What can be said about this remarkable CD…? Periferic Records is a record label from Hungary. With `Periferic 2000: Sympho-Rock From Hungary` they have released a collection CD. There are 13 different bands on it, with a total of 16 songs. The main thing I`ve noticed, that throughout all the songs, the guitar isn`t used much. The keyboard play a much more important role and they make use of a lot of orchestral instruments. This makes it different from the `normal` sympho/prog rock, so it takes some getting used to it. The songs have a good groove to them that I like. I personally like the groove and the experimenting of the instruments. If you`re looking for music to bang your head off, then ignore this record.

If you`re into experimental music with a slow and relaxing pace to it, you might want to check it out. At times, it`s comparable to the old Alan Parsons Project, with a bit of jazz. What about the vocals? Well, there aren`t that many. It`s mostly instrumental, but when there are vocals, it is done in different ways. Sometimes there is a choir, other times it sounds like an opera. It fits the music quite well. It`s difficult to rate this record since there are so many bands on it. Not every song is good, but in general I do like the songs that are on it. It`s certainly different from the rock music most people listen to (myself included), so give it a chance if you want to hear something new.