Dazed #14: Fractal Mirror, Dave Kerzner, Simon Collins

I gave praise to Schizoid Lloyd in a previous posting and now I have to give big thumbs up to another Dutch act, one very different from Lloyd's xtreme prog metal. Fractal Mirror's debut caused next to no stir (and rightly so) a few years ago, but their 2014 release, Garden of Ghosts, is as if another band had made it.

Crossover prog is not as simple an art as one would think. Combining prog's ambitions with pop hooks and choruses more often than not leads to bland FM mediocrity - there's a reason why an It Bites has little competition in the genre. On Garden of Ghosts, Fractal Mirror have reached a point of perfect balance between mostly melancholy pop and truly grand, at times downright majestic/visionary melodic prog - see if you can hear the opening track without taking the wistful chorus with you. There's no displays of technical overkill here; instead the focus is on excellent songs and their meticulous execution. The recording budget was probably on the leaner side, but every cent has been used wisely (and if I've understood correctly, Echolyn's Brett Kull helped out with the production). In its genre, this is nearly transcendent and much recommended.

My rating: 4,5 / 5

Frequent collaborator with a number of prog artists (Sound Of Contact most recently), Dave Kerzner's solo debut New World has probably been the talk of the prog community in the winter of 2014-15. And why not: Dave is a visible figure in the American prog scene and the list of people he has previously worked with and those who have worked with him on this album is amazing.

I find New World very entertaining and... well, nice. It's a skilled display of musical capabilities from a guy who's been around the scene long enough to know the only way to approach your solo effort is just to play what you really like. Unlike some other proggers, I don't find the album revelatory or "wow!" in any way. What I hear is music made in good spirits, with its classic prog influences shining proudly through (the blatantly pinkfloydish opening of the album is actually refreshingly honest in its tribute) and the positive atmosphere is catching; it's the kind of album I like to put on when brewing coffee on unhurried Saturday mornings. And that's a compliment, mind you :)

My rating: 4 / 5

As I checked out Dave Kernzer's earlier feats, I learned he and Simon Collins had collaborated already in 2008, way before Sound Of Contact, on Simon's solo album U Catastrophe. Let me just note that this is a well serviceable dish of modern prog-tinged rock. I especially appreciate young Simon's willingness not to follow daddy's mannerisms in either singing or drumming (well there's one drum-driven track that's all about the Phil Drum Sound, but we'll allow that). Dynamic, self-assured, not terribly original but great music for driving and home repairs. Hey, you need that once in a while, too!

My rating: 3,5 / 5

Dazed #13: Lonely Robot, Perfect Beings, Angra, North Atlantic Oscillation, Adeia

As every progger on the planet already knows, the laws-of-physics-defying (he's everywhere at once!) John Mitchell of It Bites, Frost*, Arena, Kino and countless session jobs finally came up with his solo project. Please Come Home is tagged as a Lonely Robot album, but that's just the project title the humble Mr. M. has chosen to use.

No reason to be humble, though. The album features John at his most energetic, with just a couple of of his wistful ballads. There's little downright prog here; I'd call this mostly prog-tinged art/power rock. Hooks and strong riffs aplenty, likewise choruses that will stay with you, with a zillion little details built into the structure. And I love his raspy, warm and so very human voice - one of my favorites of current lead singers in any band.

JM is a brilliant songwriter and Please Come Home puts this very much into the spotlight. No long solos or instrumental passages, with songs staying within the 4-5 minute range, and they all pack a considerable punch. Nice album art too :)

My rating: 5 / 5

Perfect Beings from the USA crept up slowly into my radar range, with a number of people giving high marks on their eponymous debut album. I finally got to listening to it and it is a doozy! Hard to categorize, too, with influences ranging from prog to typically American alt.rock to XTC's (if you're a fan, check out this albums's Helicopter from 1:45 on!) slightly psychedelic art rock and even Beatles/Lynne -style harmonics.

It took a couple of plays to turn my initial "what's this?" reaction into warmly liking this stuff, and now I'm growing really, really fond of this. It's an example of crossover prog or prog lite I truly enjoy: a band that clearly plays what they want and how they want it. I admire the clarity of the overall vision, with excellent production, clever song arrangements and that hard-to-explain element that gives a band their own identity, even when some of their benchmarks can be recognized. More, please!

My rating: 4,5 / 5

A wonderful thing has happened on the prog metal front: Brazil's pride Angra are back - and they are back big time!

I've loved their mix of power metal, prog metal and occasional Brazilian influences for over a decade and felt genuinely sorry when, after a number of lineup changes, the great Edu Falaschi left the lead singer's chair empty in 2011. They had been moving in a slightly softer, Queenrÿche-ish direction with their last albums with Edu (Aurora Consurgens in 2006 and Aqua in 2010), with original drummer Riccardo Confessori putting in a dazzling comeback performance on the latter album. The music was solid but the albums did not sell too well, and I was expecting to read about the band's end sooner rather than later, especially when guitarist Kiko Loureiro released an instrumental solo album, and a very good one, too.

But now it's the debut of Angra Mark 3, with Rhapsody of Fire's Fabio Lione on lead vox and a very young, twentysomething Bruno Valverde behind the drum kit. And these two have set the band positively on fire. Simply put: the new album, Secret Garden, may be their best ever, period.

It's a stunning show of force and artistic maturation, ranging from fierce and truly heavy metal to symphonic drama, prog moments, ethno-musical references and quieter, lyrical passages. They have done all that before but never with this intensity and bravado. This just may be Angra's A Trick Of The Tail, the moment when a band proves their strength after losing a charismatic frontman. Everyone plays perfectly, Valverde is a real revelation, and Fabio's vocals, just a bit rougher than in his Rhapsody years, are just right for Angra. And since there's more prog here than in any previous Angra album, I could not be happier.

Parabéns, guys - Viva Angra!

My rating: 5 / 5

I have never acquired the taste for Radiohead, and the quite numerous bands that follow their combination of electronica+alt.pop+prog tend to leave me totally cold. Scotland's North Atlantic Oscillation are a notable exception to the rule. Already their debut cautiously rang my bells and the follow-up, Fog Electric, was positively intriguing, displaying a strong songwriting skill to go with the mastery of the electronic soundscape.

With the brand new album, The Third Day, N.A.O. really come into their own. This is a veritable dream house of manipulated sound, carefully constructed aural dreams and extremely well honed songwriting. The prog element now has more weight than before, taking the overall experience to a 21st century version of what was called Art Rock in the 1970's. If 10cc or ELO were young bands today, they might be close to this.

My rating: 4 / 5

In closing, just a reminder that it sometimes pays to try what seems improbable. The Dutch band Adeia's debut album Hourglass combines classical music (both mainstream and modern) with extreme metal and prog - and they actually get away with it. Mind you, they are not doing the Nightwish-style quasi-classical/symphonic thing but integrating undiluted chamber music styles, vocals and instruments into the metal paradigm, with liberal doses of prog mixed in. Not radio friendly, and actually rather challenging.

I find the experiment successful and the only complaint I have is that some of the songs could have been worked on a bit more, there are passages that rest on fairly standard riffing. I have no idea if Adeia is supposed to be a continuing band or a one-off project; I hope for the former but even if it ends here, I cheer their skill and sense of adventure!

My rating: 3,5 / 5