ALTERED STATES

Rick Miller is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist who has been active since the mid-80s and has mostly been associated with the genre of progressive rock, wherein he incorporates some elements of new age music and the like, always displaying a strong affinity towards the tonality and expression dear to artists like Pink Floyd, Steve Hackett, or even Alan Parsons, giving his music this celebratory yet somewhat derivative edge. All of this, I believe, is fairly well portrayed by his 2023 release titled 'Altered State', a pretty calm and gently monotonous collection of songs that evoke a strong inspiration from the music of the artists previously mentioned.

As Miller drifts between dreamy and cinematic guitar passages, always cinematic and tranquil, through more electronic or folky elements that give another dimension to the album overall, the music always remains a little unimaginative, especially given the strong resemblance to an Alan Parsons project, as if his musical DNA has been injected into the sound of 'Altered State'. Nevertheless, some of the guitar highlights on here are tasty and rewarding, the tone of most of these songs is enjoyable, and the bluesy edge present here and there is absolutely fine. The vocals hardly stand out as excellent (something this album has in common with many Steve Hackett albums, for example) and the music does not really present anything groundbreaking, nor too exceptional and unheard of in the realm of progressive rock, making this album slightly derivative and forgettable, but fine enough for what it is.

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