Matthew Parmenter’s second solo album, ’Horror Express’ comes almost four years after his amazing solo debut ’Astray’. This time around Matthew is channeling Peter Hammill in a way that is uncanny. I also hear a slight nod to the band Univers Zero, mainly with the way Matthew plays the piano.
Matthew is best known as the lead singer & keyboardist in the band Discipline, which gave us two studio and one live album & dvd to date. While Discipline had a full sound, on ’Horror Express’, the main instrument seems to be the piano and of course Matthew’s voice which is used both as a storytelling and an instrument itself. It should be noted that Matthew plays all of the instruments thus making ‘Horror Express’ a true solo album.
Matthew is also an amazing wordsmith when it comes to his lyrics, I’d say almost like Poe meets Lovecraft especially with the opening track “In The Dark” and the lines “what is that in the dark? Is it a monster? It is a monster. Is it me? Is it a mirror? It is a mirror. Is it me?” just send shivers up and down my spine. Well done Matthew, well done!
If you like your prog on the darker side like Univers Zero, Goblin, Morte Macabre and Peter Hammill, then ‘Horror Express’ is an absolute must have for your collection. Matthew Parmenter has added another great album to his already impressive catalogue. I can highly recommend this album without any doubt.
Reviewed by Ron Fuchs on Novemeber 3rd, 2008
