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| Progressive Rock CD Reviews |
| Track by Track Review
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Forward
This rises gradually and then a bass line that calls to mind Tormato era Squire enters. The arrangement fills out and we are taken on a new prog rock journey that’s got a lot in common with Open Your Eyes era Yes. Both the vocal and instrumental arrangements are quite complex and yet they never lose the listener. I hear some definite Beatles-like sounds at points along this journey. There is a cool, nearly funky, jam, too. The guitar solo segment that serves as the outro loses me just a bit at times, seeming to wander towards “noodleism” at points.
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In The Maze of the Garden
This one’s a bit slower, but it’s definitely in a mode that calls to mind OYE era Yes. I really like the vocal arrangement on this one and several of the changes are just plain killer. There a couple intriguing extended instrumental segments. The first of these features a dynamic arrangement and some guitar work that’s so Steve Howe-like that it’s almost scary. The second one seems more free form and rather like mellower fusion. |
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In Memory Of...
In an intriguing change of pace, Sherwood gives us a bass heavy instrumental that has more in common with fusion and the music of Joe Satriani and Steve Vai than it does with any era of Yes. This is a rather moody piece, but also quite pretty.
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Face The Dawn
Beginning with atmospheric sounds, a sharp keyboard element that calls to mind early Starcastle joins quickly. The wall of vocals joins and this moves gradually in a slow atmospheric pattern. It shifts out into a more “song” like structure after this extended introduction and then we move out into a series of alterations and manifestations. This again has some of that Tormato sounding bass. It feels rather like OYE, too, but also has some Beatles-like tendencies and some seriously crunchy guitar. This is more accessible than some of the other music here, but nowhere near what you’d call “pop.” This is quite a dynamic piece, moving through several changes, but it always feels organic and natural. |
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Alive And Wondering
This one comes in moody and atmospheric. The vocals and textural instrumentation merge to create something that reminds me of a cross between Pink Floyd and Fish. It stays in this understated motif for about two minutes and then gradually shifts out into a slow moving but more potent jam that again makes me think a bit of Satriani. The bass guitar that drives much of this, though, is definitely more in keeping with Chris Squire. We get some Pink Floyd-like guitar soloing at times.
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At the Speed of Life...
Sherwood brings this one in with understated elements. It moves out gradually into a rocking jam that’s still got a bit of that OYE era Yes sound. This is worked through a number of interesting changes and alterations. There is this great running / soaring bass segment later in the track that definitely reminds me a lot of something Chris Squire would create. An instrumental segment later reminds me at first of Tormato era Yes a lot. Then it shifts towards more Pink Floyd like sounds. These two elements seem to merge after a while. |
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Seeing Through The Walls
This is a powerful cut that starts off in fairly atmospheric and moody ways. It grows out into a slow moving, but potent progressive rock jam that again has a lot in common with Open Your Eyes from Yes. Actually, this is quite a dynamic cut and it makes its way through a number of intriguing changes. There is a section later (the one that eventually ends it) that even reminds me quite a bit of The Buggles. It’s one of my favorite tracks on the disc and a great way to end things. |
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