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: : The Tale
Of Woe : :
Puppet Show is a US progressive rock band, formed way back in 1994.
After releasing their debut album Traumatized in 1998, and then making a
name for themselves in the festival circuit at the time, the mundane
aspects of life for individual members took a course that effectively
paused further development for the band for quite a few years.
For some time now they've written songs, and late in 2006 their new
album "The Tale of Woe" was finished, officially being available to the
world at large now in February 2007.
And it's a good album, at least in my point of view. Hardcore fans of
Genesis may react somewhat negative to the sound here though.
Because there's a lot of Genesis to the soundscapes presented here. A
vocalist with a somewhat limited range, utilizing emotion in performance
rather than range (but nonetheless with technical finesse), swirling and
twirling synth work, often played side by side with solo guitar, the
synth used with a very 70's sounding organ sound reminding strongly of
Genesis before they started searching for high Billboard rankings,
themes repeated and played again later in the song, enthralling and
hypnotic instrumental parts - often long lasting, and few examples of
guitar riffing being present in the forefront of the soundscape. All of
it produced - very well so - with a soft tinge to the instruments in
general and the overall soundscapes especially.
Add to that several
sections where layers of instruments are heard crystal clear as well,
several mellow breaks in the long songs - 3 songs past the 10 minute
mark - most Genesis fans will hopefully know what I'm talking about.
Hopefully other readers as well.
But this is all very well performed. Good melodies, good playing, strong
moods throughout. And Puppet Show do deviate a bit from the above
description on two tracks as well. "God's Angry Man" contains lots of
eerie moods, sections sounding like free-form jazz mixed with a very
heavy sounding theme and weird ambient sounds. More of a mood piece than
a song as such, but an extremely interesting mood piece. Last track "On
Second Thought" showcases other influences than Genesis as well, with
some parts even sounding a bit more like progressive metal than
progressive rock as such.
Personally I think this is a very strong release, but hardcore Genesis
fans may want to check out this one with a bit more care than others,
especially the kind of hardcore fans with the opinion that "their" bands
sound is a holy cow never to be touched by others.
Rating: 8 (out of 10)
Reviewer: Olav Björnsen
: : Visit the Artist’s
Website :
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: : Discography : :
The Tale Of Woe
(2006)
Traumatized (1998) |
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