Member:
cogs in progs
(Profile)
(All Album Reviews by cogs in progs)
Date:
4/3/2005
Format:
CD (Album)
I had been foaming at the mouth for months to hear more great prog then this CD came in the mail. Wow! My mouth foams no more.
In 1974 prog music had pretty much gone through all its motions. With this release we find Atoll, not rehashing old stylings of their English and Italian counterparts, but creating an exciting prog with similar flavorings of their forefathers. This album lives up to the title "prog" by dishing out an interesting platter of symphonic euro rock that should capture the imagination of most proggers.
The music seems to be influenced by Yes, Early King Crimson, and PFM. It has similar to Chris Squire bass playing, with less notes of course. It has "Mediterranean" sounding synth and reverbs ala PFM's Per Un Amico. And the vocals slightly remind me of Greg Lake during ItCotCK. Some vocal melodies also remind me of Yes and Gentle Giant and typical American harmonies. Also it sound like the guitarist taught himself how to play the guitar by listening to Yes's Fragile and Close to the Edge. Despite these influences Atoll has their own sound, French vocals sound quite beautiful (and I thought I'd only like the Italians) keyboards are clavinet, symphonic string sounds, organ, and the guitarist plays some synth too. The drummer is similar to PFM's. At one point on the album we find all the band members playing the drums at once, kind of like Gentle Giant’s "drum bash".
I'm very surprised at how much I enjoy listening to this album. It's got the meat I most certainly crave. Their second album is supposed to be much better. That one's in the mail.
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