I’m going to make a bold statement here and say that Phideaux is arguably the best new progressive rock band on the planet. We just seem to get one masterpiece after another from Phideaux and it’s music that does a great job of combining classic progressive rock sounds with more modern elements. This should please fans of both traditional prog and the modern varieties. I’ll say that this will almost certainly make my list of best albums of 2011. The music on the disc is constantly evolving, which makes it not the easiest thing to do track by track reviews on, but suffice it to say this is incredible.

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This starts rather subtly, a bit like Pink Floyd. As it grows this arrangement becomes more complicated and involved and hints of Genesis emerge, but it climaxes and drops back to the section that started it. After a bit like that a piano drives the cut into new territory. This becomes incredibly dramatic and powerful as it builds in more unique ways. It’s melodic and potent. Around the five and a half minute mark it shifts out to a powerhouse Yes-like movement. As it continues to evolve we’re taken into a jam that’s rather like Pentwater. The piece continues to change and evolve. After a time it becomes a balladic duet that’s rather theatrical in some ways. The musical evolution continues and we’re moved out into a melodic instrumental section that’s a bit like Yes or Genesis after a while. Around the eleven and a half minute mark, a bouncy, piano driven melody emerges and the cut builds out from there into a dramatic movement that’s definitely got some Genesis built into it. Overall, though, it’s probably closer to Spock’s Beard, but that’s only so relevant in terms of influences. A mellow and classically tinged balladic instrumental section takes over from there before it moves out into more Genesis-like instrumental sounds. Piano dominates after a time and creates a rather ELP-like motif. It continues in that kind of way for a time, but then a new melody emerges around the sixteen minute mark and a killer instrumental section that’s both bouncy and rather symphonic takes over. There’s a turn into almost world music territory with some jazz infused. As it makes another turn saxophone soars over in a killer jazz-like jam that’s almost King Crimson-like. The thing keeps getting reborn and re-imagined until twisting into a killer Yes-like jam that eventually takes it out a little before the twenty minute mark.