SORROW AND PROMISE

DIVINE-IN-SIGHT are a trio who play some amazing music. The lead guitarist really brings to mind Alex Lifeson while the bass player is like a cross between Geddy Lee and Chris Squire.The drumming is outstanding as well, great percussion.The only weak link are the vocals, although they actually are pretty good, but unfortunately they have been mixed too low in the sound. Speaking of sound I wish the sound quality was better, it's definitely not the best. These guys really bring to mind the "Hemispheres" / "Permanent Waves" period of RUSH at times. And not too unlike PINK FLOYD's "The Wall" as there are an abundance of samples in this music.

"Black River" opens with the sound of water as keys come in followed by some fat bass lines and some beautiful guitar melodies.The guitar sounds so good.The vocals come in followed by the water flowing again.This is a melancholic passage. Things pick up a notch with more great bass and there is some heaviness 8 minutes in. "By Leaps & Bounds" is an instrumental and my favourite song on this record. This song opens with a scripture and also closes with one. Again the bass is prominant. The guitar solo starts out lazy evolving into an intense Lifeson like performance. Tempos continue to change and the ride is fantastic.The band calls the next 9 songs "Sorrow & Promise" a Christian Progressive Rock Opera. It's based on a vision that one of the members of the band had. Oh, did I mention these guys are Christians ? "In A Box" is a melancholic song that crawls slowly along blending into "Sorrow & Promise Overture" which features some guitar solos that remind me of SAVATAGE. "March Of The Damned" is an ominous passage as you might imagine.

"Waltz of The Plastic Dolls" has a waltz styled rhythm,and there is some good guitar work during the instrumental interlude. Again I was reminded of SAVATAGE. "Viper's Brood" opens with snakes hissing and this song is very RUSH sounding. "Sleep" is a mellow song with tasteful guitar melodies that are quite energetic as the bass plays on. "Into The Abyss" is one song where the vocals stand out. Lots of mood and tempo changes on this one. "Soul Of Mine" has some ripping solos towards the end. Nice. I would have been happy if this is where it ended, but it doesn't. "Make Me More Like You" as the lyrics tell us, is where our subject wakes up from his sleep and he reflects on the vision he has had and prays to God. This song is the most Christian of all the songs and is necessary in the telling of this story. I just would have liked it to end on the previous song because of the way it ended instrumentally.

This is highly recommended music that i'm sure will pleasantly surprise you. Greg Walker says that DIVINE-IN-SIGHT are "About the best Christian prog band I have heard." Easily 4 stars if it had sounded better. 3.5 stars it is.

Divine In Sight is not quite to Rush as Starcastle is to Yes. But let's just say that if we had an entire genre devoted to "Rush-inspired" music, this band would be at the top of my list. All the surface similarities are here. They are a guitar, bass and drums trio. The bass is crisp, punchy and up high in the mix. Both guitarists proudly display a musical Rush influence on their sleeves as a badge of honor.

But there is much more here than first meets the eye. The 12+ minute opening track ("Black River") strikes a more grandiloquent tone than even the most epic of Rush songs. There is a dramatic, even operatic factor at work here. The songs all fit into a coherent concept storyline. Rush has done album sides (2112, Hemispheres) but never a sustained storyline of this scope and magnitude.

This band has thespian ambitions. Indeed, they have been pouring years of blood, sweat and tears into a new 2 CD package named "O Nox Ultima: The Redemption of Antonius Carthaginius".

Vocals are in the upper register but without any trace of any classic era Geddy screech. These vocals are smooth ? ultra smooth. The harmonies are sweet.

Starcastle sometimes grabbed a bass riff from one Yes song and combined it with another keyboard approach from another song? a sort of "cut and paste" approach to flattery by imitation. I don't hear very much of that approach here. While there are striking similarities in tone, timber and arrangement, by and large the compositions are uniquely "Divine In Sight".

If you consider 2112 a masterpiece of Prog, and you don't mind a band sounding a bit like classic era Rush, you owe it to yourself to check out this album.

Very good and highly recommended. Not quite original enough to earn a 4th star on their debut album - but a solid "3 stars" is a very good rating in my book.

One-shot US Christian Prog band from Lombard, Illinois.Divine In Sight consisted of Bartholomew Boge on guitar and vocals, Jonathan Dexter on bass and occasional keyboards and Frank Ralls on drums and percussion.Their sole album ''Sorrow & promise'' was recorded at Ark Studios in Appleton, Wisconsin and appears to be a Rock Opera with a religious content.It was released independently in 2001.

Far from some cheesy and uninteresting Christian-inspired concepts, ''Sorrow & promise'' is a very good effort of mostly RUSH-influenced Progressive Rock with a fantastic comfort on changing tempos and executed with passion and sheer energy.All tracks are interesting with mascular guitars and absolutely marvelous bass work, very upfront in the mix, passing through impressive rhythmic parts to bombastic tunes and melodic themes, while there are also some keyboard background to add a slightly orchestral feeling to the music.Surprisingly Bartholomew Boge's voice has a slightly female angle but also an excellent voice depth, a bit reminiscent of RELAYER's John Sahagian.Other good reference point are also compatriots TILES and ENCHANT.Without being very complex or flexible, the album is very interesting with plenty of breaks, a pure rockin' power and some complicated guitar moves, while lyrically it appears to have a nice value as well.Among the energetic guitar-oriented moments there are some clever passages with a mellower approach, led by atmospheric keys and Boge's unique vocals.Moreover the guitar does have a strong Neo-Classical edge at moments, occasionally breaking from Heavy/Power Rock grounds to Orchestral Prog Rock with an angular vibe.

Overlooked and underrated band, which seems to have disappeared after its sole effort.Powerful, RUSH-influenced Heavy Prog with a fair dose of different atmospheres, full of pomposity and grandieur.Strongly recommended...3.5 stars.