BRIDGE ACROSS FOREVER

What can I say about Transatlantic? They are indeed a supergroup, for they all play superbly and fluently on this album. This and the album before it are extremely technical and off the wall pieces of work. Taking Symphonic Prog, adding Hard Rock in some places, and Blues in other spots, they take the listener to another world. In Bridge Across Forever, we are graced with 2 epic tracks, the 26 minute Duel With the Devil and the 30 minute Stranger In Your Soul.

Let me take a moment and talk about the great musicians on this album. Roine Stolt has always been in my mind an underrated guitarist, and from a technical stand point, he is great on this album. He plays fluidly and has a crisp refreshing sound to his guitar. His work gets better with every album he records. Neal Morse, Ex-Spock's Beard vocalist, plays an incredibly precise and complex keyboard on this album. When he was in Spock's Beard, Ryo Okumoto had the duty of keyboards, so Morse never got the spotlight on the keys. On this album and the one before it, he shows off his skill and expertise at his respected instrument. Mike Portnoy has always been one of my favorite drummers, but on this album, the complex and intricate patterns I love to hear him play are somewhat absent. There are still complex parts to the album drum-wise, but they are few and often for a short time. Finally, Peter Trewavas has always been an excellent bassist. While not his best work, this is an incredible effort by him, one worth mentioning.

The two epics on the album are the tracks that stand out the most. Duel With the Devil is the first piece, but it goes through so many moods, tempos, and shifts that it goes by so fast that you want to hit the repeat button on your CD player/MP3 Player/Computer, etc. The female choir on this song does a phenomenal job, giving the track a more operatic sort of feel. Stolt and Morse also give incredible jobs on this track, Morse's organ work being the highlight. The second epic, Stranger in Your Soul, emulates a lot of the same features as the first epic. In this piece, Trewavas does a very impressive 10-15 second bass solo, and Morse's organ and Stolt's erratic lead guitar also take the forefront. My only complaint with this song is that it could have ended after 26 minutes, the last 4 minutes are completely useless.

Overall, I was very impressed with this album. I recommend it to any fan of Dream Theater, Marillion, Spock's Beard, and the Flower Kings. 4/5.