Ian Parry's Consortium Project - Ian Parry's Consortium Project
	Released: 1999 Label: Inside Out Cat. No.: Total Time: 47:52
	Review courtesy John "Bo Bo" Bollenberg, January 2000 "Hot on the heels of Arjen Lucassen, aka Ayreon." That's about what singer Ian Parry has tried to fix when he brought together some friends in order to kick off his Ian Parry Consortium Project. Either you love this ex-Vengeance and current Elegy singer or you don't. Personally I'm not too keen on the sultry vocal exploits of Perry. AOR lovers will probably mail me some nasty e-mails yet I don't feel that Ian's voice is well suited for this music. Of course it's rather heavy 'prog'n roll' with amongst others some guitar parts from Arjen Lucassen (Ayreon), Stephan Lil (Vanden Plas), Tamas Szekeres and Patrick Rondat (Jean Michel Jarre). Including the pumping drums of Elegy drummer Dirk Bruinenberg and the swirling bass of Barend Courbois (ex-Whistler-Courbois-Whistler, ex-Perfect Strangers, and currently with Vengeance), the intro for "Garden of Eden" leaves behind some recognizable marks. On the romantic "A Miracle Is All We Need," the Dutch "Fake-Clayderman", Jan Vayne, joins the project as if the many female Vayne fans will run to their record store to buy a copy of this Ian Parry exploit. Even if Jan played on President Clinton's inauguration party it won't mean that Ian Parry will be gigging the White House soon! This project misses the finesse that has made Ayreon albums immortal. The result is a pompous junk whereby the unnatural vibrato of Perry can only get to your nerves. Parry has recently recorded new material with Kamelot guitarist ThomYoungblood and Savatage axeman Chris Caffrey for part II of the Consortium Project for release in November later this year. Let's hope he has listened to some of Ayreon's material in the meantime! [See also Steph's and Bjørnar's reviews -ed.] More about Ian Parry's Consortium Project: Track Listing: House Of Cards (4:17 ) / Banquet Of Thieves (5:35 ) / Evilworld (3:44 ) / Garden Of Eden (4:20 ) / The Entity (Instrumental) (2:43 ) / Change Breeds Contempt (4:16 ) / A Miracle Is All We Need (4:48 ) / The Snake (3:21 ) / Criminals & Kings (4:12 ) / Chain Of Fear (5:23 ) / Pandora's Box (3:56 ) Musicians: Ian Parry - vocals Patrick Rondat - guitars Thom Youngblood - guitar Stephan Lill - guitars Tamas Szekeres - guitars Dirk Bruinenberg - drums Martin Helmantel - bass Arjen Lucassen - guitars Tommy Newton - bass Barend Curbois - six string bass Jan Vayne - piano Contact: Websites: www.ianparry.com www.consortiumproject.com Note: will open new browser window Discography Ian Parry's Consortium Project (1999) Consortium Project II - Continuum In Extremeis (2001) Consortium Project III - Terra Incognita (The Undiscovered World) (2003)
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