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Progressive Rock CD Reviews

PSI

Horizonte

Review by Gary Hill

This is a CD issue of an album from 1977. PSI was a German group, and their instrumental (there are a couple points where there are vocals, but they are more incidental and non-lyrical) music has healthy helpings of jazz built into them. In fact, I'd say that this is perhaps closer to fusion and jazz than it is prog, but it certainly fits into jazz prog zones, too. However you classify it, though, it's a strong album.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2024  Volume 2 More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2024.

Track by Track Review
Unter Der Schürze Liegt Die Würze
Coming in more pure fusion, this grows out to jazz prog zones as it continues. It's a smoking hot jam that has some hints of funk built into it.
Bettgeräusche

Horn gets things underway here. This is a slower moving, jazzy jam that's very tasty. This evolves into such a classy jam. It's got both prog and jazz in the mix, and I really love the bass work. The piano soloing is particularly cool, too.

Horizonte
The keyboard work that gets this underway is decidedly prog rock. That said, there is still a healthy helping of jazz at play. As this builds outward it becomes positively on fire. This is perhaps the most purely prog rocking thing here, but it's also heavily jazz oriented. I love the guitar soloing on this thing so much.
Elektrisch Kall-Heinzje
This cut gets into some decidedly funky, almost disco style territory. It's also one of the most dynamic things here, shifting around quite a bit. It has some heavily jazz oriented music, too. It's another particularly effective track.
Urschrei
Frantic and driving, this powerhouse combines jazz and prog in fine fashion. There are definitely parts of this that make me think of Frank Zappa .It's one of the highlights of the disc. There is a burst of non-lyrical voices at the end like a scream. At just a little over two minutes long, it's the shortest thing here.
Breikopf
With some weird vocals deep in the mix, this is perhaps the strangest piece here. Although that all switches after the opening movement ends, and we're into more of the Zappa-styled jazz prog jamming. It drops to a false ending. Then mellower and more introspective jazz starts takes over. The section works through in that fashion, and then they take things in new directions from there. It is almost like a different song as the new jazz concepts take over. There is another false ending at the end, and then we get a reprise of the concepts heard just before to take it out in style.
Drall / Arkadash
Cool keyboards bring this in, and the track evolves from there. This is another that's particularly dynamic and does a great job of combining fusion and progressive rock. I love the bass showcase section later, and this gets into some rather funky territory at times. This keeps shifting and changing and really gets into some killer jamming as it does.
  
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