...I’l cut straight to the chase here, you’d best open that bottle of red you were saving for a special occasion as ‘Next Station’ is it. A collection of songs that are more than that, it’s a captivating and involving musical journey led by a musician at the absolute zenith of his career. I think Marco De Angelis, joined by a stellar cast of musical guests, has just delivered the performance of his life!Progradar (UK)

...Un vrai régal pour les oreilles que ce « Next Train » , au final la dernière publication de Marco De Angelis constitue un excellent album où les amoureux de rock progressif bien ficelé et hyper léché y trouveront leur compte, cinq étoiles bien méritées.Progcritique (FRA)

...Pour rédiger une chronique, il va sans dire qu’il faut écouter un album encore et encore. Mais je me suis surpris à le faire jouer souvent pour le pur plaisir de la musique qu’on y trouve et je sais que je le ferai de nouveau.Profilprog (CAN)

...Sa za to liczne wyrafinowane sciezki muzyczne, a takze chwytajace za serce melodie i teksty. Jest sentyment do minionych czasów i miejsc, jest niepowtarzalny klimat i jest przez caly czas unoszaca sie w powietrzu szlachetna progrockowa aura. W dodatku wszystko to wykonane jest przez De Angelisa i spólke z zachowaniem wlasnego oryginalnego stylu, lecz takze z naleznym szacunkiem i holdem dla klimatów znanych z plyt czolowych muzyków i zespolów progresywno-rockowego gatunku, którzy przed laty tworzyli jego historie.
Nie pozostaje nam nic innego, jak wsiasc do tego muzycznego pociagu, wlaczyc te wspaniala plyte i cieszyc sie ta wyjatkowa podróza do szesciu muzycznych stacji.MLWZ (POL)

...Si comme moi, à travers les centaines d’albums progressifs qui paraissent chaque année, vous espérez benoitement L’ALBUM, celui qui vous comblera tant par ses compositions que par ses partis pris musicaux et leurs interprétations, alors, avec “Next Station“, nul doute que nous tenons cet oiseau rare ! Marco De Angelis bâtit un pont musical entre notre cher rétro prog et nos groupes de “classic prog“ favoris récents ou anciens sur des arches musicales originales qui en laisseront plus d’un sur le cul! La grande classe Monsieur Marco De AngelisNeoprog (FRA)

...To my mind De Angelis really has a gift for composing and constructing modern symphonic prog that appeals to my ear. He hits all the right notes as these six compositions display everything I like about the genre, mixing acoustic and electric, rock and symphonics and everything else. Need I say more? This is an unexpectedly stellar follow-up and I highly recommend you check out Next Station. It’s a winner.The progressive rock files (CAN)

...Delikatna, wysmakowana i piekna to plyta. Umiescilbym ja w tej samej lidze, co tak wykwintne muzyczne produkcje, jak chociazby plyty Fish On The Friday, czy Lifesings.Rock Area (POL)

...Zo horen we in de relatief kortere stukken (die bijna allemaal boven de zes minuten klokken) nu ook de catchy elementen van bands als Mr. Mister en World Trade en komt in het bijna kwartier lange "A Proggy Night In London" een modern kijk op het oude Genesis om de hoek kijken. En ja, ook Pink Floyds erfenis, inclusief solowerk van Gilmour en Waters, heeft nog steeds invloed op De Angelis. Toch weet hij zijn eigen creativiteit duidelijk naar voren te brengen. Zo is de productie uiterst helder en gedetailleerd en geven gastzangers Nad Sylvan, Robbie Wyckoff (uit de Roger Waters Band!) en Göran Edman de hun toebedeelde songs een eigen karakter.Xymphonia (NLD)

...A travers l'ensemble de Next Station, Marco De Angelis laisse percer la modernité de son savoir-faire et son goût pour le bon prog d’antan.
Comme l'emblématique Big Big Train, Marco De Angelis, artiste de qualité, représente brillamment l’état d’esprit d'une partie de cette nouvelle scène progressive, à la fois fiévreusement changeante et diablement enracinée !Blog de Pacho (FRA)

Speaking for myself, I consider Next Station as a step forward in comparison with The River, in almost everything.
This is a serious and well-made piece of work. Give it a try!GFreedom (GRE)

...Album di impatto, da ascoltare con attenzione per percepire l’eccellente ricamo di suoni e strumenti. Raccomandato a tutti gli appassionati di prog.Luigi Viva (il Sussidiario) (ITA)

...This is, without doubt, an album that requires intense concentration because even though there are plenty of up-front melodic moments to enjoy during the six tracks, there is just so much going on underneath that it is impossible absorb everything in one go, typical of course of any good music. Many subsequent spins of the CD are therefore necessary otherwise you will miss out on the intricacies and subtleties of the various guitar elements which burst out in different guises during the course of play and these together with a fascinating wash of keyboard and other stringed instrumental accompaniments, which do start to evolve to the fore, after sequential airings. It is clear that the direction of the project, when viewed throughout the entire album, points towards it being a preverbal guitar masterclass which embraces a complete cross section of guitar playing styles.
An extremely enjoyable progressive rock ventureProgplanet (CYP)

...Mit „Next Station“ legt Marco de Angelis einen würdigen Nachfolger zu „The River“ hin, der dem Debüt in Nichts nachsteht. Ganz im Gegenteil, scheint sich die Produktionszeit von gut vier Jahren positiv auf den Kreativprozess ausgewirkt zu haben, denn die Songs besitzen musikalische Tiefe und fesseln vom ersten Ton an. Ein klasse Album.Musikzirkus (DEU)

"The River (Both Sides Of The Story) is an album that contains only strong compositions and never gets boring. During the time I listened to it in order to write this review, I enjoyed it every time I gave it a spin in my CD player. And every time I heard new things that I haven't heard before.
I truly hope that people who listen to this album will have the same musical experience as I had. I thoroughly enjoyed this fantastic concept album which is strongly related to the music made by Pink Floyd and Peter Gabriel! So thumbs up for Marco De Angelis and the contributors who succeeded in creating an amazing progressive rock album!"Background Magazine (NL)

"If I were to give River's sound a "tag," I would call it progressive with strong melodies and interesting rhythms. Not out of place with Riverside or Porcupine Tree minus the crunch. Throw in a pinch of recent era Fish. A very nice blend. Songs like Tell Me Why, Black Stare, and Regrets are full of emotion and strong melodies. Performances are immaculate. Very well crafted compositions with interesting lyrics. Radio friendly yet with an exotic tinge. Sonically incredible - the album sounds like it was recorded in the best studio you've ever heard! Quite a pleasant surprise and very much worth a listen!"Progsheet (USA)

"Conclusions then, in the main The River is an excellent album with its roots in 80’s classic rock but a definite prog edge showing through, no more so than when Marco plays those epic Gilmour tinged guitar solos. I love the songwriting, the great vocals (both lead and backing) and the total construction of the album. If, like myself, you are a child of the 80’s and loved the great classic and prog rock bands of that era or, if you just want to hear some fantastic songwriting and music, then you could, and should, listen to The River – Both Sides of the Story."Lady Obscure Magazine (UK)

"Concluding, this review I have to say that this is a qualitative concept album that combines touches of deep emotional elements with a highly pleasant prog listening experience! A rare combination!"Justin Case Prog Radio (GRE) +

"I have listened to The River three times already and Marco is truly a virtuoso musician along with Marcello Catalano's beautiful vocals, and Cristiano Micalizzi's drumming is staggering as well. And when he puts his toes in the water to see where he would take the music into, is quite interesting and he would take the band members with him to see where the yellow brick road will take them into. But all in all, this is an awe-inspiring and transcendent concept album that will take listeners to a journey they never dreamed of."Music from the other side of the room (USA)

"Clairement, on n’invente rien ici, il n’y a aucune exploration hasardeuse, mais perso, je n’en ai rien à caler : j’ai passé une heure bercé par une musique splendide, plus proche des prés ensoleillés que des écuries."Prog-resiste Magazine (BEL)

"While The River… may reside on the accessible side of modern progressive rock and not challenge the listener with mind-jarring complexity in every measure, it remains as evidence that there is still plenty of room for forward growth within this genre.
Highly recommended."Exposè Magazine (USA)

"De Angelis presents himself with a very slick art rock sound at first. The most impressive element are the vocal harmonies, where De Angelis utilises his guests to the maximum. He does build upon his sound gradually, with some sensual and effective guitar soloing, reminiscent of David Gilmour. Even the music takes on some Pink Floyd characteristics, particularly from their 80s and 90s period. Add to the mixture a dash of modern melody-driven (alternative) progressive rock and you're faced with a very satisfying musical journey. At the end of the day, the album has only positive values that can be attributed to it and all respect to Marco De Angelis for getting it right the first time. I'm sure this is only the start of his musical voyage and a sign of things to come."The Rocktologist (PL)

The Progressive Rock Files Magazine (USA) +
"For a guy who started to play music the first time he picked up an instrument at the age of ten back in 1972, it’s taken Marco De Angelis quite a few decades to bring his musical vision to fruition and while it’s not the most complex progressive rock you’ll ever hear, it is a very satisfying listen. Fans of Barclay James Harvest, RPWL of course Pink Floyd will find much music here to appreciate and enjoy."The Progressive Rock Files Magazine (USA)

"It is an album with two pretty distinct faces: on one side you have uptempo songs who are clearly influenced by Mike + The Mechanics. On the other side you have atmospheric songs which keep me thinking of and at times even literally quoting from the oeuvre of Pink Floyd although interestingly it mostly seems to go towards the direction of The Final Cut and The Division Bell. De Angelis however manages to unite these two disparate faces into a cohesive whole and has created an album that deserves to be much more widely known."Ximphonia Radio (NL)

"J’ai beaucoup comparé The River avec d’autres artistes, pardon. L’album ne se résume pas à ça bien entendu. La musique de Marco possède sa propre identité même si on trouvera toujours des similitudes (à force d’écouter trop de musique…). Il s’agit d’un très beau concept album, des titres qui se suivent agréablement, à écouter dans le bon ordre, agrémentés de textes qu’il faut découvrir pour en profiter pleinement.
On va pouvoir fatalement reprocher à Marco sa proximité avec Fish et Gabriel, ou alors au contraire le louer pour ça, je suis de ce dernier groupe. Avec une très belle qualité de son, un livret réussi, The River est un excellent album de crossover progressif qu’il ne faut manquer sous aucun prétexte."Neoprog Magazine (FRA)

"Mit „The River“ ist Marco De Angelis ein wunderbares Werk gelungen, dass Neo-Prog mit Melodicrock verbindet und das für mich eine der Entdeckungen des Jahres darstellt. Vor allem die eingängigen Melodien und der gut produzierte (glatte) Klang setzen sich schnell im Ohr fest. Eine CD, die ich sehr empfehlen kann."Musikzirkus (DE)

"The River” is a solid work by Marco de Angelis, but as the music stays on the bordering line between sophisticated British Pop-Rock and typical Neo-Progressive style, a shall recommend this album only for fans of “Marillion”, the latest albums of “Genesis” & “Pink Floyd”, the solo works of “Peter Gabriel”, “Fish”, and “Phil Collins"."Progressive Rock Magazine (BRA)

"Having explained this, The River: Both Sides Of The Story (2013) is a good album, it’s just not Prog enough for my standards. If you like a good mix of Prog Rock and Pop Rock with a big Neo Prog accent you’re going to love it."ProgShine (PL)

"The River – Both sides of the story“ ein sehr unterhaltsames, moderat vertracktes, angeproggtes Melodic Rock-Album geworden. Macht (mir) Spaß!"Baby Blaue Magazine (DE)

"Avec une très belle qualité de son, un livret réussi, The River est un excellent album de rock progressif. Marco De Angelis et son combo ont donné vie à un premier album agréable marqué par ses inspirations primordiales. Le groupe devra pour la suite s'affranchir quelque peu de ses références et peaufiner son caractère, afin de suivre sa propre voie à l'image de groupes comme RPWL, avec le succès que l'on connait."MusicWaves Media (FRA)