Transatlantic - Kaleidoscope

Published January 30 2014

*=Staff's pick	Into The Blue: I. Overture II. The Dreamer And The Healer III. A New Beginning IV: Written In Your Heart V: The Dreamer And The Healer (Reprise) Shine Black As The Sky* Beyond The Sun Kaleidoscope: I: Overture II: Ride The Lightning III: Black Gold IV: Walking The Road V: Desolation Days VI: Lemon Looking Glass VII: Ride The Lightning (Reprise)

Genre	Progressive Rock	Neal Morse	Vocals
Tracks	5	Neal Morse	Ac. Guitar
Running time	76 Min.	Roine Stolt	El. Guitar
Label	InsideOut	Pete Trewavas	Bass
Release	27 January 2014	Mike Portnoy	Drums
Country	USA, Sweden, England	Neal Morse	Keyboard
Producer	Transatlantic
Similar artists	---

Additional personnel: Chris Carmichael (cello), Rich Mouser (pedal steel guitar) and Daniel Gildenlöw ( vocals). Additional vocals by Roine Stolt and Mike Portnoy. Additional keyboards by Roine Stolt.

A metalhead taking on progressive rock? Well, what the hell. This is the way I see this album and this is my viewpoint only. Take it for what it is or just quit reading right away. I start writing this shit while I'm listening to this release for the eighth time, so I don't take things lightly, no matter what comes out of my speakers.

Kaleidoscope contains two immensely long tracks divided into five and seven parts respectively, joined by two ballads and one rock song. To me this is rather tedious rock music with too many pieces involved where things just don't happen. The record has many nifty plays that stuns me, but it seems like time stands still occasionally in between them and even if I find it rather peaceful, I can't connect.

A somewhat ordinary pace overflows this album and I must admit that I find it hard to accept songs with lengths of twenty-five and thirty-two minutes. It takes extreme variation, rapid tempo changes and powerful vocals that's able to crack the sky, to take the songs to different and higher levels. Although some of the listed stuff definitely is included, I can't say that these two pieces pass the test, as I don't find them epic enough to catch my full attention.

Fortunately there's an absence of rapid scales and the performances throughout the record may be classy, but I require more when I listen to an album and I think that the ability to write smashing songs that sticks like glue has been lost in the jungle of pretty complex progressive rock. Although the vocals are all right, they are given limited room in favor of long parts of things that seem to have been demoed during jam sessions and also all kinds of plays to complete the experience.

My best guess is that this effort won't speak to the masses. It takes will and excitement from a fan to this type of music or a very patient person to inhale all that's presented during these seventy-six minutes. To the ordinary listener, this one probably won't stand a chance to complete success. In my opinion this is neither good or bad and therefore it lands at a decent rate of 5 chalices.

Performance	Originality	Production	Vocals	Songwriting
7	6	7	6	5

Summary
5 chalices of 10 - Tobbe