Not a Good Sign. 2013 Italy

I really struggled with this title. Truth is this album came up on the weed out report. The percentage of survival at this stage is very low. Looks like my latest elaborate rating system is doing a great job of identifying what I want to keep versus not. But this one I just couldn't pull the trigger. And interestingly enough my rating remains the same. As I say below, one begins to question if you like progressive rock at all when albums like this come up. 2013 was a very special year for Italian prog rock. I'm sure it will come up again for review, but I heard enough last night to delay that decision for awhile anyway. And there's room for growth with this title too. I never did hear their other albums, and I probably won't pursue unless I can get them for a low price. The below review was penned real time after acquisition, and added to my old Under the Radar blog. I've altered some of it based on this last listen.

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Not a Good Sign (NAGS), though from Italy, have really nothing to do with their own heritage in progressive rock. NAGS, a band that could also be called the AltRock Label All-Stars, clearly have their sights up north towards Scandinavia, where the instrumentals recall Anglagard, Sinkadus, and Wobbler. The English vocals, sung in a somewhat commercial style, recall the Swedish group Anekdoten - especially on their later efforts. This is a band who wear their "prog patch" proudly on their collective jackets. We're pretty much at ground zero here for the style, so if you don't like this, then you probably have to question whether or not you like progressive rock as a genre. It's all very well done, but misses the reckless abandon and youthful excitement that perhaps only the amateurs can pull off - not knowing any better I suppose. It's "professional prog" for a lack of a better term. Hard to diss. Hard to get excited about. But it is very good... of course.

Ownership: CD: 2013 AltRock. Standard jewel case release with lyrics, artwork, and recording details.

7/21/13 (first listen / review / new entry); 9/24/22 (update)