The More You Live, The More You Love

I have to say 2012 turned out to be a wonderful year for music. Both in the progressive - and new wave / synthpop scene the releases were wonderful and mostly great productions. At first a list of ten albums would be enough but with so much fine releases over the year I made two top tens. One with the progressive rock music and the other with the new wave / synthpop music. But first the top ten that was send to the magazine I wrote for. The top ten had to be send a couple of weeks ago and since then the number one and number two in that list have switched places, mainly because at the end of November Unheilig released the winter edition of their succesful album Lichter der Stadt and the live album on dvd and cd of their succesful tour of this year. iO Pages top 10 01. It Bites – Map Of The Past 02. Unheilig – Lichter der Stadt 03. The Fixx – Beautiful Friction 04. Big Big Train – English Electric (part 1) 05. Galahad – Beyond The Realms Of Euphoria 06. Clock Opera – Ways To Fo...

GALAHAD Beyond The Realms Of Euphoria (AVALON RECORDS GHCD11) Beyond The Realms Of Euphoria's is the second new album of Galahad this year. With this album the group impressively continues the musical path of Battle Scars. Through piano interludes that are not inferior to Beethoven, Mozart or Schubert the group uses the entire musical spectrum, also adding the trance and dance influences from Armin van Buuren, DJ Tiësto and David Guetta.  Perhaps these last ones for the traditional listener of progressive music feels like a shock. But progressive in my view means that the progress of a band has to do with the musical development of a band. Stagnation means decline, and keep copying yourself may lead to happy fans, but I think as a musician it’s drudgery. So I welcome the progression of Galahad. The group puts down a proper mix, where everything falls into place.  Keyboardist Dean Baker occassionally let the listener believe, that we are at a dance party,...

RED SAND Behind The Mask (www.redsandmusic.ca SPBN005) After a hiatus of five years with Behind The Mask the Canadian band Red Sand delivers her fourth studio album. It is no secret that the music of the band strongly operate in the Marillion / Genesis vein. Guitarist Simon Caron does not hide the influences an d his playing and solos sound at times like a Steve Rothery clone , although the reference to Steve Hackett certainly is not neglected . It provides at least seven beautiful compositions, which retrieve musical references from the heyday of Genesis (A Trick Of The Tail and Winds & Wuthering ) and Marillion 's Fish period . In Memory Of Past Simon Caron shows his skills, and it seems for five minutes Steve Rothery is leading the band. The almost ten minute long track Mask Of Liberty holds references to Grendel while Veil Of Insanity Part 1 floats on the melody of Your Own Special Way ....

BLUE MAMMOTH Blue Mammoth (MASQUERECORDS MRCD0911) Blue Mammoth is established in 2009 by Julian Quilodran (bass) and Andre Micheli (vocals, keyboards). They know eachother since 2003 and already have done several musical projects. Micheli, a graduated from the music education of the federal University of Rio de Janeiro, is responsible for most of the compositions on the debut album of Blue Mammoth. Besides Quilodran and Micheli the band excist of Thiago Meyer (drums) and Andre Lupac (guitar).  The band is influenced by progressive rock of the late seventies / early eighties, with major references to IQ, Eloy and Genesis. Metamorphosis and Who We Are sound like Eloy complete with the characteristic guitar parts and the vocals which reminds me of Frank Boremann. In Growin’ the synthesizer parts of Micheli sounds like Martin Orford at the time of Tales Of The Lush Attic and in Resurrection Day Micheli and Lupac duel eachother with solos. Another strong referenc...