CD Review

Blyndsyde
"Into The Eye Of The Storm"

Rating 91%

reviewed by Charlie O'

Heavens to murgatroyd, was it really a whole year ago that I was ranting and raging about Blyndsydes demo 'Where Extremes Meet". It most surely was! So now their debut CD is out, and we have to ask ourselves, 'Is it any cop?" Well, the short answer is 'YES'. 

Then again, the long answer is 'YESYES'.

Anyone who has seen the band will he able to tell you that they are heavier than the demo suggested that they were. Ah, the problems of a four-track! Anyway, their "sound" on this CD is much more metalliprog, imagine Marillion 'rocking out" and you'll be nowhere near matey-boy! No, they sound much better than that. This is getting on to the excellent Dream Theater / Mentaur / Threshold sort of sound. Thumping rhythms mix casually with shearing guitars, and on top of all that, and yet at the same time, in the midst of it all, comes Paules remarkable voice, at once sweet and innocent, yet menacing and evil. Teasing the lyrics through a satin veil to cut the listener with their inbound barbs.

Just check out the title track and "Spiritual Itch", Progging together to make a 10 minute epic that Marillion wouldn't have been able to do, It's not all shade. There's plenty enough light as well. Listen to "Kiss This Rose", an excellent song written about a couple of friends o'mine.

The CD hangs together so well it's hard to pull out individual tracks. It's good to see that there's currently a growing "Heavy Prog" scene growing into a scene at the moment, stretching progs boundaries at its very limits.

Most humungusly recommended to anyone who likes any of the above bands, so Galahad fans need not apply. It costs £11 from SI Music Records, P.O.Box 938,3000 AX Rotterdam, Holland. The Secret World have probably got it as well, so you could try to get it from them.