Perspectives (1985)
From the far south Chicago suburbs, comes
the super obscure Ariel, an album that is just now making its sound
heard worldwide. Early 80s Rush is the most obvious first influence, but
there's more here than meets the ear as it were. All instrumental
guitar, keys, and drums are the core components, and the compositions
are complex and tight - with a strong fusion influence. No escaping the
King Crimson sound from the era either, but also (surprisingly)
Doldinger's Passport, minus the sax (imagine the sequencer heavy Moog
lines for example). If we were to really deep dive here, I would compare
Ariel to fellow Chicagoan's Proteus, mixed with the UK group Red (on
Jigsaw). While Side 1 is impressive enough, the final three tracks do
nothing short of wow the listener. And they close with their peak
composition, always a hallmark of a great album. Ariel does not belie
its mid 80s sound (despite the somewhat psych influenced guitar tone),
and yet compared with the normal dreck from the era, the band proves the
middle 80s were not a total wasteland (heavy metal genre exempted of
course). This one deserves the buzz its currently receiving in the
underground.
Ownership: 1985 Little Misters (LP). Orange insert (there are three colors apparently).
Ownership: 1985 Little Misters (LP). Orange insert (there are three colors apparently).
No reissues as of 2/21/25.
10/7/15 (review / new entry)
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