Another great discovery I found here on PA. Itīs hard to believe this band is actually from the USA since their sound is deeply rooted in the european tradition of 70īs classic symphonic prog, specially from the UK. And even harder to believe this is only their debut! The level of maturity of this group in terms of performance, songwriting and production is astonishing. Even if most of the stuff was product of vocalist/keyboardist Mike Visaggioīs hands and mind (I heard Powered By Light was sopposed to be released as a solo album), credit must be given to the extraordinaire band members as well. This is, after all, a team work.
Like most symphonic prog albums, Powered By Light charmed me from the start, but not much. It was only after several spins that I was finally hooked and begun to notice all the songs subtle and wonderful details. Those guys really did their homework, for itīs easy to see they have the right influences (ELP, Yes, Genesis, among others, plus some jazz stuff here and there to spice it up) and still they come up with something totally of their own. Every song is a winner and the arrangements are very tasteful. Every musician plays its part at the right moment, resulting a very harmonic sound. They all are skillful but they play for the music, not for showing off.
Itīs ok that Powered By Light is not perfect. Meditation is a five minute acoustic guitar instrumental that clearly does not fit in here, but it doesnīt spoil the overall impact of the album. Highlights are of course the general use of delightful analogic sounding Keyboards that reproduce such vintage instruments like the Hammond organ and the mellotron. As a singer Mike Visaggio may not be not as gifted as on the keys, but what he lacks in range he more than compensates with feeling and conviction. Besides, he does not try to reach notes he is not capable of making his vocal lines very pleasant and emotional. The guitar parts are also very good and creative. The rhythm section is strong and versatile. To top it all, every tracks is simply excellent (all right! meditation is an exception, but it is not bad either). Production is right on the mark, very well done.
Conclusion: an excellent start for this band. I was tempted to give it a five star rating, but I believe that since Powered Bu Light is their first, they will probably try to better this one and I rather wait till I have more of their work to give a fair view of their potential. Anyway, this is a remarkable achievement and Iīm giving it 4,5 stars. I recommended it to anyone who enjoys high caliber symphonic prog rock with lost of fine melodies.
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Thanks! So does KE!
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