Arena: Pepper's Ghost

[progfan]

The more I listen to this one, the more I'm coming to think it just may be their best album. Arena has been pretty hit and miss with me but "Pepper's Ghost" is a homerun, imo. Great melodies, hooks and at 52 minutes just the perfect length. It's the best neoprog I've heard in ages, much better than IQ's "Dark Matter" imo.

I skipped over "Contagion" because I didn't like "Immortal?" Is "Contagion" anywhere near "Pepper's Ghost" in quality?

[DarrenH]

I haven't heard Pepper's Ghost yet but I thought Contagion was the best thing Arena had done up to that point. The opening track, "Witch Hunt", is killer. A very good album I thought.

Can't wait to get my hands on Pepper's Ghost.

Darren

[Rael Imperial Aerosol Kid]

I stopped buying Arena albums once I heard Rob Sowden on vocals on "immortal?" Can't say I care for his style.
imo, John Carson or Paul Wrightson suited Arena much better.

I haven't heard "Pepper's Ghost" or "Contagion" but it would be hard to surpass "the Visitor".

rael..

[Dave_G]

I love Arena music, it's right down my alley in terms of style and content and so forth, all of their stuff is very good to me except "The Cry" which is a weird release, kind of foo-foo for them.

The dvd of them is way excent.

Dave

[Mr Peabody]

What's up? I was out on Prog Rock's website last weekend. I can't remember if I sampled any Arena or not, I listened to several bands. If they are I think, the vocal styling turned me off. I did order Sylan's 3rd album Artificial Paradise.. Anyone into them? I also plan to order AtmOsfear Inside the Atmosphere.

One of my favorite bands I have recently started getting into is Ozric Tentacles. I also really like Tangent but there again it took me awhile to get used to the vocals of Tangent. I don't know if I got used to the vocals or the music was so good I am doing a better job of ignoring them. What I look for in a prog band is one that finds it's own nitch or somehow creates their own sound. The ones that sound like just another prog band I don't have much use for unless they do it better than it's already been done.

[progfan]

I've heard/read lots of criticism over Rob Sowden's voice, which I don't quite understand. I think he's not so overdramatic like Paul Wrightson was at times, oh well.

Two things immediately struck me about "Pepper's Ghost": 1. mucho more guitars and 2. Mick Pointer has grown from a mediocre drummer to a pretty good one. Nothing earthshattering but he has really improved.

"I haven't heard "Pepper's Ghost" or "Contagion" but it would be hard to surpass "the Visitor"."

PG is right up there with "The Visitor" and "Songs from the Lions Cage". Completely different album from The Visitor. Not at all Floydish like that one was, this is almost progmetal.

[BarryL]

PG is right up there with "The Visitor" and "Songs from the Lions Cage". Completely different album from The Visitor. Not at all Floydish like that one was, this is almost progmetal.

I also loved The Visitor, but Immortal didn't do much for me, so skipped Contagion. To be fair, I really didn't give Contagion its proper amount of play, and I should put it into rotation. Sounds like the new one is worth a listen. Thanks.

[Dave_G]

Ya I gotta get the new one too, had a bid on ebay but lost it...

Dave