Here we got something quite rare. A progressive metal band with their own sound. From Hungary comes this highly enjoyable act which blends heavy, melodic progressive rock with some eastern European melodies and atmospheres. They also allow the keyboards to come to the fore, creating a pompous, symphonic soundscape along with the heavy guitars. Some double pedal drumming can be heard in parts of the album, but they never dominate the arrangements in the annoying ways I, at time, experience when listening to certain other groups in the same genre. A lead vocalist with a distinctive voice and expression is another important that, in a very positive way, separates Nemesis from the bunch of Dream Theater wannabes dominating the prog metal scene during the last couple of years.

"Abraxas", which is the second album from Nemesis, starts out with the heavy and symphonic "A kiego szene" (7,57) loaded with eastern European folk-influenced heavy riffing. A very fine start followed up by the interesting title track "Abraxas" (7,52) blending some innovating ideas with a great sense of melodies and warm, or even light, atmosphere. Then we get the magnum opus "Psychogeist" (31,42) followed by four more fine tracks. Among them is one of my favourites "Eden?" (9:43).

This album is a masterpiece that appeals to prog metal fans that want something a bit unique within the genre, but also to fans of innovative and somewhat heavy bands such as, for instance, King Crimson. (review by Hansi Cross)

New Eden Orchestra is the name of an American five piece that has created a little masterpiece. The music can be described as modern, progressive, symphonic pomprock with mixes of Kansas, Gentle Giant, Yes and Aviary. Yes, all these bands are correct when describing the music of New Eden Orchestra. The 18 different tracks on the album show a tremendous diversity in musical taste and direction, but the whole piece still holds together as a one composition. We are taken on a fantastic, varied musical journey and there isn't a dull moment on here. I hereby challenge every lover of good melodic progressive/ symphonic music to give this album a listen. Never before has an album felt so fresh and yet classic, well not since the genre began in the late sixties/early seventies anyway.
(review by Olov Andersson)

On the cover there's an underline saying "Official bootleg" but I don't think there's anything "bootleggy" about this album. It's an admirable performance from one of the stronger bands of today's progrockers and the sound quality is perfectly ok. We get songs from both their studio albums and also a track simply called "Keyboard solo", a nice piece from the bandleader Lalo Huber who is one of my definite favourites in the "Keith Emerson-school". If you are the kind who are not interested in live albums and have not yet heard this brilliant group I suggest you try one of their studio albums "Detras del Umbral" from 1998 and "Metanoia" from 2001. Don't miss this band. They are really something special.
(review by Hansi Cross)

(OK…let's ignore the fact that these guys got one of the stranger band names in prog history and move on to what they sound like.) Debut album from a very nice (!) prog act hailing from Holland. Emotional, well performed melodic prog with a melancholic 80's like atmosphere and an expressive vocalist sometimes reminiscent of Roland Orzabal (Tears For Fears). There are also some heavier rocking prog parts eventually in the vein of It Bites here and there (as in the chorus lines on "Hope you don't mind") but most of all it's a band with their own sound. And to me it's without question a highly enjoyable debut album, which I listen to daily.
(review by Hansi Cross)

If you look really hard you will eventually find a few gems and this is one of them. This is an Italian five-piece progressive outfit in the old British progschool a la Genesis and at times I can hear Peter Gabriel singing his heart out. Sometimes it sounds like Fish on vocals. I think you've got the picture by now. They aren't any clones at all and all the seven pieces on this album are pure original works. It is a trip down memory lane and it's worth the ticket. If you're into older prog you should give this CD a chance. It will bring you hours of pleasure.
(review by Olov Andersson)

Another one of Syn-Phonics CD releases containing American progressive rock bands from the 70's, which at that time did not find it's way to a wider audience. The debut album "Sursum Corda" (which is latin for Lift up your heart) from the symphonic sounding trio Quill is a 36 minutes work divided in two parts named First Movement and (naturally) Second Movement. The first one being 19:58 minutes long and the second piece are 15:32. Both parts contain a number of sub titles. Musically they were a bit like another 70's act, the German band Triumvirat, heavily influenced by Emerson, Lake & Palmer but also with some ideas of their own merged into the final concept.

Ken DeLoria is playing a large number of keyboards, Keith Christian is taking care of the Rickenbacker bass and lead vocals together with the drummer and percussionist Jim Sides. Quill was certainly one of the stronger acts in the keyboard lead symphonic rock genre with moog fanfares, pompous organs and military drums as its trademark. If this highly enjoyable album had been released two or three years earlier it most probably had been counted as one of the classic progressive / symphonic rock albums from the 70's. If you are into bands who suites the above description then you should take a listen to this one as well. And…in the booklet we can read that there was also a follow-up recorded in 1978 which was never released, so, let's hope that Syn-Phonic lay there hands on that one as well!
(review by Hansi Cross)

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