I’ve finally been able to pen a few new reviews in the last month or so, which are now up on the Gnosis website. I’m trying to document as best as possible my current listening perspective. Full reviews (meaning satisfactory for me, though hardly masterpieces of literature) are in order most of the time. In other cases, I would rather just put a few thoughts down and move on. These could be where we already have good coverage on Gnosis, or it could be by a major group that I feel others could cover far better than I. These latter type of reviews I will post here from now on.

 
Zao – Z=7L. 11+12. Best listen yet, even though I’ve owned an LP of this for close to 20 years. Interesting to note that my previous grades seem to reflect the opening and final tracks, which has me wondering if I’m not more influenced by the positioning than I should be. Certainly that can be the case when distracted – which is why I’m trying more than ever to have focused listens and not pre-occupied with other things (like work). It is indeed the 4 middle tracks here that are striking. The “operatic scat” vocals, which can be a soprano shriek or a frightening guttural growl are more abrasive and experimental on these bookend tracks than what is found on the rest of the CD. Joel Dugrenot shows off his bass chops worthiness here and gives Top/Paganotti/Moze a run for their money. My-Troung is outstanding behind the kit. Cahen and Seffer can carry any melodic line. The first Zao to break the classic 12 line. I bet some others follow over time.

 
Miles Davis – Kind of Blue. D:10

Miles Davis – Sketches of Spain. D:10. My wife took a surprise shine to my “In a Silent Way” CD recently, but in no way likes ANYTHING about the “Bitches Brew” and beyond era (which makes up the rest of my Miles collection). So it was clear we needed to go backwards in the catalog. She loves “Kind of Blue” but “Sketches of Spain” proved to be a bit more academic for her tastes. Either way, works for me. I’m no jazz aficionado, but sure enjoy hearing these over dinner. I’m so glad she never took to modern pop music – and if we listen to 50s and 60s jazz for the next few years, I will be a very happy man. Very easy for me to enjoy even though they don’t take me to the next level…

 
Fates Warning -  Night on Brocken. 7+9. Much better than I remembered, but hardly an item that needs to be keep beyond a CD-R. It’s amazing how much at the beginning of their career FW sounded like Iron Maiden. “Piece of Mind” must’ve been their favorite record at the time. And I’ll always argue Iron Maiden is progressive minded too… FW would improve drastically on follow-up “The Spectre Within”.

 
Holocaust – Live (Hot Curry and Wine). 9+10. One of the original NWOBHM groups, this Scottish bunch put out a mix of corny rock anthems, and more aggressive metal cuts, with a surprising amount of quality melodies. Not the best example of the genre, but worth having at least a CD-R copy somewhere in the collection. Band reformed over a decade ago and are still around with a pile of albums, which according to the BNR Metal Pages, are highly original and some of the best metal has to offer today. Obviously Holocaust are a true cult band… I’ll need to investigate further.