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This band/album is a unique case. We are talking about the idea of keyboard player Andy Tillison (member of the prog band Parallel Or 90 Degrees) to gather many famous and talented musicians form different countries and... decades and put them play together in one album. I know that you might say that we are fed up with "super-groups", but the case here is different: Not much promotion, no buzz around their names, just the need to accomplish their artistic needs. And to be honest therefore the result is impressive indeed.
We get four songs (each one divided in various parts) of prog rock that blink the eye to the classical british 70's scene but tread on modern prog rock too. Apart from Tillison here play David Jackson (Van Der Graaf Generator), Ronie Stolt, Jonas Reingold, Zoltan Csorsz (Flower Kings) and Guy Manning. It would be confining to just put on their approach the mark "prog rock", because the talented musicians add jazz and new age elements all over the album.
The most enjoyable part during the CD is when they resort to improvisations, which make us lose contact with reality by travelling us far-far away (something that is enhanced by the marvellous cover-artwork, which shows how a "package" becomes attractive...). I recollect such a magical musical fantasy travel since Camel's "Snow Goose".
As a matter of fact I can describe the music as the perfect amalgam of Camel, Yes, Flower Kings, Enchant, ELP, Marillion.... presented under a modern prism. By the way I have to mention that it is not an instrumental album - on the contrary vocal melodies play a crucial role, but are present only when needed and are used as one more instrument to add valuable strocks of the brush on the painting.
I definitely suggest it to all prog fans, but also to those who are looking for musical ways to escape. This is the album of the month for you, progsters!
by Alex Savatianos 8,5/10
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