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Reptile Dysfunction

by Tony Castellano

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Sven B. Schreiber (sbs)
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Sven B. Schreiber (sbs) This album is much better than I thought initially. It's just one of those that needs a couple of turns until it gets through the ears into the mind. Except for "Dwindling Choices", which is one of the few tracks with vocals, co-written and sung by Chris Duers of the "Bud Collins Trio", the album is free from old "Bud Sounds", concentrating on the successful revival of the good old art rock feeling of the 70's and 80's as represented by Steve Hackett and Tony Banks. With "Tarnished", my favorite track, Tony Castellano succeeded in authentically recreating the spirit of the typical "Dutch sound" celebrated by bands like Kayak, Focus, and Finch, propelling an endless melody stream played by a singing electric guitar. The 25-minute epic "The Sacrifice" is another attempt at reinventing "Close To The Edge" - which is never a good idea, and usually bound to fail. Tony Castellano copes with this aspiration remarkably well, but in my opinion, the track would benefit quite a bit from stripping around five to ten minutes from it. Favorite track: Tarnished.
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dieter pross
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Robert Cameron
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spyflyingmoon
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HIRONORI YOSHINO
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1.
Bone Of Contention 12:40
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(Instrumental)
2.
Charmery 05:40
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(Instrumental)
3.
My Fellow Prisoners 03:44
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(Instrumental)
4.
Blue Methusaleh 03:17
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(Instrumental)
5.
Submarine Heirophant 05:23
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(Instrumental)
6.
Hepped-up On Goofballs 03:04
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(Instrumental)
7.
Dwindling Choices 04:34
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So what did you decide? Can you see it now? When you stare into the sky All your chances Never saw them right before your eyes Now it’s too late to go back and change them all Looking back up as you fall Falling over in a dream Falling down Looks like your choices are dwindling away All your chances Never saw them right before your eyes Now it’s too late to go back and change them all Looking back up as you fall Falling over in a dream Falling down Looks like your choices are dwindling away
8.
Stomping Ground 04:27
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(Instrumental)
9.
Tarnished 06:15
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(Instrumental)
10.
The Sacrifice 25:42
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I watch the image from the forward view on the bridge of this great space plane looking for a sign to show we've moved but the scene always looks the same we were both young men when from our world we fled but captain and I are now growing old we are the only ones not in stasis beds on this ark of one thousand souls we left home because our sun had cooled couldn't sustain our life forms anymore so we abandoned the place that we had ruled in desperate search of greener shores we fed our observations to the database accepted the trajectory it proposed our only shot at finding a compatible place I hope by now we're getting close a shrieking alarm pulls us both to attention some intense force was pulling on the ship a neutron star had eluded our detection it's immense gravity now had us in it's grip we tried to break free but the pull was too strong pinned the engines at max emergency overdrive then when it seemed like nothing else could go wrong we finally broke free we were going to survive but the damage was done as both engines quit and we barrelled along completely out of control spied an asteroid nearby and steered towards it we could use it's gravity to help us slow our speed had decreased but we were getting too close it was clear that there was no way out of this mess we were going to crash-land on the rock below we strapped ourselves in and hoped for the best the ship survived the crash largely intact the still sleeping crew blissfully unaware my old friend captain succumbed in the impact now I'm the only one left who knows how we have fared the engines are in bad shape don't know if they will work again looks like this miserable rock is where my life will end and what do I do about the frozen crew do I revive them to live their lives in this place I'd have companions but would use up more food and their questions and accusations would be more than I could face I wish I had captain to advise me how to proceed but I can expect no assistance it's clear that it's all up to me it's been about a year now since the crash and I've found ways to survive I've been learning lots of that technical jazz seems a good way to pass the time the crew remain in their suspended state I've gotten used to being alone I go exploring in some nearby caves whenever I get the urge to roam one day I found a treasure beyond compare stumbled upon a rich mineral vein I could use them for engine repairs then the ship could sail once again the work proceeded for so many weeks then was done one glorious day one final look at the landscape so bleak then once again we were on our way it's been ten years since we left the rock and my end is drawing near I'd hoped to live to see our new home and not die alone out here I can't believe my tired eyes a star system looms ahead with a temperate world to support our kind our journey's near it's end suddenly the engines lose power as one of the generators gives out as I awaken the crew I make a split-second decision to re-route life support power from the bridge to get those engines back online this will save the crew but the new captain won't survive but I can rest in the knowledge that my race will stay alive on this new homeworld unaware of my sacrifice

about

This is my brand-new release, though many of the songs were written years ago. Intending them to be recorded by Magnetar, I had simply recorded demos, but although it's possible Magnetar may record some of these songs eventually (we're still working on the Magnetar double-CD debut release), I got tired of holding onto them and decided to complete my own versions, since it's likely the Magnetar versions would have turned out differently anyway (and may still). Also, after I wrote my first long prog epic "The Sacrifice" last spring and summer (fulfilling a long-held personal goal), I knew that piece and "Bone of Contention" would be perfect to book-end a new TC album, so I then started working more seriously towards completing it.

credits

released January 1, 2015

Written, arranged, performed, produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered by TC at The Asylum in East Hartford CT between 2008 and 2014. The one exception is that Chris Duers wrote the lyrics and most of the vocal and guitar melodies for "Dwindling Choices".

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Tony Castellano East Hartford, Connecticut

Progressive-rock-influenced multi-instrumentalist and singer who has played with many different bands, including The Bud Collins Trio, Holding Pattern, Ludent Tremmel's Gno, The Realm, and Magnetar, on either bass or bass and keyboards. In recent years he has been playing mostly drums, for several different recording projects and also as a member of his sister's band, Anne Castellano & The Smoke. ... more

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