The Prog Rock Album Club

Trollheart · 08-14-2013, 06:52 PM

You bastards! I spent time putting that questionnaire together and now you wanna dump it for a fast'n'friendly approach? Meh, do what you want but I think the whole idea of the club is then cheapened if you just fire off quick impressions of the album. I personally thought the questionairre (no, I don't know if it's one n and two rs or the other way round and I'm too tired and lazy to check!) was working. Look at the review Big Ears has done; you want to cut that down to a few paragraphs?

When we started this we were all writing reviews, then the format was settled on to make everything more streamlined and to prevent people (like me) going on for pages and pages. Now you want to go the other way?

Well I must admit it's becoming hard to find the time for the reviews, so maybe you have a point. Perhaps something like I have in "Bitesize"? Damn! I knew I shouldn't have taken on so much work! At the moment I'm writing an entire review of the French horror drama "The returned" as well as putting Metal Week together for my main journal. Plus my sister is pretty sick this week, which obviously takes time away from my writing.

Okay then, let's try it your way, see how it goes. But I'm keeping the league table, of which the latest will be published, er, pretty soon...

Anteater · 08-15-2013, 07:51 PM

Long long ago in a galaxy far far away, there was a shrimpy high school freshman who had grown up with 90's grunge and 80's hair metal, but with the advent of ITunes and online music discovery had gotten into progressive rock. He quickly became fans of the usual suspects -- Pink Floyd, Yes, Camel, Moody Blues, and many others. But every once in awhile he'd come across a gem amidst these discoveries, discoveries which would open even more doors. This self-titled album by supergroup Armageddon was such a release, and even today it holds its own wonderful spot in my collection. I even owned it on vinyl at one point, lol!

In retrospect, I've always felt it was such a shame that Armageddon only managed to stay glued together long enough to record only one album, because it's basically a punchier, more spectacular take on the sound of drummer Bobby Caldwell's main band Captain Beyond. Or perhaps a spacier Led Zeppelin? The guy behind the mic on this particular outing, Keith Relf (of Renaissance and Yardbirds fame) sounds like he was born to be here, whilst former Steamhammer guitarist Martin Pugh serves as the infernal engine that drives the record: his fretwork ranges from a psychedelic roar to mystical acoustics at the drop of a hat.

All of this would be for naught if the songs themselves weren't interesting, but they really are. The first two cuts in particular, 'Buzzard' and 'Silver Tightrope' are a study in perfected contrast: the former is a spastic space-blues rocker that orbits around a meaty, circular little riff whilst 'Silver Tightrope' is a laidback epic of sorts, sporting a gorgeous arrangement and armed to the teeth with an atmosphere straight out of the Yes playbook. Both are masterpieces, but the last three tracks ain't half bad either: we get some of that mid-tempo grooviness so typical of the 70's hard rock world with 'Paths And Planes And Future Gains' and 'Last Stand Before', concluding with a twisty turvy space rock suite called 'Basking In The White Of The Midnight Sun' that comes across as Robin Trower meets Hawkwind, a sonic collision that yields excellent results if I do say so myself. Lots of time changes, guitar solos, Caldwell's cavernous drumming and topped off with some harmonica to boot!

In short, this is a fantastic, rather unique record that felt like a walk back down memory lane as I re-listened to it over the last week. It's reputation as one of the 70's great guitar albums is certainly deserved at the very least, and I appreciate it even more now than I did years ago. Two huge thumbs up!

9 out of 10

Unknown Soldier · 08-18-2013, 01:00 PM

I came across Armageddon several years ago and then wondered why I'd never listened to this album before. This debut album consists of just five songs and they’re certainly lengthy songs at that, with nearly all of them clocking in at more than 8 minutes. I always thought music wise they sounded like a combination of Led Zeppelin and Captain Beyond (no surprise there of course with Bobby Caldwell on board) and any number of progressive rock acts from the decade, but the overall result was that Armageddon ended up sounding distinctly unique! Like most supergroups we have four highly talented individuals on show here and I have to say the guitar work of Martin Pugh might be the pick of the bunch which is a tough choice as all are outstanding here, then there’s Keith Relf’s voice which might not be to everybody’s taste but personally I really dig it! Supergroups have often been clichéd as being self-indulgent and excessive, and Armageddon are no exception to this viewpoint and in fact this album is about as self-indulgent as anything else in the decade!

The album opens with “Buzzard” a pumping heavy track, that is brought to life by its improvisational displays. Second track "Silver Tightrope" is essentially a charming ballad that threatens to beef itself up, but doesn't and drifts through its 8 minutes admirably. "Paths, Planes and Future Gains" one of the best on the album and also the shortest track as well, and it's a dense sounding offering from beginning to end. "Last Stand Before" which is dominated by its bluesy jamming and it's an extremely catchy song and the nearest the band actually get to sounding like Led Zeppelin. But it's the album closer the multi-suite “Basking in the White of the Midnight Sun” which all smacks of 1970s excess especially with its lengthy jamming sessions, time changes and punctuated guitar riffs that all have a space rock feel to them. This album might not be a bona-fide classic, but it's nearly there and it's very much a cult classic and should be dusted off as its a true treasure.

8/10

Trollheart · 08-25-2013, 04:29 PM

Sorry guys for being so late, but I've so much on at the moment, what with the Marillion Story to write, plus my journals and of course preparing for Metal Month, trying to listen to and review at least two new metal albums a day. It's taking it all out of me!

I'll get my review up asaic but if in the meantime you want to move on to the next one don't let me hold yaz up, I'll catch up!

Thanks!
Troll

Unknown Soldier · 08-25-2013, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

Sorry guys for being so late, but I've so much on at the moment, what with the Marillion Story to write, plus my journals and of course preparing for Metal Month, trying to listen to and review at least two new metal albums a day. It's taking it all out of me!

I'll get my review up asaic but if in the meantime you want to move on to the next one don't let me hold yaz up, I'll catch up!

Thanks!
Troll

I'm not surprised with the amount of journals that you have, remember it's quality over quantity and we don't want you burning out on us.

Anteater · 08-25-2013, 05:41 PM

So I'm next again? If so, I shall once again offer two choices.

Subsignal - Touchstones (2011)

Very VERY classy modern progressive rock/metal from Germany: great vocals, diverse songwriting, interesting themes/lyrical content.

Big Big Train - English Electric (Part Two) (2013)

You guys had the pleasure of getting to listen to/review Part One earlier this year. This album's quite a stunner in its own right, so perhaps you guys would like to complete the journey?

Trollheart · 09-04-2013, 08:27 PM

Guys, if you haven't already figured it out, I'm going to need to take a sabbatical from the club, to concentrate on my work for Metal Month among other things. I'll hook back up with yaz after October. If I find you're reviewing an album I really want to get in on I'll see if I can make the time, but generally just count me out for the next two months and I'll be back once I've run Metal Month.

Thanks for your understanding and best of luck with the next releases!

TH

Trollheart · 10-23-2013, 08:21 PM

So much for my sabbatical! Nobody's posted since I wrote that? Is this club falling apart without me? Not to worry: Metal Month ends on Wednesday so I'll be back to lead you all into a glorious new era of prog then!

Seriously though: no movement at all? Hope it isn't that everyone is losing interest?

We shall see...

Anteater · 10-23-2013, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

So much for my sabbatical! Nobody's posted since I wrote that? Is this club falling apart without me? Not to worry: Metal Month ends on Wednesday so I'll be back to lead you all into a glorious new era of prog then!

Seriously though: no movement at all? Hope it isn't that everyone is losing interest?

We shall see...

Someone reviewed the Subsignal album here a few weeks ago, but for some reason its gone now. Think it was Big Ears. :O

That being said, I guess I just don't inspire participation the way you do TH: sorry.

Trollheart · 11-02-2013, 07:29 AM

Okay, time to get this so-called club under control! Standards have slipped dreadfully while I've been away overseeing Metal Month, but that's going to change!

So (claps hands) who's up with the next album? Come on, don't be shy! Let's get this thing moving again. Come on, come on! Things to do, places to be, journals to write! Chop chop! Let's go...

Izzy Wizzy! Let's get busy!

08-14-2013, 06:52 PM	#501 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	You bastards! I spent time putting that questionnaire together and now you wanna dump it for a fast'n'friendly approach? Meh, do what you want but I think the whole idea of the club is then cheapened if you just fire off quick impressions of the album. I personally thought the questionairre (no, I don't know if it's one n and two rs or the other way round and I'm too tired and lazy to check!) was working. Look at the review Big Ears has done; you want to cut that down to a few paragraphs? When we started this we were all writing reviews, then the format was settled on to make everything more streamlined and to prevent people (like me) going on for pages and pages. Now you want to go the other way? Well I must admit it's becoming hard to find the time for the reviews, so maybe you have a point. Perhaps something like I have in "Bitesize"? Damn! I knew I shouldn't have taken on so much work! At the moment I'm writing an entire review of the French horror drama "The returned" as well as putting Metal Week together for my main journal. Plus my sister is pretty sick this week, which obviously takes time away from my writing. Okay then, let's try it your way, see how it goes. But I'm keeping the league table, of which the latest will be published, er, pretty soon... __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

08-25-2013, 04:29 PM	#504 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Sorry guys for being so late, but I've so much on at the moment, what with the Marillion Story to write, plus my journals and of course preparing for Metal Month, trying to listen to and review at least two new metal albums a day. It's taking it all out of me! I'll get my review up asaic but if in the meantime you want to move on to the next one don't let me hold yaz up, I'll catch up! Thanks! Troll __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

09-04-2013, 08:27 PM	#507 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	Guys, if you haven't already figured it out, I'm going to need to take a sabbatical from the club, to concentrate on my work for Metal Month among other things. I'll hook back up with yaz after October. If I find you're reviewing an album I really want to get in on I'll see if I can make the time, but generally just count me out for the next two months and I'll be back once I've run Metal Month. Thanks for your understanding and best of luck with the next releases! TH __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

10-23-2013, 08:21 PM	#508 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	So much for my sabbatical! Nobody's posted since I wrote that? Is this club falling apart without me? Not to worry: Metal Month ends on Wednesday so I'll be back to lead you all into a glorious new era of prog then! Seriously though: no movement at all? Hope it isn't that everyone is losing interest? We shall see... __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

11-02-2013, 07:29 AM	#510 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,992	I'm baaaaackkkk! Okay, time to get this so-called club under control! Standards have slipped dreadfully while I've been away overseeing Metal Month, but that's going to change! So (claps hands) who's up with the next album? Come on, don't be shy! Let's get this thing moving again. Come on, come on! Things to do, places to be, journals to write! Chop chop! Let's go... *Izzy Wizzy! Let's get busy!* __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018