Strange band name, even stranger names for the musicians, and for some Out of the Barnyard will be an odd concept, but damn if this debut from progressive rock act Fright Pig isn't simply a hell of a lot of fun. Complete with fantastic artwork from Ed Unitsky, Out of the Barnyard is an upbeat, bold affair filled with symphonic keyboards, dazzling guitar work, and vocals that will certainly appeal to many classic prog fans. The main culprit here calls himself Fright Pig, and he handles all the sizzling keyboard parts, and he's joined by Pig Maillion (vocals), Thumper (drums), Hogg Wilde (bass), and a crew of guitar players who go by the names of Hamm Onwry, Makon Baykon, Inna Pigsie, Pig Lee Whigli, and Ray Zorbak. It's stated in the liner notes that all the players are accomplished musicians, so my guess is that a few of them we've probably heard of before if only their true identities were revealed. Most of the songs are well crafted, dramatic, symphonic prog-rock, with tunes like "Incident at Pembroke" and "The Meaning of Dreams" pushing all the right buttons with memorable melodies and adventurous guitar & keyboard passages. "Darkest of Forms" hints at more metallic fare, and probably the closest the album comes to progressive metal, but "Presumido" also features some heavy riffs & delicate acoustic/flamenco lines from Makon Baykon. The great thing about Fright Pig is that these guys don't really sound like any other band in recent memory, and they certainly don't mimic any of the classic acts either, save for some moments of ELP styled bombast and Peter Gabriel-ish vocals in spots. Out of the Barnyard is fun stuff, quite fulfilling if you are a prog fan, and whether they decide to carry on in this anonymous fashion (almost like prog rock's version of Swedish metal act Ghost) we can only hope for more in the very near future. Review by "Pete Pardo" (www.seaoftranquility.org).
RATING: 8.25 / 10
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RATING: 8.25 / 10
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