This release was certainly not a real surprise for me. During the latest Symforce Festival (see review) in the Netherlands they already told me that they would record performances of their US shows for a possible live album. I was really looking forward to find out if they could capture the spirit of the live show of this 
special combination as I had witnessed partly September 2009. At the time I did
not see the whole performances of Agents Of Mercy
and Karmakanic because
other bands played at the same time. But I did see the fantastic keyboard solo
done by Lalle Larsson
which had impressed me a lot. Thank God they
included it on this live CD. The solo starts with some wonderful playing on the
acoustic piano and is followed by some strong ‘freaking out‘ on his
synthesizers. It reminded me of Alaska
from UK. This is how a
keyboard solo should be played. Bravo! Can I also say “Bravo!” regarding the
other tracks which were taken from several recordings made in October 2009.Three pieces from each band can be enjoyed, plus a cover from a well known progressive rock band. The first three tracks are taken from Agents Of Mercy’s debut album The Fading Ghost Of Twilight. All songs are performed in the best possible way, but what impressed me the most were the strong drum beats. This time around we wouldn’t find Zoltan Csörsz behind the drums, but instead Nick “Call Me If You Need A Drummer” D’Virgilio. Spock’s Beards’ lead singer had only 6 hours of rehearsal to learn almost three hours of material. Also on the Karmakanic tunes he made a difference and his playing gave the songs so much extra, and more. For instance, Where Earth Meets The Sky starts with an enormous drive thanks to Nick’s strong rhythm. On the same track we can also enjoy another piano solo done by Lalle, plus a short bass solo performed by Jonas Reingold. On Do You Tango? it’s showtime for Nick himself. In the 
Netherlands we enjoyed Zoltan’s drum extravaganza. His fine playing was not
welcomed by some of the visitors at the time. It was too much jazz and fusion
for them. Nick’s extravaganza on the drums moves more towards the rock style. I
was so captured by it I didn’t make a pit stop for the toilet or get anything
to drink. However, when Eternally
was performed at the Symforce Festival
it got a lot of great reactions. The song about the loss of both parents from
Jonas touched a lot of people in the audience. Also, this time lead singer
Göran Edman
showed all of his emotions as if he was singing about the death of
his own mum and dad. Bravo! From the two covers performed at the festival I
unfortunately missed them both because
I had to leave early and catch up with some other Swedish musicians. One of those
covers is present on this release. A splendid version of
Afterglow (Genesis)
shows that lead singer Nad Sylvan
comes very close to the original voice of Phil Collins.
I did find it a bit strange that they were allowed to
release this composition by Tony Banks.
In the past Mostly Autumn could
not release their version of Turn It On
from their latest live releases. Too bad that the second cover
(The Beatles –
I am the Walrus)
did not make it on this fine live album. I would have loved to hear their
version as well. I will finish this review by mentioning that the painting of
Nixon and Mao on the cover was done by Roine Stolt
himself, which he
illustrated very well. I only wonder if he is Nixon or Mao. Oh, and yes, they
did capture the spirit of the live performance done in Tilburg last year most
certainly. **** Henri Strik (edited by Paul Watson, pictures by Arthur Haggenburg) Where to buy? |
