ZIFF - SANCTUARY - 1997

Ziff from Germany is almost un unknown band for many listners, they play a kind of neo prog but not very complex not very easy, something in the middle. This album named Sanctuary from 1997 is their second album and turned to be their swansong either. They disbanded around 2000 and no more news abot them since then. Anyway this second album is a again like the previous a great album, with a lot to offer for neo prog fans and not only. The music here is a little more guitar orientaded than the first, but again not bad at all. The music is quite good with some great moments both as interpretation and and composing. Well on this album Ziff sounds sometimes more like Rush, combined with neo prog elements than on previous album who was more towards Marillion or IQ. So the musicians are again in top form , even on two tracks is invited one of the most known female vocals from prog metal zone Lana Lane. So the most intristing tracks are: the opening track Hellraiser's legacy - an excellent opener if you want to see where was Ziff in neo prog in that period, Exclamation mark - this is almost Rush orientated song, but still good, 19xx - a tune sung in german but keeps the magic moments of the entire album,Night demon (feturing Lana Lane) - great piece, the voice of Lana Lan's is great for this kind of music, grandious and metalic and the final one The lost universe - an almost 15 minutes of great neo prog music. So all in all a great album who desearve a better view, only one vote before my review, strange and in the same time shocking that nobody was intrested till now about this underrated neo prog band from Germany. 4 stars for sure, great album and great pieces., not a weak song here. So the album is available at Musea records, along with the previous one .
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