I think I’m right in saying that this album was intended to be a Jim Matheos solo album, but with Mike Portnoy. However, with the recruitment of Portnoy’s ex-Dream Theater band mate Kevin Moore, the project took on a whole different vibe. If you have heard Moore’s Chroma Key project, he has a very cool vocal style where he layers his own voice. This style is also used here.
This is a kick-ass record with a very familiar groove and vibe in places, and then there are abrupt left turns that make this a wonderful musical experience. Yup, it’s Prog metal with Matheos providing very heavy riffs and Portnoy doing what he does the best with exceptional grooves and beats. It’s Moore that makes this album superb, as his vocals and melodies are left field. OSI, the track, is quite a heavy beast with a killer riff and groove. When You’re Ready is the complete opposite as Moore’s vocals and keys create a very sinister vibe. Horseshoes And B52’s has this heavy repeating groove that gives way to just a bass pattern and atmospheric keys before it builds back with the addition of drums. Great tune!
Head follows, and again we have this heavy repeating riff and groove with some superb sampled beats and weirdness from Moore. It’s these delicate groovy sections that I really get off on. Hello Helicopter starts with acoustic guitar and a huge Floyd vibe that the song floats along on. Shutdown is over ten minutes of Prog excellence. This track is huge in every way. It builds a very dramatic soundscape with Moore’s vocals having an eerie vibe, with added inclusion of Steven Wilson on bv’s. Dirt From A Holy Place feels like a track that Yes or Genesis would come up with but with a very modern approach and added heavy guitars.
Memory Daydream Lapses is a total electronic fan’s dream. Standby closes out the album and it’s a return to those Floyd vibes. There are three bonus tracks with a crushing cover of Pink Floyd’s Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun, Neil Young’s New Mama, and The Thing That Never Was which is over seventeen minutes of prog joy. This is a a wonderful record and is a must have.
10/10 from The Grooveman.
