Album: There Once Was a Night of Choko-Muro the Paradise
(1996)(Remaster 2013)
Genre: Prog Rock (Symphonic/Heavy/Neo Prog) / Japan
Providence's 2nd album in 5 years starts out with a big, thunderously dark bang. Heavy, plodding and relentless, the album's opener "HCHO 40" is at once dark and menacing as it is uplifting and filled with keyboard-driven, 'tron-drenched nirvana. The vocalist from Providence 1 has been replaced by a new female vocalist with a softer, more delicate delivery that initially seems weaker than Kubota's raw power singing, but further forays reward the listener handsomely. This is a band of power, unity and purpose. Track 2 "An Epilogue for Cujolment" (God, I love those Japanese-to-English translations...) begins with a huge wall of organ-driven rock with great, lilting melodic singing by the lady's voice and the drums and bass begin to emerge from the cauldron as a unit as tight as a tank bearing. Guitar gradually begins to increase its presence and with thick, block chords of power rock and jazz, the keyboardist begins to dazzle with licks and bits that blow away players like Emerson and Wakeman. This is guy is GOOD, folks. Seven minutes into track the guitarist goes into an impromteau wah-laced solo that sounds like Jeff "Skunk" Baxter of Steely Dan jamming with Dream Theater's keyboardist extraordinaire, Derek Sherinian or Tony Banks of Genesis. I mean, where else do you hear that?? And that bass, that hammering, melodic bass... oh death, take me now. And the band has a very clear direction in the flow of these songs as well as managing to pay great homage to their Yes, Genesis, ELP, and even Crimson influences without sounding like cheap imitators. Providence is the real deal, people. What you get with this album is almost an hour's worth of some of the baddest synth/keyboard-driven prog this side of heaven. Shit, this IS heaven for me baby. This is a CD that DEMANDS your attention, and you'll probably miss its brilliance the first few times or so. After playing the hell out of this CD the past several days, I've realised this one might even surpase the great debut "And I'll Recite an Old Myth From..." from 1990, itself an incredible blast of UK-meets-Genesis-meets-Renaissance prog from Japan. "Choko-Muro" is deeper, more introspective, yet the melodic themes and arrangements seems more complex and finely tuned... the album ends, after several mini-epic songs, with a short piece for piano and voice that seems to appear from nowhere at the close of the previous mini-epic - multi-layered vocals create a floating effect with beautiful piano playing to provide direction.... whisked easily away on a cloud by Providence, in any form or phase, in any time period. Classic, classic prog with NO filler and no chump-change lyrics. This one is for keyboard lovers and symphonic rock seekers who love the glory days of Genesis, Yes, ELP and so many others, and who still want the same high level of musicianship and compositional skills but maybe with an updated sound or new 'slant' on their brand of rock. This is a take-no-prisoners no-brainer. That is of course, if you don't care what language it's sung in. I sure don't. Uuuuuuuukuuuuuuduuuuu saaaaaahhhhhhhh. LOL. Journey, struggle, conflict, enlightenment, catharsis... it's all here, people. This is one band that NEEDS CD reissue in the most fundamental way. Review by "olander607" (Rate Your Music).
RATING: 8.25 / 10
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Genre: Prog Rock (Symphonic/Heavy/Neo Prog) / Japan
Providence's 2nd album in 5 years starts out with a big, thunderously dark bang. Heavy, plodding and relentless, the album's opener "HCHO 40" is at once dark and menacing as it is uplifting and filled with keyboard-driven, 'tron-drenched nirvana. The vocalist from Providence 1 has been replaced by a new female vocalist with a softer, more delicate delivery that initially seems weaker than Kubota's raw power singing, but further forays reward the listener handsomely. This is a band of power, unity and purpose. Track 2 "An Epilogue for Cujolment" (God, I love those Japanese-to-English translations...) begins with a huge wall of organ-driven rock with great, lilting melodic singing by the lady's voice and the drums and bass begin to emerge from the cauldron as a unit as tight as a tank bearing. Guitar gradually begins to increase its presence and with thick, block chords of power rock and jazz, the keyboardist begins to dazzle with licks and bits that blow away players like Emerson and Wakeman. This is guy is GOOD, folks. Seven minutes into track the guitarist goes into an impromteau wah-laced solo that sounds like Jeff "Skunk" Baxter of Steely Dan jamming with Dream Theater's keyboardist extraordinaire, Derek Sherinian or Tony Banks of Genesis. I mean, where else do you hear that?? And that bass, that hammering, melodic bass... oh death, take me now. And the band has a very clear direction in the flow of these songs as well as managing to pay great homage to their Yes, Genesis, ELP, and even Crimson influences without sounding like cheap imitators. Providence is the real deal, people. What you get with this album is almost an hour's worth of some of the baddest synth/keyboard-driven prog this side of heaven. Shit, this IS heaven for me baby. This is a CD that DEMANDS your attention, and you'll probably miss its brilliance the first few times or so. After playing the hell out of this CD the past several days, I've realised this one might even surpase the great debut "And I'll Recite an Old Myth From..." from 1990, itself an incredible blast of UK-meets-Genesis-meets-Renaissance prog from Japan. "Choko-Muro" is deeper, more introspective, yet the melodic themes and arrangements seems more complex and finely tuned... the album ends, after several mini-epic songs, with a short piece for piano and voice that seems to appear from nowhere at the close of the previous mini-epic - multi-layered vocals create a floating effect with beautiful piano playing to provide direction.... whisked easily away on a cloud by Providence, in any form or phase, in any time period. Classic, classic prog with NO filler and no chump-change lyrics. This one is for keyboard lovers and symphonic rock seekers who love the glory days of Genesis, Yes, ELP and so many others, and who still want the same high level of musicianship and compositional skills but maybe with an updated sound or new 'slant' on their brand of rock. This is a take-no-prisoners no-brainer. That is of course, if you don't care what language it's sung in. I sure don't. Uuuuuuuukuuuuuuduuuuu saaaaaahhhhhhhh. LOL. Journey, struggle, conflict, enlightenment, catharsis... it's all here, people. This is one band that NEEDS CD reissue in the most fundamental way. Review by "olander607" (Rate Your Music).
RATING: 8.25 / 10
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