There is little classic progressive rock is overflowing more with than Genesis-clones. Many of them are mostly uninteresting, while some are pretty good and a very few of them are essential. Kyrie Eleison from Austria definitively belonged to the latter category, and gets my vote as the best Genesis-clone ever. Their album "The Fountain Beyond the Sunrise" took absolutely everything that was great about the classic Genesis-sound at its peak and used it over four long, complex and marvellously strong and well-composed tracks. The band's instrumental abilities were great, and their sound is powerful with lots of depth and punch, despite a somewhat murky production. Their singer Michael Schubert managed to pull off Peter Gabriel's voice very convincingly, but keyboardist Gerald Krampl is the one who impresses me most here. His organ, Mellotron and synths had the same delightful feel as Tony Bank's best arrangements. The opener "Out of the Dimension" sets the tone very well for the rest of the album: strong melodies, lengthy and complex song-structures, lots of tasteful keyboard work from our man Krampl in addition to powerful playing from the rest of the band. In the 14-minute multi-part title-track, Schubert also shows that he very well could do the theatrical vocal twists that were so typical for Gabriel (like in "Get 'Em Out by Friday" for example). "Forgotten Words" is with its eight minutes and forty seconds the shortest track, but yet another great showcase of the band's sense for melodies and dynamic structures. The nearly 17-minute "Lenny" is packed to the rim with excellent ideas and great hooks. It's actually surprising how such a complex and long piece can be so immediately catchy. I can hardly find a bad thing to say about this album. Kyrie Eleison were for Genesis what Starcastle were for Yes: a clone so good and convincing that you in an inattentive moment could forget that it's actually not the real thing you're listening to! "The Fountain Beyond the Sunrise" would turn out to be Kyrie Eleison's only release, but it alone still crapped most other Genesis-clones altogether.
Credits
Bass, Acoustic Guitar – Norbert Morin
Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals – Karl Novotny
Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Twelve-String Guitar, Backing Vocals – Manfred Drapela
Music By – Gerald Krampl
Organ, Piano, Synthesizer, Mellotron, Backing Vocals – Gerald Krampl
Vocals, Percussion – Michael Schubert (3)
http://www.vintageprog.com/kkk.htm
