Discipline – This One’s For England (2014)
Artist: Discipline
Album: This One’s For England
Genre: Symphonic Prog
Label: StrungOut Records
Year Of Release: 2014
Quality: FLAC (image+.cue)
Tracklist:
CD 1:
1. Circuitry (6:43)
2. Before the Storm (15:24)
3. Blueprint (4:58)
4. Dead City (5:36)
5. When She Dreams She Dreams in Color (12:11)
CD 2:
1. Canto IV (Limbo) (15:17)
2. The Reasoning Wall (8:00)
3. Rogue (23:38)
Personnel:
– Matthew Parmenter / vocals, keyboards, etc.
– Jon Preston Bouda / guitars
– Mathew Kennedy / bass
– Paul Dzendzel / drums & percussion
Discipline is an independent progressive rock band that was formed in Detroit, Michigan, USA, by singer, keyboardist and song writer Matthew Parmenter in 1987. This is one of those many cases of deep obscurity. This is even stranger because USA never was properly a leading country of the progressive music, it was the UK, and especially because the band is based in Detroit, and that place never was a land of prog. They always were compared with the Swedish prog rock band Anglagard, despite their clear musical differences, which is another obscure band in the land of prog.
The band’s debut studio album was “Chaos Out Of Order” which was released in 1988 as a cassette and was re- released in 2013 as “Chaos Out Of Order ? 25th Anniversary Reissue 1988 ? 2013”, represents the foundation of their own sound. Discipline reached their peak with their both studio albums of the 90’s, their 1993 album “Push & Profit” and especially their 1997 album “Unfolded Like Staircase” that became a masterpiece and one of the best prog albums.
But, suddenly, Discipline break out in 2001 and Parmenter began a solo career. After nearly ten years of silence, Discipline came back to perform at NearFest in 2008 and at RosFest in 2012. With some material of the old days, they join some brand new tracks and released in 2011 “To Shatter All Accord” in the same vein of “Unfolded Like Staircase”.
After the release of two live album, “Into The Dream…Discipline Live” in 1999 and “Live Days” in 2010, Discipline decided to release a new live album called “This One’s For England”. “This One’s For England” was recorded live in 5 May 2012 at the Majestic Theater in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, at Rosfest festival. “This One’s For England” features some of Discipline’s best known progressive rock epic tracks made all over their musical career, in a double disc set.
The line up on “This One’s For England” is the most usual in their last phase. So we have Matthew Parmenter (vocals and keyboards), Jon Preston Bouda (guitars), Mathew Kennedy (bass) and Paul Dzendzel (drums and percussion).
“This One’s For England” has eight tracks. The first track “Circuitry” was originally released on their fourth studio album “To Shatter All Accord”. The second track “Before The Storm” which is divided into three parts “The Ocean”, “The Storm” and “Eden”, was originally released on their third studio album “Unfolded Like Staircase”. The third track “Blueprint” was originally released on their second studio album “Push & Profit”. The fourth track “Dead City” was originally released on “To Shatter All Accord”. The fifth track “When She Dreams She Dreams In Color” was originally released on “To Shatter All Accord”. The sixth track “Canto IV (Limbo)” was originally released on “Unfolded Like Staircase”. The seventh track “The Reasoning Wall” was originally released on “Push & Profit”. The eighth track “Rogue” was originally released on “To Shatter All Accord”.
“This One’s For England” is a great live album. It shows a band in a perfect shape in front of an enthusiastic audience performing some of their greatest classics like “Before The Storm” and “Canto IV (Limbo)” complemented with some their latest best material like “When She Dreams She Dreams In Color” and “Rogue”, at the time. The album reproduces perfectly well the live experience, including an elongated spoken passage with the presentation of the musicians and instruments, including stage banter galore. The live versions of their old pieces are perfectly convincing. Here we have a powerful retro prog with mostly dark mood, the focus of which is the variable vocals and the diverse key sounds of Matthew Parmenter as well as the beautiful guitar inserts by Jon Preston Bouda. The similarity of Matthew’s voice and drama to Peter Hammill of Van Der Graaf Generator has often been pointed out for good reason and “This One’s For England” offers an ideal mirror for that. Even if the tempo is mostly restrained, the songs come out of the speakers with a lot of pressure, delighting the progger’s ears with expansive instrumental passages in which the organ roars and the guitar cracks with its riffs. The music of Discipline have occasional echoes of Van Der Graaf Generator, but still, the band is able to create their own version of the retro prog. There aren’t excessive differences to the studio versions.
Conclusion: There’s no doubt that one of the most important progressive rock bands that emerged in America in more than thirty years was Discipline, especially if we are talking about this sub-genre, the symphonic progressive style. They appeared like a breath of fresh air in the land of prog. When they reformed with the same line up and released “To Shatter All Accord” it wasn’t a surprise, for those who are familiar with the band, that they were able to create another amazing musical work. So, it wasn’t also surprised that they have been invited to participate at the RosFest in 2012. So, this double live album is the recording of that performance. It’s mainly focused on “To Shatter All Accord” and the band proved with it that they continue to be a great live band. The ten years of silence didn’t take away any of the great qualities to the band. “This One’s For England” is another great album of Discipline showing the high quality of them.
Review by VianaProghead
