TIMELIGHT

Guitarist/singer Chris Rudolf and I somehow got in contact last year, after which he sent me not only the latest release from Timelight to review, but also their debut from 2016. The band were formed in Portland, Orgeon, by Chris in 2013 as a continuation of his solo work and was initially a trio featuring Steve Lauer (drums) and Stevie Williams (bass, keyboards), before Ron Murvihill (keyboards, vocals, flute) joined in time to record and release the debut. To me this is very reminiscent of much of the prog that was coming out of the American scene in the Nineties, not really neo-prog, but much more with an ear to the melodic rock and AOR scene.

These guys certainly understand how to produce powerful, bombastic music with some great riffs and guitar lines. There are times when Ron is relegated somewhat to the rear, providing a secondary support role, while the rest of the guys really kick off. There are some bass/drum/guitar runs in "The Law of Identity" which are an absolute delight, with the guys truly locked in and playing as one. But when he is given the opportunity Ron also shows he can either rock with the best of them or take the band in a totally different direction. Although this style was commonplace some twenty years earlier, there are few prog bands mixing it up quite like this in the 21st Century which makes this feel fresh and exciting.

The style of vocals can be a little off putting at first, just because Chris has a distinctive style, but that soon passes by, and one becomes completely enamoured with this five-song 55-minute-long debut which has a lot going for it. Self-produced and self-released, this is a solid album which is certainly worthy of investigation who want their prog to be influenced by progressive rock, and also for those who enjoy it the other way round.