KALEIDOSCOPE

I've listened to this through a few times now, and it's definitely growing on me. There's no shocks or unexpected departures of style here, and indeed several sections are very reminscent of things they've done before. I happen to really like their brand of prog and their wonderful playing, so it doesn't detract from it being a welcome addition to my collection. Others may feel that it doesn't cover enough new ground if they already have several Transatlantic albums.

So, as we've come to expect the standard of the playing, and the interplay, is high and there's a sense of fun to a lot of the musical interactions -- these guys have a great time playing together. The lyrics are for the most part less overtly religious than Whirlwind, and there are plenty of long instrumental sections as well as big blocks of vocal harmonies. Pete Trewavas gets a little more of limelight on lead vocals which is nice to hear for variety.

On balance I think I prefer this to Whirlwind, though for me it's not as good as Bridge Across Forever. I can't say whether I prefer it to S.M.P.T.e. but essentially all the Transatlantic albums are of fairly similar standard and quality.

Four stars: an excellent addition and I'd buy it again if I lost it, but doesn't quite get the fifth one because if I was picking my a limited set of desert island discs I would probably pick Bridge Across Forever and nine albums from other bands for variety.