TO WHOEVER YOU ARE NOW

Pinnacle is a heavy prog band from USA with four albums released so far. This band manage to capture my attention with their second album from 2006 named Meld. Energic and noodly heavy prog album with some great instrumental sections, and aswell the voice is pretty much ok. Pinnacle have their own sound I think even they are in same category with Tiles, Rush or Variant among others, almost same aproach in music with twisted tempo changes, some fine guitar works and quite intresting bass lines, very busy instrument . I also like a lot the drums, Greg Jones is very sure of his instrument creating some great chops. They add a new musician in the line up since previous album A blueprint for chaos - Matt Francisco who is responsable for vocal lines and aswell keybords. Well, to tell the truth this is a very worthy aqusition by the band with this new member , he add a new dimension the Pinnacle music creating a very solid heavy prog album with nice symphonic passages.. The music is engaging, full of intresting arrangements, powerful musicianship, colorful music for sure. The music is something between Kansas with heavy prog elements a la Rush, Tiles, very strong combination I might say. The voice of Francisco is very good being very similar with Steve Walsh tone, sometimes I have the impression I'm listning to Kansas. Pieces like opening track - Prelude/Flying Colors, 1001 Days, show a great potential this band has in today scene, they are active for more then 10 years now and every album is a winner in my book. To me, this is in same league with Meld album, but little less great then their previous one A blueprint for chaos who I found it to be their most mature and intresting album their released so far. Nice complicated instrumental passages, where the guitars and keyboards have an important role. A recommended album , this is definetly one of the better examples how must sound a heavy prog album these days. 3.5 stars from me, nice art work aswell, the album comes in digipak format and is a nice package. A strong band.

"Who draws the line between singer and song? And what if they were one and the same all along?" This curiosity is central to Pinnacle's latest gem, To Whoever You Are Now. After a bit of foreshadowing in the prelude, the proper album leads with reflections on hate ["Flying Colors"] and love ["Because of You"] before going on to explore many shades in between.

Some of the ensuing storyline is veiled, with much of the lyrical focus on an individual's development through his trials and traumas. The protagonist is a once-idealistic dreamer who ends up questioning his place in the world after certain horrific events. One of the album's most important and poignant lines appears both as the final phrase of the prelude and at a key point in the title track: "Would the one you dream of being now dream of being who you are?" For a man who finds himself at multiple crossroads, this layered conundrum may be the crux of his narrative.

Musically, the band's sound contains elements of Marillion, Kansas, and Spock's Beard. The first of these stands out even more because Matt Francisco's voice often channels Fish, especially in its higher register. Karl Eisenhart's guitar work frequently steals the show; he is one of the best axe slingers on the contemporary scene, demonstrating not only virtuosity but also tasteful restraint, a quality that skilled players often lack. In addition, Karl's soulful singing lends a nice vocal counterpoint to Matt's. Yet everyone shines, with repeated listens revealing the intricacy and power of Greg Jones's monstrous drumming and Bill Fox's riveting bass lines. For me, one of the most exciting moments on the entire album happens around the 6-minute mark of "Because of You," when Greg's toms suddenly explode into an intense tribal rhythm that makes me want to leap from my seat and pump my fists in the air. (I confess that I'm somewhat disappointed when this infectious beat changes so soon.)

This masterwork is meant to be heard, and heard again. The music is dynamic and tight, the lyrics are intelligent and thought-provoking, and the overall sound is of a band truly discovering itself. Whoever you are, you should give this a listen.