Symfo City ProgPages Review4

    Navigator - reEvolution Vol One

From America this is the first CD from Navigator. If you like the 70s sound, with lots of Hammonds, and Genesis in the early year than you will enjoy this release. Eleven mid tempo songs with mellow sounded voice all in the same line. Except tr4: Sage on my time / tr8: To Begin / tr11: Traveling through the Earth, which are more simple/relaxed songs. Tr1 "Sword of Endeavor" gives a good impression from what you will find on this CD. Tr2 "The Telling" is a more complex song. Capacities(tr3), Ancient days(tr5), From Within (tr6) sounds like Cliffhanger(keys end part of song), Inspirational Will (tr7) Overload (tr10) are in the same line as "Sword of Endeavor".
A very constant debut album. Listen to 2 songs on there web-site to have your own impression. The good news is, Vol two of "reEvolution" will be released next year(2005).
Web-site http://www.navigatorontheweb.com. MP3 files / ordering of the CD can be found under this link.
(WB)

    Ulysses- Symbioses

Symbioses is the first full album of this Dutch group. They have already released a demo CD called "Eclectric". Ulysses makes music in the power symfo vein. The music contains very nice heavy guitar and keyboard parts. The second track "Worlds of Confusion" on this CD is already a good example.
Overall the vocals sound a little bit clamorous in the heavy parts, this is the only negative point of this release. Absolute marvelous is tr:8 (Unspoken Words-the Dream) which contains a long guitar solo of about 3-4 minutes. Conclusion a very good (un-)Dutch product, I'am looking forward to the next Ulysses CD.
Web-site http://www.ulysses-online.nl. MP3 files can be found under the "multimedia" tab.
(WB)

    Spektrum - Spektrum

Announced as a kind of super group. Spektrum consist of people from Cross, Galleon, Grand Stand and a vocalist who listens to the name of Lizette von Panajott.
Music on Spektrum is in the Genesis vein (Tony Banks keyboards like Genesis during Wind and Wuthering) with long instrumental parts containing very nice keyboards and guitar lines.
After a marvelous instrumental opener of 20 second during track, I'am already impressed!
The next track (tr:2) however is a little bit disappointing due to the mellow sounded vocals of Lizette, it's simple and it is not symphonic enough. The other tracks sound highly symphonic with a Genesis touch, and also the vocals are becoming better. The vocals are just marvelous on "Ivory tower" (tr:6). The keyboards player has listened well to Tony Banks, listen to the keyboards on "Now"(tr:3) and "A chemical release" (tr:7) The best track "Ivory tower"(tr:6) starts as a Yes song due to the background vocals, the middle section contains nice emotional vocals of Lizette.
Conclusion: A super group? No but it's one of the better releases of this year. Critical note could be the vocals. Web-site http://www.progressrec.com/spektrum/. An MP3 sample collection can be found here. (WB)

    The Guardian's Office - The Guardian's Office

The Guardian's Office is a new group build around the ex-drummer of Fruitcake. It sounds like I was listening to a new Fruitcake CD. All songs have the same relaxed sphere and contain nice guitar and "70's look" keyboard parts with vocals in between. Long part with Moog bass pedals can be found on tr:2 "Dark Girl" and tr:7 "Heart of that Sound".
If you like Fruitcake, melodic not to complex symphonic rock and like the famous Moog bass pedal sound your well served with this CD!
Web-site http://www.gft-cyclops.co.uk/cyclops/guardian.html.
(WB)

    Citizen Cain - Playing dead

After 5 years of waiting the new CD release of Citizen Cain is there!
The CD contains 9 tracks, 4 short ones (2 to 4 minutes) and 5 tracks with track times between 7 and 13 minutes! The music contains complex rhythm parts followed by long vocal parts in the vein of Peter Gabriel at Genesis in the 70's.
Playing Dead is more accessible than the previous release (Raising the Stones) but doesn't reach the level of the older CD releases "Serpents in Camouflage" and "Somewhere but Yesterday".
Track (8) "Sleeping in Penumbra" is the highlight of this CD. It contains everything a great song should have. Nice emotional vocals, tempo changes and a nice guitar solo.
The longer tracks have impressed me more than the short ones. However the last short track "Amorantos"(tr:9) is a relaxed track which contains nice vocals in combinations with piano and classic sounded strings. A perfect track to finish the CD with!
Overall: Playing dead is one of the highlight CD of this year for people who like complex tracks with long vocals parts!
Web-site http://www.citizen-cain.com/. Lot of MP3 files can be found under the "MP3 clips" tab on this page.
(WB)

    Atempo - Abismos Del Tiempo

This is the first CD from Atempo from Argentina. On vocals we find Mariela Gonzales who is the former vocalist of Nexus. The CD starts-off with a long track "Heroe de la Soledad" (tr:1 11:21) in the vein of Nexus, long instrumental parts, lots of tempo changes and a nice vocal line. Overall this CD contains more modest tracks with emotional vocals and long instrumental parts getting into climax at the end (Lluvia Mistica, tr:2). The largest part (47 min) of this CD is filled with a song called "Final". It consists of 9 tracks containing modest parts alternating with more "heavier" pieces.
If you like songs with a lot of tempo changes, the nice voice of Mariela with some great, not as bombastic as Nexus, instrumental parts in between your well served with "Abimos del Tiempo".
Web-site http://www.atempo.apeironlabs.com/. MP3 files can be found under this link.
(WB)

    Landmarq - Aftershock

Landmarq is one of the leading neo-progressive rockbands from England. Since 1990 they play not too complex, melodious symphonic music, since their latest studio album "The science of coincidence" adorned by the powerful yet delicate vocals of Tracey Hitchings.
Aftershock contains some fine live recordings from 2000 and 2001. Their mostly mid-length musical pieces are characterized by a balanced interplay of guitars and the conventional keyboards like organ, piano and synthesizers. The nice "singing" bassplay gives extra warmth to the full symphonic sound of this band, especially in the instrumental parts, but serves also as a pleasant basis for the sensitive ballads, like the closing track "Embrace".
A fine and good sounding live album with a handfull of quality melodic symphonic rock pieces.
Website: Landmarq (with sound samples).
(WV)

    Dr. No - El Bufo de La cort

This is the debut album of a the Spanish duo Enric Pascual (vocals, keyboards, drums and percussion) and Conrad Dubé (bass, keyboards and vocals), that together with some guestmusicians gives you almost one hour of nice and pleasant symphonic rock pieces. Atmospheric keyboards are in most responsible for the sound of Dr No, while some fine guitar solos of course do not lack. All pieces are ver melodic and sung in Catalonian, a Spanish dialict, with gives the music of Dr No a special timbre. Apart from this on the whole this album evokes the spirit of Camel to a greater extent.
This album is also known as "The jester of the court".
Website: Dr. No (with sound samples).
(WV)

    Steve Hackett - To watch the storms

Steve Hackett is not only a briljant guitarist who has his very own special guitar(synthesizer) sounds, but also a gifted composer of songs that, athough widely differing from each other, create a very natural flow of moods when combined on an album. "To watch the storms" is such an album, as was it's predecessor "Darktown". Symphonic rock pieces and jazz(rock) influenced pieces are alternated by acoustic and even classical and fully orchestrated tracks. Also folk influenced world music comes by, as do modern electronic dance beats in a piece that well could support a movie. Almost every album of Steve Hackett contains a piece that could well be the score of a movie, mostly with distorted and dark sounding vocals. But of course sensitive and beautiful ballads like "Serpentine song" with some fine guitar, flue and sax solos do not lack. Also the vocals, that were in the past always a weak point of Steve, are very good, especially the vocal harmonies. Although a guitarist pur sang, Steve never allows himself to be led astray by playing lengthy and/or freaky guitarsolo's.
Again a impressive album of a versatile musician, that will grasp your attention for start to finish.
Website: Steve Hackett (with links to sound samples).
(WV)

    Carptree - Superhero

Under the name "Carptree" Niclas Flinck (lead vocals) and Carl Westhol (keyboards) from Sweden produced their second album "Superhero", with the help of some guest musicians. This album offers you eleven pop/rock songs that turn out to be small musical pearls. Not only because of the strenghts of the compositions, but also because of the intriguing vocals of Niclas and the well thought-out arangements, full of interesting details. Most of the songs are based on the tasteful keyboards of Carl who also produces some short but superb solos.
No epic pieces with long instrumental parts on this album, but some fascinating symphonic/progressive songs.
Website: Carptree (with sound samples).
(WV)