2004-09-14
The group Transatlantic is the modern prog fan wildest dream. The group contains 4 players, each one also plays as a part of an elite modern prog band. Transatlantic is a supergroup that includes Dream theaters drummer Mike Portnoy, Ex Spock’s beard lead singer and keyboardist Neal Morse, The flower kings’s guitar player Roine Stolt and Marillions Bass player Pete Trevawas.
The original concept for the supergroup was suggested by Mike Portnoy, and was originally planned for himself, Neal morse and Jim matheos (Fates warning guitarist).
After Jim had to cancel his participation Neal and Mike turned to Roine stolt (which Neal already corresponding with by e-mail) and Pete Trevawas (Mike has been a big fan of Marillion for years)
“Bridge Across Forever” is the second album by Transatlantic and contains 4 tracks that together are composed into and hour and 15 minuets of beautiful fascinating prog music.
Three out of the four tracks (“Duel with the devil”, “Suit charlotte pike” and “Stranger in your soul”)
Share motives which come and go throughout the songs in various tempos and keys ,and gives the feeling of a concept album.
The album is very much influenced by the Beatles, pink floyd, and a bit of king crimson any now and then. The album fits better in the classic prog genre then in the prog metal genre.
The album opens with a track named “Duel with the devil”, length of 26 minuets.
The song opens up to the sound of the cello and the rollercoaster of sounds begin and go through the entire album. The song contains five parts and each one holds a motive that later on will come back in different variations. The song originally was written by neal morse. Throughout the song you can actually feel as you leave Neal Morses music and go through the flower kings’s experience as you are lead by Portnoy’s energetic rhythms and tempos, all along he is companied with Pete’s tight bass line.
The second part, “Suit charlotte pike” is a Beatles style track, a tribute for the “suite abbey road”, which in both cases the track was named after the studio in which it was recorded.
The track started as a jam session in order to come up with new ideas and you can actually hear the band making jokes at the beginning of the track.
The second part of the song is characterized in a kind of Beach Boys meets the Beatles vocal harmonies and the part is lead by Roine Stolt amazing guitar solos which leads us into a whole other place without us even noticing we’re moving ‘till we get there, and suddenly everything around us is changed.
The third track is titled “Bridge across forever”, a slow moving ballade by Neal morse, piano and vocals only.
The forth track “Stranger in your soul” (lengthen about 30 min) Is a track by Mike portnoy and his favorite track in the album. Is starts with the same cello that opens the album and we suddenly understand how far we’ve gotten since the beginning of the album and we are filled with loving memories of the music gone by as we feel right back at home.
The album gives our ear an hour and 15 min of melodic, catchy easy going tunes full of inspiration and even though the tracks are long they are forever fresh to the ears.
Listening to the album you can hear five different bands playing, a little bit of each home band of the musicians and a whole lot of Transatlantic. Each one of the players is shown worthy of this great supergroup, in this album everybody play, everybody writes and everybody sing.
A great, refreshing interesting and energetic album, a ‘must have” to all prog fans.
Roy Povarchik
