THE WHIRLWIND

Prog lovers love long songs. Songs like Supper's Ready, Close to the Edge, Echoes, Thick as a Brick, Harvest of Souls, Sleeping in Traffic, A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers, etc. have made many prog-lovers happy. And Transatlantic is well known for their epics. This being a 77 minute epic, how could I go wrong checking it out, even as my first Transatlantic studio album?

Initially, this album didn't grab me until about Evermore. The opening had some appeal, and On The Prowl caught my attention briefly, but overall the first half seemed to drag on. When Evermore rolled around, the jarring keyboards and guitars grabbed my attention, and I found myself enjoying the second half of the album much more.

So, what have we here? This is a 77 minute concept album/song, although I'm not entirely sure what the concept is. Many references are made to something called "The Whirlwind", which is obviously a storm of some sort, but whether it is a literal storm or a metaphorical storm is up for debate. Constant themes of Christianity abound throughout the album, and if I had to guess, I would say there was some themes about mankind losing faith or being swayed away from the ways of God. Some sort of apocalyptic theme seems to be lying underneath, and I even caught what sounded like a reference to global warming. Satan even makes an appearance. So my best understanding of the concept is some apocalyptic storm (perhaps brought about by global warming) has mankind clamouring for salvation.

With this in mind, I find the amount of people complaining about the last track surprising. So much of this album seems to resonate with Christian undertones (which is expected with the direction Neal Morse has gone of late) that some sort of resolution that is full of the glory of God is expected. I actually enjoyed it, for it was really a beautiful, joyous song - what could be more uplifting than being saved from damnation by the hand of one who has loved me since the dawn of time? I'm not Christian, but I still have an imagination and am able to appreciate the track for what it is.

After my first impression, and gaining some idea about what this album was about, I am able to enjoy it more than I was initially. It still does not resonate with me enough to be considered a masterpiece, and the opening, while much more enjoyable now that I am familiar with the concept and the music, still leaves me a little flat. I feel like it is a little uneven for the 78 minute time commitment. Overall, I would give this album a solid three stars.