After 12 long years, it was suddenly there. A new CD with Swedish singer Krister Linder. He was formerly known through the pseudonym Chris Lancelot - a fabulous singer in the duo named Dive together with keyboardist and producer Erik Holmberg. Dive produced three extraordinary CDs in the beginning of the 1990's and I reckon the band as the number 1 Swedish contribution to the sometimes floating genre of Progressive Rock so far (indeed one position ahead of giants as the current Swedish band the Flower Kings (!)- see the review below this one). I absolutely loved their fascinating mix between jazz rhythms, ambient moods and melodic melancholic tunes. Krister's soft and clear voice is unusual - something in between Jon Anderson and Peter Gabriel - and I love it. Listen to Dive in "Relation Ship" and "Captain Nemo" and you'll understand what I mean.

If you don't find the Dive CDs please then buy this CD as soon as possible (since it will probably soon be out of store - not released on a big label)! It contains a collection of songs performed and produced by Krister Linder himself, songs that were written during the long, long (too long!) period when he (almost) disappeared from the musical arena. But now he is back and I found this CD as perhaps the strongest musical experience of the entire year of 2006 (see also the review below). I was completely absorbed by the quiet and relaxed air and sounds. And the wonderful melodies. If you are in great need of some relaxing soft music to be listened to in absolute privacy this is the perfect choice.

Although the entire production is at a very high standard, there are four songs on the CD that stand out: "Don't loose your way" (track 1), "Eternal life" (track 2), "Soft King Kong" (track 3) and "Nothing ever" (track 9). First track 1 was a personal absolute favourite (maybe since at the time of first listening I was in a need of some comforting words like the ones expressed in the song) but later track 2 has grown into a new favourite.

All in all, a CD for private and intimate use - with good chances of following you in your life for many years!

REVIEWS :

Melodic.net
DN Kultur
Zero Magazine
SVD

Krister_Linder web site
Om Krister Linder på Wikipedia

(September 2006)

The Flower Kings

"Paradox Hotel (2006)"

Image source

A monumental release again by a band that is much more well known outside of Sweden than inside. Kings not only of flowers but perhaps of today's international field of Progressive/Symphonic rock. This band from Uppsala, lead by guitarist hero Roine Stolt and the master keyboardist Tomas Bodin, comes up with perhaps their best production ever. And it's even a double CD which means that it contains lots of good music to enjoy for a long, long time. Also, it contains a lot of different styles and levels of arrangements. From complicated symphonic pieces with lots of Yes influences to highly improvised and a bit jazzy things. Plus - it really contains a song that is completely impossible to categorize, something really new and innovative. I am thinking of the song "Bavarian skies" which is based on the idea of an old Hitler (I think) saying farewell from his hiding place after all these years and where he discusses some of the background of the World War II and Germany during that time. He also tries to defend his and his people's view on things back in that time. A very brave and risky idea of a song but it is really fascinating. Roine's singing and the magical keyboard arrangement are just splendid. And the end with the military march music in perfect synchronisation with the song. A masterpiece - worth the whole CD set!

But, of course, the two CDs are full of other good songs and instrumental pieces. Other favourite tracks are "Jealousy", "Lucy had a dream", Minor giant steps" and  "What if God is alone?". But really, despite the length, I cannot find a single weak track on it so for those of you who enjoy to listen to really good progressive rock, don't miss this CD! Don't give up - play it several times and you'll discover how good it is. Again, this is perhaps their best CD ever. Much better than the previous rather uneven "Adam and Eve" CD (reviewed further down).

REVIEWS:

DPRP (Rating 9.5+8+8 of 10)
Prognose UK- Reviews (Rating 9 of 10)
ProgMontreal.com (Rating 9.1 of 10)
Extended Mix (Swedish - Rating 9 of 10)
Radiant Records

The Flower Kings web site

The most interesting of the Swedish progressive rock bands for some time (in my opinion) is this band, Pain of Salvation. They have previously released four albums where (at least) two of them are masterpieces; "Remedy Lane" (2002, see also review of this album below) and the Perfect element, Part 1 (2000). During last year (2004) they released two new albums - a live album "12:5" and a long awaited studio album "Be". Both are very good CDs but perhaps the expectations have grown so high that they do not feel quite as good as previous albums. But in any case, this is still much better than most of the things you normally could listen to. And I have still not stopped my listening evaluation of "Be" so perhaps I'll change my mind. Anyhow, both CDs are really good and deserves attention.

If starting with the live album "12:5" it's kind of remarkable since it is live without the heavy guitars and sounds that are so typical of this band. So, it is purely acoustic and without the usual amplifier stuff. How could this work? Well, it really does and it is sensational! The recording is a remarkable one which shows how good musicians this band consist of. This makes this band so interesting. They manage to play almost anything - from the heavy metal stuff to acoustic gentle pieces with lots of feelings. The audience in Blå salen in Eskilstuna had a magical evening with the band and I am glad it was recorded. There are many highlights to mention but perhaps it is enough to mention the last two tracks, Brickwork Pt 2: IX (ashes) and Brickword Pt 2: X (Brickwork descends), which I recommend as a teaser of the CD. What a feeling!

Then, the new studio album "Be", what to say about this? It is again a concept album like the four previous studio albums but this time it seems more elaborated in its structure and the text content but less so when it concerns the music. One gets the impression that this mainly is a work designed Daniel Gildenlöv - the lead singer of the band. The theme is the classical one: "Who are we and is there a god?". Full of deep thoughts and speculations ("I cannot remember not being - have I always existed?"). In that sense, this is the most complex work P&S have done so far. But unfortunately, I feel that this thematic thinking hasn't really created as much of musical inspiration as before. The tracks are thus more uneven and with both highs and lows. But, again, with such a set of musicians there is still a lot of good and enjoyable stuff. There is also a very important collaboration here between P&S and The Orchestra of Eternity (TOOE) that adds a lot of classical influences to the music.  Among my favourite tracks is for example the instrumental piece "Pluvius Aestivus" ("Summer rain") where the pianist Fredrik Hermansson plays on grand piano like a master with apparent skills in the same division as my favourite keyboardist Tony Banks from Genesis. Marvellous! I also love the track just before "Imago" (great polska rhythms, flutes and folk music) and "Iter Impius" (splendid singing by Daniel Gildenlöv). I also must mention the touching track "Vocari Dei" which is just this : Listening to all the calls to the answering machine of God! This is really touching - people who ask all the obvious questions to be put to God, many in despair, a few deep in faith but most of them in great hesitation and doubt. All of this put over a background music atmosphere with great harmonies from guitars, classical instruments and keyboards - magnificient!

So, in conclusion, perhaps not as good as I expected but still in a class of its own! I look forward to new creations!

REVIEWS "12:5":

Prog Nose (rating 9/10)
Guitarnoise.com
The Metal Observer (rating 8/10)
globalDomination (rating 10/10!)
ProgressiveWorld.net (rating 5/5!)
Music - Road to Madness

REVIEWS "Be":

Prog Nose (choice of the month October 2004 - rating 9/10)
Tartareanddesire (rating 4.5/10!)
The Metal Observer (rating 10/10!)
Prog Archives (rating 4/5)
Prognaut.com
RevelationZ Magazine (rating 8/10)

Pain of Salvation web site

Finally, I just could not anymore resist from writing about The Flower Kings - perhaps the front band in modern progressive or symphonic rock music - at least judged so by many journals and web sites focusing on this musical genre. Circling around the founder Roine Stolt, guitarist and singer with roots in the old band Kaipa (an old favourite of mine) the band has now grown into an advanced group of musicians with talents way outside of normal standards. They play an interesting mix of rock music with old symphonic influences, inherited from bands like Yes and Genesis, and jazz flavours, mostly coming from the bands superb drummers Zoltan Csorz and Hasse Bruniusson.  So, as a Swede, I am proud about this band and what they have created.

But - to be honest - I cannot give only superlative statements to this band. The reason is that I cannot get really absorbed and feel full appreciation of their music. I hate to say it but sometimes I feel that they play more for themselves than for their audience. The last CDs from this very productive band (in addition, guitarist Roine Stolt have several side projects like Tangent and Transatlantic)  have been very experimental and improvised and I just cannot get full appreciation when there are not much of firm arrangements and strong melodies. This latest CD is better in that respect but I find myself loosing interest very soon in some of the songs. I also have mixed feelings about their latest recruitment - singer Daniel Gildenlöv from Pain of Salvation. After being a real P&S fan (see previous CD reviews both above and below) I think Daniel is really changing to something that is not a step forward. Why not continue the good work in P&S?

Well, despite my scepticism I admit that there are several strong tracks on this CD (with a quite interesting artwork on the cover - actually causing some scandal debate in the US with parallels to the scandal with the 'almost' naked Janet Jackson). As I see it there are at least three tracks that makes it more than worth buying this CD. My favourite track is the short instrumental (!) piece Babylon where especially keyboardist Tomas Bodin and the drummers/percussionists have created a mighty sound. After I first heard it I just could not get it out of my head - the theme just spinned around and around. The second track to mention is the amazing "A Vampire View" where new singer Daniel Gildenlöv really shows his great talent. It is impossible not to be impressed by his singing here even if the song first appeared quite strange to me. But his dramatic singing plus the sometimes quite funny instrumental arrangements makes the track really fascinating. And at the end - some very nice piano playing by Tomas Bodin. Great! Then, the third track to emphasize is the  18 minute long "Driver's Seat". A really nice arrangement with lots of old familiar Genesis and Kaipa feelings plus good singing by Daniel again. Perhaps it is worth also mentioning the first 20-minute long "Love Supreme" which is full of musical tributes to Yes (but it doesn't lift me to any wuthering heights, really, despite this). 

So, my conclusion: Yet another very competent CD as good as previous masterpieces such as  e.g. "Stardust We Are" but, sorry to say it again, I want more!!

REVIEWS:

Evolving Artist (9.5/10)
Disagreement.net (share my view but definitely not concerning Marillion!!!)
ProgNose (rating 9/10)
Prog4you (rating 9.5/10)
Progressive World net (4/5)

The Flower Kings web site

I approached this double CD set with some scepticism. Who is Arjen Lucassen? A Norwegian multi-instrumentalist with hubris? It is a concept double CD set entitled "The Human Equation" including contributions from a large number of singers and other musicians. But the reviews I have read about this creation have been very enthusiastic and I couldn't resist.

Luckily. Because this was really a fascinating musical experience and I have played it with great pleasure for almost four months now. It is more than a concept album - it's an adventure! It tells the story of a man who almost gets killed in a traffic accident (starting the album on the first track) and wakes up (well, not really) at a hospital. Then, each musical piece tells the story behind and a drama is unfolding involving his parents, his wife, his best friends and his lover. A strong story about relationships is told. It's like a musical but much more enjoyable (I really don't like musicals).

Besides that the songs, melodies and arrangements are superb, I must say that I am impressed by the very competent list of singers, both male and female, that Arjen has engaged. For example, James LaBrie (Dream Theater), Eric Clayton (Saviour Machine), Devin Townsend, Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth) and Heather Findlay (Mostly Autumn) to mention a few.  I really like the performanes of Mikael Åkerfeldt, Eric Clayton and the female singers Heather Findlay, Marcela Bovio and Irene Jansen. The style of music is very varied. There is lots of Heavy Metal influences but spiced with lots of proggy symphonic sounds (Pink Floyd, Spock's Beard, etc.). But there are also unexpected instruments mixed into the different pieces of music. For example, I really like the sections with flute which reminds me of the old heroes Jethro Tull and Ian Andersson. It is also clear that Norwegian folk music has also inspired Arjen in some sections.

Favourite tracks (to mention just a few) are Day seven: Hope, Day sixten: Loser, Day seventeem: Accident? and Day twenty: Confrontation. But again - it's a full concept so the whole set is worth listening to. A great work (also the lavish booklet with texts and great pictures and artwork) - I strongly recommend it!

This is an incredibly strong CD! Perhaps the top act of 2004, in my view (at least so far)! Especially, I like its quiet and gentle style where the different tracks are slowly and gradually changing into the next ones. Very melodic and sometimes sad pieces of music which really appeal to my musical taste. It is an album that you play many times and also one where you have to wait until after several listenings before you really understand how great it is. I reached that point after about the 5th listening when I was waiting for my flight home at Zurich airport. The waiting time just disappeared when listening - I enjoyed the music so I almost missed the flight!
But there are also pieces on the CD that could attract you from the start. Listen for example to the beatiful "You're gone" which comes both as a single mix (last track) and an even better long version (track number 3).  This should have been a smash hit everywhere if it had been exposed enough in various media. But for a relatively unknown band like Marillion this (of course) never happens.
Marillion has been around for quite some years now and their best years could already be history. But with this album they show that they still have much to offer. Actually, I even wonder if this CD is their best ever. In the beginning during the lead singer Fish's era back in the 80s, I had problems in appreciating the band. Too bombastic and heavy without a real melodic component in their songs. Things improved a lot when Fish was replaced by Steve Hogart. I really like his voice, slightly weak but with lots of emotional power. And on this album he is really convincing.
Again, this CD is very strong. There isn't a single weak track, in my view, and that is rare today. A proof of a very careful and inspiring work by the group. Every tune and drum passage is put there with lots of care and thinking. I also notice that on one of my favourite tracks on the CD (the beautiful ballad-style "Angelina" - track 4 - surely a slow-moving hit on the dancefloor), Steven Wilsson from Porcupine Tree has contributed (see also PT CDs described further down). I can't understand it - everything he touches seems to turn to gold!  Other strong parts are the introduction track "The invisible man", which is really a mix of different songs and instrumental parts, and another beautiful song "Fantastic place".
So, don't miss this CD!

REVIEWS:

musicOMH.com (a superlative album!)
ProgArchives.com (Masterpiece of progressive rock!)
ProgNose (rating 9/10)
MusicTap (***** - Marrillion is probably the best band in the world!)
albumvote.co.uk (comments from fans and others)

Marillion web site

Tony Banks might be the most unknown of the original members of Genesis but the question is if he was not actually the most important member in the creation of the unique and 'typical' Genesis sound. OK, it was really the mix of talented musicians that created the magic but there is no doubt that it was Tony Banks who added the symphonic component to the band by providing the orchestral type of background sound originating from his wonderful keyboard playing. But personally, it is clear that I liked in particular the keyboard dominated portions of early Genesis tracks (e.g. the beautiful "After the Ordeal" on Selling England by the Pound), which means that his contributions were really crucial for my interest in the band.

But - it is clear that his solo career has not at all been as successful when compared to the solo careers for his fellow band members Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Steve Hackett. The only really widespread hit reaching a larger audience (at least in Sweden) was "Red day on blue street" - a beautiful track sung by Nik Kershaw  from CD "Still" (1991) - which was heard daily in Swedish radio for a while. Apart from that he has been very anonymous (except for us real fans!).

Now he has made something really brave for which he should have well-desired admiration.  He has written seven pieces (explaining the title of the CD) of music specifically for a symphonic orchestra. Several other rock musicians have tried to do orchestral arrangements but they often failed due to inadequate musical background and ability. But this is not the case for Tony Banks. With a genuine background as a classically scholed piano-player and with much inspiration from great composers (e.g., Elgar) it is clear that this suits him well. I especially like the very varied compositions, ranging from quiet passages to loud and intensive parts.

My favourite pieces on the CD are those where Tony is actively participating on the piano, i.e. on Spring Tide, Neap Tide and The Spirit of Gravity. Neap Tide is a very touching and emotional piece where you really recognise the typical style of Tony Banks and his composing talents, often heard in the classical Genesis recordings. Beautiful music, in my ears.

Thanks, Tony, for this marvellous production and I look forward to the next move in this new genre that seems to suit you so well. And to all of you who try this CD, please take your time and let it grow through several listening events and you will be greatly rewarded!

REVIEWS:

NAXOS presentation
Ground and sky
Positive feedback online - music reviews
GENESIS fanclub
MusicTAP

Tony Banks web site (GENESIS)

(July 2004)

Evergrey

"The inner circle (2004)"

Image source

This is a surprisingly good CD from yet another new Swedish band! Surprising in the sense that it was first something that I really regretted that I had bought. "A waste of money", was my spontaneous reaction. This is heavy metal and it is as inspiring as listening to a swarm of pneumatic drilling devices! But, how wrong I was!

I must say that despite of the fact that it really is heavy metal music (in this case, sometimes called Dark Metal), a genre that I normally do not like, I found this CD fascinating. It is a concept album telling the story of a man who becomes engaged in a religious sect. He leaves everything behind (family and friends) and puts his life into the hand of the  leader of the sect. However, he finally realizes that he has made the biggest mistake of his life. But when he tries to leave the sect, is not as easy as he first thought.

Besides the very interesting theme, it is clear that this band has much higher musical ambitions than most bands operating in this genre. The concept album as such is a sign of this but also the fact that many arrangements are very talented. There are several complicated parts where the band plays together with the string quartet of the Gothenburg Symphonic Orchestra and these parts I like the best. Furthermore, the dramatic voices and the sampled parts of religious sermons adds also to the drama-like feeling of the CD.  Last but not least, the lead singer Tom Englund is very convincing and he could surely go far in his musical career. I count him as one of the leading Swedish singers of today, in the same division as e.g. Daniel Gildenlöv of Pain of Salvation and Mikael Åkerfelt from Opeth.    

What made me finally take this CD to my heart was the following tracks (the others were actually not that convincing and much closer to everyday hard core heavy metal): "A touch of Blessing" (title track, inspiring singing, very nice but dark guitar harmonies and a really heavy sound), "Waking up blind" (a quite and melodic piece - why do hard rock bands always make the best slow songs for the dance floor?), "Faith restored" (another quite song with beautiful singing and splendid playing on the acoustic guitar) and finally the best track on the album "When the walls go down" (a marvelous arrangement with the string quartet - listen to this a few times and you are completely absorbed!). 

One warning must be issued: This CD is very, very dark and strong in its emotional content. If you are looking for amusement or entertainment, please listen to something else! For those of you who dare to listen, welcome to a real adventure. I will carefully watch future releases of this superb band!

REVIEWS:

The Metal Observer (9/10)
Progarchives.com ("A masterpiece of progressive rock music!")
Metal Storm (9.75 of 10)
Metal-Temple.com (4.5/5)
OnTrackMagazine
Prog-Nose (Choice of the month May 2004)

Evergrey web site

I just have to write some lines about this incredible band that appeared in the beginning of the 90's and made me believe again in the music world again after some years with great lack of inspiration. It was after being recommended to listen to the CD "Stupid dream (1999)" it all begun for me. This CD (not reviewed here) I still consider as a magnificent album (their best) and I have listened to it intensively. After that I also bought "Lightbulb sun (2000)" which is also a good one. Here, I want to write about the last three CDs I have bought, all of them still at a very high level of quality and they can be recommended to all of you who want some spacy and experimental yet melodic music hard to resist. If you have missed the sounds of Pink Floyd you'd be delighted to listen to this inspiring band.

Porcupine Tree is led by one of today's Prog music leading musicians, Steven Wilson. He is a very productive guy who is involved as producer in many other projects than just Porcupine Tree (e.g., the Swedish band Opeth - see below - and currently (2004) with Marillion). The music of P.T. is indeed very dynamic and changeable. However, in my view the best parts are those very melodic and harmonic pieces that you find in between more Metal Rock- inspired songs.

The three albums I am listing here are in a way a short summary of the bands history even if there are many CDs (more than 10 - an impressive production, indeed!) to mention in addition to these three. "Sky moves sideways" could be considered as the P.T. breakthrough album (even if my version is a lavish new release from 2003). It is very much inspired by Pink Floyd and you can almost hear Roger Waters' guitar (played suberbly by Steven) and the special air of keyboard harmonies and the slow pace in the rhythms of the songs. I like CD number two best and here the songs are mixed and integrated with each other and I cannot really separate them from each other. Good concept music, as a whole. In the first CD I can especially recommend tune number 3 "The moon touches your shoulder" which is the one to recommend for the total newcomer to P.T. Listen to this wonderful, slow but very melodic tune and you are in the grip! Wonderful acoustic guitar and splendid singing by Steven Wilson! This is the kind of sound that makes you certain about recognising P.T. and it makes this band unique (despite the strong influences from bands like e.g. Pink Floyd).

The next album "Signify" shows the band at its peak. The CD is a wonderful concept album where tunes are heavily integrated and fading into each other without sharp boundaries. The sound is more mature here and not so close to the Floyd sound (this is indeed P.T. on its own). Here they also show that they can write real good songs with commercial potential. For example, listen to the wonderful "Waiting Phase One + Two" - a real hit. Lingers in your head for days after you've grasped it! Other tunes are very varied and well performed with lots of slow pace but also intense rhythms. The album is compiled with a lot of humour. A funny start and an incredible funny end - listen yourself (wait for the end - don't quit too fast!). Nice artwork on the cover as on all P.T. CDs.

The third CD "In absentia" is their latest album (well, there is actually one more from 2003) released after a pause of a few years - long enough to make you wonder about the continuation of the band. It is good but not as good as before - very uneven and with pieces that I almost dislike (as the cover which is really disgusting!). But everything is forgiven when listening to the tracks "Trains" (wonderful guitars!) and especially "Heartattack in A Lay by" and "Collapse the light into earth" at the end. These last two songs are perhaps the most wonderful ones P.T. have ever performed. Very simple with restricted amounts of instrumentation but with an intense feeling. Masterpieces!   

REVIEWS:

Prog Archives
RateYourMusic
Classicalmusicreview
Westnet
Ground and Sky
Progressor
Digitally Obsessed

Porcupine Tree web site
 

Image source

To my big surprise, one of my favourite Swedish groups from the 70's, Kaipa (see My favourites), has re-appeared on the musical scene again. However, I realise that not all of the original members participate here. It is again one of the founders, Roine Stolt (leading musician of the Flower Kings) who has worked with a new 'side-project' together with his old fellow member of Kaipa Hans Lundin. Roine and Hans has composed all music on this CD. Other musicians here are Jonas Reingold (Flower Kings), Patrik Lundström (Ritual), Aleena (wonderful vocals!) and Morgan Ågren and Hans Bruniusson on drums and percussion.
The music is quite different from the original Kaipa sound but there are anyhow much of the feelings of the old time so it is easy to feel comfortable in the music. But honestly, it sounds very much like the Flower Kings which perhaps is understandable and actually not negative at all. The CD has a lot of jazzy influences, thanks to the wonderful drumming and percussion (Morgan and Hasse) but also lots of airy keyboards and good vocals. The best tracks in my opinion are tracks 2 (A complex work of art) and 4 (Sonic Pearls). The former contains wonderful singing and harmonies by Aleena and really good guitar work. The latter is a mysterious melodic piece inspired by Swedish folk music (polska rhytms). A masterpiece!
Unfortunately, I must say that the music doesn't hold for very many listening events - something that I have also experienced concerning the Flower Kings. There are just too many strange turns and experimental twists to keep the tension on the edge. Nevertheless, reviews (see below) give this CD very good credits and it makes me tempted to also test a previous piece by the same constellation ("Notes from the past") which was released a few years ago.
The cover art is indeed very nice (Jan Ternald) and it makes the CD very special, I must say.

REVIEWS:

Progressive World
Inside Out Music
www.ProgNaut.com
Music Street Journal
Hairless Hearth Herald
Prognose (Choose Last added reviews)

Kaipa web site
 

A new superb Swedish band playing mysterious music with lots of Mellotrons and feeling! Amazing! My surprise is somewhat smaller after discovering that Steven Wilson from Porcupine Tree (playing most of the airy Mellotrons) has produced this album, but nevertheless, this sounds very promising and I will follow the future evolution of this group. The style of the music is a little bit hard to describe. Before meeting Steven Wilson the band was categorised more as Black Metal band but here you have lots of good acoustic and bass guitar played in a relaxed mood, a little bit melankolic. Highly recommended for those who want music to relax and dream away to. I like especially the first quite long track - "Windowpane" which is the one to recommend for any newcomer.

I wanted to test some new music and with some reluctance I chosed this CD after seeing it among other CDs given very good scores in reviews on the Prognose site. First I was shocked. What the h..! This is Metal rock and far too loud and angry for me (normally I don't like such music). But somewhere there was something that made me continue listen. And - to my surprise - this CD became perhaps my favourite of the summer of 2003!  I was quite quickly convinced that this was a very good CD containing lots of inspiring variations, although with much of drums, screaming voices and guitars (this is what I should call Prog Metal). And I also discovered that the band is Swedish. I can't believe that so many good new bands are now appearing in my home country (Flower Kings, Opeth and lately Liquid Scarlet). Swedish music industry is currently very successful in the genre of commercial rock music with bands and artists as Roxette, Ace of Base, E-Type and others but I am very surprised and glad to see that also in the Prog music genre there are a lot of new interesting bands appearing.

 Remedy Lane is a concept CD with an interesting mix of tracks that are all mixed together in a strange way. The very first part of the CD (Chapter 1) is perhaps the best. Here, I became very fascinated by the Ending theme part where there is a superb passage with very loud and dark guitars and keyboards and at the same time the singer Daniel Gildenlöv talk-sings in a more and more upset manner, finally almost shouting. Perfectly mixed with the background music - Amazing!

Other favourites are "The heart of mine" which is a slow ballad (for some reason, hard rock bands are extremely good at composing ballads! Why is this?) and  "Undertow" - a very slow but increasingly loud piece with a theme that lingers and which is difficult to get off your head after a while. To be mentioned is also "Chain Sling" which is a very strange track, indeed! Maybe inspired by old Swedish or other Folk music. Please first listen to this piece, if you are about to skip PoF after my tip! And finally, I must recommend the wonderful instrumental track "Dryad of the woods". This is perhaps the most beautiful instrumental tracks I have ever heard since Tony Banks and his fellows experimented wildly on early Genesis albums (fantastic tracks as "The Battle of Epping Forest" with wonderful instrumental journeys). Listen especially to the final section - very inspiring and you can't possibly sit still!!!).

This CD is highly recommendet - a true hit - and I really look forward to new masterpieces from this band!

REVIEWS:

Prognose (choose CD tips 2002)
Prog Archives
OpenUpandSay.com
RevelationZ.Magazine
Metalprovider.com
Progressiveworld.net

Pain of Salvation web site

Sometimes you find good music CDs just by chance. Far from the commercial  main stream and not really recognised by anyone more than the real fans. This is such a CD. Eroc is a legendary name for me. He was one of the leading members of one of my favourite German rock bands during the 70s: Grobschnitt. This band made really enjoyable music and their "Rockpommel's Land" CD is absolutely on my personal top ten list.

Eroc played fabulous drums in Grobschnitt but he also had a solo career in parallel and after Grobschitt. Here he showed also composer talents. But I haven't really heard anything from him or his fellow band members in more than 20 years. Until now. Eroc together with the guitarist Urs Fuchs have compiled this very nice collection of electronic and acoustic music pieces. Strangely enough is also a fact that the CD was recorded in a place very close to where I live. "Eurosonic experiences" is recorded live (and remixed later) at the Eurosonic festival for contemporary electronic and instrumental music held 1998 on the island Valö in lake Björkern (near Åsunden, Östergötland, some 100 km from where I live!). If I had known about it, I would definitely have been there.

But, luckily this CD remains as an evidence that Eroc still makes wonderful music. The top act of the CD is the "Aqua Acclivis" piece (full length 19 minute + 4 minute radio mix version) where Eroc in a magical way uses water droplet sounds mixed together with electronic and acoustic instruments and (of course!) heavy drumming sessions. Amazing! Take a listen to the radio mix version and, if you like it, enjoy also the long version which is even better (and more dramatic). There are also other good pieces on the CD and another favourite is "Mellow moon", a quite and pieceful track which I think works very well on the dance floor for soft dancing.

So, welcome back, Eroc and I look forward to new masterpieces in the future! 

This CD is a surprising and strong comeback of the old band Camel. The music is here dominated by guitarist and singer Andrew Latimer but also contributions from other previous band members are included. In any case, old Camel fans will surely recognise the familiar sound of this band, the mix of some jazzy sounds and symphonic rock.

I strongly recommend this album which I think is as good as many as the more famous albums from the golden years during the 1970's. Since all tracks are more or less continuously fading into each other it is not easy to recommend single tracks - you should really try to enjoy the full CD.  However, it is impossible not to mention the mighty and emotional last track, " For today", which is one of the best Camel songs I have ever heard. Here, Andy plays a laid-back and slow guitar solo that only he can do (although, possibly with some competition from Steve Hackett).

Many bands have tried to create music in the style of Pink Floyd but they have often failed due to their own lack of musical creativity and ideas. RPWL, however, seem to have just what it needs to survive and develop in this difficult musical genre. Very good melodies, great musical talent and perfect audio productions. The band started as a Pink Floyd cover band back in 1997 and they were quickly made famous on Pink Floyd tribute concerts for their almost exact similarity with the original Pink Floyd sound (mostly due to the singer Yogi Lang).  Then, the release of their first own CD ("God Has Failed" - 2000) shocked or surprised us all revealing a quality that indeed (in my ears) appeared to be even better(!) than Pink Floyd. Even more surprising, this feeling was growing even larger after the release of their second CD ("Trying to Kiss the Sun" - 2002). A very strong CD - one of the very best I have heard in many years. So, I advice you to take a listen! Read also the CD reviews below.

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The best Progressive Rock band in the United States (although in strong competition with Glass Hammer) has made their best album so far. It is a concept double-CD entitled "Snow". I approached this album with some reluctancy since I was not attracted at all in the beginning. However, the music grew slowly and now I think it is a great album. If you get your hands on it (it is not easy) try the two last tracks on both CDs ("wind at my back" + "Made alive again/wind at my back"). If you like them, there is good hope that you will soon really enjoy the whole set of tracks but you have to be a bit patient.
"Snow" is telling a story of a person (nick-named "Snow" since he is an albino) and his life, ending up in New York city. I cannot avoid thinking of it as inspired by the Genesis masterpiece "A lamb lies down on Broadway. There are also other similarities: Just as Peter Gabriel left Genesis after that album, the lead singer and front person Neal Morse of Spock's Beard has done the same (declared recently on the Spock's Beard web site). Sometimes good inspiration does not end up where you want it to. I guess that many Spock's Beard fans are in deep sorrow at the moment. However, this is a band with great musical talents and hopefully they will survive in the future.

Pete has made it again! A new masterpiece - well worth waiting more than ten years for since his last album . I am very glad that Peter still continues to make really good music which does not get too streamlined and boring popular the older he gets (well, what is to tell about his fellow collegue and Genesis singer as well Phil Collins?). Peter is a steady rock in the Progressive Rock genre and I am surely impressed.

On "Up" the quality of songs varies a lot which also is typical for Peter Gabriel's previous albums. After leaving Genesis, a group with vinyl and CD productions made by perfectionists, Gabriel has allowed himself to experiment a lot and not always the results have been so successful. On "Up" there are also some very weak songs, like "The Barry Williams show" which I don't like at all (even if the lyrics is quite fun). However, this is more than compensated by several super tracks. One is the intro "Darkness" (I wonder how many heart attacks that have been caused by listening to this track with high volume from the start!) with that amazing piano sound (is it an inverted echoe?) and the beautiful gentle singing. Then we have the very sad and dark "I grieve" - a touching tribute to his own father(?) after his death. I admire people who can express their own private feelings so convincingly in a song. Here, Peter is something very special. At last I want also to mention the final track "The Drop". This song is very simple and naked with in principle only a voice and a piano. I have never heard Peter sing in such an unpolished and pure way.

Overall it is a very strong CD and I recommend you to take a listen. Some of you might think it is a bit too depressed and sad but don't let that stop you.