To Be (76)

Toad (70), Tomorrow Blue (71), Dreams (75)

Guitar-based heavy prog.

Tollhouse (78)

Discography

Tolonen! (71) Summer Games (73) The Hook (74) Hysterica (75) Crossection (76, Compilation) Impressions (77, Compilation) A Passenger To Paramaribo (77) Montreux Boogie Live (78, Live) After Three Days (78, w/ Christian Sievert) Mountain Stream (79) JTB (79) Vanspel (79) - Note: this album was listed in the original GEPR, but I cannot find corroboration of its existence. Just Those Boys (80). High Flyin (80) Dums Have More Fun (81) Touch Wood (81, w/ Coste Apetrea) In a This Year Time (82) Blue Rain (85, w/ Coste Apetrea) Touch Wood (85, w/ Coste Apetrea, a US compilation of Touch Wood & Blue Rain) Radio Romance (86) Still Friends (87, w/ Christian Sievert) Last Mohican (94) Big Time (96) On the Rocky Road - A Retrospective (00, Compilation) Guitarras del Norte (04, w/ Raul Mannola & Timo Lehto) Cool Train (04)

Reviews

Jukka Tolonen (a recent picture) Jukka Tolonen was perhaps the first true Finnish guitar hero. With his virtuoso playing and his blues-jazz-classical stylistic mixture on Tasavallan Presidentti's two first albums and Wigwam's Tombstone Valentine, he became the first domestic axeman that could meet the big-world giants on their on terms, a paragon to young Finnish rockers - right down to his long hair and emaciated looks. Along with Pekka Pohjola, he was in fact one of the first rockers with some formal musical education beyond the basics. When his first, all-instrumental solo album appeared in 1971, its cover told all that was necessary: just the trademark-like title Tolonen! and Reijo Porkka's grainy, stark black-white photo of boy and his guitar in the by-now formulaic guitar-hero pose. That's exactly what the album made out of Tolonen, a trademark. His virtuoso highlight, the unaccompanied solo-guitar cadenza in the appropriately titled jazz-rocker "Ramblin", became (unfortunately perhaps) the technical yardstick by which every aspiring rock guitarist was measured. But even in retrospect, when yardsticks have been revised and yesterday's heroes dethroned several times, Tolonen! shows that its creator had more in him than just fast fingers. "Elements Earth Fire Water Air" starts with his trademark wah-inflected, twangy electric solo counterpointed by spidery runs on acoustic, piano or spinet (also played by Tolonen), but then breaks into a stentorian classical-style piano part, starts again with a sweet melancholy sax theme and slowly builds on it again, contrasting the acoustic haziness with the wah's electric growl. "Mountains" has just a shimmering acoustic guitar and a little Leslie-hazy electric to support a ravishing theme on the saxophone, an epitome of melodic beauty and tasteful arrangement. Tolonen clearly had greater ear for composition and arrangement than many of his follower would have. But Tolonen! had deeper impact than just hoisting Jukka Tolonen on a pedestal: it was the first genuine progressive rock record to make it to number six on the national chart and was voted the Album of the Year, incredible considering it was instrumental, hardly easy to take and that rock was still looked harshly upon by many of the musical establishment. Tolonen! in part served to legitimise rock and, more importantly, showed that progressive rock had commercial viability. In its wake, the already projected solo albums by Jim Pembroke and Pekka Pohjola got the go ahead. It was, however, still a musically immature statement, as confirmed by the inclusion of "Last Night", a short, shabby excerpt from a live jam with Wigwam. Maturity came with Summer Games two years later. With a more acoustic overall sound, more prominent influences from Indian music, and very tasteful use of horns, this album flows almost unnoticeably from pastoral acoustic lounging to serene jazz-rock where Indian tabla rhythms, Western classical influences and superbly melodic horn arrangements form a rich and perfectly balanced whole. If seventies Finnish progressive rock can be credited with an original approach, it would be this earthy, warm and slightly jazzy sound, echoes of which reverberate in most Finnish progressive records of the time, however faint sometimes (others might want to take some aspects of the Canterbury sound as a reference point). In comparison, The Hook (the title is perhaps a barb aimed at the American record company who refused the album because it supposedly didn't have any) is highly electrified and turns toward the North. The 12-minute opener "Aurora Borealis", two bolted-together fusiony rock vamps building into impressive climaxes, is harmonically more Nordic than Indian and Esa Kotilainen's bursts of frigid synthesizer washes give it a cool, cosmic coating. The rest of the album includes Big Band jazz, classical-style piano motifs, Zappa-like rhythmic quirkiness and even an acoustic lullaby. While not as solid as Summer Games, it represents Tolonen at his most "progressive" in terms of rhythmic complexity, keyboard arrangements but also orchestrating the music for various instruments so that none really dominates. Even with Tasavallan Presidentti withering, the world seemed open for Tolonen on his own. With Hysterica he bowed to American wishes and made a more guitar-oriented, streamlined album, but it was still not enough to record-company tastes and did not become the expected breakthrough in the States. Musically, "Silva the Cat" is Tolonen at his quirky best, and "Jimi" and "Django" serve as suitable tributes to his two different influences without becoming mere pastiches. "Windemere Avenue" became a small radiohit, but only after it had been seconded to Crossection, an American compilation containing also tracks from Tasavallan Presidentti's albums. In retrospect, however, Hysterica shows that in terms of musical power Tolonen had already peaked. For A Passenger to Paramaribo he put together a new group, the multinational Jukka Tolonen Band that featured among others the American drummer Billy Carson and Swedish guitarist Coste Apetrea (ex-Sammla Mamma's Manna). The group's work moved into a more ordinary jazz-rock direction, though A Passenger still has its strong moments (e.g. the easy-going rock of "Phantastes"), as does its successor, the live album with only new compositions Montreux Boogie. A Passenger was also the first of Tolonen's solo albums to include a vocal track. On the latter albums the other musicians took over more and more of the writing, until Dums Have More Fun had no compositions from Tolonen. Against this background, his 1979 solo release Mountain Stream is all the more interesting, being an all acoustic collection of pretty tunes that stretch from the by-now familiar Indian motives to samba and flamenco. Its highlight is a 14-minute classical-style piano piece "Spring Is Coming" whose semi-improvisatory course takes it from Far Eastern pentatonics to a virtual quote of "Bridge Over Troubled Water"'s chord progression. Similar in approach were Tolonen's two duo collaborations with Apetrea, Touch Wood and Blue Rain, both full of pretty, intimate acoustic numbers showing the two skilled guitar-slingers clearly relaxed and having fun outside the more strenuous arena of electric rock and fusion. Tolonen worked with Apetrea a lot in the early 1980s, guesting on Apetrea and Stefan Nilsson's Vänspel album and joining the Oreo Moon project for its one album Walk Don't Scream (essentially most of JTB playing Apetrea's compositions). Much of his most celebrated playing has actually been done as a guest or a hired-gun with another group, particularly his stint as an "associated member" of Wigwam (who wooed him to join, but he refused to leave Tasavallan Presidentti) in 1970-71 and with the progressive folk-rockers Piirpauke on their 1989 record Zerenade. In fact, little of Tolonen's own subsequent output warrants similar enthusiasm, even if he has tried to explore different musical avenues. In a Year This Time is a laidback reggae album made with Caribbean musicians, containing vocal tracks and a couple of one-chord instrumental jams. Radio Romance is straight AOR, with typical mid-1980s production, lyrics from Jim Pembroke and rather underwhelming vocals from Tolonen. Big Time and The Last Mohican, made with two Swedish musicians as the Jukka Tolonen Trio, are mostly blues-based rock, often of the hard variety. While it would be unkind to call him a spent force, Tolonen's last twenty musical years have been underwhelming. However, 2004 saw him at least breaking out of the guitar boxes and rock riffs with two invigorating releases: Guitarras del Norte is an Al DiMeola-style acoustic foray into flamenco together with two other guitarists, the style's specialist Raul Mannola and jazz-oriented Timo Lehto. Cool Train, on the other hand, finds him tackling, with mixed success, the works of John Coltrane - one icon taking on another one's hallowed legacy. -- Kai Karmanheimo

Tolonen was the guitarist in the early 70's finnish progressive band Tasavallan Presidentti. His solo stuff is primarily in the jazz-rock vein, and inspired variation thereof. Some albums are better than others, but all are worthwhile.

Links

[See Apetrea, Coste | Kotilainen, Esa | Paakkunainen, Seppo | Pembroke, Jim | Piirpauke | Tasavallan Presidentti | Wigwam] Click here for Jukka Tolonen's web site

Discography

Snowflakes Are Dancing (74) Pictures at an Exhibition (75) Firebird Suite (76) The Planets (77) Sound Creature (77) Kosmos (78) The Bermuda Triangle (78) Daphnis Et Chloé (Bolero) (79) A Voyage Through His Greatest Hits (81, Compilation) Grand Canyon (82) Dawn Chorus (84, a.k.a. Canon of the Three Stars) The Best of Tomita (84, Compilation) Space Walk: Impressions of an Astronaut (84, Compilation) Mind of the Universe: Tomita Live at Linz 1984 (85, Live) Back to the Earth (88, Live) Misty Kid of Wind (89, Soundtrack, a.k.a. Misty Kind of Wind) Storm from the East (92, Soundtrack) School (93, EP, w/ others, a.k.a. Gakkoh) The First Emperor (94, Soundtrack, w/ others) Nasca Fantasy (94, w/ Kodo Drummers) Bach Fantasy (96)

Reviews

Tomita Live at Linz Isao Tomita is a japanese composer and performer. Before starting with electonic music, he composed award winning scores for NHK (Japanese TV) His debut album Snowflakes are Dancing, from 1974, feature interpretations of Claude Debussy's work played with a Moog Syntheziser and Mellotron, with a great result. Tomita inspired his work in the classical composers such as Bach, Mussorgsky, Mahler and many others combined with the electonic experiments of Wendy Carlos. Instead of playing note by note interpretations, like Wendy Carlos once did with her Switched on Bach album, Tomita gives another perspective to the classics. The melodies are still recognizable, but he developed the sonic capabilities of the Moog Synth to the maximum, creating such Enchanting passages, and letting the synth sound with it's own voices instead of trying to imitate real intruments, like previous efforts. Similar to early Jean Michel Jarre and Mike Oldfield. Fans of Progressive Electronic will be satisfied with his work. Snowflakes are Dancing is a great introduction to Tomita's work. -- Juan M. Sjöbohm

Isao Tomita was the second most famous of the electronic musicians who tried his hand at interpreting classics using his Moog modular synthesizer. The most famous was Wendy (then-Walter) Carlos with her "Switched-On Bach" series. Carlos was trying to prove that synthesizers were actually real musical instruments, not just buzzy noisemakers, and so the synthesizer timbres she used tended to be smooth and melodious with lots of dynamic range and subtlety of timbre. The interpretations of music were on the whole very true to the original scoring and intent of the original composers. Tomita tended to go his own way ... firstly, he generally interpreted more modern composers, such as Debussy, Stravinsky and Mussorgsky rather than Carlos' Bach, Beethoven and Scarlatti. Secondly, he dispensed with rigorous interpretations of the pieces and became more fanciful ... initially staying true to the original scores but using imaginative synthesizer timbres. Later, he began taking more and more liberties with the scores and started adding his own sections of music, or melding multiple compositions into a single medley. By the time of Kosmos, many classically-oriented folks turned their backs on Tomita, saying he was catering too much to the non-classical folks in an effort to sell albums. While this was probably true, he is also responsible for introducing many modern classics to people who otherwise would have never listened to them. From a progressive rock fan's point of view, Tomita can hold his own with all those re-interpretations of classics that certain prog types love to do. If you liked The Nice's interpretation of Sibelius, ELP's version of Ginastera's Tocatta on Brain Salad Surgery, Rick Wakeman's arrangement of Brahms on Fragile, or even King Crimson's mangling of the "Mars" movement of Holst's The Planets Suite on In the Wake of Poseidon ("The Bermuda Triangle" ... or didn't you know where Robert Fripp "borrowed" that funky 5/4 rhythm from?), then you should really check Tomita out. If you like quieter more serious classical music, start with Snowflakes are Dancing. If you're more into bombast, try The Planets. Most of these early albums are still in print on CD. -- Fred Trafton

Links

Click here for a Tomita web site

Tomorrow (68)

[See Pink Fairies | Twink]

Tomorrow's Gift (70), Goodbye Future (73)

I heard their contribution to the Hamburg 70 festival album. A very long track, about ten minutes at least. Joining the omnipresent grinding Hammond organ were prominent flute, good guitar work and a female vocalist. Their first album is supposed to be in this style. Goodbye Future features only the keyboardist and bassist from the original lineup, and is apparently much different. Keyboardist Manfred Ruerup later formed the fusion ensemble Release Music Orchestra, guitarist Carlo Karges turned up in Novalis. -- Mike Ohman

[See Novalis | Release Music Orchestra]

Warum geht es mir so dreckig? (71), Keine Macht fur niemand (72), Wenn die Nacht am Tiefsten (75)

Political rock ala Floh De Cologne.

Discography

Zero Time (71) It's About Time (75) Tonto Rides Again (96, CD compilation of Zero Time plus songs from It's About Time with new titles)

Reviews

Malcolm Cecil seated amid the TONTO synthesizer Tonto's Expanding Head Band was one of the first all-electronic bands, making music in the studio with gigantic Moog modular synthesizers. Zero Time sounds like it's recorded on a 4-track tape machine, with synthesized percussion (not a drum machine, but percusive sounds generated on the Moog). Though it sounds thin and amateurish by modern standards (no polyphonic keyboards, so no symphonic chordal fills of any sort!), it was an amazing album for its time, and you'll find copies of it in many electronic prog fans' collections, including mine. But admittedly it's more of a historical curiosity than spectacular music. Still, a good demo for just how fat a sound those old analog synths used to create. I never heard It's About Time, so I can't comment on that album. TEHB was Robert Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil. Cecil, at least, continued to record and produce after the demise of TEHB, among other things producing Steve Hillage's 1977 album Motivation Radio. You will sometimes see Tonto spelled as T.O.N.T.O., which is an acronym for "The Original and New Timbral Orchestra", an alternate name for the band. Aside from this, I had discussions with other fans over whether it was Tonto's headband that was expanding, or this was a band celebrating Tonto's expanding head. We discussed many weighty matters such as this in the old days. Then Nancy Reagan came along and said "Just Say No", and ruined the whole thing. The original albums Zero Time and It's About Time have never been released on CD under these titles. However, in 1996, a CD titled Tonto Rides Again was issued containing the whole of Zero Time 7 "unreleased" titles, which are actually the tracks from It's About Time with different names (most likely a copyright issue was involved). This CD currently seems to be unavailable. -- Fred Trafton

Links

[See Hillage, Steve]

Tonton Macoute (71)

If you like a mix of progressive rock and blues, this is a good place to start. I don't know much about the band. These guys move from rock to blues cleanly and effortlessly, and usually in the middle of a song. They have a Zeppelinesque feel as well that keeps things lively. There's enough instrumental proficiency to keep me tuned in, but this is something I tend to take more as a whole. If I had to compare then to another prog band it would have to be Steve Hillage and Dave Stewart's Khan. Not the same style but a very similar feel. Tonton Macoute employs more acoustic piano and walking bass lines, and the vocals and lyrics have a moving quality in them, though they say nothing profound. If you can find this, check it out.

Discography

Too Much (71)

Reviews

Loud blues/rock, reminiscent of Flower Travellin' Band.

Discography

Opiate (92, EP) Undertow (93) Ænima (96) Salival (00, Live, CD or DVD) Lateralus (01)

Reviews

Tool Tool, maybe the most mainstream of the progressive metal outfits, could also be described as the most unconventional metal band you've ever heard. Strangely enough, considering their commercial success, the four members of Tool have always done their riffs their own way, and rarely stuck to traditional limits such as verse-chorus-verse song structures and kick-hat-snare drum grooves. First and foremost, Maynard James Keenan is the best rock and roll vocalist this side of Freddie Mercury. His range is tremendous, his power is unrelenting, and when he sings he makes you feel what he's singing. He is not a conventional three-part melody rock singer. His lyrics are dark and insightful, in a way both removed from and connected to the messages found in alt-metal such as Korn, Linkin Park, and the like. He'll sing about his childhood and his losses, but he'll make you believe and share his pain. Danny Carey, with his double-kick, deep snare drum set, is also unconventional. Not only in his setup, which includes numerous cup chimes, electronic pads and cymbals, but also in his approach and technique. Whereas other great drummers such as Neil Peart of Rush would back up a heavy crunching riff with a fast-tempo kick-snare-kick-snare groove, Danny would play an intricate, sometimes syncopated, multi-tom/snare/kick groove utilizing all his drums and some of his electronics. And when it does come down to kick-hat-snare, Danny can play odd time signatures like no one else, save perhaps Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater. Justin Chancellor's bass guitar is also used in a very different role. Many times it can be treated as a second lead instrument, in songs such as the hit single "Schism". Justin can go intricate and melodic, or bottomed-out and bare-boned. His versatility and style of playing set him in a class apart with bassists such as Chris Squire of Yes. Finally, not to be missed is Adam Jones' beautifully aggressive guitar work. Unlike other metal guitarists of the day, who rely on riffs that climb all over the fret board in a haphazard manner, Adam writes music that defies the metal quota. He writes simple, beautiful riffs, usually heavily distorted, that seem to, like The Who's Pete Townshend, keep the rhythm more so than provide solos and arpeggio fun. It can be argued that bands like Tool are the shot in the arm that mainstream heavy metal, death metal, nu-metal, and even alternative rock, need so badly. And if the point were brought up, I would agree. In a world of Korn and Limp Bizkit copycats, it's refreshing to hear that a band with this much talent and potential is getting the radio airplay they deserve. -- Bryan Andrews - Bohemian Star Gazer

In the summer of 2001, Tool toured with King Crimson. (KC was the backup band). Robert Fripp even sat in with them on one song and played guitar. Some see this as a certification of authenticity from one of the old guard prog bands that Tool is, indeed, a prog band as well. I doubt that Robert Fripp would see it that way, however. I'm sure he would simply say that Tool is a band doing music its own way, just as he has always done, and labels like "prog" are irrelevant. He's probably right. Tool has garnered a lot of criticicm about their lyrical content and claimed associations with the occult. Some have complained about Thelemic content on the Tool web site and one joker even also claimed they are engaging in mind control of their audience using Neuro-Linguistic Programming. Isn't it fun that any idiot can have a web site and say anything they want to? (Yes, I'm aware that you're looking at just such a site right now.) Tool's Danny Carey is currently (3/18/03) working with Adrian Belew (King Crimson) and Les Claypool (Primus) on several songs for Belew's next CD, and are also working together on another (separate) project. -- Fred Trafton

Links

Click here for the Official Tool web site Click here for a Tool FAQ

Discography

Suìte Mìstica (83)

Reviews

A rather interesting one-shot band from the late 80's, Topos Uranos made one album, Suìte Mìstica, and nothing since. It's mainly instrumental, much like Iconoclasta, with some powerful themes and blistering guitar. The weak link in the chain is the keyboard player, who is not bad technically, but is not very creative, too often relying on obvious presets. -- Mike Ohman

At Last (77)

Prog.

Discography

Just Talking About the Universe ... So Far (99) The Foolishness of God (01)

Reviews

If I said "Three brothers who play Prog Metal", would you think of Kopecky? How about if I mentioned they played Christian rock? Oh, well, forget Kopecky then. I'm talking about Torman Maxt, these three brothers are Tony (guitar), Dominic (bass) and Vincent (drums) Massaro, originally from Florida. I recently got to hear their newest album, The Foolishness of God. If you're expecting Christian Prog Metal along the lines of Divine in Sight (with whom they are acquainted), you're going to be disappointed. The Foolishness of God bears little resemblence to Divine in Sight outside of the "Christian Progressive Metal" label. In fact, I wouldn't actually classify Torman Maxt as Progressive Metal, at least on the basis of this album. Although certainly arranged with higher complexity than your typical pop song, I consider these pieces to be quite accessable, and not all that metallic either compared to other bands who sport the "Prog Metal" classification. Don't get me wrong ... I liked this album, I just think it's neither particularly progressive nor overtly metallic. The first cut, "Vanity Explored" is dominated by picked acoustic guitars and harmonized vocals. This reminds me of nothing so much as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young ... a rather heavy CSN&Y, to be sure, but still this is the main impression. The second cut, "Ghost Town" shows clearly that the band members are all heavily influenced by Led Zeppelin; this cut sounds like early Zep, particularly the Robert Plant style vocals, but also the guitar melody. On the third cut, "City of Man", we finally get into something a bit more progressive and far more metallic, especially at the end, where heavily compressed distorted guitars crunch out an almost punkish speed metal. But after this, we slow down again with "The Stage", back to the CSN&Y style. With the fifth cut, "Space and Time", we mellow out and get even more folksy than CSN&Y ... America actually springs to mind as a comparison, though with mild metal trappings. There is a heavier, more metallic section in the middle, but this still comes across as an overall laid back cut. This is followed by "Off this Planet", a short instrumental piece with spacey echoed guitars and a childs voice. After this is "China Song", (although I can't quite figure out what this has to do with either the country or the dinnerware) which begins with a scripture reading, more really heavy CSN&Y guitars and Robert Plant vocal slides. Is this starting to sound familiar? Next up is "40 Days", which really baffles me with a tom-tom pattern and melody that sounds like a white man's version of what he thinks a Native American song is supposed to sound like. This cut seems oddly out of place on the rest of the album. Following this are "Life Sketches II: Sin" and "Silence Isn't Golden", which are back-to-back heavier tunes without all the vocal harmonies that make it sound folksy. Though I wouldn't call even these particularly progressive, they're some nice, heavy straight-ahead rock tunes. This set of pieces is topped off by "Life sketches IV: Eternity", a short instrumental, mostly acoustic guitar picking ending with spacey noises. The final cut is clearly the epic tune for this album: "The Foolishness of God", at 10:46 by far the most extended piece on the CD. It starts with a fire & brimstone preacher, then adds music underneath. The preaching becomes a voice-over for a reasonably nice prog metal suite, though still neither overly complex nor overly metallic. One can hear all the afore-mentioned styles reprised again in this piece, though here we have by far the most progressive cut on the CD, with many mood and tempo changes, and feels that go from light acoustic picking to heavy metallic headbanging. This is a pretty good cut, easily my favorite on the album. I guess my final assessment of this album is that it's pretty good. I will undoubtedly give it a spin on occasion. I think if you're used to bland Christian music, this will sound pretty darned progressive to you. However, for those of us who cut our teeth on more challenging fare, this album seems downright accessable. Personally, I don't know why anyone wouldn't like it. But if you want music that's difficult and challenging to listen to, look elsewhere. -- Fred Trafton

Links

Click here for Torman Maxt's web site (doesn't seem to work in Netscape, but does in Internet Explorer) Click here for Vitaly Menshikov's overall view of Torman Maxt on his ProgressoR web site

Discography

La Torre dell'Alchimista (01)

Reviews

La Torre dell'Alchimista (not in photo order) - Davide Donadoni (bass, clarinet), Michele Giardino (voice, acoustic guitar), Michele Mutti (keyboards), Noberto Mosconi (drums, acoustic guitar), Silvia Ceraolo (flute, voice), Elena Biagioni (voice, keyboards) La Torre dell'Alchimista (Kaliphonia KRCD25) was one of the most hyped progressive releases of 2001, and it is easy to see why: this Italian quintet seem to want to recapture the symphonic sound of their 1970's compatriots, and their chief weapons are Hammonds, Mellotrons and other much-loved and much-fetishised vintage keyboards that played such an important role back then. Their songs build melodic and but quite complex keyboard work, supported by guitar and flute, with lots of changes and soloing, while eschewing metal or overt pop influences. The playing is good throughout, even if the keyboard player hogs up most of the space, and avoids the metal or pop cliches of many latter-day bands. I also like vocalist Michele Giardino's contributions, as he is neither a metal screamer nor feels compelled to sing constantly at or beyond the edge of his range. Yet after numerous listens, this album fails to impress me. Perhaps it is the sparsity of truly memorable melodies, most of which are crammed on the first side of the album. Tellingly, the most sublime of these, the gorgeous synth melody marching on a lofty Mellotron parapet at the end of the title track, is also the most obviously derivative, an early-PFM-style reverse-engineering of "The Court of the Crimson King" as filtered through Genesis' "Stagnation". Perhaps it is just that some of the compositions succumb to the common-enough failing of cramming virtuosic episodes together without the kind of smoothness that PFM in their prime, for example, exhibited in putting together their seemingly incongruous folk, jazz, rock and classical influences. Perhaps it is the production which, for all its polish, seems lacking in true dynamics and nuances, at least in comparison to their paragons. Or perhaps I am just being too harsh by pitting them against past masters. However, La Torre's contemporaries Groovector and La Maschera di Cera also operate in this retro-symphonic territory with largely similar instrumentation, and I find their debuts more compelling. All said and done, La Torre dell'Alchimista is still a very mature debut which many symphonic fans should enjoy. -- Kai Karmanheimo

Links

Click here for La Torre dell'Alchimista's web site

Nur ein 3/4 Stundchen (74)

Underground jazz-rock. Flute and electric piano appear throughout. There's lots of jazzy soloing, and a laid-back "stoned" feel, but it never really sounds self-indulgent. They like taking solos, but know when to reel it in before the listener gets bored. A very jazzy record, it sounds like the perfect accompaniment for beat poetry. The sound is quite raw, but the great performances shine through. -- Mike Ohman

Discography

Tortoise (94) Rhythms, Resolutions and Clusters (95, Remixes of Tortoise) Millions Now Living Will Never Die (96) Remix (96, Remixes of Millions ...) A Digest Compendium of the Tortoise's World (96, Remix/Compilation) TNT (98) In the Fishtank (99, EP w/ The Ex) Standards (01) It's All Around You (04) The Brave and the Bold (06, w/ Will Oldham) A Lazarus Taxon (06, Compilation, Box set with 3 CD's and 1 DVD, including all of Rhythms, Resolutions and Clusters plus 7" and 12" EP's and other material)

Reviews

Tortoise - Jeff Parker (guitar, bass), John Herndon (drums, vibes, keyboards, sequencing), John McEntire (drums, modular synth, ring modulated guitar, keyboards), Doug McCombs (bass 4 & 6, guitar, lap steel) and Dan Bitney (bass, guitar, percussion, vibes, marimba, keyboards, baritone sax) Tortoise is a band from Chicago, Illinois. Many music critics have branded them as "Post Rock". This label branded onto them is somewhat true (we just call it "Progressive Rock"), because Tortoise are creating some of the most interesting Krautrock/Prog Rock/Ambient/Organic Trance music since Germany's Can. Tortoise are a hybrid mixture of Steve Reich's 20th Century compositions along with Future Days-era Can. The instruments used are Farfisa organs, Melodica, drums, vibes, djembe, bass, samples, and programming. No guitar or vocals (except for one song called "Night Air" on Tortoise; however, the vocals are barely audible. The highly recommended starter is Tortoise. The instrumentals float about like a tortoise's bodily movements, but they never bore. It's also great music to listen to while staring at a lava lamp (in complete darkness) when you're in a "certain" mood. On the second CD Millions Now Living Will Never Die, guitar is added. A Highly recommended band! -- Julian Belanger

TNT is Tortoise's third album and it sees them cutting back drastically on the guitar department. From having performed instrumental guitar music ("DJed" on Millions Now Living ... certainly stood out as NOT being a guitar song), they now use electric and acoustic guitars as features - leads, soundeffects, backdrop, sometimes heavily processed - in what I'd call electronic music. It's more or less only the titletrack that sounds like previous material. The last couple of songs are pretty much dance/dub music. I wouldn't dream of buying a dub record, but this is pretty cool because it contrasts with what they otherwise do, and probably 'cause it's all very new to me. This is my favourite Tortoise album, but also very different from earlier releases. -- Daniel

Marvelously inventive band that weaves bits and pieces of percussives, melodics and sounds into a progressive soup of texture. Unafraid to share the experience of music being made, Tortoise truly do take their time and really get into things; the value of one good riff, the beauty in a sample of tortured noise, the juxtaposition caused by a communion and sometimes clash between the 20th and 21st centuries. The best of the "post rock" wave, Tortoise will be looked back on as trailblazers in modern anti-rock music. The Standards CD from 2001 is a good starter and has plenty of guitar, harpsichord and vibraphone, and big, John Bonham-style tin foil drums. -- David Marshall

Links

Click here for Tortoise' web site Click here for an interview with Tortoise' Doug McCombs

Discography

Touch (68) This Is (69)

Reviews

Very early prog, and perhaps the first American prog?

Touch has sometimes been called the first American progressive rock band, and considering the album was recorded in '68 there's something to that. Definitely more progressive than the psychedelic bands of the time, and Touch is a very varied release at that. Highpoint being the album closer, the 11:45 "Seventy Five", which is unusually arranged as opposed to the improvised epics by other groups around that time (Grateful Dead, Iron Butterfly). These are written songs with no dead moments, and the musicians are good, especially the keyboard player impresses. Album opener "We Feel Fine" has great energy and is a great song, and songs like "Friendly Birds" and "Alesha and Others" put Jefferson Airplane to shame in the psychedelic ballad department. The beginning and end of "The Spiritual Death of Howard Greer" has a somber church feel to it (if Iron Butterfly ever wrote a good song it might sound like this). Another funny detail is the lead vocalist's high pitch crazy vibrato, but that's something I've learnt to love. This deserves to be a classic album, because at the time of its release there was nothing like it. -- Daniel

Unless you're a completist, not every album of a given genre is necessarily worth having. This is true of progressive rock. I mean, if you're not going to listen to it more than once every few years is it really a must have? Some of these records may be considered (and often are) "important", "influential" or my favorite, "seminal", but they just don't interest you. Unfortunately for most proggers, that's the category this band's self-titled album from 1969 would likely fall into. And yet, after a good third listening, I must say these boys cut quite an impressive slab of true 'proto-prog' in all its confused, shuddering, awkward infancy. Just off the high produced by The Nice, Moody Blues, and Blood, Sweat & Tears, these guys fully explored what a group of musicians with a classical background but an itch for rock and R&B could do in the studio. As ambitious as those bands but not as cerebral as Yes or King Crimson, Touch appear to have been America's first and only organ-based, truly progressive rock act at the time and for years afterward. Not until Todd Rundgren or Happy the Man did the U.S. begin to contribute seriously to the form (unless you include The Beach Boys, and then all bets are off). In particular the bonus track "The Second Coming of Suzanne", a film score, is a real lost gem. If you're interested in the history of orchestral rock, Eclectic Discs' 2003 reissue of Touch is a rewarding peek into the development of non-European prog. -- Dave Marshall

Discography

Nagyvárosi Ikonok (Big City Icons) (97)

Reviews

Townscream - Csaba Vedres (keyboards), Péter Ács (bass), Gábor Baross (drums), Béla Gál (cello and synth) Townscream is a band fronted by the ex-After Crying keyboardist Csaba Vedres and their (apparently) only release Nagyvárosi Ikonok (Periferic Records BGCD011) is a minor masterpiece that, like After Crying's best work, mixes classical, chamber, symphonic, folk, even a dash of musique concrete with rock music, only in a streamlined and more urgent form. In addition to Vedres, the band features Péter Ács on bass, Gábor Baross on drums and Béla Gál on cello and synthesizer, with guest players providing trumpet and flute. The focus of it all, however, is Vedres' tasteful and mastery keyboard work that eschews the wide slabs of sound favoured by many modern prog keyboardists in favour of virtuoso piano and a single Korg Trinity Plus used sparingly for a range of tones, including an effective marimba-like ostinato and leads resembling feedback guitar. The four-part title track ranges from ELP-styled bombast and classical piano fugues to a more reflective sections and to a drum break overlayed with almost industrial samples. The rest of the album divides itself between the loud and soft tracks. "Alászálla a poklokra" gallops jaggedly from a kinetic vocal section to ripping keyboard/cello interplay to a sudden symphonic interjection and back again, while "Az utolsó ikon" takes to martial drumming and bombastic, polyphonic brass fanfare under which a background chorus chants a barely recognisable fragment of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina's "Jesu, Rex Admirabilis". While these are great numbers, I find the mellower tracks to be more distinctive: there is the mysterious, nearly a capella vocal of "Ime, hát megleltem hazámat"; the lazy bird noises and keyboard washes sound picture "Így szólt a madár"; and the delicate beauty of "Hajnali ének" which incorporates Crimson's "Peace" theme and has the kind of tranquil vocal arrangements that were so effective on Föld és ég. In fact Vedres' voice works much better on the softer material than on the rough stuff that puts a strain on his limited range. Overall, how to sum up this album? On par with After Crying's best releases, this is 62 minutes of adventurous and compelling prog, impeccably produced and performed. While I may find some parts less successful than others (e.g. the brief "A Lazarus-bol"), there is not a bad track on this album, and despite the differences between the hardest and the softest tracks, it hangs together remarkably well. Very much recommended to fans of a bit more demanding prog. Too bad that Vedres seems to have abandoned this band as well, curbing any hope for further studio releases of unreleased songs which are known to exist. -- Kai Karmanheimo

Links

[See After Crying] Click here for a fan page within his After Crying web site Click here for the official Townscream web site in Hungarian

Toy Matinee (90)

Toy Matinee is a splinter group from a group called Giraffe. They definitely fall under the classification of progressive pop. They only have one self-titled album out. Their music is highly polished studio work comprised mostly of studio musicians and associates. The core of the band is only two people a guitar player/singer and a keyboardist. If you liked Flat Earth by Thomas Dolby you will like this CD too. The bass player on the album is the most "in the pocket" player I've heard since Flat Earth (is that a bass or a machine?). You can usually find the album in the discount bins for $5-$6.

Kevin Gilbert (Giraffe) and Pat Leonard (who has worked with Madonna and Roger Waters) released one album under this name. Slightly danceable pop-prog, but a little mellower due to the influence of Pat Leonard, who is more of a Pink Floyd fan than a Madonna fan. Reminds me a little of the first album by the Fixx, of all bands. You'd probably find the Toy Matinee CD in a bargain bin. Oh yeah, Julian Lennon and Guy Pratt (bass player for Pink Floyd on their '88 world tour) appear on the album.

[See Giraffe]

Discography

The Cold Light of Darkness (02)

Reviews

Tr3nity is a new band from the UK making some excellent music, though a bit on the dark side. Since The Cold Light of Darkness is a concept album about a young girl being raised around drug abuse and having to deal with her own personal abuse, how can it be anything but dark and depressing? Still, the music does evoke strong emotions, and that's what it is designed to do. I would actually advise those who have been victims of abuse themselves to approach this album with caution ... you may find the subject matter a little too "close to home" for comfort. Tr3nity is squarely in the so-called "neo-prog" camp, meaning that the music is not high complexity or flashy in either a rhythmic or "note-count" sense, but is instead about symphonic sound textures and melodic structure. The recording quality is excellent and crystalline, almost to the point of sounding minimalist at times. The guitar playing is very emotional in the slow, sustained-note vein of Pink Floyd's Dave Gilmour, and Dave has nothing on Tr3nity's Rob Davenport as he pitch-bends his way through many heart-wrenching solos on this album. Keyboard solos are also frequent, and bring to mind Marillion keyboardist Mark Kelly's most recent keyboard stylings; technically excellent, but tasteful almost to the point of being unadventurous. The lengthy intro cut "Eyes of a Child", for example, consists primarily of two chords being played over and over, though it hardly seems like it with all the synthesizer and guitar solos alternating during its length, not to mention the vocal storytelling. My feeling is that this is the kind of album that will appeal to both "neo-prog" fans and also to those who might normally turn up their noses at a "progressive" album; this is pretty accessable stuff, musically at least. If your musical needs include high complexity, dissonance, bizarre rhythmic structures, screaming synthesizer solos, metallic guitar stylings or freaky vocals, then you'll probably find The Cold Light of Darkness to be a little too sedate for you. I'm almost in the second camp, though I have to admit I've enjoyed contorting my face and playing "air guitar" to Davenport's guitar solos. No Floyd fan will be able to avoid doing this. It's just a little dangerous when you're driving a car. In all, a pretty good release. -- Fred Trafton

Say hello to Tr3nity, recent signings to the Cyclops label. Their album The Cold Light of Darkness is a concept piece telling the story of a drug addict and the effects drugs have upon her life. Theme-wise, this seems quite hard going, but luckily, the album is strong musically. For the purposes of this review, I have chosen to concentrate on the musical performance in hand; for those of you wishing to learn more about the story behind the album, the Tr3nity website contains all the relevant info. The album opens in a rather epic way with "Eyes of a Child" which clocks in at over fifteen minutes. Its intro features some rather spectacular guitar work. I'd suggest that Andy Latimer has been a huge influence on Rob Davenport, as the atmospheric guitar part set against pulsing keys is reminiscent of "Pressure Points" from Camel's Stationary Traveller album. When the keys kick in they are clearly of the neo-prog variety from the early eighties. Inevitable comparisons have to be made between early Marillion and classic Pendragon. I can definitely hear Clive Nolan influences in the keyboard playing of Paul Gath. The vocals make a belated appearance (in true prog style) and in my opinion, they are of an acquired taste, reminding me a little of Arena's old vocalist, Paul Wrightson. The next section of this track is taken at a faster pace and is basically a forum for Paul Gath to show off his keyboard prowess - great stuff - before returning to the original musical theme which brings the song to a close. Whilst still remaining undeniably prog, "The Mask" has a more accessible and melodic edge. The vocals are softer and the guitar solo is a definite high point. The first half of "Which Way?" seems out of character when compared to the rest of the album. The traditional prog hallmarks are replaced with a funk-edged pop/rock workout. Prog fans should have no fear though, as half way through, the mood completely changes. The second half's arrangement is all ambient keys accompanied by Pink Floyd-esque guitar soloing. Actually, it's so Floyd-like, if I was David Gilmour, I'd get off my recording-studio-boat-thingy and demand royalties! "The Film" makes good use of contrast between acoustic rhythm guitar parts and electric lead parts, which works well. This track and "Help Me", in my opinion, feature Chris Campbell's best vocal performances on this album. "Help Me" is particularly effective, as with only keys, voice and the sound of a ticking clock, the arrangement is very sparse. The song is a cry for help from a teenage girl contemplating suicide. To emphasise her vulnerability, the vocals sound very fragile in their delivery. The last track, "Can't You See" has a slightly more AOR feel to it, with the dominant force being Rolf Smith's drums. Rolf says his main musical influences are Marillion and Toto, so he's a man with good taste! The closing section of this track reminds me a little of Pendragon. It sounds like a conscious effort to finish the album with something a little more musically uplifting. The Cold Light of Darkness is an album that has a lot going for it. I think Tr3nity should feel proud. -- Lee J Aspin (www.heartoftherock.com)

The Cold Light of Darkness was released by Tr3nity in 2002 on the Cyclops label. A quartet whose aim is to provide "music with purpose", which they achieve in full. It is thoughtful, structured, intelligent classic rock. From the delicate opening of the first track, "The Eyes of a Child", to the more upbeat ending of the last track "Can't You See", this is a concept CD of impressive compositions. It looks honestly and unsentimentally at the difficult and sensitive issues of child and drug abuse through the story of a fictional girl. The CD, particularly the first half, is reminiscent of Pink Floyd but with a refreshing new twist. The track "Which Way?", for example, has a funky beginning which surprises and delights when it changes tempo to a stunning, nerve tingling, guitar solo. The track "Into the Dark" has both excellent guitar and keyboard solos woven into a song sung with depth and feeling. This is a superb CD. A famous song says diamonds are a girl's best friend but give me silver, silver discs with excellent music like The Cold Light of Darkness. -- Debbie a.k.a. "Diamond Debs"

Links

Click here for Tr3nity's web site Click here to order this album from GFT/Cyclops

Trace (74), Birds (74), White Ladies (76)

Trace is sort of a poor man's version of Focus, in my opinion. Birds, the only album I have, features Rick van der Linden on keyboards, Ian Mosley (of Marillion fame) on drums, and Jaap van Eik on guitar and vocals. Guest Darryl Way (Curved Air) contributes violins. Like Ekseption and Focus, Trace play a very classically influenced style of progressive rock. In fact, Birds contains interpretations of two different Bach works, a two minute bouree and nearly eight minutes from a concerto for four pianos. Birds also contains the 22 minute title track that consists of 19 parts! The music on this album is all well executed and contains lots of organ, synth, piano and Mellotron but is also pretty derivative of everything Focus had already done. Darryl Way does turn in some excellent violin solos on the concerto interpretation. If you're heavily into Focus's style, check out Birds - but you won't find anything really new.

Dutch band that evolved from Ekseption. I haven't bothered getting any Ekseption because no one has had anything really exciting to say about them. Trace on the other hand, are a band to enthuse yourself over. Their album Birds features an untitled sidelong suite (only the subsections have titles) that combines the best of Focus and ELP. Rick van der Linden is a simply amazing keyboardist. The second you hear the pipe-organ blast at the beginning of this album, you know you're on one really fun ride. The B-side reads like a typical Ekseption album: 70% covers, 30% originals. Still, one of those covers-- "Opus 1065", a Bach adaptation-- features some stellar violin playing by Curved Air leader Darryl Way. The White Ladies looks like an Ekseption reunion. -- Mike Ohman

[See Brainbox | Ekseption | Focus | Marillion | Way, Darryl]

Discography

Tractor (72) Worst Enemies (96, unreleased tracks recorded 73-91)

Reviews

Weird duo who were one of the early seventies British prog bands a la Gracious!, Cressida, Beggars Opera, and the bunch. Often quoted as classic, I am yet to be impressed. Released one album Tractor and purportedly are still around!

Heavy UK rock/prog. At one time, there's searing guitar that will remind you of the German underground, while the next moment is an acoustic ballad, followed by definite British blues rock. As it is so varied, you may want to try and audition it first, but fans of early UK rock and the German underground may enjoy it.

Links

[See Way We Live, The]

Morning Way (70)

Folk/rock with future Them (Van Morrison group) members.

Mr. Fantasy (67), Traffic (68), Last Exit (69), Best Of (69), John Barleycorn Must Die (70), Welcome To The Canteen (71), The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys (71), Shoot Out At the Fantasy Factory (73), On the Road (73), When The Eagle Flies (74), Smiling Phases (91)

Steve Winwood's band before he became an adult contemporary star and after his R&B stint with the Spencer Davis group. Early Traffic is experimental and inventive psychedelic pop. Evolves to incorporate folk and jazz influences with progressive elements. Originally featured Steve Winwood (keyboards, guitar, bass and vocals), Jim Capaldi (drums and vocals), Dave Mason (guitar and vocals) and Chris Wood (sax and flute). Live, Winwood played bass parts with his feet. Debuted on the soundtrack "Here We go Round the Mulberry Bush," which included three Traffic songs. While two of the songs are included on later albums and compilations, completists will be compelled to find this one for the short "Am I What I Was or Was I What I Am." Debut album Mr. Fantasy is a definitive example of eccentric British psychedalia in the vein of early Pink Floyd, Tomorrow, Procal Harum and Family. Whimsical and inspired. "Dear Mr Fantasy" deserves its classic status. The follow-up Traffic follows in the same path and is possibly their finest album. Compositions become more involved. Traffic breaks up and Steve Winwood goes on to join Blind Faith. Last Exit, featuring a side of great singles and left-overs from their early period and a side of poorly recorded live covers, is released. Worthwhile for the studio material. The Best Of collection is made redundant by the more comprehensive 2-disc Smiling Phases - either one essential if only for the inclusion of early Traffic hit singles "Paper Sun," "Hole in My Shoe" and the worthy B-side "Smiling Phases." Smiling Phases compilation also has the early single "Here We go Round the Mulberry Bush." John Barleycorn Must Die started as a Steve Winwood solo project. Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi joined him towards the end. A big departure from their previous work: folk and jazz-inspired and longer compositions. A classic. Put together a touring band with Jim Gordon (drums), Ric Grech (bass), Reebob Kwaku-Baah (percussion) and joined once again by Dave Mason on the live Welcome to the Canteen. Good album, though dragged down by an overly long "Gimme Some Lovin." Mason leaves again. The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys, their most popular work, follows. Features the extended, laid-back funk and blues inspired title track and the folky "Hidden Treasure" and "Rainmaker." Marred only by the lame Grech/Gordon-penned "Rock Tn Roll Stew" and sub-par Capaldi-penned "Light up or Leave Me Alone." The rest is amazing. Grech and Gordon leave, replaced by session men Dave Hood (bass) and Roger Hawkins (drums). Shootout At the Fantasy Factory is less inspired and less focused than its predecessor. Muddy mix and some themes are labored for too long. The extended funk/blues jams have taken over, but here with less satisfying results. Standouts include Wood's instrumental "Tragic Magic" and the title track. This line-up records the double live album On the Road, featuring excellent versions of "Shootout at the Fantasy Factory" and "Tragic Magic." Standouts are "Glad" and "Freedom Rider." "Light Up or Leave Me Alone" is an over-long drag, however. Traffic reverts to a four piece and records When the Eagle Flies with new bassist Rosko Gee. Returns to sparser arrangements and a more intimate feel. Features Steve Winwood's most progressive songwriting; experimental, with lots of Mellotron. The haunting 11 minute "Dream Gerrard" combines strong bass and Mellotron, lyrics by Vivian Stanshall, and is a progressive masterpiece. Marred only by the forgettable "Memories of a Rock n Roller." Recommended: Mr Fantasy, Traffic, John Barleycorn Must Die, The Low Spark of High-heeled Boys, When the Eagle Flies.

Tragically underrated by progheads, their Phase One albums are some of the most durable, least-dated music of the '60s. Phase Two (1970-73) was their most fruitful period, particularly the classic album John Barleycorn Must Die. Fans of the early, folky-jamming Caravan ought to check this out. Phase Three (When The Eagle Flies) finds them moving into more direct fusion territory. Two members of this lineup (Rosko Gee and Rebop Kwaku Baah) turned up in Can. -- Mike Ohman

[See Can | Yamashta, Stomu (and Go)]

Discography

A Bailar Go Go (6?) Virgin (68) Traffic Sound/Tibet's Suzettes (70)

Reviews

Both of these [A Bailar Go Go and Virgin] are on one CD, the better is the second; First is fuzzed covers of Hendrix, Cream, etc, second is West Coast psych to Mersey beat with latin tinge.

Traffic Sound's self-titled classic album, also called Tibet's Suzettes ("Gently guaranteed to get you high" (?)) is a very cool affair. Good songs sung in English, and the CD inlay-pictures set an incredible atmosphere (probably doesn't make sense unless you see them for yourself - VERY hip rural late 60's). Basically early hardrock, late psychrock, and psychedelic folk rolled into one, making it almost proto-prog but not quite. If you're into the early "almost proto-prog" genre (you know the kind), this is highly recommended and I love it. Look out for lines like "Feelin fine & fortified while ballin' Betty Boop / But what you want & what you need is not in her balloons!", right next to pseudo-religious lyrics. A few flute-fills, and occasional brass arrangements. -- Daniel

Discography

Practise Life '99 (01)

Reviews

Well, here's a band you're unlikely to hear about anywhere else but the GEPR. That's because it was sent to me by frequent GEPR contributor Nenad Kobal, who plays alto sax on the CD. Practise Life '99 appears to be an album of four guys from Slovenia who have been listening to far too much Henry Cow to be good for them. A mix of HC and Escapade, really, since this album "contains 100% improvised material". The listener is admonished: "Don't play this for your girlfriend!". Evidently a live recording, "(after only two rehearsals), much to the disappointment of about 100 spectators", this is an album of guitar, drums, sax and keyboards doing improvisational RIO music. There are definitely some sections where some members of the band synchronize their playing for awhile, but it's pretty much every man for himself for much of the album. Catchy song titles, too, i.e. "Expelled from the Realm of Essence (again), But this Time on the Waves of that God-damned Mooncycle". But OK, enough of the humorous bashing. Actually, I'd be leading you astray to think this is an album of pointless noise, despite the band-generated attempts to make you think so. For those who enjoy RIO and avant-garde releases, this is actually rather good. It holds my attention much more than most free-jazz noodling and also more than Escapade, who are supposed to be one of the leaders in this kind of improv. If you're a fan of the above-mentioned styles, you should enjoy this CD. But now the hard part ... how can I tell you how to get ahold of one of these? Let's leave it at this ... if you think this sounds interesting to you, drop me a line and I'll get you in touch with Nenad Kobal. I imagine he can figure out a way to get a copy of this release to you. -- Fred Trafton

Links

Drop the GEPR a line at: webmaster@gepr.net and request contact info for Transachetion

Discography

SMPTe (00) TransAtlantic Live In America (01, Live, 2CD) Bridge Across Forever (01) Bridge Across Forever Limited Edition (01, 2CD)

Reviews

Transatlantic - Pete Trewavas, Neal Morse, Roine Stolt and Mike Portnoy A project firmly wanted by Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy, Transatlantic comprises four excellent musicians who have prominent roles in the progressive universe: vocalist (and guitarist-keyboardist) Neal Morse of Spock's Beard, guitarist (vocalist and Mellotron) Roine Stolt of Flower Kings, bassist Pete Trewavas of Marillion and obviously Mike Portnoy. The main reason the project was in the mind of Mike for a long time, is that he always wanted to do some prog-rock with strong ties to the scene of early '70, and with "SMPTe", I must admit that he almost accomplished his objective perfectly. Including a 30 minutes experiment divided in 6 suites, the record recalls fondly the Yes with a touch of Beatles-esque melody, however sounding also like a Spock's Beard record. To note that the limited edition of the album contains another CD with some jams and curious alternate versions of some tracks. Transatlantic have a set of live dates in the plans, but the reality of a second album remains a mystery (listening to the players, this is a strong possibility). -- Igor Italiani

I was leery about this album when I first heard about it. I had heard some of Liquid Tension Experiment and Platypus, and with Dream Theater's drummer (Mike Portnoy) in this band, I expected more crunching ProgMetal out of Transatlantic (don't get me wrong, I love DT, but I'm getting tired of the proliferation of over-commercialized ProgMetal these days). I haven't been that thrilled with the latest Spock's Beard or Marillion releases either, so my hopes were not high for this CD. I was wrong. This is one of the finest CD releases I've heard in a long time. This is what the Beatles might have sounded like if they had really gone Progressive (the Beatles never played anything in 5's, right?). This CD has great playing on all the instruments, fantastic compositions, and a tightness that would be envied by most bands who have played together for ten years rather than getting together for the first time. It also has some wonderful psychedelic touches, which really suprised me. There's hardly a hint of ProgMetal. I've always been impressed with Portnoy's Zappa-precise power drumming in Dream Theater, now I'm impressed further to see that he is not stuck in this mode, but can also be the perfect drummer in this layed-back upbeat progressive psych style. I'll say the same for Neal Morse's keyboards ... this is the best work I've heard from him in years. Since this album actually hit the European charts (not that high, but for a Prog album, this is amazing), there has been talk of a second album at some point. I'll be one of the first in line to buy it if they do. In case you haven't guessed, I highly recommend this album. Oh, yeah, have you wondered what this SMPTe thing is all about? It's a musician's joke: SMPTe stands for the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, and is a collection of standards for film and video. As it is usually used, it is a synchronization standard. It was originally used to synchronize video cameras and equipment, and now has expanded to synchronizing everything from synthesizers to stage lighting to create huge multimedia events that all play together in perfect sync. Now it combines the best of four progressive bands in perfect sync to create Transatlantic. It's esoteric, but there you are. -- Fred Trafton

Transatlantic is a neo-prog "super-group" gathered together by Dream Theater's drummer Mike Portnoy. Mike really knew what guys must be in a neo-prog "super-group": there are Neal Morse (keyboardist and vocalist of Spock's Bread), Roine Stolt (guitarist and vocalist of my favourite neo-prog band The Flower Kings)and Pete Trewavas - bass player of good old Marillion. At the moment when I'm writing this review (March of 2002) they have already released two studio albums and one live album. The first album called SMPTe was released in 2000 and has only five tracks on it. The centerpiece of the album is certainly 31-minute 6-part suite called "All Of The Above". This song is maybe my favourite neo-prog epic, full of great professional jamming, solid melodies, good pop vocal parts and almost Dream Theater-like heavy parts. Stolt's epic ("My New World") is only a little bit weaker (due to those cheesy vocal parts) and cover of Procol Harum's "In Held Twas In I" is a boring, but tasteful showcase for these guys' playing talents. Two shorter songs (Morse's "We All Need Some Light" and "Mystery Train") are just good AOR and nothing else. The double live album called Live In America was released the year later and features some classy Beatles ("Strawberry Fields Forever" with a huge jamming part in the middle and short parts of "Magical Mystery Tour" and "She's So Heavy") and Genesis (the instrumental part of "Watcher Of The Skies" and the whole "Firth Of Fifth" gathered in one medley). Plus,there are all songs from SMPTe perfomed as well (with the exception of "In Held...", but that's no tragedy - believe me). The ending mini-suite of the album consists of The Flower Kings' "There Is More To This World", Spock's Beard's "Go The Way You Go", Marillion's "The Great Escape", Dream Theater's "Finally Free" and the above mentioned Beatles' "She's So Heavy". Also released in 2001, the second studio album called Bridge Across Forever has even four songs now! Great "All Of The Above"-like epics "Duel With The Devil" and "Stranger In Your Soul" shows the same direction of "All Of The Above". Some kind of Beatles tribute called "Suite Charlotte Pike" is a 14-minute suite in a way of The Beatles famous Abbey Road suite. For me,it is the best song on the album and maybe in all Transatlantic small entire career. The title track is weak and strange, very boring pop ballad that could ideally fit on Beard's Day For Night. If you really like neo-prog - go and buy all of those albums now. If you hate neo-prog ... buy it too - Transatlantic can change your mind. -- Oleg Sobolev

Links

[See Dream Theater | Flower Kings | Iris | Kaipa | Liquid Tension Experiment | Marillion | Spock's Beard | Stolt, Roine] Click here for the Official Transatlantic web site Click here for Transatlantic's page on the Dream Theater web site If you're interested in the SMPTE synchronization standards, go to the SMPTE home page for more info

Discography

Zig Zag (79)

Reviews

Group formed by R. J. Stipps sometime after leaving Supersister. Said to be completely lame.

Links

[See Supersister | Sweet'd Buster]

Priglactic (75), Opus Progressif (76), Couleurs Naturelles (77)

Rather average French fusion band that put out a few albums in the mid seventies. Try Priglacit which is their best, albeit nothing that special.

From the East (78), Sym-Phoenix (92)

[See Phoenix (Romania)]

Discography

Beyond the Status Quo (97) Insurrection (01)

Reviews

Trap's Gary Parra Trap is Gary Parra's (drums, percussion, FX) next effort after Cartoon and PFS. The first album, Beyond the Status Quo was the first record to be released on Gazul, the "new music" (read: "more experimental") sub-label of Musea. Gary plays drums and is the guiding force behind this highly improvised RIO-styled music, though he makes use of a number of other excellent musicians including Don Falcone (Spaceship Eyes) to achieve a dense array of organized noise alternating with beautiful melodies surrounded by chaos. But most often, the pieces are chaotic and "difficult". Those who believe the prog world has been taken over by easy-to-listen-to Neo-Prog bands needn't worry; as long as there are folks like Gary around, you'll have plenty of challenging music to listen to. Beyond the Status Quo will appeal to fans of Henry Cow, Etron Fou Leloublan and Univers Zero. This album really belongs on the Cuneiform label, not Musea. Insurrection is radically different. Featuring French TV's Chris Smith (guitars & other strings) and Warren Dale (keyboards), there's still plenty of RIO stylings here, but the chaos is more melodic and less noisy. Lots of dissonance, just not quite as much pure racket. It sounds like French TV, Philip Glass, Univers Zero and Tibetian monks and/or Native American drummers all playing at once. I really like Beyond the Status Quo a lot, but for my taste Insurrection is even better (too much improv starts to grate on my nerves after a while, and Insurrection is clearly far more composed). Trap is excellent and if you haven't heard Parra's masterworks you owe it to yourself to seek these out. They are both incredible. -- Fred Trafton

Links

[See Cartoon | Falcone, Don | French TV | PFS | Spaceship Eyes] Click here for Trap's web site

Trapeze (70), Medusa (70), You Are the Music, We're Just the Band (72), Hot Wire (74), Final Swing (74), Hold On/Running (78)

Rocking 3 piece band originally produced by John Lodge of Moody Blues fame and release on Threshold records. Several albums released only two of any consequence. With Glenn Hughes of Deep Purple.

Alianca Dos Tempos: Ato 1:Tawan (90)

Here's an example of where vocals can be quite innovative and then subsequently make you wince. The album is obviously a concept album and in the vein of Ange, the vocals are theatric often being the voice of many different characters. Aron Shade at time portrays what seems to be either an old or very sick man, and while creative, it can be difficult to listen to (especially with friends) when he gets excited and sings out of tune. The opening of the second side (of the LP) ("Ilusao Inacabada II") has some very nice more traditional Brazilian vocals, and there are other times where the vocals are more conventional. The music of this quintet is definitely in the Pink Floyd (or Camel) vein of relaxed and powerful symphonic rock. Enlisting Fabio Ribeiro on keyboards (very digital) gives the music a touch of the Emerson/Wakeman type of sound (with a couple more annoying fanfare type of synth runs). The music is often excellent, and III Milenio has come up with a lot of good ideas, but sometimes the vocals ruin the occasion (especially the horrible female vocals at the end of side two (of the LP)). Overall, its far better than most of what I've heard of the new Brazilian scene (ie Tisaris, Dogma, Loch Ness, etc.) and is definitely worth a listen.

Alianca dos Tempos is a reissue of the 1990 debut release by this marvelous Brazilian band. True to progressive rock, Alianca dos Tempos is a concept album telling the story, in Portuguese of course, about a young man Tawan who discovers freedom. The original release only covered the first act of this remarkable story. What makes this reissue so special is that III Milenio and Musea included, as a bonus, the 30 minutes of the recently recorded second act. III Milenio's music is a highly original symphonic rock that alternates between gentle and violent passages. If I understood Portuguese I might have a better grasp of why their vocalist sometimes sings with a guttural hoarse voice. Alianca dos Tempos is a joy to experience! The keyboards and guitars are sometimes grandiose in the manner of Rick Wakeman's Journey to the Center of the Earth but they do not detract from the elaborate melodic and harmonic content of this disk. In addition to Musea's normal extensive band history they introduced a new feature, a mini poster collage of band photos and English lyrics. Just like the Beatles White Album! This CD is a "must have" and is an outstanding example of contemporary Latin American progressive rock.

On The Shore (70), The Garden of Jane Delawney (70), Live In Concert 1970 (??)

Folk-prog.

Discography

Four Pictures (94) Music for Aerial Sculptures (94) Fu-Ka: Anthems to Rise the Dead (95) Bottom of Empty (96) Tower (97) Dwelling of Telescopefish (99, as Akira and the Trembling Strain)

Reviews

I occasionally see Trembling Strain mentioned together with progressive acts like Devil Doll and Popol Vuh. Based on Tower (Heresie HER 027), the only one of their releases I have heard, it is somewhat misleading to associate them with progressive rock; for one thing, they are not rock, no matter how much you stretch, bend or generally abuse the term "rock music". Though their history places them with the Japanese avant-garde crowd who inherited the earth after the floating world of the 1980's symphonic prog capsized and sunk, their sound holds few traces of the sonic terror those bands frequently unleash. Apart from a few discreet synthesizer textures, Trembling Strain rely entirely on acoustic instruments, most of them ethnic contraptions, such as darbukka and jembe. The Popol Vuh reference is valid in that the music consist mainly of slowly-evolving melodic fragments, drones, ringing chords or gamelan-like ostinati, in a way of Popol Vuh's more subdued material, but melodically more languid and harmonically less certain. The only similarity to Devil Doll is that their moods tend to be darker than Popol Vuh's, sometimes even funereal in a way that reminds of Dead Can Dance in the 1990s. Interesting as this may sound, the actual listening experience tends to leave me cold. The music is very static, with very slow harmonic evolution and rhythmic progress, rather the focus is almost entirely on the intertwining of textures and subtle counterpoint of the unorthodox but narrow melodic material. Some of the shimmering textures and creepy vocal drones on the multi-part "Heaven in a Doze" captivate in earnest, but in too many other places this makes merely for exquisite musical wall paper. The band's leader Pneuma also has several solo releases to his credit. -- Kai Karmanheimo

After listening to Bottom of Empty I'd say that one could hardly encounter more enigmatic and deceptive trancy - psyched - but - still - quite - progressive music these days. Limbus IV could count, but they're not from these days. Trembling Strain are project-band of long-time Japanese electronicist Pneuma. Pneuma was seemingly fed up with Schultzean soundscapes of Berlin EM school and decided to create something different, no matter how strange it would sound. Bottom of Empty is vast, atmospheric work with slow-evolving, heart-stopping, hyper-proportioned tracks (OK, not so hyper-proportioned as on certain Ground Zero albums), which are built with precise layering of sounds both natural and founded, raw or processed via studio-trickery. Some structures remind me of Italian composer Giacinto Scelsi, who was infamous for his use of minimal and microtonal techniques in his large-scale works. Pneuma, who has definitely learned a lot from Berlin school, here successfully indulges in Japanese and other ethnic instruments but these elements are mostly well entangled in the mix, so they do not hit listener straight in the ear (with "Slough" being a decent exception). Noise-with-throat-maker Akira moans, groans, sighs, yawns, yelps, weeps, etc. in constant suffering after Trembling Strain have been raising the Dead on the previous album (They've raised some dead, so it sounds. On "Distant Drum" Akira "dances" with them, while on a titletrack he competes with synths in immitating noisome northwinds. Akira wins.). At once sombre, solemn and sad, sometimes depressed, yet repetitive and made for meditation, the music may transport listener deep in the realms of nothingness. Bottom of Empty exemplifies free-floating experimentalism with Zenic aesthetics. Unembraceable. Dwelling of Telescopefish is quite different beast. I'm not sure, if it is beast at all. Akira, being the captain of the crew this time, purposefully approaches matter from different directions and angles and creates something what could be a compilation of at least three different bands of which one who tries who holds its album of Third Ear Band close to its hearts. Track 1 is mixture of ethnic rhythmics and alternative rock. Sound is cheaply plastic and college-radio-friendly and thin and my fingers are constantly tempted to press the skipper on my cd-player. Track 3 seems to be made for FM waves, it sounds like Beatles after unsuccessful anti-drug treatment or just running short of Prozac crossed with sort of new agey ambient. Too long for not aiming to be set adrift. Only a few studio effects could save it from being thrown into a sewer. Barely stomachable. The rest of the material present is, as implied early in this review, heavily inspired by Third Ear Band and thus more sympathetic. Some room is still left for experimentation, more on tracks 1, 3, 5 and less on track 6. If nothing else, there is some smoke. Tracks 2 and 4 are worth noting for the mixing of ethnically ethereal drift and contemporary classical 12-tone meandering. Overall not bad, but at least one track could be left off the "soundholder". Considering the two reviewed releases, Bottom is better starting point, although I suspect neither one is the best. -- Nenad Kobal

Discography

The Final Act (90, Live)

Reviews

Trespass's first appearance 6/16/84. Note two drummers! Five-piece theatrical early Genesis wannabees. Musically they are on well treaded ground, with a sound that comes right out of the early seventies, but not that interesting. Unlike Kyrie Eleison's Fountain Beyond The Sunrise which *did* capture the essence of the early Genesis spirit, this one is mere shallow imitation, and I doubt that many readers would enjoy this stuff. In addition, the recording is very poor. Save your money. 3/9/05: Other reviewers have been more charitable about the music on this live album, but everyone agrees that the sound quality sucks. Some members of this band went on to form Inquire. News 6/8/06: Most of the original Trespass band members have regrouped and are working on new material and practicing old material for performances and eventually a new studio recording. See their web site below for details. It's mostly in German, so you may want to use Babelfish to translate. -- Fred Trafton

Links

[See Inquire] Click here for the new web site from Trespass

Discography

In Haze of Time (02) Morning Lights (06)

Reviews

Trespass - Gabriel Weissman (Drums), Roy Bar-Tour (Bass) and Gil Stein (Keyboards) Original entry, 5/6/02: This Trespass has nothing to do with the German band mentioned above, nor with the French Goth-rock band, nor with any other Trespass you may have heard of. They also have nothing to do with Genesis' Trespass album. This is a new band, a power keyboard trio from Israel which has spent far more time in my CD player in the last few months than it needed to just for the sake of doing a review of it. This is excellent stuff! If the write-up from Musea is to be believed, composer / keyboardist Gil Stein had never heard of ELP before this album was written and recorded, but it's hard to believe. The Hammond work is particularly reminiscent of Keith Emerson's style (though any fuzzed Hammond playing high energy, complex music with oddball chords and counterpoint is going to be), and there's even a typically Emersonish honky tonk piano section in "The Mad House Blues", which also contains a section of a rocked out classical piece (I can't quite place the tune, though it may be one of the Bach "Well-Tempered Clavier" pieces). The synthesizer soloing, however, sounds nothing like Emerson ... but it does strongly remind me of Patrick Moraz, particularly around the time of his Story of and III albums. The first cut, "Creatures of the Night" is particularly Moraz-like. The bass and drums are also excellent on this album, and there's even some servicable guitar parts. There isn't a bad cut on this CD, each one is highly inventive and high energy. I could only wish ELP was still making music this interesting. But I suppose there's no need, as long as new bands come along that are as interesting, and Trespass is every bit as exciting. They're looking for ways to get broader exposure, in particular they'd like to play a U.S. progressive rock festival. I hope they get their wish, because they deserve the exposure, and I think they should find an audience for their music. A highly recommended new release, and I'm hoping to hear more from these guys. -- Fred Trafton Update 11/1/06: Morning Lights Well, it looks like I got my wish ... in 2006, Trespass released their long-awaited (by me at least) sophomore release, and it was well worth the wait. The line-up has remained the same as the first album, but keyboardist Gil Stein has added recorder and vocals to his repertoire, and he does very well on both. The recorders are overdubbed to create Bach-like counterpoint at many points in the music. Good question how they would pull this off in a concert, but perhaps recorder samples in a keyboard could be substituted. All the songs are all very busy with lots of counterpoint, including strong interplay between the keyboards, bass and drums all weaving in and out of each other. This album also surprises with some nice vocals by Stein, who reminds me of a less-flamboyant Freddie Mercury in his tone (but with a bit of what I assume is a Hebrew accent). The Emersonish organ work seems to have been intentionally toned down quite a bit (now that Stein has been exposed to some Emerson!), though many of the synth solos, particularly because of the way the pitch-bending is done, continue to remind me of Patrick Moraz. But that's not a bad thing! Though all the songs are very good, the highlight is the 21:33 "side long" epic "Morning Lights", which features Stein's vocals prominently. The backwards recorder intro is cool too. In addition to the original compositions, there's also "Vivaldish", a reworking of Vivaldi's "Violin Concerto in A Minor" arranged for rock band, which works very well! Last but not least, the cover art (above) is very cool. Though it's not the name of the painting, I'll call it "God takes a nap". Click here for a larger version of the cover. Though I thought it would be difficult to do, Trespass has surpassed their first album in every way with this release. If I had to make a complaint, it would be that the bass is recorded so boomy that I have to turn the volume (or the bass EQ) down on my car stereo or it rattles my speakers. I'd have preferred more bass with less "boom". But that's a minor complaint, and my home stereo doesn't mind ... though the glasses in my cupboard do sympathetically vibrate when I've got it turned up "loud enough". My highest recommendation! -- Fred Trafton

Links

Click here for Trespass' web site Click here to order In Haze of Time or Morning Lights from Musea Records

Discography

Trettioåriga Kriget (74, Remastered/reissued 2004) Krigssang (75, Remastered/reissued 2004) Hej på er! (78, Remastered/reissued 2005) Mot alla odds (79) Kriget (80) War Memories 1972-81 (92, Mostly Live) Om Kriget Kommer 1972-1981 (96, Compilation?) Elden av år (04) Glorious War - Recordings from 1970-71 (04, Previously unreleased recordings) I början och slutet (07)

Reviews

Trettioåriga Kriget in 1974 An old fav. of mine. Put out three albums (I think) in the seventies. The first, self-titled from 1974, is in many ways like Rush circa 1980! Characteristics are: very intricate song structures with lots of riffs in odd meters, pretentious lyrics, and a singer with an overly strained voice. Somewhat metal like at times, guitar-oriented sound. Later they changed name to just Kriget (The War) and calmed down.

Originally Trettioåriga Kriget ("The 30-year War"). I don't know if I would consider them "progressive," but rather a good rock band with fairly intelligent lyrics (not common on the Swedish scene!). Ok, the first two albums contains longer songs and could qualify. On the other hand, these albums are only for the completist, the later albums are considerably better.

Of Kriggsang: I find this to be more average sounding hard rock than progressive, with plenty of extended gratuitous guitar jams. Overrated.

I really dig this Swedish band, or more properly Krigssang which is all I've heard). They're a guitar oriented quartet (a fifth "member" is credited with lyrics) with a fair dosage of Mellotron played by the drummer. Vocals are in Swedish, of course. In several ways, Trettioåriga Kriget can be compare to Änglagård without keyboards. There are similarities in some of the guitar work (particularly the acoustic guitar), the strong bass presence (comparisons to Johan Hogberg are valid) and the vocal stylings, though Robert Zima's voice is deeper than Tord Lindman's voice. Clearly, Änglagård drew from Trettioåriga Kriget as one of their influences. The 17+ minute "Krigssang II" is a standout track which includes a little synth work in addition to the Mellotron. There are several changes and good development. But all the songs are good, as far as I'm concerned. The overall lack of keyboards tends to make Krigssang sound "rockier" but this album is a good guitar oriented progressive rock. Recommended.

Trettioåriga Kriget broke up after the release of 1980's Kriget. But in 1992, three of the members played an acoustic set together at a release party for the CD release of Krigssång. After this, they did two reunion concerts together in Stockholm for the release of War Memories. By 2002, they started writing new material and recorded a reunion album Elden av år ("Fire of Years"), which was released in 2004 to wide acclaim. After playing at several big rock fests including ProgDay in 2004, Sweden Rock in 2005 and Baja Prog in 2006, they recorded and released their latest album, I början och slutet ("In the beginning and the end") in 2007. Finally, in the wake of successful gigs in South America and France (Crescendo Festival), they are currently scheduled to play at the first annual Madrid Art Music Festival in Spain on April 26, 2008. I've only heard their latest album I början och slutet, and I must agree with the reviewer above who said they're not really that prog. More like classic rock with loads of Mellotron, but that doesn't mean they're not enjoyable. Sorta like Jane meets Pavlov's Dog but sung in Swedish. A pretty good release if you like guitar-oriented classic rock with a few proggy twists and turns, but not really much in the way of metal stylings. I enjoyed this album, but it won't go near the top of my "best albums of 2007" list. And it doesn't really need to ... it's an enjoyable listen anyway. This album is downloadable from Mindawn (click OGG or FLAC in discography). -- Fred Trafton

Links

Click here for Trettioåriga Kriget's web site Click here for Trettioåriga Kriget's MySpace page

Sehnsucht und Einklang (??), Ka-Jakee Music (??), Belong to the Sun (89)

Jens Fischer was the lead guitarist/synth player from Tri Atma. His solo work features ethnic influences co-mingling with modern day synth technology.

Discography

Triana (75, aka El Patio) Hijos Del Agobio (77) Sombra Y Luz (79) Un Encuentro (80) Llego El Dia (80) Concierto Basico 1980 (80) Triana (81) Quinto Aniversario (85, Compilation) Un Jardín Electrico (97) Una historia ... de la luz y de la sombra (98, Compilation) En Libertad (99)

Reviews

A symphonic prog band that defined Flamenco progressive and were the foremost Spanish progressive band. These guys, at times, remind me a lot of King Crimson in their early days, yet were a genre in themselves. With poetically styled songs, gorgeous flamenco guitar, and a very Spanish sound, Triana are a must to try, being a very important progressive band. Any of their first four El Patio, Hijos Del Agobio, Sombra Y Luz and Un Encuentro are all worth the find.

Their first may possibly be best described as symphonic Flamenco. Lots of flamenco guitar stylings surrounded by a lush synth and Mellotron backdrop. Electric guitar is also well represented, though usually limited to solos and the occasional fill. Triana have created a very original version of symphonic progressive and is well worth hearing. The vocals are in Spanish, very lovely, and are fairly abundant. Later albums follow in the same vein. Start with the first and work your way forward. Good stuff though they ran out of good ideas on the last couple of albums.

I admit it, I was a bit disappointed by El Patio. It just seemed a tad too low-key and mainstream for my taste. Perhaps I'm spoiled, as I'd heard bands like Mezquita, Guadalquivir and the like previously. Not to say it's a bad album, if you're looking for an introduction to the Flamenco-rock genre, this is a perfect one to ease you in: it's easily digestible for someone just starting out, yet it's not too commercial (like Alameda). -- Mike Ohman

Links

[See Alameda]

Triangle (70), Triangle (72), Homonymie (73)

One of the very early French progressive bands, and highly influenced by the Canterbury scene. In fact, their debut, Triangle sounds very much like Traffic or Caravan, and is a classic example of early progressive rock.

[See Edition Speciale | Lorenzini]

Triangulus And Bjørn J:son Lindh (85), Reliques (87)

One of Peter Bryngelsson's bands. Similar in style with an emphasis on long atmospheric compositions as opposed to melody.

The guitarist Peter Bryngelsson (Ragnarok), the drummer Hans Bruniusson (Samla Mammas Manna, Ensemble Nimbus), the guitarist Roine Stolt (Kaipa) and the excellent flutist Bjorn J:son Lindh are some of the musicians that can be heard on these two records. -- Gunnar Creutz

[See Bryngelsson, Peter | Ensemble Nimbus | Ragnarok | Samla Mammas Manna | Stolt, Roine]

Dr. Hee (87), Spears (88), Nomad (89), Tribal Tech (90), Illicit (92), Face First (93)

Since the other fusion bands, such as Mahavishnu Orchestra and Return to Forever, were included in this survey, I thought I should include this band. In my mind, Scott Henderson is one of the best fusion guitarists today. He displays an energy that most of today's fusion bands (read Spyro Gyra, Yellow Jackets, other fuzak bands) completely lack. He has chops, he has tone, he has emotion, he has talent. Along with bassist Gary Willis, Tribal Tech explodes with intensity and excitement. Check out Nomad, Dr. Hee, and Illicit. They really illustrate how today's commercial fuzak is sad, weak, and vastly overrated. In other words, all fusion fans should give these guys a good listen.

Discography

New Views (84) Breaking Barriers (86) Live! The Melody-The Beat-The Heart (87) Terra Incognita (90)

Reviews

Vaguely commercial Swedish symphonic band who put out a few albums in the eighties. New Views, supposedly their best, is a lot like the new symphonic bands ala Iskander, Isildur's Bane, although