A sprawling “God And War” opens with acapella church choir, before getting down to the big issue with smooth, heartfelt, and yet powerful vocals, and a hook that gets under your skin.
The timely “The New American” oozes quality, whilst “Inspiration”, has neat west coast touches. “Sometimes When You Win” brings this high quality album to an end. If you don’t get it in one play, go round again and this album will open out before your eyes, or ears.
More information can be found on the band's official website.
Presto Ballet – The Lost Art Of Time Travel (ProgRock Records, 2008)
The title of this album summarises the aims of Metal Church guitarist Kurdt Vanderhood almost perfectly. With this album his side project Presto Ballet seem to prove that they haven’t lost the art of time travel at all.
Hugely influenced by the early work of Genesis, Yes, and Kansas, Kurdt has aimed right at the heart of classic seventies progressive rock, and scores a bullseye. This is only the second release from the project following 2005’s excellent Peace Among The Ruins.
Those self-confessed influences above leave tantalizing glimpses of the familiar amid a freshness that makes this album work on every level. Hard driven progressive music, classic keys, quality musicianship, and melodies aplenty are all here in abundance.
With Kurdt covering guitar of course, Presto Ballet are completed by the impressive vocals of Scott Albright, drummer Bill Raymond, bass player Izzy Rehaume, and the prominent keys of Ryan McPherson.
It’s those keys that show that the art of time travel is indeed not lost, not on this band at least. The album is all the richer for its use of classic analogue synths, Hammond, mellotron, and other genuine seventies touches.
This will grab hold of the attentions of not just the prog fans old enough to remember what a lot of this is based on, but also those across the generations. The key drenched “The Mind Machine” opens the door in an eleven minute spiraling melodic prog epic.
“Thieves” is the track that Yes never quite wrote, rich in melody it has Scott sounding uncannily Jon Anderson-like. “You’re Alive” is a smooth acoustically melodic interlude between the scale of all that stands around it.
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