Giona

Thank you all. Dei Paatos can be considered "prog/trip-hop," albeit with due caution, just for the debut, since from "Kallocain" onward, any progressive claim vanishes into the preciousness of subdued and rather unexciting atmospheres. Tomorrow, as far as I know, "Breathing" should be released, but after the blameworthy emptiness of "Silence of Another Kind," I don't think there's any reason to hold one's breath. As far as I’m concerned, they are born and die with "Timeloss" (which I consider valid especially in its Japanese edition, thanks to the presence of suggestive episodes such as "Ouka" and "Otaku").

Nice album, smooth and varied, that partially leaves behind the excessive softness of "Fortunate Observer of Time" in order to offer a wider range of sound suggestions (especially with the succulent "Belgian Boogie Board"). However, the intensity of "Creatures" is only partially regained.

So, you read me a little? I understand you... Just kidding Bob, thanks for stopping by. Best regards.

I agree, Alby. My need to navigate through certain critical paradigms is not and does not aim to be at all focused on consolidating a "reviewer credibility" as such, possibly tied to a backward concept of social or professional "reputation," in which I do not even believe. Embracing your discourse, I can indeed say that I also "like to share" what I value and consider to have a certain beneficial potential, and my effort to maintain an objective perspective lies precisely in the attempt to provide any potential readers with a viewpoint as broad, faithful, and especially anchored in fixed points that they can trust, despite each individual's preferences and viewpoints. With that said, I do not want to assert that I currently succeed in this endeavor because, since I've been here, I've written tons of nonsense, and probably will write even more, but I will not stop trying nonetheless. In conclusion, I welcome you to DeB, as I didn't notice your very young debaserian age yesterday, and I invite Master Splinter to more reviews, because, regardless of progressive philosophies and methods of enjoyment and evaluation, good music should always find a place on the homepage.

Alby, I initially referenced your intervention solely and exclusively because it is indicative of the issue suggested by the review, as it "fully endorses the statements". The criticisms that "progressive rock purists" bring against neo-prog have nothing to do and do not wish to have anything to do with the emotional or personal impact it might produce on the listener. IQ moves you emotionally. And this is a beautiful, shareable, and rightful consideration, but it is subjective. If I want to have even just a shred of credibility as a reviewer, I must address methodological, historical, and terminological issues because art, despite its ineffable nature, is still subject to an objective meter of judgment, however flexible. Neo-prog beautifies the genre from which it originates, making it pleasant, smooth, and catchy, but, inevitably, it strips away much of its meaning and its very reason for being, making that ruthless, cynical, and rebellious music, which instead was born as bold ambrosia "for the mind," more "heartfelt". That said, I want to reaffirm once more how necessary it is to follow one’s preferences and intuitions in order to fully and genuinely enjoy any form of art, even though I also believe it is necessary to admit that every album claiming to define itself as "progressive" structurally contains within itself a primeval and objective value of experimentation and research.

Saying about any group: "they are definitely derivative, but where's the problem?" does not solve the issue at all, but completely avoids it, taking refuge in a comfortable relativism, just as pointing out "the definitely more modern sounds" merely highlights their formal aspect. The crux of the matter doesn’t lie in the concept of "deriving" per se, as it is obvious that everything comes from something else, but in the proportions used in the aforementioned process. The entire work of Christian Vander is inconceivable without John Coltrane and Steve Hackett; without Bach, he could never have reached the peaks of excellence to which he has accustomed us. Utilizing the inspiration drawn from a certain source as a support and stimulus to undertake any development, even if it is a provocation or perhaps simply a reformulation of partially known elements, can lead to further artistic gains and new expressive language methods; however, limiting oneself to standardizing, softening, and consequently crystallizing an entire genre that is born and justifies its own existence around the concept of "progress" can only be misleading for those who closely follow that genre and seek its most substantial results. That said, I do not want to suggest in any way that "neo-prog" lacks value or cannot be enjoyable or even exhilarating, but that it employs a contradictory name (somewhat like the so-called "progressive metal"), which seeks to evoke and expand prog rock while killing its spirit and the essential prerequisites that truly make it what it is. I do reserve a 5 for the reviewer because “I’m definitely on the side of those who think like me!” is an electrifying phrase. Brilliant.

ProgRock, if you consider "Hinterland" one of the five progressive albums to recommend for the entire decade, and at the same time find the style of Diagonal to be even a notch above, it means you must really like their self-titled album from 2008.

Thank you, Kosmogabri. You say, Jargon? Perhaps it’s because their sound isn’t exactly my cup of tea, but I really can’t understand why they would rely on this "double LP" format when, by condensing the message into roughly an hour (which isn't little), they could have packaged a product that is much more compact and, above all, accessible. The ideas and the substance, make no mistake, are there, and it would be absurd to deny it. However, the diluted form tends to obscure the substance a bit, and at the end of the day, listening to this album from start to finish becomes quite a feat. The elongated timing is certainly intentional and part of a style that Astra consciously adopts, but if the "Tales..." of Yes lore has taught us anything, it's that, talent and happy intuitions aside, a minimum sense of proportion wouldn’t hurt from time to time. The hypnotic airs of “The Weirding”, cyclically shattered by the tumultuous evocations of the spirits of King Crimson’s “Cirkus” and the ancient Black Sabbath, the dreamlike prophecies of “Silent Sleep”, and the Floydian chants echoing in the solemn sound halls of “Beyond to Slight the Maze”, could justify the extended length of such tracks. However, episodes like “The River Under”, which add little to the aforementioned pieces, and “Ouroboros”, an instrumental behemoth as majestic as it is protracted, could have been resolved more succinctly (especially the latter), thus helping to streamline the forms of a work that is certainly valid but at times cumbersome. That said, I would like to clarify that my criticisms arise from a comparison with Wobbler and Diagonal, to whom I consider Astra a notch below, but they still deserve a full 7. I'm just trying not to automatically give a 4 (that is, an 8) to every good album I talk about or express opinions on, in order to avoid a general and counterproductive leveling of quality, even if this means focusing on certain debatable characteristics or, at least in my opinion, of questionable effectiveness, as is the case here.

Personally, in terms of freshness and overall success of the proposal, I find the "recovery work" of the Wobbler much more in line with the style, equally balanced and, indeed, "temperate," of the Diagonal rather than that of the Astra, who with "The Weirding" aimed too high, producing a monolithic colossus that fails to provide enough insights to even partially justify its eighty-minute runtime.

Thank you Jargon, Fede, ProgRock, Hjhhjij, and also the editors for appreciating the writing. I admit I had quite a few problems and second thoughts while evaluating this record, which can seem splendid or trivial depending on the perspective. Like most things, I believe the truth lies in the middle: it's impossible not to notice a certain reluctance in using new elements, not to mention that the band's confidence seems limited to the musical gains of their predecessors. But one must also acknowledge that "Hinterland," bolstered by the presence of a remarkably talented singer, successfully synthesizes and reformulates the fairy-tale liveliness of Gryphon and Gentle Giant with the emotional tension and introspective torment of Änglagård, creating a sort of musical fable with a powerful atmosphere, worthy heir to "Ignis Fatuus," and able to proudly bear the standard of medieval progressive rock, distinctly separating itself from the sculptural and static mannerism of bands like Sinkadus. That said, I do not deny that this type of prog tends to focus on the gains of the past rather than progressing towards further artistic shores, but sometimes the reinterpretation and blending of old systems can yield, as in this case, results that are anything but contemptible.