Drama. 1995 France

Drama are a French band from the heart of Normandy (between Rouen and Le Havre). Their debut is an all instrumental neo prog outing, that turns out to be quite engaging despite the premise. Imagine the 80s NWOBPR bands such as Lahost, Tamarisk, and even IQ - as all-instrumental concerns. With a little bit of that medieval Minimum Vital sound to boot. That should give you an insight as to what to expect here. Tight, punchy, energetic, and highly melodic songs in the 6 to 7 minute range is what you'll find on Drama. And despite the lengthy track times, nary a dull moment can be found. Mind you, if you're the progressive rock nut who insists on densely charted scores, or need 70s fat analog instrumentation for your musical diet, then I highly suggest you move on past this title. Otherwise if the bands mentioned above light your fire, and modern synthesizers with non-metal 90s guitar tones are welcoming to your ears, then give it a spin. Personally I have a soft spot for music such as this, so it's a keeper.

Ownership: CD: 1995 Musea. Jewel case with booklet.

1995; 2/24/16 (new entry)

Presto Ballet - Peace Among the Ruins. 2005 USA-Washington

Mannn... had this album only been around in 1979, right? Van Halen walks into the studio and jams with Kansas; Uriah Heep listened to Judas Priest and said "hey, let's add a little guitar muscle here and we can do this!"; Styx grew a pair (or James Young took control of the band - whichever). You know you would have waited all night on the radio to hear this - don't deny it! But alas, it's 2005, and it's a thrash metal guy bankrolling it. A guy with a vintage keyboard fetish, and he still has a crush on that girl from high school - except he knows she's fat and ugly now and lives in a trailer with 6 kids and double the pets... and he's actually quite accomplished, but doesn't know anyone that cares to prove it to anymore. Sigh. The life of all of us who grew up in that time frame. Well, anyway, great stuff here for us straight heterosexual men of a certain age. Not progressive rock - noooo (stop it guys!) - but that wonderful late 70s Pomp / AOR sound - with some 80s crunchy guitar to lap it up with. Why not? I'm buying the concept.

Ownership: CD: 2005 InsideOut (Germany)

8/27/10; 2/15/16 (new entry)

Nebelnest. 1999 France

France's Nebelnest hit the progressive rock world by storm in 1999, though it appears - sadly - that they are largely forgotten today. This debut is an incredible document. Imagine Belgium's Present playing the music of... Group 1850. Never has the edgy 80s and 90s merged with the most exciting and experimental psychedelic bands of the late 60s, as well as Nebelnest has achieved here. The two part 'Psykial Trysm' is something really special, and truly surpasses peak experience status. A high water mark for music such as this. Seriously, it has everything from the tribal drumming, to the mellotronic mystique, to the fuzzy Ratledge-styled keyboards, onto epic psychedelic guitar climaxes with a spastic rhythm section blasting it all to the stars. My goodness, what a piece of music! And that's hardly the end of the journey. It's just the beginning actually, and there are many other examples I could point to (see track ratings). This one will leave you breathless if you are like me, and the idea of late 60s instrumental psych mixed with high energy angular and angry avant prog sounds like a fetching concept.

Nebelnest carried on for two further albums (both of which I've already reviewed here on UMR), though they were much more towards a direct fashion, similar to the aforementioned Present actually (or mid 70s King Crimson if you insist), but leaving behind the late 60s Pink Floyd / Ash Ra Tempel psychedelic Kosmische... unfortunately.

Whatever the case, this debut album will most certainly be rediscovered, and be considered a highlight of the era in which it was released. Might be a few years yet. My guess? The 2030's...

Ownership: CD: 1999 Laser's Edge. Jewel case.

The CD was released by The Laser's Edge in the US initially, and later picked up by Musea in France. It was never pressed on vinyl, nor ever repressed on CD. I bought mine upon release (and I remember discussing it with those involved with the release at the time). This one goes to the grave with me.

2/14/16 (new entry); 6/6/21

Hooffoot. 2015 Sweden

Hooffoot are from the southern Swedish city of Malmo, and are an excellent representation of a Swedish progressive rock band... from 40 years ago. Like their forefathers, the band is rooted in jazz, but fascinated with rock. And Latin culture. Sound odd? Not in Sweden would it. So combine Kvartetten Som Sprangde, Sabu Martinez, Ablution, and Mendoza together. Then go back exactly 40 years to one of the all-time Swedish jazz rock greats, and just now being discovered (finally): Berits Halsband. "Oh hello Miles Davis, Kebnekaise, and Flasket Brinner - nice to meet you!". And then enters the room this jumpy, kinetic 90s group called Anglagard (perhaps you've heard of them?). Funnel the lot of them into the blender and grind, mash, grate... Hooffoot. Now that's a cocktail worth drinking!

Ownership: LP: 2015 Paura di Niente. Gatefold.

2/12/16 (first listen / review / new entry); 8/3/17

A Piedi Nudi. 1994 Italy

A Piedi Nudi's debut album sounds very much what it strove so hard to be: An updated version of Il Balletto di Bronzo, especially from their fabled Ys album (it even opens with 'Introduzione' and closes with 'Epilogo' - not a coincidence). Not as brilliant or groundbreaking (of course...), but a valiant effort all the same. We'll start with the vocals of Mirko Schiesaro. Without any doubt he studied Ys intently, as he sings very much in the same way as Gianni Leone did (especially as he truncates the verses and lifts his voice near the end of each stanza). Perhaps not as histrionic - or as effective honestly - but oh yes, the style is basically the same. Now onto the guitar of Nicola Gardinale, who also happens to be the only songwriter here, so it's clearly his show. Gardinale's tone is decidedly 90s metal, with plenty of riffing. It's quite jarring against the expected heavy psychedelic tone of the almighty Balletto, but very exciting all the same, and fits well within the style of music. He also composes sudden breaks similar to Ys. On the downside would have to be the keyboards of Cristian Chinaglia. He's a competent player for certain, but the sounds are exactly what one would expect from the era's plastic digital gear, very typical of the 80s and 90s. Even when the "organ tone" is on, this is no match for the real-deal mellotron and organ of the masters. Lost in all of this is the fantastic rhythm section of the Bighetti brothers, who are perhaps the closest of all to the original Balletto recording, and are up to the task in keeping with the constantly shifting meters. The music, over the course of the album, begins to blur together in a samey sound manner, though a close listen will reveal many differences within. A Piedi Nudi's debut is one of many classics of the 1990s Italian progressive rock scene - and as with the 70's bands - will likely be discovered some 20 to 30 years after the fact. The band would improve from here and include more references from the 70s Italian scene (especially Semiramis), but this debut is outstanding, and I've never tired of it some 20+ years later.

There is at least one review out there that only references UK groups, including 80s neo prog bands (and hair / grunge metal? OMG), and was disparaged because of it. That just completely misses the point, and the historical references that A Piedi Nudi were clearly aiming for - and were inspired by. Certainly the original 70s Italian progressive rock scene was heavily influenced by the UK masters to begin with, and so that point is never lost. But the sub-genre cannot simply be written off as copyist, considering the tremendous local culture imprint, all of which has been well documented as such for over 25 years now.

Ownership: CD: 1994 Mellow. Jewel case. Booklet with lyrics and recording details.

1994 (first listen); 10/19/12; 2/9/16 (review / new entry)

Side Steps - Verge of Reality. 2005 Japan

Verge of Reality is Side Steps' last studio album. Starting with 'Roppongi Night', it appeared the band were headed more for tropical waters, like their forefathers before them, with a light and breezy fusion sound typical of the early 80s era for example. But it was a head fake, and the abrasive hard guitar was back on the appropriately named 'Edge Trigger'. 'Parallel Reality' amps it up further and includes a couple of nice breaks adding to the excitement. 'Evergreen' is another mellow track, though ultimately more classy in that 5 star hotel lounge sort of way. Throughout, the synthesizer tones remain a problem, with their Nintendo-like sound, but overall the music is on par with some of Kenso's more fusion oriented works. Not going to change your world, but if looking for a solid jazz fusion album, one could do far worse than Verge of Reality.

---8/28/23 update

At one time I owned 4 albums from Side Steps. This is all that's left, which is their final studio work. Which tells you that this Japanese fusion group is quite well accomplished, but maybe doesn't have that little extra that gets one excited about an album. There are hundreds of fusion albums out there, and a band needs to bring out the creativity cart to gain attention. Side Steps has proven over the years to be very professional and talented. I need more than that. As I look at the original review I wrote, I find myself agreeing with all of it. But there's no more room in the collection for it either.

Ownership: CD: 2005 Musea (France). Jewel case release.

2/8/16 (new entry); 8/28/23 (removal)

Korai Orom - 2000 Sound & Vision. 2000 Hungary

Sound & Vision 2000 is the 4th album from the Hungarian collective Korai Orom. At this point in their career, Korai Orom sounded like a direct cross between Can and Ozric Tentacles, but as played for Rave parties typical of the turn of the century. It's repetitive, danceable, and yet still very psychedelic rock influenced. Given they are a large scale band that plays real instruments, the music is far more interesting than a DJ with a massive sampler reserve bank. All the same, while the album is most certainly excellent background music, it's not as engaging on close listens as I'd prefer.

Former ownership: CD: 2000 private. The CD comes in a fine digi-pak.

2000 (first listen); 2/6/16 (review / new entry); 7/4/22 (update)