This is probably prog rock trio Stick Men's most accessible album to date. It’s a fairly balanced mix of vocal-oriented tunes with thoughtfully dark instrumentals and rich sonic landscapes. Both Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto have been key architects of the band King Crimson’s post-‘70s renaissance and bring that sound design and groove to tracks like “The Tempest” and “Mantra.” Guitarist Markus Reuter follows another musical path entirely, offering a Roxy Music/Tin Machine élan to numbers like “Schattenhaft” and “Plutonium.” Ultimately, you have a triumvirate of likeminded players who realize the sum is greater than its individual parts.
Score: 9 out of 10
Stick Men
Prog Noir
Unsung Productions/Moonjune Records
Producer: Tony Levin, Markus Reuter, Pat Mastelotto
