THE FINAL BREATH BEFORE NOVEMBER

A late release in 2013, it's taken me this long to get to listen to this album and now that I know it intimately I write my review and prepare to adjust all of my year-end rankings to make room for this masterpiece of prog ear candy.

1. "Final Breath" (4:04) opens with some ominous incidental noises and sustained notes before an old player piano and synth exchange supporting melody lines. Pulsing synth bass and other instruments slowly gather around until drums declare the song to be in the style of Pink Floyd, not a cinematic soundtrack. (8/10)

2. "Light Years" (7:33) opens with a strumming 12-string not unlike George Harrison's infamous "My Sweet Lord" before a somewhat cheesy upper register electric guitar melody line joins in--introducing and, later, mirroring the vocal melody line. Drawn out over minutes it becomes a little tedious. The second solo guitar line added at 3:25 is no better. The vocal could very well come from Fish--especially his more rock oriented solo stuff-even his album of the very same year, A Feast of Consequences. Nothing very special here, though the unusual 'second song' that begins at the 6:20 mark is a bit more original and a notch more interesting. (7/10)

3. "Silhouette" is an epic masterpiece. Thirteen to nineteen song threads woven together into one long story have an atmospheric quality that captivates the listener even through the heavier sections. The opening two sections ("i. Silence Can Be Deafening, Part 1" [6:47] and it's companion, "ii. Welcome to Your Nightmare" [3:16]) are so hypnotic, so comfortingly, beautifully engaging, as to lay the groundwork for the totality of the 67 minutes.

"iii. Where Were You?" (12:01) has such awesome, pleading and floating vocals over Floydian rhythm tracks with Dave Gilmour/Mirek Gil-like lead guitar play. Could anyone sing "It's in my head" with any more feeling and vulnerable power than Pete Trewavas? Awesome lead guitar play in "iv. The Loging [7:48].

"v. The Morphlux" [3:12] is interesting for it's departure from the flow and synth domination of the previous 30-minutes. Oud, acoustic guitar and hand drums lay down the base for the theatrical whispering Genesis-like Gabriel vocal. Once the rock instruments bash their way in the song rollicks along with a relentlessness that is just awesome! All-out vocals and Hackett- like guitar leads carry this song to prog heaven!

The sudden and complete switching of gears at the transition into "vi. I Am Haunted" [2:51] is interesting if a bit off-setting. Then, just as suddenly, we enter into a reprise of the opening themes with "vii. What Do You Want?" [2:04] only this one amped up with two channels of prig-heavenly lead guitars, which, then transitions rather (too) quickly into the atmospheric four-part "viii. The Seventh Sign [7:01], a very Pink Floyd Wall-era sounding song, complete with a Gilmour-rivaling solo. Suddenly we find ourselves back in the Morphlux theme with the disturbing effect of multiple vocals vying for our attention ("ix. The Second Coming of The Morphlux" [3:08]) before fading/floating us back into the awesomeness of the soundscape of Silence Can Be Deafening (Part 2) [5:13]--though a decidedly more echo-y and atmospheric version. This, however, allows the drum play to stand out much more--and awesome is that drum play as it builds and plays with Pete Trewavas' excellently layered synthesizer extravaganza and Eric's beautiful Mirek Gil-like guitar leads. By the time we flow into the exquisite nine-minute instrumental "Music for The End Credits of an Existence" we are wondering how much longer these guys can maintain this high level of inspiration, creativity, and emotional output. Incredible! The final 100 seconds of "The Clock Strikes November" teases us with a little ditty from The Morphlux themes in order to try to bring some closure to this amazing sonic journey. Perfect!

I cannot imagine someone not enjoying this song! Even my wife keeps chiming in to ask who's singing, who is this playing, what are they singing so beautifully about? I have even found myself pushing replay while working with this song in the background--and been curious enough to follow the lyrics through an entire listening. Is it a ghost story or a story about a lost part of life, an older identity, a past life, a look back into the past at an older version of one's self or another? It's no matter. It's gorgeous, composed, performed and sung with heartfelt emotion and excellent, excellent engineering and mixing. Kudos, Pete, Eric and helpers. Thank you for keeping beautiful progressive rock alive--ney, giving it a great booster shot of fresh life! I am ever so grateful!!