Eponymus II

The follow-up to 2000's self-titled release, this one shows the group staying true to the sound of that album while still making progress toward expanding their sound. The disc wanders a bit more into the world of progressive rock while still maintaining their fusion sort of sound. In fact, this one at times really leans a bit toward the Red era of King Crimson. Granted, that refers to fairly brief and sporadic segments of the album, but the sound is there. Along with that sound is a continuation of the fusion-oriented modes begun on the first album, and even some traditional jazz sounds. As many of the fusion sort of groups are wont to do, this disc can get a bit noodly and wander a bit. Still, if you are into the instrumental prog stylings that lean toward fusion, perhaps this is an album for you. In saying that this album is instrumental, that even is not completely accurate. That is how difficult this band is to pigeonhole. In fact, the early portions of the album feature some spoken-word vocals that are stopped by a firm, "Stop talking!," and a bit of the later section features a non-lyrical chorale sort of vocal arrangement. Still, the disc overall is composed of non-vocal arrangements. It gets quite adventurous at times, and is not for those who are faint at heart in terms of experimentation, but it really shows a group of musicians who are on top of their game.