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Ratings:
The * rating (½-5) is my personal, entirely subjective and completely partisan rating of the music.
There is, of course, no 'Tron rating.
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Nebelnest Night Watch |
Nil Noekk |
Ryo Okumoto Opeth |
Outer Limits |
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Nebelnest (1999, 59.10) ****Improv: Pooks part 1Psykial Trysm Shafoo Najha Etude de Shimshot Improv: Uncertain Journey Solilock Absinthe Crab Nebula Improv: Pooks part 2 |
Current availability:
Nebelnest, or NeBeLNeST, as they prefer to spell it, are a current heavily Crimson-influenced band from France, adapting that esteemed outfit's take on improvisational prog to their own material, creating something both familiar and new in the process. First track, Improv: Pooks Part 1 starts with what sounds like Mellotron flute, until you realise the sound goes way over the 8-second limit. There's more of the same later in the album, and some very authentic 'Tron choirs, although keys man Olivier Tejedor has recently confirmed that they're all samples.
Real 'Tron or not, this is a damn' good album, particularly if you're into the slightly further reaches of prog, without actually going for the full Univers Zero/Henry Cow. Their second effort, 2002's excellent Nova Express, uses real 'Tron alongside samples, and is, if anything, an improvement on their debut.
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Twilight (1997, 49.19) ****My Ivory SoulThe Theme The Fisherman Tomorrow Happened The Black Cage A Game With Shifting Mirrors Flower of Innocence |
Current availability:
The Night Watch were put together by vocalist Simone Rossetti, a man who does a mean Peter Gabriel, although his voice unfortunately occasionally slips into Fishisms. Likewise, his band do a mean Genesis, but occasionally find themselves in Marillion territory, which is a pity, as they actually know how to change key, write an eight-minute song with more than one melodic idea etc. While probably not quite as good as Finisterre, say, or their offshoots Höstsonaten or La Maschera di Cera, Night Watch are a decent enough addition to the ranks of modern Italian prog.
I've now had it confirmed that Giovanni Alessi's 'Mellotron' is sampled, which doesn't surprise me in the slightest; not only does it sound too 'smooth', but string parts on My Ivory Soul and A Game With Shifting Mirrors hold way past the eight-second limit, without the characteristic 'swell' you get from studio trickery (been there, done that). The strings (mostly) sound pretty good, while the choirs largely leave a lot to be desired, although every now and again you get a sudden burst of 'authenticity'. Decent (sample) use on every track, with excellent Banksian string swells in several places, not to mention a short solo section in The Fisherman. Occasional flutes (Tomorrow Happened, Flower of Innocence), but the strings are chiefly where this album's at 'Mellotronically'.
The band disintegrated sometime after the release of Twilight, leading to Rossetti starting up The Watch with different musicians. Do you buy this? Do you like classic Italian progressive? Then you stand a good chance of liking the Night Watch, although they're not up to the standards of the best '70s bands, but then, who is?
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Novo Sub Sole (2005, 61.37) ****½Le GardienLinceul Dérégénération 198 Abandon Dérives |
Current availability:
Nil are one of what seems like a handful of genuinely progressive modern prog bands, making angular yet melodic music that probably sells very little. Their third album, Quarante Jours Sur Le Sinaï, features real Mellotron, although there almost certainly isn't any on their follow-up, Novo Sub Sole, which is absolutely no reason not to buy this excellent album. Eclectic, inventive and (relatively) original, it's less impenetrable than its predecessor, partly due to splitting its hours'-worth of music over six tracks, as against two, allowing for a wider range of styles, without throwing them all in together in an untidy heap.
The Mellotron samples barely count as such, only occasionally sounding like a 'Tron as against some generic choir and string sounds. The choirs are used particularly heavily, although the nearest the album gets to anything like a Mellotron are a brief string part in 198 and the choirs in Abandon, but the fake 'Tron is not why you should buy this album. Very good indeed, and more than worthy of your time.
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The Water Sprite (2005, 46.27) ****The WaterspriteT.B.'s Notion Strange Mountain How Fortunate the Man With None The Fiery Flower Moonface is Dead The Riddle Seeker |
Current availability:
Noekk, named for one of Mitteleuropa's many goblins, ghosts and ghoulies, are a duo consisting of Markus "Funghus Baldachin" Stock (vocals/guitar/keyboards) and Thomas "F.F. Yuggoth" Helm (guitar/bass/drums), both ex- of Euro-metallers Empyrium, themselves Mellotron (sample?) users. Their new project is a different kettle of fish altogether, having more in common with '90s dark Scandinavian progressive rock than anything else (hurrah!), with little or no metal riffing in evidence. The Water Sprite is their debut, and reminds me, more than anything, of the heavily underrated Landberk, particularly on T.B.'s Notion, although most of the tracks have the gothic feel that band engendered so well. Just to accentuate the gothic vibe surrounding the album, as if it were needed, they cover Dead Can Dance's How Fortunate The Man With None, from '93's Into the Labyrinth; now there's a band who could've done with using some Mellotron...
Baldachin plays Mellotron samples, along with various other (sampled?) vintage 'boards. The choirs on the opening title track sound a bit waterlogged, but the flutes sound great when used, and the strings do a pretty good job, but I'm quite certain these sounds have never seen a strip of tape in their life. The fake 'Tron work is actually quite magnificent, with strings cropping up on every track, and a beautiful flute intro on The Fiery Flower, with strings fading in behind the melody, amongst other highlights. All in all, we're talking a bit of a top sampled 'Tron album here; shame it ain't real.
So, will the duo take their old fans with them? Only time will tell, but it looks like they're a proper band, not just a one-off project, as a second album, The Grimalkin, containing a whole three tracks, appeared a year later; review to follow when I get to hear a copy. In the meantime, this is not only a great album, but a killer (fake) 'Tron effort into the bargain. Buy.
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Coming Through (2002, 56.47) ***Godzilla vs. King GhidarahThe Farther He Goes, The Farther He Falls Slipping Down Highway Roller Free Fall Coming Through Close Enough The Imperial |
Current availability:
Ryo Okumoto is, of course, best known these days for his membership of Spock's Beard, whom he joined in time to play material from their debut, The Light, on stage, before becoming a full-blown member. What is probably less well known is that he's been playing since the late '70s (he was born in 1959), even contributing Mellotron to Kitaro's In Person Digital live album, from 1980. He moved to L.A. in the early '80s, and now has a CV as long as your arm, playing sessions with the likes of Phil Collins and Roberta Flack.
Coming Through isn't his first solo album, although it's the first since he became known to the prog world at large, and it's no particular surprise that it sounds a lot like, er, a solo album from a member of Spock's Beard. Opener Godzilla Vs. King Ghidarah (killer title) starts well before descending into Jazz Hell, while the next few tracks all fall into the general 'flashy hard rock' category, with touches of the 'Beard here and there. The title track is a full-on cheeso ballad, unsurprisingly co-written with ex-'Bearder Neal Morse, although so is the album's best track, the lengthy Spock's-alike Close Enough, while closer The Imperial is a solo keyboard piece that finishes things off nicely. Inconsistency seems to be the name of the game here, I'm afraid, which is why the album doesn't get a higher rating, despite the high quality of a couple of tracks.
After perusing the second disc's 'making of' documentary, and various pics, both in the booklet and on Ryo's website, I think it's safe to say that all the 'Mellotron' on the album is sampled, though I'd like to be proven wrong. As far as the album's pseudo-'Tron work goes, there's faint choirs near the beginning of Free Fall, held too long for the real thing, a nice flute part and some strings on the title track and more of everything on Close Enough and The Imperial. So why didn't Ryo hire in a real machine? Who knows? Budget? Inconvenience? Couldn't be arsed? I believe he's subsequently bought an M400, and has definitely used it (or one, anyway) on Spock's recent, Morseless albums.
So; the proverbial mixed bag, with a couple of really good tracks, several so-so's, one fusion nightmare and a crummy ballad. A decent amount of fake 'Tron neither helps nor hinders the album overall, so it's really down to how badly you want to hear an otherwise unavailable 'Beard epic.
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Damnation (2003, 43.03) ****WindowpaneIn My Time of Need Death Whispered a Lullaby Closure Hope Leaves To Rid the Disease Ending Credits Weakness |
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Ghost Reveries (2005; 66.51) ****Ghost of PerditionThe Baying of the Hounds Beneath the Mire Atonement Reverie/Harlequin Forest Hours of Wealth The Grand Conjuration Isolation Years |
Current availability:
More from Jim Rigberg. Jim originally wrote this review while we were under the impression the 'Tron was real; his amendments are italicised.
I confess that I am not exactly up on the death/black metal scene in general, let alone the Swedish death/black metal scene that spawned Opeth, in particular. Accordingly, I cannot attest to how innovative Opeth truly is. However, lots of writers familiar with this genre have singled out Opeth as being on the cutting-edge, not merely of death/black metal, but of rock/metal, period. For this writer, at least, the one thing that piqued my curiosity was that Opeth are often cited as being huge progressive rock fans - particularly Genesis, Pink Floyd and King Crimson - and that their music actually exhibits these influences prominently. Well, I took a plunge and purchased Blackwater Park (music - ****/'death metal' type singing - negative*) - named after a German prog-band so obscure that Thompson probably hasn't even heard of them (Ed. correct!).
The music on Blackwater Park is, to say the least, very interesting. The 'metal' portions of the songs are quite violent - the sonic assault created on the opening track sounds like air being sucked out of a room - but, as promised, these sections often seamlessly settle into beautifully melodic, haunting - even pastoral - 'soft' sections. The level of musicianship is top-notch; the sinister harmonies guitarists Michael Arkfeldt and Peter Lindgren generate owe as much to the likes of Ceacescu and Sibelius as to anything else. Unfortunately, all too often, Arkfeldt - who has a very nice voice when he wants to - engages in the ridiculous croaking that makes death-metal such as acquired taste. Meaning, I'm not buying any more of Opeth's 'standard' releases.
Last year, however, Opeth released Damnation. Nary a shred of shred is to be found on Damnation. Instead, Damnation is Opeth's brooding prog-rock meisterwerk. It is uniformly excellent; the haunted melodies scattered throughout the 'soft' sections of Blackwater Park (and, undoubtedly, Opeth's other releases) - which all sound like they could be hammered into damn good songs in their own right - are brought to the fore and allowed to breathe. While gentle, with subtle jazzy hints here and there, the music remains powerful - highly evocative of the frozen wasteland that I imagine much of Sweden (sorry Swedish readers) to be. One warning, though - do not listen to this if you are feeling suicidal.
Perhaps part of Damnation's charm is that it was produced by Mr. Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson. Indeed, at times, Damnation sounds like the Tree with a different singer. Most importantly (from our perspective here, at least), is that Mr.Wilson was good enough to feature his trusty 'Tron on five of the release's eight tracks. The choir in the middle of Closure is nice, but fairly subtle. However, on the other four 'Tron tracks, the strings burst right out at you. Particularly strong is the descending string line in To Rid The Disease, which creates a pretty good idea of how Genesis would have sounded if all the members of the band were clinically depressed.
Anyway, this a great CD/album. Hopefully, it marks a departure point for Opeth; more prog (hell, even more prog-metal), less death vocals. Definitely for Floyd/Porcupine Tree and 'Tron fans.
Okay. I was fooled. Thompson has it on excellent authority that the 'Mellotron' on this CD is sampled. What a shame seeing as Steven Wilson produced this and has a real one he could have used. On the other hand, I must say that the samples are very good; of particular note are the upfront Strings in To Rid The Disease. Hopefully, Opeth will continue moving in the direction Damnation has taken them and will use a real tape-replay machine next time round so as not to make nattering morons out of certain naïve reviewers.
| Jim Rigberg |
Sad to say, it turns out they didn't, so this has been moved across from the 'regular' reviews, too...
I believe Ghost Reveries is Opeth's eighth album, and possibly the first to showcase their new fusion of styles effectively, mixing their earlier death metal side with more progressive sensibilities, although calling this 'progressive metal' is to do it a grave disservice. I suppose this could be considered the culmination of the experiments they began on Deliverance and Damnation, moving away from their roots into more interesting areas. Hours Of Wealth displays this fusion at its best, opening with a picked clean electric guitar part bolstered by 'Mellotron' flutes, sounding unlike anything else I've heard, and absolutely nothing like Dream Theater et al, which is to be applauded. OK, so Mikael Åkerfeldt insists on getting some 'cookie monster' vocals in here and there, but they shouldn't affect your enjoyment of the album even if, like me, you consider them a little silly.
Per Wiberg from Spiritual Beggars plays keys on the album, and I presume it was him playing with the band when I caught them at a festival in Sweden earlier this year. He's credited with 'Mellotrons, organs, grand & electric pianos', with Åkerfeldt on 'additional Mellotrons', and although they're fakes, it's fair to say that there's a good bit of 'Tron' action scattered across the album. Plenty of strings, with choirs and flutes in places, with a particularly effective string part at the beginning of Beneath The Mire and the previously-mentioned flutes on Hours Of Wealth. No other especial highlights, just a fair bit of sample-replay alongside Wiberg's other keyboard work.
So; a good, genre-busting album from a band who have become more 'progressive' without losing their core audience. Like its predecessor, this is well worth hearing. Buy.
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Stromatolite (2007, 52.07) ***½ |
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| Cosmic Velocity Consensus Lullaby Algo_rhythm.c Caprice Spiral Motion Pangea Organ Small Works No. 4 |
Constellation Lunatic Game |
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Twenty years on from Outer Limits' last studio album proper, the band reform and release 2007's Stromatolite (a geological term, in case you were wondering). And it... sounds like an updated version of Outer Limits; four of their six members from two decades earlier are present and correct, not least violinist Takashi Kawaguchi, who provides so much of the band's identity. His solo piece, Caprice, proves his competence, but his violin and viola work are the main reason this album stands out from the pack. Overall, the band's take on the Japanese prog sound flirts with cheesiness, notably in the synth brass used on Pangea and Constellation, although good taste prevails throughout keyboard player Shusei Tsukamoto's pipe organ solo, Organ Small Works No. 4 (stop laughing).
Tsukamoto is credited with 'keyboards, Mellotron, pipeorgan', but the nearest anything here comes to sounding like a Mellotron are brief flute and string parts that barely even sound like 'Tron samples, although the flutes on Constellation just about pass muster. I could be proven wrong here, but I think it's pretty unlikely; the only relief is that it doesn't sound like the bloody M-Tron. So; would I have bought this album if I'd known the 'Mellotron' credit was false? Probably not, to be honest, although it's not a bad record. It's very typically Japanese, but reasonably good at what it does.
