From Alternate View, the UK Progressive Rock Webzine Underground Railroad: Through And Through The Laser's Edge (LE1033) The Underground Railroad is a new band from the Deep South of the USA. The band sees the melding of keyboard player Kurt Rongey with fusion guitarist Bill Pohl. Kurt has already received critical acclaim for his debut solo album Book in Hand, and both musicians have build a formidable reputation in their home state of Texas over the years. Together with drummer John Livingston and bass player Matt Hembree, they have released TUR's debut album Through and Through. The album opens with the eclectic May-Fly - a short and catchy fusion number with more than a passing glance back to the likes of Hatfield & The North and National Health. The Holdsworthian guitars interplay brilliantly with Kurt's fast and furious keyboards to provide an excellent opener for the CD. In contrast, The Comprachicos Of The Mind is a ten minute epic which reminds me somewhat of Citizen Cain. There is a sympho-prog feel with echoes to the likes of Gabriel-era Genesis and Gentle Giant, but the whole song is built around a more fusion approach. In The Factory is another high-octane fusion composition - this time an instrumental, which sees both Kurt and Bill hammering their respective instruments. The Canterbury rock influence is very strong with a sound and feel that I am sure come straight out of the National Health school of rock. Once again, the shorter fusion track counterpoints a longer prog track. This time we have another ten minute composition, The Doorman, which if anything has even more of a Gabriel-era Genesis feel to it. The guitars are pure Hackett while the keyboard switch from Banks to Eddie Jobson to Dave Stewart and all points between. And when the keyboards and guitars get lose, the whole thing takes on a lot more of an avant-garde feel. Mars continues the feel - Foxtrot meets National Health maybe. Another short track; there are three very radio-friendly tracks of around the four/five minute mark, although I would say that apart from Mars, they are not the strongest or most representative tracks on the album. Mars is though - blending the Seventies prog feel with the avant-garde/Canterbury-fusion feel beautifully. Through and Through is the real epic on the album - weighting in at just over 20 minutes. To be honest I could write the same again, just dissecting this piece alone. In a nutshell, like Mars, is a blend of both aspects of TUR - a fusion between their Canterbury side and their sympho-prog side. This is probably the best track on the album- although it is also the most complex and took a lot to get into! And as a coda to the album, it just shows what a top-quality band TUR is. Once again The Laser's Edge has snapped up an excellent band. This is an excellent album that was a joy to review. The musicianship is top grade, and the compositions are complex enough to be enjoyable to listen to without being so obtuse that you feel you need a degree in brain surgery just to be allowed to switch on the CD. There are six tracks in here without a duff note between them. I rather suspect we will be hearing a lot more from Messrs Rongey and Pohl. Rumour has it they are already lined up for NEARFest 2001. Not that you need an excuse, but if you're in the area, I can thoroughly recommend them! Through and Through (LE-1033) is released on The Laser's Edge. For more information, you can contact TLE at PO Box 388, Vorhees, NJ, USA; tel: 08043-0388 or check out the TLE website at http://www.lasercd.com. For more information about The Underground Railroad e-mail the band at: ldm@fastlane.net or check out The Underground Railroad website at http://www.fastlane.net/~ldm/ur. reviewed by Frank Blades