LIVE FROM NEW YORK

KINETIC ELEMENT is a group made up of 5 members who must have listened a lot to the progressive dinosaurs such as YES, ELP and a little behind GENESIS but especially GENTLE GIANT; more recently it is especially DELUGE GRANDER, SPOCK'S BEARD or FLOWER KINGS that remind me of it. This live includes two tracks from their 2nd and 3rd CD, plus a new one. The titles are long, with drawers, a little messy because going quickly from rooster to donkey; the compositions are very beautiful but lack that little something that would bring them to the front of the major groups. A very good tribute group which composed beautiful music and which takes pleasure in playing it, a good group with a small defect in the voice too monotonous in my opinion to delight and keep the attendance of a sound debauchery. The 5 titles will take you to the sound of the 70's, updated yes, but without much creation because ultimately content to re-translate again and again the phonic sensations of a long time ago. A bit of a shame, some grandiose, symphonic passages mingling with others that are too linear and agreed.

I have been a fan of Prog for many years, going all the way back to early Yes, Genesis, Gentle Giant, and Tull in the 70's I only recently became aware of Kinetic Element's music, and it instantly struck a chord in me. I hooked up n Messager with founder Mike Visaggio somehow earlier this year, and checked out the band's third studio album, Travelog, on Apple Music. I heard so many sounds and influences that brought me way back to my early prog fandom. I subsequently bought a bundle of all of the studio albums. There is a progression in them as the composition and production improved, but each album stands on it's own.

When guitarist Peter Metuchiak joined for the most recent studio album, there was an added element of precision. Each musician is excellent on their craft.

Live From New York is a must for all prog fan's collections. It contains songs from a few of the studio albums, plus a preview of a song that will be included on their next studio effort, which is already in progress. The technical prowess of each musician will keep you engaged as you listen. Get this release!

US band KINETIC ELEMENT are fast approaching their 15th anniversary as a band unit, with composer and band leader Mike Visaggio the constant in this band and with other members coming and going a bit over the years. Following three studio albums and a growing amount of acclaim, as well as a line-up that appears to have solidified, it was decided that Kinetic Element were due for their first live album in 2020. The CD is simply called "Live From New York", and was released through US label Melodic Revolution Records.

Kinetic Element has become a rather popular band in some circles among fans of 70's era symphonic progressive rock, and the musicians deliver a quality performance here that will please fans of bands such as Camel, Genesis and Yes quite a bit. The vocals will be very much the one element that will make this live album a hit or a miss though, and while my experience is that this is a detrimental aspect of this live album others may feel otherwise. Hence this is very much a case of try before you buy, to see whether or not you enjoy Kinetic Element as of 2020 and then the vocals here in particular. For those who enjoy the lead vocals, this albums will most likely be regarded as quite the nice little gem, especially if you know and love you retro-oriented progressive rock. For people like myself that cannot overlook the vocal aspect of this album this is a production that probably won't be all that interesting.

After three studio albums, a decision was made to record a gig at the famous venue My Father's Place in October 2019. Somewhat unsurprisingly the line-up is the same as that on the 'The Face of Life' album earlier that year, namely Mike Visaggio (piano, organ synth, harmony vocals), Saint John Coleman (vocals), Peter Matuchniak (guitar), Mark Tupko (bass) and Michael Murray (drums, harmony vocals). Now, I enjoyed the previous album, and I was looking forward to this, and in some ways, I was certainly not disappointed, while others very much so. Musically this is a complex outfit, with a rhythm section that provides multiple patterns and elements so that the two lead instruments can go off and play, although both drums and bass also push their way into the limelight when the time is right. Peter Matuchniak is one of my favourite guitarists, seemingly able to play in whatever style is required, which makes him such as in-demand session man as well as releasing his own material and in being multiple bands. Here he is allowed to really push his melodic soloing, and is relishing having a melodic foil to pitch against as Mike is keyboard player who is not afraid to take centre stage. The use of different keyboard sounds and styles also makes this for an interesting battle. So far, so good.

The issue I have is with the vocals. I have no idea if Saint John Coleman was having an off night, or if there was an equipment issue so he could not hear himself, but to me the vocals are sharp throughout the whole performance. This means that when it is just the band (and there are plenty of lengthy instrumental sections) I have one opinion of the album, and when he is singing, I have another which is quite different. This is a real shame, as musically this is a great release, yet I cannot look past that. However, like every review I ever write, this is just my opinion and others may not share that view, but I would suggest this is one to listen to before purchase. If you like the vocals, you will find this to be an amazing release and one you should seek out.