TRANSATLANTIC

If someone asks me: can you tell me one pure symphonic rock 2009 album, I would answer him: yes, there is at least one pure symphonic release of the year and it is The Whirlwind by Transatlantic - a supergroup, consisted of Neal Morse(now - solo, before - Spocks Beard), Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater), Roine Stolt (The Flower Kings) and Pete Trewavas (Marillion). At the beginning of my listenings I can feel I was highly impressed by this album. It's full of memorable songs and dynamic sound, well-constructed conception and superb musicianship. Some themes repeat all around the album. But after a few hours spent on this album I have felt the flaws exist. I would like to say these flaws are disguised very well by these superb musicians and this charming subgenre - symphonic rock. These flaws are: lack of much ideas, quite simple songwriting, existance of some pop moments and the most important - a lot of repetitions.

To be honest, there aren't weak songs and the album looks like a Dream Theater's one in some aspects, except in terms of heavier sound. Here is the moment to say, that in comparison with Dream Theater's last release I would vote for Dream Theater, instead of Transatlantic. The best song on The Whirlwind by far is: Is It Really Happening - perfect music and highly influenced by Camel (first 3/4) and Premiata Forneria Marconi (last 1/4 (hi La Luna Nuova!!!)). Overall: easy pass through the barrier of 3,5 stars.

Anyway, potentially a fantastic line-up and I have to say if I look at their two previous albums I don't think they totally proved that there. SMPTe just had one masterpiece track (All of the Above) and Bridge across Forever initially overwhelmed me in a way but hardly stood the test of time for me. Though the compositional quality was pretty high mainly of the two epics, nowadays I hardly play the album anymore simply because I'm through with it, the book is closed. And that's a fairly timid harvest of this super project isn't it ? Couldn't they really have done more with their talents ?

With Whirlwind they ultimately proved they could ! Finally the super masterpiece we've all been hoping for. Sure, it's always possible to be blasé about this magnum opus and say you've heard it all before, it's retro prog, unoriginal etc etc. That's the negative way to approach the thing. But as I always say, if that's the way to do it contemporary bands might just as well cease their activities and we can all sit down and gush about what prog was in the seventies. But there's also another approach possible and that's simply listen to what is being achieved nowadays and admire the talent of nowadays. And that's what I chose to do here. With my second paragraph I think I proved I'm pretty critical about this project band and don't just adore automatically everything they do. But here they finally live up to what they have in store. And then I'm not just talking about quantity, a 77 minute epic is bound to impress, especially if you're an epic lover like me but the quality is much more important of course. And believe me if this quality would have disappointed me I would have told you.

Don't forget my expectations were really high with this one and I have heard a long line up of progressive masterpieces by now and comparing this with those I can only say: it fits in that line up, the only thing you have to do is be open minded about it and give it a real chance and then you can only come to this conclusion: a new masterpiece is born. 5 stars.

With this album, these four musicians also have made a strong comment about things happening and things to come, about the ongoing global ecocatastrophe. Already in the cover art, you can see an obvious reference to an infamous topic: climate change, or global warming, if you will. It's good to have a powerful musical vision dealing with these common concerns amongst the flood of cold information that has been coming out in the last years. The way things are presented here is so touching and filled with beauty, sometimes in a sad way, sometimes just plain happy, that in the end of the album, things will definitely look a bit clearer to you. It'll make you reconsider your life once or twice, for sure.

Wow, quite a rant, huh? But then again, this is quite unbelievable as well!

When looking at the Transatlantic album covers, Transatlantic seem to have crossed the Atlantic in some kind of primitive vessel around 2000. Then they reached mountain heights in 2001 and now 8 years later, they finally seem to have passed beyond the stratosphere. At this pace it will take them at least another 20 years to get to the moon. I'd call that pretty sluggish progress.

And so is their progressive rock. Lethargic.

Not that they don't play well or fast. Of course not, quite the contrary. When they jam a bit they are even quite enjoyable, but playing well doesn't give any guarantee for meaningful music. If they would abstain from injecting their music with those blaring pop vocals and horrible AOR melodies, it might even lead to something. Alas that is not the case.

What these songs crave for is a heart, passion, meaning, content or whatever name you wish to give it. Now it is merely "form without substance". An empty shell with syrupy melodies that come close to the sensations you get from average musicals (I could as well leave out 'average' here).

I can understand this focus on 'form' from Pete Trewavas. After all he's in a band that, in the last 5 years, has seemingly given up on playing anything challenging at all and instead has focussed entirely on the emotional delivery of its vocalist. So he's all about escaping his 'substance without form' trauma. Besides, his bass picking is really good here. I can also understand it from Mike Portnoy. True musician that he is, he would plaster just everybody's albums with drums. 24 hours a day if he could. Fine by me.

But what about the other two? Spocks Beard? Flower Kings? I've known those names for years now, but after hearing the first Transatlantic 8 years ago, I never checked them out and frankly, I don't see it happening now any time soon neither. They don't give me any reason to do so. Their vocal melodies are lifeless, uninvolved and uninspiring.

I expect music to be bright, emotive and stellar, but the stars? No, I don't think the Transatlantic spacecraft will get there in another zillion years. Since I reserve the one star verdict for albums that can't get any note in the right place, I will have to play my 2-star card. However, with the stars so far out of reach for Transatlantic, it should rather be regarded as 2 lightbulbs.

Thing is, as much as I want to hate it, parts of this album are actually very good. The musicianship is superb (though PORTNOY could hold back on the drums every now and again, surely) and some of the compositions are reasonable. It is let down by two things, in my opinion: first, it simply doesn't have the compositional strength to justify an hour and a quarter of your time; and second, oh dear, that finish.

From 'On The Prowl' to 'Rose Colored Glasses' I felt this had the makings of a four-star album, but what followed descended into Christian cheese. This bible verse and that bible verse patched together like a Vineyard or Hillsong worship tape - and that last song! A more deliberate, cumbersome and ineffective attempt to pump up the emotions I've never come across. Not for me, sorry.

I bought this thing off iTunes and didn't get the bonus disk. I'm kind of relieved, having heard their version of 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond.' If you like TRANSATLANTIC and can stand the cheese, you'll probably like this. But for me it's a good half-hour of music spoiled by what surrounds it. Barely three stars.

"All of the Above" Bristling with energy and finesse, this half-hour expedition is a grandly formulaic piece of modern progressive rock music. The piece contains a Trewavas-led riff that serves as a main theme throughout, but largely this epic piece is a playground for Morse and Stolt, the former on keyboards and the latter on guitar. Trewavas uses his bass almost as a rhythm guitar in the middle section, playing smoothly and evenly. Portnoy demonstrates his awesome versatility, always providing the music exactly what it needs rhythmically. The composition does not flow as smoothly as I prefer songs of this length to do, but these thirty minutes contain many memorable passages and some downright exquisite playing. Overall, I would not consider this the tour de force many would make it out to be, but it is still a solid suite of musical craftsmanship.

"We All Need Some Light" The shortest track is also the predominantly acoustic one. It features a pair of acoustic guitars, gentle vocals, and a gorgeous refrain.

"Mystery Train" This is a funky, almost psychedelic rocker with quirky tones from all over; once again, it sounds like something right out of the second or third albums from Spock's Beard. As expected, then, it has a catchy chorus with funkier fare for the verses, made complete by an excellent, bass-driven instrumental section.

"My New World" Lovely strings begin this exceptional song. Electric guitar leads the band through an interpretation of the majestic introduction. Piano and light bass take over, and finally, Stolt steps up to the microphone for lead vocal duties. There are some stellar keyboard passages throughout, and a very delicate middle section featuring lovely counterpoint vocals. This piece is the one that does sound more like The Flower Kings, which is natural, since Stolt was the main writer. Also naturally (because of this), several minutes should have been slashed to make the song much better.

"In Held ('Twas) in I" The final track is a Procol Harum cover, beginning with spoken word and spacey music. I'm not really sure what Transatlantic was meaning to accomplish by covering this piece. I think they do a respectable job, but it would seem a debut album (or any album) should close with something original...perhaps that is a foolish and arbitrary preference on my end. Stolt sounds incredibly strange during his vocal moments, as though trying to overcompensate for his vocal deficiencies, and to this date I cannot decide if I like what he is doing or not. In fact, I question whether the band had made the right choice in terms of what to cover, as this piece seems unsuited for their talents. All the same, I don't consider this the throwaway track some others consider it to be, and the dual lead guitar work that concludes the piece makes for a stalwart and worthy end to a fine album anyway.

I've always considered Transatlantic to be one of the greatest (if not the greatest) supergroup in the history of prog. Their first two albums were excellent, and everything I could dream of. Come on, what's better than a supergroup made up from the mastermind Neal Morse, the crazy drumming of Mike Portnoy, the great basslines of Pete Trewavas, and the guitar heroics of Roine Stolt? Not much at all in my opinion. So you can only imagine how thrilled I was when I heard they were getting back together to create a 77-minute epic concept album!

I was not at all disappointed when I first heard this album. It was everything I'd hoped for, and a lot more. This is pure perfection from beginning to end, and there is no other way I can describe it. From the incredible overture opening to the epic ending, this album takes you on a journey and is one of the best albums released in the past 3 years.

So what makes this album so great?

Well, it's really a combination of things. To hear such excellent musicians finally play together again is really great. The chemistry between the musicians is clearly there, and I've always thought that they've played together perfectly. This is also the most balanced Transatlantic album to date, and this definitely features more equal participation from each band member. While I think the first two albums are 4 and 5 star albums regardless of this aspect, this doesn't sound as much like a Neal Morse solo project anymore. While it is obvious that Neal and Roine do impact the overall sound of the band the most, this features more lead parts from Pete, and Mike Portnoy has a few lead vocal sections as well (don't worry, he doesn't growl!).

In addition to that, Transatlantic has always been excellent at creating excellent prog-rock epics. Songs like All of The Above, Duel With The Devil, and Stranger in Your Soul are some of the best 20+ minute songs I've ever heard, so a 77 minute epic works absolutely perfectly for them. The overture is one of the best I've heard, and the bombastic ending doesn't disappoint either. Everything in between has a perfect blend of emotions, beautiful melodies, and excellent soloing. Now on to the track-by-track review:

THE MUSIC:

"Overture/Whirlwind"- The opening to this concept album begins with some light sound effects and a repeated voice. Soon, some light horns come in playing the main theme to the album. A string riff goes into one of the main themes played by a synth. The overture is incredible, having everything a good overture needs. It covers all of the themes it should cover, and has some great moments. After some uplifting organ chords and a great bassline, the first vocals of the album enter. They are surprisingly enough Roine Stolt's, and Neal Morse's soon follow into the catchy chorus. This is a noteworthy opening that should be recognized as one of the strongest in prog rock.

"The Wind Blew Them All Away"- The previous song flows right into the second track on this epic album. An acoustic guitar riff opens it up, and Neal's vocals soon follow. It has a kind-of ominous feeling to it, and it definitely sounds like something that could come from a Neal Morse solo album, particularly Testimony. It has a great guitar solo shortly before the middle of the song, as well as one towards the end that incorporates one of the main themes into it.

"On The Prowl"- The third song opens with an excellent bassline. Soon the drums, keyboards, and guitars enter. It starts as sort of a jazz fusion jam-session, but it soon evolves into a prog rock song. It has a heavy verse, and a great chorus. It has frequent use of the organ, and it really adds another layer to the music. A great song!

"A Man Can Feel"- A short little heavy intro opens it. After the brief opening, a majestic harpsichord chord progression enters. Roine's vocals here are very creepy and mysterious. The chorus is very catchy that soon enters. The Mellotron chord progression that follows reprises the mysterious opening, and it is very effective. The instrumental section near the end is very strong, and it has a few moments (around 5 minutes in) that could have clearly come from an album by The Flower Kings.

"Out of The Night"- After the ambitious instrumental section that concluded the previous track, this is a lighthearted track that reminds me a lot of The Beatles. This features many vocal tradeoffs, and Mike Portnoy actually has a lead vocal part (and again, don't worry- he's not growling on a TA album!). Some strong acoustic sections, musical reprises, a great outro, and beautiful melodies make this relatively straightforward track one of my favorites actually.

"Rose Colored Glasses"- After the climax at the end of the previous song, a light acoustic melody with Neal Morse singing. This just screams solo Neal Morse left and right, but it is still a great track, with many memorable melodies. After the bridge there is a reprise of the main theme to the album, and it works perfectly. There are some classic Roine Stolt guitar moments here, and he definitely does a great job with the guitar solo.

"Evermore"- The seventh song opens up with a cool piano progression. There are a couple of riffs from the bass, guitar, drums, and piano that contrast the airy chord progression. It soon turns into a steady beat, and then the riff changes into an excellent section with a great bassline. When the vocals enter it sounds very similar to The Flower Kings, and that is not a bad thing. It has some hintings towards the song "Is It Really Happening?" near the end of the song.

"Set Us Free"- This opens up with one of the main themes to the album, and I absolutely love the sound of the synths in contrast to the rest of the band here. Soon a rhythmic electric piano, bassline, and drum beat enter. Neal Morse's vocals are the first to enter. After that Mike Portnoy has the lead vocal part again. His vocal melody reminds me of the song "Frequency" by IQ every time, but by the second or third measure the melody changes. I love the chorus to this song as well.

"Lay Down Your Life"- A low string melody begins this song, and it reminds me of something off of Neal Morse's "Testimony" album. It has a kind of symphonic hard rock feeling to it, and it has some Flower King overtones. The chorus is pretty strong, and it can manage to get stuck in my head for days. This is a pretty standard verse-chorus-verse song.

"Pieces of Heaven"- A complex organ and harpsichord rhythm open up the third to last track. This song is entirely instrumental, and builds off of the same theme for the majority of the song.

"Is It Really Happening?"- This opens up with a very Flower King-ish piano scale that soon ends and sound effects enter. A vocal melody continuously builds without the listener really realizing it's happening (pun intended). It builds into one of he greatest instrumental sections I've ever heard. An excellent guitar solo from Roine is everything I could wish for in a solo, as the rest of the band is going frantic (just listen to Portnoy here!). The guitar solo progresses into some wonderful riffs, until we reach the climax of the song. The song completely changes key signature, and a synth line enters. The synth line changes slightly, and guitars play the same riff along with it. It just keeps getting faster and faster until we're at light speed! This is the closest the album gets to prog metal, and let me just say it is AWESOME!! This song is superb, and the instrumental section near the end is one of the best I've ever heard, and is a great way to go into the emotional closing piece.

"Dancing With Eternal Glory/Whirlwind (Reprise)"- A light piano melody opens the song. It progresses into one of the main themes on the album. Neal sings this section beautifully, and I do find his voice to be terribly underrated. He does an excellent job especially in the beautiful chorus. I love the strings applied to this section, and it truly is excellent. There is a point where I can't even describe such magnificence with words. You just need to hear it. A great guitar solo transitions into the theme from "A Man Can Feel", and it works perfectly back into the main theme to the album. All in all, this epic conclusion sums up everything in the album absolutely perfectly, and there is no flaw here. This is one of the greatest (if not the greatest) endings I've ever heard to such an epic piece of music. This is what all musicians should model their endings to an album like, because it doesn't get any better than this.

Conclusion:

I think I've made my point clear by now. This album is a masterpiece that should be heard by anyone who even remotely likes progressive rock. We all had some doubts about creating a 77-minute album, but Transatlantic pulled it off with ease! These musicians work so well together musically, and it really shows in this epic concept album. I am so glad to see that they are back together again. Now I'm just counting the days until the next masterpiece.

5 stars.

Neal Morse is still the main songwriter and seems to be still the main protagonist of the band, but this time it feels like more of a group effort, in particular Roine Stolt's guitar playing is given more prominence than before and has never sounded better than here.

Before reviewing in more detail, there are some small negatives aspects re this new recording. In particular, and perhaps inevitably in a complex segue of sophisticated songs, some of the transitions between the segments seem to work better than others, some even sounding forced just to carry on the continuity of the music.

Now let's review The Whirlwind in more detail;

1a) (As in any self respecting prog epic) The Whirlwind announces itself with an Overture that after a slow build up introduces various motifs that will appear again later in the CD. A slow start with sound effects (Is that a hint of Pink Floyd's 'Breathe' we can hear?) and then horns and strings lead to the 'The Whirlwind Theme' and then some bright interplay with several changes of tempo between all the instruments, excellently driven by Portnoy who's percussions are, as always, superb throughout the whole recording. Eventually, there's a reprise of the theme and the first vocals come in with,

1b) Whirlwind. Surprisingly it is Roine who leads into the verses, while Neal sings the choruses. The Whirlwind is not an epic but is a good song with a very catchy chorus and which (slowing) leads effectively into,

2) The Wind Blew Them All Away. A slower song but also one of the most powerful on the CD. Some great vocals and lyrics by Neal and a killer Roine guitar solo leading into a heavier passage that was previewed in the Overture, which fades and allows a bass riff to emerge with a faster beat to introduce,

3) On the Prowl. One of the up tempo segments; a great rock beat (Pete's bass riff is the star here) guaranteed to be impossible to listen to without getting your feet tapping and/or fingers clicking. Surprisingly the bright instrumental opening leads eventually to some heavy guitars and menacing and threatening lyrics delivered aggressively by Neal.

4) A Man Can Feel. Clearly a Roine song that has Flower Kings all over it and is sung by the man itself. Not a bad piece that continues in the same menacing vein as the previous song and features some very good keyboard and guitar work and becomes quite heavy in the latter stages. All of a sudden the tone lightens with,

5) Out of the Night. A very 'poppy song' that has a familiar 'Beatles Tribute' feel about it, reminiscent of parts of 'Bridge'. A light song and Pete is trusted with some of the vocals. (Surprisingly, in the middle of this light song, Neal is allowed to use a passage from the closing song as a bridge; and it works very well). A repeat of the Whirlwind Theme and some brilliant Roine guitars lead into Neal's acoustic guitar and naturally forms one of the best transitions into,

6) Rose Coloured Glasses (actually it's the American 'Colored' here). An excellent acoustic song with a great melody by Neal. It's a classic Morse song delivered with some impassioned vocals, (a viewing of the 'Making of' DVD reveals it is actually a penned tribute to his recently deceased father and one of the highlights of the DVD is Neal's recital of this song to the rest of the band) and there's also a great guitar solo by Roine. The song ends with a blasting of the 'Whirlwind Theme' and fades and one might be excused for thinking this epic is ending but (after only 40 minutes) we're only half way through (!) as Neal's swirling keyboards gradually emerge introducing,

7) Evermore. An up tempo eclectic piece delivered by Roine with another Flower Kings sound, there are some truly amazing guitar and (to a lesser extent) keyboard effects. It's a piece that grows on you and features some excellent driving riffs and guitar work. A brief reprise of one of the themes of the overture provides a seam into,

8) Set us Free. One of the lighter songs with a jazzy feel and a very catchy chorus, with which Pete is trusted again and he does a good job. The end features a repeat rendition of one of the riffs that appeared earlier in the Overture. Neal's keyboards emerge and introduce a menacing riff leading to,

9) Lay Down Your Life. A complicated Neal song with some complex, heavy driving riffs and a heavy guitar solo. The song to me highlights Neal's latter Beatles influences and also showcases Neal's vastly improved vocal talents as the song is delivered a la an angry John Lennon. Almost imperceptibly the tension lightens,

10) Pieces of Heaven. The first instrumental piece since The Overture with a superb marching but slightly comedic rhythm which dies and leads to some effects and to,

11) Is It Really Happening? A strange chanting piece that has the slight feel of the 'The Wall' (Is There Anybody Out There?) about it. It also has a slight 'filler' feel about it - did 'Is it Really Happening? have to be repeated quite so many times? But then you realise it was merely the introductory forerunner to something very much greater as the vocals concede and allow a beat and the music to develop into a quite incredible passage that starts with a blinding piece of guitar work and spirals dervish-like faster and faster until it feels that the band can't possibly control the frenetic pace for any longer. One of the most extraordinary instrumental passages in the history of prog. All of a sudden it ceases and Neal's grand piano enters to introduce what seems to be the most hotly debated song,

12a) Dancing with Eternal Glory. Definitely a song from one of Neal's recent solo projects, and therein lies the controversy in the clearly religious lyrics. However you feel about this piece as a fitting conclusion to this project this is unarguably a beautiful song with a haunting chorus and is flawlessly delivered by Neal and the band (including yet another classic Roine solo). Does it really fit in with the rest of this project? Hmmm?not completely sure, but it certainly contains the necessary gravitas for the occasion in my opinion.

12b) Whirlwind (reprise) (Actually the whole band's rendition of the chorus of 'A Man Can Feel' briefly intercedes before the reprise starts.) And this immense piece of work finally ends with a reprise of the title track theme with the lyrics continuing in the same religious context of the previous song. Finally concluding with 'And from the whirlwind comes the breath of life.'

Well, how do you summarise an album on this scale which has attracted so many diverse reviews and opinions? In my opinion, it's certainly a truly excellent album and there's enough greatness in it to be rated as a 5 star 'masterpiece'.

I would recommend getting the deluxe edition with the 'Making of?' DVD which illustrates how the band works together and leaves you flabbergasted as the short timescale of the composition and recording of this incredible piece of music is revealed and helps you to appreciate this band's outstanding achievement even more.

The Wind Blew them all Away led by Morse is quite good, but a lot similar to his solo albums, pompous, in the end over-the-top. On the Prowl is good, mostly instrumental, but quite forgettable for me. A Man Can Feel led by Stolt is track I totally adore, so relaxing, great spooky verse (in vein of TFK's A Vampire's View etc., with immediately catchy bluesy refain and thunderous, melodic bass line). Out of the Night, again catchy, Beatles-like lively song, led by Stolt again, then quite nicely trading with Portnoy, in second verse with Trewavas and finally Morse in refrain. Beautiful.

Rose Colored Glasses again sounds like Morse's solo, so seriously pompous.. There is small hint to Pink Floyd (coincidentally as it is on latest Porcupine Tree album). On Evermore Stolt is in charge and it is one of better, airy tracks. Set us Free mostly develop motive from overture, seems to me here like lack of ideas. Lay down your Life is led by voice of Morse, who tries to be heavy and angry, but it sounds forced and a bit comical to me, as the whole heaviness of the song.

Odd rhythm of Pieces of Heaven is so obvious and also somehow unnatural in this case, but it is playful and fun. Is it Really Happening? is the most moving piece and one of the best on the album. Unusually minimalistic and silent for these musicians, surprise. One motive culminating almost through the whole track, in the end of it Portnoy gets really mad. The final track is again mixed bag of feelings, typical sentiment of Morse latter days, too much pomp... it has its parts again, moments (segue to A Man Can Feel, Whrilwind), but doesn't work as a whole.

Second bonus CD I like, because it sounds way more relaxed, though not too ambitious. Spinning reminds me a lot SMPTe, My New World (which is good thing, as it is one of my all time fav albums), led by Stolt. Starting as simple, romantic piece, sweet Hammond sounds and infectious refrain. Then it turns out into evil 6/8 jam. Lenny Johnson sung by Stolt again has reference to Agents of Mercy I think, relaxed bluesy track. For such a Time is simple mostly acoustic Morse's piece, god-inspired, listenable at least. Trewavas's piece, Lending a Hand sounds a bit naive, but it is fresh and different, Beatles-like, though long-winded.

Cover of Genesis's The Return of Giant Hogweed with Morse's singing is quite good and fun. Then we have Procol Harum's A Salty Dog (it happened that original I heard last month sung by Brooker himself in Petersburg). Though original is unsurpassable, this is great as well. Portnoy puts his heart into it and do surprisingly nice job (he sounds raspy a bit like John Mitchell on It Bites or Kino). I Need You is beautiful piece, composed cleverly of tracks of the main band's influence - The Beatles, and also band America. Santana's track I don't know, but it is great jam.

Overall view - both discs have their moments, but I also tend to skip a lot. I miss more new and original, often it is still the same routine. What I like very much is sound of bass, listening to it is pleasure itself. As a whole, their return haven't dissapointed me, but it is not on par to their previous albums. 7 years profiled writing of members too much (especially Morse's) and seems to me it is not possible to write album strong as two previous anymore. But still some signs of collective genius and spirit survived, it is something that I didn't have big expectations for.

3,5 stars