New Eden Orchestra - Any Man 2003

Although this Pittsburgh band's first album was released in 2004, their origins date way back to 1974 when keyboard player Mike Lunn and bassist Bill Hankins first met. With other musicians who have since left, they formed a band named EDEN. Later, drummer Mark Reynolds (1980) and then guitarist Scott Schrecengost (1985) joined the duo to form the NEW EDEN ORCHESTRA and the four have been together ever since. In 1995, Lunn finally conceived their first album titled "anyMAN" and then hired vocalist Dave Marion on a friend's advice (Marion also shares drum and percussion duties with Reynolds on the album).

"anyMAN" is a tasty piece of American power prog in the vein of GLASS HAMMER, KANSAS and AVIARY, and perhaps SPOCK'S BEARD to a lesser extent. The 64-minute CD, divided into 18 tracks, gives the impression of being mostly song based but becomes more and more proggy as it unfolds. You won't hear much guitar soloing on it although you'll be treated to some dazzling keyboard fireworks, a powerful vocalist who suits the band's style perfectly, plenty of good hooks and an excellent production - short clips can be heard on their website.

Recommended to those who like aggressive melodic prog like KANSAS, ILUVATAR, AVIARY and particularly GLASS HAMMER
http://www.progarchives.com