I first heard TPT in 2003 when their 3rd album Variations On A Dream was released and I've been a fan ever since. In those days the band's music was more on the psychedelic/space side of prog. I've followed leader Bruce Soord and the band over the years, and have enjoyed their music immensely. There have been many personnel changes, but the core members, Bruce Soord-vocals, guitars and keyboards, John Sykes-bass & backing vocals, and keyboardist Steve Kitch solidified with the 2005 release 10 Stories Down. I've watched the band grow and move into many different musical realms, from psyche/space, and into darker melancholy realms with long extended songs, which often featured lots of mellotron and borderline psychotic lyrics from Soord. Their musical direction kept evolving into different realms and started to change into a more alternate and more acoustic/electric guitar direction with 2010's Someone Here Is Missing. Soord's often frightening lyrics also began to mellow, although melancholy despair was and still is present. I often wondered why Soord, this great singer/songwriter and his band were so obscure? Longtime drummer Keith Harrison departed in 2013. Dan Osborne had a three year run on drums from 2013-2016, and again the band was left with no percussionist. The band then employed Porcupine Tree/King Crimson drummer Gavin Harrison as a session guest for the 2016 release Your Wilderness. IMO I believe Gavin's fame brought more notice to the band. In 2017 Gavin toured with the band and played on that year's live album Where We Stood, which gained the band more new fans. GH became a full-time band member in 2017. And finally after over 20 years this great band has been warmly received by more and more alternate/prog lovers. For years I wished I could have seen the band perform live, and that dream came true in 2019 during their first American Tour. Now we come to their new 13th studio album release, Versions of the Truth. I won't review it as a whole, I just want to bring it the PE members because the band is not spoken of much on this forum. No more extended songs, 7 minutes is the longest, however IMO each song is a winner. Still very proggish and alternate, a fine balance again IMO. Beautiful songs very well recorded and produced. At first listen it didn't grab me. But I was floored upon 2nd listening. Bruce Soord's talent has not diminished, he's just honed down the band a bit more to appeal to more music ears. Give it a try, as I think it's one of this years best in alternate/prog.
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