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| Progressive Rock CD Reviews |
| Track by Track Review
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Intuition
An energetic Dream Theater oriented prog sound starts this. As it carries on it takes on less hard-edged prog textures for a time, then some crunch guitar joins in. The vast majority of this cut is fairly straightforward with a slightly eastern texture and feels a little Zeppelinish. Later it turns a bit more light in texture, running through an instrumental break. Then a new section enters and the cut runs through for a verse in this straight-ahead style. DT leanings can be heard throughout, and an instrumental break ends the piece. |
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Akasha Chronicles
Fast paced DTish jamming begins this instrumental. It alternates between these textures and fusionish elements and Rushish modes, feeling a bit like YYZ one moment and Al Dimeola the next. The Dixie Dregs and Dregs member Steve Morse also seem to be represented inspirationally here. |
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Celestial Haze
Another instrumental, this one is considerably shorter. It starts with a haunting piano melody. This melody grows and evolves. The cut takes a twist about halfway through, the melody becoming a little more somber and some non-lyrical vocals enter to accompany the piano. This one is quite strong. String sounding keys end it. |
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Deep Inside
At over 9-minutes, this is one of the longer tunes on the disc. It starts with an almost groove oriented melody, then explodes into a prog jam that is very melodic. The cut begins building on that aspect after a time. After it runs through a verse in this mode a more crunchy segment comes in to take over, but still running along the same progression. After a verse in that style, a fast paced prog break screams in, altering that flow for a time. The cut then returns to the previous modes. As it carries forward, those elements merge for a while, then a tasty guitar solo emerges. This crescendos, then a new, almost traditional prog segment comes in. As this grows, something akin to a cross between Genesis and Dream Theater explodes out of it. The next change is toward more straightforward, bluesy hard edged rock. Then the previous mode comes back, building until it becomes very intense. It drops to fairly sedate, rather intricate prog to end. |
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More of Nothing
This one comes in frantic and hard-edged. The jamming carries through for a time, then a more straightforward song structure takes over temporarily. As this winds out it is replaced by a guitar dominated, slightly jazz tinged prog verse structure. After running through this mode a harder edged jam returns, then the cut turns into Dream Theaterish stylings to continue. This leads to more furious jamming. It then drops to the melodic to carry on. A keyboard break takes the tune later. This carries on, growing and evolving to the next segment, a final verse and chorus section. A fast paced instrumental section serves as the actual outro. |
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Alone
This mini-epic is composed of two parts, Stabs of The Past and Alone Again. It begins as a mellow balladic mode with evocative overtones. This carries through for quite some time, the guitar getting very intricate. As this ends it is replaced by a new, staccato pattern. This plays through in mellower fashion at first, then gets heavier. That mode carries the cut forward in a new prog styling. The band continues to explore that essence for quite some time, rather than alter to new zones. They create interesting new textures out of the familiar melody and play with it for quite a while before a new section; a slower and more mellow balladic one ensues, taking the number to new ground. This evolves into a new prog excursion that wanders around familiar modes, but not getting too far from those roots, but rather working and reworking them to pull in new directions. |
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Prime of Passion
This one comes in fast and quickly turns downright rapid fire in its approach. It is rather melodic, but still furious, feeling only a little like DT, perhaps closer to a Kansas on ephedrine. Then after playing through that mode for a time, it shifts to a slower, more dramatic keyboard dominated style, building and growing before exploding out again. This time it carries out into a crunch guitar driven prog that again has Dream Theater elements and features some killer bass work. Overall this is quite a tasty metallic prog rocker. |
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Memory Lane
Coming in fast and furious, this shifts gear after running through for a time to a balladic style, at first just voice. The song continues in that vein, simply reworking the melody, playing it soft at times, harder at others, but never wandering too far from its beginnings. |
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