TRIP THE LIFE FANTASTIC

Drifting Sun first appeared back in the '90's, by the latter half of the decade put out two nice studio works, and then drifted back below the horizon. Next thing you know, they've popped back up this year, spreading the word about a new album of theirs with all the enthusiasm and zeal of a fresh faced band. This I can now confirm is entirely natural, as this record is a beautiful and truly marvelous slice of music that sounds like it was cut by young blood. I mean, immediately when playing the album from the top listeners are sucked in by seemingly youthful and certainly pretty sounds. The course of the album weaves wonderfully through long tracks of symph and neo alongside shorter beauties, with piano often complementing the rock side. And at the very end, the final two tracks, a second wind of unexpected and boundless energy comes in to carry us through to a smashing conclusion. Very enjoyable, just a pure treat for the ears, played excellently and with vigor.

I really love comeback albums and when they are as fantastic as this one, I'm even more excited to be able to experience it at the time of its release. The history of this band is already documented on PA so the main point is that this is the first new release since 1998 and though some inevitable lineup changes have occurred, it absolutely rocks and there is not a bad track in the lot. The production, songwriting and talent on display here are bar none and we get all the bombastic elements of neo-prog with dramatic vocals and inspired keyboard and guitar solos. A special mention has to go to the vocals, they are really fantastic and I hope this incarnation of the band sticks around for a long time. As I say the entire album is great but if I had to point anyone to 2 songs to demonstrate the monstrous goodness on display here they would be:

The Wizard - this one channels a bit of old Deep Purple and makes me want to dig out the D&D set from the archives; just a driving, rocking anthem that transports me to someplace fantastic like the world of Merlin and King Arthur.

Last Supper - a non-stop, epic rocker that never lets go with soaring guitar work, also the version of the album I got included an extra 'demo' version of this track that is just as good, double fun!

5 stars without hesitation, a must for any neo-prog fan.

Simply put: an excellent album! Well produced and performed by all involved. Kudos to Pat for writing and organizing such a triumph! Soaring, dramatic vocals by Pete Falconer as well. Each track really takes you on a journey through atmospheric and spacious soundscapes. While some tracks are progressive to the core, others also satisfy the angst of my inner teen hard rock lover. This has not left my Spotify playlist since it's release. No serious prog lover should leave this out of their collection. I'm in agreement with rickdeckard here in that "Last Supper" & "The Wizard" are two of the outstanding songs here.

No, thank you very much, this cabaret Neo-Prog-by-numbers is not for me. I find very little fresh or refreshing here. As amateur of fact, a lot of the songs seem as though they are overly drawn out by monotonous repetition of classic rock hooks. All of the songs sound the same--as if Blue Öyster Cult were redoing their "Going Through the Motions"-era music with Freddy Mercury. If Drifting Sun were an actor, they would be the Steven Segal of screen and film.

Almost redeeming songs: the brief Spanish guitar-bass duet "Ode to Nevermind" (8/10); the EPICA-like male castrati vocal of "Five Ever" (8/10), and; the over-the-top 80s Christian epic, "Last Supper" (7/10).

Drifting Sun are a band that escaped my attention, because their first two albums were released during a period in which I hardly listened to any music apart from what happened to be on mainstream radio. Had they not released a new album this year, I would probably not have missed them for quite a while, because they are not among the bands that are mentioned on a daily basis. Now that they did release an album, and I have heard of them, I may was well tell the world how I feel about it.

Listening to the album it is clear that the band knows how to build up a song. The title track Trip the Light Fantastic opens the album with piano and high pitched but clean vocals. It fills up with the other instruments over the first half and becomes more guitar driven in the second half - until the piano returns. A similar build up is found in Five Fever, but here the first half is mainly piano and synths.

Completely different to this are The Wizard (with a 70s hard rock feel in the guitar playing, and matching vocals) and the Pendragon like Tormented (fiery guitar opening, prominent bass and keyboards in the vocal parts).

Lady Night and The Last Supper are two longer tracks. The former has great vocal work and pulsing keyboard in places, and seems to be mixed slightly different than the rest of the album (bass and keyboards stand out a bit more).

Last Supper also has a pulsing riff at it's center, but much more prominent than Lady Night. The guitar and organ really work together here, not surprisingly many reviews of this album compare this to old Deep Purple work. There's a lot more going on in this somewhat haunting track than I want to explain here - it's 'hearing is believing' I think.

A separate mention goes to the four short tracks that separate the longer ones. Peach Blossoms and Sunsets are the first two, which have a slightly classical feel to them. The have to bow for the other two though. Ode to Nevermind has a great (electric and acoustic) guitar and bass interplay, and XXX Forever reminds me in a way of a certain Mr. Hackett and Mr. Banks. Without these short interludes this would be a completely different album.

Summarising, this album is very likely not the most renewing thing in the world of rock. That's no disqualification though, because I've heard more quite appealing 'retro' albums over the past six to nine months. Retro is perhaps not even the right word, the band makes music in a style that has been around since early Marillion, Pendragon and other similar bands, but despite an occasional hint to even older times, with a modern touch to it. The compositions work, the vocals are absolutely great and I love the keyboard work. A worthy album to include in 2015s collection.

Surprisingly addictive

Received this album a couple days ago as a promotion from my good friend Aapatsos and started to listen it in the car, but the first minutes didn't impressed me, sounded too simple for my taste and a bit derivative from Hogarth Marillion, but as songs advanced, my impression started to change, to the point that I've been listening it repeatedly for the last 48 hours.

Even when this is not the music I usually listen, the passion of Pete Falconer in the vocals and the piano by Pat Sanders captured me more and more, giving me tome to appreciate the impeccable production and the skills of all the members but overall, it's nice to listen a band where the members play for the band rather than for their individual glory. The guitar solos are impressive but always blend cohesively with the music and the rhythm section works like a well oiled machine.

Even when this an album that must be listened from start to end rather than by songs, there are some tracks that impressed me more. In first place the melancholic Peach Blossoms and it's incredibly beautiful piano performance.

Also play special attention to the vibrant The Wizard and the frantic Tormented but overall to the mini epic Last Supper that has a hint of DEEP PURPLE with a great bass and percussion by Dan Storey and Will Jones......Oops, almost forgot the acoustic Ode to Nevermind that reminded me of Steve Hackett.........But listen the album in order without skipping a song, it's worth.

Before I end the review and as an advice, don't expect extremely complex stuff, because you may be disappointed, but if you want to listen good music with beautiful melodies, plenty piano and some strong guitar solos, then Trip The Life Fantastic is your album.

Four solid stars and will search for the previous releases.

Review #22 Drifting Sun released their first eponymous album in 1996. Two years later they released the very good 'On the Rebound', and then they disappeared! Now, almost 17 years later, they re-appeared again, with a brand new album which is a true jewel! From the old members only Pat Sanders is remaining, who found new musicians and decided to start all over again. This new line up sounds so fresh, and it includes some very good musicians.

Now, let's take a closer look on the album' 'Trip the Life Fantastic' includes 10 songs + 1 demo, and has a total running time of almost an hour. The album opens with the title song, which is one of the best moments of the album. It's a typical Neo - Prog song, with the keyboards having the leading role before the 3rd minute on which guitar takes over. 'Trip the Life Fantastic' is followed by the (2 -minute long) beautiful and melodic instrumental 'Peach Blossoms'. Next comes 'The Wizard' which is another typical Neo - Prog song, with mellow passages and very good guitar riffs. Another small instrumental piece comes next, the melodic 'Sunsets' with keyboards and acoustic guitar. (I must say that I really enjoyed the idea of putting small instrumental pieces among the songs, because they seem to work as a 'bridge' between the songs). The album continues with 'Lady Night' another beautiful composition, which includes some excellent guitar work. I'm not going to continue writing for each one of the songs, but I would like to mention which songs I like the most: Trip the Life Fantastic, The Wizard, Tormented, and Last Supper. Especially 'Last Supper' is the "progiest" track of the whole album.

The most important thing is that 'Trip the Life Fantastic' is one of those albums which you listen from the start 'till the end, without having to skip any of the songs. Surely there are stronger and weaker moments, but all the songs are of high synthetic standards. I strongly recommend this album to all those who are fans not only of Progressive Rock or Neo - Prog, but Rock in general. It is a very enjoyable album! As for my rating, this would be 4.0 stars...