1974. 1974 & The Death Of The Herald (2013). Album. US. Progressive Rock, Crossover Prog.

1 The Great Galactic War Lyrics By – Mike Forgette 3:13 2 Phantoms Lyrics By – Mike Forgette 4:30 3 Herald Of Life Lyrics By – Angela Piccoli, Mike Forgette 3:13 4 Building An Empire Lyrics By – Mike Forgette Saxophone – Isaac Young 3:51 5 Essential Arms Lyrics By – Tim Moore 4:49 6 A New Beginning Lyrics By – Mike Forgette 6:05 7 Vera Lyrics By – Angela Piccoli, Mike Forgette 4:40 8 Admiral Tackett Lyrics By – Gary Dionne 4:59 9 The United Earthlands’ Assembly Lyrics By – Mike Forgette Vocals – Kevin Anderson 4:15 10 A Dark Thought Lyrics By – Mike Forgette 3:02 11 Abduction Lyrics By – Gary Dionne, Mike Forgette 5:22 12 Ultimatum Lyrics By – Mike Forgette, Mike Forgette, Tim Moore 3:36 13 Death Of The Herald Chorus – Jennifer Hill, Leah Lorenzo, Steve Gregory Guitar – Lou Lorenzo Lyrics By – Gary Dionne, Mike Forgette 9:06 Total Time 60:43 Bass, Vocals – Gary Dionne (tracks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) Drums, Vocals – Tim Moore (22) (tracks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) Guitar – Adam Clymer (tracks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) Guitar, Vocals – Mike Forgette (tracks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) Keyboards, Vocals – Angela Piccoli (tracks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) Recorded By, Mixed By, Mastered By, Producer – Jeff Weed (tracks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) I don’t remember how I went to discover this band. Probably it was in the “free legal mp3 downloads“. I actually downloaded it, forgot it for some time and went to the first listen without knowing what to expect. well, IT ROCKS! I can’t understand why a band of this kind which I think has also a commercial potential is still unsigned. Hey labels, where are you looking? How can you ignore a thing like this? They sound quite american, with the double guitar like LYNYRD SKYNYRD or WISHBONE ASH, they have acoustic interludes like THE WHO, the vocalists are excellent, the music is loud and progressive enough with signature changer, sometimes odd and unusual, but listenable for every kind of ears. That’s what I mean for “commercial potential“. There is a concept, too. It’s a Sci-Fi story that started in 2011 with the band’s first EP and will continue with the next album. This album has no flaws. It’s a total listening pleasure from the start to the end. It’s powerful but even with all the instruments at high volume it’s also excellently mixed and produced. I’m used to enjoy it on headphones, but I suggest to let it break your speakers. It’s downloadable as name your price on bandcamp, so hurry up and get your copy. To me it’s one of the best albums that I have listened to in 2013 and I’m still listening to it from time to time. (twice between yesterday evening and this morning, just to give an idea). Can it deserve the status of “masterpiece“? I don’t know, really, but I enjoy it a lot and I listen to it more often than to any recognized prog masterpiece, so for me it’s a 5-stars album. I hope that sooner or later this hidden gem band will be disclosed to the world. Review by octopus-4