Album Review of
Don't Panic

Written by Robert Silverstein
August 11, 2019 - 3:00pm EDT
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Tri-state NY/NJ based prog-rock band IZZ continues breaking new ground for the genre with their ninth album, the 2019 CD release of Don’t Panic. Kicking off with the title track, the 5-track, 44 minute Don’t Panic features several extended play tracks, including the 18-minute album centerpiece called “42”, which is dedicated to Brooklyn Dodgers baseball icon Jackie Robinson. Also worth hearing is the orchestral flair of the 2-part title track which is brilliantlly connected to the CD-closer “Age Of Stars”, and a surperbly executed, Yes-inspired, 10-minute instrumental tour-de-force called “Moment Of Inertia”—the latter a fiery track that all but establishes IZZ as a formidable jazz-rock fusion band. Guitarist Paul Bremer plays brilliantly on the entire album and even gets to shine on his own with the solo acoustic guitar venture called “Six String Theory”. Brothers Tom Galgano (keys, vocals) and John Galgano (guitars, keys, vocals) produced and engineered Don’t Panic while IZZ vocalists Laura Meade and Anmarie Byrnes also sound in fine form here, with drums handled by Brian Coralian and Greg Dimiceli. There’s plenty of tastefully produced and executed music on Don’t Panic to please long time fans as well as newcomers to the ongoing IZZ phenomenon.