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What we have here is a compilation by a band I never heard of before. Maybe it's my ignorance or this band must've been really obscure. They might've been releasing their albums on Mars. That wouldn't surprise me though, because their progressive rock comes across so spacey at times, that they must've been there. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we have a progressive rock band that existed without yours truly knowing. Shameful! Burn the heretic!
It's even a bigger disgrace when you consider one of the members - and main man - of this band is no one less than Andy Tillison. Yes, that same person who is responsible for the output of his current progressive rock band, The Tangent. I really like The Tangent so I was a bit biased going into this release. There, I said it. So what is the music like? Well, the biggest part of the music on this two CD release can be compared to the style of The Tangent. Parallel or Ninety Degrees however are a bit more experimental and put emphasis on psychedelic instrumentation. The have a lot more variety in songs, going from neo-progressive rock, to progressive metal tendencies, to space rock. They incorporate it all; Quite the eclectic mix. The biggest disappointment is that this album does not just host a variety in style, but also a variety in quality. There are some bad produced songs, but also some bad written ones. Let's not focus on those songs though. The majority of the songs breathe quality with the definitive highlights being "Space Junk" and "Four Egos One War". Both songs are lengthy songs and both songs stroll on the border between neo-progressive rock and progressive metal. The songs still maintain a very dark feel to then, like Van Der Graaf Generator in their prime. Even the vocals by Tillison remind you of Peter Hammil. Often though Tillison's vocal are quite raw and out of tune. I'm sure it was meant to be like that to give it that more rogue mood to the music, but I find it disturbing.
Even if some songs do not meet the overall quality of the album, this still is a quality release. Even the crappy artwork can't change that. If you're into Porcupine Tree meets Van Der Graaf Generator, this might very well be your thing. Let's be honest. If you're a progressive rock fan and you've never heard of these guys before (just like me *cough*), save yourself the embarrassment and go get this nice overview of this band's career.
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