THE BIG DREAM

Lonely Robot is the project of guitarist and composer John Mitchell, who is arguably most well know for his contributions to Arena, It Bites, Kino and Frost. On his second album the metal-infused neo-prog is combined with dreamscape-type symphonic rock. Perhaps slightly towards the alternative prog of Gazpacho. The compositions use the progressive rock pallet, but are quite poppy and easy on the listeners ears. I myself prefer the darker songs in which the riffs and synths do remind me of Arena's better moments. The vocals of Mitchell are solid, but often dreamy and a bit detached - if not robotic. The first halve of the album does offer enough well-written songs to keep me interested, but during the second halve everything starts sounding a lot alike. Perhaps this atmospheric continuity and flow is just the point of this album. The sci-fi lyrics fit the music, but add to the feeling that there is no real public addressed here; as if the music is more of a meditation pointed at the performer itself. John Mitchell is one of my favorite modern guitarists and he isn't shying away of giving some great technical solo's. The lack of really interesting backdrops to his guitar wizardry is quite imminent though. There is not a single guitar part that reaches the musical genius of a track like Arena's 'Elea' or 'This Way Madness Lies'. Still this is a highly enjoyable neo-prog related release that should be enjoyed by most listeners of the genre. Its the type of music I play while driving my noisy car, when music with great depth and detail is lost on me anyway. 'The Big Dream' is my favorite Lonely Robot album thus far.