**** Ice Cycles by Platypus – Relaxed and Smooth Prog Rockin’

I could understand someone if they were unable to even recognize this as progressive rock. You almost need to be a musician to figure out these fairly tricky rhythms. However, if you are uneducated, this music would likely slip by under your radar of music that is for dorky musicians like myself. It also might slip by if you are uneducated that these musicians are some of the best that progressive rock has to offer, especially because they aren’t wailing on their instruments. Perhaps, that is what is most ground breaking about Ice Cycles, it is good music that doesn’t wail. I have heard enough music to know that music that doesn’t wail, especially modern music is very rare. There is just a much larger audience for those that wish to listen to progressive metal that wails for the entire album or the entire show, such that when a band gets through a song and hasn’t injected a slammin’ attitude into their sound that this comes as somewhat of a surprise. Sure it may have a few pretty picked arpeggios. However, they don’t make for the meat of the song. In that way, this album is almost clandestine, and will probably remain as such. John Myung has always struck me as an introvert, and thus it is such that perhaps this style fits his modus operandi more than any other. Anyway, this effort is very much appreciated. I really like this cd though I would not go so far as to give it the 5th star and say that it is a classic.