As you can tell by the full title, this is a re-release of a 20 year old album from Tim Morse. It’s apparently been remastered in the process. Morse’s music in general is potent progressive rock. That’s true here for sure. The only thing is, it’s a little non-descript, with a lot of the songs seeming pretty much like the other songs here. I also have some problems with the vocals on the release. All that said, this still works reasonably well, and it really shows how much he’s matured as an artist to go back and listen to this.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2025  Volume 3. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2025.

Frantic prog gets this going. I have to admit that I’m not completely sold on the vocals here. Some of that is the production, but that’s not all of it. The music more than makes up for it, though, particularly via some of the twists and turns. There are some rather jazzy sounding keyboard elements at times. This thing gets to dramatic and powerful at times. There are almost middle-Eastern angles in some of the instrumental movements. At times this leans toward more hard rocking stuff not that far removed from something like Dream Theater. This is really epic in scope.

This track is not a huge departure, but it also has its own identity. It leans a little more toward the hard rock end of the equation. It’s also a little less dynamic, but still have quite a bit of change and dynamic range. A somewhat mellower keyboard section is a fine example of that. This also has some scorching hot guitar soloing.

This instrumental piece opens with intricate classical guitar. That holds it for a minute-and-a-half or so before the cut shifts out to ELP-like jamming that is very powerful. That holds it for a time before we’re taken to a mellower piano dominated arrangement. Neo-classical organ-led stuff emerges as a transition before a rather technical metal based sound takes over. Then mellower keyboard stuff that makes me think a little of Alan Parsons emerges and eventually ends it.

Piano and vocals get this one going. It eventually evolves to more of the same type of prog stuff we’ve heard throughout. This has some seriously hard rocking guitar stuff at times. It’s a classy tune. It’s just not any kind of big change.

Now, this powerhouse piece is definitely on fire. It has some moments that lean toward metal. Other parts land closer to ELP. It’s a real screaming hot jam that is one of the best things here. It’s also quite dynamic and includes some mellower dropped back piano work at times. The bouncy arrangement for the vocal section is intriguing, and the vocals on this one work better than those on a lot of tracks. The driving piano led movement later is just so cool and has some of that ELP thing, particularly when the synthesizer comes over the top. Around the ¾ mark this shifts to classical music meets Rock In Opposition type territory. It turns back toward more melodic prog further down the road.

We’re back into more territory that is in keeping with other stuff here. It has its moments and its charms, but doesn’t stand out that far from much of the other stuff here. 

I really love the intricate acoustic guitar on this piece. The song builds with vocals over the top of that backdrop. Those vocals work better than a lot of them on the album. This is basically a classy ballad. It does get a little augmentation later in the piece, but generally remains pretty much as it began throughout.

At over 16-minutes of music, this is the epic of the disc. Sounds effects and atmospherics start it and hold it for a while. Eventually more hard rocking prog things coalesce to move it forward. This is epic in scope in addition to scale. It’s a real driving powerhouse of a tune. It has so many twists and turns and some of the most effective vocals of the disc. There is some scorching hot guitar work and a lot of other great instrumental work. I really love the keyboard interlude on this thing. I am also enamored with the hard driving jam later in the song so music. It is among my favorite musical sections of the whole disc, and it leans toward metal at times. The closing section, with its driving, crazed guitar work really does land in what I would consider metal territory.

This instrumental piece is a keyboard oriented arrangement that works very well to close things. It has an almost atmospheric vibe to it.