Here is an unofficial translation of the very nice review given to In the Following Halflight.

Apologies to the original author if any errors were made in the translation.

http://www.babyblaue-seiten.de/bands/netherworld.html

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Rarely, much too rarely does one discover in the storage trunks of progressive rock history a forgotten jewel among all the mediocre releases. Netherworld's sadly only release is exactly one of those overlooked splendors.

Unfortunately, the band tried to gain a foothold with this release during the dark ages of progressive rock. Had this record been released only a short time later, and had it therefore been able to swim along on the neo-progressive rock wave, we might have been able to enjoy more fruits of Netherworld's labors.

On side 1 of this LP the band surprises us with engrossing if rather dark neo-progressive sound, that reminds us of the early works of IQ, or even more of the "Twelfth Night" with Geoff Mann. The "Son of Sam" track deals with a (real) serial killer who was convinced that the devil transmitted his orders to kill through a dog. Denny Gorden interprets the insane person's desperation and torn mental state first-class with his intense voice. Only "Maybe if..." leaves something to be desired, since it is a very intense but grating piece, characterized by synthetic sounds and shrill screams.

Side two gives us a breather with "Isle of Man" with its wonderfully melodic approach. Full of melancholy one is transported into a dreamworld with this classic number. Terrific keyboard riffs, gripping singing and melodious guitar solos give a feeling of being afloat. This song could have easily been a hit on "Selling England". Side two generally goes in the direction of Genesis, without copying them. With "Matter of Time" that style continues in more complex form, followed by what I think is the real sensation of this disk. With the three-part "Sargasso" Netherworld presents us with a horror-prog audio play the likes of which I've never heard before. Presented by Gorden in singsong and supported by the band with just the right musical touches, this bloodthirsty tale creates enjoyable goosebumps up and down one's back.

Since "In the following half-light" still awaits appearance on CD, you should definitely try to find the LP version of this little masterpiece. That will probably prove rather difficult, and expensive as well. But it'd be worth to me at least a Hunni!

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Dirk's note about the "Hunni": "I think that is a slang reference to 100 Euro...about $95". My note: when the review was written, there was no Euro yet. Hunni is short for hundred indeed, so it was a 100 DM (Deutschmark). However, 1 DM was slightly more than 1 Euro, so Dirk's 100 Euro was very close. And that's 99.70 USD now.

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