In the 1980's bands like Marillion, IQ, Pendragon, and Twelfth Night attempted to recapture the essence of the progressive movement of the 1970's. They succeeded to varying degrees and the legacy they left behind ( although most are still active) was baptised : Neo or new progressive. Fast forward to the 1990's and bands like Jadis, Grey Lady Down, Galahad, borrowed from these '80's bands and created a neo ressurgence. This was a watered down version of the '80's neo, which was in itself a watered down version of the '70's progressive movement. Fast forward again and it seems as if the cycle is repeating itself with, for example, the band under review right now. How many times can you water down a drink until it tastes like nothing but water ? The answer, apparently, is 3. By the fourth watering down, there is very little flavor left
Now I'm not gonna go on a rampage and tear this disc or band apart. It definitely has it's moments. The Winter's Edge pt 1/ nuage bleu/Winter's Edge pt 2 trilogy offers us some very interesting moments. Unfortunately, this comes at the end of the disc and one must either sit through or skip over 4 tracks to get there. The opening numbers may be , to some, a mind numbing excursion into cliche after cliche. The over dramatic vocals of Philip Griffiths seem to overwhelm the more pastoral musical landscapes of the rest of the band.
I'm sure there's a market out there for this type of music , but the more adventuresome progger can easily skip over this one.This is progressive rock with the training wheels still on.
Track listing:
1. Sharp Bends Sudden Crests (6:12)
2. Whitescape (9:06)
3. Hugging Horses (7:54)
4. Protean Profile (6:25)
5. Winter's Edge Pt 1 (11:17)
6. Nuage Bleu (5:48)
7. Winter's Edge Pt 2 (3:20)
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