Marillion - Brave reviewed by Lofcaudio at Progfreak.com

When I first heard Ayreon’s The Human Equation album, I was intrigued by a number of the voices that I heard on it, Devin Townsend’s being one of them. To be honest, I was a bit intimidated to delve into his discography because I thought his speed metal tendencies might not be to my taste. But after reading a couple of favorable reviews of this album with the silly name, I thought it might be time to give the Canadian hard rocker a try.

Surprised...Stunned...Amazed. This album left me speechless. Are all of those voices really Devin’s? This is a fabulous album in the prog metal genre.

Things start off with a searing speed-metal introduction to ... -> show full review

This is perhaps the album we have all been waiting for from Glass Hammer. With Culture of Ascent, the group has shored up its previous areas of weakness–mainly vocals and guitar. This is a huge step up from their last record, The Inconsolable Secret. While I’m not ready to say that this is their best album (since I have a soft spot in my heart for Lex Rex), it is most certainly their most mature, well-rounded effort. There is a very strong retro (dare I say, derivative?) sound which is evident throughout, which can be attributed to the subtle vocal sounds provided by Jon Anderson and the opening track cover of “Southside of the Sky”. This really does like Yes. Now don’t get me ... -> show full review

My introduction to Rush was a rather odd one in that I fell in love with them with the Counterparts album and then just as quickly fell out of love with them with the albums that followed: Test for Echo and Vapor Trails. But then as I developed a taste for prog, I went back and looked at their older material and found that I really enjoyed 2112, A Farewell to Kings and Hemispheres. Now I am delving into the ‘80s.

Rush certainly creates an atmosphere with this album, with the spacey keyboards providing a good fit along with the overwhelming lyrical theme. The problem I have with this album is that it sounds very "dated." Twenty-three years after release, so many of these songs sound...well, 23 years old. That’s not necessarily always a bad thing, but I find that in this case it really detracts from the quality of the music.

I find that I really like Distant Early Warning and Red Sector A (the two songs from this album which also made it onto the excellent compilation album Chronicles). I also enjoy the final song on the album, Between the Wheels. Everything else is forgettable, as far as I’m concerned. In fact, I find a couple of the songs just downright bad (The Enemy Within and Kid Gloves).

As much as I’d like to give this talented trio a higher grade with this effort, I can only recommend it for completionists.

I am stunned. For whatever reason, I’ve heard very little about Ayreon and The Human Equation. I took a chance and recently purchased this because someone told me that I might like it. Well, I think it is outstanding. This album grabbed me in the very first listen (not always a good thing) and has continued to thrill my ears on subsequent listens (definitely a good thing).

Unlike a lot of listeners, I have a softspot for double album rock operas such as this. When I consider albums that I consider to be prog masterpieces: The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (Genesis) and Snow (Spock’s Beard) are two albums that immediately come to mind. The Human Equation may be just as good (if not better) due to the amazing vocalists who all contribute to make this such a special listen.

Eric Clayton, Heather Findlay, Mikael Akerfeldt and Magnus Ekwall are the most noticeable in their performances, while the rest of the vocalists provide wonderful textures to ... -> show full review

This is perhaps Opeth's heaviest album.  And while I much prefer Opeth's more mellow moments (such as those on the Damnation album), I do enjoy this album when in the right mood.  Akerfeldt's growls do wear on me after a while though, so this isn't an album that I'll probably ever listen to back-to-back.  "For Absent Friends" is a beautiful instrumental and gives the listener a pleasant intermission from the rest of the speedy Death Metal.

Overall, I think Sola Scriptura is an outstanding album. It has great music which is performed amazingly well by Mike Portnoy, Randy George, Paul Gilbert and Mr. Morse himself. It also has stunning cover art which provides a wonderful backdrop for the album’s concept. Fans of Spock’s Beard, Dream Theater, Transatlantic and Morse’s other albums will enjoy this release.

I have listened to this album over 40 times now. As much as I like it, I don’t think it’s quite up to the level of Neal’s last two albums (One and ?, which I both gave 5 stars without reservation). My main criticism with this new album is that it borrows too much from what Neal has already recorded. This has been pointed out in many of the previous reviews and is very obvious, in my opinion. There are sections which sound just like Snow, V, One and Testimony. Even though I like the music in all of these places, I have heard it before.

Even though I’ve never had ... -> show full review

Norwegians know how to play prog! This enjoyable album is upbeat and soothing with lots of nice twists and turns. Hinterland, though very weak in the vocal department, provides some wonderful new sounds in the classic progressive vein.

Serenade for 1652 Okay...this is a waste of time, in my opinion. Not only do I need to brush up on my history (to understand the significance of 1652), but perhaps I need to take a class in art appreciation to figure out what Wobbler is hoping to accomplish with this short prelude which in no way resembles any of the other music on the album nor creates any sort of atmosphere. So as the album begins, I must admit that I'm scratching my head at the inclusion of this number.

Hinterland Ah...now this is what I want to hear. The title track offers just about a bit of everything, with nice rhythm changes, wonderful flutes ... -> show full review

This is one of my favorite albums and I sincerely believe it to be one of the very best prog albums.

I am a sucker for two-disc concept albums.  And even though the Snow concept is a bit weak, I enjoy it nonetheless. It lacks the eerieness of The Lamb, but it does have a certain haunting aspect to it. Ultimately, it comes down to the music, which Spock's Beard delivers in heaping quantities and which given time, will soak right into your brain.

The initial overture gently grabs your hand and pulls you in to witness the birth of Snow and the world which ostracizes him because of his unique appearance. While some may complain of the opening songs ("Stranger in a Strange Land" and "Long Time Suffering") being more AOR than prog, there is no denying the emotionally charged lyrics and catchy hooks which are present in these songs. Neal Morse gives a passionate turn at lead vocals in this passage and presents the listener with the ... -> show full review

This Polish Prog-Metal act really put a nice album together with Out of Myself. I first purchased Second Life Syndrome due to the high ratings that it was given on this site. I enjoyed that album immensely; and thus, went ahead and purchased their first complete album which I am now evaluating.

The Same River Great first song to the album. This is a much stronger opening track than what you will find on Second Life Syndrome ("After") as it incorporates all sorts of progressive elements over the course of its 12 minute length. While some may find it a bit dark and brooding, I find this to be a stunning song and the best on the whole album, in my opinion. It is mostly instrumental with vocals not beginning until a good five minutes into the song.

Out of Myself The title track picks up where The Same River left off by delivering another outstanding arrangement, ... -> show full review

I am somewhat new to this creative prog metal group from Sweden, Pain of Salvation. So far, I have found their music very enjoyable to listen to. This particular album is outstanding from start to finish. Daniel Gildenlöw’s impressive vocal talents are in full display accompanied by some very well-crafted songs. For purposes of this review, I will ignore the overriding theme (concept) of the album and focus instead on what really moves me: the music.

“Beginnings” is the first song and really gets the listener ready for what is to come. The music fades in with mellow acoustic sounds providing a solid foundation before the guitars come roaring in to remind us that Pain of Salvation plays some mighty nice metal. The stage has been set for Remedy Lane.

The album is divided into three chapters with “Beginnings” being treated as an introduction. Chapter 1 begins with “Ending Theme”, a fabulous tune with a very ... -> show full review

Overall, this is a very impressive album. From start to finish, there is no let-up in good music. What is somewhat unique is that the whole album is really just one song, with twelve distinct "segments." But the music flows non-stop and is one cohesive unit, making for an outstanding conceptual piece from Neal Morse. As has been stated in previous reviews, Morse relies on the skills of Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater), Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater), Alan Morse (Spock's Beard), Roine Stolt (Flower Kings), Randy George (Ajalon) and Steve Hackett in the making of this album.

Segment 1: The Temple of the Living God

The main theme floats in over the sounds of a wind-swept scape and begins to build into some excellent progressive runs using a piano/keyboard and then is joined by a nasty saxophone. The opening lyrics tell of a necessary quest to find the temple of the living God. Morse lays the ... -> show full review

Like all good prog, the first time I listened to this album, I scratched my head and thought "What the heck is this crap?!?" And though I still haven't figured out what all the crap on this album is, I have grown to appreciate the music enough to give The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway a very high rating.

It seems that most hardcore Genesis fans have a hard time liking The Lamb compared to Foxtrot, Selling England, etc. However, I much prefer this album. I am a sucker for concept albums (even if I don't always understand exactly what the concept is). There are so many unforgettable passages in this two-disc experience beginning with the opening piano solo.

While I do recognize that the album isn't perfect due to some "less than musical" moments ("The Waiting Room" and "Silent Sorrow in Empty Boats"), there are so many great tunes packaged in The Lamb that it would be wrong for me to give this anything less than an Excellent rating. Songs such as "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway", "In the Cage", "The Carpet Crawlers", "Lilywhite Lilith", "Anyway", "The Lamia", "The Colony of Slippermen" and "It" are all great songs. Some of them are haunting in their solemn melodies and some are thought-provoking with their anguished lyrics, but all are great music, in my opinion.

I highly recommend this album.

The first time I sat down to listen to this album in its entirety, I had Paul Gallico’s short story, The Snow Goose, to read while the music played. I must admit, the atmosphere created by the music is special. “The Great Marsh” is a fantastic opening to this story/album. As I read the story and allowed the music to enhance the story, my thoughts were transported from the comfort of my home in suburban America to that marsh in England where man is a stranger and the ecological chain is alive and on full display. Well..there is one man there – the hermit-like painter named Rhayader. Rhayader’s theme as interpreted by Camel can be listened to on this site and is an interesting tune with a couple of moods, which actually foreshadow the type of character Rhayader will turn out to be in this story. I actually found this to be an enjoyable experience and found myself enjoying both the story and Camel’s “soundtrack” of the story. Believe it or not, I actually finished reading the story before the music ended.

Camel is a unique group that certainly creates a strong mood with their music, whether it be with the sound of the flute or one of the see-saw sounds that emanate from Andrew Latimer’s guitar. I enjoy this album, but only listen to it when I want to listen to the whole thing. The songs individually do not stand well on their own, in my opinion. That fact along with the absence of vocals/lyrics keep me from giving this album a higher rating. I love the music, but I’m also a sucker for one of the most fascinating musical instruments: the human voice. Other than those two criticisms, I think this is a strong album and one that I enthusiastically recommend.