Brand X/FL, USA 2019

BRAND The latest and super best live album is now available. This work includes the “February 8, 2019 CRUISE TO THE EDGE” performance. This is a superb audience recording recorded at an ocean cruise event on a luxury cruise ship that has become a hot topic in the progressive rock scene in recent years. This event is also famous as a production area for transcendental recordings. Every year, clear recordings that are outside of the audience’s common sense occur one after another, and from this year’s edition we have already introduced the PFM edition, YES edition, SOFT MACHINE edition, and Steve Hackett edition. All of them have been very well received. This work is the BRAND X edition, and it is a live album that is a sister work that competes for the top in the series. The biggest point of this work is the quality that may reign supreme over the sisters who are the best, but first of all the position of the show. We haven’t heard much about BRAND X’s recent status, so let’s check their current schedule. ・February 5th-8th: CRUISE TO THE EDGE ・March 14th-April 1st: USA (13 performances) This is the schedule announced so far. Last year, they released two live albums, “LOCKED & LOADED” and “LIVE FROM THE RITES OF SPRING FESTIVAL 2018”, to show how healthy they are, but in 2019, they have only been released until early spring (after this, Apparently a European tour is also planned. Even under such circumstances, CRUISE TO THE EDGE was the performance that marked the beginning of 2019. This work, which records such a show, is truly the best. The extremely thick core with zero sense of distance, the vividness of the fine details, the beauty of the sound…it’s hard to believe that everything is a guest record. It was made by the same recording artist “Lostbrook” as the previous “CRUISE TO THE EDGE 2019” series, but this work is one step higher. The key is the sound. Although the works in the series had a lot of close contact, the snare tone had a very audience-like feel. However, in this work, even the snare doesn’t have a sense of atmosphere, and yet it has plenty of glossy beauty. The top song so far was Steve Hackett, but this work has a sound quality that is equal to or better than that masterpiece (although the personality is slightly different). It is truly one of the products that I would like to call “official class audience”. And the show spelled out with such beautiful sounds is also wonderful. It was already known that Kenwood Dennard had left, but John Goodsall also did not participate in this work. Austrian jazz guitarist Alex Makasek is playing the guitar instead. However, John has not left the group. I don’t know much about the situation, but it seems like Alex is just a pinch hitter. The show drawn with that valuable lineup is a concentrated reduction of two great albums “UNORTHODOX BEHAVIOUR” and “MOROCCAN ROLL”. “Not Good Enough/See Me!” and “The Ghost Of Mayfield Lodge” are also played, but everything else is a selection from these two pieces. Moreover, it is also nice that about half of the nine songs performed in this work do not overlap with “LIVE FROM THE RITES OF SPRING FESTIVAL 2018”. In particular, the two songs “Smacks Of Euphoric Hysteria” and “The Ghost Of Mayfield Lodge” are delicious repertoires that cannot be heard in any of the three official works after the restart. Of course, the performance is also impeccable. Chris Clark & ​​Scott Weinberger have also become familiar after three years since restarting, and newcomer Alex is also a master known for his work with masters such as Gary Husband and Virgil Donati. His stunning guitar work is second to none. And above all, the originator: Percy Jones’ bass. The lyrical lines are exquisite, and the interplay is crisp. No matter how many new faces join, his base will strongly emphasize the BRAND X color. Although it is unfortunate that John will not be participating, this is what makes this rare ensemble so interesting. A live album that you can fully enjoy with the transcendental sound that is the ultimate continuation of the “CRUISE TO THE EDGE 2019” series. Participating in a luxury cruise ship event can be difficult, but this work allows you to experience the scene in the highest possible quality. Live at Colony Club. Royal Caribbean Brilliance Of The Seas. En Route from Cozumel, Mexico to Tampa, FL, USA 8th February 2019 ULTIMATE SOUND Disc 1(43:29) 1. Intro 2. Euthanasia Waltz 3. Smacks Of Euphoric Hysteria 4 Born Ugly 5. Not Good Enough / See Me! 6. Band Introductions 7. Why Should I Lend You Mine (When You’ve Broken Yours Off Already) Disc 2(41:43) 1. The Ghost Of Mayfield Lodge 2. Nuclear Burn 3. Disco Suicide 4. Malaga Virgen Alex Machacek – guitar Percy Jones – bass Chris Clark – keyboards Scott Weinberger – percussion Kenny Grohowski – drums, percussion