j o n b

I should say first off that this album is my first brush with the progressive subgenre known as RIO (Rock In Opposition - to what I'm not really sure). I had always been a bit scared to venture into this area, given the music's reputation as "unmelodic" or "difficult" to listen to. But I heard so much about Thinking Plague, not the least of which being their polarizing performance at ProgDay last year (apparently you either ran from the room or loved them), that I decided to give them a shot. I'm glad I did. The fact is, most of In Extremis isn't quite as weird as I thought it would be. The music here is often jagged dissonant and oppressively rhythmic, grabbing you by the neck and jerking you from here to there and back again with alarming effect. Yet, in the middle of that, there is a great deal of honest beauty and power in the music. Surely, it ain't for everyone: there's nothing that regularly resembles a "beat" and anyone trying to dance to it would probably be committed to a rubber room. Given all that, however, I have to say that I reject the idea that Thinking Plague's work is not melodic. Granted, they're lacking in the sort of long extended melodic arrangements characteristic of classic Genesis or Marillion. There are a lot of bits that stick in your head, however, even if you don't necessarily walk from the room humming the chorus. We're talking a less focused melody here, one that doesn't play by the traditional rules of form and development. The album begins with a bang, "Dead Silence", a great track with a very cool female lead vocal. Vocalist Deborah Perry manages to dart from pitch to pitch, almost at random, while retaining a crystal clarity that allows the lyrics themselves to come through. Another early high point is "This Weird Wind" which, probably intentionally, sounds a bit like what Yes might be like these days if they weren't obsessed with producing another 90125. The center of the album, however, is "Les Etudes de Organisms", a massive epic of power, intensity, and humor. Dark and driving passages give way to a truly bizarre middle sections that puts the prog spin on klezmer, circus music, and bad horror film scores. There's even a bit that reminds me of an old Madness tune! As silly as that may sound, nothing hangs around too long to go from being clever to just getting on your nerves. It's a great effect, overall, and lends to the piece's uniqueness. The rest of the album doesn't quite live up to the first half. The other epic length cut, "Kingdom Come", is a bit too disjointed and meanders too much for my taste. The other tracks work well, but don't quite pack as much punch as the earlier ones. In the end, In Extremis is a very interesting and satisfying album. No, it is not full of instantly memorable bits that you will hum the next day at work. But, if you're willing to throw yourself in head first and not look back, you're in for a treat. If this what RIO is like, I need to check out some more. review by Jon Byrne — undated —

b o b

I got my first taste of Thinking Plague at the first NEARfest, where I bought In Extremis in preparation for their set at ProgDay '99. Sitting in the NEARfest vendor room, I popped In Extremis into my portable CD player, heard the chugging guitar and opening vocals of "Dead Silence", and was immediately hooked. The band has been described as "accessible RIO", which seems like a contradiction in terms but really is true for Thinking Plague. The music manages to be experimental and yet catchy at the same time. The plaintive vocals, which often jump from octave to octave and sometimes seem entirely unrelated to the music tend to put some people off, but they sound wonderful to me. For those who don't like the band on first listen, give them a chance to grow on you. A friend of mine hated their ProgDay set, but decided to buy In Extremis anyway. A month later, he was taking back everything bad he had said and raving about how great the album was. My favorite tracks are the aforementioned "Dead Silence" and the longest track on the album, "Les Etudes D'Organism". The former seems like it could stand a chance of being a hit single, despite its oddness. The latter takes off around the three minute mark into a ten minute long, energetic, cartoonish whirlwind of music. If you're the type who uses the term "circus music" as an insult, you might not like this section. But it comes as close to my idea of perfect prog as anything I've ever heard. Another album highlight is the Yes parody (tribute?) "This Weird Wind", which features vocalist Bob Drake doing some very Andersonish vocals, and a guitar lick lifted directly from "Awaken". The last two tracks on the album don't hold my interest quite as much as the others, due to their long stretches of dark and moody atmosphere in which not much seems to happen. Overall though, this album is highly recommended, as is their earlier album In This Life. Also, some of the band members are involved in a side project called Hamster Theater. Their Siege on Hamburger City album is even more upbeat and accessible than the first half of In Extremis, and a worthwhile purchase if you're looking for more from these guys. And if you get a chance to see either band play live, definitely go for it. review by Bob Eichler — 3-1-00 —

j o n f

Many experimental bands release music that is daring but fails to hold up after repeated listens. I believe that this is due to these groups spending too much time being weird and intellectual, and too little time writing interesting music. Thinking Plague have triumphed with In Extremis in creating an album that both challenges and attracts the listener at the same time. The first time I heard the group (live, actually) I made the mistake of seeing their music as dark and foreboding. After listening to this album a few times, however, I realized that Thinking Plague's music isn't dark at all; it's bizarre, all right, but also almost celebratory, particularly in tracks like "Les Etudes D'Organism" and "This Weird Wind". As a fan of upbeat rock, I find much to enjoy about In Extremis. It's an album that is not easily summarized, but here's a try: varied strange, intricate compositions that are played with great precision and a lot of heart. If you're not into avant-garde music (as I am not), I would recommend that you don't simply dismiss this album — this work has a lot to offer for more mainstream progressive fans as well. review by Jon Fry — undated —

s t e v e

I hate to start this review using the word "wow". But here it goes...wow! In Extremis is the latest album from Thinking Plague, and it is quite a treat. I'll try to describe the music from the bottom up to hopefully give you an idea of their sound. First off, the drum and bass work on this album is top-notch. Dave Kerman and Bob Drake work themselves into complex grooves that are so catchy, that they sometimes have a strange danceable-quality to them (if you are also able to dance to some of Zappa's music). Somehow they also manage to create a layer of sound that is separate, yet parallel, to what the other musicians are playing. In fact, most listeners will be amazed at the amount of layers in this music. Each musician seems to be in their separate world but somehow the colliding sounds fit perfectly together. Anyway, over the rhythm-layer we get into some very interesting use of classical and rock instruments. The melodies, and flurries of counter-melodies, seem influenced by Schoenberg and Boulez's 12-tone music. Guitarist Mike Johnson leads with his excellent dissonant guitar work, but he is closely followed by dozens of instruments which include piano, clarinet, flute, and violin. The chords created by the various instruments are densely dissonant (but not ugly), and have an Edgar Varese-quality to them. I even noticed microtonal influences in a number of sections which is great to hear in rock. Now this might sound like too much for some, but the band has a talent for creating hooks that remain locked in your head long after the album is done. In my opinion, singer Deborah Perry has an important role for making this musically complex album accessible to a progressive rock audience. Her vocal lines are dissonant, and 12-tone based. Yet her delivery has an avant-pop quality to it, and the vocals sound strangely beautiful even to someone who is unfamiliar with modern classical. A couple highlights include the opening track "Dead Silence" which is a tour-de-force and features catchy vocals and lyrics. "Les Etudes D'Organism" is a 14-minute epic that features a section influenced by early circus music. But it comes off sounding like circus music composed by Schoenberg. The remaining tracks each explore new ground, unexplored sounds, and are strong compositions. Overall, I would recommend In Extremis to musically adventurous prog fans. But if your also looking for an introduction to avant-garde music, RIO, and even 20th century modern classical this is the perfect CD to start with. review by Steve Hegede — undated —

s e a n

Possibly the best release of 1998. In Extremis is Thinking Plague's return after a lengthy absence, and shows a band which has not deteriorated in quality over time. The album opener "Dead Silence" is practically an avant-prog single, starting with catchy riffage on guitar and descending into a cacophony of sounds about halfway through. The lyrics are dark and beautiful. "Behold the Man" and "Kingdom Come" continue the dark lyrical themes. As with "Dead Silence", "Behold the Man" strengthens the quality of the dissonant passages by alternating them with fairly normal guitar riffage. "This Weird Wind" allows former Plague member Bob Drake to contribute on bass, violin and his wonderful vocals, which are often eerily similar to Jon Anderson's. "Les Etudes d'Organism", meanwhile, is a fairly playful jam and seems like a thematic reworking of "Organism" from In This Life. Compared to In This Life this album seems somewhat moodier and more sinister. Compositionally it might be the most advanced album yet, and there's almost always something going on in the background that is barely discernable right away and must be listened for. Despite the intricacies, I feel that fans of more safe and conventional fare are going to have trouble with something this daunting. People who love and accept News From Babel, 5uu's and similar bands will find this right up their alley. review by Sean McFee — undated —

j o e

In Extremis marked the return after a lengthy hiatus from Thinking Plague, an adventurous band based in Colorado and led by guitarist/composer Mike Johnson. It was recorded over the course of six years, and for all its hits and misses, does not disappoint. Placed up front and center, "Dead Silence" represents the most accessible track, to get listeners accustomed to the band's avant sound and Deborah Perry's vocals. The next two tracks, however, are the high points of the album. "Behold the Man" is breathtaking stuff, with ping-ponging guitar riffs and an absolutely brilliant detour into a spiraling vortex (you'll know it when you hear it). "This Weird Wind" features vocals by bassist Bob Drake, sounding somewhat like Perry Farrell. Here, the rich, acoustic guitar tapestries weaved by Johnson's lend considerably unique warmth to the band's sound that other R.I.O. efforts lack. The second half of the album is good, but not quite as strong. The ferocious opening to "Les Etudes D'Organism" is something I could have listened to for much longer than it lasts, but it instead deflates into cartoon music and Ska in space. Deborah Perry does an exemplary job handling the tricky vocals, though generally that style of melody (e.g., the dot-DASH-dot-DASH opening up "Dead Silence"), common to much of R.I.O., isn't to my taste. I prefer the vocals during their broader moments, such as near the ending of "Behold the Man" or the ominous wall of harmonies closing "This Weird Wind." Also, Johnson's lyrics can steer a bit uncomfortably close to Neil Peart territory (e.g., "Maelstrom"). To me, the best lyrics are from Drake on "This Weird Wind," who dispenses with Attack of the Intermediate English Vocab Words philosophizing and instead just gets as blissfully whacked out as Jon Anderson's 70s lyrics were (and I wish would still be, dammit). This is as densely layered an album as you are likely to find, all delivered to you on a silver platter with expert musicianship. Critics will say it's too cluttered, but those who are into 'uncovering' their albums' hidden moments over a long course of time will be sure to love this one. When coupled with the band's 1999 ProgDay appearance, it is no wonder why In Extremis was one of the most deservingly talked about releases to emerge in recent years among the prog community. review by Joe McGlinchey — 6-20-03 —

g a r y v

The menacing cover artwork of In Extremis — what appears to be a tornado forming over a cheerless landscape — foreshadows the music within: a roiling, tireless brew of chaotic dissonance. In fact, upon my first several listenings I couldn't shake the impression that these seven songs had once started out "normal" when they were being composed, but then that twister on the cover blew through the studio and randomly mixed up all the notes. Upon my first listening I literally laughed out loud at this silliness, and I bemoaned wasting my thirteen bucks in so foolish a manner. It seemed like while the guitarist was busy cranking out "Dead Silence," the keyboardist rebelled by performing "Behold the Man," and the woodwinds player accidentally brought the sheet music for "Kingdom Come"! But subsequent auditions gradually untangled the web of "random noise," revealing a gem of startling beauty. Finally the musicians sounded in concert with each other – is that because they truly are, or is it an illusion due to my now strong familiarity with the material? I don't know. In any event it works, and I've never gotten bored with with this CD. "Les Etudes d'Organism," the centerpiece of the album, is a favorite track. It opens with possessed woodwinds spinning out of control and some Frippy guitar, then uses some "Revolution 9"-ish weirdness to segue into the frenetic, cheery, "psychocircus" section. With squiggly saxes, belching horns, and squawking accordions, it's easy to imagine that mentally disturbed clowns have appropriated Thinking Plague's instruments. Suddenly there's a hairpin turn, and the mood becomes so dark and spooky I suspect those insane clowns must have killed someone. Then after some peculiar squawking and distant laughing females, pretty chimes fade out to the end... and the listener is drained. In Extremis is a stressful album. But it can be beautiful at the same time — dissonant yet melodic, disturbing yet playful. Try it. review by Gary Varney — undated —

b r a n d o n

While I am not as unconditionally taken by this disc as some (see above :), it is definitely a worthy release. Fans of avant-prog of pretty much any kind will get a kick out of this one, with its overall very dark and brooding atmosphere surrounding a single playful and wacky composition ("Les Etudes d'Organism"). All the trademarks of RIO/avant-prog are here: disjointed melodies, themes that don't last for more than a few bars before fragmenting, lots of harmonic complexities, wacky vocals, diverse orchestration, and so on. The lyrics are also worthy of note, as they are in large part neither written nor sung like song lyrics; I wonder how well they'd work as poetry. In any case, I find myself unable to get extremely pumped about this kind of music, but once in a while I get into a certain mood for avant-prog, and this is usually what I pop into the player. Sorting through the apparent chaos and making sense of it all is a great reward for listening closely - if this is the kind of thing that appeals to you, you should definitely get this one ASAP. If you're looking to begin exploring modern avant-prog, this makes a pretty good place to start. review by Brandon Wu — undated —