From: borella@cs.ucdavis.edu (Mike Borella)
Newsgroups: alt.music.progressive
Subject: Reviews
Date: 11 Nov 1992 00:43:06 -0600
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu


Kyrie Elieson 
=============

I hate clones, especially Genesis clones, but these guys have a heck
of a lot of taste for sounding so much like their influences.
Originally recorded in 1976, this album was released on a horrible
sounding record.  I was warned against buying the CD, but did it
anyway.  Much to my surprise the sound quality is bearable and the CD
packaging is quite nice.  I think someone told me the band recorded
the original tracks in a basement somewhere in Austria, with a 4-track.

If you like the Genesis 71-74 period, I recommend this.  While I don't
think I'd pay more than about $15 for the disc, it contains some
interesting music, obviously derivative, but interesting nonetheless.
Kyrie Elieson captures most of what I like about my favorite period of
Genesis.  The vocalist is a Gabriel soundalike, and the rest of the
band has Genesis' "Rhythm Makes the World Go 'Round" approach.  Its a
surprisingly powerful and enjoyable offering


Zao - Kawana
============

Zao typifies the progressive fusion approach of the French Zeuhl scene.
Somewhat related to Magma and other artists of the early seventies in
France, Zao released five or so albums.  Kawana was put out recently
on Musea.  If this is any representation of how good the band is, I
hope Musea decides to release the rest.

A tight, busy rhythm section, not unlike Magma but with a jazzier
feel, coupled with violin, keys and guitar make this instrumental
offering a slow but steady grower.  At first listen I wasn't impressed
but many listens later I've come to greatly appreciate their
proficiency.  Fans of Arti + Mestieri, Weidorje, Xaal, Univers Zero
and of course Magma should check this out.


The Muffins - Manna/Mirage
==========================

A release on Wayside's "other" label (their primary label being the
eclectic Cuneiform), Manna/Mirage is an American approach to the
style of Henry Cow.  A sometimes noisy, but well composed offering,
The Muffins cover the realms of prog rock and experimental fusion,
falling well on the fusion side.  The four bandmembers play multiple
instruments, including strings and woodwinds, giving their music a
non-centered sort of sound, always doing the unexpected.  This is a
winner if you like Henry Cow or National Health and might even get a
rise out of the fans of other forms of complex music, such as Gentle
Giant or Gryphon.


Gryphon - Red Queen to Gryphon 3
================================

I know this is old news to a lot of people, but with the re-issue of
the first four Gryphon's on CD via Japanese import, many more people
have a chance to hear this remarkable music.  Unlike their first two,
this, Gryphon's third album, does not take such a folk/medieval
approach, but instead combines the listenability of progressive rock
with their folksy roots.  The result is a well-written, complex,
light-hearted 40 minutes of music, consisting of only four tracks.

There is counterpoint galore, enough to please a hard-core Gentle
Giant fan, but no vocals to distract you from the brilliance of the
music.  When taken at once, it's hard to follow the mesh of
interweaved harmony, but each instrument alone shows a restrained playing
since their individual lines must fit into the pattern of the
counterpoint.  This is one of the most exciting recent releases.  If
you don't want to spend $25 on the CD, a taste of Gryphon can be found
on their two Collection CDs, both of which are domestic in the US.

-Mike Borella
 borella@cs.ucdavis.edu