[Review] Mastodon - Once More 'Round The Sun

Mastodon are back and ready to get messy with another collection of experimental rock and roll and prog metal hybrids. After narrowing things down with their last album, the Atlantan band takes a step back to their roots with their latest release.
"Once More 'Round The Sun" shows the band working further on the sound of "The Hunter", but the result is much more spontaneous and wild. The band still retains some part of the formula, they generally don't stray too far from the verse-chorus-bridge blueprint, but when they do they really shine. "'Round The Sun" repeats the formula of headbanging verses and explosive, melodic choruses, albeit with a little less polish than they've done in the past.
Most of the album will sound a little bit familiar if you listened to "The Hunter" in depth but it feels more rough and messy. Even though Mastodon are heading further in the direction of their last album they aren't afraid to look into their past. Some of the songs have little hints of their earlier stuff, and while they are not as aggressive or fast paced it's still the roughest they've done in the last 8 years of their career.

Mastodon have never really been just a metal band and this album differentiates them more than ever, "'Round The Sun" is a modern rock and roll record with a taste of metal, progressive rock and stoner rock. Songs like "High Road" and the title track retain the narrowed down nature of their last release, but songs in the second half of the album are more spacey and progressive, and the closer track is probably the most "spread out" song they've written since "Blood Mountain".
Fans of their first three albums will probably welcome "Sun" with open arms, but I couldn't help but feel this album doesn't have the staying power of "Leviathan" or even "Remission". Some of the songs felt a little underwhelming or lacking, and at times I was wishing they would just let themselves loose. Brann Dailor seems to be the only member who's allowed to get crazy all the time and sometimes his drumming is what keeps the songs interesting when the rest of the music isn't on par.
Vocals have never been the band's strongest element and this album is no exception, their solos generally convey much more emotion and their riffs more fury and energy. The highest spots on this album (at least for me) are the instrumental passages on "The Motherload" and the outro to "Halloween". Actually I even enjoyed the introduction and the ending of "Chimes at Midnight" more than the song itself.
"Once More 'Round The Sun" may not be Mastodon's strongest effort, but at least they haven't lost the will to try new things.

Rating: decent

For fans of: metal (the crazier kind), stoner rock

Accessibility: average

Highlights: "The Motherload", "Ember City", Brann Dailor's drumming.

[Review] John Frusciante - Enclosure

I’ve been a fan of John Frusciante since my high school days when I was a big follower of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, back then I was blown away by the lo-fi production of his half acoustic, half electronic folk albums like “Shadows Collide With People” or “From The Sound Inside” compared to the stadium rock of the Peppers. I was fascinated by how dark, emotive and personal his music was and watching him tackle different genres and musical styles in the last 10 or so years has been really interesting.

After John’s departure from the Red Hot Chili Peppers he has undoubtedly been experimenting with new tools and learning a lot about sound processing, synthetizers and all kinds of modern tools he used to avoid when recording his first records. The last three releases lead us to the album we are reviewing today, “Enclosure” is his most elaborate and cohesive release since 2009′s “The Empyrean”, a direct evolution of “PBX Funicular Intaglio Zone”, “Enclosure” combines processed guitars, drum machines and synthetizers (and of course John’s vocals) to create a collection of shapeshifting, progressive synth rock/jazz hybrids.

For those who haven’t listened to John’s recent work it should be clarified that “Enclosure” is in now way comparable to his work with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, there’s so many elements falling into place at the same time it might take the listener some time before the album comes alive; like most (good) progressive music, “Enclosure” felt underwhelming at first but with repeated listens I got used to the intertwining synths and warped guitar solos, the always changing drum grooves and subtle synth layers on the background.

Most of the songs on the album are synth driven but others like “Stage” and “Cinch” feature long guitar solos that are very representative of John’s current approach to the guitar, just like drums all over the album he accelerates and deaccelerates constantly, as if the songs shifted between two solos being played at the same time, and his reverb heavy tone fits the moody atmosphere of the album perfectly. I found “Stage” to be one of the most moving tracks on the album despite only having a few verses before John’s soloing kicks in and takes over the song.

There’s no doubt now that John has learned quite a few tricks since leaving the Peppers and that he’s constantly evolving and refining his sound, so I can only be excited at what he will release next, in any case the longevity of this album should keep you entertained for a good while.

Ranking: highly recommended

For fans of: synth pop/rock, experimental music in general

Accessibility: requires repeated listens

Highlights: “Sleep”, “Stage”

[Review] Cynic - Kindly Bent To Free Us

California based prog metal band Cynic is back with their third album in 21 years, yes, it's been 21 years since Cynic released "Focus" back in 1993. While Nirvana was in the spotlight and Metallica was still touring their most commercially succesful album (don't get the idea that I like Metallica), Cynic released the influential debut which originally received mixed-to-bad reviews from the metal scene. Cynic cited the backlash as one of the reasons for their break up in 1994, but when they returned from their sleep more than a decade later, metal had gone a long way since 1993 and "Focus" had become a cult classic, inspiring bands like Scale The Summit and Between The Buried And Me.

Fifteen years after the release of "Focus" came "Traced In Air", which was a direct continuation of the sound of their debut album (only a little softer), and was generally well received by fans of "Focus" and progressive metal in general. A series of experiments with the softer and more melodic side of the band came later ("Re-Traced", a reimagining of "Traced in Air", and an EP titled "Carbon Based Anatomy), which bring us to the release we are looking at today.

"Kindly Bent To Free Us" is the culmination of around 5 years of experimentation, and though it retains the sound and textures of their previous work it also makes away with the heavier guitar work and harsh vocals of "Focus" and "Traced in Air". The music remains moderately complex, the drums are groovy and constant and there's still guitar solos here and there, but Cynic no longer sounds like a metal band. With a runtime of just over 40 minutes the album feels a little short for a 6 years wait and it's 8 songs are over too soon even with a 5 minute average lenght.

The lyrics are someplace between spiritual (there's a little excerpt of a speech by Alan Watts) and just cryptic, but with a little imagination you can make something out of them (except the lyrics in "True Hallucination Speak", which sound just like that). The vocals retain the robotic and cold style of their previous albums, if a bit more melodic, but the main strength of the "Kindly Bent To Free Us" is the instrumental section.

Guitars, bass and drums never outshine each other, not even during solos, so the music feels generally complete and engaging, like some kind of futuristic version of a rock band from the 70's. The zeppelinesque riffs (yes, that's apparently a commonly used term), the sweet fretless bass and a  good use of ghost notes give the songs a pleasant sense of speed and groove, and while the music is generally a little cold the album certainly climaxes with the song "Moon Heart Sun Head", a 5 and a half minutes little progressive piece.

Cynic may not have reinvented themselves, they rather disposed of half of the elements that composed their early sound, but the end result doesn't feel limited, if anything it leaves them a lot of ground to explore.

Ranking: recommended

For fans of:  modern prog rock, post rock

Accessibility: moderate

Highlights: "Moon Heart Sun Head", "The Lion's Roar"

[Review] Protest The Hero - Volition

Canadian progressive-mathcore-metal band Protest The Hero are back with their crowdfunded follow up to 2011's "Scurrilous", with Chris Adler of Lamb of God replacing Moe Carlson on drums and a number of guests on vocals (including long time contributor Jadea Kelly), their new album "Volition" takes them on yet another new direction. Whereas "Scurrilous" was dark, sad and instrumentally spacey at times, "Volition" is compressed, fast and agressive. While it feels than none of the songs in "Volition" are as epic in scale or exhilarating as "Blindfolds Aside", "Sequoia Throne" or "Hair Trigger" the album is enjoyable at all levels from beginning to end.

The album is both lyrically and instrumentally diverse, adressing discrimination and misogyny at one moment and stepping on the toes of dishonest musicians the next and the unending "Star Wars vs Star Trek" debate. It also features what is probably the most agressive song Protest The Hero has released: "A Life Embossed", with "Animal Bones" a close second.

The album sees the return of PtH's (post)hardcore roots in many of it's songs, with the closer "Skies" being the perfect example (specially in the second half). The constant jump between unhindered aggression and attractive choruses keeps the album fresh at all times and vocalist Rody Walker's range is one of the main attractions. In short, PtH has managed once again to keep things fresh in a genre often bloated with carbon-copy bands, while mantaing a high standard of quality in the whole album. it may take as long as 10 listens before the album really sinks in, because of everything it throws at you at the same time, but once it does it's immensely rewarding.

9/10

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[Review] Karnivool - Asymmetry

Karnivool is a prog rock/metal quintet from Perth that has often been compared to Tool by a number of reasons, musical or not; their dark sound, sometimes cryptic lyrics, polyrythms and odd time signatures have drawn comparisons between both. Curiously enough they share the last three letters out of their names and a tendency to take 4 or 5 years between releases.

But how deep do these similarities go? Well, Karnivool has made certain that they draw a line between both bands with their new record, Asymmetry.

The band has incorporated a few elements from hardcore and post rock, the songs are mostly fast, equally melodic and agressive, the guitar arrangements often sound loose and more like part of the background sound of the band than something that is meant to draw attention, leaving that role to vocals and drums. Both guitars and bass mix and melt into a wall of sound that surrounds the listener. The production contributes to this feeling, even when there's not a lot of layers to pick apart, the guitars are often hard to tell from each other in the noisiest parts, and drums feel like they are mixed too loud, with cymbals that sound too distorted and trebly.

Overall the album pays homage to it's name. Asymmetry can be easily divided in two halves, the first being compact and comprised of mostly upbeat songs, with The Refusal peaking in agressivity. The second, much more melodic and laid back, has some songs separated by long ambient and instrumental interludes. This, in my opinion, is not inherently good or bad. While it feels like the album lacks focus or a clear background idea it also keeps things from getting stale; for an album that clocks at about 67 minutes having most of it composed of songs like those in the first half would tire the listener too fast. The lyrics deal mostly with existencialism (though not exclusively), with lines like "Try to understand/ There is no great plan/ We will cross the line/ With an open mind" and "I want us to face the shape we're in/ A world of confusion awaits our sons and kin/ Let's reset it all".

There's no doubt this album is a grower, while initially it feels like it goes nowhere, once you memorize some of the songs and review the flow of the album in your head, the rest starts to sink in slowly and then it becomes a much more rewarding experience. Show patience and you'll see the results soon enough.

7.5/10

[Review] Scale The Summit - The Migration

In a world where the term "instrumental metal" has become a synonym of "squeezing as many notes and transitions as possible into a 7 minute long composition" it's hard to find bands that defy that formula. When I first listened to Scale The Summit a few years ago I instantly noticed there was more to them than just 4 insanely skilled musicians playing together. 

The band has come to describe their sound as "adventure metal" and once you listen to one of their albums from beginning to end it's easy to see why, each of their albums take you on a journey through a myriad of sonic landscapes. But while their previous efforts have had songs ranging from dark, heavy, intense metal to more laid back, calm and jazzy compositions, The Migration narrows the scope a little, and not always for the best.

Through the album does a flawless job at making you feel like you are running under a cloudless sky in a cool day with the sun hitting your face, it sometimes feel like the album could benefit from a little variety. In this regard it's good that it clocks at 42 minutes, because it's an adequate ammount of time for the scope of the album.

The Migration also starts in the same way as it ends, with two fast, lush and busy songs, and it's very difficult (if not impossible) to find a point in the record that could be described as a climax. The only one that strays a little from the lively sound of the album is "The Dark Horse" which lives up to it's name from beginning to end.

All in all, these things don't stop Scale The Summit's fourth record from being a breath of fresh air in the progressive metal scene, the skill and vision of their members is beyond question and there's no doubt The Migration sounds exactly as they intended, from the sunny landscapes it paints to the way the two guitars interwine constantly, it's evident that every note has been put there deliberately. Overall, a carefully crafted and solid record that struggles to achieve the scope of it's predecessors.

7.5/10

[Review] The Dillinger Escape Plan - One Of Us Is The Killer

The Dillinger Escape Plan is a band known for crafting albums that come close to rupturing your eardrums and for doing it in a way that is remarkably enjoyable for the listener (or at least those adventurous enough for the sonic ride). While this is true for their newest album One Of Us Is The Killer, their first in Sumerian Records, the band has been experimenting with more traditional and even melodic compositions.

Make no mistake, the album still kicks and punches and it's knuckles have cymbal-shaped studs, but from time to time the album abruptly changes from a carefully crafted mess to a more traditional hard rock sound and vice versa. The title track is an example of this new refined songwriting that the band "experiments" with, making use of soft verse-loud chorus dynamics and keeping a slow, steady tempo for the whole song.

Each member has something to offer to both their new sound and their "old" one. Ben Weinman's riffs are lightning fast, dissonant and they sound like pure evil, specially when combined with James Love's rhythm guitar, Greg Puciato's furiously versatile vocals are largely responsible for the melodical side of their new sound, effortlessly jumping from quiet breakdowns to chaotic shredding to more melodic yet hard rocking segments, Liam Wilson adds a lot of atmospheric bass lines and Billy Raymer's epileptic drumming are a driving force in the hardest hitting songs and a source of groove in the breakdowns, taking the spotlight for the instrumental CH 375 268 277 ARS (something that instantly reminded me of Hella's 2011 album Tripper) and contributing a great fill for the phenomenal title track.

The production is very good, every instrument can be picked apart, even in the midst of chaos, though at the cost of trying to sound loud and agressive the album has a bit of clipping; sometimes the drums may sound too compressed and some of Weinman's arrangement's are partially lost in the mix.

In short, it's still DEP, it's not for everyone, it hits hard, it's raw and it's noisy, but the band shows it's not afraid of going into new directions and broadening their horizons, something I have always respected, and something to be expected from those who put their hearts into their music.

8.5/10

[Review] TesseracT - Altered State

There's a lot of discussion around the use of the term djent, similar to the way people use the word indie to describe a particular sound or "genre", there's a lot of musicians who either embrace the term or refuse being refered to as a "djent band".
British rock band TesseracT has separated from the djent tag not by speaking out against or in favor of being tagged as a djent band, but by expanding and growing their sound release after release; commencing with their 2011 debut LP "One" (in my opinion a masterpiece of progressive metal) and later with their 2012 EP "Perspective", introducing a new vocalist and showing an unexplored side of the band.

Altered State goes further in that direction, leaving out growling vocals completely, turning down the distortion in favor of a more processed, electronic sound and refining their songwriting. From the first song you are greeted with new vocalist Ashe O'Hara's (Voices From The Fuselage) vocals and the sound of distant, echoing guitars before the song jumps in volume through a crescendo of processed guitars.

While some songs like Exile and Singularity are long and have a strong progressive feeling about them, most of the compositions offer more traditional structures, often building around different variations of the same riff or beat. The drumming keeps the songs together, both keeping a straight 4/4 beat and laying down heavily synchopated polyrhythms regularly, which are one of the trademark elements of TesseracT's sound. The first single Nocturne is a perfect example of both these things, and it does a very good job at showing what this new record is about.

Altered State keeps things fresh and shows the band hasn't suffered at all from changing vocalists three consecutive times, an excellent record overall, and one I'll be listening to for a long time.

9.5/10

[Review] Leprous - Coal (2013)

One has heard the phrase "don't judge a book by it's cover" so many times at this point that it has almost lost it's meaning, well, I made that mistake when first looking at the cover for Leprous' new album Coal. Their previous album Bilateral was a very strong contender for my personal album of the year when it came back in 2011. Jeff Jordan (mostly known by his work with The Mars Volta) took care of the artwork last time with his signature saturated-high contrast-bad trip made painting style, and it fit the variety, density and texture of the album perfectly, so when I took a look at Leprous' new cover artwork (also by Jeff Jordan) I thought they had gotten heavier and darker than ever and I expected a lot of double-bass and growling vocals... well I couldn't have been more wrong.

Coal is a completely new direction for the band, much more melodic, softer but also heavier at times and with a strong emphasis on groove not as prominent in their last album. The first thing I noticed when I first listened to the first two tracks was the drumming is very different, for a moment I was sure Leprous had replaced Tobias Andersen, but after checking the credits I was suprised to see that he's still behind the kit.

The drumming, just as in Bilateral, is great yet on a completely different way, with much more groove, laid back at times and less "metal", often sounding a little gospel. The same could be said about the bass, keeping the songs together and adding a lot of groove in between instrumental sections. The keyboards are much more prominent and the building blocks of songs like The Cloak and The Valley, adding to the atmosphere and Einar Solberg's dramatic vocals, who really shines in The Cloak.

There's also a great change in the songwriting, with the songs being more focused, each instrument making it's way into the sound the band creates before reaching an instrumental climax near the end.

In short, Leprous has managed to surprise me with this album, setting aside the pressure of crafting a follow up to 2011's Bilateral with a strong new direction and complete cohesiveness.

8.5/10

Watch the video for "The Cloak"

(8.5) Thinking Plague - Decline And Fall (2012)

If I were to judge this album based on it's cover and both the name of the band and the album it would be fair to say that it looks and sounds like "another generic hardcore/metal band", but it's not!. There's one simple way to describe what this album is like: syncopated, atonal jazz-fusion... is that enough? If not then let me get a little more specific, it's like a mix of King Crimson's most "recent" syncopated instrumentals and their jazz fusion era, plus a stripped down, less chaotic Kayo Dot... with female vocals. If you don't have a general idea of what this bands sounds like yet then you're probably reading the wrong blog...
That's pretty much how the album sounds like, but what makes it even more unique is it's vocals, to begin with, it's not everyday that you find a jazz fusion band with a female vocalist, and second, the vocals are as atonal as the sax or the guitar playing in the background, as if they improvised/wrote another instrumental track and used it as a vocal melody.

Now go give the album a listen!.

http://www.generalrubric.com/thinkingplague/main.html

(9/10) Mastodon - The Hunter (2011)

After the epic journey that was Crack The Skye it seems Mastodon decided to go in the opposite direction, leaving the long progressive-rock/metal compositions of their previous effort and writing a more straightforward yet extremely technical and agressive record (which doesn't mean there isn't space for some relaxed moments) that shows a side Mastodon has never explored before, more focused in the "stoner" side of the band which is probably the best thing about this album (for some moments I even thought I was listening to Queens Of The Stone Age), songs like Stargasm (which by the way, reminds me of Sleeping Giant a little) and The Sparrow bring lots of melancholic, distorted images to my mind. 2011 was a special year, with RHCP releasing their first album since John Frusciante left the band, Incubus going into a completely new direction, Pez moving away from their straight-forward punk songs into full blast hard rock, Primus coming back from sleep and The Dear Hunter releasing one of the most ambitious projects I've seen in the last 5 years, as if all my favourite bands conspired to give me some nice surprises last year... it seems that Mastodon didn't want to be less than them.

01. Black Tongue (3:27) 
02. Curl Of The Burl (3:40) 
03. Blasteroid (2:36) 
04. Stargasm (4:40) 
05. Octopus Has No Friends (3:49) 
06. All The Heavy Lifting (4:31) 
07. The Hunter (5:18) 
08. Dry Bone Valley (4:00) 
09. Thickening (4:31) 
10. Creature Lives (4:41) 
11. Spectrelight (3:10) 
12. Bedazzled Fingernails (3:08) 
13. The Sparrow (5:31)

http://www.mastodonrocks.com/news

(8.5/10) Leprous - Bilateral (2011)

I found about Leprous via Google Alerts because I kept getting news articles mentioning Jeff Jordan as the artist behind the album's cover, I decided to download some of their albums but I didn't enjoy them very much so I ended up deleting them, nevertheless when this album dropped I felt the need to check it out and I felt very pleased with the result. Bilateral is like mixing modern prog metal like Dream Theater (which I don't like very much honestly) and Opeth with experimental bands like Porcupine Tree and The Mars Volta, I dare to say that in some spots I even thought I was listening to Muse in their less poppy era. The growling is kept to a minimum during the album which is something that in excess ends up boring me, so for those who were getting worried as soon as I said "prog metal", go ahead and give the album a try. WARNING: weird video below.

1. "Bilateral" (4:00)
2. "Forced Entry" (10:20)
3. "Restless" (3:30)
4. "Thorn" (5:47)
5. "Mb. Indifferentia" (6:33)
6. "Waste of Air" (5:32)
7. "Mediocrity Wins" (6:07)
8. "Cryptogenic Desires" (2:45)
9. "Acquired Taste" (5:13)
10. "Painful Detour" (8:18)

Einar Solberg - Synth, Vocals

Tor Oddmund Suhrke - Guitar, Vocals

Øystein Landsverk - Guitar, Backing Vocals

Rein Blomquist - Bass

Tobias Ørnes Andersen - Drums

http://www.leprous.net/

(9/10) Scale The Summit - The Collective

No soy muy fan de este tipo de música pero este disco me conquistó totalmente, porque no se pasa de virtuoso ni suena repetitivo. Algunos diran que son una banda de metal instrumental, pero para mi van mucho mas allá que solo metal. Lo poco pero interesante que se sobre esta banda es que sus dos guitarristas se recibieron en Berklee y que ambos son luthiers. Otro dato interesante es que si alguien quiere animársele a alguna de sus canciones ellos venden libros de partituras y tablaturas en su sitio. En estos momentos estan salieron de gira como headliners por primera vez, y aparéntemente están trabajando en su próximo disco (prometen tocar un tema nuevo en los shows). Es un disco para escuchar con paciencia y esperar a que se asiente...

Guitar – Chris Letchford
Guitar – Travis Levrier
Bass – Jordan Eberhardt
Drums – Pat Skeffington

 

 1. "Colossal"
2. "Whales"
3. "Emersion"
4. "The Levitated"
5. "Secret Earth"
6. "Gallows"
7. "Origin of Species"
8. "Alpenglow"
9. "Black Hills"
10. "Balkan"
11. "Drifting Figures"

http://www.scalethesummit.com/band/

(8.5/10) Opeth - Heritage (2011)

No soy un gran seguidor de Opeth, de hecho este es el primer disco que escucho, pero estoy al tanto de que cada vez hacen discos menos pesados y eso es quizas lo que hace a este disco especial, porque de metal tiene poco y nada, suena mas a rock progresivo moderno, bastante técnico y variado. Por momentos me recuerda a Frances The Mute, con una mezcla menos cargada.

01. Heritage
02. The Devil's Orchard
03. I Feel The Dark
04. Slither
05. Nepenthe
06. Haxprocess
07. Famine
08. The Lines In My Hand
09. Folklore
10. Marrow Of The Earth

Mikael Åkerfeldt – guitar, Mellotron, grand piano, vocals, sound effects
Fredrik Åkesson – rhythm guitar
Per Wiberg – grand piano, Mellotron, Rhodes piano, Hammond B3
Martín Mendez – bass guitar, upright bass
Martin Axenrot – drums, percussion

http://www.opeth.com

(9/10) Beardfish - Mammoth (2011)

Beardfish es una de las pocas bandas privilegiadas de rock progresivo clásico que no sufre de los problemas típicos del género, no abusan de clichés, no mezclan los discos tratando de que suenen como si fuera 1974 y no se pasan de pretensiosos. Sumado a esto, vienen entregando (en mi opinión) un álbum sólido tras otro desde su debut de 2003 (a un ritmo bastante rápido) y Mammoth no es la excepción. Aunque la mayoría los suele comparar con con bandas como Genesis o Yes el estilo de Beardfish es mas pesado sin dejar de ser melódico. ¡Puntos extra por traer un dvd con performance en vivo + making of!.

(El video de abajo no es parte del dvd).

1. The Platform
2. And the Stone Said "If I Could Speak"
3. Tightrope
4. Green Waves
5. Outside/Inside

6. Akakabotu
7. Without Saying Anything

Rikard Sjöblom - vocals, keyboards
David Zackrisson - guitars
Magnus Östgren - drums
Robert Hansen - bass
 

http://www.beardfish.argh.se/

(9/10) Primus - Green Naugahyde (2011)

No se si es "el mejor álbum" como dijo Les, pero creo que es el que mas me gusta, por lo parejo. Uno de los que más escuché el año pasado. Green Naugahyde marca el retorno de Jay Lane en la batería después de abandonar la banda antes del lanzamiento del primer disco, y también es el primer disco en 12 años (el anterior fue Antipop en 1999).

Vevo bloqueó el videoclip en nuestro país pero alguien se encargo de subirlo en su canal.

1. "Prelude to a Crawl"  

2. "Hennepin Crawler" 

3. "Last Salmon Man"

4. "Eternal Consumption Engine"

5. "Tragedy's a' Comin'"

6. "Eyes of the Squirrel"

7. "Jilly's on Smack"

8. "Lee Van Cleef" 

9. "Moron TV" 

 10. "Green Ranger"

 11. "HOINFODAMAN"

12. "Extinction Burst"

13. "Salmon Men" 

Les Claypool – bass, vocals
Larry LaLonde – guitar
Jay Lane – drums

http://www.primusville.com/

(8.5/10) Yes - Fly From Here (2011)

Yes no había lanzado un album desde Magnification (2001), 10 años atrás. Es un disco lleno de datos curiosos, para empezar gran parte de la música la venían trabajando desde principios de los 80, pero nunca le encontraron un lugar dentro de su discografía (quizas por eso suene mas al Yes clásico y no al de sus últimos años), a pesar de que si tocaron algunos de esos temas en vivo, pero mas peculiarmente, las vocales estan a cargo de Benoît David, quien había cantado en una banda tributo de Yes por mas de 10 años (llamada Close To The Edge) antes de unirse a la formación actual en 2008.

 

1. "Fly from Here - Overture"
2. "Fly from Here - Part I - We Can Fly"
3. "Fly from Here - Part II - Sad Night at the Airfield"
4. "Fly from Here - Part III - Madman at the Screens
5. "Fly from Here - Part IV - Bumpy Ride"
6. "Fly from Here - Part V - We Can Fly" (Reprise)"
7. "The Man You Always Wanted Me to Be"
8. "Life on a Film Set"
9. "Hour of Need"
10. "Solitaire"
11. "Into the Storm" 

   Chris Squire – bass guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on "The Man You Always Wanted Me to Be"
    Steve Howe – guitars, backing vocals, joint lead vocals on "Hour of Need"
    Alan White – drums
    Geoff Downes – keyboards
    Benoît David – lead vocals

    Oliver Wakeman – additional keyboards on "We Can Fly", "We Can Fly (Reprise)" and "Hour of Need"

Trevor Horn – backing vocals, additional keyboards

Luís Jardim – percussion

Gerard Johnson – piano on "The Man You Always Wanted Me to Be"

http://www.yesworld.com/

(7/10) Myrath - Tales Of The Sands (2011)

Personalmente una decepción respecto al disco anterior... Tales Of The Sands se vuelve repetitivo después de un rato mientras la banda sigue exprimiendo los mismos recursos tema tras tema, zafable de todos modos y a más de uno le va a resultar interesante por el sonido oriental de la banda, pero para aquellos que ya estamos acostumbrados esto parece una paso atras respecto al disco anterior...

 

1. "Under Siege"
2. "Braving The Seas"
3. "Merciless Times"
4. "Tales of the Sands"
5. "Sour Sigh"
6. "Dawn Within"
7. "Wide Shut"

8. "Requiem for a Goodbye"
9. "Beyond the Stars"
10. "Time to Grow"
11. "Apostrophe for a Legend" (bonus track)

Malek Ben Arbia - guitars
Zaher Zorgati - vocals
Anis Jouini - bass
Elyes Bouchoucha - keyboards, backing vocals
Piwee Desfray - drums

http://www.myrath.com/