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For most of us, Credo is one of those English bands you've heard about but haven't heard. It's time to change that. Rhetoric offers little in the way of innovation, it pushes no envelopes, and it won't challenge anyone. But it's a bloody fine listen, and if Credo's style of progressive rock appeals to you, this record is - quite simply - a must-have.

Imagine a polished, modern-day, brilliantly mixed and produced version of Fish-era Marillion. Yes, kids, it's neo-progressive rock. And no, kids, that isn't a dirty word. It's a little lighter than Marillion, though, and similar bands that spring to mind are Arena and IQ, particularly because along with Fish, those acts feature powerful, angst-ridden vocals delivering lyrics that actually mean something. Each song tells a story that you can follow, and the listening experience is considerably enriched if you read the prose while listening.

The track listing shows 9 songs, but that's misleading. "Too Late..." and "...To Say Goodbye" flow seamlessly into one another, yielding a rich 12-minute piece that tells two sides of the same love story using powerful melodies and a catchy, lilting cadence to the lyrics. Similarly, "From The Cradle..." and "...To The Grave" are really joined at the hip, and play like a 20-minute epic that examines the horrors of World War I. Listen for the delicate piano work, the violin and the Fish-like singing. This is probably the most melodic - and certainly the most moving - piece on an already emotional album.

This is music with a purpose. "Skin Trade" examines the seedy life of a young girl drawn into porn, "Turn The Gun" looks at an assassination from the shooter's point of view, and "The Letter" starts softly - with someone writing a letter to a lover, and as the writer's anger builds, the letter morphs into a song (i.e. the one you're listening to) - ending in a wall of sound expressing how hurtful the lies have been. The details are so vivid you have to assume the song conveys a real experience.

So think of this as 7 songs in 69 minutes - for an average track length of around 10 minutes. And Credo uses that time wisely, building wonderfully managed tempo shifts into their sophisticated songwriting. The structures move and flow from soft ballads to huge walls of sound, and from vocal-driven sections to all instrumental bridges dominated by powerful guitar and keyboard interaction.

All 5 artists deliver top-drawer performances, and the band's mature sophistication and depth of experience - stretching back as far as 1972 - are abundantly clear.

Apparently Credo delivers an excellent live performance. Let's hope we see them in the USA soon, and that the wait for their third album will be a lot shorter than the 11 years it took to produce Rhetoric.

Duncan Glenday - Sea Of Tranquility

It doesn't seem unusual in the world of Progressive Rock for a band to take years to record a new album, although in the case of Credo, the said album should maybe have been called The Band That Wouldnt Go Away! As it is, their new album - Rhetoric, features three of the original band members, who released the critically well-received Field Of Vision in the mid 90s.

But now with the addition of keyboard maestro Mike Varty (Janison Edge, Shadowland & Landmarq) and drummer extraordinaire Martin Meads (just about everybody at some point!), the band has moved to another level altogether.

The music press has always highlighted the excellent musicianship of guitarist Tim Birrell (top ten in a greatest guitarists ever poll in one esteemed music mag!) and the original Ace of Bass Jim (Mudrock) Murdoch, who have been playing together for over thirty years and whose musical story would make a great movie in itself.

These four musicians when combined with the powerful presence and masterful performance of Mark Colton, one of the greatest front men in Prog today according to various fanzines, have delivered an album of pure beauty and intensity which bears comparison to any of the great Neo Prog albums of the last twenty years.

The clamour for the bands signature to release this, Credos second album, reflects the strength and promise of their first album and their powerhouse live performances.

This in turn has been captured wonderfully by the legendary Thin Ice Studios with Thresholds Karl Groom at the helm, and Gargoyle Studios where Mike Varty, who produced the album too, has ensured an album which is most definitely Credo but Credo on a whole new planet.

Prepare to be impressed!

Source F2 Website http://www.f2music.co.uk