a progressive rock adventure
Reviews - Shadows of the past
Zoltan's Progressive Rock Webpage
Steve Hedge
After reading Tommy's review on Tommy's Forest Of Progressive Rock, I wasn't expecting much from these guys. I'm also not a huge fan of neo-prog, and don't even like the "classics" from that genre. But when I received this CD in the mail recently, I had to give it an open mind.
Okay, so Deep Thought are a neo-prog band. In fact, they also seem interested in gaining commercial attention by including edit versions of two of their epics. But this album isn't terrible either. The music mixes Genesis, Marillion, with a bit of Pink Floyd atmosphere. Their vocalist sings in a mid-range John Wetton, Greg Lake style. He does go out-of-tune once in a while, and sounds amateur-like in some sections. But it's far from horrible although it's the weakest part of the band.
The musicians play interesting music behind the vocal sections. I'm reminded of French theatrical prog bands like Ange and Mona Lisa. The music isn't too complex, but it's colorful and melodic. Digital keyboards supply a mellow atmospheric tone, while the guitarist alternates between clean and distorted settings. And yes the sound is very modern in a late 80's to early 90's sort of way. My favorite sections are the ones that include surprise melodic and chord changes.
Fans of vocal-intensive neo-prog will probably enjoy this album. My guess is that these guys are also using this CD to try to get picked up by a prog record label. So it has that "demo" quality to it, yet it's closer to an official semi-pro release.