Orne - The Tree of Life. 2011 Finland

I haven't heard Orne's debut, so we'll dig right into their second The Tree of Life. Orne are yet another retro prog band on Black Widow. And honestly, at least from my viewpoint, you really can't have too many of those. In some ways, Orne are really like a 1970 band from the United Kingdom. That is, it can be a bit dirgy and slow. The English vocals are a bit flat, and not sure they're entirely necessary to be honest. On the plus side, the all analog instrumentation (though they cheat and use a Memotron rather than an actual Mellotron) is much welcomed, and includes some lovely Hammond B3 and flute, and that will always warm the cockles of my heart. Plenty of fine guitars leads as well, with the appropriate effects on display. But one does hope for a good meter break - the moment that transcends the composition to another level. Even Pink Floyd did that from time to time, at least through their Meddle era. Orne is an offshoot group to the doom metal band Reverend Bizarre, who I've not heard prior. I'm a casual listener to the doom metal genre (for example, I have all the Candlemass albums, and a handful of others from the genre - and of course I know Black Sabbath inside and out), but it's not something I've done a deep dive on. Some doom metal can be excruciatingly slow and monolithic. And there's some of that kind of pacing here as well. It's a style thing, but I prefer a bit more kinetic energy. All that said, I hear plenty here to a) recommend to fans of the old Vertigo Swirl bands (Still Life comes to mind in particular) and b) they clearly have the talent to release a more dynamic album. I also credit Orne for not falling into the typical Stoner Rock traps (90's styled metal slabs for example), that many bands of their background tend to do. Let's see if this project continues, and what they do with it.

CD: 2011 Black Widow (Italy)

7/30/13 (new entry)

Keep - II (Rock'n Rocked Rock). 1982 Japan

Despite the subtitle Rock'n Rocked Rock, Keep's second album is definitely a fusion affair, similar to their contemporaries like Crosswind, Prism, and Casiopea. But the separator here is the ferocity of the instrumental work - recalling edgier outfits of the early 70s like Mahavishnu Orchestra. 'Aristocrat Bachelor' is the definite highlight here, and is closer to heavy progressive rock than jazz.

CD: 2011 Clinck
LP: 1982 Trash
CD: 1999 Vivid Sound

The original LP is a typical single sleeve with requisite obi. I sold my copy of the LP when the first edition CD came out (1999 Vivid Sound). And it was a bear to find. I finally had to ask a friend who worked at Marquee in Tokyo to send me one.

April 2017 update: I recently discovered another mini-LP version, this time as part of a 4 CD box set called J-Fusion Masterpiece Collectors' Box, which I now possess.

Not a Good Sign ~ Italy

Not a Good Sign (2013)

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.

---9/4/22

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 (finally I did). And interestingly enough my rating remains the same. As I say above, 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. 

Former ownership: 2013 AltRock (CD). Booklet with lyrics, artwork, and recording details. Acquired in 2013. Downsized in 2025.

7/21/13 (review); 9/24/22 (update)

7/21/13 (new entry)

Arabs in Aspic ~ Norway

Pictures in a Dream (2013)

Robert Fripp has stated that Larks' Tongues in Aspic means: "Something precious which is stuck, but visible. Something precious which is encased in form."  So with that heady bit of insight, it's obvious to me that Arabs in Aspic means... yea, I have no idea either.

But what is "in aspic" is the band's ability to recreate the sounds of the 1970s. Specifically the American FM sound of 1975 and '76. Despite being from Norway, Arabs in Aspic are yet another band that would fit well in my USA Midwest / Ontario Progressive Rock (1970's/early 80s) list. Sounds odd doesn't it? Well... it's not as strange as it may first appear.

In 1990, in my European backpacking days, I was on an overnight train from Oslo to Bergen. And I befriended a nice looking couple who I thought might be American. They didn't look American (jeans and white tennis shoes were still strictly the provenance of Americans in those days), but they sure did sound like it. So I ventured into conversation with them - both college kids and only a few years younger than I at the time. They went on to explain that they not only learn English, but "American English" in school. Crap - they spoke the language better than I did (do)!

So a band from Norway being able to immerse themselves completely into the American mindset isn't that far fetched at all. Note I said the FM sound of America - not just bands from the USA. To me Arabs in Aspic have carved a niche out of something very familiar - somewhere between Pink Floyd, Kansas, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, and Led Zeppelin. It's a fascinating blend - like mixing a new drink with common ingredients.

Sure, you say, but most of those bands were British and they were popular everywhere, right? True. But Arabs in Aspic remind me of those US bands that tried, successfully or unsuccessfully, to copy them. A deep diver may call out other 70s Norwegian bands like Host, Aunt Mary, or Ruphus, but that's not it... I hear the music here as something created in North America - not in Europe. Even more so than Black Bonzo, who came close, but still sounded "English". Seriously.

Of note, they threw in two tracks with Norwegian vocals, that completely changes the tone of the music. For me, I'd like to hear more of this trend.

To approach the album properly, I would probably avoid thinking of it as "progressive rock". More like "classic rock".

2013 Black Widow (CD) Contains a 12 page booklet with lyrics and individual band member photos. Acquired in 2013.

Other albums I own: Far Out in Aradabia

6/28/13 (review); 1/10/25 (update)

6/28/13 (new entry)

Willowglass - Book of Hours. 2008 England

What do you do with a guy who is enamored with the European Medieval past of stained glass windows, Celtic crosses, and towered villages - and who has an obsession with 1970-1973 era Genesis? Someone who distills those ideas, reshapes it in his own image, and then pushes back out to the wilds for all to critique. It's easy to pan such an effort, but when it is done this well and with this kind of passion, one really does have to admire the final product. If early Genesis is your thing, and you're OK with no vocals being present in such a setting, then it's highly likely you will enjoy, or at the very least appreciate, Andrew Marshall's Willowglass. 

Ownership: CD: 2008 private. Jewel case

LP: 2018 private. 2xLP gatefold. Acquired in 2024.

6/27/13 (first listen / review / new entry)

Netherworld ~ USA ~ San Jose, California

In the Following Half-Light (1981)

Netherworld were the quintessential American band from the late 1970s and early 80s - a band that mixes complex progressive rock with FM sensibilities. Had they been from the Midwest rather than California then they would have been a perfect fit for my USA Midwest / Ontario Progressive Rock (1970's/early 80s) list. Tracks like the opener 'Too Hard to Forget' will instantly make one think of the original NWOBPR movement. By the time we get to side 2 and 'Isle of Man' all pretension of this somehow being a radio friendly album are thrown to the wind. We're in full blown Selling England era Genesis, and it only gets more progressive from there. By the time we hit the three part closer 'Sargasso', Netherworld are in the same off-the-rails league as Yezda Urfa, Pentwater, and Mirthrandir. And, oh by the way, it's also a mellotron feast for the analog gear heads out there. 

The Past-Present-Future compilation adds a ten minute instrumental 'Cumulus Nimbus'. Word down at the soup kitchen says Netherworld has plenty more where that came from. Perhaps urban legend, perhaps absolute truth. We all live for the Queen's Court gossip don't we?

Ownership: 1981 REM (LP). Acquired in 1997.

1997; 6/26/13 (review / new entry)

Il Cerchio d'Oro - Dedalo e Icaro. 2013 Italy

Despite having a heritage that dates back to 1974, Il Cerchio d'Oro seem to be paying homage to the 90's Italian renaissance rather than the original 70s movement. Odd, given that many of their peers are looking back 20 years further. Il Cerchio d'Oro reminds me of bands such as Malibran, Barrock, and Nuova Era. In my estimation, certainly better than the former two but not quite up to the standard of the latter. The analog instrumentation isn't convincing, the drums are more rock oriented rather than jazz, and Dedalo e Icaro definitely has that bright, digital sound. All the same, there's no doubting that Il Cerchio d'Oro plays in the classic Italian style. The constant thematic shifts within each composition, the lengthy instrumental interludes, and the rough hewn vocals (in Italian of course) all underscore the region's characteristics. There are better albums from Italy being created now, but Il Cerchio d'Oro's sophomore release is no slouch. Conditionally recommended to fans of the style.

Former ownership: CD: 2013 Black Widow. Jewel case. Booklet has recording details, lyrics, and photos. Also has a bonus video.

6/26/13 (first listen /  review / new entry); 12/20/24

Sezon Dozhdei (Rainy Season) ~ Russia

Vozvrashenie (The Return) (1992)

Sezon Dozhdei were definitely a product of the early 90s progressive rock scene. With just three tracks, they leave plenty of room to experiment within each composition. Keyboards are what dominate here, with waves of dense sounds that penetrate deep while sonorous guitar lines glide on top. The rhythm section keeps it all together and there are plenty of meter changes to make it interesting. Some nice flute to enjoy on the opening track as well. At times, this reminds me a bit of Djam Karet's Reflections of the Firepool.

Ownership: 2001 Boheme (CD). Liner notes in English (and Russian) and sounds fantastic. Acquired in 2002.

First copy: 1992 private (LP). Acquired in 1994. This LP is surprisingly well made (Capitalist style), and demonstrates that the last throes of the Soviet Union had been fully realized.

aka Сезон Дождей - Возвращение

1994; 6/23/13 (new entry)

Mosaic - Miniatures. 1995 Italy

Progressive rock for the short-attention-span listener. Mosaic is the brainchild of former Arti + Mestieri keyboardist Beppe Crovella, who was all over the place in the 1990s. And just like the composer himself, this unusual album from his project Mosaic is "all over the place". To Crovella's credit, these aren't 40 sketches of music similar to a TV/Film library album. They are fully composed pieces - a beginning, middle, and end - with the majority of the tracks between 1 and 2 minutes each. Problem is, obviously enough, there's little continuity between the tracks themselves and the album lacks cohesiveness. That is the purpose of the album, but one has to question whether the premise is the best of ideas? Hard to knock it really, given the artist's intention, and I'll grade it a relatively high rating considering everything. But the concept will not allow personal growth with the album, and it cannot possibly go higher. File under: Interesting.

Mellotron seems to be the dominant instrument. Now whether it's authentic or sampled, is entirely another question. I'm guessing the latter, but as of this writing, Planet Mellotron hasn't weighed in on it.

CD: 1995 Vinyl Magic

1995; 6/13/13 (new entry)

Sunscape ~ Italy

Sunscape (1999)

Here's another installment of  the 90's Italian progressive renaissance. This one comes from the tail end of the decade, and is geared more towards space rock. Mellow turned up all sorts of interesting acts in the 90s, and their catalog is a good place to start if looking for other such gems (we have a few already listed here on UMR). But do your homework first, not everything is up to par on the label.

Though originally marketed as an Ozric Tentacles styled group, Sunscape were more tuned into both the modern space rock scene, as well as the original 1970s cosmic Krautrock movement. Perhaps the only other band from Italy similar to Sunscape during this era were the unorganized and unpredictable band Mary Newsletter. I also hear elements of Porcupine Tree, Groovector (Finland), and a bit of the aforementioned Ozric. The guitarist dominates and is supplemented nicely by modern synthesizers, flute, hand percussion, didgeridoo, and occasional voice (both male and female). A promising debut from a band who disappeared all too quickly. Hopefully they will reform for an encore.

Ownership: 1999 Mellow (CD). Acquired in 2006.

2006; 6/9/13 (review / new entry)

Tale Cue ~ Italy

Voices Beyond My Curtain (1991)

Tale Cue were of the earliest bands to participate in the Italian progressive rock renaissance. For the era and location, they were wired closest to Ezra Winston. That is to say, a strong neo progressive sound with English vocals. So early in fact, it's quite apparent Tale Cue were pre-Google Translate as well. I haven't the slightest idea what 'Voices Beyond My Curtain', 'Prisoner of Cutting Light', and 'Flying to Fade' can possibly mean. No matter though, as I probably wouldn't understand the Italian variations either, though I would have preferred the local language had been applied. Still it's apparent Tale Cue have quite an imagination, and the six lengthy tracks here allow them to expand those ideas in unique ways. This is definitely a guitar based album, and the instrument dominates along with the shrill female vocals - vocals that somehow fit the music perfectly.

As stated by other reviewers, it is a tragedy the band stopped after this one fine effort.

---9/22/26

This is one of those albums where the parts are greater than the sum, to flip the common saying. There sure is a lot of great music on this CD, yet they just don't always come together and flow as expected. A time and place album for me, and it remains special for that reason.

Ownership: 1991 Musea (CD). Acquired in 1992.

1992; 6/8/13 (review); 9/22/26

Tale Cue have reemerged in 2025. I'm most curious how they sound now.

6/8/13 (new entry)

New List: USA Midwest / Ontario Progressive Rock of the 1970s and early 80s

Took me awhile to get this one all together, but I finally published it on Saturday. As you all know from my CDRWL blog, I constantly refer to this unique progressive rock genre. So I finally put a small article around it and published it in RYM. You can read my thoughts and who I can consider participants of the scene here.

Thanks for reading!

The Cosmic Dead ~ Scotland

The Exalted King (2012)

The Cosmic Dead are a Scottish quartet who've been around a couple of years, and whose raison d'etre is improvised space rock. The Cosmic Dead are yet another one of these new bands who seem to be content to issue their albums via download, along with the archaic cassette format (which, to be fair, does allow for 90 and 120 minute albums). They have 6 albums to date but only two are on the more durable and desirable formats like the LP and CD. 

The Exalted King is a sprawling 2 LP set of droning keys, echoed guitars, and pounding rhythms. Hawkwind and the more cosmic moments of Amon Duul II are the obvious comparisons. This is music to turn the lights off, sit back / lay down, and take in the aural kaleidoscope provided. Wake up, turn the vinyl over, and repeat. By the end of Side 4 you're ready for a blissful sleep.

Ownership: 2013 Cosmic Eye (2xLP). Gatefold. Acquired in 2013.

6/1/13 (new entry)

Temple of the Smoke - The Lost Art of Twilight. 2013 Serbia

Temple of the Smoke are a four piece psychedelic spacerock band from Serbia. The country itself has spawned perhaps one of the greatest progressive psych bands of our time in Igra Staklenih Perli. Well, Temple of the Smoke certainly won't remind you of the great ISP, but they are carving out their own niche in the genre that is just as exciting. It's rare to hear a band that mixes early 80's Tangerine Dream sequencer based Berlin School electronic with modern day slabs of riffing metal, ala classic Kyuss or Colour Haze complete with lengthy psychedelic blues guitar solos tagged to the end. There's some Ozric Tentacles reggae inspired space rock bits mixed in. Elsewhere, long tracks driven by woody bass, steady drums, and soaring synthesizer solos. Late 70s Eloy meets an instrumental Manilla Road? Wow - that's a comparison that'll have me mailing in a check for a copy as fast as possible! Am I exaggerating? I don't think I am.

Ownership: LP: 2013 Cosmic Eye (Greece)

5/31/13 (new entry)

Papir ~ Denmark

Papir III (2013)

Papir's third album is like a bridge between Ash Ra Tempel's Join Inn and New Age of Earth. From the latter, the guitar playing perfectly emulates Manuel Gottsching's shimmering, yet tropically sunny, spatial sound. From the former, the band as a whole gets down to no-nonsense cosmic psychedelic jamming. Papir are a guitar trio with keyboard accompaniment, and no doubt are influenced by the original early 70s Krautrock movement. Even the motorik sounds of Can are apparent here. Certainly more an accurate portrayal of Papir than the "West Coast" jam band motif of The Grateful Dead and Quicksilver Music Service. I also appreciate the high melodic quotient applied here, something many jam bands today completely miss out on. I only wish Papir had been around 25 years ago, when bands such as this were non-existent, and most assuredly would have been a favorite of mine back then. Today, they get lost in the shuffle.

Ownership: 2013 El Paraiso (LP). Side 2 has the times reversed. It is, in fact, the last track that is over 15 minutes long.

5/31/13 (acquired / review)

Papir has many othe releases but this is the only one I picked up to date.

5/31/13 (new entry)

Blood Ceremony - The Eldritch Dark. 2013 Canada-Ontario

The Eldritch Dark sees Blood Ceremony improve on the already excellent Living with the Ancients. The doom metal Black Sabbath component has been reduced, and a decidedly more typical 1969/70 tone has been adopted in its stead. Oh yes, it's still a heavy album - just not as overt as prior. Organ, mellotron, acoustic guitar, fiddle, and flute are more prominent than prior. From a compositional perspective, the band took a page from the early 70s UK folk rock playbook of Mellow Candle and Fuchsia. And Blood Ceremony are now fully admitted into the Post psychedelic, proto progressive with female vocals club. As I said on my Living with the Ancients review, Ian Anderson wasn't the only one walking around with a flute in England in those days - it was a fairly standard instrument in the 1970 English rock landscape. So you may find comparisons to Tull compulsory, rather than accurate.

Now a word about Alia O'Brien's vocals. Throughout the album, I was reminded of someone very specific. But I couldn't figure it out. Then it hit me. All I needed to do was look at my own list above. It's Silvana Aliotta of Circus 2000, who no doubt was influenced by Grace Slick herself. And the first time I read a description of Circus 2000, her vocals were said to be "witchy". How appropriate, then, that O'Brien has a similar voice. Not sure if it's intentional (probably not), but definitely a cool voice to possess.

All the changes Blood Ceremony implemented on The Eldritch Dark are for the better as far as I'm concerned. Even the lyrics have improved. It's still witch stuff, but at least they seem to be taking it more seriously and professional than prior.

Ownership: CD: 2013 Metal Blade (USA)

5/28/13 (new entry)

Il Segno del Comando ~ Italy

Il Segno del Comando (1997)

Il Segno del Comando's debut comes from the 90's renaissance wave of darkly influenced Italian progressive music as promoted by the Black Widow label of Genoa. Their haunting formula includes pipe organ, synthesizer, echoplex'd guitar, and impassioned vocals in Italian. Il Segno del Comando were the culmination of Black Widow's stable of the era, which included Runaway Totem (especially at the time of their debut), Standarte, Malombra, and Abiogenesi. Perhaps a bit more space rock influenced than the aforementioned bands, making it all that much more interesting. As is typical of albums from the 90s, the production is a bit bright and thin - thus diluting the impact of the overall power of the compositions. Also Il Segno del Comando are one of the few Italian bands using a real mellotron during this era.

If there was ever an album that proves the theory that a weak ending can ruin the overall impression, it's Il Segno del Comando. After an impressive 6 track run, the band enters a full 10 minute clumsy 90's styled funk track ('La Taverna dell'Angelo') with no less than the annoying soprano sax in the lead. I'm convinced the low grades this album gets tagged with are no doubt weighed down by this clunker. Try to overlook it.

Ownership: CD: 1997 Black Widow. Standard jewel case new album layout. Acquired in 1997.

1997; 5/19/13 (review); 6/1/20

Also own: Il Volto Verde; L'Incanto dello Zero

5/19/13 (new entry)

Setna - Cycle I. 2007 France

If Zeuhl is the genre tag that must be applied, then it's Zeuhl in the same way Offering is rather than Magma. Cycle I is primarily an atmospheric jazz release with soft chanting female vocals. Electric piano, synthesizer, and saxophone are the other primary instruments of choice. Those coming to this looking for ripping Paganotti/Top-styled bass and insane martial Vander-like drumming, will surely come away disappointed. Certainly Setna sit towards the Magma side of Offering (especially as the disc spins on, and the last track features some fine Mahavishnu styled guitar from guest James McGaw), but still the metaphor holds. Ambient jazz Zeuhl.

2007 Soleil Zeuhl (CD). Digipak. Acquired in 2008.

2008; 5/18/13 (review); 4/11/24

Purson - The Circle & The Blue Door. 2013 England

Starting with strummed acoustic guitar, followed by flute mellotron, shimmering cymbals, and phased female vocals - yea ALRIGHT we're in 1971 again! Do I look like I'm complaining? Helllll, no. A heavy bass run, more mellotron, acoustic guitar, and there it is, heavy organ and psychedelic guitar. Cool, I'm happy. What's for dinner?

Purson is more early 70s rock than progressive rock, and in reality, it fits quite nicely in my Proto Prog with Female Vocals list.

If any of the above remotely interests you, then of course you'll want to own this. Another winner from Rise Above!

Ownership: CD: 2013 Rise Above

5/18/13 (new entry)

Musica Ficta ~ Israel

A Child & A Well (2005 / 2012)

Musica Ficta's A Child & A Well remind me of some of the best of the 90's progressive rock bands, with heavy guitars (not quite metal, but almost), flute, soaring synthesizer solos, acoustic piano / guitar, an active rhythm section, and pretty female vocals. On this latter point, despite the English titles of the songs and the album itself, the lyrics are entirely in Hebrew. As if to prove that the native language should always be the first choice, and the Hebrew language is practically impenetrable for English speakers, and yet it sounds beautiful as if another instrument has been applied. Compositionally complex, so that the attentive listener is rewarded with multiple screenings.

Ownership: 2012 Fading / AltRock (CD)

5/15/13 (review / new entry)