New Album Reviews - Early 2023

New Album Reviews - Early 2023

We're already almost through March 2023, so let's take a quick look at some of the notable new album releases so far in 2023. But first, there were still a couple of holdovers from 2022 that came out at the very end of the year (that I didn't hear until 2023) that deserve to be featured. Anyway, so here are some brief new album reviews from early 2023.

Verbal Delirium - Conundrum (2022)

Verbal Delirium is a unique progressive rock band from Greece that has been around since the mid-2000s. This is their 4th album, but first that I've heard, and it is fantastic. A whirlwiond of different styles and influences blended into a totally unique musical experience. Although certainly Prog in its attitude, they combine many disparate elements (often within the same song), including pop, rock, jazz, soul, musical theater, and metal into their prog. The core of the band is Jargon (John Kosmidis), as primary composer, vocalist, and keybaordist, George 'K' Kyriakidis (guitars), and Nikolas Nikolopoulos (flute, saxophone, Mellotron). The title track is a whirling dervish of an instrumental having a convoluted Klezmer-esque feel, constantly moving and shifting into a sort of ELP meets Steely Dan exercise. 'Intruder' mixes in pop melodies, Beach Boys harmonies, punkish new wave, all leading to a big theatrical finish. The best tracks are also the longest ones, such as 'The Watcher', which starts out with a quirky new wave section, like something from Oingo Boingo, then drops in an 80's dream pop chorus (ala Crowded House, Tears for Fears) before shifting into a full Prog instrumental section, the return of dream pop, leading to a satisfying conclusion. Even better is 'Neon Eye Cage', which opens as a kind of blue-eyed soul pop number (ala Hall and Oates?) then goes into a more rockin' section that seems straight out of some lost Peter Gabriel album before elevating to a Genesisian instrumental finish. Closing the album is the lovely 'Fall From Grace', a beautiful song highlighted by Jargon's emotive, theatrical vocals and K's soaring guitar. Overall, their mix of musical styles are constantly merging in interesting and enigmatic ways throughout, introducing one clever element after another, while still maintaining strong melodies and emotions. Although I don't necessarily agree with all of their choices, their endlessly inventive and creative approach is certainly refreshing and enticing throughout. Best Tracks: Neon Eye Cage, The Watcher, Conundrum, Fall From Grace. Weak Tracks: none. Rating 4.5ó
 
Collage - Over and Out (2022)

Collage is a Prog band from Poland that made their name in the 1990's, putting out 4 albums between 1990 and 1995, including the classic Moonshine (1994), and establishing themselves as Poland's answer to Marillion, showing a somewhat similar sound and style (as well as the influences of the bands that shaped Marillion, such as Genesis, Yes, Rush, etc.), but then split, with band members going their separate ways. But now they are back again, with a new vocalist and guitarist, and the rest being from the original lineup, and this new album, Over and Out. And wow, they have not lost anything in those intervening years, as this is a top-notch album of Neo Prog riches. Yes, their sound is still heavily reminiscent of Marillion from the Fish era (they even have Marillion's Steve Rothery as a guest soloist on one track), but in the very best way, as the album is full of that lush, majestic sound, provocative themes, emotive vocals, great melodic lines, and exhilarating instrumental passages with soaring guitar and swirling keyboards. Yes, it may be similar in style to what we've heard before, but they have polished and refined the style (and added some new elements) to reach new heights and provide an album that still seems fresh amidst the current Prog scene (and for my money I'll take this over the current version of Marillion all day long). The album consists of 5 songs, with all but one being at least 8 min long, and all are very good to great. Highlights include the 20-min epic title track, quite a masterpiece of sound and style going through a range of creative musical segments, as well as What About the Pain? and Man in the Middle. A very welcome return for Collage, and an album that would have ranked among the best of 2022 (if I had heard it in 2022). Best Tracks: Over and Out, A Moment A Feeling, What About the Pain, Man in the Middle. Weak Tracks: none. Rating: 4ó
 
We Came From Space - Overlords (2023)

From Pittsburgh, PA, We Came From Space is sort of a side project band from Bill Hubauer, writer-keyboardist-vocalist from the Neal Morse Band. The rest of the band is Dave Buzard (guitar, vocals), Dave Hawk (bass, vocals), and Tim Malone (drums). This is their third album (spread out over ten years), but first one that I have heard. This is a really fun album with songs that incorporate many influences from 70's and 80's classic rock and power pop, with jazzy and proggy elements throughout, with catchy hooks and melodies, and is an absolute joy. It's a light-hearted affair, blending many aspects of the late 70's-early 80's rock sound with extended instrumental sections. It features 8 songs (3 that are more than 9 min each), starting with the grand scope of 'Overlords', with its orchestral opening, fun lyrics, and proggy instrumental flourishes. 'On Your Radio' is a catchy track reminiscent of late '70's Kansas or Styx with great vocals and choruses and spacey instrumentals. 'Empty Space' is something right out of Ambrosia or Toto territory, great melodic classic rock. 'She's the Bomb' is a breezy pop ditty like something from '80's-era Genesis, which then segues into Atomic Blues, an extended instrumental track featuring Bill's keyboards, somewhat Pink Floydesque then subtly becoming more Yes-like towards the end. 'Reputation' is a straight-forward, somewhat generic 70's rocker (ala Foghat or REO, but done tongue-in-cheek) and the one track that is a bit of a let-down. On 'Silent Letters' they break out their Beatles/Beach Boys/Badfinger homage, including lush production and kitschy effects. But the best track is the closer 'Seize the Day', which goes more into melodic Neo-Prog territory (such as NMB) and features a great emotional melody and dynamite extended instrumental and vocal sections leading to a majestic conclusion. All in all, a great, very enjoyable album, guaranteed for many repeat listens. Best Tracks: Seize the Day, On Your Radio, Empty Space, Silent Letters. Weak Track: Reputation. Rating: 4ó 

Riverside - ID.Entity (2023)

OK, I've never been a fan of progressive metal, but Riverside has always been interesting due to their mix of strong melodies and emotional depth that is quite appealing despite the sometimes overly heavy spots (and Mariusz Duda's great vocals are always a highlight). Riverside (another Polish prog band!) is lead by Mariusz Duda (vocals, bass), Michal Lapaj (keyboards), and relatively new guitarist Maciej Meller. On this album, their 8th, and with topical themes and lyrical content dealing with issues of the day, the band tries to incorporate a bit more of a commercial sound (at least on the released singles), while still maintaining their powerful Prog and Prog Metal cred, and are mostly successful in that. The opener 'Friend of Foe' has something of an '80's synth pop feel that features Duda's wonderfully smooth vocals. On 'Big Tech Brother' and 'Post-Truth' they flex more of their prog metal tendencies, which is why they are, for me at least, the least enjoyable tracks. 'The Place Where I Belong' is the longest and best track, a lovely song moving from an opening plaintive melody to a beefier prog middle section, leading to a more moody, atmospheric section, and a magnificent emotional extended instrumental outro. 'Self-Aware', the album closer, sounds eerily like some lost Rush track from the early 80's, but it works very well. Overall, a very good album, with strong vocals from Duda throughout, whether singing beautiful soaring melodies or more fierce metal ravings, but because of the lighter pop elements mixed in with the heavier metal-influenced aspects, it may not totally please either the prog metal or the more melodic prog fans. Best Tracks: The Place Where I Belong, Self-Aware, Friend Or Foe, I'm Done With You. Weak Tracks(due to metal content): Big Tech Brother, Post-Truth. Rating: 3.5ó

Haken - Fauna (2023)

Haken is considered one of the premier Progressive Metal bands of the day. So, first off, I need to restate that I really do not care much for Prog Metal, thus, I have not checked out most of Haken's previous albums (although I do like The Mountain-2013 very much). However, with this new album several reviewers have commented that this album is not as heavy and contains more 'proggy' elements than their other recent albums, and should appeal to those that are not as into prog metal. So, I decided to check this out. But, alas, I did not enjoy it at all. But before I dump on it, let me say what I did like about it. I love Ross Jennings vocals, great voice and style, very versatile (but almost too sweet for some of these songs), strong throughout the album. I also liked the drumming from Ray Hearne, and I also appreciated that they did incorporate various rock and pop styles into their songs. However, even when employing more melodic and rock influences, there was still an overbearing metal presence that permeated every song. Essentially, the poppier elements just seemed like window dressing as the tracks eventually reverted to a mostly metal onslaught. Best tracks for me were those with less metal content, such as 'The Alphabet of Me', but which was still just an OK pop-rock song, and 'Elephants Never Forget' (the longest track at 11+ min), which started out great, with an opening Queen-like section leading into a great Gentle Giant imitation section. However, after that, (about the 4 min. mark), the song gets heavy again and those overbearing power metal guitar and bass lines take over and the song never recovers. I just find nothing appealing about the ever-present all-consuming heavy guitar onslaught typical of metal. There are some moments on this album that are nice and refreshing, but no full songs that I enjoyed all the way through, as the songs were just not good (and the melodies throughout unmemorable), and at some point they all became relentless bores. This is not an album I will ever listen to again. So, why did I include it here? Well, just to indicate that, no, it does not appeal to those that are not already prog metal fans, as others have indicated.  Rating: 2ó (and its only that high due to the fine musicianship throughout and Jennings great vocals).

BB’s Rating scale:

1ó – Terrible, torturous to have to listen to

1.5ó - Poor, not worth your time

2 ó – Fair, maybe a couple half-way decent songs, but sub-par overall

2.5ó – Average, OK, meh, not bad but not that good either

3ó – Good, solid album, several good songs, but not spectacular. Certainly worthy, but may not be something you come back to very often

3.5ó – Very good album. Some stellar tracks, very enjoyable overall

4ó – Great album, filled with great songs, one that you will want to come back to over and over again

4.5ó – Excellent album, beyond great, superb in every way, just short of a masterpiece 

5ó – A Masterpiece, among the greatest albums of its type, and has stood the test of time

 

Ok, so that's what I have for now. What did you think of any of these albums? Or what new albums have you discovered and liked so far this year? Also, any upcoming new albums you are looking forward to?