THE ABSOLUTE UNIVERSE - FOREVERMORE (EXTENDED VERSION)

Come ON!!!

This is just a complete return to the grandeur, beauty and inventiveness of the first two albums that these guys released some 20 years ago! Just fantastic, and a really big (pleasant!) surprise for me. WOW!

The first disc is sort of one big 47 minute suite, with each song leading into the next. Great melodies, and the boys can still sing and play. Portnoy has always played his most tasteful drumming on the Transatlantic albums IMHO, and he continues that on this album. I particularly love the drums he lays down at the start of track 9 "The World We Used To Know". Perfect.

The second disc is...sort of one big 43 minute suite! I don't know, I haven't been this pleased and excited about a new album in many a day. Only listened to it once so far, but I'm giving it the golden buzzer :) 5 stars

More of just the same.

After the somewhat stale Kaleidoscope, Transatlantic took a considerably long break, only to return later on with The Absolute Universe. And although I can say it's better than Kaleidoscope, I can't say anything more. The musicality is there. There's absolutely no doubt about it, each musician highly contributed to this project, it's just that there simply is no evolution from their previous works. This isn't necessarily bad, but the same dish over and over again can get boring.

If you're a Transatlantic fan you will really enjoy this album I suppose, it features all the elements from their previous works, so good for you!

Transatlantic returns from a 7 year album making hiatus to make not one but two incredible pieces of music. Forevermore and The Breath of Life are two totally different versions of the same album, with different songs, some songs are sung with different singers on both versions, different lyrics, some of the songs are longer or shorter, and lastly, some of the songs are played differently. So what does Transatlantic bring new to the table? Two similar yet different albums, a new production standards, and the new largest epic in prog. Today we are focusing on the extended version (I hate to say that its the extended version when the album was originally supposed to be 90 minutes long), Forevermore. With a beautiful album cover, much different art direction, new artist in general, just amazing album artwork. I found that I prefer versions of tracks on this one more than the Abridged Version, I like Heart Like a Whirlwind more than Reaching For The Sky for example. I also find that there is one song I love on this version that isn't on the Abridged version, The World We Use to Know, a settler track that sounds like The Flower Kings.... maybe thats why I like it. It's time to give my review on this 90 minute, 18 track epic.

Overture: 8 minutes, long but complex, whimsical, amazing musicianship, Roine opens with swelling guitars, Neal brings in large chords, not too much longer and everything just blasts off. Neal, Pete, Mike, and Roine all play exceptionally well on this with overwhelming style. An incredible way to open up the album. 10/10

Heart Like a Whirlwind: As much as I prefer this version of the song, Reaching For The Sky is still a great version of this track. I like the way this one is sung more than the version we got as a single. I found how this song was done on this version is just more to my taste, with a more Jazzy sensibility and a more catchy way of singing this amazing track. 5/5

Higher than the Morning: I actually enjoy the version of this song found on "The Breath of Life" version more, I love Roine's voice which makes it more Flower Kings-esc but the reason why I prefer the version found on the Abridged version is because of the prominence of the harmonies found on it. Still an incredible track from start to finish. 5/5

The Darkness In the Light: Very Flower Kings again, love this track a bunch as well. Prominent harmonies yet again, great guitars, great keys, lots of amazing basslines and fills from Mike Portnoy. Lovely. 5/5

Swing High, Swing Low: Amazing, amazing, amazing. Very Spocks Beard. I love this track so so much, Neal is a fantastic singer. Love this track so much, I love the acoustic transition. Beautiful. 5/5

Bully: This track continues the more Spocks Beard side of Transatlantic, really really cool. I love the way this track comes right from Swing High, Swing Low. 5/5

Rainbow Sky: More in the realm of The Beatles and Elton John. I love how psychedelic this song is, yet again, an amazing track. 5/5

Looking For The Light: A Song I wasn't a fan of when it first came out, it was more bluesy, after listening to this song within the album format... I love it so much more. I love Mike's voice on this track, I love how this song goes from Bluesy to Harmonies in heavenly prog. Absolutely incredible. 5/5

The World We Use to Know: Perfect... perfect beyond perfect. I love this song, I love how Flower Kings this song is. Fantastic beyond belief. 10/10

Disc Two.

The Sun Comes Up Today: Heavenly Harmonies open the second disc, this song features Peter on vocals, the recurring theme on this album, which shows at the start of the Heart Like A Whirlwind. Great. 5/5

Love Made a Way (Prelude): Short and Acoustic, lovely. Not much to say about this. 5/5

Owl Howl: A Song with a strong Neal Morse Keyboard Solo! Finally! Love this track, I sound like a broken record but its true. It's bluesy and jazzy at the very same time. 5/5

Solitude: Yet again, amazing, Spocks Beard, acoustic, fantastic. Heart Like A Whirlwind theme comes back again and again. 5/5

Belong: More and more of the recurring themes on this album show up more and more, this song just connects the entire album together and solidifies the idea of this entire album being an epic. So amazing. 5/5

Lonesome Rebel: Acoustic Track again, mellotrons, soft vocals, another track that makes this album have some good amount of dynamics. 5/5

Looking For The Light (Reprise): Just a continuation on the half found of the first disc. Still incredible, still a mix of blue and prog. 5/5

The Greatest Story Never Ends: Fast, impressive playing, and got a huge Gentle Giant vibe with those thick layers of solo harmonies. Amazing amazing amazing! 5/5

Love Made a Way: The best way to end the album, with amazing musicianship, fantastic soundscapes, and the album theme coming up yet again to tie this album into a neat little bow. Fantastic. 5/5

I can't believe I'm about to say it but... I have literally no complaints about this album, this version just makes this album so so much better for me. I love all the songs, I love the production, and just everything about this album as a whole. Beyond fantastic! In conclusion, I think that this album just beats Bridge Across Forever with a huge, thick whip. Transatlantic has made their magnum opus late in their career, and they did it after years of being in their own bands. With Mike being in Dream Theater for years, Roine being in The Flower Kings for over 27 years and working on Kappa since the 70s, Neal playing in Spocks Beard and his solo careers, and Pete Being in Marillion for over 40 years. This album shows all characteristics of all the bandmates in one, it has Marillion, Flower Kings, and Spocks Beard... no Dream Theater but Mike's input was more psychedelic and less heavy.

My final words on this, Transatlantic's Magnum Opus.

Disc 1 Fraction Rating: 45/45 Disc 1 Percentage: 100% Disc 2 Fraction Rating: 50/50 Disc 2 Percentage: 100%

Total: 100%

My final verdict: One of my Top 10 favourite albums of all time.

Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music.

Very impressive. Four excellent musicians at the top of their game have produced a tour de force of wonderful music. The melodies are strong and memorable, the musical themes repeating throughout the piece (though I always find myself thinking "fly me to the moon" when I hear the opening five note theme!). Roine produces some stunning guitar solos, Pete is on fire with his basslines. There are echoes of The Beatles (Rainbow Sky) and King Crimson (Owl Howl) and several of the songs that Roine sings are right out of The Flower Kings playbook. But the whole thing has that Transatlantic sound that fans of The Whirlwind especially will be familiar with. If you like that particular album you will love this.

Being in a state of tourlessness has its advantages. It allows for time to create and since we live in a digital age with bits flying all over the world, it's easy to communicate musical ideas over the internet. The band shaped and molded these albums over many months, and sometimes taking time can be very rewarding in the end. They have crafted two very special neoclassical prog realizations. The band may have actually peaked with these two albums. I have no idea where they will go next, but these are essentially masterpieces of virtuosic art. The second album "The Bridge Across Forever," is incredible but this may be slightly better, depending on the mood of the listener. It actually comes across on the first listen that Transatlantic hit a home run on number 5. Two formats is something unique and this band is innovative, so they tend to go where no one has gone before just like Capt. Kirk in the Absolute Universe.

In the beginning the universe was without form and chaotic. In time it began to take form and gain structure. And in even more time it became orderly and unimaginably beautiful...

Let me say from the outset that I have never heard any of the earlier transatlantic albums (my bad, my very bad), so I had nothing to compare "The Absolute Universe: Forevermore" against, and tried to approach it with a fresh and open mind. A super group? Indeed. Members from Spock's Beard, Dream Theater, Flower Kings, and Marillion. Strong and respectable credentials without a doubt! Still, a super group? Sorry if I was a bit skeptical at the outset. But in my listening experience with 'super groups', it seems that they almost never live up to the hype. And there is definitely hype here as all the reviews here were fawning over this album.

The problem with such super collaborations is that they tend to be somewhat disjoint, not overly harmonious, and lacking a cohesive vision of what they want to accomplish. The sum of the parts rarely seems to add up to the individual pieces. Either they mute one another out, or try to outshine one another, or one ends up dominating over all the the rest, usually with mixed results. Did that happen here? The first track "overture" answers the question with a resounding 'No'! This introductory piece kicks things off with glorious synths, emotional guitar, energetic bass, and propelling drums, each getting their turn to shine while creating the beginning arc that will transcend the entire work.

As I tend to do, I am not so much about a track by track resume of the album,(others can do this much better than I), although I'll reserve the right to digress in this direction a tiny bit at the end. Rather, I am more about the impressions and the experience the music creates for me.

So, in addition to the super group label, I had doubts about a 90 minute work that features 18 tracks. I am much inclined towards longer pieces that tend to develop and unwind, and not so much towards shorter pieces that tend to come across as radio friendly fodder. Would this be a problem here?

Surprisingly not! The reason being that the album is divided into two approximately 45 minute sections of 9 songs each. Each main section has no break between songs so each song smoothly transitions into the next creating in effect two mighty epic suites of music. One reason this is a tremendously successful is that both major suites open with an introductory piece that develops musical and lyrical themes that keep resurfacing throughout the following 8 songs within each section. Likewise each of the two main suites end with closing tracks that are emotional and powerful, with moments of aching beauty and others of uplifting power. They are grand finale pieces that beg to be heard over and over again.

Those of us that prefer epic prog pieces would likely point to one of the key reasons as being that we enjoy the changes in tempo, instrumentation, emotions, and such that longer pieces allow for. So within the body of the main two pieces, this effect is admirably created by the songs running continuous without a break and by the reoccurring musical and lyrical themes. Some of these to watch for are the 'be-long', 'whirlwind of the heart', and 'love made a way' sections. These themes permeate the entire work, and help to drive the arcing lyrical theme of the entire experience.

Curiously, the only noticeable break between songs occurs between the end of the first suite of 9 songs to open the second suite of 9 songs. It's just a brief breather for an audience that has been taken on a magnificent journey to this point, to get us ready for what's coming next. It struck me that if we were at a concert, it might be the time for the intermission so we could grab a beer or glass of wine. Time to absorb what we've taken in, and to anticipate what's still yet to be presented.

Will part two live up to our expectations? Yes indeed! One thing that becomes quickly evident is that suite two is not a piece of music isolated and unrelated to suite one, but thematically is a continuation picking up musical and lyrical threads from section one and expanding them even further. In doing this it becomes obvious that the entire 90 minute production is not so much two pieces of music as it is truly one grand magnum opus! A testimony to this magnificent production is that the 90 minutes simply fly by. Even though the final track has an absolute concluding finality to the entire epic work, you find your self wanting it to keep going. (And of course it can if you wish to acquire the remixed short version - 60 minutes - but that's a different review...) Or we can of course just hit 'play' again as I will be doing for the foreseeable future.

In conclusion, this super group is truly a super group and is hitting on all cylinders. This is a progressive feast of symphonic prog that is just on the mark in every way - lyrically, vocally, musically, and conceptually. Guaranteed, this music will not just fill your ears with pleasure, but it will reach your emotions as well. For more details about the sweet acoustic sections, blistering lead solos, lead vocals by all of the members, the heavenly harmonies, the powerful and eloquent drumming, crunchy and rhythmic base, soundscape and lead synths, and lyrics you'll actually remember, well, you can find those in other reviews! Admittedly, the year is young, but this is a strong contender already for my album of the year.

Next, the short off the wall portion...

I do have one suggestion for the band. If they haven't done so, I suggest releasing "Rainbow Sky" as a single. And no, I'm not contradicting my earlier radio fodder rant. Good motive here, really. This is a totally infectious piece of 'pop-prog', very Beatles- esque psychedelia, and it's a real ear worm that just may draw some into the wonderful world of prog! And as another reviewer aptly stated, it's short enough that in the big picture it doesn't over stay it's welcome. Well said!

So, the Absolute Universe is indeed beautiful, and unquestionably, a masterpiece of prog Forevermore

If you like Transatlantic, you'll like the Absolute Universe. They don't stray much from the formula that grew their sizable fan base. Shared vocals, catchy melodies, first-rate musicianship. It's all here.

The first CD is especially strong, in my opinion, really scratches my Transatlantic itch. The overture maybe could have been trimmed, but thereafter I just love every track; they're distinctive and engaging. The second CD is a bit slower, but has many redeeming qualities, like when they reprise CD 1 tracks :)

In terms of songwriting, I think it's most closely related to Whirlwind (the repeating lyrics about it really drives the message home, too)

Overall, I think it's the most consistent release since Bridge Across Forever. More like this please!

There's something I love from every musician in this band. Hell, The Flower Kings release from last year ended up being my album of the year and changing my mind on the band. I have always found Transatlantic to be one of the most bland groups in progs history. There is nothing unique about their music, not once have I ever been listening to an artist and gone: "Wow! This sounds like Transatlantic." That's not because Transatlantic are a band that hold their own as a completely unique sound in the prog realm, it's exactly the opposite. They check all the right boxes for prog, but that's really all they do. This is modern prog for people who don't like modern prog, for people who curse the day Genesis dared to make a chart appearance. I enter every album with an open mind, as I did last year for TFKs release. My impression on this one? In one ear, out the other: the album. If you are a fan of actually progressive and interesting ideas, this album is not going to be for you.

This is a comically bland record full of all the same Neal Morse-isms and bag of tricks Transatlantic has been using since their inception. I really think I could stomach this record if it was condensed to somewhere in the range of 40 minutes, but it goes on and on and I can almost feel the life getting sucked out of me with each passing minute. The issue doesn't exactly lie in the fact that Transatlantic aren't doing anything new that you can't find in 70s prog and their influences, the real issue lies in the fact that they're not even doing anything you can't find on other Transatlantic albums. You got Neal Morse holding down some chord on the Hammond organ while Roine Stolt plays some riff or melodic guitar line over it, layered with playground lyrics about Love, The Sky, The Earth, Neal Morse's Soul, God? The pseudo deep lyrical subject matter throughout is very samey, overly self referential and monotonous and exactly what you would expect from a Morse project in 2021. There, of course, is an over dependence on reprises throughout. I mean just look at these song titles, they read off as computer generated Neal Morse track names: "The Darkness in the Light," "Looking for the Light," "Love Made a Way." Besides that, these songs are nearly indistinguishable and upon listening they all just seem to congeal into one big blob of Transatlantic noise. Even the Overture which is typically a strong point for Morse, take the Whirlwinds pretty immediate overture for example, Forevermores opener just doesn't have those catchy hooks and memorable melodies you would expect or want to hear kick off the album. But this issue also carries over to the other songs, the melodies just.... aren't there this time around. And after slogging through the record, the final climax also just didn't have that payoff or punch you would expect, because at that point I knew exactly what was coming.

The best thing about this album is the production which is, and always has been, on point and super solid throughout all of Neal Morse's career. However, I also have to talk about the absolute trainwreck that is the release and roll-out of this album. There are three different versions, the full and original version which I'm reviewing here, the abridged version which cuts things down to about 60 minutes, and the super mega ultimate blu-ray addition which bumps things up to an even longer runtime. However, the abridged version doesn't simply cut down on the padding, it adds new songs and passages that you can't get on Forevermore and vice versa. This whole thing really just rubs me the wrong way, it gives me the impression that there's no definitive version of the album and I really think the band is missing the mark on trying to do something unique. It just comes off as very messy and inconvenient. You cannot hear one version of this album without knowing you're potentially missing out on something from the other. I'm not going to call it a money grab because I really doubt that's the bands intentions. But if even the band couldn't agree on what the definitive version of this album should be, it doesn't leave me, the listener, feeling very confident in what I'm hearing.

If you like the other Transatlantic albums you'll probably find some value in this release, but for the amount of music here, there's very little for myself to grab onto. Giving it two stars based on the strength of the production and the fact that the musicianship at least meets a passable benchmark throughout.

The supergroup is back with another album, this time a pleasant and uplifting 90 minutes journey to the absolute universe of symphonic prog. The music is still based on a good dose of Neal Morse and Flower Kings with some Beatlesque, some Yes some Jazz bits, and a rip-off of the song ''Starless'' by King Crimson. This extended version is made to listen in one take like a big epic song with some recurrent themes. My favorite parts are some shorts moments on a darker side that show a different Transatlantic. I wish they have put more of that. There is not much to add about the professionalism of the musicians and the overall quality of the production. The bass playing of Pete at the end is breathtaking with some busy lines that last forever. It's no surprise that with a Neal Morse project there is a nod to Gentle Giant's multipart vocals at the end. So, this a very enjoyable ride crossing the Atlantic reunifying the British, the US, and The Swedish. This review is based on the Blu-Ray edition which gives more excitement to all of it...

[Review of both extended version (Forevermore) and abridged version (The Breath of Life)]

It is well known that the world of prog rock is quite bizarre. Just take a look at the dozens of memes on the internet about 60-minute long prog songs, three-hour concerts and endless drum solos, and you'll see what I mean. But with their new album, The Absolute Universe, multinational progressive rock supergroup Transatlantic have just reached a new high. Because, you see, The Absolute Universe is actually two records, of which one is a double-album. Confused? Let me explain.

The initial version of The Absolute Universe was a 90-minute musical suite divided across eighteen songs and two CDs. However, upon re-listening to the album, vocalist/keyboardist Neal Morse (ex-Spock's Beard) started to believe that a shorter, more compact version of the record could actually work better. When he presented the idea of a shorter album version to his bandmates, bassist Pete Trewavas (Marillion) approved, while drummer Mike Portnoy (ex-Dream Theater) and guitarist Roine Stolt (The Flower Kings) were not convinced. Ultimately, the band could not agree which version to put out. The stalemate was eventually solved by Portnoy's suggestion to release both versions of the album, which now have reached our earbuds under the names of Forevermore (extended 90-minute version) and The Breath of Life (more compact 60-minute version). Now, you may be excused to think that The Breath of Life is simply a cut-down version of Forevermore. But this is prog, and that would have been far too simple! Instead, the two albums actually contain different music, either different versions of the same songs (different arrangements, different singers, different vocal lines and lyrics, etc.) or altogether different songs. They are effectively two different pieces of music, built around common musical themes. Isn't this prog heaven?

Now, grandiose release projects aren't much to write home about if the music isn't any good. Fortunately, this is not the case for Transatlantic's new album. Readers who are familiar with names such as The Flower Kings and Spock's Beard should know exactly what to expect. This is modern progressive rock that pays tribute to the giants of the 1970s (Yes, Gentle Giant, Genesis) but that at the same time tries to push things into the new millennium by exploring heavier and more metallic territories. The ambition to write long-form compositions means that, although the records come divided in separate and fairly short songs (from 2 to 9 minutes), there are recurring themes that surface over and again throughout the album, convincingly tying together the various pieces into a proper suite. A lots of these recurring themes are introduced in the (largely instrumental) opening track "Overture", and they are then developed to full effect across the rest of the album, before album closer "Love Made a Way" wraps everything up with a sweet medley of the key passages. It is a very satisfying listening experience, true to the spirit of the progressive rock standard, but with enough vigour and inventiveness to sound fresh still today, more than 50 years apart from the golden era of prog.

Given the quality of the four musicians involved, the playing is of course sublime. Both album versions are a lot of fun to listen to as they brim with superb instrumental passages. From Portnoy's manic drumming to Stolt's blues- and jazz-infused guitar solos, from Trewavas's rumbling bass grooves to Morse's synth extravaganza, every single musician manages to contribute some of the absolutely best heavy rock playing that you'll hear this year. Things are no less impressive when it comes to the vocals department. The four musicians share duties behind the mic, which makes for an interesting and varied approach. Morse and Stolt are experienced singers, having held the lead singer role with their respective bands for decades now. Unsurprisingly, the tracks where they sing on are the most convincing from the point of view of the vocal melodies. Trewavas is slightly weaker, although his heart-on-the-sleeves performance on "Solitude" is moving. Portnoy is the true surprise, though. His gravelly rock voice is really good and fits perfectly a darker piece like "Looking for the Light", one of the highlights of The Absolute Universe.

Although I enjoyed very much listening to The Absolute Universe, one thing that is undoubtedly lacking on this album is innovation. This is not music that covers new ground and expands horizons, it is firmly rooted in the classic prog rock tradition and does not move very far from that territory. If you are looking for new sounds and boundary-pushing music, then you'll have to look elsewhere. However, when the quality of the music is as high as on this release, this does not detract too much from the pure enjoyment of listening to the album.

Now that I hopefully convinced you that this album is worth listening to, the real question is: which of the two versions should you get? Well, it depends. If you ? like me ? are a full-blown prog aficionados you'll probably want to get both. Call me a nerd, but I had a lot of fun comparing the various versions of the songs that appear on Forevermore and The Breath of Life. One difference that is quite noticeable between the two versions is that Stolt's musical influence is much more marked on Forevermore than The Breath of Life. Three songs that only appear on Forevermore ("Rainbow Sky", "The World We Used to Know" and "The Sun Comes Up Today") could have easily been released on a The Flower King's album. More generally, there are many more mellow instrumental guitar passages on Forevermore, showcasing Stolt's signature guitar playing , that have been instead cut out of The Breath of Life. No wonder Stolt did not like Morse's idea of a more compact album! In contrast, on The Breath of Life, one can perceive more distinctly Morse's hand. So if you are more a fan of Spock's Beard's / Morse's music, I would recommend to get the shorter and punchier The Breath of Life. If you instead prefer the brand of modern prog heralded by The Flower Kings, you should go for Forevermore. Ultimately, it does not matter which version you get: if you are a progressive rock or metal fan, you simply have to give this album a listen!

[Originally written for The Metal Observer]

Well, what can I say, but that this is rather a boring Transatlantic release, not a bad record, but compared with their previous releases, this is in my opinion their most uninspired and repetitive work so far. The first two albums where great, The Whirlwind a masterpiece, Kaleidoscope couldn´t match up the previous releases but still was way more exciting than this one. If Neal Morse, The Flower Kings and Transatlantic hadn´t released anything yet, this would be an interesting album, but as this is not the case, this is 90 minutes of More of the Same unobtrusive background music, nothing more, nothing less.

A look back at these second generation dinosaurs which had excited the progressive sphere in 2000 with their eponymous album validating the participation of sacred prog monsters! An enjoyable sound, which gave pride of place to the different members, solo and in union, showing that the quality of one assembled to another could give very beautiful things. What about the youngest, at a time when we no longer imagined any release from them?

A magnificent album in fact, titles which are linked to each other even if from afar I feared these short titles; modern variations in composition, reminiscences of their old albums especially in solo instrumentation and you once again have the progressive quintessence in 2 albums: either the short (one hour anyway), or the long here (over 90 minutes) with some variations for die-hard fans.

I will not dissect this album for the simple reason that it is listened to in one go; good, atmospheres, solos, intimate phases with explosive returns showing the joy of playing together, the drums younger than usual, more rhythmic, finally the voices that twirl and the purely progressive variations at will, to a moment when one wonders if the PROG still exists or not! An album which does not upset the progressive sphere with a staggering novelty but which drives the point home for the always fresh and melodic musicality of this great group! Just note that THE BEATLES or YES seem to be having a bit of a chat here on certain tracks and you will understand that you will be going on this great airship on a very big and very long trip.

Fans will love it, others will find an album that proves that after 20 years the music remains eternal.

This album should be in my opinion one of highlights in 2021 progressive music scene. With a long seamless listening experience consisting of 9 shorter pieces of each of two CD (last respectively 47 and 43 minutes), this concept album is an epic progressive record.

One of great features of Neal Morse and Roine Stolt being in the same band is that both of them are really good in writing well-structured track, most of the time with grand theme and creative elaboration of that theme throughout the album. The opening track 'Overture' is the example of this. The theme is well composed and nicely performed by Roine's soaring guitar, with complex time signature, several key changes and great rhythm (bass and drum) arrangement. This theme will be played throughout the album with many wonderful approaches.

The fourth track 'The Darkness in the Light' has a nice jazz-flamenco feel particularly in the middle of the song. Pete Trewavas' bassline is really good in this track. The seventh track 'Rainbow Sky' is a nice track, with Genesis and Beatles influences creating a unique style. There is a good moment where the theme is played with such style.

The ninth track 'The World We Used to Know' has a heavy instrumental intro. I think there is an intentional homage to Yes's 'Ritual' (from 'Tales from Topographic Oceans') before the vocal section starts. This track ends the first part (first CD).

The second part is opened by an uplifting track 'The Sun Comes Up Today'. Roine's guitar work in this track is amazing. Twelfth track 'Owl Howl' is a rather dark track, with part of has a flavor of modernized Pink Floyd. Again the main theme is performed with different style that really fit in this track. Mike Portnoy's drumming in this track and the next track 'Belong' are outstanding. 'Belong' is mostly instrumental track, with a great guitar works with amazing bass and drum companions.

The last 3 tracks are kind of crescendo that bring us to a beautiful end. 'Greatest Story Never Ends' has a vocal harmony that reminds me to Gentle Giant's and Yes' style. The main theme is played gloriously with orchestral background, before smoother ending with 'Love Made a Way'.

These four progressive rock masters of present day have brought so many creativity and great musicianship in this album. A great enjoyable 90-minutes journey with a lot of musical intelligent to appreciate. References to other prog- rock giants like Yes or Pink Floyd and additional orchestration are other nice elements of this album. A different (and shorter) version of 'The Absolute Universe' is also released ? and despite the fact that each version has its own great feature, I like this extended version better, for it has a lot more of Roine's guitar work and more listening enjoyment. A five-star album, that for me set another standard for present day progressive rock.

In September 2019 the four-piece of Neal Morse (vocals, piano, Hammond organ, Minimoog, Mellotron, acoustic guitar, charango), Roine Stolt (vocals, electric & acoustic 6- & 12-string guitars, ukulele, keyboards, percussion), Pete Trewavas (vocals, bass) and Mike Portnoy (vocals, drums & percussion) met up to discuss what would be their fifth album. After a couple of weeks of working on material and mapping out songs each musician returned to their own studio to work on the recording. It was during this period that the album kept growing, and discussions were had as to whether this should be a double or single CD. Pete and Neal favoured the shorter version while Roine and Mike preferred the longer, so in the end they decided to do both. But it is important to understand that one is not a shorter/longer version of the other in that there are alternate recordings, new recordings, and even different singers on the single album. While they are different albums, they are also the same, which makes it hard to write different reviews for each one, but life is never easy is it? When Transatlantic first came together more than 20 years ago I was blown away, as this was the first prog supergroup of the new generation and 'SMPT:e' is still a delight to listen to. Here we had musicians from Spock's Beard, Marillion, The Flower Kings and Dream Theater combining in a way which brought in influences from all these bands, taking the music in a vast symphonic manner which was both massively over the top yet also contained simple to understand melodies.

Given all those involved are also in other active units, Transatlantic have never been the most prolific of bands, and it has been six years since 'Kaleidoscope', which in itself was five years from 'The Whirlwind' while that was in itself eight years on from 'Bridge Across Forever' (although Morse had removed himself from popular music during that period as he concentrated on his Christianity). Morse feels this album has more in common with 'Whirlwind' than any other, while Trewavas states simply that it is the best thing they have ever done, and he may just be right. Transatlantic have a reputation of pushing boundaries and limits, sometimes extending where they might be better of trimming, which I am sure is due much to the influence of Stolt as this is something he has also been guilty of The Flower Kings. Yet in recent years they have definitely cut back, and the same is true here with this band, as while the album is 90 minutes long, there are 18 songs and only 3 of them are eight minutes or longer. This means we get shifts in approach far more often, and while at times it feels more like one continuous piece of music than a series of songs, there is no doubt that they are shifting melodies and lyrical ideas.

Since this band came into inception, I have often wondered what Trewavas thinks when he goes back to the day job, as I would take any Transatlantic album over any Marillion album released during the same timeframe as here we have a band that really is taking symphonic prog in new directions, lifting the listener. The 90 minutes of this release just fly by and listening to this version it is hard to imagine how it could work in a more abbreviated form. Transatlantic are back, and it is a masterpiece.

Transatlantic's fifth album, The Absolute Universe, comes in two distinct version - an extended and abridged edition. In fact, it's not true to say the latter is a mere abridgement - it includes some different pieces of music, and even the bits which overlap have some differences.

That said, if you're into Transatlantic's retro-prog leanings at all, your instincts will likely lean towards the longer version of the album, which isn't actually that much long - 90 minutes vs. 64 minutes. It's more of the band's usual sound, mashing up elements of Spock's Beard and The Flower Kings as they have since SMPTe, and of the same high quality as they've sustained since Bridge Across Forever.

Another impressive concept album from this periodic Prog Supergoup (5 albums over a period of 20 years), consisting of Neal Morse (Spock's Beard, Neal Morse Band, vocals, keyboards, guitar), Roine Stolt (Flower Kings, guitars, vocals), Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Neal Morse Band, drums, vocals), Pete Trewavas (Marillion, bass, vocals), the album was released in two different versions, a shorter (The Breath of Life, 60 min) and longer version (Forevermore, 90 plus min). I've only listened to the longer version, and it is a great epic release, with some wonderful interconnected songs and sensational virtuoso playing and musicianship in a variety of styles. Although not quite up to their very best (I would rank Bridge Across Forever-2001 and The Whirlwind-2009 higher), this is still a great epic release, and among the very best melodic progressive rock around, melding a variety of styles and influences for a great musical experience. 4.5 stars