Band:	Kino
Album:	Picture
Style:	Progressive rock
Release date:	February 2005
A review by:	Jeff

01. Losers Day Parade
02. Letting Go
03. Leave A Light On
04. Swimming In Women
05. People
06. All You See
07. Perfect Tense
08. Room For Two
09. Holding On
10. Picture

Kino is a new Progressive project from the USA, with some famous names in its Line Up. Mr John Mitchell [Arena, The Urbane], Pet Trewavas [Marillion, Transatlantic], John Beck [It Bites] and Chris Maitland [ex Porcupine Tree]. You must know that this project is for the fans of the progressive music. Yeah this is something between Prog Rock and Prog Metal, a really nice album by some great talented musicians.

Before all, you must know that the music of the band is a mix of different musical styles, like Rock, Metal, but also Pop. All that sound really progressive all the Metal Heads that we are don't listen a lot of this kind of music. For example, some songs like the first one "Losers Day Parade" is really near of Metal [a soft Metal?] on a side, but you'll find in it a really original break in the Beatles spirit!!! Yeah it can look particularly weird, but all that is totally uncommon. At the end the music of this band is really special, but you must know that 95% of the songs are really slow, all that clearly sound like some ballads. Of course we don't ask Death Metal tempos, but the problem is that all that can be a bit boring at the end. On the other hand this album is especially peaceful, and I can't deny that we have some really good musicians first and that all their compositions are really touching. The only problem is that this album is only for a very special public, the one of the guys who want to find "cool" progressive music, coll Progressive rock... Oki maybe we are near of Pop Rock, in the spirit of a Toto for example but after all that's not bad at all at the opposite and the really great solos of guitars with the nice melodies of the keyboards and the great voice of John Mitchell are impressive. The production of the CD is really nice, and the musicians who are really good, I must repeat it, are all perfect in their role. This is a great work? This album, "Picture" which is the first one of the band, is a nice first try, in the style that's a must without any doubt

Kino is a special band, with a really soft music that some of you will never like, but the ones who like Prog Rock could like this album. Honestly I find it good, but I'm not sure that I will listen to it everyday, not in reason of its quality, but in reason of the music itself which is a bit soft for me?