From: "Jerry Kranitz"  
Subject: Powds Con Fusion (Review) 
Date: 09/16/97; 8:23:13 PM 
 
Powds Con Fusion - "My Name Is Umbrella And I'm a Sofa From Home" 
(Self-release demo cassette) 
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Powds Con Fusion is a German band consisting of Thomas Thielen on 
guitars, Martin Walter on drums, Alexandra Simon on flute, Ulrich 
Michels on bass, Stephen Kloep on sax and keyboards, Udo Hargarten on 
guitar and vocals, Udo Gerhards on on keyboards. 
 
This demo cassette - which runs about 35 minutes - is an interesting 
mix of classic progressive and heavy metal with a few other surprises 
as well. The band likes to alternates between the two, often several 
times within a song. 
 
Side one opens with The Vault. The song starts with a metalish sound 
and some harsh vocals. It then moves into a nice Genesis-influenced 
keyboard section for a bit until shifting to a short rap section. 
Thats right... rap. Interesting. The next song, Down e Drain, 
reminded me a bit of IQ but with a heavier sound. It has some nice 
guitar and keyboard work which are sometimes overshadowed by the 
harsh vocals. 
 
Side two is a multi-part tune called The Nighthawk's Suite. This 23 
minute song continually shifts gears and after several listens 
indicates to me that this is a band with potential. The song starts 
off as an almost Black Sabbath sounding rocker. Keyboard are then 
added to the mix for a more prog-metal sound and I'm then reminded of 
the heavy IQ I referred to on side one. We are then treated to a 
little jazz section with some cool vibraphone (or is the keyboard 
doing it?). The rest of the song is a really ce Genesis-influenced 
section with both heavy guitar and soaring classic progressive guitar 
lines, as well as some old time Tony Banks sounding keyboards. 
 
Overall, I found the songs on this tape enjoyable. The band has a 
great deal of potential instrumentally, though I felt the vocals 
didn't fit the music at all. The singer seems more suited to a punk 
or trash-metal band. The band was able to keep the music nteresting 
enough that they might even consider going straight instrumental. I 
should mention that a band member told me that these recordings are 
somewhat dated and they have "more complex" music now, but have been 
unable to afford any more recordings. I be very interested in hearing 
how they have progressed. If interested, the band has a home page 
(accessible from my page - see sig). 
 
Jerry Kranitz (jkranitz@infinet.com) 
www.infinet.com/~jkranitz/music/music.html 
 
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From: Mike Taylor  
Subject: Short Takes: Nepenthe, Timothy Pure, Nightales, ZIFF, Eternity X 
 
Date: 09/16/97; 8:56:31 PM 
 
Nepenthe: Everything was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt (InEarVisions IEV9502-2) 
============================================================================ 
Nepenthe are a quintet of Jamie Boruch (drums), Eddie Konczal (keyboards), 
Matt Mizenko (bass), Todd Mizenko (guitars) and Jason Rozenfeld (vocals). 
_Everything..._ is the band's second effort and I have not heard their first. 
I'm not sure I'd want to. Starting with a slow 7:44 number called 
"Skyrocketstereo," this album does not reach out and grab your attention 
right 
away. In fact, I had a hard time not rushing on to the next song. Not that it 
would have mattered because most of the seven songs on this 44m disc are slow 
to mid-tempo neo-progressive cuts that don't distinguish themselves from this 
saturated genre. Maybe for fans of Marillion's _Brave_ and other standard 
neo-prog but _Everything was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt_ presents nothing new 
nor challenging. 
 
nepnet@aol.com 
 
Timothy Pure: Blood of the Berry (1997; Isosceles Records CD102) 58m
================================================================ 
I reviewed Timothy Pure's first album, _The Fabric of Betrayal_, in Gibraltar 
V5 #22 and I recommend you give it a read.  Since 1995, only the core of 
Matthew Still and Andre Neitzel remain. Chris Wallace is the new drummer and 
Zod plays guitar. Still handles all the lead vocals, adding more strength to 
than the previous singer. Also gone are any comparisons to REM that I might 
previously have imagined but otherwise the style of _Blood of the Berry_ is 
much the same as their debut. Most of the 14 songs flow together into longer 
suites. Mid-tempo songs, soaring guitar solos and atmospheric production 
lends 
the album a somber mood. None of the tunes are particularly complex in 
arrangement, and none are instrumentals. The lyrics play an important part of 
Timothy Pure's sound but I grew tired of the abundant vocals and the lack of 
challenging instrumental interplay. Fans of haunting neo-progressive (e.g., 
Marillion's _Brave_) would probably enjoy Timothy Pure's latest release. 
 
http://www.mindspring.com/~isorec/timpure.html 
isisrec@mindspring.com 
 
Nightales: The Voyage (1996; Mellow Records MMP 316) 63m 
==================================================== 
Nightales is a trio of Mark Walczak (keyboards, bass); Ken Lotz (drums, 
keyboards); and Ben Jaeger (guitars, keyboards). Guests contribute oboe, 
flute, clarinets and acoustic 12-string guitar to two of the songs. _The 
Voyage_ tells a story of adventurous 19th Century sailors traveling across 
the 
vast  Pacific Seas to strange lands. Unfortunately, Nightales don't show the 
same adventurous spirit. _The Voyage_ is very mellow and laid back, with 
overly lush layers of synth surrounding armchair comfortable guitar solos. 
_The Voyage_, in my mind, never captured the spirit of the ocean travel, let 
alone my attention. At best, I thought of it as prog for the easy listening 
crowd. 
 
http://www.pangea.it/music/mellow 
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