot of things going on in our careers and our lives, and therefore can not find the time to continue working with this band. We are humble and grateful to all the people that have supported and loved us over the years. Regards, Steinar Sverd Johnsen Hellhammer Simen Haestnes Knut Magne Valle Hugh Mingay Tore Moren On a further (historical) note, singer Øyvind Hægeland of Spiral Architect sang with Arcturus live from 2003-2005, but quit before ever recording anything with them. -- Fred Trafton

Links

[See Fleurety | Spiral Architect] Click here for a fan-run (now official) MySpace page Click here for Arcturus' Wikipedia entry

Discography

Kaleidoscope of Rainbows (76) Harmony of the Spheres (78)

Reviews

Ardley is a British composer and leader of the New Jazz Orchestra, an outfit whose personnel has included Jon Hiseman, Mike Gibbs, Jack Bruce, Ian Carr, and many other notable figures on the British jazz and progressive rock scene. The LPs he recorded with the NJO during the late 1960s ("Dejeuner sur l'Herbe", "Greek Variations" and "Symphony of Amaranths") are highly sought-after collectors items, and most of us will have to wait until they are re-issued on CD before we can hear them. Fortunately, both Kaleidoscope of Rainbows and Harmony of the Spheres are easy enough to obtain. Kaleidoscope ... was issued on the Gull label in 1976, and features Ian Carr's Nucleus (Carr - trumpet, Bob Bertles and Brian Smith - saxophones, Geoff Castle and Dave MacRae - keys, Roger Sellers and Trevor Tompkins - drums & percussion, Ken Shaw - guitars, Roger Sutton - bass guitar), plus special guests Paul Buckmaster (cello), Tony Coe (sax, clarinet), Barbara Thompson (sax, flute), and Ardley on synthesizer. Musically, it's quite similar to one of Nucleus' late 1970s releases, or perhaps late 70s (post-Ratledge) Soft Machine, except that it's quite a bit more restrained. Ardley's song cycle is based on a Balinese pentatonic scale, derived from Gamelan music. Though Ardley is to be commended for his arrangements and orchestrations, the result is not as interesting or as varied as, say, Anthony Davis' Episteme (my personal favorite fusion of Gamelan & western jazzy music). Most of the truly interesting moments are provided by the soloists. Paul Buckmaster's weird cello solo on "Rainbow Three" and Tony Coe's amazing clarinet flight on "Rainbow Five" provide show-stopping highlights, for example. Though Ardley's music is more stately and pretty than bracing or adventurous, it certainly has its charms. A later edition of Nucleus (circa 1979) appears on Harmony of the Spheres (Ian Carr - trumpet, Geoff Castle - keyboards, Billy Kristian - bass, Richard Burgess - drums, Trevor Tompkins - percussion), as do reed soloists Barbara Thompson and Tony Coe. New faces include vocalists Norma Winstone and Pepi Lemer, and guitarist John Martyn. While Martyn is certainly better known for his work as a singer / songwriter, he is featured here solely as a guitar soloist. It may come as a surprise to some, but Martyn is a first-rate guitarist, and he really tears it up on this LP! The rhythm section of Burgess and Kristian (the latter a truly underrated bassist!) give Ardley's compositions a punchy, energetic feel, and Ardley's own synthesizers are much more prominent in the mix. Though the music still has that uptight Brit-jazz feel to it, the less-ambitious Harmony ... is an improvement over the somewhat ponderous Kaleidoscope .... The smaller size of the ensemble, and the heightened prominence of synthesizers and electric guitar, both serve to impart an almost funky looseness to Ardley's otherwise prim compositions. This is a decent jazz-rock-neoclassical fusion LP with perhaps a few symphonic / proggy leanings. -- Dave Wayne

Links

[See Nucleus]

Ardo Dombec (71)

German prog on the Pilz label.

Discography

Arbeit Macht Frei (73) Caution Radiation Area (74) Crac! (75) Are(A)zione (75, live) Maledetti (Maudits) (76) Event '76 (76, live) Anto/Logicamente (77) Gli Dei Se Ne Vanno, Gli Arrabbiati Restano! (78) Il Concerto - Ommagio a Demetrio Stratos (79?, includes various artists) Tic and Tac (80) Area '70 (80?) Parigi Lisbona (96, recorded '76) Concerto Teatro Uomo (96, recorded '76) Chernobyl 7991 (97)

Reviews

An inventive Italian jazz rock fusion band. Their first 4 albums are classics of inventive Italian jazz rock fusion featuring the stupendous vocalist Demetrio Stratos who may have been one of the most unique singers in history. Stratos unfortunately passed away so many years ago. Their first four Arbeit Macht Frei, Caution Radiation Area, Crac! and Areazione are only recommended to the explorative but will reward the listener with their uniqueness.

One of the most unique bands ever. Riveting ultra-high energy schizophrenic jazz-rock fronted by the operatic vocals of Demitrios Stratos. The band's Instrumentation was guitar, bass, drums and keys with trombone, bass clarinet and flute. There are five albums I know of: Arbeit Macht Frei, Caution Radiation Area, Crac!, Areazione, and Maledetti. I've only heard 2, 3 and 5, but these are all pretty much equal in intensity. Probably not recommended for the Marillion/Alan Parsons crowd.

Crac! is a phenomenal album. It is hard to describe but, to my ears, it often sounded quite a bit like a cross between National Health and Mahavishnu Orchestra. But this band was out long before National Health. There are several places where the classic Stewart Hammond organ tone is used. There is incredible interplay here. Demetrio Stratos, the vocalist, can't be described by me, but he is rather unique and very good. He takes vocal excursions to places where few vocalists dare to tread. Italian lyrics. Only the last cut is a hard listen, being similar to "crash and bang" Henry Cow, but it's only two minutes long so I usually listen to it. Fans of National Health and Mahavishnu Orchestra (and I think Gentle Giant fans) would really go for this. Highly recommended to those who like spice in their music!

This is the best italian progressive band, in Italy they are a cult band and the voice of Demetrio Stratos is unforgettable. They started with a free-jazz sound like Soft Machine and Nucleus. Then they became more experimental with an interest in Arabian and Greek popular music (Stratos was Greek).

These guys are great! Crac! is one of the better early Italian efforts. Area can be described by one word ... insanity. They play complicated pieces so fast, so well, and feature a general weirdness that puts them almost in the avant garde mold. No one sounds like Area and no one ever will. They use fast, intricate, overlapping rhythms and their vocalist alternatively howls, whines, growls, moans and yodels (occasionally he even sings!) The singing in in Italian so I have no idea what he's saying but the singing style makes me wish I did. This is a classic for the experimental.

Crac! is the only one I've heard all the way through. It's one of the most original Italian bands. They do a sort of dramatic jazz-fusion with some unbelievable vocals by Demetrio Stratos. I can't really compare them to any other band, because there never really was another band like Area. The band is quite adept at playing in odd time-signatures, like the fast 11/8 meter on "L'Elefante Bianco." Notable is bassist Ares Talovazzi, because it's not often that a bassist can catch my attention unless he's really good. The band makes occasional use of horns, woodwinds and multiple synthesizers; the latter played not only by keyboardist Patrizio Fariselli, but also by guitar player Giampaolo Tofani (Stratos also plays some keyboards). Stratos' vocals give an air of avant-garde to the music, yet it's accessible enough to be appealing to the less adventurous. A good starting point for people exclusively familiar with symphonic prog, but wishing to try something more experimental. -- Mike Ohman

One of the really interesting bands from the '70s. Briefly: They sound like a mix of Balkan music, Weather Report, Cecil Taylor and King Crimson. Technically they are on the same level. Their records are as different as King Crimson's, so do not give up if you dont like the first one you hear. The singer, Demetrio Stratos (unfortunately dead now), has a powerful, overwelming voice. He experiments with all the sound possibilities of a voice, and also with more than one tone at the time. He made three solo records that were 10 years ahead of their time. A tribute live-2CD to him is also available. The bass player from the first record went to PFM, I think he was not versatile enough. The guitarist Gian Paolo Tofani made a solo record: Indicazzioni (1977), that probably would make Robert Fripp or Henry Kaiser raise their eyebrows and maybe even blush from envy. It is partly played on a Les Paul mounted with an EMS prototype guitarsynth, making sounds that I have not heard anywhere else! -- Michael Bohn Fuglsang

Parigi Lisbona and Concerto Teatro Uomo are live recordings never before issued. Concerto Teatro Uomo is a complete two-hour show.

Gli dei se ne vano, Gli arrabbiati restano! is the last album in which Demetrio Stratos sings, before the collaboration he did on Mauro Pagani's 1978 solo album and his own solo albums. At first, I thought the sound of the band would be oriented to the 80's prog, but no, the comparison I can make from this album is with Area's Crac!, but this time in a more heavy jazz fusion mix with the addition of mediterranean and arab folk music. Not much to say, just a great album an highly recommended to fans of this band & jazz-fusion in general. "Il Bandito Del Deserto" and "Vodka Cola" (first and last tracks) prove the wide range and maturity in musicianship of this band. -- Marco Antonio Gómez Urbina

Links

[See Electric Frankenstein | Giganti, I | Pagani, Mauro | Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM) | Stratos, Demetrio] Click here for the official Area web site

Discography

Songs from the Lions Cage (95) Pride (96) Edits (96) The Cry (97) Welcome To the Stage (97) Welcome Back To the Stage (97) The Visitor (98) The Visitor Revisited (99) Immortal? (00) Breakfast In Biarritz (01, Live) Contagion (03) Contagious (03, EP, adjunct to Contagion) Contagium (04, EP, adjunct to Contagion) Pepper's Ghost (05)

Reviews

Arena (1995) - Clive Nolan (keyboards), Mick Pointer (drums), Cliff Orsi (bass), Keith More (guitar) and John Carson (vocals) An English neo-prog group formed by Mick Pointer (founder of Marillion) and Clive Nolan (keyboard player of Pendragon). In this band you will found all the archetypes of Neo-Prog. British progressive band. Songs (all composed by Clive Nolan and Mick Pointer) are a mix of Marillion in their "Grendel" period, Strangers On A Train, Pallas and IQ. First album is classic progressive rock with long tracks and good old solos on guitar and moog synthesizer. John Carson has a very Fish-like voice. Lots of people will notice that Mick Pointer is available on drums. -- Michel Schudel Arena is a typically British project with direct ties to Marillion (ex-drummer) and Pendragon (keyboardist). The band also features vocals (Fish style), guitar (Hackett / Rothery style) and bass. The style on Songs from the Lions Cage, very well executed, is a symphonic rock typical of the "second wave" of British bands from the '80s. A rich production and a powerful sound add to the already dramatic aspect of the compositions. Short instrumental interludes also serve as transitions between longer tracks. Fans of the style won't believe their ears! -- Paul Charbonneau From 1996-1999 John Jowitt, bassist for IQ and Jadis, also played bass for Arena. He was on the albums from Pride through The Visitor. -- Fred Trafton

Links

[See Casino | IQ | Jadis | Marillion | Nolan, Clive | Pendragon | Shadowland | Strangers On A Train | Young, Michelle] Click here for the Arena web site Click here to enter the Arena Webring Click here for Pendragon USA web site, distributor for Arena releases

Discography

Argent the band: Argent (69) Ring of Hands (71) All Together Now (72) In Deep (73) Nexus (74) Encore: Live in Concert (74, Live) Circus (75) Counterpoints (75) Anthology: The Best of Argent (76, Compilation) BBC Radio 1 in Concert (95, Live) The BBC Sessions (98, Compilation) Rod Argent solo albums: Silver Circle (76) Moving Home (78) Ghosts (82, w/ Barbara Thompson) Shadow Show (85, w/ Barbara Thompson) Note: Another album Silver Plated (70) is listed in the AMG complete with a track listing, but its existence is not corroborated anywhere else on the web, including Argent's web site.

Reviews

Rod Argent (the man) of Argent (the band) I've only heard so much from Argent, but I have a couple albums. Argent, led by and named after keyboard player Rod Argent basically played art rock. Now many, if not most, may be familiar with the song "Hold Your Head Up," of which many covers have been done, by Blue Oyster Cult, etc. Rod Argent showed a good deal of potential in this song back in 1972, with lots of solo Hammond work and "uplifting" lyrics. The material back from '72 was mainly AOR, but it was very good AOR; it just had a "non-sell-out" type of sound. However, by 1975 Argent's popularity may have increased or decreased, depending on what the rest of the country was doing (they may have begun to get tired of the whole encompassing prog scene; same with Kansas and Starcastle--a quick die-out!) but Argent's music grew closer to traditional progressive rock with their album Circus. Here, lots of Moog work can be found, plenty of good melodies, and some very good dynamic musical concepts. The album is a concept album, relating the follies of a man's life to the life as a circus character. All the names of the songs have something to do with the circus, naturally. Some of the lyrics are somewhat stupid, but it doesn't really take away from the rest of the album. Some of the main melodies within songs lack a little bit, but then again, I did say that they're predominantly art rock. They're not Iconoclasta or Art Zoyd. Songs to watch out for are "Circus," with its awesome instrumental lead-in. Also, there's the drippy-sounding "Highwire," but complete with a RIPPING guitar/ keyboard "duel" in 7/8. There's also the very melodic and swooning heartbreak tune "Clown." "Tightrope" is a tune which has some diverse riffs for the band, showing off a guitar-driven Sabbath or Deep Purple-type jam somewhere in the middle. The songs "The Ring" and "The Jester" lack some with respect to musical creativity as far as I recall. Overall, I would say, that if you want something that's still got some meat on its bones (so to speak) and you're not looking for intense prog/fusion, and looking for more accessible types, Argent is about the best as art rock gets! Buy an Argent album, and you won't be disappointed. -- David Barro

All of the band's albums that were released before Nexus (1974), are quite weak from the progressive standpoint of view. Fortunately, Russ Ballard left the band in 1973 and was replaced with really talented guitarists and arrangers John Veriti and John Grimaldi. All of the last three albums by Argent - Nexus (1974), Circus (1975), and Counterpoints (1976) - are the excellent examples of Classic Progressive Rock (I didn't say "masterpieces", though). Both the latter [solo albums] were released as "Rod Argent & Barbara Thompson" ... she's the wife of Chris Thompson, who was the lead vocalist for Manfred Mann's Earthband (1976 to 1986), while (the saxophonist!) Barbara worked with that band only twice in the beginning of the 1980s. -- Vitaly Menshikov

[Regarding Vitaly's entry "she's the wife of Chris Thompson"], I'm sure there is an error in this statement. Barbara Thompson is married to Jon Hiseman, and they toured their jazz rock band Paraphenalia for over decade in Europe - unfortunately Thompson has stopped touring because of Parkinsons disease. If my memory serves me well they met when members of the (UK) National Youth Jazz Orchestra. -- Richard Heath

Links

[See Intergalactic Touring Band, The] Click here for Rod Argent's web site

Discography

Ariel (75) Russkie Katrinky (Russian Pictures) (77) Ariel (80) Kazhdy Den' Tvoi (Every Day Is Yours) (81) Via (81)* Utro Planety (The Planet's Morning) (83) various EPs and compilations * This album was listed in the original GEPR listing, but is not among the titles listed in the web site below. "Via" may refer to the Soviet designation for western-style rock bands, "Vocal-Instrumental Ensemble". See Igor Goreley's write-up under Tuchmanov, David for an explanation. If so, this may be an alternative title for Kazhdy Den' Tvoi.

Reviews

Ariel - Cover of Russkie Katrinky (77) Keyboard-prog band that has been compared to Berluc and Stern (Combo) Meissen.

Links

Click here for a discography and other interesting information regarding Ariel

The Dreams of Mr. Jones (90?), New Scientist (9?), Cover Me With Rain (92), Spritual Physics (93)

The Dreams of Mr.Jones: You can tell these guys are neo-prog wannabees, but really all they're doing is straightahead rock with catchy melodics and an affected vocalist. Only for the most unadventurous.

Decent AOR-style neo-prog. Don't expect anything wildly different and you won't be disappointed. There are many worse bands in this realm. Good vocals, guitar to the fore, at least on The Dreams of Mr. Jones. The CD includes bonus tracks from an EP, evidently.

Arkadas (84)

Wild mix of freaky jazz and Turkish influences.

Warrior (80)

Prog with medieval influences and religious slant.

Discography

Arkham (02, Compilation of recordings from 1970-72)

Reviews

Arkham, circa 1970 In 1970, Daniel Denis and Jean-Luc Manderlier [Magma] met in Brussels and formed Arkham, an intertwining of Canterbury sounds with somewhat more classical tonalties and touches of early minimal ambient that pre-dates Eno. Crucial, stunningly good (though under-recorded) early Euro-prog, they began a tradition of Belgian and Dutch progressive rock/jazz that would grow into a very important genre. Necronomicon [not the German one --Ed.], Univers Zero, Magma, Aksak Maboul and other prominent bands were all at one time connected to this outfit. The only CD I'm aware of is a great collection of live cuts and rehearsals from their three year output (Cuneiform 2002, God bless 'em). If ELP had been youthful, dark and troubled, they would have sounded like Arkham. -- David Marshall

Links

[See Aksak Maboul | Denis, Daniel | Magma | Univers Zero] Click here for Arkham's web page on the Cuneiform Records web site

Discography

Arktis (74) The Arktis Tapes (75) More Arktis Tapes (75) On the Rocks (76)

Reviews

Supposedly heavy blues/psych without much prog. See link below. -- Fred Trafton

Links

Review of Arktis' first album on the Proglands web site.

Discography

1914 (81) (ProgressoR review)

Reviews

Symphonic rock album with six long tracks.

Neo-Prog with a prominent role of guitar: original, melodious, accessible. All in all, 1914 is a really good album, especially for the beginning of the 1980s. A related band is modern Jadis. -- Vitaly Menshikov

Links

Click here to order this album from Musea Records

Armageddon (70)

I'm not sure if this band is considered part of the German underground scene or not. Musically, they sounds more like part of the early British hard rock/prog scene than they do the bands of the German underground. Like both the German and British scenes of the early 70's, slightly fuzzed guitar is the dominant instrument. However, the jams seem to have more of a blues feel rather than the spacey vibe that was inherent in much of the German underground. Recommended to those who like to rock.

Album has a cover version of Jeff Beck's "Rice Pudding."

Armageddon (75)

Band formed by Keith Relf after leaving Renaissance. Progressively speaking, nothing special, the music basically being moderately heavy British rock, perhaps with some progressive overtones. All guitar and harmonica, no keyboards, and lots of energy. If you like to rock this may be for you. It would have been at home in 1971 but to me it sounds dated for 1975.

[See Captain Beyond | Illusion | Renaissance | Stairway]

Discography

Tribe (73) Tales of the Exonerated Flea (74)

Reviews

Horacee Arnold is a US-based jazz drummer who has toured and recorded with Chick Corea, Sonny Fortune, Stan Getz, Billy Harper, and many others. He recorded 2 LPs for CBS in the early 1970s, both produced by the legendary John Hammond, Sr (he also brought Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, etc., etc. to the attention of Columbia Records). The first, Tribe is an all-acoustic progressive jazz record that may not be of much interest to GEPR readers, even though it is quite good and very adventurous in its own way. It certainly is not a straight-ahead jazz LP, at any rate, as it features a mix of reeds, vibes (Dave Friedman), acoustic guitar (Ralph Towner), acoustic bass, percussion and drums, and sounds something akin to Gary Burton jamming with Oregon. Tribe also sets the stage for Arnold's second LP, Tales of the Exonerated Flea, which is in my opinion a lost classic of early jazz-rock fusion, though it's a more "electric jazz" type of sound than a classic "jazz-rock fusion" type of sound. On Tales ..., Arnold adds guitarist John Abercombie (Dreams, Billy Cobham Band, Jack DeJohnette's Directions, etc.), percussionist David Earle Johnson (Jan Hammer Band), saxophonist Sonny Fortune (from Miles Davis' great late-70s band) and two members of the Mahavishnu Orchestra: keyboardist Jan Hammer, and bassist Rick Laird to the same basic lineup from Tribe. The result is one of the least-known, most under-appreciated major label jazz-rock gems of all time. Arnold builds his compositions on very complicated African-inspired polyrhythmic ostinato patterns, often in odd time signatures. Arnold's melodies just float above the churning rhythms. Every track simply burns from beginning to end. Particularly notable is the ultra-gonzo Moog (Hammer) / drumkit (Arnold) duet, "Euroaquilo Silence". All of the soloists - particularly Hammer, Fortune, flutist Art Webb and 12-string guitarist Ralph Towner - turn in unusually inspired and fiery performances. Aside form the excellence of the playing and the compositions, what I enjoy about Tales of the Exonerated Flea is that Arnold is not trying to re-create or outdo Mahavishnu (or Weather Report, or whomever else). Arnold has his own ideas, and he executes them with admirable clarity and focus. A damn shame he never did another solo LP, though he went on to record extensively with Sonny Fortune (Serengeti Minstrel), among others. -- Dave Wayne

Links

[See Abercrombie, John | Hammer, Jan | Mahavishnu Orchestra]

Discography

Liberazione (95) Terramare (06) ... several cassette-only releases

Reviews

One of the stereotypical slurs used to dismiss progressive rock is that the genre is lyrically almost solely preoccupied with second-rate Tolkienesque fantasy, third-rate space opera or fourth-rate egotist navel-gazing. Even though the whole truth about progressive lyrics is more complex than that, Arpia's Liberazione (Pick Up Records PKPROG. 1904) is still a left-field effort. It is a tour through the more turbulent times in the 20th century Italian history: The first part describes the resistance to and the final fall of Mussolini's fascist regime in 1945, the second part, the urban terror perpetrated by extreme left- and right-wing groups from mid seventies to mid eighties, and the epilogue deals with the coming to the power of Silvio Berlusconi's first government in 1994, the first post-War Italian government to include the political descendants of the fascists. While political awareness and motivation have been more common to Italian bands from the seventies on than to their British colleagues, few groups have tackled their recent history this head-on. Interestingly, the unfolding of triumphs and tragedies is seen in the lyrics through the eyes of various bystanders, participants and casualties, rather than from the omniscient heights of historical hindsight. If only the music were as interesting. Arpia are a Rush-style power trio of guitarist, drummer and singing bassist who doubles on synthesizer, and not surprisingly lot of time what they are playing is essentially technically-complex hardrock with convoluted rhythms and tricky time signatures. Some elements of progressive metal and neo-progressive rock can also be detected. However, the music serves the lyrics, that is, it works to support the pedestrian vocals and even more pedestrian vocal melodies. Apart from an occasional flash of inspiration (e.g. the title track and the poppy "Bologna"), the group can do little that is compelling with composition, no matter how good they are with their instruments. The monochromatic distortion guitars and thin, steely clav-like synthesizer sounds are left to dominate the well-recorded but utilitarian soundscape typical of small-budget independent productions. As a result, Liberazione is not a particularly memorable work, outside its lyrics, though those who put "hard" before "progressive" in their rock will probably find it more rewarding than I do. -- Kai Karmanheimo

Arpia is an Italian hard-progressive band coming from Rome. They are active in many ways in the underground scene, but realized till now only few official album. After Liberazione (1995), the band finally published Terramare in 2006. It's a really surprising effort, blending in a special way their typical heavy touch with a beautiful dark sound, due to keyboards themes by Leonardo Bonetti singer and bass player, together with strong solo guitar by Fabio Brait. Lyrics, in Italian, are about Eros and Love evolution through the ages, with a suggestive re-proposing of ancient Italian poetry. It's an original and well played music, in right balance between rocking and lyrical mood. The fascinating atmosphere of male and female vocals alternating, and the remarkable intensity on every track makes this album a real gem in the modern Italian Progressive. Best tracks in my opinion: "Rosa", "Diana", "Umbrìa" and "Luminosa". The line-up in Terramare: Leonardo Bonetti - vocals, bass, keyboards, Fabio Brait - guitars, Aldo Orazi - drums. Guests: Paola Feraiorni - vocals and Tonino De Sisinno - percussion. -- Armando Polli

Links

Click here for Arpia's web site

Patchwork (??), Mosaique (92)

French Neo-prog with guest appearance by Steve Rothery of Marillion.

French prog/pop group. Female vocals, all in French; Marillion's Steve Rothery guests on one track. This CD has a really interesting artwork: two "creatures" playing a chess-like game.

Progressive rock with French vocals fronted by a female vocalist. The music is very lush and melodic, reminiscent at times of Epidaurus. It might interest Marillion fans to note that one of the songs features a few minutes of a guitar solo by Steve Rothery. Mosaique is the second release by this French band, led by a female vocalist. Musically, the interplay between the fluid guitar lines and lush keyboards is quite reminiscent of Marillion (in fact, Steve Rothery guested on their first release), but the vocals are less intense than those delivered by Derek Dick, leading to a (kinda) Renaissance-meets-Marillion effect. For those who enjoy full-bodied, symphonic music, this release should hold appeal.

Ars Nova (68), Sunshine and Shadows (69)

Formed in the USA in 1967, a typical studio group which was very ambitious. Covers in fact all kinds of styles and may well have been one of the absolutely first groups to be labelled progressive. Included brass and classical instruments, and instead of a pause between the songs, which were impressively constructed, they played half a minute or thereabout of classical pieces. The first album is one of the most varied albums I have ever heard. A little fumbling, though, and a sour singer at times, but well worth listening to.

Band with horn section that made what they called "baroque-rock."

Discography

Fear and Anxiety (92, re-released on AMP Records [England] in 1998 w/ different cover) Transi (94) The Goddess of Darkness (96, Japanese & French versions) The Six Singular Impressions (97, Compilation) Reu Nu Pert Em Hru [The Book of The Dead] (98, Japanese & French versions) (ProgressoR review) Android Domina (01, Japanese & French versions w/ one different cut) Lacrimaria (01) Live at Cocodrie (01, Exposé "Bootleg Series" #1, Live from 1999) Collector's Box (02, 5-disc box set including:     » Across the World [Compilation CD]     » The Nightmares [Compilation CD]     » Official Bootleg Live [Live CD from 1997]     » Museo Bizzarro [DVD]     » Photograph Book [Data CD-R]) Biogenesis Project (03, Japanese and French versions) Force For The Fourth - Chrysalis (05 (Japanese), 06 (Musea), Live in the studio, re-recorded compilation)

Reviews

Ars Nova - Android Domina (2001) lineup These three Japanese ladies for a trio in the purest tradition of ELP. The compositions on Transi, all written by the keyboardist, show strong classical influences and are delivered with virtuosity and ferocity. The complicity of the bass and drums, also very intense, only adds to the drama and energy of the performance. The sound is familiar to ELP fans (Hammond organ and synths) but manages to distinguish itself by the authenticity of the compositions. A high quality production that offers symphonism with heavy sounds and explosive rhythms. -- Paul Charbonneau

Rather uninspired female symphonic prog trio in the ELP / Deja Vu / Motoi Sakuraba / Social Tension vein. Overrated.

Japanese keyboard trio Ars Nova may well be only the second ever all-female prog band to record and release albums. They began in 1983, at a time when Japan was starting to produce a lot of quality symphonic rock, but by the time their first album Fear & Anxiety (Made In Japan Records MJC-1007) came out in 1992, they were one of the few active champions of the style in Japan. This album lays down the foundations for their aggressive instrumental style, though in many ways it is still a tentative effort. The keyboard player/composer Keiko Kumagai works her keyboard arsenal with great skill, imagination and power: while Keith Emerson influences are obvious in lot of her Hammond and Mini-Moog licks, she also displays angular, minor-key melodicism and dark symphonic imagery which owe more to the melodic attacks and horror movie atmospherics of Italian bands Goblin and Il Balletto di Bronzo than they do to ELP. Like these and other 70's Italian prog bands, Kumagai already shows her ability to smoothly combine intense assaults with brooding lyricism, and to construct rich symphonic arrangements with constant layering and deployment of various keyboard sounds from piano and Hammond to digital synth pads and Mellotron-styled textures. In contrast, bassist Kyoko Kanazawa introduces a traditionally twangy Rickenbacker tone to the mix. While she shows that she can offer a busy counterpoint to Kumagai's keyboards, both her parts and Yumiko Saito's competent drumming are often too subdued (probably more because of the production than playing) to give the music the extra energy boost it requires. So while it has good songs like "House of Ben" and the two-part "Fata Morgana", Fear & Anxiety can be seen as a strong display of intentions that are not yet fully realised. It was later re-released by the British label AMP Records (AMP-CD038) with a live bonus track "Nova" padding out the album's scant 31-minute duration. Ars Nova's second album Transi (Made In Japan MJC-1006) is generally held in high regard, but not having heard it, I can't comment on it. However, their third album, The Goddess of Darkness (Made In Japan MJC-1014), is certainly a magnificent piece of music. Here Kumagai has shaken off the most obvious Emersonisms and refined both her playing and compositions. She fingers out multiple layers of busy and often sinister classical-styled riffs, blistering solo runs and occasionally frenzied symphonic fanfares with whirlwind-like intensity. Kanazawa's bulky Rickenbacker lines offer a perfect counterpoint to the keyboard rampage, while the new drummer Akiko Takahashi shows she can perfectly follow the wildly fluctuating time signatures with busy ease or lay down a heavy and precise beat when necessary. The only respite is provided by the brooding keyboards-only number "Ainsel", full of spiky piano, screeching metallic samples and unsettling sound effects. Overall the album may produce a chaotic effect, as the songs flash past in ever-mutating, fiery fragments, rather than develop through gradual repetition and variation, but the fury of the delivery is the key to the album's power. While not a perfect classic, The Goddess of Darkness blazes with dark fire that distinguishes it from most of the 1990's symphonic rock albums. Note that from here on Ars Nova's discography bifurcates, as each album comes in both Japanese and French versions with different covers and at least one different track between them. By the time of Ars Nova's next album, The Book of the Dead (Musea FGBG 4255.AR), Kanazawa had left, and bass duties were handled by guest musician Ken Ishita (ex-Deja Vu). While his playing is just as good as Kanazawa's, he is somewhat less prominent in the mix, which serves to highlight Kumagai's dominance. While most of the album's five long tracks have structural similarity that lends them slight air of sameness, Kumagai keeps stretching the capabilities of her keyboards to come up with new sounds and striking combinations; noteworthy examples include the chiasma of weird synth sounds in "The Judgement of Osiris" and the marimba-like lead line played against the thick chordal backdrop resembling Mellotron string patch in "Ani's Heart and Maat's Feather". There are also more traditional symphonic-styled synth leads and interludes than before, which makes this album a bit more immediately accessible than its predecessor. A host of brief "interludes" offer respite between the intensity of the main tracks, a few of them being suggestive of the Egyptian motifs of the title. The Japanese version goes under the title Reu Nu Pert Em Hru (Made In Japan MJC-1018), and there is even a double vinyl version (Black Widow Records BWRLP 032) with two live bonus tracks. Unable to find a permanent replacement for Kanazawa, Ars Nova opted for a second keyboard player instead. This was at first Naomi Miura (ex-Rosalia, ex-After The Rain), but Mika Nakajima eventually filled the post on Android Domina (Musea FGBG 4347.AR). Though there is guest bass on two tracks, the album has a slightly lighter and less driving sound, with less emphasis on burning solos all over the place and more emphasis on grand melodies and symphonic sweep. I find the approach a success, as songs like "Horla Rising" and "Bizarro Ballo di Maschera" have some of the most darkly resplendent melodies that the band have ever committed to plastic, and there is still well enough multi-linear complexity to the keyboard arrangements, even if the sounds include more and more harsh percussive samples and fewer traditional analog tones. Nakajima also contributes a bit of clear vocalise and, on the title track, a brief sung verse, all of which enhances the material. As a whole, Android Domina is stronger than The Book of the Dead, and while it doesn't match the energy of The Goddess of Darkness, it largely makes up in melodic splendour. Like their fellow keyboard trio Gerard (with whom they appeared on the Keyboards Triangle tribute disc), Ars Nova have crafted and mastered a distinct style of their own, but unlike Gerard they seem to effect slight but constant change in that sound, probably well aware of the danger of getting stuck in the same groove. -- Kai Karmanheimo

Ars Nova - Musea's Biogenesis album cover (2003) 1/27/04: On first listen to Ars Nova's new album, Biogenesis Project, one might easily hear it as a progressive metal album. I mean, it has all it needs ... scorching metal guitar solos, bombastic distorted Hammond organs and screaming synth leads, operatic vocals, thundering bass lines and an epic sci-fi story line. Hey, there's even the obligatory naked chick on the Musea album cover (left). Wait a moment ... that's not just any naked chick ... that's Ars Nova's driving force; composer and keyboardist Keiko Kumagai, looking both seductive and pretty darn scary on that album cover! If that's not enough for you, check out this picture, which is the cover of the Japanese release of the album (or the same photo shoot at least) ... not quite as heavily computer-mutilated, and revealing all of Kumagai's other charms (I'm talking about the bat wings, of course) ... besides being one of the best prog keyboardists out there at the moment. OK, who knows how much of her we're seeing and how much is just computer graphics? And who cares? If Keith Emerson looked this good, ELP would still be a household word! "Goddess of Progressive Rock" indeed! But enough about Kumagai's "other charms" (though how could I not talk about them?). I'm here to talk about the music on the new album! Keiko Kumagai (composition/keyboards) has obviously taken a lesson from her association with Ayreon's Arjen Lucassen (she played keyboards on his Universal Migrator Part II CD), because Biogenesis Project has a lot in common with Ayreon's albums; an epic science fiction concept and story line, incredibly lush production values, a nice mixture of "traditional" '70's symphonic prog, ELP flashbacks, and progressive metal. She's also invited a list of guest artists that sounds like a "who's who" of progressive rock from all over the world, including Ayreon's Arjen Lucassen, who plays metal guitar on several of the lengthy cuts. Besides Lucassen, there's also Alex Brunori (ex-Leviathan (Italy)), Gianni Leone (Il Balletto di Bronzo) on vocals and synth, Claudio Simonetti (Goblin) on synth, Takeo Shimoda (Nuovo Immigrato) on drums, Takehito Kimura (Tiananogue) on piano and Lucio Fabbri (PFM) on violin, plus Atsushi Hasegawa (bass) and Masuhiro Goto (drums) from Gerard. Each also has a role to play in the story, and they all get to pose in B-grade Sci-Fi attire for the CD insert. Kumagai's excuse for her outrageous album cover? She's "Biocidal Vem", a genetic construct designed to wipe out the human race and replace them with a new species which can survive in the habitat left over after nuclear weapons destroy civilization. Or something like that. The traditional all-female Ars Nova line-up for this album included Akiko Takahashi (drums) and Mika (vocals). However, they have both left the band at this point, and have been replaced by Shinko "Panky" Shibata on bass and Masuhiro Goto of Gerard on drums ... the Ars Nova web site (if I read the sparse English correctly) says he's quit Gerard to join Ars Nova, as their first non-female member. I've already made an attempt to describe the music. I've only heard the Musea release, in which all the vocals are in English. If I understand this correctly, there's also a Japanese version with Japanese lyrics. I'd love to hear that version some day. If you like Ayreon's more metallic epic albums (Into the Electric Castle, Universal Migrator Part II) with a dose of ELP and even some romantic classical music á la Debussy (who would have guessed that would work with all this heavy music?), you should love this album. If you consider that much bombast, sturm und drang to be in poor taste, then this one won't be for you. But personally, this is the best thing I've heard so far this year (the Japanese version was released in June of '03, the Musea version in December '03, but I didn't get my review copy 'til January '04, so I'm thinking of it as being released in '04 ... whatever). This was also my first exposure to Ars Nova, and it makes me want to go find their entire back catalog. I would definitely like to hear more of this! For what it's worth, Kumagai says the next album won't be another Sci-Fi theme. She thinks they may go back in time for the next one ... something perhaps more gothic? We'll see! Long live the Goddess of Progressive Rock! 3/13/06: I got a Christmas card from Keiko Kumagai, in which she mentioned that Ars Nova had another album in the works for this year (hey, I'm on Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter's Christmas card list too, but I'm pretty sure Keiko actually wrote hers and signed it by hand). I just got a new Ars Nova album from Musea Records that I thought was it ... but this album turns out to be a 2005 release in Japan, but is available only now (March 2006) on Musea. I'm listening to it right now, entitled Force For The Fourth - Chrysalis. I'm guessing this is an interim release between Biogenesis and the next big studio album, because it's a bit unique. It's both a studio album and a "best-of" compilation. These are six cuts from previous albums, but are all new performances, live in the studio. This is the new Ars Nova line-up, with Shinko Shibata on bass, Masuhiro Goto (formerly of Gerard) on drums and Satoshi Handa on electric guitar. The drums are frequently almost punkish bashing with very heavy guitars, while Keiko plays a wide variety of synthesizers, Mellotron and, of course, her signature Emersonian Hammond (or Hammond-like) organ. It's quite well performed and recorded, and will be a great turn-on for fans of this kind of high-energy keyboard-oriented prog. The songs include "Succubus", "Transi", "Horla Rising", "The 42 Gods", "Metamorphose" and "Nova". Oh, yeah, Keiko is naked on the cover again, and again looking pretty scary. This time she's a succubus. Or something. The Japanese version of album (judging from the postage-stamp sized picture on their web site) is different, and looks like Keiko wrapped up in a chrysalis. I like to see Keiko's sexy pictures as much as the next guy, but the music's even better. If you're a fan, buy it. If you're not yet a fan, Chrysalis is a great intro to Ars Nova, so buy it anyway. It might turn you into a fan. One last piece of info ... from their web site, it looks as if Masuhiro Goto is no longer a band member (perhaps he's returned to Gerard?). The newest drummer is Hazime, though he's currently referred to as "guest drummer", whatever that means. -- Fred Trafton

Links

[See Ayreon | Balletto di Bronzo, Il | Deja Vu | Gerard | Goblin | Leone, Gianni | Leviathan (Italy) | PFM | Rosalia | Triton] Click here for Ars Nova's official site containing latest news Click here for an old Ars Nova web site, containing pre-Biogenesis Project information Click here to order the "international" versions of all Ars Nova's albums from Musea Records

Discography

Arsenal (80, re-released on CD 2000) Created With Our Own Hands (82, re-released on CD 2000) Sport and Music "Pulse 3" (84) Second Wind (85) 5 (87) 6 (88) Alexey Kozlov and His Arsenal (8?, comp. from 5 and 6) Scorched By The Wind (91, re-released on CD 2000) Pulse and Second Wind (00, Compilation of '84 and '85 albums on one CD) 5+6 (00, Compilation of '87 and '88 albums on two CD's) Arsenal VIII (01)

Reviews

All-instrumental Mahavishnu-inspired fusion group led by keyboardist and saxophonist Alexi Kozlov. With Our Own Hands even