Skin

The eagle has landedWell, I vowed to follow the career of this stellar little Karnataka off-shoot and I certainly cannot even glimpse at the thought of any regret, as I am a sucker for female vocal fronted prog bands anyway. Panic Room continues on its merry prog way, with Anne-Marie Helder's lush voice leading the way and proposing a new set list of impressive and romantic songs that skirt with the outer edges of progressive rock, nothing too complicated and technical, relying purely on emotion and atmosphere. But the quality of the overall package has leaped ahead by a zillion miles, a complete success on every front.There are some new positives that will anoint this release with an impeccable rating:on the third try, they get the artwork they deserve as the previous two covers were rather insipid, this one strangely very similar to Quidam's latest, sort of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo-like, a bare lady in an icy, desolate forest gloom. Gruesomely effective.Secondly, musically there is a massive improvement to an all-ready high quality of playing, the band has recruited new bass player Yatim Halimi who makes his presence felt all over, as the fretless bass rules the low end majestically. The intricate drumming is also very obvious, Gavin John Griffiths raising quite a few eyebrows, keyboardist Jonathan Edwards using a vast arsenal of keys (piano, organ, synths and e-piano) but also creative some tones and structures. Lastly, Paul Davies displays a corporeal tone, certainly ballsier than ever before, with a higher level of masculinity in his playing, yet extremely creative in his stylings. Finally, a string quartet adds some orchestral dimension that bodes well for the symphonic sheen that this material clearly deserves.The entire song list is effortlessly memorable, diverse and astounding, showing an uncanny resourcefulness that eliminates any semblance of sameness, such as on the mercurial "Screens", a sparkling piece with string quartet, burping bass, polyrhythmic beats and a surly synth-lead , all held together by some weighty riffs, a stubborn stop and go lead guitar solo that is gigglingly original.The preceding "Chameleon" is a haunting slice of cinema-prog, highly evocative and hypnotic, like a sensual opiate cloud armed with a sultry vocal that sweetly swerves into the brain. The mid-section piano solo is consummate stuff; the silky almost jazzy approach most noteworthy.For the romantics out there, some great love songs are here to wallow in such as the string-driven "Chances" with its serene Spanish guitar section and some wonderful vocals from Anne-Marie (a lovely looker to boot) and a colossal orchestral outro. I mean, WOW!The mood settles into dreamscapes with the suave "Tightrope Walking", a 7 minute flight of thrilling sounds, featuring a simple beat, amplified by wobbly bass and uncomplicated piano, a painstaking lament that slowly grows in stature and expression, tossing in some slight Arabic tinges, coupled with fine e-piano noodlings, string quartet denouement and a few axe frills."Promises" is even sexier, a ringing ELO-like theme, Anne-Marie mischievously vocalizing while the bass pummels a Native American styled riff and a sudden swirling synth tornado to keep the panting honest. The power is propelled by a crescendo chorus that reaches for the skies and will be sure to leave a lasting impression.A shorter, acoustic ballad, "Velvet and Stars" proposes a fragile vocal that proves what many already believe, Helder is an awesome talent that can only get even better! Acoustic guitar and voice, that's it! Bravo!"Freefalling", well with a title like that, you would think of Tom Petty, wouldn't you? Except this is a 6 minute shuffling masterpiece, a gasping love affair of sound and texture, very sexy and appealing in its utter simplicity. Hey, its definitely not math-rock but WTH, one cannot dine on blitzkrieg riffs for ever (wait until you get older and crankier!), this is unabashedly feminine prog which serves up a great purpose when you eschew your masturbatory (read = lonely) prog collection and settle into some musical cuddling with your female partner. An amazing tune!The title track is another hallmark track, straightforward but devastating lead vocal, a plea of crushing beauty and immeasurable delivery, within a huge orchestral flow. Enough said, world class ballad.Yeah, syrupy stuff but "Hiding the World" gets nice and aggressive, so as to counterbalance all that sweetness and melancholia, sounding like fellow compatriots Touchstone, combining dynamic riffs with monster drumming and relentless pummeling.This splendid disc climaxes with the appropriate "Nocturnal", a haunting piano-led reverie that defies description, an epic piece that introduces the night and all its fragile shimmering , a howling voice beckoning the gentleness of nature's rest and all its little pleasures. The piano rollicks sensually, violins in embrace, prepping the ground for the urgent and desperate guitar solo and all restrained emotion, waiting to explode. Helder wails like a woman possessed, how can anyone resist this?Move over Mostly Autumn, Iona, Karnataka, the Reasoning, Legend, Magenta and other female voice-led bands , Panic Room has arrived. Only Frequency Drift's latest can rival this one for 2012's top album crown. This is a fantastic release, not a stinker or filler in the lot.A soundtrack for carnal exploration is just as proggy as a Roine Stolt solo or a Portnoy drum fill. So brand this as "Prog with benefits" and you will not be disappointed.You can kiss your progman again, darling! My goodness, you are in the mood, aren't you?

I did not think that Anne Marie Helder could best her first Panic Room offering Visionary Position, but she did. The melodies are accesible and the arrangement are complex and lush. I hear something different everytime I play it. And what can you say about Anne Maries vocals. I think she has the best female Progressive rock voice in the business.

I bought this album based on the music samples and the positive reviews by others of this album, as well as previous music, from Panic Room.I have forced myself to listen all the way through twice and I'm glad that's over. I find nothing to recommend on this album; it's boring, passionless, uninspired, and missing anything that would make me want to listen to it again or recommend it to anyone. Even the title track is a weak song on an album made up entirely of plodding, weak songs.This is genre defying music in the sense that no self-respecting genre would want to be associated with this album. There is an awkward mix of rock oriented styles or themes even within individual songs. At one point I heard some brief flamenco guitar stylings in one song and was struck by the lack of context for that in that song. Other songs begin to venture toward "rock", but then the vocals eliminate the possibility for that. In general I find the droning vocals to be poorly matched for the music. The effect of the musical problems, for me, is that this album has no particular style, or grace, or attractive musicality.I think I have previously only given one other record a one star review, but this one is also deserving of that rating.

I discovered Panic Room about 2 months ago, due to Anne-Marie Helder's work with Mostly Autumn and John Wetton on the ICON 3 album. I don't hand out 5 star reviews easily, but for me there isn't a weak song in the bunch. As usual, the lyrics are gorgeous and the music grows on you after repeated listening. I especially enjoy Anne-Marie Helder's vocal style, I find it refreshing in a day and age where singing styles have become unoriginal and similar. I enjoy all the songs, some favorite tracks include Song For Tomorrow, Screens, Skin, Hiding The World, and Nocturnal. I've had Skin for about 3 weeks now, and there has been only one or two days I haven't listened to the album all the way through. Skin is worth your while if you like music that defines itself rather than adhere to a particular label.

I bought this after hearing 'The Gathering Light' by Karnataka and reading that Panic Room was a band formed by ex-members. On first hearing, the album begins and ends in similar territory to Karnataka, with some strong and rocky tracks. Inbetween though,it explores much more diverse musical territory, showing the band seem to be much more about songwriting than worrrying about sticking to any tight pigeonhole in terms of progressive rock. I quickly decided the singer sounds like a cross between Natalie Imbruglia and Andrea Corr - fortunataly both singers I like. 'Tightrope Walking' is probably my favourite track in bunch of well=written and well-crafted songs. I have no idea if this album is largely representative of other Panic Room material but very I'm happy to try and check out other of their albums in the future.

This album gets a five star rating from me, the line up that makes this band up is quite an impressive one to say the least, all talented musicians, although by some of the reviews left hear I think some have been viewing to many TV talent show or simply have no music knowledge other than UK pop music, sarcasm aside, can not fault a single track on this album, Anne Marie Helders, vocals are as good as ever, and she fits in with all the popular female vocalist of the moment quite well, recommend you give this album a listen if you like good music and good vocals and are not looking to hear the next big pop hit.

A good album but not the best album they have made.

I'm a Panic Room fan and have been looking forward to this album release after hearing a few of the tracks previewed live. The album is a lovely blend of power coupled with a delicate touch. Beautifully crafted production, great musicianship and Anne-Marie Helder's amazing voice combines with great songs to establish this band at the top of their genre. They are even better live!

Best so far I'd say. More sophisticated sound / production with great guitar / keyboard work.PR have been nicely progressing album upon album, layering and improving without losing integrity - first class