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Progressive Rock CD Reviews

Acidic Base

Purple Skies

Review by Gary Hill

I know there are those who will dispute whether this belongs under progressive rock or not. I'll freely admit that it's not rock music - not even close. This type of instrumental electronic music is well tied into the types of things that are often considered progressive rock - or at least considered closely connected to the genre. The two biggest reference points in that comparison are Synergy and Kraftwerk. This is very much that kind of music. This is quite effective, too. It never feels tired or redundant, and it never fails to entertain.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) in Music Street Journal: 2019  Volume 2. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2019.
Track by Track Review
Purple Skies
Echoey waves of electronic texture open this and pull it forward. As the more rhythmic elements join I'm reminded of a Kraftwerk to a large degree. This has a cool groove and paints some intriguing musical images.
Halcyon
This is a mellower kind of electronic groove. It makes me think of things like Synergy quite a bit. It does have some energetic moments, but overall it's more contemplative than the opener was.
Chernobyl
While  this is (appropriately) moody, it's also quite pretty. It seems to have two distinct sections. One is more about a sad kind of beauty. The section sections seems to bring a sense of hope to that environment. At over eight-minutes of music, this is the most extensive piece here.
Blurred
This has more energy and even a bit of a gritty vibe. There are some aspects of this that make me think of Pink Floyd's Meddle-era just a little. This is a cool track that lends a different wrinkle to the sound of this act.
Omnidirectional Hyperjet
The second longest cut here, this starts a bit tentatively with pretty textures that are more distinctly progressive rock based. This grows out into quite a dramatic musical journey. It's another number that definitely makes me think of Synergy.
Mountain Face
An energetic electronic groove drives this one in cool ways. It is another with plenty of Synergy in the mix, but perhaps some Kraftwerk, too.
Borealis
While this isn't a big change, it is another effective electronic instrumental piece. I love some of the synthesizer leads that come over it later, too.
  
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