Sanctuary - Into the Mirror Black. 1990 USA-Washington

Into the Mirror Black is an improvement on Sanctuary's debut. The tones have more heft and the songwriting has become both more complex and melodic. I really miss this era of metal when it was just as important to craft a composition as it was to demonstrate how complex they can play. Everything here has balance and it never feels like it's going off the cliff. Late 80s Fates Warning comes to mind here, though Sanctuary were more grounded in thrash. And Warrel Dale is the perfect singer for this kind of music. He sings at the higher registers, which was de rigueur back then, but it's well within his range and control. No ball squeezing shrieks here. From here, Dale and bassist Jim Sheppard went on to form the heavier Nevermore, a band that achieved great underground success before Dale's untimely passing in 2017.

Ownership: LP: 1990 Epic. Single sleeve. This was part of that large metal / hard rock buy last year (2023).

4/22/24 (first listen); 5/28/24 (review/update)

Hallas - Excerpts from a Future Past. 2017 Sweden

The debut from Hallas clearly draws from the North American proggy hard rock school of the mid 70s. Analog instrumentation rules the day, in particular the Hammond organ and vintage synthesizers. What I like most is the melodic songwriting within this structure, including during the solos. It's interesting to note just how many of these type of bands have emerged from Scandinavia over the last 30 years or so. One wonders the impetus of this phenomena. It's much more acute than here in North America itself. While we certainly have many enlightened folks reimagining the past, they're still a very small part of the overall global prog community. No complaints from me, I think the genre has plenty of room for more mining. It's a type of music that can go in any direction at any time. And those warm analog tones make it just that much more enjoyable to listen to.

Ownership: LP: 2017 The Sign. Gatefold with printed innersleeve. Acquired at the Rocky Mountain record show for all of 5 bucks (2024).

4/21/24 (first listen); 5/28/24 (review/update) 

Caldera. 1976 USA-California

The CD boldly claims "Masters of Funk & Soul" and "Some of the Greatest Funk Albums Ever!". Generic hype for the series perhaps, but it doesn't really apply to Caldera's debut. Los Angeles based Caldera are in the jazz fusion strike zone. Fastball down the middle. It's a great example of the scene taking some of the more Latin influenced tracks from Return to Forever and giving that style more focus. It's complex yet highly melodic. And well composed. Caldera aren't technical in the same sense as RTF, which is a plus for me. From here they were to add more funk and soul elements similar to the better side of Earth Wind & Fire. All four albums are worth exploring.

Ownership: CD: 2004 EMI/Capitol (Europe). Jewel case. Booklet with a short history of the band and album. Acquired new close to the release date.

I did also once own the LP, and sold it. I think I'll keep the next one. I look for it in the wilds, but there is a market for it making it tougher. Interesting to note the album has never been reissued in the US.

5//05 (first listen); 5/26/24 (review)

Contrevent - Terre de Feu. 1993 Canada-Quebec

In 2004 I wrote the below. To provide context, I first acquired the CD in 1996.

This is certainly better than I remembered! Excellent grooves with violin and guitar (with nice fuzz tone) providing the solos. Nice use of vibes and acoustic guitar too. Keyboards range from atmospheric electronics (excellent) to digital brassy interludes (negative). Rhythms are jazzy scattered with thundering bass (though the rare slapped bass makes me wince). For modern fusion prog, this is tough to beat. If Contrevent would have exploited their more rough edges (like the fuzz bass), this would be even better.

---5/24/24

Having absorbed the album twice last night for the time since (the 2019 listen below was not as focused - I happen to remember), I think I captured the sound pretty well. As the years pile up, I find myself gravitating more and more to these melodic jazz rock outings. On Terre de Feu, the melodies have a naive quality about them that I find endearing. Almost a nostalgic lookback to the late 60s and early 70s from that standpoint. Contrevent successfully brought back the Quebec all-stars of Maneige, Contraction, and Sloche.  Everything here is seamless, and the production a cut above for a private such as this. Contrevent's style was not a common sound in 1993, predicting the retro movement that was only a few years away. I find all the songs here enjoyable, but special mention goes to 'Le Miroir Des Yeux'. 

Ownership: CD: 1993 CTV. Jewel case. Booklet with recording and song details.

1996 (first listen); 9//04 (review); 12/26/19; 5/24/24 (update / new entry)

Electric Orange - Abgelaufen! 2001 Germany

I've often referred to this album, their 4th (proper), as their "return to form" work. After a couple of diversions into the world of electronica, Electric Orange go back to their Krautrock roots. At times I feel this is more show than content, but that might be a bit of a cynical outlook. Their stock in trade is atmosphere, and they do truly capture the kosmiche kouriere in us all. Rhythms galore, wah wah guitar, heavy Hammond, mellotron overlays, and phased voices all play a role in this. There's even some Klaus Schulze styled electronic rock here. Orange Peel meets Can? Sure, why not.

Ownership: CD: 2001 MPL. Jewel case. Tri-fold with photo collage and recording details. According to my database, I had to import this from Germany direct in 2002. Such was the state of availability back then. It was reissued as a double LP in 2019.

2002 (first listen); 5/19/24 (review)

Garden Wall - Principium. 1993 Italy

Garden Wall's debut is a rather humble beginning for a band who would eventually blow the doors off of the creativity well. All the same, it's aged quite well for me. I didn't even like it the first time I heard this not long after release. If I recall my headspace back then, it seemed too lightweight for metal, and not complex enough for prog. While it could be called more "typical" prog metal, there are plenty of progressions here that were unusual for the time. A groundbreaking group who continued to improve leaps and bounds from here.

Ownership: CD: 1993 Music is Intelligence. Jewel case with lyric booklet. 

1993 (first listen); 12/14/11; 5/13/24 (review / new entry)