Ethos - Open Up (1977)

ETHOS were an excellent 70's US based 4 piece prog rock band whose second album "Open Up" remains a landmark album for this music lover. Fans of classic 70's prog will love this album with their great epic passages (a la YES) with complex syncopation (aka SPOCK'S BEARD, GENTLE GIANT and KING CRIMSON) and pastoral moments full of the glorious mellotron. In many ways they remind me musically of a cross of FIREBALLET and YES. ETHOS were Brad Stephenson (bass, string bass, moog bass pedals), Mark Richards (percussion, moog drums), Michael Ponczek (mini moog, poly-moog, Hammond, organ, Rhodes piano, mellotron) and Wil Sharpe (acoustic and electric guitars). Their overall sound is full and rich with some real creative and challenging parts yet controlled and highly symphonic. A truely amazing little album that I recommed to all prog rock lovers.~Review by loserboy