Artist: Proghma-C
Title: Bar-do Travel
Type: Album
Label: Mystic Production

The driver of my train announced that we were going to be delayed. I was pleased. I was transfixed listening to “Bar-do Travel” and didn’t want the experience to end. This is one of those albums where, like a good book, the plot thickens, interest becomes participation and obsession, and you’re just taken away into another world. I’d been forewarned that Proghma-C would sound like Tool. In the sense of its ambient nature that’s true. It reminded me of a great album I reviewed last year, “Unreal” by Spheric Universe Experience in its scope and progressiveness, but it’s even more abundant than that. It’s also got the magical and mystical soundscapes of Porcupine Tree, and on “Kana” and elsewhere I sensed similarities with fellow Poles Riverside. At the same time this Progressive work is darker and heavier than most, but has light, airy, nightmarish, death, post doom and highly technical moments all mixed in. Most significantly it’s a rich and intelligent work which comes at you from all angles.

The first thing to note is the control. Every passage leads fluidly into the next. The pace is varied but with that dark Progressive style at the forefront, it’s deliberately managed. Taking “So Be-Live”, a calming and mellow guitar riff blends seamlessly into a strong and punchy rhythm, accompanied by the impressive growls of the vocalist which match the violence and urgency of the insistent rhythm. What I think makes a good album like this into a great one is the fusion of the layers and imagination. At times it gets experimental and technical but time after time it evolves into a greater and more powerful entity. The sound effects department is hard at work lifting us onto another plane but in a subtle way without taking over or destroying the flow. Such is the flow that whilst the album is split into nine identifiable tracks, there was such a continuity about that picking off each track would not do justice to the pleasure of the overall experience over its 56 minute duration. The line “So much energy flowing” which features in the second track “FO” is very apt. This track is just awesome. It’s both electrifying and dark, yet with a smooth stylistic progressiveness which characterises the other tracks. “FO” is a mystical track, set in a powerful framework. It merges neatly into “Spiralling to Another”, a nightmarish and at times harsh track with post doom tendencies. By contrast “Naan” is a colourful Prog adventure. It’s very Riverside in its feel but then the tension creeps up as if the sub-plot is taking over. Generating two atmospheres and merging them is the skill of this band.

In spite of all the disparate musical elements, “Bar-do Travel”, which incredibly is the band’s first full release, is not at all disjointed. In fact it’s the sheer range of sounds which makes it so big. A uniting factor without a doubt is the mechanical quality of the guitar work but that’s just one element. It’s evident that the band is crystal clear in their intentions. The movement and progression are thoughtful and packaged to perfection, whether the chosen style is freaky, groovy, heavy, atmospheric or mellow.

In summary, this album left me in dreamland. It’s totally hypnotic. Albums are sometimes referred as journeys. This journey is one which enjoyable from beginning to end. I’m struggling to think of any Progressive album I’ve heard that’s better than this. “Bar-do Travel” is a sheer pleasure to listen to.

http://www.myspace.com/proghmac
http://www.myspace.com/mystic

Andrew Doherty

MTUK HOME