BRIDGE ACROSS FOREVER

The birth of Transatlantic was praised through triumphant reviews and huge statements among prog fans, talking about the best Prog group to appear in the recent years.An impressive schedule of live appearances followed the release of ''SMPT:e'' with performances at the 2000 NEARFest and the opening day of Progfest 2000 among others.The live of the supergroup at the 930 Club in Washington D.C on June 24, 2000 was headed for the first live CD of Transatlantic, released in 2001.The same year the quartet of Prog veterans enters the Dark Horse Studios in Nashville, Tennesse to work on their second album.''Bridge across forever'' was eventually released in October 2001 on Insideout for the European market and Metal Blade for the American one.

Reputedly this was a more balanced effort in the studio with equal contributions by each member regarding the composing in order to move a bit away from the strong vibes by SPOCK'S BEARD and NEAL MORSE's influence in general.What I hear though is again a very SPOCK'S BEARD-like release, which is a good thing in my books, not because of Morse's voice, but all these sudden breaks, emphatic pomposity, complex parts and poppy lines recall the legendary US group.''Bridge across forever'' is basically an attempt by Transatlantic to offer dominant, intricate and delicious Progressive Rock at its best, with three out of the four tracks ranging from 14 to 27 minutes long and only a short break inbetween by the eponymous ballad.The arrangements are once again rich, captivating and adventuruous with lots of passionate vocals by Morse but also stretched instrumental sections with symphonic influences, stepping on the sound of YES, RUSH, GENESIS, GENTLE GIANT and KING CRIMSON.Stolt's unique contribution comes in some good guitar parts with a jazzy inspiration, while the whole album is a dense mix of melodious textures with professional, instrumental interactions as displayed on the nostalgic analog keyboards, the multi-vocal lines, the furious modern keyboards and the atmospheric piano parts.And as expected, there are also plenty of rockier sections with sharp guitar moves by Stolt and a flawless, experienced rhythm section.

This is some very good to excellent music.But Morse's leading figure is again the force behind this release, which tries hard but never escapes from the SPOCK'S BEARD lines.I prefer their debut overall, which was a little more original, but ''Bridge across forever'' is impossible not to satisfy all fans of Classic-styled Progressive Rock.Including me...3.5 stars.