Discography

Dialect (91)

Discography

Mitko Shterev (74) Diana Express (76) Prayer For Rain (79) Golden Apple (83) Diana Express 5 (85)

Reviews

Folk-prog.

Four Riders Of The Apocalypse (77, released in 92), Dice (78)

They did one self-titled album, which quickly went into oblivion and out of print. This is perhaps the most "typically progressive" Swedish band that has ever existed. Quite good instrumentally, actually. In their best moments they were a little Gentle Giant like, in their worst they were quite sleep-inducing.

Excellent symphonic-rock band from Sweden. Their earliest album Four Riders Of The Apocalypse contains 4 long symphonic trax and is entirely instrumental. Dice features a vocalist, is a little more lively, and sports a good sense of humor. Both are great and highly recommended.

Dice were a Swedish band whose self-titled release, issued only in Japan, quickly sold out. It was their only known release until the discovery of the material that now appears on Four Riders Of The Apocalypse. The music is squarely in the symphonic vein, dominated by keyboards, and washes of Mellotron sounds. Howver, Dice are a bit more adventurous musically, in the spirit of Gentle Giant, and combine that element into the mixture. The music is, in the words of guitarist Orjan Strandberg .".. an instrumental symphonic rock piece, sort of in a 'concerto' form with 3 - 4 movements ...," and that is a very accurate description. With a variety of moods, a concept, and passages with shifting time signatures, this should appeal to those who like the melodic prog rock of the seventies.

Dice are a Swedish symphonic five piece band who existed in the late '70s. The first and only release while they were together is their eponymous release from 1978. Overall, their sound is closest to Yes and Gentle Giant, with bits of Focus and maybe a hint of the Canterbury scene. Dice contains four short songs (3-8 minutes) plus the obligatory side long suite. One of the short songs, "Utopian Suntan," is a sarcastic piece about the joys of nuclear radiation. The others are more "serious" symphonic works though the music in "Utopian Sunshine" is nothing to sneeze at. Overall, this is a pretty decent album though the vocals could be better. The music is very well played but the writing isn't the strongest. Only Dice know why, but their true masterpiece, Four Riders of the Apocalypse, never saw daylight until its release on CD in 1992. Recorded in 1977, before their "first" album, Four Riders is an instrumental tour de force. The music changes constantly and never gets boring, moving from slow organ builds to fluid synth lines. The same influences are at work but the writing is stronger and there are no vocals. Why the scrapped this one, we'll never know. Excellent and dynamic music. Start with Four Riders... if you can find it.

I can't remember which European country that this band comes from, but it doesn't really matter, since its the music that counts. An instrumental four piece (gtr,bass,keys,drums), Dice plays a complicated form of symphonic progressive. While I can't think of anything that really stands out about Four Riders of the Apocalypse, it's definitely worthwhile if you like bands like Amenophis or Mirthrandir. The music follows a theme of sorts, with occasional reprises and repeated rhythms. It seems to be something of a concept album, but w/o lyrics I can't be sure. The only drawback to this otherwise excellent release is that it is a bit too straightforward. There are so many bands of this style. While Dice is definitely one of the better ones, the cliches tend to get old after a while.

Discography

First (71)

Reviews

They have featured only this album on the legendary Pilz label and one single with the tracks "Lucifer" and "Tired", included in First. Apparently Manfred von Bohr (Birth Control, amongst others) have been with them. They participate also on the compilation Heavy Christmas, a sui-generis LP of the Pilz label, with original tracks related to Christmas. The music they play on First is a hard (kraut)rock, based in blues, with lots of harmonic. But the album is very varied with tracks not similar one to another, some included more rock, some more fusionist (jazzy and psychedelic touches), but all with the power of (kraut)rock and the melody that take them to a very efficient lot of songs. The production is charged to J. Schmeisser, first owner of the Pilz label, subsidiary of BASF (then substituted by Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser) and the Engineering is from the legendary master of the studio Conny Plank. The LP is from 1971 but there is a release in CD by Ohrwaschl label in 1994 (OW026) -- Luis Jerónimo

Discography

Diethelm/Famulari (83) Valleys In My Head (84) The Flyer (84)

Reviews

The Swiss duo of Thomas Diethelm and Santino Famulari create some of the most unique and refreshing sounding music, while still being relatively accessible. There are three albums I know of. The first two are LP only, the third was a CD. The core of the sound is created by Diethelm, who plays acoustic guitars with various delays, harmonizers and flangers as an integral part of his technique, and Famulari on keyboards and piano. Trilok Gurtu adds percussion on the first album, Fritz Hauser on the second, and Regi Sager adds her vocals on one track "Mindfresher" on Valleys. I've not yet seen or heard the 3rd album. What do they sound like? As I listen I'm often reminded of Führs and Fröhling, but what D/F are doing is a bit more jazzy and less spacey and meditative. The guitar-delay-harmonizer thing is pretty unique, I can't really say I've ever heard anyone else utilizing it to this extent.

Discography

Daybreak (75)

Reviews

Ex-Emergency. One album only.

Links

[See Emergency] Click here for more info Click here for more info

Discography

Huremics (81) Vibrating Air (81) Time Clock Turn Back (82, Demo) Who Says So? (83) Extractions (85) Out of the Trees (86) Soundpool (99, Compilation)

Reviews

Although Extractions is old and difficult to find, it is certainly a minor masterpiece and well worth tracking down. The CD is about an hour in length and comprises thirteen songs, all instrumentals except for one number which features Elizabeth Fraser (from the Cocteau Twins). Five of the tracks are additional ones not on the vinyl release (and admittedly are a little weaker than the original eight), but the addition of such provides a soothing and at times humorous coda to the album and does not compromise its integrity. Most of the songs feature a standard rock quartet: two guitars, bass and drums. One cut adds sax, and a few others some keyboards and percussion. The music is mostly evocative, atmospheric, and dreamlike (reminiscent of the feeling of "Us and Them" from Dark Side of the Moon), the songs widely varied in tempo, dynamics and texture. The guitarists do not confine themselves to the standard (and rather pedestrian) rhythm/lead paradigm depended upon by so many two-guitar bands (Wishbone Ash comes to mind immediately, though I do think Argus is a masterpiece in its own right). They eschew such an approach, choosing instead to layer their sound(s) up from the ground without regard for traditional instrumental roles. It is rare that an electric instrumental ensemble can express so many different subtle hues of emotion, but Dif Juz deserves a medal for this finely constructed group of progressive/ambient tone poems.

Without a question one of the best progressive rock bands of the mid-to-late '80s, this quartet (2 guitars, bass and drums, with occasional saxophone, flute, keys, etc.) could be compared favorably to several of the so-called mostly instrumental "post-rock" bands (Ui, Tortoise, 5-ive Style, Scenic, etc.) which have breathed new life and media interest (i.e., have you read "Wire" magazine lately?) into progressive rock in the mid-'90s. Who Says So? is an early 8-song EP which lacks the lush production of their later albums. The music on Who Says So? sounds to me like a very appealing cross between Jamaican dub (a type of instrumental reggae), surf (driving rythms and twangy guitars) and punk (attitude and low-fi production). They did at least two more EPs before Who Says So? (Huremics and Vibrating Air) which were re-mixed and re-released as a very worthy full-length album on the 4AD label titled Out of the Trees. Despite the '4AD-ization' of the early EPs, they still sound remarkably fresh and energetic. Their first full-length album on 4AD, Extractions, is by far their best-known work. Produced by Cocteau Twin Robin Guthrie, and featuring Cocteau Twin Liz Fraser on vocals on one track, Extractions answers the musical question: "What would the Cocteau Twins sound like if they recorded for ECM?" The driving rythms and experimentation of their earlier albums are downplayed somewhat in favor of a more 'spacious' bass sound, and shimmering piles of guitar overdubs and effects. Fortunately, it all works, and Extractions is a lovely, atmospheric (but not wimpy) set which rewards repeated listenings. -- Dave Wayne

Links

[See Cocteau Twins] Click here for more info

The Voyage (82), A World of Difference (92)

The Voyage was originally released in 1982 (after being recorded in 1979), and is a classic example of the symphonic, melodic progressive rock that emerged from Europe in the seventies. As with that style of music, the music consists of vocals (in English) and fluid guitar leads over layered keyboards, churning out minor chords. The best comparison would probably be to Rousseau, themselves a seventies-revivalist band, and, perhaps Camel and Sebastian Hardie. Clocking in at a little over 70 minutes, A World Of Difference is the second release by the Dutch band, whose music is very much in the melodic, symphonic progressive mode. They have modernized their sound somewhat, and shortened the compositions a bit, but still retain the melodic sensibilities that characterised their first release, The Voyage. As a result, they can be compared to Saga, who, within the format of shorter tracks, were able to tailor their tracks to retain the "progressive" nature of their music. Another point of comparison would be latter-day Kayak, whose music could be best described as "progressive pop." The last track, just short of 16 minutes in length, is very much in the vein of the music of their first release, and closes out the music on a high note.

Their first album The Voyage, originally recorded in 1982 and re-released on CD in 1991, features a rich, full sound with colorful melodies, excellent vocals, and a full range of dynamics. Their instrumental approach falls somewhere between the Belgian band Machiavel and latter period Camel. Most of the tunes change tempo and feel regularly, and in general the sound is not hard, but it does cook nonetheless; Lots of guitar and keyboard exchanges, with extended instrumental passages, big pedal bass sound, and plenty of very original ideas. They reunited due to the success of the CD re-release, and recorded a new album in 1992 aptly titled A World Of Difference. It sounds almost nothing like The Voyage, the only fair way to describe it is boring.

All About Yourself (96)

Influenced by Rush, Marillion, Genesis, IQ, Yes and Dream Theater.

Discography

Cable-Salad (92) Dancing in the Fire (94) Season of the Reason (02)

Reviews

Digitalis 2002 - Torsten Gager (guitars), Rüdiger Deuster (keyboards & drum programming) and Rik Bonnell (vocals and guitar) Digitalis' latest album Season of the Reason is an overseas collaboration with Torsten Gager (guitars) and Rüdiger Deuster (keyboards & drum programming) composing and performing the instrumentals in Dusseldorf, Germany, then sending the data to Rik Bonnell in Mendon, Massachussetts, USA for vocals and some extra guitar. The overseas musicians have never even personally met (thus the obviously computer-generated band photo). Judging from the samples on their web site, I had said that I really wanted to hear more from these guys. Well, now that I've had a chance to listen to Season of the Reason in its entirety, I must pronounce it a mixed bag. It's true that there are moments on this CD that will delight any prog fan's heart, but there are other moments that will turn their stomachs. The two sets of moments are probably about equal, and oddly some of them are delightful and nauseating at the same time. The prime example of this is a nearly direct quote on organ from ELP's "Karn Evil 9 - Third Impression" from Brain Salad Surgery. It's great because ... well, I love that song. But it's nauseating because they seem to think that I won't notice if they just changed a few notes. I'd rather they had just quoted it directly ... then I would call it an homage instead of what I call it now ... a ripoff. The keyboards are good, frequently very Keith Emerson-like, and the guitars are adequate. Rik Bonnell sounds so much like Jon Anderson that I have to roll my eyes sometimes, though the lyrical content isn't as spiritual and oblique as Anderson. The compositions tend to the "simple song structure" side, though there are also some fantastic excursions from the main structures that take you by surprise. The drumming is mostly pretty good, though there are some very mechanical drum machine parts as well, used in soft songs that call for real drums ... the drum machine is quite jarring and sound like "I did it in my garage". For what it's worth, the vocals don't sound like they were performed by someone who's never even met the other musicians ... the multitracking is quite seamless. I don't know ... this album certainly has enough good points that it's not a total loss, yet enough questionable points that I can't recommend it without some reservations. But at this point you've heard the whole story ... decide for yourself if you think it's worth a try. You won't be disappointed ... for at least half the time. -- Fred Trafton

Links

Click here for Digitalis' web site

Suite Per Una Donna Assolutamente Relativa (72)

This is pretty much a commercial band, only Suite Per Una Donna Assolutamente Relativa is progressive. It has beautiful lyrics.

Trapped (93)

Dilemma are a young, five-piece band (one each of guitar, vocals, bass, drums and keyboards). Trapped is their first release and is, I believe, cassette only. At just over 24 minutes, the four songs amount to a long "EP" rather than a full album. On the cassette, it says, "file under rock." That is oddly appropriate because it's very hard for me to call this progressive rock. The music is very accessible, hook-laden rock, quite straightforward, really. Dividing an eight minute song into eight sections hardly makes for a progressive album. The song in question, "The Horror of Time Travel," hardly has enough changes to warrant three parts, let alone eight. Stylistic comparisons can be made to the neo-prog scene as a whole, Rush and U2. Dilemma would fit right at home on the SI label, so if you get into the majority of bands on that label, you might like Dilemma as well. I found it quite boring. -- Mike Taylor

Discography

Solo Albums: Land of the Midnight Sun (76) Elegant Gypsy (77) Casino (78) Splendido Hotel (80) Electric Rendezvous (82) Scenario (83) Cielo E Terra (85) Soaring through a Dream (85) Tirami Su (87) Kiss My Axe (91) Orange And Blue (94) Di Meola Plays Piazzolla (96) The Infinite Desire (98) Winter Nights (99) The Grande Passion (00) Flesh On Flesh (02) With Return To Forever: Where Have I Known You Before (74) No Mystery (75) Romantic Warrior (76) Chick Corea with Return To Forever Reunion 1983 (83) With Stomu Yamashta (and Go): Go (76) Go Live From Paris (76, Live) Go Too (77) With The Guitar Trio: Friday Night in San Francisco (81, Live) Passion Grace and Fire (83) The Guitar Trio (96) With World Sinfonia: World Sinfonia (91) World Sinfonia II - Heart of the Immigrants (93) Selected guest appearances or with others: Venusian Summer (75, Guest appearance on this Lenny White album) Rite of Strings (83, w/ Jean-Luc Ponty and Stanley Clarke) Hearts and Bones (84, Guest appearance on this Paul Simon album) Touchstone (90, Guest appearance on this Chick Corea album) The Promise (96, Guest appearance on this John McLaughlin album) Black Utopia (03, Guest appearance on this Derek Sherinian album)

Reviews

Al Di Meola Di Meola was the guitarist in Return To Forever in the early 70's, later solo. Many albums of varying styles, from pure jazz to progressive-fusion. More of interest here would be albums like like Splendido Hotel or Scenario although listening to these will eventually lead you to his more unique and satisfying latin-jazz-guitar oriented albums like Cielo e Terra or his more recent Kiss My Axe.

Fiery guitar player who first made his name in Return to Forever, then went solo. His albums have explored a variety of styles, but his best liked albums are the latin influenced fusion albums which are his first through Tour De Force, plus the recent Kiss My Axe (you'll have to forgive the title). Cielo E Terra and Soaring Through a Dream explore world musics, while Scenario and Tirami Su have some of the edge removed. The fusion albums have a slight degree of sameness. He just doesn't seem to be able to channel that fiery style into any stylistic changes. But that doesn't mean he's not worth hearing! Get Elegant Gypsy (my favorite) or Casino. You won't be disappointed if you like guitar fusion or just good guitar ability.

Electric Rendezvous and Kiss My Axe are incredible albums from one of the best fusion guitarists alive. I've heard that the live album was pretty poor though.

I've neither read nor heard any other opinions on the album, but Tour de Force Live is one of my favorite live albums.

Though Mr. Di Meola is a spectacularly talented artist, easily among the ten best guitarists on the planet, his solo albums always seemed to run hot and cold. One moment he'd be fretting a riff like no other and the next, off into some AM adult contemporary jazz pap. First you'd have some exciting new fusion, then an album that had only two or three really good tracks. But starting in 1990 he began to work with an exceptional group of musicians on an acoustic (and later more orchestral) World music project called World Sinfonia. The first three albums on Tomato and Telarc are wonderful, spirited sessions recorded with aplomb. Soulful and technically brilliant compositions with haunting blends of South American, jazz, Flamenco and classical, with touches of Al's fusion guitar god past. In particular, for those interested in the mixing and matching of styles, The Grande Passion captures one of the most satisfying examples of classical meets jazz, Latin and rock. Well worth the time, especially if you're into truly progressive music, rock or not. -- David Marshall [Editor's Note: David Marshall seems to be counting The Grande Passion among the World Sinfonia releases. Though it does share some musicians with these albums, Di Meola does not list The Grande Passion among the World Sinfonia releases on his web site. That's why the discography above doesn't list it there. Just to be clear.]

Links

[See Return to Forever | White, Lenny | Yamashta, Stomu (and Go)] Click here for Al Di Meola's web site

Dimmornas Bro (77) and Mal (78?)

A Swedish band. Included here more for completeness, than as a recommendation. Of course, if you love "progressive" music, this one will go down too. And it probably helps to not know Swedish. But honestly not very original. One song is almost a Genesis rip-off.

Markov Process (94)

[See 5uu's]

Tales of the Storyman (82)

Discography

Le grand jeu (71) Le prince croule (71) Change d'addresse (76) Musique de mes amis (78) Pionniers 69-94 (94)

Reviews

Dionysos were one of the first French Canadian prog bands, being formed in 1969, in Montreal. They play a hard-edged brand of organ driven prog similar to many German bands of the day, on their first couple of albums. Lots of organ/guitar jam with some flute and bits of Mellotron coupled with a few blues songs made up the bulk of those early albums. Some gruffy vocals, but not irritating. By 1976 the band went through a few personel changes as well as musical ones, adopting a more concise song structured music but still very nice, original and still progressive, with the ever present keyboards flute and poetic lyrics. They broke-up in the early 80's and reformed in '94 for some club dates and an album of re-working of some of their early songs with a modern production, still very nice stuff, never selling-out. The band broke-up for good a few years later. Warning! Not to be confused with another Canadian band that goes by the same name and play some crappy pop music. -- Alain Mallette

Discography

Push and Profit (93) Canto IV (Limbo) (94 Cassette/CD single) Unfolded Like Staircase (97) Into the Dream (99, Live)

Reviews

Discipline is a band from the Detroit, Michigan area in the neo-progressive vein. Despite their name these guys sound more like a combination of Hogarth-era Marillion and IQ on certain songs. Their vocalist, Matthew Parmenter, reminds me of a young sounding Steve Hogarth, but his live stage presence is an experience in it's own, bringing together Gabriel-esque cotumes and make up ranging to Harlequin faces to straight jackets! Their CD, Push and Profit, is a good combination of many different styles, mainly progressive but with touches of Blues and classic rock. A very impressive album for their first attempt, bringing in elements of Gilmour sounding guitar and Martin Orford sounding keyboards with maybe even a hint of Greg Lake somewhere. Their CD single, Canto IV (Limbo), features one new song (title track) and two others from Push and Profit. -- Phil Slatterley

I have Unfolded Like Staircase. This album is not easy to get into. Influenced by Van Der Graaf Generator, one finds the dark tones in the music and singing. Some great saxophone playing and of course great Mellotron. The melodies are complex and the album has 4 long tracks. Excellent sound production. -- Jean-François Cousin

Links

Click here for Discipline web site

Discography

On a Thin Rope (05, EP) Utopia Perfection (07)

Reviews

Discordia (2005) - Petri Sallinen (bass), Maik Meteor (drums), Fäänä Väänänen (vocals), Antti Tolkki (guitar) and Ahmed Ahonen (keyboards) No, they're not Discordians ... the name just sounded cool ("hey, discord with some Latin feeling, cool Beavis!"). However, they do admit they're getting some traffic on their web site from worshippers of Eris. If you don't know what that means, never mind. Fnord. Discordia is a band of Finnish prog musicians founded in 2001. After several line-up changes, two of the original members Antti Tolkki (guitar) and Petri Sallinen (bass) have been joined by Maik Meteor (drums), Ahmed Ahonen (keyboards) and Fäänä Väänänen (vocals) for what they now consider to be their definitive line-up. They seem to have decided they don't need to sound like the usual suspects (Genesis, King Crimson, ELP etc.) to be progressive. Actually, they sound more like '70's Sparks or a less silly version of Bonzo Dog Band, though without Ron Mael's falsetto and higher complexity than the Bonzos. Their music is full of tongue-in-cheek social commentary, odd meter changes and interesting chord progressions, and they may take off on a 4-part harmony a capella part without warning. Great stuff, and highly recommended, though I'm basing this opinion on only a few excellent MP3 samples the band sent to me for review. -- Fred Trafton

To most prog rock listeners, these Finns are gonna sound like a bunch of crazy wankers who remind vaguely of Scotland's The Proclaimers, and that's no great recommendation. Actually, they could be thought of as "real" prog rock in the way that Chuck Berry or Buddy Holly are considered "real" rock'n'roll. Essentially, Discordia is open to the music they appreciate without imposing a sound or tonal matrix upon themselves, which results in some very fun and earnest group music. This band is unaffected by the World yet open to it and is a refreshing, unpretentious way to experience ... wait for it ... garage prog. -- David Marshall

Discordia (2007) Utopia Perfection Line-Up - Petri Sallinen (bass), Otto Mäkelä (drums), Riikka Hänninen (vocals, tin whistle), Tero Väänänen (vocals, bass clarinet), Liisa Lipas (keyboards, violin, santur) and Antti Tolkki (guitar) Garage Prog? OK, I can see why Mr. Marshall came up with that in the previous review considering he had only heard On a Thin Rope. But in 2007, the band has released their first full album, Utopia Perfection, and I definitely wouldn't call this album "Garage Prog". It's excellent, very professional, and more "prog" than before. The comparisons to Sparks or Bonzo Dog Band I made before are invalid here. There are influences from '70's prog, metal stylings, celtic music and almost classically-styled vocal harmonies, but they've been melded together into something completely different, a very fresh and exciting style that Discordia can claim as their own. The lyrics cover a wide variety of imaginative topics, and are sung in English. The music is varied, progressive, well-executed and lots of fun to listen to because of the intellectual yet humorous and satiric lyrics ... in that way, they remind me a bit of Bubblemath. There are quite a few standout moments on Utopia Perfection, like the vocal harmonies in "Forseen" which sound like a mix of Gentle Giant and Gregorian chants, and the tongue-in-cheek praise for the world-changing powers of Rock'n'Roll, or Metal in particular. They've been worshipping at the church of Bill and Ted I suppose. But a band with a name like Discordia is bound to be influenced by a bit of chaos, and thus they are afflicted by -- or made more innovative by -- frequent changes in personnel. If the On a Thin Rope line-up was the "definitive" one, the new line-up re-defines them, since only two of the founding members Antti Tolkki (guitar) and Petri Sallinen (bass) are still left. Tero Väänänen (vocals, bass clarinet) is still with the band from On a Thin Rope (yes, this is the same guy as Fäänä, which is a nickname). They now say they "consider the current line-up as the tightest and most innovative in the band history". From what I've heard, I find that easy to agree with. The new members are Otto Mäkelä (drums), Liisa Lipas (keyboards, violin, santur) and Riikka Hänninen (vocals, tin whistle). Bottom line: Utopia Perfection is an excellent album, and I hope to hear a lot more from these folks. I'm sure that the next album will be quite different from this one, and isn't that what "progressive" is supposed to mean? Hail Eris! All Hail Discordia!. Highly recommended! -- Fred Trafton

Links

Click here for Discordia's main web site Click here for Discordia's MySpace site

Discography

1st (99) ... tot licht! (03)

Reviews

Have you ever imagined that you will come across prog ensemble from Indonesia. Well, I haven’t. But I came across them, and am glad, that I did. Well, almost. Listening to the 1st, I’m more confused than dazzled, although there’s a lot to listen to. Band encompasses wide range of sounds (maybe too wide), the most prominent here being jazz (fusion?) and contemporary classical music. The octet (guitars, reeds, keys, violin, bass, synths, vocals, percussions) displays great ability (top-notch musicianship) for performing intricate compositions (more than half of album and mostly composed by Iwan Hasan) but also veer into "satisfy-all-and-everybody-with-music" area, thus juxtaposing prevalently excellent patchworks with passable through middling to disgusting jazzy-pop tunes with cabaret touches, showing pernicious tendencies to appeal widely. What I find really odd (or maybe even weird) here, is that usually just in the middle of these radio-friedly stuff short dissonant solos appear from nowhere and return whence they come from. Experiment? Maybe, but really weird one. Fortunately, 65% of remaining space offer much more. On "Lamentation and Fantasia Gamelantronique" - 8 mins+, one can hear everything, from Schonberg/Berg austerity, ethnic Gamelan music (as exotic to contemporary music as milk to hot chocolate), Cynic deftlyness, and classic heavy metal frenzy, everything so well intervowen and fluently done, that these seemingly disparate elements appear as everything else but disparate. "Contrasts" is 12 min+ patchwork on which again all sorts of music appear. From Floydic smoke-ambiental through Gamelan (excellent combination of flute and balinese percussion, which transforms into Cynically good short guitar-solo) through Berg-esqueness, Varese-ianisms to Dream Theater, and so on. And even singing is not missing (both ethnic and usual). And nothing mentioned does not stuck in one’s ears. "Doc’s Tune" is revelling amalgam of jazz and new music sounds, with Anto Praboe’s clarinet playing dominant role. "For This Love" is the most passable radio-friendly song, where Nonnie’s mezzosoprano comes to full expression, while in "Violin Metaphysics" violin explores different, echoing ambients (magnetique?). The best of all compositons is mega-excellent "Condissonance", written for trio of bass-clarinet, 21-string harpoguitar(!!) and a violin (for me yet unheard combination of instruments). At first I thought that harpoguitar is native instrument, but linear notes said it was made by one guy in Portland, and on the picture looks really grandiose. This way or another the guy who handles it, knows how to use it. However, "Condissonance" starts with a english medievalprog theme (violin) similar to Gentle Giant or Phillips era Genesis, soon harpoguitar joins (undeniably Phillipsesque) and few notes later bass-clarinet, which opens the door into hall of dodecaphony. While bass-clarinet and violin veawe together combinations of 12 tones, harpoguitar counterpoints with melodies and harmonies. Then, all of sudden, all three or in permutations jaunt around like in "Peter and the Wolf". Then again harpoguitar returns with Phillips-like theme, counterpointed with dissonances, and so on. Stunningly complex and simply fantastic!!! CD is worth for this track alone. Due to radio-friendliness present, I can’t really say essential new progressive music, but almost two thirds of release are very, very good. Recommended!! -- Nenad Kobal

If Nenad (in his review above) can't "really say essential" of 1st, then let me say it of Discus' second album, ... tot licht!: ESSENTIAL! If this was a German band, I would tell you that "tot licht" means "dead light", but assuming this is Indonesian and not German, I don't really know what it means. Still, Discus crosses so many ethnic and musical borders here that they should be granted Executive Platinum status ... or, in this paranoid day and age, arrested as terrorists. Frank Zappa gnat notes compete for equal time with Judas Priest vocal screeching, Sex Pistols angry punk choruses, smoothly beautiful female vocals, modern classical chamber music, oriental wood percussion, Henry Cow wierdness, Bloomdido Bad de Grass sax and flute solos, Indonesian Gamelan music, heavy breathing, acoustic guitar plucking and Weather Reportish fusion. If you don't like it, just wait a moment and it will be something entirely different. For another band, this would sound like a disjointed, disorganized mess ... but Discus makes it all flow together flawlessly. ... tot licht! is easily on my top-ten albums for 2003, and it made many other prog reviewer's annual lists as well. They've done something prog artists seem to be having a difficult time doing nowadays ... coming up with a sound that's truly their own. Spectacular! -- Fred Trafton

[Regarding Fred's comment about the meaning of "... tot licht", above] I would like to solve a little linguistic conundrum. I saw in your Discus review that you were wondering what "tot licht" means. Well, I can tell you it's not German (if it had been, it would've said "totes Licht"), but Dutch (Indonesia once was a Dutch colony, you see). It simply means "to light". I've seen the CD once, and somewhere in the booklet or on the back cover there's a slightly longer phrase, something like (I don't remember it exactly) "Uit het duister ... tot licht", meaning "Out of the dark ... into the light". -- Bas Janssen

Links

Click here for Discus' web site Click here to order ... tot licht! from Musea Records Click here for the GEPR's interview with Iwan Hassan of Discus

Discography

Live in Temple Bar (99, Live) Il manuale dei piccoli discorsi (01)

Reviews

Distillerie di Malto - Fabiano Cudazzo (keyboards), Giuliano Torelli (bass), Fabrizio Pellicciaro (vocals, guitar, recorder), Maurizio Di Tollo (drums, vocals) and Marco Angelone (electric & acoustic guitars). Not pictured - Luca Latini (flute). DdM's first album, Live in Temple Bar is (obviously) a live CD containing covers of Genesis, King Crimson and Jethro Tull besides their own songs. I haven't heard this album, but I've certainly heard these influences on their studio release, Il manuale dei piccoli discorsi. Il manuale dei piccoli discorsi isn't a particularly lengthy CD at 49 mins long, but it contains 5 long cuts ... the shortest one is almost 6 minutes long, and the longest is 13:24. The first influence you hear is in the opening cut of the album, namely a Crimson-like dark guitar and bass pattern that reminds of "Fracture", but this soon gives way to a more melodic rock feel. As the album moves along, there are moments of Jethro Tull at their most martial with flutes, Steve Hackett-school languid sustained electric leads, spacey atmospheric meanderings, and even some vocal barking that reminds me of After the Fire's "Der Kommisar". But the influence you'll hear most frequently is that of Genesis. There are some vocals in most of the cuts, both English (I think) and Italian, but the music is heavy on instrumentals. "Melodia di fine autunno" starts off very pastoral, almost Camel's Snow Goose-ish in its beauty, before seguéing into a heavier section. The guitar/organ interplay of "Aria e vento" brings Nursery Cryme-era Genesis to mind, only to have the illusion shattered by an ELPish clarion call from a heavily portamentoed synth lead. Of course the illusion wasn't that strong in the first place, given the Italian vocals in this song. Distillerie di Malto may wear their influences on their sleeves, but they're darned good influences, and they have more than enough of their own originality in this release to make this an excellent listen. I highly recommend Il manuale dei piccoli discorsi, and look forward to hearing more from these gents. -- Fred Trafton

Links

[See Maschera Di Cera] Click here for Distillerie di Malto's web site, in both Italian and English

Discography

No albums yet

Reviews

Original entry, 6/21/07: Distinguished Panel of Experts is a new sort of "super-group" featuring several names you've probably heard of in other contexts. Shawn Persinger (Boud Deun, Prester John) plays guitar, Guy LeBlanc (Nathan Mahl) is on keys, Mike Sary (French TV) plays bass, and Chris Vincent (also formerly of French TV) is the drummer. Mike Sary described their in-progress CD to me thus: "It's some pretty rockin' stuff -- we're billing it as 'a guitar hero record for people who hate guitar hero records'. It's as all over the map as FTV -- there's surf tunes, Nashville tunes, ambient space tunes, as well as the obligatory guitar hot dog stuff. Guy in particular really shines; it's a side of him you don't usually see in Nathan Mahl. I expect a lot of people who don't give FTV the time of day will like this one." More on this band as soon as I know more! -- Fred Trafton Updated 12/28/07: Well, I now do know more than when I originally wrote this, thanks to the fact that Mike Sary sent along a work in progress CDR of the Distinguished Panel of Experts album. It may be a work in progress, but it seems to be mostly complete, and it's really an amazing piece of work. Those who are hoping for something similar to a French TV album will be disappointed, but those who find FTV to be a bit too challenging will be gratified by Shawn Persinger's guitar pyrotechnics and Guy LeBlanc's keyboard workmanship. LeBlanc's style is very different from either his solo work or Nathan Mahl ... actually, it frequently reminds me of Jordan Rudess' "speed-metal keyboard" style as heard on Dream Theater's post-Rudess albums. Sary's bass work comes through loud, clear and ornate as well, and sounds far less chaotic than his usual work with FTV. The music is mostly instrumental, though there is a spoken "Uncle Remus Fairy Tale" concerning bees and bears that ends up being a neat parable about modern diplomatic techniques. It's sort of a more southern and more political version of "The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles". Sary has been shopping the album around to various labels and was getting frustrated by the lack of interest in spite of the all-star line-up. However, he has recently made a deal with one of the big prog labels (I'll report who when the deal has been finallized) and we will hopefully see the album released soon. If there's an album title yet, I don't know what it is, or perhaps it will simply be eponymous. Anyway, from what I've heard, this is a group to keep on the lookout for. Great stuff. -- Fred Trafton

Links

[See Boud Deun | French TV | Guy LeBlanc | Nathan Mahl]

Discography

Sorrow and Promise (01)

Reviews

Divine In Sight - Bartholomew Boge (guitars, vocals), Jonathan Dexter (bass, keyboards, pedals), Frank Ralls (drums) Divine In Sight, as you might guess from the name, is a Christian Progressive Rock band, and in 2001 they released an album called Sorrow and Promise. It is mostly a rock opera but with a couple of other tunes not directly related to the opera. I have to admit it ... I wanted to hate this album. In spite of having once been in a Christian Progressive Rock band myself at one time, most of the stuff I've heard that calls itself Christian prog has been pretty lame; watered down prog pop at best, and frequently poorly produced, relying on the "Christian charity" of their audiences to forgive their weaknesses. Add to that the fact that my personal spiritual leanings no longer tilt in the direction of Christianity and I was fully prepared to really dislike Sorrow and Promise. But, it was not to be ... far from hating this album, I must say it's one of the best progressive albums I've heard so far in 2001. Let's get one thing clear ... the lyrics are preachy. Though Divine in Sight tries to use the more neutral term "spiritual progressive art rock", make no mistake that these guys are evangelical Christians, and that's what the lyrical content is about. If you're a Christian, this may not bother you. If you're not, I say don't worry about it. If we proggers can listen to Gong touting eastern religions and neopaganism thinly disguised by Pot Head Pixies, or Mahavishnu Orchestra or Clearlight's clearly Hindu mysticism or Magma's homebrewed mythologies, I think we can deal with some Christian lyrics. If you can either accept the lyrical content at face value or just let it go, everything else about this CD is a treat! I've noted that other reviewers have not cared much for Bart Boge's vocals, which are so high that I thought I was hearing a female vocalist on the rock opera intro song, the mostly acoustic "In a Box". But one gets used to this rather quickly, in my opinion, and the vocals work well with the songs. Musically, the closest overall band I might compare them to would be Rush, with their melodic yet metallic electric guitar interspersed and sometimes intertwined with acoustic guitars, plus their reliance on "in-yer-face" harmonic and counterpoint bass lines. The keyboards and drums are competent, but not the prime ingredients in this music; those are the guitars and bass, and to a lesser extent the vocals. Bass player Jonathan Dexter is one of the finest bassists I've ever heard, with his Geddy Lee type fingering and Chris Squire Rickenbacker sound. He doesn't just sit in the background playing a boomy sustained tonic, the bass is equalized to accentuate the high end making the pitches easier to hear. (He also uses a 5-string Rickenbacker with an extra high "C" string at the top to play more in the guitar sonic spectrum). There are many places on the album where the bass is obviously the predominant instrument. Jonathan's bass figures frequently remind me of Chris Squire's (circa Relayer) also. Bart Boge's guitars, songwriting and production are highly reminiscent of Queen, with vocals overdubbed to make huge chorales, and guitar sound and licks reminiscent of Brian May's. But, once again reminding of Rush, I sometimes think of Alex Lifeson as well, especially for some of the acoustic guitar parts. The unusually "crunchy" metal guitar in the "Overture", where all the themes of the rock opera are previewed, is fantastic, it gives me chills every time I hear it. From the screams of lost souls falling "Into the Abyss" to the trudging "March of the Damned", lots of sound effects pervade this production, making it bombastic, pretentious and self-important ... nothing wrong with that as long as they have the chops to pull it off, and these gents certainly do. In case you haven't figured it out yet, I highly recommend this CD. If you miss this one, you'll be missing out on a lot. I don't actually think your soul would be in peril if you didn't buy this CD, but ... hey, what do I know? Maybe you should go to the Divine in Sight web site and order a copy ... just to be on the safe side. Amen, Brother! -- Fred Trafton

Links

Click here for Divine in Sight's web site

Discography

The Great Spectacular (75) Freefall (77) What If (78) Night of The Living Dregs (79) Sex, Dregs & Rock'n'Roll (79) Dregs of The Earth (80) Unsung Heroes (81) Live in New York (81) Industry Standard (82) Bring Em Back Alive (92) Best of the Dixie Dregs (87, Compilation) Divided We Stand - The Best of (89) Bring 'en Back Alive (92) Full Circle (94) King Biscuit Flower Hour (98) California Screamin' (00)

Reviews

The Dixie Dregs, later known as The Dregs, are a 5-piece fusion band with influences from rock, jazz, country/western, and classical music. They feature guitar (Steve Morse), keyboards (Mark Parrish or T Lavitz), drums (Rod Morgenstein), bass (Andy West or Dave LaRue), and violin (Alan Sloan or Marc O'Connor or Jerry Goodman). Personally, they are one of my two favorite bands in the world, along with Gentle Giant. Their music is complex, intricate, and enjoyable. On a single album, their style will range from slow jazz to chicken-pickin' country to raucous rock and roll, all played with power and finesse. The best known Dreg is the guitarist, Steve Morse, who won the "Best Overall Guitarist" award for 5 years in Guitar Player magazine (as voted by guitarists). He is also the composer for the band, and his compositions are excellent. The drummer, Rod Morgenstein, is my favorite drummer on the planet. All the players are outstanding though. In addition, every one of their albums is great. Start with What If or Dregs of the Earth; Freefall is probably not a good starting place because the studio recording is inferior to that of the later albums. And see them live if you can!!. -- Dan Barrett

Most people think they sound like an instrumental form of Kansas. To an extent this is true. If you like Kansas I would suggest starting with the album What If?. Their other albums are more jazzy and have more variety than Kansas does. Favorites are Night of the Living Dregs and Dregs of the Earth.

Pompous with good reason. Southern boogie with a lot of progressive rock goodies thrown in. May be too slick for some.

My highest recommendation goes to the album What If which is clearly their best, although Freefall and Night of... are also outstanding.

Lead by the excellent guitar work of Steve Morse, the Dixie Dregs are a must-have for any guitar fan. Usually called fusion, but there is more evidence of a country flavor than jazz influence in the music. Fantastically tight, the band has loads of excellent interplay between guitar, keyboards, and violin. Morse is an incredibly talented guitarist who is very dedicated to his instrument.

Like others might say, sounds like a more complex, instrumental version of Kansas. Listening to Bring 'Em Back Alive makes me think of this group as a bunch of very talented musicians having a hell of a good time. Their music really smokes, and generally upbeat rather than depressing or introspective like Marillion or Fates Warning.

I have Dregs of the Earth, and, though I like it, I wouldn't say that I was as happy with it as I expected to be after all of the raves I'd heard.

Links

[See Lavitz, T. | Morse, Steve | Rudess Morgenstein Project | Zazen] Can't find a web site for the Dixie Dregs, but Steve Morse has lots of info on his web site.

Discography

McMusic For The McMasses (82) No Commercial Potential (85) The Ritual Continues (87) Kafka's Breakfast (82, re-release and outtakes) Reflections From the Firepool (89) Suspension and Displacement (91) Burning The Hard City (91) Collaborator (94) The Devouring (97) Still No Commercial Potential (98, Limited edition CD) Live at Orion (99) New Dark Age (01) A Night for Baku (03)

Reviews

These four Californian musicians are very unpredictable. On Burning the Hard City, they play a kind of space-space-fusion that blends elements of psychedelic rock with electric jazz. This four piece band uses guitars, keyboards, bass, drums and sound effects to create very spacy music. But that doesn't translate into relaxation music. The compositions occasionally use heavy riffs and involve some improvisation that brings about long guitar solos. In fact, this disc will appeal primarily to electric guitar fans, even if it also features a very dynamic rhythm section. On Suspension & Displacement, the music is very experimental and ambient. This four piece band uses guitars, keyboards, bass, drums and sound effects but the tracks show very slow developments and serve primarily to create atmospheres. As a result, the music has an electronic sound where the use of melodies is limited to slow hypnotic sequences on guitars, keyboards or percussions. An original production with gloomy themes and an intensity that can make you dizzy. Certain scenes may not be suited for some audiences. -- Paul Charbonneau

First, lets all get the pronunciation down pat: zhahm ka-RETTE. Something like that, anyway. It's not DEE-jam Carrot. (According to the band, Djam Karet is a Balinese phrase that means "the hour that stretches.") However you pronounce the band's name, one thing is certain: Djam Karet has produced some of the most original American Progressive Rock within the past 10 years. Some people claim that Djam Karet is easily one of the top five American Prog bands in existence today. Others say that Djam Karet is one of the top five most HYPED bands in American Prog today. By the end of this review, I reckon y'all will know how I weigh in. A few generalizations can be made about Djam Karet and their first four albums. The band is four members: Chuck Oken, Jr. on electronic and acoustic drums and sequencing; Henry J. Osborne on a variety of bass guitars; and Mike Henderson and Gayle Ellett on a variety of electric and acoustic guitars. All four members contribute percussion, keyboards and miscellaneous effects. Each musician has a heapin' helpin' of musical talent and each contributes effectively to the intensity and creativity of their music. When describing Djam Karet, I have always said they have the intensity of King Crimson and the spaciousness of Pink Floyd. Yet they sound like neither of them. Nor do they sound like anyone else. Djam Karet draw from many different elements of European Progressive Rock and have blended them into a unique musical statement. Reviewed here are the band's five CD releases. No Commerical Potential and McMusic for the McMasses (released under the band name Kafka's Breakfast?) were two previous cassette-only releases that are out of print. The Ritual Continues features a variety of styles that would be explored in more detail with subsequent releases. The opener, "The Shamen's Descent," sets the stage with ethereal voices. Songs like "Familiar Winds" and "The Black River" have a relaxed groove with laid-back guitar solos. "Technology and Industry" picks up the pace with free-blowing jams, heavy guitar and thumping bass over shifting drum patterns. Then the pace slows considerably and takes on psychedelic hues for "The Ritual Continues"; tablas and sitars define the ages-old Shamen's ritual. From this point on, we hear less of the guitar jams and begin to move into spacier ethnic realms, as the Shamen's ministration of peyote recalls sacrosanct memories of the ancient tribe's forefathers. (OK, OK...I'm losing it here. Still, it sets the mood.) By "Fractured," we're treated to ominous synth and processed electronics amidst tribal percussion. The final 17 minutes of this album, "Revisiting a Quiet Place...," is a gentle wash of bird song, babbling brooks, night-time sounds, spacy music and interjections of found sounds and more processed electronics. This album flows wonderfully, which is why I'm a bit upset that they added two Happy Cancer bonus tracks as the second and second-to-last tracks, interupting the flow of the original album. Happy Cancer were a pre-Djam Karet formation with a couple of different members. "Tangerine Rabbit Jam" (cool name) is surprisingly Djam Karet-like but "Night Scenes" is a weird mix of slightly dissonant acoustic guitar, disrhythmic music and demented voices. Though "Tangerine Rabbit Jam" works OK in the general flow of the album, I find "Night Scenes" ruins the transistion from "Fractured" to "Revisiting...." Also, it's songs like "Revisiting..." that is one reason some people aren't able to get into Djam Karet. The disjointed addition of jackhammers and bizarre electronics to the tranquility of the night comes off as schizophrenic and disturbing. Others, of course, will find the juxtaposition amazingly powerful. I'm somewhere in the middle, though I quite enjoy the album as a whole. Reflections from the Firepool is a cauldron of boiling and emotive guitars, brooding and atmospheric synths, and percolating percussion, seasoned with a dash of savory effects. Beginning with "The Sky Opens Twice," the band takes off on a melodic guitar romp with a heavy, sawtooth edge that soon becomes more brooding and passionate. The heavy instrumental edge is heard on the first few cuts. These tracks hint at the improvisational nature that marked the early days of Djam Karet. At any moment, I expected the band to take off on extended, free-form excursions but they generally stayed within the structure of the song. After these songs, the band moves into more atmospheric and experimental realms, straddling the border between Electronic music and Prog. For example, Oken shifts from the polyrhythmic drumming of "Fall of the Monkeywalk" to the electronic percussion heard in "Scenes from the Electric Circus" and "The Red Monk." The primordial "Animal Origins" highlights what I like about Djam Karet and this album: the band create and explore textures usually associated with Electronic/Synth music but create it with guitars, bass, percussion and only some synth. Except for the solos, you rarely hear the pick's attack on the guitar strings. It's as if the guitarist turned up the volume knob after striking the string, or if most of the notes were created just by sliding up and down the fretboard. Think of what Jimi Hendrix did with (to?) the "Star Spangled Banner," with his incredible use of sustain and feedback. Djam Karet successfully employ those techniques throughout this album. They are also capable of creating a good deal of tension within a song. For example, the "free-jazz" sax solo contained in "All Doors Look Alike" tries to drive the pace to increasing speed but the guitars remain steadfast. The tension is relieved by acoustic guitar reminiscent of early Pink Floyd. Thus, Reflections from the Firepool still shows the diversity of style heard on The Ritual Continues but the band has matured and made better use of studio and effects. In 1991, Djam Karet released the paternal twins, Burning the Hard City and Suspension and Displacement. As the liner notes claim, the two albums each have a different musical focus, yet they are complimentary. Burning the Hard City takes an aggressive stance, with one guitar scorching, the other searing, both blistering. The buzzsaw attack of songs like "Grooming the Psychosis," "Province 19: The Visage of War" and the title track is relentless, and further honed by the driving bass and percussion. There is a tendency to want to call the instrumental, guitar-dominated songs "fusion." However, to my ears, jazz is not involved. This is instrumental rock, through and through. I'll note here one of the biggest complaints that many have about Djam Karet. On this album, six of the eight songs are 9-12 minutes in length. The problem is that, despite the meaning of the band's name, the songs don't necessarily have that much to say. The development of the main theme drags on too long before the solo comes in and often drags on too long after the solo ends. This annoyed me a great deal when I first got this and it is my biggest criticism of Djam Karet's style. Some of the songs on Reflections from the Firepool (e.g., "Scenes from the Electric Circus") suffer from this problem, as well. To be sure, there is some excellent guitar work to be heard from both Ellett and Henderson (I don't know which solos belong to which guitarists, so I'm not making distinctions) but I think many of the songs would have been more effective at seven or eight minutes. I say it used to annoy me; I've since adjusted after many listenings. First, there is a bit more going on in the background than is first apparent and, second, I've gotten used to it. In several cases, a song shifts mood and character enough such that it seems one song is actually composed of two. Still, especially in the case of Burning the Hard City, the repetition within a song goes beyond tension building and can get tedious unless I'm in the right mood. Many people, however, cite this album as their favorite Djam Karet release. These same folks, however are sometimes not quite sure what to make of Suspension and Displacement. The sister album takes a vastly different approach, exploring fully the textural aspects of sound that can be created with a four-piece band. Both The Ritual Continues and Reflections from the Firepool contained a few songs in this style but Suspension and Displacement is nothing but brooding, atmospheric music throughout. Take for example, the opening track, "Dark Clouds, No Rain." This song calls to mind images of heavy, swollen, ominous clouds drifting overhead, ready to burst into an afternoon summer thunderstorm. Images like this are musically described across the nine songs of this 70 minute disc. A particularly interesting tune is "Consider Figure Three" which takes a university anatomy lecture and places it behind the atmospheric music. It sounds strange but works wonderfully. Occasionally they touch down on familiar ground, such as the Gilmouresque acoustic guitar work in "Severed Moon." Most of the comments above about their more electronic works apply in spades to this release. One interesting sidebar: Here on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain in southeastern Louisiana, there is an abundance of rainfall. After a rain, the frogs start chirruping and the birds start singing. Listening to Suspension & Displacement balanced against the natural sounds drifting through the open windows was simply exquisite. Mother Nature was improvising against the brooding backdrop of Djam Karet and it worked marvellously. If you get into textural explorations, this album is a must. With the release of Collaborator, the morphous Djam Karet further expanded the envelope that defines the band and their style. In this formation, Djam Karet is simply Gayle Ellett and Henry Osborne. Mike Henderson also gets credit though he is no longer a full member of the band; neither does he contribute to all the tracks. Gone completely is Chuck Oken. Collaborator is a collaborative album from afar: Various electronic musicians sent different, incomplete musical sketches to Djam Karet, who then finished off the ideas with their own. Never were the guests and Djam Karet together in the same room, nor were Djam Karet aware in advance of what music was to be sent. Collaborating musicians include Kit Watkins, Walter Holland, Marc Anderson, Carl Weingarten, Loren Nerell, Jeff Greinke and Steve Roach. Most guests contributed in final form to two songs, although two cuts are co-efforts (e.g., Watkins and Nerell, and Greinke and Roach). Surprisingly, Djam Karet were able to seamlessly intertwine their own ideas with the musical ideas sent to their door. I expected the effort to be somewhat disjointed. I would guess Ellett and Osborne spent a lot of time with the sketches before laying down their own ideas. Because Djam Karet often used various sequencers on their previous albums, differentiating between Djam Karet and the collaborative artist can be difficult. Yet, there is one thing missing that distinguishes Collaborator from previous Djam Karet releases: the guitars. While not the guitar-driven instrumental rock of songs on Burning the Hard City or Reflections from the Firepool, even the textural Suspension & Displacement features the distinctive buzz-saw guitar tone employed by Ellett (and Henderson). Of the 12 songs on Collaborator, few (e.g., "The Day After" with Steve Roach) are the cuts where the guitar is truly evident. The noticeable lack of electric 7-string guitar separates this release from Suspension & Displacement, the most similar Djam Karet album in style. Still, Collaborator flows well, is rich with inventive musical thought from all involved musicians, and is a fine blend of texture and atmosphere. I suppose a few folks will have trouble accepting Collaborator as a Djam Karet album. Why didn't they use the guitars more? Where are the burning solos that melt hard cities? Where is the reflective firepool?

In my opinion, Djam Karet are one of the better American Progressive bands of the late '80s and early '90s, though they may indeed have been hyped a wee bit in some circles. They certainly are no slouches, though. The band shows no compromise in their style; they play what they want to play. Having their own studio frees them from any commercial pressures they may otherwise feel. Sometimes, their melodies suffer from overdevelopment that can get tedious (e.g., Burning the Hard City) but the majority of their albums provide a good balance between hard, instrumental Prog and sonic explorations in texture. Personally, for starters, I would suggest Reflections from the Firepool as that provides the instrumental work of Burning the Hard City and the atmospherics of Suspension & Displacement on one disc. -- Mike Taylor

I have The Ritual Continues, which is spellbinding improvisational music. Has been compared to Edhels, but Djam Karet is infinitely better, more professional sounding and taking far more chances musically. Keyboards take a back seat here to the dual guitars of Gayle Ellett and Mike Henderson. The arrangements are percussive and often somewhat ethnic sounding. Early instrumental Amon Düül II is the closest comparison I can think of, maybe some Pink Floyd or Gong too. "Shahman's Descent" is really great! I've heard Reflections From The Firepool as well. It's another good one. -- Mike Ohman

After reading all the raves reviews on this band I was expecting something fantastic. The Reflections From the Firepool album is not. I was much more impressed with No Commercial Potential. Yes, they are very talented. Yes, they are very innovative. No, they are not that good. There are some tracks I really like, and others I can't stand, with a complete range in between. At least two cuts (can't remember their names) show hints of true genious but most of them drone on and on and on... Djam Karet just don't keep my attention. I admit that the more I listen to Firepool the more I like it but after a couple of months I still don't like it very much. Case in point, I have no intention of getting it on CD right now. If I had to narrow it down, I'd say that the main detraction is their repetitiveness. Good rhythms are good rhythms but if you don't change fairly often I tune out. The title on No Commercial Potential says it all - an hour of improvisational jamming is not something you every expect to hear on the radio. Good thing too. The 3 cuts on this cassette only release are "spontaneously composed" excursions into duel guitar/bass/drum indulgence. Compared to Reflections from the Firepool, this is much better. The rhythms are busier, dual-leads and guitar harmonys, and its a hell of a lot less repetitive. This seems surprising in a spontaneous jam, but DK shines with their unique interpretation of heavy fusion. The tracks seem to have a well-thought-out approach that their other offerings lack. Quite a remarkable and worthwhile undertaking.

Imagine a sound with the force and power of mid-period King Crimson, the fluidity and spaciness of Pink Floyd, and the percussive power of Peter Gabriel's "Security." Throw into that mix a generous helping of the new Industrial Rock, and you have the sound of Djam Karet. Their sound is progressive, snarly, full of fire and 100% instrumental. These guys, who come from the Los Angeles area, are no newcomers to the music scene. Their first recording was in 1982: McMusic for the McMasses under the name Kafka's Breakfast. Although it didn't do much in the states, it was widely respected in UK progressive circles. Their 1987 live release titled The Ritual Continues was voted among the top ten releases of that year by Electronic Musician Magazine. In late 1991 Djam Karet released two new compact discs. The first is titled Burning The Hard City and focuses on the more hard driving side of the band's sound, the rock and the rhythm. The bottom end is handled by the top notch rhythm section of Henry Osborne on Bass and Chuck Oken on Drums. At the top end you have the dual blistering lead guitars of Chuck Henderson and Gayle Ellett: some comparisons could be made to Dave Gilmour, Bob Fripp, Steve Hillage, or electric Steve Tibbetts, but all in a more industrial rock setting. The two switch off between lead and power rhythm, alternating solos, Ellett also filling in on keyboards on some of the tracks. All of the discs seven tracks are outstanding, the most noteworthy being "Province 19: The Visage of War," reminiscent of Crimso's "Larks' Tongues" period, the scorching "Grooming the Psychosis," "At the Mountains of Madness," and the incredible title track "Burning The Hard City." The other CD is titled Suspension And Displacement, and focuses on the more industrial and spacy side of the band's work. Here the guitars whirr and groan, and synthesizers are used liberally for effect, not melody. Haunting rhythms and textures seem to appear out of nowhere, from every shadow. All of the discs nine tracks hail superb, including the eleven minute album opener "Dark Clouds, No Rain," "Consider Figure Three," a riveting "The Naked and The Dead," and "A City of Two Tales, Part One Revisited," a re-recorded and much improved track that originally apeared on Ritual. The two discs are very different, but complementary. Both contain around 70 minutes of music each, and were in the works for well over a year. Both are brilliant and imaginative. Highly recommended. Also worth checking out is their back catalog, especially their 1989 release Reflections From The Firepool, and the previously mentioned 1987 release The Ritual Continues.

Djam Karet is a California based band whose somewhat fusion-tinged brand of progressive rock recalls some of the best improvisational bands of the seventies and prog bands of the new French scene, such as Edhels or Minimum Vital. The music is very strong, and is fronted by guitars and keyboards. Another possible comparison would be to the long lost Dregs, though Djam Karet tend to be more "spacy" at times. Reflections From The Firepool was released a couple of years back, and is orders of magnitude more sophisticated and virtuosic than their previous works. It exemplifies the style of the band as described earlier. Burning The Hard City is the follow-up to Reflections... as far as style is concerned, and is, in their words, .".. 70 minutes ... Full on, aggressive instrumental rock with chunky power rhythms, wailing guitar solos, and complex musical interplay between two guitars, bass, drums, keyboards, and percussion!." That sums it up pretty well! In addition, Djam Karet also compose electronic music, and the companion release to Burning..., Suspension and Displacement, is evidence of their skills in that area. To leverage off their descriptions again, .".. 70 minutes ... the quieter and darker side of Djam Karet. Acoustic instruments meld with synthesizers and treated guitar, weaving surreal dreamscapes of sound.." As before, that is a fair description, and the music is probably best compared with that of Klaus Schulze in his more atmospheric moments, or Michael Stearns.

Imagine influences of King Crimson, Pink Floyd, and Tangerine Dream at their improvisational best - mix in some vaguely ethnic musics - and top it off with one of the tightest fusion bands in history and you more or less have Djam Karet. Not that these guys sound distinctly like any of those bands, the influences just give a vague direction as to where their music is heading. Their all instrumental music may be some of the most original music heard since the classics of the early seventies Start with Reflections From The Firepool and than get the rest!

Great instrumental band from California. Five CDs so far, and a couple of tape-only releases before that. One live video as well. Powerful instrumental work that occasionally gets mellow like Pink Floyd, sometimes dissonant like King Crimson, and yet retains a style of its own. Worth checking out, IMO. Start with Reflections from the Firepool for a good cross-section.

I love Reflections from the Firepool and Burning the Hard City, but couldn't get into to the ambient...noise of Suspension and Displacement as much. The first is a compilation of earlier works, and has some great tracks on it. The second, well, how bad could an album with a track called "Grooming the Psychosis" really be? I'd say that a couple tracks remind me a good bit of Floyd, and Burning the Hard City has an overall feel which reminds me somewhat of Red from Crimson.

Djam Karet (on Reflections From The Firepool) have a relaxing quality to their music which makes it very listenable. For me, this album is mixed: some very good bits, lots of quite good bits and some bits which I find a little jarring. These subdivisions don't necessarily follow the guitar/bass/drums vs. midi sounds divide which also exists on the album: I like parts of each. I've only listened to this a dozen times so far, but I reckon it will yield a whole lot more in the future.

Just a bit of pre-history. The band began in the very early 80's in Claremont California as Happy Cancer. They played college gigs and developed their sound. I recall speaking with them at the time regarding their love of bands like Mahavishnu Orchestra and Brand X. When they finally decided to try to cut an official release there was some question as to the viability of a name like Happy Cancer. If my memory serves me Gayle Ellet and Chuck Oken were in different bands as the time, with Chuck leading Happy Cancer. Happy Cancer changed their name briefly to Kafka's Breakfast and recorded the four track McMusic for the McMasses. Andrew Frankel played Xylophone and other percussion (and wrote the classic Tangerine Rabbit Jam) and Ted Ellenhorn played guitar, both of whom have since pursued other careers. A bit later in '82 or early '83 Gayle and Chuck merged their bands and Djam Karat was born. -- Mike Habiby

Links

[See Gardner and Gayle] Click here for the Djam Karet web site

Light Upon Light (78), Ornament Of Hope (79), Early Years (CD Comp. of material from the first two), Ancient Beauty (81), Companions Of The Crimson Coloured Ark (84), World Dance (88).

The band started out as the duo of Ken Laroche (flutes, recorders, piccolo, panpipes, bansri, kalimba, ocarina, khene, harmonium, piano and percussion) and Randy Armstrong (guitars, sitar, vibes, mandolin-harp, xylophone, bells and various percussion). The music at that point was an instrumental acoustic excursion into the proto-world music realm. For the second album, guest musicians were brought in on tablas and clay drums, acoustic bass and persian santoor, resulting in a more full sound which began to point in some progressive directions. The third album, unfortunately, was a little more consevative, relying heavily on classically inspired acoustic guitar and woodwind journeys to balance out the few adventurous tracks. With Companions they blossomed into a full blown five piece, adding the tabla and bass players who guested on the 2nd, plus a new member on soprano sax. Their new sound could be classified as equal parts world music, jazz, and progressive stylings, and is light years ahead of what they had done before. Effect vocals and synthesizer were added, as well as kit drums, in addition to the array of instruments already played. This one is clearly their best. World Dance carried on in a pretty much similar style as Companions, but I'd still reccomend starting with Companions.

Discography

Connecting Images (98) Mountain Flying (99)

Reviews

Julius Dobos Julius Dobos is a very young composer from Hungary who released 2 albums (Connecting Images is very hard to find and may not even be available). The later Mountain Flying being one of the most pleasant surprises of the 1990's. Only 23 at the time of release of Mountain Flying, it is a 50+ minute voyage into beauty. Featuring guest musicians from Hungary along with the Budapest Choir and North Hungarian Symphony Orchestra, Peter Petjik (After Crying Cellist), this album is a high-production progressive symphony that exploits Eastern European and some world music. References are made to Vangelis and Mike Oldfield and even Ennio Morricone. While some of those references are noticable, they are in just a few places. Julius has his own style and one listen to the gorgeous "New Pangea" (loaded with female voices, bagpipes, mandolins, violins, etc ...) should be enough to convince fans of symphonic rock that mixes classical music together to check this album out. The last track features a touching poem and goes straight to heaven with some beautiful female voices bubbling around a melancholy melody played by Julius on the piano. Cymbals add a powerful soundtrack-like touch. This album comes highly recommended to symph classical and symph progressive music. To label this album as New Age is just not right. There are parts where Julius plays synths similar to what you hear by Vangelis and Mike Oldfield BUT there's a plethoria of other traditional instruments and the compositions are complex enough to satisfy progressive fans. A lot of new age tends to follow a minimalistic approach. This album is not a minimalistic album and there's some beautiful symphonies here. An excellent album (IHMO). I suspect Julius will be replacing Vangelis and Kitaro and Morricone in the near future as a premier soundtrack writer. -- Betta

Links

Click here for Julius Dobos' web site

Discography

The Mind Electric (86, LP, re-released 1994 on CD w/ bonus tracks) Studio 21 (94) Healing Intentions (97) Reality Chcck (06)

Reviews

Daryll Dobson Original entry (since early GEPR days), regarding The Mind Electric: Jazz-fusion guitarist who recorded one really fine album in the mid-'80s. Sidemen on this effort included Kenwood Dennard (Brand X), and three members of John McLaughlin's One Truth Band: violinist L. Shankar, bassist Fernando Saunders, and drummer Tony Smith, among others. The record alternates spacey, acoustic-based tunes with heavier high-energy, highly electric fusion tunes which remind me of (Brand X. This may be a hard one to find (unless you live in South Florida, where Dobson was based), but is definitely worth seeking out if you enjoy challenging, exciting jazz-rock. -- Dave Wayne

Added 3/17/07: Dobson is still based in Florida, and has released several other albums besides the one mentioned above (see complete discography above). Most recently, he released Reality Check, a CD/DVD set which has most of the same songs on each. Though the copyright stamps say 2006, it was really released in the beginning of 2007. My copy is actually a CDR and DVD-R set, though with profesionally silkscreened disc labels, and I'm guessing that's what you'll get if you order this set from him as well. Not that that's a bad thing, but it does emphasize the fact that this isn't a big release on a big label, but is independently released by Dobson's own Solar Guitars label, probably being individually burned on an "as required" basis. It's hard to pidgeonhole this album into a particular category. Dobson seems to describe himself as both "progressive" and "avant garde", and it's hard to argue with either of those descriptions. But it leaves off the glaringly obvious Jimi Hendrix influence, right down to the psychedelic special effects in the video (and a cover of Hendrix' "Voodoo Child"). There are some samples of Dobson's earlier work on the DVD, and I agree with Dave Wayne above ... The Mind Electric is Jazz-fusion. But though I can still hear some influences of that style in Reality Check, he's almost completely ditched the fusion style for the psychedelic '60's Hendrix-type heavy metal. This album is very noisy, with lots of distortion, dissonance (hence the avant-garde label) and screaming feedback soloing. For my taste, it crosses the line into anarchy a bit too much ... enough to make me wonder how much is on purpose and how much is sloppy recording technique. Still, it would be hard to say it's not intriguing. Reality Check again uses Kenwood Dennard (Brand X) on drums, and adds Rael Wesley Grant on 6-string bass, with occasional other guests on violin and organ. However, you won't see them on the DVD, which is all Dobson and psychedelic video effects. The bottom line is that this is a "guitar god" album (and video). If you don't expect it to be anything else, there's lots to enjoy here. But "progressive" wouldn't be my first choice of a term to describe Reality Check. "The Second Coming of Hendrix" would be closer to the mark. Also, some similarity to Black Sun Ensemble. -- Fred Trafton

Links

Click here for Daryll Dobson's web site (and to order albums)

Entré (73), Fat Dogs and Danishmen (74)

Fusion/Rock-band with seven players, including brass section. The music is like Supersister or Burnin' Red Ivanhoe with more horns. Good stuff, recommended for people interested in the Scandinavian scene. Both LPs (published on the German Zebra label) are equally strong. -- Achim Breiling

Discography

Out To Bomb Fresh Kings (85) Armed Observation (87) Did Sprinting Die? (90, Live) Beta 14 OK (91) Armed Observation / Out to Bomb Fresh Kings (93, the 2 original LP releases on 1 CD) Skin (95) Every Screaming Ear (97) Ereia (00, w/ Sirius String Quartet)

Reviews

Doctor Nerve Absolutely psycho Cuneiform ensemble let by guiatrist Nick Didkovsky who decided to take Henry Cow-ish music make it even harder to listen to and wrote a computer program that would let his computer write the most inhuman and bizarrely distorted music ever. Basically, I can take only about five minutes of it, but in these five minutes I am severely challenged and wonder if alien music could sound like this. Only for the VERY VERY VERY adventurous. It's difficult to describe this music by comparison, Nerve is truly out there by themselves. The band, led by guitarist Nick Didkovsky, seems to involve a rotating cast of characters around the central core of Didkovsky, Dave Douglas on Trumpet, Yves Duboin on soprano sax, Michael Lytle on bass clarinet, and Marc Wagnon on piano and vibes. Drums were handled by James Mussen on the first two albums, and by Leo Ciesa on the third. Bass guitar was provided by Kyle Sims and Mike Leslie on the first two, Greg Anderson on the third. In addition there are various other players adding saxes, violins and other instruments to the mix. The sound is definitely in the jazz-rock vein, very angular, with constant changes in time sig, tempo, and instrumentation, all delivered at an almost unbelievable high energy level. Songs are sometimes separated with little tape bits, voices, solos, all spliced together to form a seamless though jagged whole, much in the way Zappa does. That these guys like to experiment playing in difficult time signatures is an understatement - sometimes they play in three or four different time signatures at the same time. The music is challenging, and often not pretty. Melodies are torn apart and patched back together, dissonance is rampant, and sometimes the whole mix disintegrates into a noisy mix of squeaking reeds and feedback, only to return again to the original theme. But everything is very precise and tightly arranged, these guys can really play. On the third album Beta 14 OK, there are several songs which were composed and arranged entirely by a computer program without human intervention, and subsequently performed by the band, a series of odder-than-usual tracks titled "Nerveware" parts 1, 2 and 3. This disc clocks in at around 40 minutes but contains no less than 60 tracks, the last 44 of which are collectively titled "Nerve Events" and range from two to six seconds each, the idea being to allow the listener to reprogram all of these short bits in various orders or set the player on random mode, creating a new piece from all the pieces. It's a good workout for your CD player, if nothing else. The first two albums Out To Bomb Fresh Kings and Armed Observation are a little more straight-ahead and easier to sink your teeth into, tracks with a harder edge and less experimentation for experimentations sake. Having both of them on one CD makes for an excellent 70+ minutes of non-stop high energy. There is rumored to be a live CD recorded between the second and third titled Did Sprinting Die?, supposedly representing one complete live show. I've never seen it, but I am trying to find a copy. It's hard to imagine how these guys could pull this off live. All their albums have been released on CD.

What can I say ... this band is strange. BUT, sometimes that just what is needed. On Armed Observation we are presented with an album full of dissonance and experimentation with taping and studio effects. And yet ... somehow it works. This is not a band for everyone. In fact I could see where a great many would really dislike it. But if you were in the mood for something truly experimental and truly challenging then give this band a chance.

Dr. Nerve, led by guitarist Nick Didkovsky, is a "member" of the downtown New York City fusion scene. Characterized by talented playing of extremely complex, angular and dissonant avant-garde jazz fusion, Dr. Nerve can take nerves of steel to get through, at least on Beta 14 OK, the only disc I currently have. What makes this particular work so unique is that at least parts of these songs were composed by software written by Didkovsky especially for Dr. Nerve. Instrumentation consists of guitar, bass, drums, vibes, trumpets, vocals, sax and clarinets. As far as I'm concerned, some of the songs are not much more than walls of noise while others are fantastic turn-on-a-dime bouts of musicianship. Beta 14 OK also contains 44 "Nerve Events" which are brief (generally several seconds) sound bites that you are supposed to arrange into your own unique musical score. I can't try it because my CD player doesn't register above 19 songs so I can only access the first three samples. Some of the earlier albums, such as Armed Observation are supposed to be better places to start. Recommended to those into avant experimentalism, heavy RIO, etc., NOT to the symphonic crowd.

Links

[See Iconoclast | Tunnels] Click here for the Doctor Nerve web site Click here to order Doctor Nerve titles from Cuneiform Records

Discography

Kip Of The Serenes (69) Heavy Petting (70)

Reviews

Folk-rock.

Discography

Three Parts to My Soul (71)

Reviews

Original entry 11/23/01: Dr. Z is a not very famous English band of early '70's. Their music has a very simple rhythmic base and is obsessive, esoteric, peculiar, with very long piano and organ solos, baroque melodies and Satanic lyrics. The band published the album Three Parts of My Soul, a philosophical concept album, that is a rarity of the catalog of Vertigo (only 80 copies for the first edition). [Dr. Z was] Keith Keyes (lead vocals, keyboards), Bob Watkins (drums) and Rob Watson (bass). -- Ferdinando Santonicola Only 80 copies of Three Parts to My Soul was originally pressed, making it a rare collector's item. The original pressing had a "gimmick" folding cover, similar to ELP's Brain Salad Surgery cover. Several CD reissues from Korean Si-Wan, Italian Akarma and a Japanese reissue imitate this cover. A new Korean limited LP release on red vinyl is currently available from BTF, also with the "gimmick" cover. -- Fred Trafton

Late Night Movies, All Night Brainstorms (76), Figments of Emancipation (76), Sons of Survival (78), The Doctors of Madness (78)

Discography

Album (92) Twin Sunrise (95)

Reviews

Album is the first production for this Brazilian group of four musicians on guitars, keyboards, bass and drums. Marcus Viana (violin) guests on one of the tracks which, all instrumental, are played in a very British style dominated by melodies and symphonic arrangements of keyboards. Guitar solos in the Steve Rothery or Steve Hackett style are also present. A rich sounding music where fairly simple compositions show limited inspiration. Nevertheless, a quality production and performances that are true to the usual style make the listening enjoyable. Twin Sunrise is the second production for this Brazilian group of four musicians on guitars, keyboards, bass and drums. Guests contribute vocals (in English) and strings on a few tracks and give another dimension to Dogma's sound. The guitar playing and the arrangements remain very British (Marillion) but the compositions are now more inspired and better crafted. Still very melodic and relying on symphonic keyboard arrangements, the music now incorporates elements that make more dynamic and less predictable.-- Paul Charbonneau

Discography

Off-Planet (02)

Reviews

Several former members of Jade Warrior who have teamed up to for a new band. Dogstar Poets' first album is said to be "a strong and tasty work, which will probably appeal to fans of Jade Warrior's first few albums." -- Fred Trafton (from the Friends of Jade Warrior web site)

Links

[See Jade Warrior] Click here for Dogstar Poets' web site

Molecules (80)

Prog/Symphonic Rock.

DOM (72, aka Edge of Time)

"DOM" is a term used (at least in Germany) for a two day acid trip. These guys were obviously deep in the heart of their trip and near whatever boundary holds this universe together when they recorded DOM, which is also (incorrectly) known as Edge of Time. The music seems almost pure and abstract improvisation, an atmosphere sustained for the entire album. The music is a very dreamy and ethereal amalgam of two flutes, Mellotron, organ and guitar. Definitely one to be listened to late at night with many lit candles and, if you choose, under the influence.

Discography

Nedele (92)

Reviews

Another great band from the Czech Republic. They published their single (as far as I know) release Nedele (which means Sunday) in 1992. The music is neo-classical prog, reminds of Art Zoyd or Univers Zero, but with a stronger rock-feel. The six musicians (drums/xylophone/piano, bass, keyboards/synths, cello, guitar and something called electric housle) develop a sinister and melancholic mood, with mostly female vocals in Czech. "Indiani milujou hory" (Indians love the mountains) is a very dark song, with deep and desperate vocals (this time a man), that reminds of Univers Zero's "La Faulx" (from Heresie). This CD is an interesting addition to the neo-classic field, recommended to all friends of Univers Zero and Art Zoyd. -- Achim Breiling

1 (80), 2 (81), 3 (81), 4 (82)

After the spilt of Wire (the British new wave/punk band) B.C. Gilbert and G. Lewis realised their musical ideas under the name of Dome. They published 4 LPs with quite experimental avantgarde stuff. You find a lot of instruments here and several guest players. The style is reminiscent of these early wave/avantgarde bands like Tuxedomoon, Cabaret Voltaire or This Heat. So if you like these, give Dome a listen. All four Dome LPs have been reissued on 2 CDs by Mute. -- Achim Breiling

Discography

For Respect (93) Don Caballero 2 (95) What Burns Never Returns (98) Singles Breaking Up (99, Compilation from EP singles in '92 and '93) American Don (00)

Reviews

Don Caballero - Mike Banfield (guitar), Damon Che (drums) and Ian Williams (guitar) Don Caballero, whose name is usually high on the list of exemplars for the prog-related musical genre of Math Rock, were formed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1991 by Damon Che (drums), Ian Williams (guitar), Mike Banfield (guitar) and Pat Morris (bass). They released a few EP's on minor labels from 1991 to 1993, then signed to Chicago label Touch and Go through which they released their first three full length albums and a compilation album Singles Breaking Up, comprised of the earlier singles. Shortly after the release of What Burns Never Returns, Banfield left to form a new band, Storm and Stress, whose bassist Eric Emm also joined Don Caballero after Pat Morris' departure. Thus, they were a trio for their fourth album, American Don. Part way through their American Don tour in 2000, the band split up due to internal tensions. Damon Che played guitar (not drums!) in several other projects, and later re-formed Don Caballero with an entirely new line-up, merging with another Pittsburgh-based Don Caballero-influenced band formerly known as Creta Bourzia. They have been touring in 2005, but so far (as of 11/30/05) have not released any recordings. -- Fred Trafton

Though this instrumental group who records in Chicago on Touch and Go would not be considered prog-rock, they are progressive and do operate in a rock format (drum/bass/guitar). However, the musical perspective of this band is more textural, even minimal (though often quite heavy), drawing influence from Steven Reich as much as from King Crimson. Thoroughly original and challenging in structure and tone, Don Caballero provide a fascinating and odd journey through a music you have to listen to, not just play. If you appreciate Tortoise, Robert Fripp, and Steven Reich, Don Caballero may make you smile. -- David Marshall

Links

Click here for what seems to be the official Don Caballero web site Click here for a Don Caballero fan web site

Idaho Transfer (76)

Prog. Private Pressing.

Discography

The Butterfly Effect (00)

Reviews

Editor's note: Normally, I would not include reviews by the bands themselves in the GEPR. But the following article, written by Double Helix themselves specifically for the GEPR, contains mostly interesting background info on the band and doesn't read as blatant advertising. Therefore I see no conflict of interest with including it, especially since I will be including a review of their CD myself at a later date. -- Fred Trafton Double Helix are a symphonic progressive rock band (although not all of their songs could be placed in that category). The band was formed in early 1999 by Jill Arroway and Sandy Leigh, two musicians having very different backgrounds. Double Helix therefore represents the fusion of these two different styles: Jill Arroway is a contemporary classical composer and soprano; Sandy Leigh is an established vocalist, keyboard player, and songwriter of many years experience (most famously known from her days in neo-progressive band Solstice). Although some of the songs on The Butterfly Effect represent individual ideas from the past for which the band members had had no previous outlet, the bulk of the album shows clearly this fusion of genres, with songs demonstrating complex orchestration combined with powerful vocal lines.