I admit I'm really cutting this one close, but I wanted to make sure that my review of the year wasn't just all metal! I've got some prog rock as well as some AOR for this one, which might be a little contradictory, but these albums are all worth checking out. Here's what I've finally gotten around to!
exo-X-xeno - Luminous VoyageSo this is a bit of a weird one. A few years ago, I had heard that a man named Craig Maher had put together a prog rock project that featured Billy Sherwood and Jay Schellen of Yes, and Patrick Moraz, who was Yes's keyboard player for Relayer. I admit I was moderately intrigued by that, but then I heard nothing for quite some time. Recently, while picking through some of my spam emails, I discovered that I had signed up for their newsletter and saw that they had finally released their album last June! So figured I had better check it out before I was finished with the year!
Listening to this is a bit of an odd experience. The best way I'd describe the music that it's like that era of late 70s Genesis where Phil Collins has just taken over on vocals, but they haven't gone full pop yet, but then pushed through Yes's 90125 to make it more lush. Craig Maher is not a bad singer, but I do think there are a few weak spots. His guitar playing is quite good, though, as it's more in the melodic school of Ian Bairnson. Billy Sherwood seems to be channeling Drama-era Chris Squire, as he has some very energetic basslines, and Schellen is right there with him on the drums. However, Patrick Moraz feels like the weak link. He has some good keyboard runs, but some of his synth choices are odd, and sometimes sound cheap. "At Water's Edge" is a good example of this. However, I think the biggest problem is the production. While it's not bad, it does feel a little uneven. Billy's bass might be a little too loud, and it feels like everything needs some more polish to help it feel like the instruments are working together, though I'm not smart enough to know what's missing. I just know that it's off somehow.
The songwriting is decent enough, though. "Vitrivian Man" is probably the best song, as it feels like they really put a lot of thought in putting that one together, "Reaching for Beyond" has some nice ideas, and "Live Life" has good energy as the closer. I don't know if this album really makes the most of its promise, but I could see this being a decent starting point for a new prog project. If they do more, I will certainly be curious.
Spock's Beard - The ArchaeoptimistSo going from their first album to their latest is certainly quite the leap, especially since only Alan Morse and Dave Meros are the only two members who have remained. (Though Ryo Okumoto joined shortly after the first album, making him the third longest member of the band.) This time, the band worked with someone named Michael Whiteman, resulting in some pretty solid prog rock.
Sonically, this seems to be between Marillion and Haken, with the melodic sensibilities of the former with the creative transitions of the latter. Despite the fact that it's all I've listened to, comparing this to their first album would be pretty unfair as they have clearly matured since then. In fact, maturity might be the key word for this whole thing. Nothing feels particularly excessive (for prog anyway), letting sections drift a little, but not too far. "Invisible" is a good starter for what to expect, but I think "Electric Monk" is a little stronger as a song. The title track is the album's 20-minute epic, telling a story about a post-apocalyptic future about a father who teaches her about the past, inspiring her to become a good leader in the future. The closer "Next Step" is another rather optimistic number that sings about leaving the past behind, featuring some neat transitions and dynamics.
Overall, I liked a lot of it. I don't know if I have much to say about the performances other than they're pretty solid. Okumoto definitely plays around his synth tool box, drawing on influences ranging from Keith Emerson to Isao Tomita, but otherwise, this is some pretty good third-wave prog from a band who clearly has the experience to do it well. I know that this is a pretty huge gap in my prog knowledge, but this album gives me hope that it will be one worth filling.
Crazy Lixx - Thrill of the BiteMaking a hard switch from prog rock to glam metal, this band has been pretty reliable lately in providing some solid, 80s-inspired hard rock, and their latest is more of the same, in the best way possible!
While there has always been a small cinematic quality in their sound, I do think this album they lean much harder into the schlocky movies of the 80s (if the album art wasn't a clue). Nearly all the songs are about darker, edgier subjects while keeping that decade's iconic glam metal sound, feeling like a blend of Def Leppard with Ozzy's or Mötley Crüe's shock rock approach. Of course, this is a subtle thing, as they are still rocking hard like the MTV hits that inspired them, and they rock it well. The album kicks off with the very upbeat "Highway Hurricane," and blasts its way through to the end, with no ballads to bog things down at all!
I think the main difference that makes this band stand out compared to others in the same style is that Crazy Lixx has the right energy. They know they're being kinda cheesy and campy, but they also love this stuff and embrace it like fans, which allows them to find the fun in what they're doing. The production is spot on, and the band plays with so much precision and gusto, I can't help but smile through most of this album. While I could make some nitpicks, this is definitely Crazy Lixx at their most pure, and I don't think I'd want it any other way!
W.E.T. - ApexI can't believe it's been nearly five years since I'd heard anything from this band. I enjoyed their last album enough that it got a spot in that year's Top 5 article. While I'm sure these guys were busy with other bands over the years, they've come back together for another round of AOR, and once again, it's a solid set of songs.
Night Ranger comes to mind again for this band, finding that sweet spot between Journey and glam metal. Whitesnake comes to mind as well when the band gets a little bluesy. Henriksson provides more crunchy riffs and melodic solos, and vocalist Jeff Scott Soto is joined by Eclipse's Erik Mårtensson on a few songs, making this album feel more like an Eclipse album than the last one did. However, these are minor details as the band rocks together quite well as usual.
The album starts well with "Believer" and "This House Is On Fire," both being good uptempo rockers, "Nowhere to Run" has a nice groove, "Day By Day" is a crunchy closer with good energy, and the rest of the album carries on its melodic rock path much like the last one did. Again, what could have been some standard AOR is bolstered by the band's passion for this kind of music, making it quite the cut above the rest. I don't know if it will make my Top 5 for the year, but it's definitely a highlight of the previous year that I should have gotten to sooner.
