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Various Artists: Shroom Records Sampler

Here's a nifty little collection of various tunes from bands on the progressive rock label Shroom Records. While some of the material contained on this CD has been out on the market for a bit, there are some inclusions from forthcoming releases that make this worth listening to.

Kicking off is the excellent "Knock" from the band Hands, whose latest release Twenty Five Winters is a stunning recording, and a review can be found in our archive. An interesting take on classic prog and fusion can be heard on "East Side of the Morning" by Arabesque, a band that Shroom has been touting for a while now, and it's great to be able to hear what all the fuss has been about. This song, and the upcoming album, are taken from recordings that Arabesque completed in the 70's. Featuring vintage keyboard sounds, quirky, complex arrangements, and melodic vocals, this song is a winner, and hopefully a precursor to a fantastic full album. I heard a bit of Canterbury influence, plus some Happy the Man, nice Genesis style keyboards, and a little jazz fusion. Speaking of fusion, there is a neat tidbit that Shroom included here, that being a previously unreleased track from Aurora. While a bit on the raw side, "M87" is still a burning, Mahavishnu Orchestra tinged track, that is a nice novelty to have if you own the self-titled Aurora CD. Other highlights here include "A Drinking Man's Concerto" by Carnegie (also reviewed in our archive), the raging Hammond/guitar rock of Storm at Sunrise, the shred guitar of the Stan Lassiter Group, more fusion from Roy Vogt, and fantastic symphonic rock from New Blizzard Symphony, who just might give Trans Siberian Orchestra a run for their money.

The absolute high and low point of this sampler should be noted. First, the track by Relayer (not the current European neo-prog goup of the same name) called "Cripplegate" is an absolute monster. Featuring heavy use of vintage keys combined with hooks and complex arrangements, this should be a CD to watch out for when Shroom releases it in the future. The same cannot be said however for Honest John's "Potato War", which sounds like it was recorded inside someone's bathroom. This band seemed to favor a psychedelic, almost stoner rock style, but this track rambles on and never quite goes anywhere. I was reminded of a poor man's Trapeze circa their Medusa album.

Those of you who subscribe to Progression magazine probably already have this fine sampler in your hands. If you don't, drop on by the Shroom website and browse through some of these great Texas progressive rock bands.

Added: June 24th 2002
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:
Related Link: Shroom Records
Hits: 2975
Language: english

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