Infinity

"It’s Canadian to do things in an unorthodox fashion. Not like there’s anything wrong with it (there isn’t), and when it comes to metal, all one needs to do is look at the long list of prominent Canadian bands and it makes sense: Voivod, Kataklysm, Neuraxis, Cryptopsy, etc., etc. None of them bothered to do anything by the book, resulting in some of metal’s most expansive and off-kilter sounds. In the mix is Montreal’s Heaven’s Cry, who are returning after a seven-year hiatus with their third album, Wheels of Impermanence.A band of the progressive/power variety, Heaven’s Cry function largely in their own sphere, with perhaps the only real comparison being Perfect Symmetry/Parallels-era Fates Warning. This means that wacky time signatures, weird chord movements, and initially hard-to-digest songs come to the fore, making Wheels of Impermanence sound…very Canadian (FW is not Canadian, though). Nevertheless, there’s an assortment of quirky riff action going down here, rolling up into songs that for the most part, have some guile to them, such as opener “Empire’s Doll” and “The Mad Machine.”Singer Pierre St. Jean has a solid AOR caw to him, one that is occasionally ill-fitting for the band’s malleable music. That doesn’t prevent him from unfurling some adventurous vocal takes, as heard on the title track and “Consequence,” where he benefits greatly from back-up gang vocals and spurts of melodic guitars. Ultimately, St. Jean is able to cross the ever-difficult divide between power metal majesty and progressive metal over-thinking. He’s absolutely stellar.Evidently, Heaven’s Cry reformed at the right time, able to catch the attention of Prosthetic Records for the release of Wheels. Not to be forgotten is the inclusion of guitarist Eric Jarrin, who used to do time in deathcore merchants Despised Icon, which again, breeds additional peculiarity with this one. Canadians…they are a tricky bunch. " - Blistering.com

Remastered edition with one bonus track."With Jonathan Cain, Steve Perry, and Neal Schon leading Journey once again, and bassist Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith behind them, it would seem that Trial by Fire would contain the same elements that gave them their stardom in the '80s. Disappointingly, though, there is nothing captivating or even the least bit attractive about this unimaginative release. Perry's singing hasn't lost too much of its power, but the faster tunes come off as contrived and messy. Sounding hard and scattered, the smoothness of their trademarked music is nowhere to be found, replaced with brash, beat-up, hollow rock riffs. The ballads fare no better, as the passion that once flourished within the band when it came to slowing things down has long since faded. Just the fact that Journey reunited may lure fans to this album, but it won't be long before the discontentment begins set in." - All Music Guide

A Liquid Landscape from The Netherlands is a bit of a departure for The Laser's Edge. Their slice of post-progressive music has a contemporary edge that finds them sitting alongside bands like Dredg, Anathema, and Porcupine Tree. The band has been a live act for several years and shared the stage with bands like Karnivool (AUS), Anathema (UK),Thrice (US) and Riverside (Poland).During the past year the band also was a finalist at the prestigious annual Dutch Grand Prize contest and on top of that they had 3 sold out Noorderzon gigs, featuring a stunning visual show.With all the material they had written, the band reached out to Forrester Savell (Karnivool, Helmet). Forrester liked the material a lot and he agreed on mixing the album and doing some production work as well.‘Nightingale Express’ is a concept album. This inspired moviemaker Lex Vesseur to make a short movie with music from the album. He also made the artwork and the visuals for the live show. So both the music and the film return in an interactive rock show with a live VJ.Washed up, tired and staggering across a beach in the early hours of the morning. Somewhere in the twilight between desperation and surrender, there is still a glimmer of hope. That sense that everything will be alright, no matter what the odds are. This is what A Liquid Landscape sounds like. 

"When dissected carefully, The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking becomes a fascinating conceptual voyage into the workings of the human psyche. As an abstract peering into the intricate functions of the subconscious, Waters' first solo album involves numerous dream sequences that both figuratively and symbolically unravel his struggle with marriage, fidelity, commitment, and age at the height of a midlife crisis. While the songs (titled by the times in which Waters experiences each dream) seem to lack in musical fluidity at certain points, they make up for it with ingenious symbolism and his brilliant use of stream of consciousness within a subconscious realm. Outside from the deep but sometimes patchy narrative framework, the music slightly lacks in rhythm or hooks, except for the title track that includes some attractive guitar playing via Eric Clapton. David Sanborn's saxophone is another attribute, adding some life to "Go Fishing" and "The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking." But it's truly the imagery and the visual design of the album that is front and center, since the importance lies in what Waters is trying to get across to the audience, decorated somewhat casually by his singing and the music. With Pink Floyd, the marriage of Waters' concepts and ideas with the talented musicianship of the rest of the band presented a complete masterpiece in both thought and music, while his solo efforts lean more toward the conceptual aspects of his work. With this in mind, The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking continues to showcase Waters' unprecedented knack of addressing his darkest thoughts and conceptions in a most extraordinary fashion." - allmusic.com

Although the material is a bit more concise it is equally as effective as No Pussyfooting. There are some drop dead gorgeous tracks here that are soul-stirring. An important forerunner in the field of ambient music. Essential. New edition in a digipak featuring 24 bit mastering.

I can't speak for their later albums (since I never heard them) but the band's early work for Bellaphon was very well crafted classical progressive rock.“Pell Mell – The Entire Collection“, the complete work of Germany’s most famous classic rock band around violin devil and bandleader Thomas Schmitt is being published now like never before - in a sophisticated package bearing vaporized gold foil. The collection contains seven albums on four compact discs, five by Pell Mell and two of their follow-up Skyrider covering the complete period from 1971 until 1981 which is the era of “Deutschrock” from beginning to end. It took more than a year’s work, a lot of commitment and a great deal of energy to clear the rights, gather all tapes and material. The collection presents the original albums of symphonic rock along with their own compositions and superb singing. Both critics and audience were filled with enthusiasm by the familiar classical themes and motifs reworked by Pell Mell in their own typical style. A premiere to be heard is the “late” version of “Die Moldau” from 1981 in the correct key and tempo – which has never been released in this form because of a mistake in the first recording. Except for two parts by guest musicians, Thomas Schmitt is playing all instruments - like Mike Oldfield did in a way. A little sensation is the album “Skyrider 2” – not only has this rare gem never been released before but also marks the musical highlight of the development of the exceptional artist Thomas Schmitt. All material has been thoroughly digitally remastered. A 24 page booklet with unpublished photos and new liner notes by Cornelius Hudalla completes the package. Hudalla has not only taken great part in putting this collection together but as the former manager and producer of two of these albums possesses unsurpassed insider knowledge. We wish to stress the high value of this box and the high standards of the band Pell Mell. This CD-box has been registered by GEMA as “art” or “classical music” and is limited to 1.000 units worldwide.  CD 1 „Marburg“ & „From The New World”01. The Clown And The Queen 08:5102. Moldau 05:3003. Friend 07:1104. City Monster 08:4205. Alone 09:2606. From The New World 16:0307. Toccata 04:0408. Suite I 08:0209. Suite II 11:24      CD 2 „Rhapsody“ & „Only A Star”10. Frost Of An Alien Darkness 09:2111. Wanderer 02:3212. Can Can 03:3713. Prelude 03:1714. Desert In Your Mind 06:1715. The Riot 06:0716. Paris The Past 08:0717. Count Down 04:5218. Daydreamer 04:3419. Only A Star 04:2020. Across The Universe 06:1421. Disillusion 08:4322. Trailors In Movie Halls 03:4423. Phoebus Is Dead 07:11      CD 3 „Moldau”24. Moldau Part One 05:3525. The Farmers Wedding 03:2826. The Nymph Dance 03:1827. Moldau Part Two 07:4428. Gliding 02:4129. Dark Valley Part One 03:3230. Dark Valley Part Two 02:2331. Dark Valley Part Three 04:3332. Dark Valley Part Four 04:39      CD 4 „Skyrider” & Skyrider 2”33. On My Line I 00:1834. Skyrider 02:0835. Great Beautiful Crime 04:3036. Time Of The Season 04:0737. Written On A Granite Hill 03:5138. I Don`t Wanna Leave You Now 04:1339. On My Line II 04:0340. Up To Sky 03:0541. Love`s In My Eyes 03:4342. Save Two Birds 05:0743. Fighter Of The Sun 04:0344. Looks Like Rain 04:4245. Loadie 04:2846. Rock'n'Roll On The Highway 03:0547. Broken Harmony 06:2748. Right In Your Hands 04:3349. Song For Rosalie 03:5250. Hello Angel 03:5851. I'm In Love 03:4952. Heart On Ice 04:06