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Landmarq Roadskill: Live in the Netherlands Review by Gary Hill I really like this band. This live album shows just how powerful they are live. It’s amazing how good they sound in live performance. I mean, so much of their music sounds like it benefits from being a studio creation. Yet, live they pull off the same sound. Their mix of prog, metal and more is very effective. Tracy Hitching’s voice is so perfect for this band, too. Not only do you get a full CD of live Landmarq, but they also include a DVD of the show with a couple songs not on the CD. This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2015 Volume 4 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review

Turbulence Coming in almost metallic, they bring it more into progressive rock territory as they continue. I love the vocals on this song. This is quite a dynamic and powerful prog rocker. It’s a great way to start the show in style. I love the contrasting balance between the harder rocking and mellower sections.

Personal Universe This is such a powerful song. It’s packed with emotion and progressive rock majesty. It makes me think of a harder rocking Renaissance, really. There are some really pretty moments here.

Glowing This is more epic progressive rock. It has a lot of power coming from the vocal performance. I’d say that more than anything that is what really makes this piece as powerful as it is. I do really love the keyboard solo section, though. This one manages to avoid the metal edge that a lot of this music has. It’s one of my favorite cuts of the set.

Stormbrewing Just over a minute and a half long, this is a piano solo. It’s also potent.

Thunderstruck Hard edged guitar riffing starts this. Keyboard come in to temper it. The vocals are quite rocking and the whole cut is just energized prog rock. In a way, it makes me think of a more prog oriented Heart. There is a mellower section mid-track. There is some powerhouse jamming later featuring some particularly effective keyboard work. Then a keyboard solo is heard further down the road. That gives way to a mellower movement. When it eventually powers up after the next vocal section, it’s quite Yes-like in the way it does so. The closing section is a real prog showcase.

Prayer Starting fairly mellow, this grows out into a powerful prog rocker from there. It’s packed with emotion and passion. I really like the bass work in the mellower section later in the track. This is a dynamic and quite effective prog rock piece.

Calm Before the Storm The opening section on this is quite powerful and a little bit crazed. It drops down to a mellow movement to build upward gradually. There is sort of a theatrical element to this piece. There are some really effective fast paced prog jams included in this. It drops way back later before powering up into some more particularly strong music.

Entertaining Angels Somehow the introductory movement here reminds me a bit of Pink Floyd’s “On the Turning Away.” It moves out from there into something that again feels like a prog version of Heart to me in some ways. We’re taken through some more dramatic changes as it continues. It’s another strong prog rocker from a band that seems capable of nothing but that.

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