Flying Colors is a pop-heavy progressive rock album that successfully makes use of the supergroup format. Contemporary prog rock giants have formed to create a fantastic album of accessible rock tunes that are expertly composed and unforgettable. Executive producer Bill Evans dreamed of creating another powerful supergroup, drawing up a list that included Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Transatlantic), Steve Morse (Dixie Dregs, Deep Purple), Neal Morse (Spock’s Beard, Transatlantic), Dave LaRue (Steve Morse Band), soon-to-be well-known Casey McPherson, and lead by producer Peter Collins.
The result is an album that is truly collaborative, and it shows. All the members’ muscles are flexing at the opportune moments, never adding a wrong note. The album is filled with a heart and groove that lasts from “Blue Ocean” all the way to “Infinite Fire”. The album may actually be the best representation of the Kevin Gilbert style, at least its the closest thing since his unfortunate death. The songs are poppy and rocking, positive and introspective. Not one instrument stands out among the others, everything is at the right level, contributing to the band and the song. [click to continue…]
by aaron on December 24, 2011
Redemption had an excellent three album streak that placed the band in a cozy place among progressive metal fans. Their music was heavy and grandiose with introspective lyrics. The Redemption sound the brainchild of Nick van Dyk, who happens to be a central figure in the 1990s boom in independent film distribution, but today he is a Senior Executive for Disney. Prior to the band’s Snowfall on Judgement Day, van Dyk had announced to that he had fallen ill to a rare case of blood cancer with a negative prognosis. Two years later, van Dyk is still a Disney executive and Redemption has released This Mortal Coil, and aptly named album that thematically chronicles the struggles of van Dyk’s illness.
Redemption build a sound and brand that relied on progressive metal elements and put them in an accessible package. The band could do no wrong until Snowfall showed no signs of growth and was essentially more of the same; heavy riffs, pitch-perfect guitar and keyboard solos, rapid-fire snare rolls. The album became pastiche of the Redemption style. This Mortal Coil suffers from much of the similar issues that Snowfall had. Too much of the same has placed the album into a repetitious nature that seems to coil into itself. The songs no longer standout individually, instead they feel as if the band has fallen into a formula of producing songs that sound too homogenized. [click to continue…]
The Dropa Stone rips through Bardot Miami
October 17, 2011Known for bringing in top notch music and many independent bands on the rise, Bardot has become one of the more popular music venues in Miami. I had the pleasure of coming out to see The Dropa Stone perform at Bardot Miami on Thursday September 22nd. Bardot’s long room decor with unique artwork, stylish couches [...]