TRACE

While the star of this show is Rick Van Der Linden and his insane talent on the keyboards, the bass and drumming are also performed by virtuosos. This trio lays down an instrumental trail of fire with their endless solos, bombast and flash. You would have to be crazy to give less than 4 stars (hi Hugues) to this album, a record that has received it's inspiration from the great Classical composers of the past.

"Gailarde" opens with keyboards followed by a full sound with the keyboards leading the way. Mellotron comes and goes. The organ comes in later and rips it up. "Gare Le Corbeau" is led by the bass and drums pretty much throughout. "Gaillarde" sounds really good until it changes before 2 minutes as the keyboards start to lead and the tempo picks up. Mellotron 3 1/2 minutes in. "The Death Of Ace" is the first really quiet section. Drums before a minute with mellotron and a full sound follows.The tempo continues to shift.

"The Escape Of The Piper" is uptempo with piano early. Rick even plays bagpipes on this one. "Once" is one of only two tracks without mellotron on it. This is uptempo with keyboards and bass standing out. "Progression" features plenty of tempo changes and even a clavinet solo or two. What a track. "A Memory" opens with what sounds like wind and electronics. Mellotron and synths follow. "The Lost Past" is basically a drum solo from this former FOCUS member. "A Memory" is powerful before it settles before a minute to end it. "Final Trace" is the other track without mellotron. Lots of organ and some heavy bass in this one. It does settle before 2 minutes with synths.

For fans of keyboards and ELP. And while I appreciate both there's just too much of both for my tastes.