It sometimes happens with every record; you buy it and press play not knowing what to expect. The same can be said with the album 'Illusion Of Truth' by Scandinavian Progressive Rockers CONDITION RED, within the first few seconds of this record you can hear beauty and spontaneity. This continues throughout the record.

They first formed in the year 2000, the year everyone celebrated the new millennium. They were founded by Finnish guitar maestro Lars Eric Mattson and keyboard player Alexander King. Gradually they asked Italian guitarist Alex Masi and renowned keyboard player Derek Sherinan to join the ranks. Sherinan is well known for his work with YNGWIE MALMSTEEN and ALICE COOPER. Ella Grussner was last to join the group as violinist and vocalist. With two albums already under their belt, this latest one will prove why they are the ones to listen to right now.

As stated before; you can already hear the spontaneous beautiful sounds this record has set out to produce. No track is the same as the previous one and in fact these tracks have you so entranced that you forget how long they are. For example the longest track 'It's Not A Crime' clocks in at nearly eleven minutes, it has so many different and compelling elements so you wonder where the time has gone after listening to it.

Highlights of the track include the unusual yet captivating musical arrangements; at this moment it is hard to pinpoint who they sound like, it's great they have developed their own sound. The vocal work has tints of Progressive Rock pioneers RUSH and GENISIS; diehard fans of this genre are likely to recognise this trait. As the elements fuse so well together, it makes the melodies easy to listen to without getting bored.

So if you're looking to give Progressive Rock a try without enduring tracks that reach twenty minutes long this record is a recommended place to start.