INSIDE OUT

Eclectic and varied as just about any other artist you might come across, there are albums by prog rock artist Sébastien Gramond that do sound like a more down-to-earth style of prog. Sounding close in relation to the style innovated by early symphonic prog acts like Genesis and Yes, Gramond takes his sound and pushes it into a style filled with lush keyboards, classical influence and complex guitar riffs. 'Inside Out' is certainly a more predictable piece of work from Gramond and still sounds very raw when compared to the style's hallmarks, but fans of classic prog rock will likely find some good enjoyment in a listen of the man's 42nd album to date.

A great deal of the music here is instrumental in nature, leaving Gramond to sport the skills he has developed on his guitar. Having been recording albums since the exceedingly young age of 12, there's no doubt that Sébastien Gramond has had a life deeply invested in music, and it shows in his playing on guitar. While the organ and drum playing here is decent and functional, the best parts of the instrumental segments is where the music goes from being decent to really powerful. While the imbalance in how well the instruments are played could be said to go against the music as a whole, it is something to be expected from a one-man project.

While the album is well played and pulls off alot of great symphonic prog tricks (especially during the final epic track 'Standing Inside Out') there does seem to be a lack of any particularly memorable melodies here. Even the vocal work here- present on only two of the four songs- feels as if it lacks the appropriate direction to make a really memorable experience. This makes 'Inside Out' somewhat of a troublesome album to get into, but as the music becomes more familiar upon repeated listening, the warm organs and Hackett- esque guitar playing really takes over to make for a good listen.

The highlight here is certainly 'Standing Inside Out'. Unfortunately, the rest of the tracks here really lack the same enjoyment that the final epic gives, although they pass by as being decent, to varying extents. The only shorter track with much memorability is 'Middle Race', which uses a syncopated rhythm commonly associated with reggae music to give a very groovy jam vibe.

An album of a style I believe Gramond did a much better job with on 'Song From The Dead', this French artist certainly does a good job at playing the symphonic prog style; at times even leading me to believe that this is where my favourite music of his lies. While 'Inside Out' is a good album however, there are still consistency issues with the music that ultimately deters from its longevity as an experience.