VOICE IN THE LIGHT

Once every decade or so an album comes along that perfectly combines story, melody, harmony, and musicianship. Amaran's Plight's recent release "Voice in the Light" is such an album. Produced by Gary Wehrkamp of "Shadow Gallery" fame and released by progrock records, this CD is a revelation. Based upon a novel by John w. Crawford, the album follows the life of a man who is touched by friendship, love, a near-death experience, and a miracle that changes the course of human history. As the story unfoilds, the music displays a keen understanding of the emotions within each song. Voice-overs are mixed throughout and incredibly stand on their own as written within each song.

D.C. Cooper's (Royal Hunt, Silent Force) vocals reach new heights and is one of the major strengths of "Voice in the Light. One moment he reminds us of Pink Floyd, the next Iron Maiden, Rush, and finally we realize his vocal talents exceed others we have come to know and love. He clearly owns every song he sings. Of particular importance is his unusual treatment in "The Viper", his soaring angst on "Betrayed by Love" and his dark countenance on "Shattered Dreams".

Gary Wehrkamp produced, arranged and composed (D.C. Cooper co-wrote some melodies) this nearly flawless journey of classic, symphonic rock. His influences are felt in every song: Floyd, Rush, Yes, Boston, Kansas, and more. We smile as we name the bands beause Gary Wehrkamp takes their best moments and tweaks them, enhances them, and molds one into another in a seamless fashion. His guitar solo on "Shattered Dreams" is over five minutes of powerful energy and flight. He is breaking out of his Shadow Gallery box and testing his own musical limits. There may be no finer composition that fuses melody, harmony, counterpoint, and progression than "Revelation", the final movement in this powerful musical drama. With each listening, its richness envelopes us, we move woth the music towards its conclusion. Also of major importance are "Incident at Haldeman's Lake" and "Betrayed by Love", "Coming of Age", and "Turning Point".

Add to all this the excellent bass work from Kurt Barabas (Under the Sun) and the impressive performance by drummer Nick D'Virgilio. Nick is a significant part of the progressive rock band Spock's Beard and has played for Genesis, Peter Gabriel, Sheryl Crow, and Tears for Fears. Nick's drums are another highlight of this composition and nearly overtake the music and vocals withina bright, sonic performance that adds a powerful punch to the music.

These four musicians, Gary Wehrkamp, D.C. Cooper, Kurt Barabas, and Nick D'Virgilio, have come together to create a gem of a musical experience. Amaran's Plight will be spinning on our CD player for a long time to come.