IZZ
Sliver of a Sun

"Sliver Of a Sun" is the debut album, dated 1988, by the American band IZZ. The album opens with a couple of fairly pleasant tracks in which the band's influences immediately become clear, ranging from the greats of progressive (especially King Crimson and Gentle Giant) to American FM rock and that touch of the Beatles that inevitably peeks through in some vocal melodies. Then we move on to the third track, "Lornadoone," which, with the help of the dual male and female vocals, reminded me quite a bit of their fellow countrymen Episode from "Starlight Tales" (although without reaching that level). Up to this point, and even with the decent following track (a typically made-in-USA acoustic ballad), we're in the realm of a solid pass, but without particular strokes of brilliance. These come instead with the subsequent dramatic mini-suite (about 9 minutes long) "Assurance." The style of the piece is reminiscent of fellow countrymen Spock's Beard and is really successful, with its alternating beautiful vocal melody and instrumental parts characterized by nice dialogues between keyboards and electric guitar. Speaking of the latter, it must be noted that in some tracks it features rather harsh and screeching sounds that create an unpleasant contrast with the other sounds and the general sophistication of the arrangements. In the following "Take It Higher" the Beatles influence becomes shamelessly evident, but the track is nothing special, just like the brief instrumental that follows, which deserves mention mainly for the excellent performance of the bassist (after all, it's called "Double Bass"). More American FM with the subsequent "Just a Girl" (not bad though...), while with "Meteor" we return to prog territory with not negligible results. The album recovers at the end with "Razor," characterized by a highly varied central section in which, within a few minutes, jazzy phrases, shimmering guitars, hints of flamenco alternate, and with the suite "Where I Belong" where the female voice returns to weave sweet melodies over a classy arrangement. "Sliver Of a Sun" is thus a prog album characterized by highs and lows, which doesn't exceed either positively or negatively. Certainly, I don't feel like sharing the truly enthusiastic opinions I've come across in magazines and websites. In short, just to stay in the United States, Spock's Beard, Echolyn, and Discipline are on another planet.