01	Flight of Doom						04:15
	02	Nuclear Train						06:58
	03	Deep Space						08:15
	04	Digging for Chance						06:56
	05	Half Light						03:04
	06	The Mariner						21:14

Blue Drift – Mariner
Blue Drift – Mariner
Country of Origin: UK
Format: CD
Record Label: Independent
Catalogue #: CARP787
Year of Release: 2005
Time: 50:45
Info: Blue Drift
Samples: -

Tracklist: Flight Of Doom (4:18), Nuclear Train (7:14), Deep Space (8:18), Digging For Chance (7:04), Half Light (3:06), The Mariner (21:18)

Mariner is the last of three-in-a-row instrumental Prog albums I have recently reviewed. Blue Drift hail from the UK and, unlike the Dutch Novox and USA’s Parallel Mind, are already on to album No. 2 (check out the review of their debut Cobalt Coast here). Unsurprisingly, they evince a stronger group identity than the other two bands, and eschewing histrionic displays of virtuosity, have assembled a strong set of carefully crafted instrumentals which lean more to the Neo side of things. Indeed, if you enjoy early Twelfth Night or The Lens (the pre IQ combo) you will be in the right frame of mind to appreciate this fine offering. There is also a rich seam of Jazz Fusion influences running through some of the tracks.

John and Dave Lodder handle bass and guitar/keyboards respectively whilst Arch provides drums and percussion. The latter two named have also played with folk-proggers The Morrigan, whose multi talented (check out his superb Isle Of Eight CD) Colin Masson provides the tasteful artwork for this release. There are little or no folk influences here, though.

The opening pair of tunes, Flight Of Doom and Nuclear Train, are both upbeat, energetic rock-based workouts. Flight... chugs along its unstoppable course like a runaway train, powered by the busy rhythm section whilst Dave Lodder alternates crashing power chords and searing guitar leads. Nuclear Train is more of the same, with knobs on! The pace is quickened and the tension heightened. The tightly structured piece is well thought out – like an ultra-modern rollercoaster, it grips you from the start and will leave you breathless and wanting more at the end.

A much needed change of pace appears on the third track. Deep Space does exactly what it says on the tin – starting in sequencer driven Tangerine Dream mode- it effortlessly slides into a Shine On... Pink Floyd vibe for a languorous, meandering eight minute bliss out.

Digging For Chance and Half Light see the band unleashing their Fusion chops. I particularly like Dave Lodder’s guitar tone here (on Half Light his leads resemble those of the mighty Alan Holdsworth, it’s hot stuff!). John Lodder proves to be a tasty (and tasteful) player too, and the brief Half Light manages to squeeze in a concise drum solo from Arch. These two tracks are solid fusion efforts which should not alienate the Neo crowd either.

The concluding track clocks in at a mammoth 21 minutes and should have the traditional prog fans drooling. There are plenty of good, chunky guitar riffs, swirling synth solos and multiple tempo changes. There is a long section towards the end which sees the band recreating a similar mood to that of Camel’s instrumental opus The Snow Goose. It’s a laidback, mellow treat for fans of more subtle, soundscape-y stuff, or those in a nostalgic mood for the glory days of the mid 70’s.

On a slightly negative note, some of the music on this CD (and particularly the last, longest track) seems designed for someone to come along and add vocals and lyrics to complete the picture. There is a slight air of something missing – the icing on the cake, perhaps. This was not something I felt when listening to the Novox or Parallel Mind discs. Blue Drift does give the impression that they really would like to have a front man out there leading the charge. Having said that, the music here is very enjoyable, and if they could find a good, robust vocalist, and continue to produce music of this calibre, they would really be onto something.

The album does score highly by varying the style and tempo of the tunes, grouping them into pairs, for a nicely evolving, flowing album. As it stands, it’s a very nice album, with some fiery high spots, plenty of variety and great musicianship.

Conclusion: 7 out of 10

DAVE SISSONS