Osiris are arguably the Arab worlds' most prominent progressive
rock band. They are from the tiny kingdom of Bahrain, once a British
Protectorate, and as such you have an English speaking nation with an
underlying western background. It is out of this environment that Osiris
emerged. And yes, it's true, the band are heavily influenced by the UK
progressive rock scene of the 1970s. Most notably Camel, but any number
of mainstream bands will come to your lips as you hear this debut. Even a
bit of what would later be known as Neo Prog is presented here. Sadly
there are no indigenous elements to their sound, so it's not like you'll
hear Yes meets Agitation Free's Malesch for example (perhaps we can
dream for this one day?). It's best (and fair) to approach Osiris as an
anonymous progressive band from the US or England. And on that front,
they come up aces. The compositions, while not incredibly dense, are
complex in the right places - and they never forget that melody drives
the song. If only there were more examples from the region...
Personal collection
CD: 1997 Musea (France)
I did once own the original private press of the album, so it does
exist. I traded the LP in the late 90s, after obtaining the Musea CD,
for something else I wanted. The Musea CD is excellent with great sound and full liner notes. And it's in these liner notes that we are made aware of...
The
last track 'Look Before You Leap' is
actually a bonus track and was recorded in 1989. Musically it is far more poppy than the album proper and
shouldn't be considered in the overall evaluation.
As well, note
that track 7 is called 'Paradox in A Major', presumably referencing the
scale, not some confusion in college curriculum.
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