Mar de Robles - MdR. 2003 Chile

In the early 2000s there were a number of exciting bands coming from the southern cone of South America. One of the best of those groups was Chile's Mar de Robles. Their debut is an amalgamation of various complex progressive rock forms to make for a fascinating listen. Right from the get go, after the theme setting sound collage, Mar De Robles introduces us to a half a dozen different types of prog within the opening seconds. Imagine a cross between Bubu and a Spanish singing Deus Ex Machina. This is dense, busy, but ultimately warm music. The woodwinds of flute and sax make the difference here. The guitar is a mix of heavy psychedelic, melodic progressive, and occasional metal. Other guideposts include the indigenous sounds of Los Jaivas, the next generation of that sound as represented by Flor de Loto, and even the obscure American group Atavism of Twilight, considering the flute lead. An excellent album throughout that landed a +1 listen for me last night.

Ownership: CD: 2003 Mylodon. Jewel case release with fold out booklet. Purchased in 2005. This remains the only pressing of the album.

7//05; 10/9/23 (new entry)

OSI - Office of Strategic Influence. 2003 USA

On paper OSI looks to be a typical prog metal supergroup along the lines of Liquid Tension Experiment. Let's see, you've got Fates Warning, Dream Theater, and Cynic all in the same room, doing primarily instrumental metal. There are two X Factors going in that need to be considered first: Jim Matheos usually transcends genre norms and uses his guitar more for innovation rather than showmanship. Then there's keyboardist Kevin Moore, probably prog metal's foremost Renaissance Man. As quirky as they come, he's lived all over the world doing different things, and today he resides in North Dakota as a Psychiatrist. When you blend these two minds together, you're probably not going to end up with a jam session proving how many notes you can play in a minute.

And sure enough, Office of Strategic Influence is not an easy album to digest in one setting. There's so much going on, with Moore providing more of an electronic lens to his keyboards. He also does most of the singing, which is sparse and affected, as that's not his strength. Matheos definitely keeps it metal, but brings along a lot of creative leftover ideas he didn't or couldn't fit in Fates Warning. Sean Malone and Mike Portnoy provide the expert rhythm section but they aren't the focus. 

So it's an interesting album, but is there any kind of payoff track making it worth the investment of time? And the answer is a solid yes. 'shutDOWN' is a monumental piece of music that features one of Matheos' most massive riffs of his career. One can hear early Pink Floyd's atmosphere to provide the awesome contrast. And yes, there is one more X Factor here that I didn't mention as it appears he was only involved for parts of the recording. That "he" is none other than Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree) who seems to be largely responsible for this particular track. Overall Office of Strategic Influence takes time to marinate, but worth the effort. +1 from me.

Ownership: CD: 2010 Metal Blade (Europe). 2xCD. Second press digipak with 19 page booklet. I picked this up in a metal buy a few years later (2014). The second disc features Pink Floyd's 'Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun' which is exactly the song I was thinking of when listening to 'shutDOWN'. So no coincidence. I didn't listen to the second disc for this session.

2014; 8/15/22; 5/1/23 (new entry)

Darediablo - Feeding Frenzy. 2003 USA-New York

Welcome to the Hard Rock Cookin' Show. Today we have Darediablo from New York City. Tell us, Darediablo, what is your secret recipe?

Thanks for having us on the show today, Bob. We look at both the past and present for our recipes. On Feeding Frenzy, from the past we take one part Uriah Heep and one part Captain Beyond. And from the modern chefs, we like one part Kyuss and one part Tortoise. Blend. Drain the vocals out. Serve.

Yum.

Darediablo are very much a typical Under the Radar band from the 2000's. They never really had much exposure to the progressive rock community, and yet that may have been a better audience for the group in the long run. Today, the band seems long forgotten, only brought to life by archivists like myself. Like many before them, Darediablo arose from the New York City indie scene. They did have quite a bit of exposure 15 years ago, with their music showing up most prominently on ESPN's The Life among others. Their sound has been described (as recounted by the band themselves) as anything from Medeski, Martin & Wood meets MC5, to a combo of Black Sabbath and AC/DC. Since I've only heard Feeding Frenzy, I can't really say if these comparisons are accurate or inaccurate. My own description certainly points to another branch of the progressive hard rock tree. After Twenty Paces, the band seems to have disappeared altogether, and I cannot find any active internet presence. At some point, I need to make an effort to hear their other three albums, as Feeding Frenzy is most certainly a solid organ based instrumental progressive hard rock album. 

Ownership: CD: 2003 Southern. Jewel case. Simple booklet with recording details.

1//05; 11/23/15 (new entry)

Woodenhead - Perseverance. 2003 USA-Louisiana

After 20 years, New Orleans based jazz rock group Woodenhead unleashed what would be their final album to date - the appropriately named Perseverance. At the border of fusion and progressive rock, this fine instrumental album features plenty of excellent electric guitar, piano, and a nimble rhythm section. The compositions are written as such to feature a multitude of ideas within each segment, and thus points it further into progressive rock territory. Perhaps the best feature are the Trombones From Hell, a trio who provide some tight horn charts amongst the usual progressive fusion fare. While it misses the spirit of a youthful naivete, it still possesses an optimism and professionalism one would expect from a mature band. Best track is the last ('Buzz Beat'). A very solid work.

Ownership: CD: 2003 Free Electric Sound / Laser's Edge

5/24/14 (new entry)

Igzit-Nine. 2003 Japan

On their sole album, Igzit-Nine provide us with eight solid instrumental progressive rock tracks with a strong jazz underpinning. Focus is on melody, rather than chops, so songwriting takes precedence over technical acumen. Frequent meter shifts within each track keep this in the progressive rock category versus traditional fusion / jazz-rock. All pluses as far I'm concerned. Igzit-Nine are a four piece where the guitarist and keyboardist own the compositions, the primary melody lines, and the solos. Keyboards are of the modern variety, so retro analog gearheads will need to look elsewhere. I would place Igzit-Nine on the continuum from Ain Soph to Kenso. This is a really good one.

Ownership: CD: 2003 Musea (France)

5/16/14 (new entry)

Ako Doma - Aliens are Good for Sale. 2003 Slovakia

Aliens Are Good for Sale finds Ako Doma playing in a modern fusion mode. Gone is the saxophone, and with that, the charming Slovakian dance hall sound of their debut. In its place is a late era King Crimson sound, replete with angular guitar - at times with a metal crunch - modern synthesizers, and plenty of difficult music to plow though. If you like guitar oriented fusion, then this will be well worth your time. It's an instrumental style of modern music done countless times since the 90's, and Ako Doma prove to be more than capable to pull it off. Despite their obvious musical acumen, I miss the simple local flavor of the debut. One fellow collector calls out the Racine, Wisconsin based Kopecky as a reference - which is an excellent observation!

Ownership: CD: 2003 Lizard

11/6/12 (new entry)