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Progressive Rock CD Reviews

The Mugshots

Love, Lust and Revenge

Review by Gary Hill

I would argue that some of Alice Cooper’s music leaned towards progressive rock. I’d also argue that this outfit are prog rock. Why did I mention Alice Cooper? Because these guys are clearly influenced by Cooper. They even cover a lesser known Cooper song as the closing cut here. You can’t really deny the progressive rock elements at work here, though. The opening tune, in particular is quite proggy. There are other moments where this feels like a cross between Cooper and Fish era Marillion.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2013  Volume 5 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review
Nothing At All

Melodic progressive rock leads out here and a fusion-like guitar soars over the top. As the vocals join, they feel a bit psychedelic in nature. This gets pretty intense as it carries forward. It’s quite a cool modern melodic prog piece with plenty of influences from old school progressive rock. The piano solo section is quite a nice touch. As the vocals join from there I’m reminded quite a bit of Fish era Marillion. The piece grows out from there into a harder rocking jam that’s still quite melodic.

Under My Skin
Imagine a melding of Marillion with Welcome to My Nightmare era Alice Cooper. It’s likely to sound a lot like this.
Curse the Moon
Somehow I can still make out hints of Alice Cooper on this one, too. That said, this rocker is pure progressive rock, but with a lot of killer guitar. It’s got a pretty accessible vocal hook and many layers of guitar. The sound of this band is unique and great. This piece is just one example of that. There is a cool piano driven movement later in the tune, too.
Free (As I Am)
They open this with a pretty straightforward hard rocking jam. After a while, though, it shifts towards something like a proggy Who. The later sections include a very accessible vocal hook. They even drop it to just vocals for a time. Somehow I can even make out a little Tom Petty on this thing.
Pass the Gun Around
I’ve always liked the original version of this. It always has had a little bit of a prog edge to my ears. This one is pretty true to that version, but the progressive rock vibe is more prominent. There’s an instrumental section that really brings that home, too.
 
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