review by thomas

With the first track ”Ice Queen” you can just think one thing – Van der Graaf Generator, ‘cause that song sounds very much like VdGG’s “Killer”. But they stopped there and didn’t clone anything else, at least not something so obvious and direct.

Raw Material was a five-piece with drums, guitars, bass, vocals, sax, flute and keyboards in their arsenal. “Time is” consist to a large degree of mini-epics in the 6-12 minutes range and musically you can’t avoid compare them to VdGG (even if you overlook “Ice Queen”) and their “H to He Who am the Only One” record, to which they have many things in common. Vocally, however, the comparison with VdGG stops for the main singer in Raw Material doesn’t sound like Peter Hammill at all; he sounds more like the singer in Beggars Opera, albeit less powerful.

Despite all the similarities with VdGG it would be unfair to say they are clones or in the same vein as them, for the two diverse in a very tangible way. While VdGG was dark and doom laden Raw Material were almost on the opposite side. Titus Groan is another group of reference that comes to my mind; they certainly share the catchiness and occasional groovy sound of proto-prog with Raw Material.

Highly enjoyable music with great saxes, catchy riffs and parts, good songwriting and a plus for the fantastic acoustic guitars spread throughout the album.