(Crossover Prog) The Rebel Wheel - Diagramma - 2007, FLAC (image+.cue) lossless

http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=3124

The Rebel Wheel biography
THE REBEL WHEEL is a modern progressive-rock band, coming from Ottawa Ontario. Influences lead its music style towards the deep, general or great promises of art rock and heavy prog music, whether that stands for enjoying the range of GENTLE GIANT, RUSH and, more mildly, GENESIS, or manages to go even further and to appreciate very much the innovating accent left by Frank ZAPPA, the passion of fusion and virtuosity (EARTHWORKS, THE ELECTRIC BAND) or, actually, feeling a deep homage for the great artist John MCLAUGHLIN. As influences are always a head start, the band itself will prove many original, independent, rigorous or interesting sounds, in what is music of hard rock, experimental small tacts, fruitful composition and resisting characters. An act of prog joy, moreover, since the music is meant to impress and to impose in front of its tendency (which is between artistic and alternative) and its slow-motion (which can create some vague values).

The history of the band is a bit more complicated and evolved a lot, going through three main phases. The main figure is guitarist David Campbell, playing rock and fusion starting 1991, when asked to collaborate with a band from Toronto called "Larry Stanley and the Family Jewels" (later "The Jewels"). The band is pretty interesting if you care for some multi-instrumental improvisations and arrangements, as well as a sense of variety in songs and streams. Popular as to appear in various shows and side projects, the group also played enough to confidently create a bigger style.

Coming with the idea of a new band, named "The Rebel Wheel Broadcasts", the "Jewels" original ensemble went on playing with even more pleasure, dedication and fray during the next years, until the jams and the long-distance gigs became a problem and paced much of the activity. D. Campbell decided then on another new rock and art orientation and started working immediately after with bassist Pelle Vadim, who is the second core member of THE REBEL WHEEL. Saxophonist and midi-player Christopher Plock, already having collaborated with D. Campbell, drummer Cab Lind and Nils Bell, on keyboards, made the line-up of that moment full. They recorded, in 2003, the debut album, but went in hiatus, once their support for gigs and occasional recordings became fragile, yet again.

Finally, D. Campbell formed a third ensemble under the authentic name of REBEL WHEEL, after having starting a smaller and later unhopeful prog band with Chuck Ho and bassist Gary Luazon. The latter followed Campbell into the new band's lineup, along three more musicians: multi-instrumentalist Paul Joannis, drummer Alain Bergeron and Angie Maclvor as saxophonist and vocalist.

About music and style (one more than relatively different, from their melodic debut to their deeply rehearsed and provocative second album, Diagramma), the band itself looks upon its frenetic mix as something of rock aggression and full arrangements. A core (versatile) style of bass, drums, guitar, keys and vocals does a complex orientation towards guitar rock, oriented fusion, ethnic experiments or powerful alternative art-flares. The rest of the impression lies within powerful mood, dedicated interpretation and a bit of old-fashioned progressive luxury, worrying any modern sparks that appear to be too typical.

http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=16238

Review by Windhawk
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars This sophomore release by Canadian outfit The Rebel Wheel is an adventurous affair, a good release but also one that will only appeal to an eclectic audience.

What's unique with this CD isn't the influences from all over; but how these influences are showcased. Classic symphonic rock, dissonant and disharmonic experimental rock slightly similar to King Crimson, harder riff based rock similar to Rush, fusion and industrial rock are all styles of music represented on this release. But rather than having an amalgam of these influences, The Rebel Wheel mostly choose to showcase the elements individually; either by concentrating one of these influences in one particular composition, or by conveying them one after the other in the individual segments of each tune.

This is especially true of the long title track Diagramma, a composition more or less consisting of various parts in different styles put together as a whole. This approach is the major asset as well as the major weakness of this release. The adventurous listener will enjoy this mix, while the more conservative listener will yearn for something a bit more consistant where there's more of a stereotypical evolvement of a tune from start to finish.

All in all a promising album, and it'll be fun to see where this band are heading for their next release.

P.S. Меня заинтересовала эта группа после прослушивания альбома 2010 г. (увы, только в ). На просторах и-нета этого (как и предыдущего) альбома не нашлось, но нечаянно появился сей диск.
IMHO альбом 2010 г. интереснее, но к чести музыкантов должен сказать, что исполнение на уровне, идеи любопытные, возможно, смешанные на этом альбоме еще не совсем в нужной пропорции. В музыке - мрачноватой и "кинематографической"- услышал отголоски и Genesis, и King Crimson, и других прог-гигантов.

- David Campbell / guitar, vocals, bass & keyboards
- Gary Lauzon / bass, bass pedals & synthesizers
- Paul Joannis / guitar, keyboards & occasional drums
- Alain Bergeron / drums, keyboards, vocals
- Angie MacIvor / Alto & Soprano saxophone, keyboards, vocals