▄█████▄ ░█████▄ ▄████▄░█▄ ░█▄ ▄█████▄ ███▄██ ▄██ ▄█▄ ▄██████ ▄█▄ ▄███ ░████░██▀████▓ ▀██ ▄██░▀█████ ████ ███▓ ██████▓██ ▓███████ ███▓░▀█▀████ ███▓ ███▓ ▓███░ ██ ██▄ ▄██▓██ ▓███▓██░ ▓███░███░███████████▄ ███░███░ ███░ ▄███ ███ ▄█▀░ ████████░██ █████████▄ ▓██░███ ███▓█████████ ███████ ███ ███░ ███████ ███▓ ░██ ██ ██████▓ ░██ ▀██ ███░███▓██████ ███▓███ ███ ███ ████████░███░ ███ ██▄ ██▓███░ ██▄ ██░██▓ ███ ▀▀████ ███░███ ███ ███ ███▓░███████░ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███▓██▓██░ ███ ▓████ ███ ███ ▓██▓ ███ ███░ ▓██████ ███ ▓████ ▓██▄ ▓████████ ███ ▓███ ███ ███ ███░███ ███ ░██████ ███ ░████ ░███ ███▓███▓ ███ ░███ ███ ███ ██▓███ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███ ▓██▄ ███░███░ ███ ███ ███ ███ ░█████ ███ ██▓░██▄ ███ ▓█▀ ▓██▄ ███ ██░ ███ ██▓ ███ ███ ░███▀ ░█▀ ██░ ██ ░█▀ ░███▄ ▀ ▀ ▓█▀ ███░ ░█▀ ██▀ ██░ ▄██▀ ░█▄ ▄███▀ ░██ ░ ██ ▓░ ▓░ ██░ ▓█░ ░█▀ ▀█░ ░█▓ ░ ██ ██ Artist: Eyesberg ██ ██ ▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Masquerade █■ ░░█ ■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2016 █ ▀▓█ ░ █ ▓ Rel. Date: 2017-04-16 ▓ █ ▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒ █▄ ░ Label: Progressive Promotion Records ░ ▄█ ░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█ ░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░ ▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓ ▓ █ █ ░ ▓ ▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■ ░█ █░ ▀ █ Eyesberg took 34 years to cook up their debut, █ █ Blue, but didn't need nearly so long to churn out █ █ this successor to the album. It's neo-prog in a █ █ style which I'd be inclined to compare to recent █ █ Galahad - in that it's got the sort of mild █ █ Genesis influences you expect of neo-prog groups █ █ of a certain vintage, but greatly updated in terms █ █ of the electronic influences they allow to █ █ percolate into the music. █ █ It's competently done, but it does rather feel a █ █ bit neo-prog-by-numbers at points, and in terms of █ █ the lyrical themes they explore the band indulge █ █ in the sort of what I think of as "grumpy divorced █ █ dad nostalgia" that can plague the neo-prog scene █ █ a bit. You know the kind of thing - the sort of █ █ sub-Big Big Train griping about how Things Ain't █ █ Like They Used To Be (though there's plenty of █ █ music from the good old days that reminds us that █ █ things weren't so great back then either!). Where █ █ I look to neo-prog music for something emotionally █ █ engaging - whether that's IQ-style psychedelic █ █ excitement, Marillion-esque emotional gravitas, or █ █ whatever - Eyesberg instead deliver a lot of █ █ rather clueless griping. █ █ Take a case in point: one of the songs starts off █ █ with vocalist Malcolm Shuttleworth singing about █ █ how social media's terrible and nobody talks █ █ anymore. Now, this is a position without █ █ credibility (I could go off on a long rant about █ █ it, but suffice to say that if you believe people █ █ are using social media to the extent of cutting █ █ out seeing people in person entirely, I would say █ █ that you are either projecting your own boring █ █ social isolation onto others or fundamentally █ █ misunderstanding how people use it - it's a useful █ █ accessory to and facilitator of other █ █ interactions, not a replacement for them), but █ █ let's set that aside: Facebook launched in 2004, █ █ and Twitter launched in 2006. We are dealing here █ █ with a social phenomenon which is a decade old; █ █ the time when you could pretend to be "with it" █ █ and in tune with current issues simply by saying █ █ something uninformed and unsupported about social █ █ media is well and truly past. █ █ I take issue with this not because I think songs █ █ about social media are inherently bad, but I would █ █ say that they've been *done already*, and if a █ █ band feels the need to do a song about the subject █ █ and then entirely fails to say anything new about █ █ it beyond some dull platitudes - and, even worse, █ █ doesn't even manage to dress up the platitudes in █ █ a way I haven't heard a dozen times before - that █ █ suggests that they are rather short of ideas. And █ █ that's how I'd characterise Eyesberg: they churn █ █ out pleasant enough material, I wouldn't rate the █ █ album below three stars, but until they start █ █ doing something I haven't heard before too many █ █ times already they're not going to get beyond █ █ three stars. █ █ █ █ --- █ █ █ █ Towards the end of 2016 Eyesberg came back with █ █ their second album, this time comprising all new █ █ songs. There was no use of a drum machine this █ █ time, as they managed to secure the talents of █ █ Spock's Beard drummer Jimmy Keegan, and this has █ █ had a major impact on the music. No longer are the █ █ drums just there to keep the beat and provide █ █ backbone, this time they have become very much an █ █ essential part of the overall sound as Jimmy █ █ drives the guys along ? he never has been one to █ █ be content with just playing the beat, he knows █ █ when not to play, and when to force proceedings. █ █ No longer are the band performing as if they were █ █ around more than thirty- five years ago (although █ █ they were), now it is more of that time being an █ █ influence on what they are doing, which is far █ █ harder and heavier than last time around. █ █ The debut album would probably be best described █ █ as retro prog, but this one is much further into █ █ neo prog territory, with a far more abrasive edge, █ █ as if they have lost the innocence of the debut █ █ and are far angrier. The two albums are quite █ █ different in some respects, and very similar in █ █ others, with Malcolm's vocals playing a key part █ █ in bringing them together, along with Hackett █ █ Genesis influences still obvious in this one, █ █ although more diluted than in the debut. Of the █ █ two I think I prefer the debut, just, but they are █ █ both worthy of discovery to any prog lover. █ ▓ ▓ ▒ ▒ ░ 1. Joke on You 5:18 ░ ░ 2. Come and Take a Look at My Life 6:33 ░ ░ 3. Faceless 5:12 ░ ░ 4. Here and Now 4:36 ░ ░ 5. Storm Flood 6:02 ░ ░ 6. Steal Your Thunder 5:19 ░ ░ 7. Wait and See 18:01 ░ ░ 51:01 ░ ░ ▒ ▒ ▓ █ ░ ▓ ░ ■ █▄ ░ ██ ▀█▄░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ▓ ░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ░▄██░ ░ ▀████▓█▄▄█████████▓░ ███ ███▓░ █████████▄▄██████▀ ▓ ▓▀▓ ▒███████▀▀ ▀████████▒ ░████████▀ ▀▀███████░▓▀▓ ■ ░ ▄█░█▀▀▄████▄▓ ▀█▀ █▓░ ▒▓█ ▀█▀ ▄████▄ ▀███▄░ ▄█▀░ ░███▀▀▀███▄ ▀█▒ ██▓ ██ ▓█▀ ▄███▀▀▀███░ ▀█░ █▀ ▓██▓ ▄███ ▀█▓ ████ ▒█▀ ▓███▄ ▓██▓ ▀█▓ █▀ ▓██░ ▒██████▓ ▀█ █▓ █▀ ▓██████▒ ░██▓ ▀█ ▒ ▄██ ░███ ▓███▓ ▀░██░▀ ▓███░ ███ ██▄ ▒ ░█▀ ███ ▄▀ ███▄ ▓████▒ ▄███▀▄ ███ ▀█░ ▓█▀ ▄██▄█▀ ░ ██████████████ ▀█▄ ██▄ ▀█▓ █▀ ████▀█▄▓░▄█ ▀██████▀ █▄▓░▄█▀█▄██ ▀█▓ ░ ▄ ██▀ ▀████▀ ▀█▓▀██ ▀████▀ ▀███ ▄ ▒ █░█▓ ██░ █░ █ ░██ ▀██▒█ ███░ ▒█░ ▄ ▓ ▒ ░█▒ ▓███ ░ ▓██ ░ ██▓ ██░ ░██ █▒ ░ ░█ ▀█ █▀ ▓ ░ ░