Comus

Starting off in true prog fashion with unusual instruments and generally spacey themes Eiliff sets the scene for yet another underlooked prog epic. Vocals aren't exactly brilliant so we'll thank our lucky stars they're only on very briefly in one track, that being said they're better than a lot of the sh!te around today. Byrd-Night starts the album off in an incredibly off-hand whimsical fashion and this generally will reflect the theme throughout the album. Lovely lush soundscapes are created by various instruments and effects, however they're build up only to be torn down again in a nearly frustrating circle that eventually hightens the enjoyment of the clean pieces. Psychedelic synth solos built on very repetitive short riffs seem to set the tune for a nice trip into the prog underworld. If you lose focus for just a few seconds you may forget that it's actually music you're listening to, that can be a good or a bad thing depending on how you feel about it.

Gammeloni is a lovely energetic piece that is quite reminiscent of a lot of Frank Zappa's pre-70's instrumental work. With a continuing shifting focus on one or two instruments with a lot of different solos the music entices you without managing to build to a true climax. This being said most passages are incredibly satisying nevertheless and I can only see them getting more enjoyable with every listen. The production on the drums is very good however I would like to hear the bass a bit clearer because there's some lovely work there. The sax solo on Gammeloni can also draw some paralells to King Crimson's Lizard which in my book is certainly a huge bonus to any fusion album. Now after being teased for a good 5 minutes (10 if you count Byrd-Night) you get a proper climax as the guitar solo kicks in, it's short but oh so sweet.

Oh dear the vocals have returned, not to worry it's not as bad as I'm making it out to be, but for a band generally referred to as instrumental it's got quite a bit of singing in it. Nevertheless this is immediately redeemed by some wonderful bass and guitar work. As you'll have noticed in the tracklisting the songs get progressively longer and at an average of over 10 minutes per track this isn't really something for last.fm whores or people with small attention spans. That's not to say Eiliff don't get straight to the point. A huge bonus about these songs are they don't mess about too much, the songs are this long because that's how long they need to be, not because the band wanted to create long songs. Uzzek of Rigel IV is a truly spacey journey into psychedelic/fusion soundscapes without becoming overly ambient (if at all) the band achieves some lovely melodies and catchy passages. The guitar work is instantly satisfying while some of the other instruments take awhile to fully appreciate.

If I were to change anything about this album it would certainly be to add more guitar solos like the one on the middle of Uzzek, as long as it may be already it's simply too good to end. Then again a fundamental drawback of the LP was the length restrictions on the album itself. A huge credit to the album is that despite the average song length it really doesn't ever become boring or tedius, you'll always be wanting more when it's over. And when you do come back to it, probably right after the first listen it will be oh so much more satisfying than the first, many of the hidden melodies will become apparant and as you start to become more familiar, it will becme even better. Never one for traditional endings the 6-7 ish minute long guitar solo in Uzzek ends sharply with a simple fading out leaving you wondering where the **** your time just dissapeared but also wanting a more bombastic end to the song. However this can't really be a weakness considering it sets you up perfectly for the album's epic appropriately entitled Suite.

Starting with a very In The Court style riff oozing with all sorts of influences Suite is instantly satisfying, more upbeat than the rest of the album it's attack after attack of brilliant solos and passages. Despite all these brilliant pieces, surpisingly the whole is still more than the sum of its parts and that's another great attribute. For progheads this album will be a true gem as you can play "spot the influence" on a lot of the riffs and solos however it never ever comes across as ripping off anything. The album does sound very much like you would expect from a prog/fusion album however it's still incredibly fresh and original for anyone who hasn't heard it and it never comes off as stale. Having aged a lot better than a lot of the fusion work of the time will certainly count very postively towards it's score. The epic Suite has some delightful passages leading towards the middle, with a lot of more eastern melodies becoming apparant and even moreso with the introduction of the sitar towards the middle of the song.

When I hear a sitar played by a modern rock band I normally frown with distaste however this is done beautifully, I know most people wouldn't regard a 1971 release to be modern but then again I'm not most people. In this case the sitar is used beautifully and to great effect within the song as it has been beautifully built up and introduced. The latter stages of Suite tend to be even more upbeat and it works beautiful with some lovely hammond work and driving bass lines and it all proves incredibly entertaining. The drumwork can tend to be overlooked however it certainly does deserve a mention as it perfectly keeps everything together and provides some incredible introduction and backing to a lot of the album. The melodies contained in this album can't but help to put a smile on my face and it's certainly a welcome change from a lot of the clinical work of other prog artists.

Eiliff does everything a prog/fusion fan wants and more, there's some lovely melodies, some great instrumental work and undeniably some very satisfying music as a whole. It's hard putting a score to it, because it's better than The Hermit, however I enjoy the hermit a lot more, in a more perfect world I'd be able to give them a lot higher ratings but I wouldn't be comfortable with fudging the scores. Eiliff deserves a good score, and my rating will reflect that. And like the album, let's go out with a bang. This is a must have!

8.3/10

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