THE GREAT DIVIDE

I'm one of the select few who feels that their second album "Liberation" is as good as this their debut. Again the playing ability of this band is extremely high, it's the vocals that still bother me when he really lets go. He is a theatrical singer with a great range, just not my cup of tea, although songs like "Because Of You" and One Look Away" where he sings normally, I like a lot. The cover art is fantastic ! The length of this album at almost 75 minutes begs the question : Why ?

"Perpetual Child" opens heavily with drums and bass before synths arrive. Scorching guitar 1 1/2 minutes in, and vocals a minute later as the song calms down. It does pick back up with aggressive vocals. I lke the guitar 7 1/2 minutes in. "Sleepwalker" features those abrasive vocals i'm not a fan of. The guitar melodies are relentless with a ripping solo before 3 minutes. "Join" has a more uplifting sound with vocal melodies. This is contrasted with the more passionate vocals with a fuller sound. I like the mellow passages better. "Spare Chicken Parts" is an instrumental and my second favourite song. It opens with a few words (clucks) from a chicken. This one is all over the place including a drum solo. Quite the display though. "Because Of You" is another fav of mine. It's a bright, catchy tune with the guitar grinding away.

"The Bottom Line" has some impressive guitar 2 1/2 & 4 minutes in. Not a fan of this one though. "Ice Age" opens with spacey sounds, and once it gets going there are lots of synths and drums with tempo shifts a plenty. "One Look Away" is my favourite song, a cool, mellow track with synths and piano. Tasteful guitar 2 minutes in. Check out the guitar that goes on and on after 4 minutes. This is such an uplifting song and the lyrics are a must read. "Miles To Go" opens with some great guitar. A synth solo before 1 1/2 minutes. I like the sound a minute later when it calms down. More great guitar 4 minutes in. "To Say Goodbye" is divided into 2 parts. Part 1 "Worthless Words" is a rocking instrumental that opens with some fast paced piano melodies. Part 2 "On Our Way" has some good crunch to it, although the climate changes often. Good song.

3.5 stars. It's hard not to be impressed with this band and this recording. Well done !