AD (USA)
Time Line; Art of the State; Reconstructions; Prime Mover;
Prime Mover II; Live
The guitarist, keyboard player, and songwriter for the pioneering progressive rock group Kansas, Kerry Livgren went solo and later formed a tight band that was stuck in relative obscurity on a Christian music label. AD wadssas probably the most well known progressive band on a Christian label out there. Not as creative or progressive as Kansas, AD had its moments, and all four albums have some great songs. As we would expect with Livgren, there are excellent lyrics throughout, although some of the music has a slightly dated 80's AOR sound. The albums Time Line and Prime Move II are probably the most Kansas-like, with classics High on a Hill and Welcome to the War, as well as a new version of Portrait Many people favor AotS for its continuity, but there are a couple of songs on there that kind of annoy me (like We Are the Men!) despite some great songs like The Fury. Reconstructions is a solid album, but a bit repetitive and busy musically, although it does contain the mellow gem No Standing and some of Kerry's most intelligent and esoteric lyrics. I actually like the first side of Prime Mover best of all the AD stuff, and I imagine the re-released PMII (re-recorded with some new songs including the Kansas song Chasing Shadows) is even better, although I have yet to hear it. Of course, much of Prime Mover is supposed to be left over Kansas songs, so that may be why I like it, and it has Portrait II, the Christianized version of the classic song from Point of Know Return. AD certainly has their place in Christian prog history, and there is no question Kerry Livgren is a brilliant songwriter. See Kerry Livgren for more related music. More information and CD's can be found at http://www.numavox.com. {dt}
Beyond Our Bounds (07)
Ad Astra is Doug Bowers (keyboards, vocals) of KBD3 fame, along with Chris Flynn (guitars, bass, and vocals), Mitch Rall (drums and vocals), and Steve Spayde (lead guitars). Sounding a bit like Marillion and packing a no-compromise Christian lyrical punch, Ad Astra is a welcome newcomer to the Christian prog genre. All the songs are highlighted by Bower's tasteful 70's vintage synth leads, as well as tight guitar and drums and solid vocals. Highlights of the album include the opener Liberty, the title track (which features the crew of Apollo 8 reading from Genesis), Spirit Wars, which picks up the tempo with heavier guitars, the catchy Severe Mercy, the beautiful guitar instrumental Ed Spence, and the jamming closer Angle of Repose, which features ex-Kansas member Dave Hope on bass and some great guitar and keyboard solos. Ad Astra is a side project of the worship team at Immanuel Anglican Church in Destin Florida, where Dave Hope is a pastor. To check them out, go to http://www.dougbowersmusic.com/
Welcome to the Soul Farm (unreleased - due late 00)
Aeon's Promise is a band from Virginia that mixes heavy rock and prog influences with fairly upfront Christian lyrics. The band describes their influences as a mix of Yes, Hendrix, King Crimson, Soungarden and Stevie Ray Vaughan. I would liken it to Dire Straights on some sort of mind altering substance. Some of the songs have a southern hard rock feel, with standard rock rythms and a bluesy delivery by vocalist John Layne, who sounds a lot like Mark Knoppfler. A few songs are layered in organ and synth swells like Party in the Sky and I'll Praise You Lord, and Love's Gate, Garden Girl and the title track include some lilting spoken word vocals over a sparse musical bed in places. It's not really progressive music in the classic sense, but there enough keyboard flourishes on songs like What is the Shadow to keep the listener interested. The title track guitar sounds like a cross between Yes' Owner of a Lonely Heart and Dire Straights Money For Nothing. The musicians seem competent if not overly adventurous, and the lyrics are somewhat earthy rather than intellectually deep. If you like blues with your prog, you might enjoy Aeon's Promise. You can sample some tunes from their forthcoming album on their website at: www.soundclick.com/aeonspromise
After The Fire (a.k.a. ATF) (UK)
Signs of Change
80's synth-pop vets ("Der Kommissar's in town, oh oh..") first effort was a progressive, keyboard based album. They are led by their keyboard wizard Peter "Memory" Banks (not the same guy that was in Yes), Andy Piercy (Now a UK Worship artist with John Clifton, producer for Delirious). If you can find Signs of Change, score it. The other albums are 80's keyboard oriented pop, although there are a few cool songs mixed in to the rabble. Banks and guitarist John Russell also founded the Christian prog band Narnia that released one album in 1973. {dt}
After The Fire's first album Signs of Change is NOT to be compared with the rest of their work. It is a clear masterpiece, definitely progressive, although I would classify it more as Symphonic Rock. It makes heavy use of the Hammond C3 and Moogs, but this is not reason to discount the guitars which fill in quite nicely with the rest. It's, as opposed to much other progressive music, very "happy" and "glad", and very varied. It's definitely a must-have. {josef garvi}
After The Fire is probably more known for their three excellent UK-released techno-pop/new wave lps and the hit 'Der Kommissar', but for their premier custom project the original line-up of Peter Banks (keyboards), Nick Battle (bass), Andy Piercy (guitar), and Iva Twydell (drums) was hobnobbing with the synth-driven art rock sounds of groups like Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Though Banks' multi-faceted quirky synthesizer sounds are readily recognized and still the driving force behind their trademark sound, the context is entirely different. Most all the album's six or so (they meld together) songs extend into the 7-10 minute range with lengthy instrumental breaks. Lyrically it's more "overtly Christian" then their ensuing albums. It's fairly outstanding stuff, professionally done. {one way}
I just plain like this CD, I admit it's got some weaknesses. Strengths are: Great keyboard work, some beautiful musical passages, Christian Lyrics, clearly died in the wool prog, very weird vocals* (fitting for a prog band), and vocals buried in the mix*. Weaknesses are: Perhaps the two items listed as strengths with asterisks above, and the keyboards could've been recorded better. While not a pop recording by any means, it occasionally sounds reminiscent of 80's pop (interesting since this was recorded in 1978). {M.T}
Aerial View (03)
Aerial View is a Christian classic rock-metal band from California. They sound a bit like a slightly more progressive version of Petra. The production quality is excellent for a self-produced CD. The band is made up of Aaron MacMillan on vocals, guitars, and keys; Steve Wilburn on lead guitar; Radu Filip on bass, and Rob Santello on drums. It's a decent album, if not particularly progressive and somewhat musically restrained. For what it is, classic rock, it's pretty good: these guys are tight, they write good songs with good lyrics, and they are well recorded. If this band hit the Christian scene in the early 80's, they would be huge. Unfortunately, they are a couple of decades too late. Listen to some samples from their website. {dt}
Light at the End of the Tunnel
Light at the End of the Tunnel is the extremely promising debut album by Ajalon, a tasty Christian-themed neo-prog trio out of Seattle that was originally distributed by Rick Wakeman's Hope Records. Ajalon is a Hebrew word that means "grace in the midst of fire," which is a good summation of the band's sound. They mix instrumental virtuosity with solid choruses and memorable melodies, a must for fans of bands like Marillion, Pendragon, and the Alan Parsons Project. The Illusion of Permanence starts the CD off - a lilting prog epic that sounds very much like Hogarth Marillion or mid-model Genesis. The lyrics convey the same message as the old Kansas epic Dust in the Wind, that life is short, but Ajalon makes it clear that there is only one path to eternal life. Spiritual Fire, a song about cleaning out your idols and getting on with God, and Girl on a Swing, which deals with loneliness and fulfillment, are both on the poppier side of prog. A Thief in the Night is probably my favorite song on the album, a driving prog epic with a heavy Squire-ish bass riff and an upbeat tempo and lyrics that pull no punches as they remind lukewarm hearts that they are still under the watchful gaze of God. The record then sinks into a couple of songs that are somewhat more pop than prog, along the lines of the Alan Parsons Project. The title track moves back into the prog realm with some fairly evangelistic lyrics about man's need for salvation. The album finishes out with an 18-minute epic called The Long Road Home. The spoken word verses are a bit tedious, but the concept works pretty good, and you can't call it anything but progressive rock. Over all, Ajalon has made a tasteful, well produced neo-prog album that you find yourself listening to often, and the songs and melodies stick with you. My only complaint is that the lyrics are somewhat predictable at times, although that's just my personal esoteric taste. They are talented musicians, and I really enjoyed seeing them play live once in Seattle. Light at the End of the Tunnel is available for sale through Ajalon's web site: www.ajalon.net (dt)
Ajalon's sophomore album, On the Threshold of Eternity, has finally been released after a long long wait. Was it worth the wait? You bet. More mature and satisfying than their debut, Threshold is a solid disc recorded by a band really hitting their stride. Randy George, also known as Neal Morse's bass player and one of the producer's of the CPR compilation CD's, is the multi-instrumentalist of the band. Wil Henderson provides the clear, vibrant lead vocals and Dan Lyle lays down the solid drum tracks. I was fortunate enough to get to hear some of the skeleton versions of these songs a few years back while visiting Randy in Seattle, and I have to say they have really come to fruition. While the record was a painful birth, the extra time needed to finish it also enabled the band to enlist the help of some fabulous guest musicians, including music legends Rick Wakeman, Phil Keaggy, and Neal Morse. This album is definitely on the "must have" list for Christian progressive rock CD's.
The record kicks off with an orchestral Celtic-tinged instrumental, Anthem of the Seventh Day, highlighted by some nice guitar solos by Randy George. It makes a nice lead in for The Promised Land. With the soaring vocals of Henderson out front, this is basically an acoustic flavored rock song about heaven with repeating choruses and a long instrumental finale that rocks out. Next is one of my favorites from the demos, the proggy Sword of Goliath. Busting out with a cool synth driven intro and a fat bass line as a foundation, the song is a heart cry for spiritual refreshment that gets you moving. Holy Spirit Fire follows that up. Here Phil Keaggy makes his debut with some lead vocals and acoustic guitar. Its basically a pop song, with a CCM friendly chorus that could be a hit on more adventurous CCM stations (and the first song I picked to play on my radio show): There's a Holy Spirit fire pouring out in the latter rain - breath in your freedom, dance away from your chains. It's a catchy song that you find yourself singing along to, with a bit of a Bruce Hornsby feel. Next is Psalm 61, which is based obviously on a Biblical psalm, a different arrangement of an old worship chorus that I grew up on. I've always liked the words, and its a great interpretation of it: not exactly rocking, but very worshipful and reverent, with a somewhat orchestral arrangement. That's followed up by What Kind of Love, a song first seen on the CPR Volume 1 CD. It's a strong song, very progressive, made stronger in the context of the rest of the CD (for some reason I appreciate it more here than I did on the compilation). Rick Wakeman of Yes fame appears to provide some lightening fast keyboard solos that highlight the song. Next is another catchy tune called the Highway, about staying on course in your life of faith. This is another one that I think is hit material, with great lyrics and a melody that is nearly unshakeable from your head. It sounds like a 70's classic, much like Dust in the Wind and other mellower rock anthems. Like their debut, this record then diverges away from the poppier side of prog into two long epics. Forever I am starts off with finger picked guitar and some almost spoken word lyrics for a couple of minutes which is basically a testimony about the salvation experience. Once the chorus kicks in, the brooding song picks with George's cool bass groove and more of Rick Wakeman's fat Mini-moog solos interspersed with guitar solos, Irish whistles, and nice piano work. After that ten-minute epic, the band really gets going with their 16 minute opus title track. With a nod to Genesis' Supper's Ready and guest vocals by Spock's Beard's Neal Morse as the voice of God, On the Threshold of Eternity is the capstone of the disc. I won't say much except to say that the song grips you and doesn't let you go, packed with a progressive and spiritual payload that will have you banging your dashboard and wiping the tears at the same time. There's a bonus song on the disc that was recorded for a Moody Blues tribute. While the song is great, it actually diminishes the disc a tad by following a bit too close after the finale.
Ajalon has cemented themselves as one of the leaders of the CPROG movement, and one can only hope that they are a natural fit to headline the next Neal Morse world tour so that the rest of the world can experience the jewel that's been hiding out in the Emerald City live. For more on Ajalon, visit http://www.ajalon.net and http://www.cprogrock.com {Dave Taylor, 8/05}
An Other Life (03)
I'm always ecstatic when new prog bands emerge, especially ones that are original sounding, creative, and spiritually minded. So I was overjoyed to receive a promo of Akacia's debut album, An Other Life. Billed as "Progressive Rock with Spirit" Akacia lives up to the hype. It's both quite progressive and the lyrics don't shy away from themes of faith and deliverance. Musically, Akacia has a unique, free-flowing, fusion-tinged style lifted from the early 70's progressive and psychedelic movement. Their songs are long and detailed, with lots of clean guitar riffs and nice synth and organ interludes upheld by a competent rhythm section. Comparisons are hard to make, because they are pretty original sounding. In some ways it reminds me somewhat of very early Kansas, without the violins. The vocals by Eric Naylor sound a bit like Ty Tabor of King's X, clean and soaring and pleasant to listen to. Even the lyrics sound like they were written in the early 70's, with a pure simplicity that echoes some of Phil Keaggy's Christian work with Glass Harp. Mike Tenenbaum, the principal songwriter, plays adequate, inspired lead guitar and adds some tasteful keyboard playing. His guitar solos rip, especially the extended jam on Hold Me. Doug Meadows and Steve Stortz round out the band with solid drum and bass playing, respectively. My only beef with this album is the cover art, which looks cheesy. Otherwise, this album is highly recommended.
The album's four tracks are:
- An Other Life - 16:36
- An Other Day
- Dust You Are
- Your Calling
- I Look Out
- No Other Life
- Mary - 6:41
- Hold Me - 11:02
- Journal - 22:41
- The High Call of God
- Dance of Days
- The Visceral Melee
- Weight of Glory
- The Beatific Vision
- Mystery
- Sands
- Insufficient Gratitude
If you want to preview a couple songs, surf on over to Silent Planet Promotions:
http://silentplanetpromotions.com/radio.asp?band=akaciaIn addition, Akacia's web site is located at http://www.akacia.net {dt 1-21-03}
Alaska (98)
Alaska is an American symphonic progressive duo, with award winning drummer Al Lewis and keyboard player John O'Hara, who plays in the Keith Emerson/Eddie Jobson vein. For being a duo, they have a full sound, and it's a very pleasing aural experience for the progressive music fan. The CD starts out kind of mellow, but gains momentum as it goes, culminating in the excellent Tiananmen Square and Forests of Heaven, two keyboard riff heavy epics. The sounds and samples O'Hara uses are tasteful, and although the album suffers from the lack of a lead guitarist, the music is fairly original sounding. The vocals, however, are another matter. Lewis has a great voice, it just suffers from sounding nearly identical to Jon Anderson's. So the Yes-clone labels may be accurate, although musically, they really don't sound like Yes, being much more symphonic. Lyrically, they definitely fit the 'spiritual' bill, with references to God on many of the tracks. For instance, the ballad Caring has the lines:
Where caring goes, love and peace follow, without it how cold even justice would be
Where caring lives He smiles from above, and when caring is born He forgives
I recommend the album, and am looking forward to a follow up. {dt}
Always Almost (USA)
Still; God Pounds His Nails
Former echolyn mates Weston and Kull team up for what really isn't a prog band at all, more like Zeppelin-Grunge-Prog. GPHN has a nice cover of a Gentle Giant song on it, some veiled references to God, and a song with the f word on it. The album rocks out, and has some great melodies. I happen to like the album, but for the prog fan it may be more of a curiousity, appealing to modern music fans wanting something more creative than Foo Fighters. Home page: http://www.online.to/alwaysalmost/ {dt}
Voice in the Light (07)
New prog metal supergroup, featuring D.C. Cooper (Royal
Hunt) on vocals, Gary Wehrkamp (Shadow Gallery) on guitar and keyboards, Kurt
Barabas (Under the Sun) on bass, and Nick D'Virgilio (Spock's Beard, Genesis,
Tears For Fears) on drums. A key contributor to the project is executive
producer and lyricist John W. Crawford. Voice In The Light, a “faith
based” concept album dealing with one man’s search for answers following a near
death experience, drawing its storyline and lyrical direction from Crawford’s
novel of the same title. More details can be found at:
www.johnwcrawford.com/index.html. For fans of Shadow Gallery,
Dream Theater, Kansas, Royal Hunt, Spock's Beard, etc. Check out some
songs on their Myspace presence:
http://www.myspace.com/amaransplight
Voice in the Light track listing:
1. Room 316
2. Friends Forever
3. Coming of Age
4. Incident at Haldeman's Lake
I. Blades of Denial
II. Death by Circumstance
III. Breath of Life
5. Reflections Pt. I
6. I Promise
7. Consummation Opus
8. Tragedy in Truth
9. Shattered Dreams
10. Viper
11. Betrayed by Love
12. Turning Point
13. Revelation
America Gommorrah (USA)
Exchanging the Truth for a Lie
Gene Crout's prog-metal band that combines Galactic Cowboys, Dream Theater, and Kansas sounds to form a very spiritually minded hard rocking epic album. These guys are extremely tight, excellent musicians. The production work is top notch (which is surprising for a self-produced album, I guess modern technology really is leveling the playing field). It's not way up there on the progginess scale, but neither is King's X, which I happen to adore (not that AG sounds particularly like KX), but there are lots of nice riffs to chew on. All in all, I think this is something that will grace my CD player a lot when I get around to buying a copy. With full-length mp3's available to sample at http://www.americagomorrah.com/home.html , these guys have a pretty original hard rock/progressive sound that will grab you. So do yourself a favor, and check them out.
Ancient Hero (USA, IN)
A decent new progressive metal band out of Indiana, Ancient Hero has a promising 4-song demo released that you can listen to on their website at http://www.ancienthero.net . Lyrics are clearly from a Christian perspective, with songs like End of the Age and Face of Grace. They present the gospel in a unique way on their web page through a 'Story' presented there that ties into their available songs. The four songs are an even sampling of melodic metal and rock ballads, with standard prog-metal meanderings. The singer is good, with more of a standard rock voice than the operatic metal thing. Definitely worth investigating if you like prog-metal. (5/5/03)
Anderson, Jon (UK, USA)
Olias of Sunhillow; Song of Seven; Animation; Three Ships
(w/Vangelis) Short Stories; Friends of Mr. Cairo; Horizons;
Page of Life
Always a spiritual guy, Jon Anderson has wallowed in various camps over the years. For a while in the late 70's/early 80's Jon dabbled pretty seriously with Christian themes in his lyrics, and even penned a song (Awaken from Yes' Going for the One) based on a Christian novel series (Calvin's The Singer, The Song, etc). Most of his solo stuff isn't as overtly progressive as Yes. Jon flirted with themes about Christ on his lyrics to Animation, Song of Seven and his Vangelis stuff from The Friends of Mr. Cairo, and Short Stories, although he hints of his new age philosophies even then. Three Ships is one of the best Christmas albums ever, with an album full of songs about Christ. It features Trevor Rabin, Vangelis, and other artists, along with a great duet with gospel great Cece Wynan. There's a number of original Christmas songs on there, inlcuding the splendid Where Were You. You've got to love his clear, angelic voice even if you wonder what planet he is on at times. He recently sang a duet with CCM band 4-Him on the album Streams that has become quite popular on Christian radio, a media Jon recently claimed he has been listening to exclusively since 9-11. Jon also has a project in the works with guitarists Robin Crow and Phil Keaggy that is due to see the light of day sometime. Over the years, his theology has leaned more toward the New Age, and Jon admits he is not a Christian on his Opio website.
See also Yes. {dt}
Gallery
A Yes and Rush influenced neo-prog band with the trademark soaring high voice, intricate keyboard work and melodies, and introspective, spiritual (with a Christian slant), and poetic (although nearly undecipherable at times without the liner notes) lyrics. I love the disc, although the production isn't great (a little muddy in places). It stayed in my disc player for quite a while. If you like that style of prog, you'll like this album a lot, at least if you can find a copy of it. E-mail me and I may be able to point you in the right direction, although their CD's are scarce. At one time I heard that Animator's lead singer is teaming up with a member of 70's prog group Starcastle to form a new progressive band called Lush, with a new CD due out in 2000, but it never materialized. Also, former members of Animator and Farewell to Juliet have formed a tasty Christian alternative band called Ping. {dt}
Antioch (USA - CA)
Seven from Heaven
Interesting Rush-like dynamic progressive rock band that is very up-front about their faith in Christ. You can download samples of their cd and order it online at http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/184/antioch.html {dt}
Warrior (80); Look Up (83); Live at Rivendell Café
The Warrior album started it all off for me, as far as progressive rock with a heavy spiritual vibe. I bought it on site unheard after finding it on a shelf tucked away in the back of a bookstore, based purely on the band photos and song titles. Warrior is a timeless folk-prog masterpiece in the vein of Jethro Tull or Focus. The lyrics are in-your-face stuff like Keith Green mixed with Tolkien imagery, and the music is organic and ethereal with woodwinds and lots of guitar and keyboards. Side one, Wind Face, is more acoustic (with the exception of the opener, Warrior and March of the Ents) while the Fire Face contains the more rocking tunes like Morning's Anthem and culminating in the revelation-laced rocker The Ark. The Rivendell album is more acoustic, and most of the songs are from Kemper Crabb's (see also Atomic Opera) medieval-folk solo album The Vigil. The CD was recently re-released with two live bonus tracks on it. Check Rad Rockers (http://www.radrockers.com) for availability. Rad Rockers is also releasing Arkangel's debut art-rock album on CD soon, Look Up, which was originally only pressed on 1000 vinyl copies. Rumor has it that it is more rock and less prog than Warrior. Kemper also has released a CD of rarities from the post-Arkangel era called Flotsam and Jetsam. {dt}
Aslan (UK)
Paws for thought (76); Second Helpings (77)
Not to be confused with some American groups of the same name, this is a very obscure UK album of simple unpretentious progressive British folk, a genre that has been sadly overlooked among Christian collectors. Not so among collectors in general who've discovered the beauty and charm of albums like this. When you do catch on you're gonna be bummed big time since the price of UK private pressings has skyrocketed through the roof. Layered vocals, acoustic guitars, autoharp, flute, recorder, glockenspiel, tandem harmonies all work together to set the mood here. Good renditions of Graham Kendrick and Parchment tunes plus several originals, some in the vein of old- time traditional English folk. In some ways they remind me of Parchment's best moments, minus the electric components, resulting in a warm acoustic sound. 'Beauty' is a poem of the beauty of God and His creation recited over acoustic guitar. Their acappella rendition of 'The King' tops even Steeleye Span's version. Pity that more people can't appreciate albums like this.There's something about these delicate British guy/gal folk groups - a certain magic in the air that fills their music with an undeniable charm. Second Helpings is even more endearing than the excellent Paws For Thought, with more original songwriting. My heart melts as they casually stroll through 'The Ballad Of Thomas Cook', cruise 'Earthbound' and waltz gracefully through the 'Song of The Seasons'. All the instruments from Paws return - the glockenspiel and autoharp in particular combined with the quaint harmonies give Asian their refreshingly unique identity {one-way}
Atomic Opera (USA - TX)
For Madmen Only; Penguin Dust
Prog-metal of King's X or the Galactic Cowboys ilk with Kemper Crabb of Arkangel's medieval overtones and mandolins thrown in on Penguin Dust and Gospel Cola, their two best. {dt}
Here's another Houston band joining the ranks of the Galactic Cowboys and King's X. Discovered by the same notable producer - Sam Taylor. And, as with the aforementioned bands, he was eventually dispatched for different management. Penguin Dust is the '97 release of AO and it has Kemper Crabb of Arkangel fame joining in on mandolin. This is definitely a groove oriented album with some extremely intelligent and challenging lyrics by AO front man Frank Hart. AO had a previous release called For Madmen Only that was more metallic in nature. Which brings us to Alpha and Oranges, a collection of demos made with Sam Taylor before For Madmen Only and it is quite obvious that Sam produced at as it sounds like AO would sneak in after the King's X recording sessions of their self-titled album and use the same set-up and record. Yes, my friends this is the best King's X cloning I have ever heard (even better than LoveWar). When I heard the first few chords I couldn't contain my laughter - same groove, same drums, same thick bass, and similar guitar (nobody can cop Ty). There is a song called Magic Castle, which has the exact same intro as Goldilox off Out of the Silent Planet - you won't believe your ears that they would try to get away with this. Some of the solos on this album could have been on Out of the Silent Planet as well. Well, I guess it proves who was behind the early King's X sound and how much dominance Taylor had in the group. It also explains the departure from that sound since Taylor left the band. However, Alpha and Oranges does show how far the band has progressed (no pun intended) with their release of Penguin Dust, which proves they have definitely found their own identity. And with the addition of Kemper Crabb have added quite a bit of spice and color to what was previously dry sound. But don't get me wrong, Alpha and Oranges are some of the best sounding demos you'll ever hear. {Ken Vaughn 9/99}
Blood of the Lamb (76)
Tom Autry's second lp has some definite high points. 'Blood Of The Lamb', 'I Want To Set You Free' and the instrumental 'Sacrifice' are all beautiful moody pieces featuring spacy synths - essentially early versions of new age music that'd be right at home on a Jeff Johnson or Bo Hansson album. Most of the album, however, fits into the contemporary gospel and ballads format. Still, the aforementioned tunes justify obtaining this unusual classic CCM lp. {one way}
Sanctified; Into Thy Hands; (as One Hundred Days/The
Obvious) Counting By Heads
The Awakening was a Yes-like band from Canada, and their album Into Thy Hands is a classic, and it includes a Yes cover song, Onward. It is one of the most progressive albums ever released on a major Christian label. Containing direct yet thoughtful lyrics and excellent musicianship and harmonies, the album is well produced and still gets a lot of spins on my cd player a decade after it came out. I would put this album high on the want list. Think of a slightly watered down version of Yes, with less virtuosity but more tuneful songs. Sanctified is more immature and is not really essential. They also have a first album out there somewhere, but I haven't seen a copy yet. Into Thy Hands shows up on a lot of used Christian cd sites, so you may be able to pick up a copy for a reasonable price. The band changed over time, and the One Hundred Days stuff is more mainstream rock, although the Counting By Heads album contains the unreleased final Awakening songs and is quite good and fairly proggy in places. {dt}
Help (1970)
One of the first Christian progressive/psych rock bands, Azitis broke new ground with their 1970 release Help. Swirling organs, fuzzed out guitars, and Glass Harp style vocals frame epic songs about creation, the fall, judgment and revelation. The CD was recently re-released on Millinium Records, and info and samples are available on their website at: http://www.geocities.com/azitis1970/AZITIS.htm
Ci
Azure Circle's first CD has been one of the most satisfying purchases I've made this year. Clearly progressive rock, this will appeal to fans of Yes, and other prog artists of that ilk. The influence from Yes is unmistakable, but they're not a Yes clone. Great musicianship. I found my initial perception was that the songs were excellent and no player stood out, apart from solos. The more I listen, the more I hear some great individual playing, but they're performing in service to the music overall. This reminds me Salem Hill's Sweet Hope Suite, where the music just seems to become more than the sum of it's parts and the parts all seem to serve the music. Lyrically, Azure Circle writes from a decidedly Christian perspective. Their lyrics are worshipful and contemplative. They can be checked out at http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/141/azure1.html The three samples are great, but IMHO there's even richer prog on the CD. (Mike Tenenbaum)
I sampled the three songs on mp3.com and thought they were quite good. It reminded me a bit of Marillion with Michael McDonald of the Doobies doing vocals. Tasty stuff. The cd can be purchased at http://www.cdbaby.com for those interested. (d.t)
In 2000, four young college guys produced the album “Circle”. I had no clue that the members of Azure were so young. While listening, their music took me back to the early days of Genesis. They have very original melodies, surprising arrangements, and are sometimes very progressive. “Siren Song”, a 9 minute piece, will thrill every early Genesis fan. Also, “I am," “Searching,” and the title song, “Circle,” are little masterpieces. The lyrics tend to be in the form of worship and prayers. I’m very curious about the future of this band! {Patrick Vogelaar}