Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Following on from the acclaimed album The Whirlwind, the four members of Transatlantic, Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy, Roine Stolt and Pete Trewavas, have once again got together to produce something that is so compelling, so like the Progressive Rock of old and yet new, exciting and in the case of two of the longer tracks, daring musical storytelling.

Kaleidoscope is no child’s toy in which to amaze and bamboozle a young mind, it is the stuff of art, the aural version of the stimulating effect on brain and eye that anybody can appreciate if they take the time to immerse themselves into fully. The album is a voyage of musical discovery, of the art of exploring the world without a map to guide you throughout the ins and outs of notes played as if you will never see the like again; a once in a lifetime effect, hardly ever repeated, just like a Kaleidoscope with a million images at its disposal.

With the album starting and culminating with two lengthy tracks, Into The Blue and the album title track, there is so much time in which to close your eyes and let the power of music fuel the imagination to the point of bursting point.

What makes the album so distinctive is the feel that the four men have together in the studio. No egos to stroke, just plain wonderful musicianship by four men who adore the genre in which they are performing. This adoration is clear in the track Kaleidoscope. At a shade under 32 minutes, the concentration levels would be tested on both performer and listener but in the hands of true professionals concentration is never questioned, it just becomes even more persuasive.

There are many times a band will place within the jewel case a bonus set of songs or a D.V.D. to apparently further enhance the listener’s experience. Most times the bonus set just gets played the once as becomes more of a hindrance, it sits as lonely as Eleanor Rigby on her seat in the Liverpool back alleys, ignored. For Transatlantic though, the time and care given over to the second disc is as near perfect as the sound that cuts through the air from stereo to ear, the songs are just as interesting, and in a couple of cases as good as the original tracks, as you could ever hope them to be.

One of the Gods of British 70s Rock Elton John surely would be more than impressed with Transatlantic’s version of his seminal song and arguably highlight of his career Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Away from thoughts of the man who made high heeled boots an acceptable piece of fashion accessory in his prime, the listener will feel the blast of utter respect in this version, as damned near gorgeous  as the original, a well captured beauty and with the depth you would expect from four of Progressive Rock’s leading musicians.

As well as Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Transatlantic’s versions of The Moody Blues’ classic Nights In White Satin, a treat in the form of Jeff Lynne’s E.L.O Can’t Get it Out Of My Head and a stunning, utterly splendid cover of The Small Faces track Tin Soldier makes the second disc not just a bonus but a musical windfall, an unexpected pleasure of great music.

Proof, if proof was ever needed, that Progressive Rock is in the finest shape and in the hands of Transatlantic, just exceptional.

Ian D. Hall