It's pretty rare these days for me to award a CD with a perfect score, but this new release from Canadian prog band Miriodor really blew me away. As instrumental ensembles go, you will be hard pressed to find one as tight and adventurous as this group is, as Mekano contains some of the most ominous, ferocious, and zany music I have heard in years.
If you can imagine a head-on collision between Red/Starless/Larks era King Crimson and Gentle Giant, with a little Zappa thrown in for good measure, you have a pretty good idea of what Miriodor is all about. There is also a slight jazz-fusion leaning as well on some of the tracks, but for the most part this is all about complex yet thunderous musical mayhem. The interplay between the guitars, keyboards, sax, trumpet and violin is simply astounding, and the bass player lays down some extremely fat sounding heavy bass grooves which hold everything together. Much like Crimson, Miriodor go from light, almost whimsical moments to earth shattering waves of sound, all done with perfect finesse and melodic integrity. There is so much going on at times that I was almost dizzy, but the end result is so varied and powerful that it makes for a fascinating listen.
This is a must have for any fan of instrumental and challenging rock music. For progressive rock devotees who might be tired of all the generic bands popping up out of the woodwork, give this veteran outfit's CD a spin and be amazed. Highly recommended!
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
