Discography

Death's Angel (93, EP)

Reviews

Judging from the notes of one larger avant-music label's catalogue, I had surmised that Na Margon's Death's Angel represents a tighter collaboration of Lars "Lach'n" Jonsson and Finland-living Swede Ronnie Ehrs. More simply stated, I thought that Lach'n was more involved than I discovered. So it turned out that Ronnie Ehrs the main director of a project called Na Margon, and what I'm not quite reviewing right now is surely (and sadly) their lone release, entitled Death's Angel. Death's Angel is a 3-track CD-EP and features tracks: "Death's Angel", "If" and "Death's Angel (subconscious version)", reversely played and slightly edited version of the title track. In general, I don't like EP's - their brevity is somewhat annoying, but on the other side they are quite welcome in the area of avant-garde music, for brevity would surely prepare less eager prog-listeners to give a focused listen to a less listenable things going on in and ooze-out from various "laboratories". Guess why. The three tracks, on which band utilizes keyboards, guitar, water effects (Ronnie), vocals (Maria Wassrin-lead and Margareta Nyhlén-additional), drums, wah-wah guitar (Björn Viitanen), soprano sax (Ulf Anderson), synchronized guitar (Tony Nyberg) and bell, hand drum (Lach'n - also uses his marvelous voice) lead us through slickly arranged vistas of not-too-demanding post-modernism. Music is very atmospheric in nature, with Ronnie rolling off a synth carpet for a sligthly distorted and multi-effected guitars, while Björn pounds and rumbles out very cool, almost tribal rhythms, so it is quite intense in a way. Ulf on the other way stresses the pronounced melodicism of the group and adds sort of a dreamy quality to the whole. This EP has few similarities with other Bauta creations (esp. with certain tracks from Lach'n's masterpieces) as well as with less darkened works of Sandell / Steensland duo. Besides, I'm slightly reminded of atmospheric prog-metal of Psychotic Waltz, whose best works were created around approximately the same time. So it's obvious, that Death's Angel is not avant-garde proper. It goes into the ears very smoothly and remains in the memory for some time, but there's nothing too hard to overcome on this EP. Quite recommended for all real prog-explorers. -- Nenad Kobal

Na Margon is a Bauta label release, written by Ronnie Ehrs with the intention "to capture the uttermost evil and the uttermost good put to music". Ehrs says, "I do not know if I did succeed, however I would like to think that certain parts of the music really does." This album also features Lach'n Jonsson, whom Ehrs has known for over 20 years, though this is their first recording together. For what it's worth, I don't find this music to be the "uttermost" of either good or evil. It's actually sort of a dark ambient music, heavy on guitar and equally heavy on repetition. The first cut, "Death's Angel" features an almost Philip Glass-like organ pattern with a guitar pattern that interlocks with it, and also sax solos that could be from PG. Over the top of this is Maria Wassrin's almost masculine-sounding vocals proclaiming herself to be Death's Angel, while the drums play an intricate and uncountable rhythm pattern. It is spacey, hypnotic and thoroughly enjoyable. Not a tough listen by any means (at least to my ears), though perhaps mildly disturbing. The second cut "If" asks the musical question "If I had all ten fingers glued to certain keys on my keyboard, could I play something that sounds interesting?" The answer appears to be "yes" as Wassrin's crooning, wordless vocals (for this song, not the slightest bit masculine) float over the top of a complex, static organ chord with very little movement. Interspersed throughout are languid guitar solos, bass punctuations and splashing noises. The final cut, "Death's Angel (Subconscious Version)" is basically the first cut played backwards with no drums or vocals. This makes it even spacier. Great stuff ... find a copy if you can. -- Fred Trafton

Links

[See Jonsson, Lach'n (Lars)]

Uno Zingaro Di Atlante Con Un Fiore A New York (73)

A really non commercial jazz-rock band (like Aktuala).

Bizarre avant-garde?

Air (93), Dreamfish (93), Silence (93)

A German guy turning out vast quantities of great electronic music. Some of it is in the realm of icky techno, but some, especially Air is beautiful ambient stuff rooted heavily in the Klaus Schulze/early Tangerine Dream school electronic progressive stuff. Silence is a more minimalist electronic project, and Dreamfish has some fantastic music, but the music is marred by some idiot blathering cheesy and assinine "poetry" texts over the best track on the LP: the 28 minute spacewalk entitled "Hymn." Out of the bunch, Air is most recommended.

Napoli Centrale (75), Mattanza (76), Qualcosa Ca Nun More (77)

Great first album of jazz-rock with popular music. All the songs are in neapolitan dialect.

Slow Motion (85)

Lots of albums, but only remember Little Hammers (I think that was it). Steel Drum player. More Latin/jazz/new-age than prog. Very mellow, at times a bit boring. It's one pan player and his band, so don't expect to hear what you'd hear down in Trinidad. :-) Actually, I would say NOT prog.

Bedside Companion (78), Dreams and Nightmares (79), Children of the Night (80), Decomposing (81) And You Thought You Were Normal (82), American Bandages (84)

Former violinist with Canadian group FM. His solo stuff is for the most part thrashy dance tracks of little interest to any self respecting prog-head.

[See FM]

Discography

Parallel Eccentricities (82) Borderline (91) The Clever use of Shadows (99) SubVersia (99, as Guy Leblanc) Heretik Volume I: Body of Accusations (00) Heretik Volume II: The Trial (01) Heretik Volume III: The Sentence (02) Shadows Unbound (03)

Reviews

The new Nathan Mahl line-up at Le Festival des Musiques Progressives de Montreal 2007. L to R - Guy LeBlanc (keyboards, vocals), Guy Dagenais (bass), Alain Bergeron (drums) and Tristan Vaillancourt (guitar). Original photo by Claude Dufresne, digitally modified (bringing band members closer together to make a narrower picture) by Fred Trafton In the '70's, if you wanted to find out if someone knew anything about progressive rock, you could ask "What instrument does Jethro Tull play?" Complete know-nothings might say "guitar", while supposedly progressive posers might answer "flute". Of course, Jethro Tull isn't a guy, it's the name of a band. The '90's (and now '00's) version of this question might be "What instrument does Nathan Mahl play?" But this time, there's a cuter correct answer: Nathan Mahl isn't a guy, but a Guy is Nathan Mahl. Nathan Mahl is Guy LeBlanc working with a line-up of musicians which change quite a bit from album to album. Ha ha. Get it? Thank (or blame) Progression Magazine for that one. I have heard two Nathan Mahl CD's, Parallel Eccentricities and also Heretik Volume I. Both are excellent albums of progressive rock, generally describable as Canterbury influenced prog (especially similar to Dave Stewart's style in National Health), but with more fusiony influences as well. The music is not all instrumental, but leans heavily in that direction with only occasional vocals, and is also heavily keyboard oriented. Lots of vintage keys including a Hammond B3 (or a sound-alike), analog synths and clavinets. Oh, yeah, I forgot to answer the question I posed before: Nathan Mahl plays keyboards ... oops, I mean Guy LeBlanc does. Parallel Eccentricities is the first Nathan Mahl album, recorded in 1983 and released in 1983. It is a relatively short album, but the CD re-release contains a multimedia presentation which shows the history of the band if you put the CD into your PC or Mac computer. Musically complex, with lots of fusion influence, this album's only two weaknesses in my view are its short length and the overuse of slapback echo throughout. It's a cool effect, but there's way too much of it on this album. But neither of these problems are bad enough to prevent me from recommending this album. After a couple of attempted reformations and (by many accounts) a very fusiony album, Borderline in 1991, Nathan Mahl really hit their stride and began to create more albums beginning with Clever Use of Shadows. This was the material that put them on the map when they played at the 1999 NEARfest progressive rock festival and just about everyone in attendence walked out with one or more Mahl CD's from the vendors there. LeBlanc's recent completion of a world class home studio helped in this, and using it he recorded Heretik Volume I. Originally intended as the first of a two-CD series, the concept has recently expanded to a third album. Inspired by a book by Thomas Szasz which compares modern psychotherapy with the inquisition, this is a concept album which traces a heretic for speaking his mind through his arrest and trial. Most of the details of the story are left to the listener, however, as the vocal parts are fairly few and far between. That's OK by me since the vocals are not my favorite part of this album. But the keyboard playing is excellent, once again in a Canterbury style with lots of fusion, but the organ work also keeps reminding me of John Evan's Hammond work in Jethro Tull's A Passion Play. The second cut even has a counterpoint section at the beginning and end that reminds me of either '80's Crimson or maybe Gentle Giant circa The Power and the Glory. The album is very keyboard driven, but there's good guitar and bass playing too. This is a great album, and I really want to hear the other two parts as well. As of this writing (10/31/01), Part II is available and Part III is being recorded. Addendum 12/1/03: Guy LeBlanc joined Camel for their Y2K tour. LeBlanc is said to have co-written some music with Andrew Latimer which was supposed to go on a new Camel studio album, but to my knowledge this has not materialized. LeBlanc was to have appeared with Camel at their NEARfest 2003 appearance, but was unable to make it due to a family illness. It seems that Kayak's Ton Scherpenzeel is (once again) Camel's keyboard player for their Farewell tour. -- Fred Trafton Addendum 12/16/07: Firstly, the above paragraph proved to be slightly wrong. Tom Brislin replaced LeBlanc for the American leg of the tour and Scherpenzeel took over for the European part. In more recent news, I had an e-mail conversation with Guy LeBlanc wherein he talked to me a bit about the current status of Nathan Mahl. I could paraphrase it and try to make it sound like I know what I'm talking about, or I could just let Guy speak for himself. I'll choose the latter. Here's what LeBlanc had to say: "Nathan Mahl is alive and well! Better than ever, actually. I let the website go early this year, as we were going through some big changes, and I was gonna have to revamp the website yet again. For now, our official website is www.myspace.com/nathanmahl and as you can see there, we have a new line-up. "The main reason for this change is as I wrote on the blog; we're working on our next studio disc Exodus (Vol.1), and it had been 'suggested' at the onset that we dumb it down to widen our appeal potential ... and I didn't want to do that. So out of respect for our listeners, I chose to change half the band and continue playing from the heart. This is a very different disc for me and the band, but we're not sacrificing our integrity for any bottom line. That 'suggestion' almost broke up the band in January last [2005? -Ed.]. That and the whole idea that an audience should be pandered to, or seduced with familiarity ... I find these ideas to be extremely presumptuous, and beneath contempt. "It's planned to be a 2 disc concept piece; Exodus 1 - Then, deals with our interpretation of certain events in the second book of the Bible. Exodus 2 - Now, will be dealing with current themes of slavery." So there you have it! As of this writing, the Exodus CD's are not yet complete. -- Fred Trafton

Links

[See Camel | Distinguished Panel of Experts | Guy LeBlanc] Click here for Nathan Mahl's CD ordering web site - the band info site is currently expired Click here for Nathan Mahl's MySpace page

Albert One (71)

Psych, features Jan Schelhaas of Caravan and Camel.

[See Camel | Caravan]

Discography

National Health (78) Of Queues and Cures (79) D.S. al Coda (82) Complete (90, 2CD Compilation of all three albums) Missing Pieces (96, Compilation of outtakes & unreleased material) Playtime (00, Live from two concerts in 1979)

Reviews

This is progressive rock at its finest. Complex time signatures, great jamming, inclusion of rare sounds such as vocal harmonies without lyrics, cellos, multiple keyboards, etc... National Health is a spin-off band of Hatfield and the North, and they put out their 3 albums in the late 70's, early 80's. Very jazzy at times, hard prog rock at other times.

Stated simply: Get something from this band! National Health was the brain child of Dave Stewart (no, not of the Eurythmics) and Alan Gowan. The group developed in 1975 in response to the end of "thinking man's" rock music. In the liner notes for the CD, Stewart describes National Health as "... a large scale rock ensemble playing intricate, mainly instrumental music," a far better description than I could derive. To paraphrase Stewart, the Ramones they are not! The music is strongly structured and composed, not at all free form, but not sounding forced, either. Within a composition, the music develops well and easily flows from one section to another, continuously developing the theme and sounding coherent the entire time. The first two albums represent the band during their peak, despite many troubles that beset the band and its members during that time (humorously elucidated by Stewart in the liner notes.) Song lengths range from eight seconds ("Phlakaton" - an obligatory drum solo, but far from what you would expect from such a solo) to 14'32 for both "Elephants" and "Tenemos Roads" ("... an epic about ancient civilizations on Planet Mercury ..."), and intricate they are. To put on one of these tunes simply for background music is to do it and yourself injustice. The music is quite involved and complex - instrinsic, indeed! Both key modulations and time changes abound. I'm not sure there is a 4/4 time signature on any tune, and I know (from the liner notes) that part of "Elephants" has a moog solo over a 25/8 rhythm. Not a tune you tap your foot to while doing other things. One listen to "The Collapso" (or the even better "Apocalypso") will make you sit up and pay attention. "The Apocalypso" is one of my favorite cuts (most favorite goes to "Tenemos Roads") on the CD and also one of the least serious. It is a rewritten and extended version of "The Collapso," recorded in 1990. If there is an apocalypse, this is how it will sound and it *WILL* be fun. Though quite detailed, the compositions never made me feel like the musicians were just trying to fit in another note or move to another time signature "just because they could." National Health's third and final release, D.S. al Coda, is a tribute to Alan Gowan, who died in 1981. All compositions, with the exception of "Arriving Twice" and "TNTFX" (both by Gilgamesh, Gowan's prior band) were written by Gowan. These tunes are decidedly jazzier and noticably shorter, on average. Though "I Feel A Night Coming On" fits well in the old vein, these songs represent more the direction of Gowan and not National Health. I spend most of my ear time listening to the band's first two releases, however, because I feel they are much more involved than Gowan's compositions. This band and CD are currently on my all-time top ten and are there they are likely to remain. If you have ever listened to Egg or Hatfield and the North, you'll have a feel for the music style of National Health. If you haven't, then I strongly recommend that you get this CD, then pick up some Egg and Hatfield. Shoot, pick up nearly anything with Dave Stewart (with the possible exception of Stewart/Gaskin) on the keys. You will not be disappointed. -- Mike Taylor

Jazz-oriented outfit formed by ex-members of Hatfield and The North. Featured Phil Miller, Dave Stewart, Pip Pyle, Alan Gowen, Mont Campbell and others. The music is a powerful connection of jazz-rock and complex progressive stylings, with expanded lineups featuring woodwinds, horns, and voices. An outstanding example of progressive in the true sense of the word.

National Health were an offshoot of the "Canterbury scene," specializing in jazz-oriented progressive rock, taking the work of Soft Machine and the like to a more accessible level, and possibly comparable in style to Brand X.

Perhaps the pinnacle of Canterbury prog, National Health is composed mostly of ex-members of Hatfield And The North (guitarist Phil Miller, drummer Pip Pyle and keyboardist Dave Stewart), so not surprisingly continues to develop ideas started by that band. The first album is made up of four very long tracks. THe music is not unlike that on Hatfield's The Rotter's Club album. Of Queues And Cures is the band's classic. This one introduces bassist John Greaves (ex-Henry Cow) and cellist Georgie Born, and includes Caravan associate Jimmy Hastings on clarinet and flute and various other sidemen on horns and oboe. The mixture of symphonic, jazz and rock works excellently with shifting rhythms and melodies carried by Miller's simmering guitar and underpinned by Stewart's rich Hammond organ tone. "Squarer For Maud" includes an incredible cello solo at the end, as well as brilliant use of clarinets and oboe in a superb rock format. "The Collapso" is a great vehicle for Stewart's organ playing, and also includes a part for steel drums! On "Dreams Wide Awake", Stewart apparently broke the organ in the process of the psychotic solo at the beginning! Some of Pyle's most impressive drumming turns up on "The Bryden 2-Step (For Amphibians)". The album's only vocal track: "Binoculars", is graced by some heavenly Miller guitar fills. One of the classics of the Canterbury scene, a fine introduction. D.S. Al Coda is a tribute album to keyboardist Alan Gowen, an on-again-off-again member who played on the first album, and died just before the making of the third of leukaemia. It consists entirely of his compositions, mostly performed by the band live but never recorded, though two of the songs ("T.N.T.F.X." and "Arriving Twice") were previously recorded by Gilgamesh. Their most uneven album, yet it includes some fine tracks. "Flanagan's People"/"Toad Of Toad Hall" stands among the best National Health tracks, while "Shining Water" is an impressive exercise in controlled rhythm and dynamics. -- Mike Ohman

Links

[See Arzachel | Egg | Gilgamesh | Gowen, Miller, Sinclair, Tomkins | Hatfield and the North | In Cahoots | Khan | Soft Heap | Stewart, Dave] Click here for a National Health fan web site Click here for the Calyx National Health pages Click here for the National Health page on the Cuneiform web site (Playtime) Click here for the National Health page on East Side Digital's site (Complete and Missing Pieces)

Natkaravanen (81)

Art-rock, said to resemble a heavy version of Kayak. Private pressing.

Discography

Magic Key (72)

Discography

Haitian Holiday (00)

Reviews

Natural Tension - Jeff Crocker (lead vocals, keyboards), John Mays (guitars) Not Pictured: Glenn Crocker (drums & percussion), Rus Moor (bass) The music presented by Natural Tension on their very first album is quite original, first of all. On the whole, all these 8 songs were composed and performed in united stylistics, that actually shows that the guys go their own way in terms of style already on the debut album. Structurally, they present moderately heavy kind of Progressive Metal, though with some lyrical and/or 'Art-Rockish' episodes for about two-third of the album, and all these songs are really very good in the 'progressive' meaning. Lead vocal is excellent almost always, but especially during the very same two-third of the length. Well, myriad of bands consider an album's opener as the most commercial song, as well as the heroes of these lines. Yeah, this is the right step, but it is only in compliance with the psychology of most potential consumers, who have little in common with the true Progressive Rock lovers in majority of cases. (Sorry for a necessary, IMO, tautology, as I mainly mean mature Prog-Heads, since most of the songs on Haitian Holiday I can't recommend to Prog-novices as the first stage to comprehending more complex Prog-Metal structures, because these songs are already quite complex.) So, "New Year's Eve" is the most accessible song here, though nice. Charming with some beautiful melodic lines "Westernrise" and "The Art Song" (really, my wife still listens only to them) are just a bit more interesting pieces than the opener. So, having found this remaining 1/3 just "so-so" from the "progressive" point of view, we can now talk about NT and their debut only positively. As for that 1/3, let's consider the guys just wanted to show how masterfully and originally they could play some commercial Neo Prog-Metal. In reality, I think these very talented musicians are just still on the way to choose exactly the Final Form of their structures, according to responses on HH from the part of professional and amateur reviewers on the pages of various webzines and pages of magazines-made-of-paper. IMHO, these latter, despite the fact they're true professionals, the real Titans of 'penish' work, could be the most dangerous advisers - again, just from the "progressive" standpoint of view - with their exceptionally bright and very convincing yet with a distinct commercial approach reviews. Most of the representatives of Progressive Rock sites on the WWW feel themselves totally free to express their honest opinion, but all of them have different views on Progressive Rock either generally or particularly, as well as amateur reviewers, lots of those submit and publish their reviews and opinions on the excellent, really popular (in the two basic meanings of the word, including 'people's') biggest review source on the web http://www.prog.net/. And these are the Voices of Fans. Well, I just hope the members of NT will find the right way to choose the Final Form of their future music. All the other 6 songs on Haitian Holiday are just excellent examples of moderately complex Classic Prog-Metal. Each of these songs contains a few different themes full of many original and interesting arrangements, time signatures, changes of tempo, etc. All the four band members work excellently, and maybe, the lack of keyboard arrangements in some instrumental parts is the only thing they should've noticed (and I'd recommend the NT quartet would become a quintet - just to add a free keyboardist to the line-up). Finally, the last song on the album is a kind of epic one - all in all, the best track on HH and actually a real Progressive killer. As for the lead vocal, Jeff Crocker uses his voice as an instrument with rich possibilities. He has a strong male voice, but he works with it brilliantly, using very diverse vocal arrangements in each song. It would be absolutely enough if Jeff sang alone, and so the addition of two guest back vocalists often just eclipses a unique lead vocal palette, making the overall vocal sound like something of a pseudo chorus, so typical for the majority of American traditional Power-Metal bands. Summary: To be honest, all the six good songs on album, as well as very diverse (and often dramatic) singing of the lead vocalist, on the whole reminds me a bit of the stylistics of my dearly loved Italians Garden Wall, though of course these are only associations. Natural Tension has, as I said, original stylistics of its own, and all they really need is just to complete the Form properly. -- Vitaly Menshikov

Links

Click here for Natural Tension's web site

20000 Miles Under The Sea (78), Space Storm (80)

Symphonic Prog.

Discography

Nazca (83) Estacion de Sombra (85)

Reviews

Mexican prog, said to be reminiscent of Univers Zero.

Links

[See Culto Sin Nombre | Decibel]

Outer Space Connection (79)

Psychy Progressive Rock. Private pressing.

Discography

Rhinoceroses and Other Forms of Life (89) She Ye Ye (91) Hey Driver! Cool Down the Horses (94) Whatever Happens Twist (95) Live Rarities Volume One (97) Pollo d’Oro (98, with Memorial Billy Tipton Sax Quartet) Tokyo Nov. 25, 1998 (99, Live)

Reviews

Highly energetic, slightly punkoid ex-USSR RIO-sounding band. Lots of unexpected sounds, lots of fun! -- Nenad Kobal

Links

Click here for Ne Zhdali's web site (in English) Click here for a review in the Moscow Times (again in English)

Discography

NeBeLNeST (99) NoVa eXPReSS (02) ZePTO (06)

Reviews

NeBeLNeST (not in photo order) - Sebastien Carmona (guitar), Greg Tejedor (bass), Oliver Tejedor (keyboards) and Mika Anselmi (drums) NeBeLNeST is a heavy French prog-rock outfit that brews a roiling cauldron of complex instrumental rock. Dense, dark and urgent, this band attacks you with troubled but beautiful prog-in-opposition and keeps you guessing with unusual tempo shifts and intense emotional noise. Take Red-era King Crimson, the frantic anger of punk rock, and a sophisticated French sensibility, and you get a feel for this powerful band. Second album, NoVa eXPReSS (on Cuneiform), is a good starting place. -- David Marshall

Unfortunately, I've heard neither NeBeLNeST's self-titled debut nor NoVa eXPReSS, but I just got to hear their long-awaited third album ZePTO, on the Cuneiform label (released in ZePTember of 2006!). There's only one word to describe this album: aWeSoMe. In many ways, this album reminds me of Guapo's Five Suns due to the heaviness and post-punk sensibilities. But ZePTO is more complex, sometimes more melodic, and sometimes even more chaotic while not sacrificing any of the dark, noisy insistency. Frequently reminiscent of their countrymen Magma or a less classical-sounding Present, NeBeLNeST has gone in their own direction and come up with something new, exciting and occasionally somewhat frightening (but in a good way). Definitely one of the best albums I've heard this year ... and I've heard a lot of really good ones this year. ZePTO took several years to complete, and during the recording, they lost their guitarist Cyril Maldarez. So some songs feature Maldarez while others use the talents of a new guitarist, Sebastien Carmona. To tell the truth, I don't hear a great deal of difference in style between the two guitarists. They are both aggressive and dexterous and have a bit of that Red-era Frippian overloaded angst. Since the album's completion, however, NeBeLNeST has also lost Carmona and they are currently touring with yet another guitarist, Matthieu Sassier. They're making the rounds of the big prog fests ... they played at ProgSol in Switzerland, and are slated to appear at the Rock in Opposition fest in France in April of 2007, followed by NEARFest in the USA in the summer of 2007. They're pretty popular, and they damn well deserve it! ZePTO is their first album name with a capitalized vowel. Unless, of course, it's ZePT-zero rather than ZePT-oh, which is pretty hard to tell from the album art. Either way, this one needs to be in the collection of anyone whose interests extend beyond the limited scope of symphonic prog. Essential! -- Fred Trafton

Links

Click here for NeBeLNeST's web site Click here to order NeBeLNeST from The Laser's Edge Click here to order NoVa eXPReSS or ZePTO from Cuneiform Records

Discography

Tips Zum Selbsmord (72)

Reviews

Very rare, high-selling LP (more than US$1000) of prog with savage guitar and sinister vocals.

The German band Necronomicon's album Tips zum Selbstmord has been released on CD, by Little Wing (Weinthal 1, 84556 Kastl, Germany). It's good, solid early '70s prog-leaning metal, rather along the lines of Atomic Rooster. Nothing particularly spectacular, but a fairly satisfying album nevertheless, with some interesting guitar and organ work, and a choir backing them at one point. Vocals are all in German, with somewhat political lyrics. -- Tim Bender

If you don't have a passion for Prog history or fancy yourself a completist, be duly warned: this is a tired, barnacle-covered heap of a band -- the ugly side of Prog, its' disturbed younger brother. Like a group of mildly talented fifteen year-old boys with a lot of angst but little taste, 1972's Necronomicon absolutely bludgeon their gothic, industrial-strength music as it is pried from the dieing instruments: organ, drums, guitar and what may be a bass but I couldn't tell, as it was so badly burned in this wreck. I don't even think they were able to use dental records to ID these poor lads. And the recording quality isn't even worth discussing. Yes, I've heard worse (a little band called Pharaoh Overlord comes to mind) but not much. Quite avoidable unless you need a good belly-laugh ... and who doesn't? -- David Marshall

Links

Click here for Little Wing of Refugees records

Discography

Zoon (96)

Reviews

Carl McCoy of The Nefilim After the breakup of the seminal Gothic/Darkwave band Fields of the Nephilim, leader Carl McCoy took 4 years off, then went on to record another album under the simplified and re-spelled name "The Nefilim" and released one album to date, Zoon. I haven't been able to find a copy or any sound files for review, but it would probably be of limited interest to prog rock fans (McCoy fans can take this as a challenge to submit their own reviews if they would like to). Latest news is that he has put together a new version of FOTN and they are recording again. -- Fred Trafton

Links

[See Fields of the Nephilim] The Nefilim's label Beggar's Banquet has info on both The Nefilim and FOTN.

Live (81), Castle in the Air (84), Disadvantage (85), Negasphere 1985-1986 (91)

Sounds somewhat like U.K. with a Japanese Bryan Ferry (based on my limited auditioning of Roxy Music) on vocals. More "wigged out" than U.K. but not bad.

This band was active during the mid 80's and a live set came out in 1991 titled Negasphere 1985-1986 which may remind of UK, Genesis, National Health, and even Zappa. The vocals are very affected, like fish or one of his many imitators. The recording is fairly substandard. Overall impression: Nothin' really special.

They have two mid-80's releases.

Neil's Heavy Concept Album (84)

This is an interesting curio. Neil is Nigel Planer, a British comedic actor who created his popular Neil character on the TV series "The Young Ones". Neil was a hippie who had in the series let out that Hawkwind and Marillion were his favourite bands, hence the thank-you credit to Planer in the liner notes to Marillion's Fugazi LP. Neil's Heavy Concept Album was done on the heels of the success of the TV show, and actually yielded a hit single in a reworking of the Traffic song "Hole In My Shoe". A number of Canterbury people (Pip Pyle I think, and several others) played on this, and there's apparently even a version of Caravan's "Golf Girl"! I've been looking for this for a long time. I've only heard one track, "Hole In My Shoe". -- Mike Ohman

Discography

Mi Kubbesi (96)

Reviews

Nekropsi I formerly saw this album in catalog of a label which has specialized itself for the harshest sounds only. Album was "reviewed" (written off) as a progressive death metal, which wasn’t really convincing. So I forgot on the item. Few years later, I get the opportunity to seize it from a different source. And was decently surprised. Not really death metal, except that there are a couple of ferocious attacks on "94 Kor", lasting for about 20 seconds, but they can be perceived from a different standpoint (this must be one of earlier tracks), but convincingly technical. And progressive. Can you imagine Ozric Tentacles playing King Crimson era Red or Present (by closing of CD) songbooks (and sometimes the other way round), tinged with turkish ethnic muzak, middle Eastern influences and some metallic sonorities. After hearing this, I can. Sometimes they come close to Cynic (intense and deft playing) or VoiVod (distinct riffs) as well. Vocals, when present and always up there somewhere, are in fact distant meditative calling or melodious shouting, emphasizing ethereal, spacy dimension of group’s sound, and sound more like another instrument on an album, which is essentially instrumental. The last two tracks, "Son" and "41" are rather Present-ish murky explorations. Overall, Mi Kubbesi (whatever that means) is perfect marriage of aerial and earthly sounds, whose prodigy runs through ears so smoothly, that is barely believable, and is neither sensory overload nor diluted with anything. All real progsters shouldn’t have any problem. And having in mind that in 73 minutes of duration listener cannot be bored, this is an ESSENTIAL listening!!! -- Nenad Kobal

Links

Click here for Nekropsi's web site Click here for an interview with Cevdet Erek, drummer for Nekropsi

Discography

Journey To The Centre Of The Eye (71) A Tab In The Ocean (72) Sounds Like This (73) Remember The Future (73) Sunday Night Live At The Roundhouse (74) Down To Earth (74) Recycled (75) Live In New York (77) More Live In New York (78) Magic Is A Child (78) Thru The Ears (78) Man In The Moon (80) Nektar (93, Compilation from first three LPs) The Prodigal Son (01) Greatest Hits Live (02, Live 2CD recorded at NEARfest 2002) Evolution Dream Nebula (04) Nektar 2004 Tour Live (05, 2CD) Door to the Future (05, "Official Bootleg" recorded in 1974)

Reviews

Nektar - I don't know the date, but this is an old promo shot Execellent euro-rock band on the verge of progressive that put out quite a few monsters including Tab In The Ocean and Remember The Future Went commercial-prog after RTF.

Germany's answer to such space rock groups as Pink Floyd and Hawkwind. Their 1974 tour included floating scenes from extraterrestial planets. Remember the Future is classic and should be in everyones library. Its a single song, two-sided composition with lush synthesizers and ethereal singing.

Nektar was a band of English expatriates living in Germany. Their earliest albums were hard rock that drew heavily from the space-rock and Pink Floyd styles of the same period, although by 73's Remember The Future, they had a powerful rock sound identifiably their own. After Sounds Like This, their albums were hit or miss: Magic Is A Child is one to avoid, yet Recycled, which preceeded it, is very intense, with synthesizers by Larry Fast. Ones I would recommend are Recycled, Journey, and the LP version of Remember The Future (The CD is a keyboard heavy remix that buried the album's powerful guitar work - avoid it). More Live In New York is a good one as well. The Nektar compilation from 76 features the best material from Journey and Tab.

I have two very good albums by this four-piece. Personally, I prefer A Tab in the Ocean (1972), which is noteworthy not so much for complex rhythms or showy playing as just very well written music. They do an excellent job of making a 20 minute song all "hang together" very well, and every note is well thought out and carefully placed. I think in this respect they compare to Yes' considerable compositional skills (esp. Close to the Edge), but if what you're looking for is sheer virtuosity, look elsewhere. Remember the Future (1973), also comes recommended for the same compositional strength and cohesive group playing; it's just not quite as impressive as Tab. -- Greg Ward

One of the better known "German" bands, they even had a gold record in the US with Remember the Future. They started in England but moved to Germany for one reason or another. Their output has varied over the years. They started as a psych band, but other albums added some progressive elements. They were supposed to have a wicked light show. Remember the Future and Recycled are probably the best albums of interest to the progressive listener. Each is a conceptual album that is a nice blend of melodic guitar and keyboards with a vocal story. To my ears, they aren't readily comparable to anyone else. The music isn't overly complex, but generally satisfying. My personal favorite is Recycled. I also liked Down to Earth a great deal, but it has a flaw that always nagged at me. A circus concept, there was a "ring announcer" between each song that, for me, ruined the flow of otherwise decent music. Tab in the Ocean and Magic is a Child had shorter songs and were less satisfying. Start with Recycled or Remember the Future. Note that the CD mix of RtF buries the guitar and is not as good as the LP mix.

British band that lived and recorded in Germany, and included two (British) members on lights and visuals (Apparently Nektar live was quite an impressive spectacle, hence their surprising popularity). Journey To The Centre Of The Eye is a mindblowing epic with lots of echoplex guitar and dual Mellotrons which is quite in tune with the Krautrock stuff going on around them, yet is definitely British. The reverb guitar cascades often remind me of Ash Ra Tempel or early Tangerine Dream, whereas the lush Mellotrons and often intense tones make me think more of King Crimson. An impressive debut. A Tab In The Ocean on the other hand, is mostly simplistic hard rock with the odd boring slow passage that tries to be "atmospheric". "Desolation Valley" may have been a very effective live number, it certainly deserves better than the lackluster treatment it's given here. The 17-minute title suite does have some nice moments though, sometimes reminding of Genesis. Remember The Future is infinitely better, still emphasizing Roye Albrighton's guitar, but given more of an intense progressive style to work with. The way dreamy, meditative passages with gently arpeggiated guitar build slowly into surging rockers make this one very exciting and highly recommended. Watch out for the CD issue, it was remixed, de-emphasizing the guitar (what's left??) and adding superfluous synth (there was NO synth on the original). I haven't heard it, but everyone I know said it sucks. Down To Earth flirts with a slightly more commercial, song-oriented style, but has some very good tracks, especially the excellent "That's Life". Derek Moore's bass playing here sends shivers up and down my spine. Since it seems keyboardist Alan Freeman is as unwilling as Tony Kaye to use synths, the guest appearance by synth wizard Larry Fast on Recycled is a godsend. This is them at their progressive best, jamming away hot with intensity, the interplay between Roye Albrighton's guitar and Freeman's organ and piano is a wonder to behold, Fast's textured, symphonic synths being the icing on the cake. Moore seems to have found greater confidence in his playing, the power-riffing style first essayed on "That's Life" is dripping at the edges of this, especially on the climactic "Marvellous Moses". An absolutely indispensable album for any prog collector. Magic Is A Child followed the departure of guitarist/lead singer Albrighton to join Snowball, his replacement being David Nelson of Man. It's supposed to be the most commercial album yet, but not really bad. I haven't bothered to get it. Nelson is also apparently on the two Live In New York albums. Albrighton rejoined for Man In The Moon, which I have NEVER seen, but is supposed to be the band's worst effort. -- Mike Ohman

Added 2/26/02: In 2000, Nektar re-banded to record and release The Prodigal Son. They are still together and will be one of the two headlining acts at the 2002 NEARFest progressive rock festival. This will be the first live Nektar show in over 21 years and will feature all original members: Roye Albrighton (guitar/voice), Derek "Mo" Moore (bass), Alan "Taff" Freeman (keyboards) and Ron Howden (drums). There is some hope that synthesist Larry "Synergy" Fast will be able to appear with Nektar as a special guest. [Note 2/24/06: Larry Fast did perform with them] -- Fred Trafton

Added 2/24/06: Some people would be happy to know that 2002 saw the release of a remastered version of Nektar's Remember the Future which does the guitar (and the music in general) more justice. -- Armel Patanian

Links

[See Quantum Jump | Snowball | Synergy] Click here for Nektar's official web site Click here to hear samples from The Prodigal Son

Northern Dream (71), Sound On Sound (79), Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam (81), Sounding The Ritual Echo (81), Das Kabinett (81), La Belle Et La Bete (81), The Love That Whirls (82), Chimera (83), Savage Gestures For Charm's Sake (83), Vistamix (84), The Summer Of God's Piano (84), The Chamber Of Dreams (84), Pavilions Of The Heart And Soul (84), A Catalogue Of Obsessions (84), The Two-Fold Aspect Of Everything (84), Iconography (86), Getting The Holy Ghost Across (86), On A Blue Wing (86), Map Of Dreams (87), Chance Encounters In The Garden Of Lights (87), Optimism (88), The Strangest Things (89), Duplex (89), Chimes And Rings (90), Nudity (90), Heartbreakland (90), Details (90), Simplex (91), Luminous (91), Blue Moons And Laughing Guitars (92)

Guitarist and songwriter extraordinaire from solo efforts to Be-Bop Deluxe to Red Noise. Cannot recommend him enough.

[See Astral Navigations | Be-Bop Deluxe | Rain Tree Crow]

Nemo (73), Doin' Nuthin' (74)

Weird French prog founded by Francois Breant and other ex-members of Ergo Sum and Cruciferous. Albert Marcoeur guested on Doin' Nuthin'.

[See Breant, Francois | Cruciferius | Ergo Sum]

Neo (80)

Obscure French fusion band that are in the spacey vein, and sound very much like Carpe Diem, Quantum, Wlud or even possibly Allen period Gong.

Discography

Broadcast (07, DVD or CD+DVD box set)

Reviews

Neo - Andy Edwards (drums), Mark Westwood (guitars), Clive Nolan (keyboards) and John Jowitt (bass) Neo (no relation to the "obscure French fusion band" mentioned above) is a sort of Neo-prog "supergroup". I believe they were formed specifically to perform at Rites of Spring Festival (ROSFest) in 2006, though they have since continued to play together for at least one more concert that was captured on video for their sole release so far, Broadcast. This release is available as either a DVD or a box set with a DVD and a CD of music not on the DVD. The core of Neo consists of Mark Westwood (Martin Orford Band), Clive Nolan (Arena, Pendragon, Shadowland and many more), John Jowitt (IQ, Jadis) and Andy Edwards (the most recent drummer for IQ). Joining them for both concerts I'm aware of have been Alan Reed (vocalist for Pallas) and Nick Barrett (guitarist and vocalist for Pendragon). They've played songs from just about all of their "other" bands in their Neo shows. -- Fred Trafton

Links

[See Arena | IQ | Jadis | Nolan, Clive | Pallas | Pendragon | Shadowland | Strangers on a Train] Click here for Neo's page on the ROSFest site Click here for Neo's MySpace page Click here to order Broadcast from Metalopolis

Neon Rose (73), 2 (74; a.k.a. Reload), 3 (75)

Prog.

Neptune's Empire (71)

Prog. Private pressing.

The Tree (78), Head In The Sand (79)

Private issue symphonic prog.

Discography

Delicate Motion (02)

Reviews

Nervewerks - Ross Young (V-drums), Mike Davison (guitar, guitar synth), David Gonzales (aka Dave Gonzo)(vocals) and Rick Read (bass and Stick) What would Tool sound like if Tony Levin was in the band? Maybe a little like Nervewerks. They are an interesting mixture of Post Rock, Progressive Metal and '80's King Crimson, complete with precision Stick playing and Frippian guitar synth work. Delicate Motion never gets boring, investigating each of these styles individually, and also merging them in various combinations. Rick Read switches between Stick and heavy electric bass lines depending on the needs of the song, and Ross Young's V-Drumming is so precise, you sometimes wonder if you're listening to a drum machine ... until he suddenly takes off on a wild percussion ride. This is a great album, and Nervewerks has worked up all the material for a new CD, forthcoming soon. Nervewerks was one of the guest acts at our own Ridglea Theater Progressive Rock Sundays series in Fort Worth, Texas. They were amazing to watch live. You don't really get a feeling for how intense vocalist David Gonzales just by listening to the album. You need to actually see him belting out the bands original material and covers of King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man" and "Elephant Talk", plus tunes by Led Zep and Tool. Oh, no, it's no accident that Nervewerks sounds a little like all of these bands. They're obviously fans. Ross Young is also very interesting to watch, playing precise Bruford-like polyrhythms while focusing on a point in space one foot in front of his nose ... he's obviously not seeing anything while he's playing. Check out Delicate Motion if you're into heavy, guitar synth and Stick-oriented prog with heavy vocals. If you like the '80's Crimson parts, then check out The Minefield as well ... it features both Rick Read and Ross Young of Nervewerks along with 99 Names of God's Mark Cook on Warr Guitar. They really sound like '80's Crimson! -- Fred Trafton

Links

[See Minefield, The] Click here for Nervewerks' web site

Discography

In the Following Half-Light (81) Netherworld (02, CD re-release of In the Following Half-Light with bonus tracks)

Reviews

Netherworld Fantastic rare early eighties symphonic progressive band that put out a highly regarded album In The Following Half-Light. The track on the Past Present Future compilation is excellent. I've only heard their stuff from the Syn-phonic sampler Past Present Future. Great instrumental music, very nice mellow guitar work. One album, I think, called In the Following Half-Light, which is supposed to be released on CD any time now... "Any time now" turns out to be 2002 (actually, early in 2003), when In the Following Half-Light was re-mastered and re-released on CD by Musea Records, with a 3-part instrumental song named "Cumulo Nimbus" as bonus tracks. There's an interesting story to go with the re-release ... Jerry van Kooten, a reviewer for the Dutch Progressive Rock Page web site had heard of Netherworld and got ahold of the former members via an internet search and e-mails. He wanted to set up a Netherworld archive page on DPRP, but soon discovered that the band had recently finished converting parts of their album to digital audio and doing enhancements on their Macintosh. He urged them to re-release the album, and the band then the got ahold of Musea and now their 1981 masterwork is available for all of us on CD. It's been said that the '80's were the "dark days" for progressive rock, and this is ceratinly true if you were a band trying to "make it" playing prog in those years. This is doubtless the reason that Netherworld released only this single album. But as far as quality of music goes, there's no dearth of excellent examples of prog from the '80's, and Netherworld has become one of my best examples that this is true. Musically reminiscent of early Yes but with some of the production qualities and appeal of pomp/arena bands like Styx and acoustic 12-string and Mellotron passages like early Genesis, this is a great album of upbeat prog. There's even a little Frippian guitar in the intro of the bonus track "Cumulo Nimbus". The vocals are frequently in an 80's metal style, more along the lines of Styx or maybe even The Moody Blues than Yes or Genesis, but they work very well with these compositions and contribute well to the band's sound. This is not to say that vocalist Denny Gorden screams perpetually by any means, in fact he sings quite sweetly on some of the more ballad-speed songs and can even imitate Gabriel's ideosyncratic noisemaking (an almost whispered, overly sibilant "just a matter of t-t-t-t-time" for example) when the song calls for it. Definitely good stuff. Don't let the Styx comparison throw you ... this is excellent prog and deserves to be in every collector's CD rack. The sound quality is excellent, the compositions and musicianship topnotch and this is just an all-around enjoyable release for those of you that enjoy upbeat symphonic prog. If you're looking for dark metallic modern stuff, look elsewhere. One of my favorite releases in recent memory, and highly recommended. -- Fred Trafton

Links

Click here for Netherworld's web site. Click here to order Netherworld from Musea Records.

Corroded Paths (92)

British style fusion band a-la early Brand-X. Excellent rhythm section, ripping guitars, and plenty of original ideas. Decent first effort.

This five-piece fusion outfit hails from the British Isles, led by guitarist Tim Crowther and drummer Steve Clarke. The band is rounded out by Ted Emmett (trumpet), Pete Jacobsen (keys) and Laurence Cottle (bass). Their music is filled with energy and melodic intensity, based on strong rhythmic foundations courtesy of Clarke and Cottle, and polished with brilliant solos from the other three. This is an impressive debut offering, striking a natural balance between structure and improvisation, complexity and accessibility; all are exceptional musicians, and depending on who's leading at any moment, the sound can be covering almost anything from a hard-edged style comparable remotely to mid-period Return to Forever or the current edition of Brand-X, to the more lucid and pervasive jazz stylings offered by the likes of Scott Henderson, Allan Holdsworth, or Bruford in his "Feels Good To Me" days. The writing duties are split between Crowther and Clarke, who tend to showcase the opposing aspects of the band's sound - Crowther, who penned five of the albums eight tracks, concentrates more on the melodics and savor, while Clarke tends to focus on the rhythm and punch. One of the album's most memorable tracks is "Dial Direct," a hard driving funky-at-the-bottom track with some punchy guitarwork that will make Goodsall fans stand up and take notice. "Corroded Path," a Crowther tune, kicks off evoking the same spirits, but yields to some sweet melodic interplay between flugel and guitar. "L21" employs a bit of the Steve Morse touch as it winds through a series of changes and a tasteful keyboard solo followed up with guitar pyrotechnics, covering a lot of territory within four and a half minutes. "No Laughing Matter" strolls through a series of tight turns, all in the jazzier stream, slightly reminiscent of Tribal Tech circa Nomad, although throughout the keyboards are used more freely without guitar dominating the overall mix. In summary, Network's debut is like a breath of fresh air, going beyond the usual technical experience, hinting at new levels of the jazz-rock artform.

Discography

Neu (72) Neu 2 (73) Neu 75 (75) Two Originals of Neu (77, first two LPs on 2LP set) Hallogallo (80, first LP reissued under different title) Black Forest Gateau (82, Compilation)

Reviews

Spinoff of Kraftwerk, who started out in a much more adventurous style at first. Like Henry Cow, all their albums are easily findable as all the covers are variations on the same theme. NEU! is a duo of Michael Rother (guitars, keyboards) and Klaus Dinger (bass, drums, vocals, guitar and piano). The debut is a fascinating work of experimental Krautrock. The hypnotic "Hallogallo" is the most like Kraftwerk, but the emphasis is on guitars, not keyboards. The guitarwork can often be spellbinding, note the beautiful "Weissensee" and the heavy-metal-bordering-on-white- noise "Negativland". Required listening for Krautrock fans. I haven't heard NEU! 2. By the time of the last studio album, NEU! '75, they seem to be repeating themselves, note the similarity to "E-Musik" to "Hallogallo". They also add some punky new-wave overtones on "Hero" and "After Eight" (screaming vocals and raggedy guitars). Most memorable is the almost catatonically s-l-o-w moving "Leb'wohl", featuring some vocal mumblings by a most obviously stoned Dinger. Best song: "Seeland", which recalls the soaring guitarwork of "Weissensee". Black Forest Gateau is a British compilation drawing entirely on the first and last LPs. -- Mike Ohman

Neu!'s three first albums are replete with what that rather clumsy moniker Krautrock has come to represent: lots of insistent, almost robotic rhythms and mainly guitar-generated textures that can sound both grating and ethereal, often at the same time. These of course proved to be survival traits after the musical climate shifted to favour the New Wave austerity: apart from exerting influence on, among others, synth pop, techno and post-rock, Krautrock also has garnered respectability from the critical establishment grateful for a safe avant-garde that you can still tap your foot to or chill out with, without the dreaded pomp and circumstances that British prog brought in to complicate the matters. Fortunately, Neu! mostly deliver the musical goods to back up the hype. Neu! opens with the archetypical "Hallogallo": Klaus Dinger's drum beat is brisk and hypnotic but also subtly dynamic, a more human version of Kraftwerk's motoristic ticking. Michael Rother's heavily-treated guitar swirls and leaps across the soundstage in cyclical whorls of sound that mesmerise rather than assault, but cannot quite sustain the interest for the whole ten-minute duration. Dynamics is in fact where I see the biggest difference from the "monumentality" of many other progressive rockers: after reaching the peak early on Dinger and Rother are happy to cruise along their aural Autobahn with only slight steering adjustments, scanning the roadside scenery rather than making sudden detours or speed changes. The rest of the tracks are more relaxed and ambient, ranging from early-Floyd-style trips through often only semi-structured worlds of floating sound effects, celestial slide guitars and swishing cymbal textures to a Popol Vuh-like "Lieber Honig" where the most fragile of bass and Japanese banjo drones form a bare background for Dinger's strangled voice that is not so much singing as making a desperate attempt to sing. The one real exception is the grinding "Negativland" whose screeching guitars, grating filter sweeps and machinery-running-amok noises could be classified as proto-industrial metal. Like with most of this album, it is its very primitiveness and lack of technogloss that makes the music more compelling than that of Pro Tools-packing purveyors of noise and nihilism. Far from sounding dated, Neu! leaves a captivating and original impression, but it certainly requires different kind of mentality than the more maximalist approach of most British progressive rock. Whereas Neu! feels fresh and whole even today, Neu! 2 sounds more like a thrown-together affair where sonic ingenuity cannot make up for a lack of focus and enough decent, original material. "Für immer" is essentially "Hallogallo 2", dressed up with more instrumental bells and sound effect whistles, but ultimately little better than the original. The more compressed "Neuschnee", with its piping, deadpan melody works better, and is the highlight of the album. However, while they feature some striking sound explorations (again, mainly courtesy of Rother's guitar), the drum-heavy "Spitzenqualität" and sound effect sketch "Gedenkminute (Für A + K)" are pretty much filler. Same can be said of various versions of "Neuschnee", "Für immer" and the proto-punk screamer "Super" that make up the B-side of the album. Created by playing scratchy vinyl recordings of the songs at various speeds or jumbling up the tapes in a broken tape recorder, these lo-fi renditions are mainly of interest for those exploring the history of turntable scratching and DJ remixing. As a whole, Neu! 2 is far the least worthwhile of the three albums. Neu! '75 brought the band back to form with bigger cast and better songs. "Isi" is the final, and the best, reworking of "Hallogallo", brisker, more melodic and largely replacing guitars with piano and synthesizers. The excellent A-side is completed by the droning "See Land", with its weeping guitar harmonies and dragging metronome pulse, and the vulnerable "Leb wohl", all lulling organ drones, minimalist piano mantras and languorous voices hanging titillatingly on the edge of final paralysis. The other half is not as impressive, however: "E-Musik" is largely a rehash of the band's motoristic pieces that closes with a sound collage of their more somnambulant moments, while the pounding, monotonic rockers "Hero" and "After Eight" represent the coming of age of Neu!'s punk leanings. "Hero" is partly salvaged by some good synth melodies, but at six minutes it makes you long for the brevity of most punk. So while an uneven album, Neu! '75 does contain some of Neu!'s best songs and is perhaps the most accessible for the casual listener. -- Kai Karmanheimo

Links

[See Düsseldorf, La | Kraftwerk | Phantom Band]

Discography

Songs 91 to 85 (93) Residue (04)

Reviews

Amy X Neuburg - Photo by Yolanda Accinelli I got a CD entitled Another as a freebie for re-subscribing to Progression magazine recorded by a fellow named Herb Heinz. I loved it! Doing some research, I discovered that Herb was a former member of Amy X Neuburg and Men. I contacted him for further info and he mentioned to me that he and Amy were married, and sent me both Amy X Neuburg and Men's Sports! Chips! Booty! and Amy's new solo effort Residue. I was blown away! Sports! Chips! Booty! was really good, but clearly the Men were holding her back. Residue is nothing short of a masterpiece. Residue is a studio recording of a set of compositions Amy wrote to be performed live. Several internet sources who have had the good fortune of seeing her live show say that she reproduces the album flawlessly (barring the occasional "technical difficulty") on stage by herself. Amy's primary sound source is her voice, which she alters, loops and mutilates in various interesting ways using electronic drum pads as controllers. She also uses these to provide percussion and adds synthesizers as both controllers and melodic devices. This is not the use of such electronics in the way you're used to hearing them ... all too frequently they are a crutch for people without any real talent. But Amy is a classically trained musician with a vocal range of nearly four octaves, and is also a poet and highly experimental and eccentric composer. These are not dull, interminably pointless loops, but using the machines to build up choirs of vocals in real time and then singing counterpoints and adding percussion which then also becomes part of the loop, sometimes giving a Gentle Giantish vocal counterpoint effect. The result is far more like Frippertronics than house/dub music, but using voices instead of guitars. But Frippertronics (at least as done by Fripp) never had this much energy, crunch, rhythm or variety. Amy uses her voice in a variety of ways, from Tori Amos pop style to lofty operatic soprano to growling nasty to speaking sarcastic humor ("I've been thinking of dropping the Neuburg and just going by Amy X, but then even more people would ask me if I practice Islam"), stoned philosophy ("... my god is drowning in the bath ... my god is crackling in the bowl ... my god is purple around the edges ... my god is hiding in a foxhole") or whiney, carping bitchiness ("Things are really baaad"). Some have said that Amy sounds like what Laurie Anderson might sound like if only Laurie could sing. She's also been compared to Kate Bush and Diamanda Galas. All are valid comparisons as beginning reference points, but Amy is more experimental than Kate, a better vocalist than Laurie and a heck of a lot less ... uhm ... depressing than Diamanda. It's clear that her lyrics are intended to be fun, though she uses sarcasm and social criticism freely in her compositions. For my taste, it's done just right, humorous without getting nasty and mean-spirited, and always with charm and wit. The music is experimental enough for the most hardened prog snob and accessable enough that just about anybody would have fun at one of her concerts (I would think). I love this album, and recommend it highly to anyone who thinks acts like Laurie Anderson or The Dreaming / Hounds of Love-era Kate Bush are enjoyable. I hope to be able to see her some day ... though she usually plays only in the San Francisco Bay area. Chad and Rob should really invite her to do a solo spotlight at NEARfest, I think she would be a hit! -- Fred Trafton

Links

[See Heinz, Herb | Neuburg, Amy X and Men] Click here for Amy X Neuburg's web site

Discography

UTECHMA (95) Sports! Chips! Booty! (99)

Reviews

Amy X Neuburg and Men - Herb Heinz (guitar, vocals), Joel Davel (MIDI mallets, Buchla Lightning motion-sensor instrument, vocals), Amy X. Neuburg (lead vocals, electronic drums), , Micah Ball (chapman stick, vocals), J. T. Quillan III (vocals, ambient personality) - Photo by Kallan Nishimoto Here's a San Francisco Bay Area band that delivers multiple challenges. It's a challenge to know how to categorize them. It's a challenge whether to call them "progressive" or not. It's a challenge whether a band like this that is obviously geared towards performance can release a CD that reflects who they are at all. Heck, it's a challenge just to alphabetize them for the GEPR (under "N" for Neuburg or "A" for Amy? After all, Jethro Tull is also a band name, and they're under "J". Or how about "M" for "Men"?). So let's address these challenges right away: Category: Art Rock. No doubt about it. The second definition from the Genre Guide. Progressiveness: If you think a band that sounds like a mixture of Frank Zappa, Laurie Anderson, The Bonzo Dog Band, Brave Combo (the "Atomic Polka Band" from my neck of the woods ... they play a lot more than polkas) Cabaret music and opera singing is "prog", then "Yes"! If you think a band that goes way beyond the boundaries of what would enable radio airplay, has lots of complexity, and is very inventive both musically and instrumentally, then "Yes"! If you think a prog band should sound like Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd or King Crimson, then "No" (in spite of a cover of KC's "Waiting Man" from Beat). Recordability: Even though I've never seen them, Sports! Chips! Booty! makes me wish I could. It stands alone as a CD nicely, but really makes the listener wish they could be somewhere hearing the band live. Although I haven't personally tried it, I'm certain this album would reveal even more charms under the influence of psychoactive substances. Alphabetization: I finally decided to alphabetize them under "N-Nl" so that the entry comes right after Neuburg, Amy X. Then I added other links to this under "Am-Aq" (for Amy) and "Mas-Mi" (for Men). That way you can find them any way you try to look them up ... unless you try under "X". Sorry, I can't help you there. Notice that I never said that were challenging to listen to! They are quite entertaining, and I suspect most people could enjoy this music, including those that would turn up their noses at a "progressive rock" concert. I've already described a bit of what they sound like above. But what I didn't say was how much I like them ... which is a lot. I've been listening to nothing but Sports! Chips! Booty!, Amy X Neuburg's most recent solo album (Residue) and Herb Heinz' solo albums for the last two weeks, and I can't get enough of them. They are totally non-serious lyrically and musically, though complex in spite of that, loads of fun, angst-ridden, full of hip social criticism and oddball philosophy, nerdy to the max (they could be giving noogies to each other like an old SNL script ... in fact Amy sorta resembles Gilda Radner's nerd character in the above band photo) and performed in a really unique and interesting style. If Woody Allen was writing cabaret music, it might sound a little like this. Except Woody probably wouldn't include a vocalist who can go from whiney, spoiled-brat complaining to Kate Bush vocal histrionics to classical operatic soprano in the space of a heartbeat as Amy can. Herb Heinz has decided to leave the Men to pursue other musical goals, so AXN & Men have not performed in quite a while, but regarding the question of whether they are defunct, Amy's site says: "They are still as funky as ever, and if that perfect guitarist stumbles into their midst, perhaps they will pick up where they left off." I hope so, I would love to see them some day. In the meantime, Herb and Amy (who are married, by the way) are both producing excellent solo recordings that you should check out as well. See their entries for further info. Joel Davel also continues to push the envelope with solo performances on his Buchla Lightning II instrument. -- Fred Trafton

Links

[See Heinz, Herb | Neuburg, Amy X] Click here for the Amy X Neuburg and Men page on Amy's web site

Discography

Genzur (99)

Reviews

Throw as many rhythm (tempo and time) and dissonance and weirdness as you can, you have 90 seconds. Do it 19 times, pack it as an album. Get the idea? That's Genzur, the debut effort by La Neura. Lovers of free jazz, Henry Cow, Fred Frith solo, RIO and Zeuhl, this is for you, definitely. It grew on me finally, that's for sure, and this is a fine piece of work, but takes longer than most albums to appreciate, but when one thinks about it ... isn't one of the key charms of progressive rock the need to really listen to the music, invest time and concentration to appreciate it? Though I do not consider myself an expert in this style of avant-garde, I'm left with the impression that La Neura does a re-proccesing of the influences, so this has a distinctively unique flavor, it's really hard to explain, but I feel this music has a "sense of humour" (dark, indeed) and at the same time it can be foreboding and intriguing. If one of the goals of art is to "change" you in some way, well, I have to say these guys ARE artists. Trivia: The sax player also is a member of Akinetón Retard (under the nickname "Petras das Petren"). -- Rodrigo Farías M.

Links

[See Akinetón Retard]

Quasar 2C361 (78), Vuelo Quimico (78), Digital Dream (80), Visitor (81), Chromium Echoes (82), Invisible Views (83), Heritage (84), Alma (87), Supranatural (87), From Madrid To Heaven (87)

The most well known Spanish electronic ensemble led by Michel Huygen. Great Klaus Schulze music, with a lot of acoustic guitar which adds a twist. Any of their first few are great, especially Quasar 2C361.

What started out as a three piece synthesizer band led by Michael Huygen has pretty much ended up being his own one-man project. "Psychotronic" music is what he calls it, basically a modern hard-synth driven style with occasionally poppy overtones, I wouldn't call this "space" music as it lacks much of that gentler atmospheric touch and subtlety. More comparable to Michael Garrison's harder edge. Sometimes it works fairly well, and other times the result is rather dull. Heritage is one of the better ones.

Spanish duo of Michel Huygen and Carlos Guirao. Chromium Echoes is Schultze-like electronic music and features some non-instrusive vocals on one track.

Numerica is a 1990 work from one of Spain's premier electronic space music artists. Fronted by Michel Huygen, this contains what he refers to as "psychotronic" music. The music is less upbeat than Tangerine Dream and the like, though it has those moments too. The emphasis is on more free flowing chord textures, similar in style to Richard Burmer, but with an undeniable European sensibility.

Discography

Battlement (78) (ProgressoR review)

Reviews

Neuschwanstein was a German band who's sole surviving artifact is their incredibly powerful album Battlement, originally released on the Racket label in 78. The sound on the LP could be described as Planets period Eloy meets Moonmadness period Camel, with a touch of Machiavel thrown in too. Lots of Mellotrons, acoustic and electric guitars, unique keyboard work and plenty of interesting and colorful melodies, with a big pedal-bass sound. The vocalist sounds remarkably like Peter Gabriel; lyrics are all in english. The album has six long tracks, although musea has added one extra track for the CD reissue. The original mix was just a little on the bassy side, so with good intentions, Musea brought the band's guitar player in to remix the album. Unfortunately, most of the bass has now been mixed out, and the vocals have been brought further to the forefront, giving the album a whole new character sounding more like Genesis than any of the aforementioned bands. I must admit I'm somewhat disappointed with the remix. Still, for anyone not already familiar with the LP, this CD reissue should be acceptable.

Battlement is classic progressive rock from a German band whose symphonic keyboard-laden sound is well in the vein of mid-period Genesis, with the addition of tasteful flute interludes a la Camel. The vocals are in English with nary a trace of an accent, and a bonus track is included.

Battlement presents a band who's music necessarily evokes the Gabriel era Genesis. The singer's voice (in English) as well as the arrangements are very similar. The use of flutes and acoustic guitars is a bit more sustained though. The compositions are usually text-based but all include tasty instrumental passages. A production that proudly captures the essence of the sound, the style and the era. A disc that will certainly charm the nostalgic but that may be offensive to purists. -- Paul Charbonneau

Links

Click here to order Battlement from Musea Records

Black Hole Star (74), Tales From The Blue Cocoons (75)

A Man spinoff.

Haven't heard much of 'em, but didn't like what I heard.

Decent Man spin-off with appearance by Nektar's vocalist/guitarist. Some songs are great, some suck.

This offshoot of Man had two albums, neither of which exists on CD. My favorite is Black Hole Star. The other is Tales From the Blue Cocoons. Anyone who likes Man would probably like these albums too.

[See Man]

Discography

Horizonte de Sucesos (Event Horizon) (02) Cuentos De Otros Mundos Posibles (Tales from Other Possible Worlds) (07)

Reviews

Neverness - (not in photo order) Javier Nieto (guitar, vocals), Victor Perez (keyboards), Dino Martin (bass, backing vocals) and Antolin Olea (drums and percussion) Neverness' second album Cuentos De Otros Mundos Posibles was released in 2007 by Musea Records. They have a unique take on prog rock ... the guitar work ranges from '70's "acid rock" style to psychedelic to early Crimson-influenced (CotCK/WoP era). The synthesizers are all very analog-sounding, and even manage to go slightly out of tune at times (that's realistic for a '70's synth!). There are brief but well-placed Mellotron passages scattered here and there. The drums are a bit muddily-recorded (purposely, I'm thinking), making them sound like Trespass-era Genesis. In short, if you told me this was a re-release of a late '60's/early '70's prog album, I would be hard-pressed to argue with you. Except, perhaps, for the lack of tape hiss. Cuentos De Otros Mundos Posibles has several purely instumental tracks and long instrumental sections even in the tracks with vocals. When they do sing, the lyrics are in Spanish. The shortest song "Pachamama" clocks in at 5:17, most are in the 9-10 minute range, and the closing epic "Mundo de Locos" is 12:15. The music is mostly melodic, but has some nice spots that decay into noisiness, though not enough to make them sound too abrasive. Not much bad to say about this album ... a very strong release that I really enjoyed. -- Fred Trafton

Links

Click here for Neverness' web site Click here for Neverness' MySpace page Click here to listen to some song samples Click here to order Cuentos De Otros Mundos Posibles from Musea Records

A New Idea of Heaven (91)

This short lived band released only one album (a 70 min.CD) to my knowledge, of which the first half was pop oriented mildly progressive tracks with nice male/female vocal harmonies, vaguely reminiscent of Cocteau Twins. The last half gets more interesting and is more instrumentally oriented, full of fire. Two members of this band later went on to form Lives and Times.

[See Lives and Times]

Senza Orario, Senza Bandiera (68), New Trolls (70), Concerto Grosso N 1 (71), Searching For A Land (72), UT (72), Concerto Grosso N 2 (76), New Trolls Live (76), Aldebaran (78), New Trolls (79), F.S. (81), America O.K. (83), Tour (85), Amici (88), and at least 27 singles.

A prolific Italian band whose every release was something different. In release are their horrible 60's beat debut Senza Orario Senza Bandeira as well as the packaged Concerto Grosso Per 1 and 2, complete with orchestration and also resembling 60's music although more in the style of Hendrix or the Moody Blues.

Every once in a while -- maybe once a year -- I'll discover an album so fantastic that I can't stop playing it. In the 1970's, it was material by ELP and Yes. The early 1980's introduced me to The (Dixie) Dregs... an instant love affair. I learned about Gentle Giant and Allan Holdsworth in the mid-80's, and most recently I've found PFM, Art Tatum, and Caravan. My "album discovery of the year' for 1992 is UT by the New Trolls. It is spectacular! Recorded and released in 1972, it is available on CD in both Italian (Fonit Cetra CDLP 430) and Japanese (number unknown) pressings. The following is a detailed review of the album. First, an overall impression: WOW. This is an impressive piece of work. The performance is excellent, and the music is quite varied in style. If you like ELP, Gentle Giant, Peter Gabriel's Genesis, PFM, and Yes, you will probably love this album. And interestingly enough, it has turned several die-hard heavy metalheads into New Trolls fans. It's rare to find a band with such versatility. They play intricate counterpoint and beautiful melodies with ease... and yet they can rock as hard as any heavy metal band. Their style is a blending of many others, but it sounds original. I have heard that the various New Trolls albums sound wildly different, and some are pretty poor. So, if you have previously heard NT and disliked them, I recommend giving UT a listen anyway. BTW, if you like UT, I also recommend that you check out their Concerto Grosso No. 2. Overall, it's not quite as good as UT, but it has some real standout moments. I just bought it, and I've been humming it for a week.

They started as a rock band (like Hendrix, Vanilla Fudge). The best album is Concerto Grosso Part 1 with a mix of classical and rock music. From the album Aldebaran the sound became more commercial (like Bee Gees).

The New Trolls are a band whom I understand have gone through a couple thousand different permutations and musical stylings. (Hallmark of a classic progressive band....change lineups and music with the weather....ala King Crimson, Yes, Gong) Their classic is generally regarded to be UT I would have to agree. While I do not possess any other of their disks, this one is definately classic. Very much in the symphonic vein, I find this to be a disk that grows on me with each listen. I hear something new everytime. The vocals are in Italian. However, they are appropriate and while some foreign vocalists can grate that never happens here. Those that enjoy some of the less mainstream Tull will definately enjoy this. All in all, a must.

New Trolls were an Italian band whose output has been quite inconsistent, in that they have released hard rock, pop ballads, and progressive rock works. As far as their prog rock releases are concerned, their highlights were UT, and the two separate albums, Concerto Grosso Part 1, and C G Part 2. The Italian CD reissue combines both of the latter into one CD, which, in addition to the high quality of the music, also offers good value for money. On to the music... The compositions are all motivated by classical music motifs, and are entitled "Allegro," "Vivace," and so on. However, the presentation is in a rock format, and the group has achieved this very well. This is prime classical rock, accompanied by an orchestra conducted by Luis Bacalov. The only comparison I could possibly make would be to Ekseption, but this music is far beyond the lightweight classical-based songs of that band. In short, if the idea of classical music within a rock context appeals to you, this release will definitely not disappoint.

I recently picked up their highly regarded 1972 release called UT. This album is an amazing amalgam of progressive rock covering a wide variety of styles yet it remains cohesive rather than schizophrenic. There are references to several of the "big names," including Yes, ELP, Genesis, King Crimson, Focus, and the general 1970s Italian progressive scene, including PFM but the music is uniquely their own. Musical energy is abundant as is complexity and variety. Though there is plenty of excellent, melodic keyboard work there does seem to be a slight emhapsis on the driving, high-energy guitar. The Italian vocals aren't harsh in any way and shouldn't be a detraction. This album is highly regarded for a reason. Get it!

I have a tape copy of UT. The first half is rather ELP influenced yet original, with strong organ work and is quite good. The rest of the album essays several different styles and is mediocre. "C'e Troppa Guerra" is a heavy-metal song that for the most part resembles Black Sabbath, but it includes some dynamics that make it somewhat interesting. "Paolo e Francesca" is a pleasing David Bowie soundalike, but I'd hesitate to call it progressive. It seems to have the same chord progression as one of the songs from Space Oddity, perhaps the beginning of "Unwashed And Somewhat Slightly Dazed". -- Mike Ohman

[See Ibis | New Trolls Atomic System]

Discography

New Trolls Atomic System (73) Tempi Dispari (74)

Reviews

An offshoot of The New Trolls who's self-titled is one of the best out of Italy ever. Also related to Ibis.

The first LP is a classic rock. The second one is a jazz music and was not interesting. When the band was dissolved, Renato Rosset went to play with Nova Tullio: De Piscopo is now a famous soloist.

New Trolls Atomic System were a splinter group off of New Trolls. They released two very different albums. So different that it's hard to believe they came from the same band. Because there is little or no information on the Korean CD reissues, I can't be sure they are the same band! New Trolls Atomic System is most similar to UT, which isn't too surprising, I suppose. Strong synth work can be heard played with an ELP-like energy. But they don't sound like ELP. In fact, the opening song, "La Nuova Predica di Padre O'Brien," reminds me more of Museo Rosenbach jamming with Ian Anderson. Yes, there's some distinctive flute that instantly recalls Jethro Tull to mind. Now and then we're treated to heavy guitar licks along with searing saxophone in a rollicking frolic of rock cum progressive. The seven songs average a little over six minutes each. Tempi Dispari is *very* jazzy. It contains two songs, each about 16 minutes. Yes, it's a short album. The first is titled "7/4" and the second is "13/18." I guess that gives you an idea where they're coming from. "7/4" is definitely in that time, at least in sections. I don't know about "13/18" because I didn't know /18 existed. It think it's a typo because the song is subtitled "trediciottavi" which means 13/8. Anyway, the music is instrumental and characterized by sax, organ and guitar taking turns at the solo spot, like most jazz music. The musical foundation is a mix of jazz (mostly) and rock (occasionally) though not fusion. "7/4" follows this pattern but ends up in a fairly progressive jam. "13/8," at the beginning, sounds like mere noodling while trying to get something together. Once together, it sounds vaugely like a Soft Machine jam with added guitar. Both songs are often very spacious and sometimes even spacey. I like New Trolls Atomic System better though this is worth an occasional listen.

In 1973, musical and political differences essentially split New Trolls into two camps, the hard-rocking Ibis and the symphonic-oriented New Trolls Atomic System. Whereas the official New Trolls albums that I have heard, UT and both Concerto Grossos, are uneven works, balancing gripping melodies and vigorous experimentation with turgid jamming and vapid heavy metal riffs, New Trolls Atomic System is a stylistically diverse, but consistently strong work that has all those albums' strengths and none of their weaknesses. There are still rather heavy riffs on "Ho Visto Poi", but instead of taking the song over, they are held in expert control to create just long enough bursts of harsh, angular stomping that then dissolve cathartically into spacier, beatless vocal sections, with synth whistles and ringing guitar notes echoing all around. "Tornarc a Credere" is the album's most unabashedly Romantic symph-exercise, with female backing vocals harmonising the upward-thrust vocal melody over triumphant keyboard triads, and features an exultant, fanfare-like middle section where the music becomes a synth-driven march across a symphonic wonderland. "Quando L'erba Vestiva La Terra" is another high, a sadder symphonic rhapsody reminiscent of Procol Harum and early King Crimson, where layers of Mellotron, flute, guitar and Baroque organ swirl solemnly in their orbits, until the heavy piano unexpectedly gathers up momentum and slings the piece into a fusiony coda complete with busy drumming and piercing saxophones. The fluctuation between fusion and symphonic also characterises "La Nuova Predica di Padre O'Brien" and "Ibernazione", which move nimbly from flute/sax and organ-led jamming to more lyrical material stated on Mellotron, Eminent or Moog. The least satisfying track is the poppy folk-rock number "Butterfly" that seems a bit out of place, though could be seen as a good wind-down after the intensity of what's been before. Even the bonus track, the Mussorgsky arrangement "Una Notte Sul Monte Calvo", which was originally released as a single, cooks on the strength of its rotor-like synth-bass ostinato, the rich and suitably strident tonal palette that is used to orchestrate the purloined main riff (listen to the sinister downward glide of organ), and especially its uncluttered tightness (something that ELP could have taken heed of), which squeezes a lot of things in a small space without letting anything drag on for too long. This could sum up the strengths of the whole album: varied, lavishly arranged, yet almost no flab whatsoever. The end result is one of Italy's top prog albums, highly recommended to the fans of the style. -- Kai Karmanheimo

Links

[See Ibis | New Trolls | Nova]

New York Rock and Roll Ensemble (68), Faithful Friends (69), Reflections (70), Roll Over (71), Freedomburger (72)

New York band that included a oboe player and cellist. First three LPs are apparently the artiest, with baroque pieces adopted to rock, poetic lyrics and the like. Later albums apparently rockier with shorter songs, but still incorporating the classical instrumentation. -- Mike Ohman

Newcross (86)

Good unique Californian progressive band, who have been quiet since the release of their self titled EP.

California 3 piece band, probably now defunct. Sound compares favorably to an experimental UK, singer even souns like Wetton. This 5 song mini-LP was the only thing they ever put out - on the "Rain of Thought' label. Quite good.

Bayou Moon (85)

Work Resumed on the Tower (84), Letters Home (86)

The spinoff of The Art Bears. See Art Bears for a vague description.

Another Henry Cow/Art Bears connection. More simple and gentle on your ears.

Another good Henry Cow spinoff. Robert Wyatt sings on Letter Home.

[See Art Bears | Henry Cow | Slapp Happy]

Discography

Détros del Umbral (99) Metanoia (01) Live at Nearfest 2000 (02)

Reviews

Nexus Détros del Umbral and Metanoia are prime examples of the modern retro-symphonic approach: Nexus take a little new, a lot of old, something stolen and pound it until it's black and blue. The old is served by keyboardist Lalo Hubler who genuflects at the shrine of Keith Emerson - made out of Hammond and analog synths, of course. But like many latter-day apostles of KE, he can also lean heavily on his digitals for a towering symphonic sound - almost gothic at times in fact, with church organ and tubular bell tones layered in as if it were doomsday. The new is Carlos Lucena's metal-edge guitar heroics: some heavy riffing but also counterfire to Huber's strafing synthesizers and some nice acoustic finger-picking during the lulling moments. Also singer Mariela Conzalez offers a Spanish-speaking version of something like a pop-diva with a hard-rocker's attitude, i.e. having a good dynamic range and rather dramatic delivery. The boys' own instrumental thing does take so much space that she is there only half the time, more one device used for certain effect, rather than the focus of the music. Put together and performed with an iron hand (especially by the metal-minded rhythm section), all this becomes a regular vortex of layered wailing, riffing, bombast and occasional lyrical or spacey touch that crosses the lines between progressive metal, harder-edged neo-progressive and Triumvirat-style symphonic take on ELP</