ARABS IN ASPIC

Retro prog psyche form Norway.

COMEDY OF ERRORS- Disobey (2011)

Comedy of Errors is a prog rock band from Glascow, Scotland. I knew nothing of this band and it seems they have been around from the first era of neo-prog, back in the 80’s, though they failed making a name like IQ or Pendragon, leaving behind just some demo tapes and a probably self financed if not totally unofficial self titled lp. Somehow they got back together after a lifetime and a little bit more and finally released their official full length debut in 2011 and surprisingly it’s simply amazing! Neo-prog is not my thing and bands like IQ or Pendragon usually bore me to death. I do have sympathy for Pallas though. And that’s a good reference for Comedy of Errors. Their sound isn’t overcomplicated; they know their way around their instruments and put this down to serving the songs, which have a good share of memorable and often pompous melodies. What makes them stand out though is the dramatic approach to most of their songs, especially the four piece suite ‘’The student prince’’; when they release the full power of emotions it becomes a whirlwind of passion that can leave no honest listener untouched. I like the way the guitar underlines the melodies in those parts and I have to say the overall guitar sound came as a surprise; the solos work like songs within songs, meaning you can hum along them rather than just wait for some showoff to end; and the beautiful melodic guitar tone relates more to classic rock than prog. What’s definitely defining prog on this album is the keyboards, which take over effectively when the band gets into more complicated stuff. A crystal clear production gives the listener the opportunity to appreciate every instrument for its contribution; even ten minute long Carousel passed in the blink of an eye while I was following the beautiful bass lines. Among other virtues ‘’Disobey’’ has also a lot of variety -a goal prog bands don’t achieve as often as the genre would imply. There’s some prog wizardry, a good deal of epic anthems, a couple of laid back ballads, even a straight rocker, all delivered with style and comfort. Prog album of the year? I haven’t seen much competition on this level…