Don

This is my first contact with Space Nelson, and I was a little surprised to see that this is the fourth album from this Detroit-based quartet. They describe their music as "melodic hard rock with a progressive edge", which is actually a very good description - although it doesn't manage to convey just how catchy many of these songs are. They use twin vocals very effectively, and this does give an edge to what they are performing, as do the strong choruses. Pete Hopersberger also uses a variety of different sounds on his keyboards, while the guitar sound is clean and crisp. Although there is a lot going on within the music there is also quite a feeling of space so that it doesn't feel at all intense or over the top, which makes the music very accessible and enjoyable to listen to. They have opened for Kings X recently and one would have thought that with music like this their spiritual home would be on Inside Out as well, and I am surprised to see that they are yet unsigned. There are elements of this music that reminds me of their Detroit counterparts Tiles, with a sound that is very up to date and so catchy that it could be called almost "poppy" at times with some Alex Lifeson style guitar. This is a very strong album that mixes the genres of neo-prog and melodic rock extremely well indeed and I look forward to hearing more from these guys. The album is only $12 so why not give it a go? For more details go to www.spacenelson.com