Melodic Revolution Records | Feature Album August 2016
Leon Alvarado | The Future Left Behind
Label: Melodic Revolution Records
Release Year: 2016
Country: USA
Genre : Progressive Rock
Band Members
Leon Alvarado – Keyboards/Sequencing/Drums/Percussion/Launch Control Voices
Billy Sherwood – Lead and Rhythm Guitars On All Tracks Except “To Be Loved”
Rick Wakeman – Moog Solo on “The Launch Overture” and Additional Keyboards
Johnny Bruhns – Acoustic Guitar on “To Be Loved”
Steve Thamer – Narration
Contact Links
Leon Alvarado Official Website
Leon Alvarado Official Melodic Revolution Records Profile
Leon Alvarado Official Facebook Page
Leon Alvarado Official Reverbnation Profile
Leon Alvarado Official Youtube Channel
Melodic Revolution Records Official Website
In today’s progressive music climate and culture, it would be arrogant to hold on to the notion that every conceptual album has to have lyrical content to tell a story effectively. Rick Wakeman with ‘Journey To The Centre Of The Earth’ , Kraftwerk with most of their library and even guitar virtuoso’s like Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Eric Johnson have all certainly destroys this ‘Myth’ . Now comes Leon Alvaroado with his soon to be released The Future Left Behind. With a open imagination and a objective mindset, the listener can easily allow the narrative throughout this album to set up the instrumental pieces that flow with such masterful and thoughtful continuity.
Some artists have a very uncanny ability to create their own worlds that invite a true objective listener to become enveloped within that world and carry their minds and souls into a place of brief escape or even a small melodic vacation for the hour or so of the album. Leon Alvarado has done a brilliant job doing this on The Future Left Behind. The album certainly has strong cinematic film score elements that blend in well with all the traditional progressive rock and fusion hallmarks.
Leon Alvarado’s The Future Left Behind, is a conceptual piece that describes what the future of the Earth and humanity maybe. The cinematic elements easily rank up there with legendary science fiction film scores as Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, 2001 A Space Odyssey. At the same time ranking right up there with the likes of Jordan Rudess, Derek Sherinian’s PlanetX, Genius A Metal Opera and Ayreon’s Actual Fantasy. Anchored with a very articulate narrative eloquently spoken by Steve Thamer, Leon Alvarado’s brilliant use of sequencing and effects along with the instrumental melody holds the album within the confines of a consumable audio pallet for both progressive purists or those newer and more curious listeners.
Despite the all star line up on this album, Leon Alvarado in a very tasteful and appropriate way allowed for the respective talents to be displayed while maintaining a unique ability to focus more on strong song structure rather than ego carrying it in its duration. First he paints a clear focus with every narrative piece on the album so the instrumental pieces are magnified ten fold allowing the listener to paint the vivid images of the story in the theater of their minds. The all star line up do a brilliant job working within the vision of Leon Alvarado on this project.
Each instrumental track carries its own emotion and paints some very vivid melodic strokes throughout the album. Every layer of sequencing, every rhythm section and keyboard section has its own broad strokes of audio bliss. This is also a album that can translate well to a live atmosphere in concert on stage. In a era where compressed music is force down the throats of the general public, Leon Alvarado’s The Future Left Behind allows every note, progression and passage to breathe allowing the listener to absorb the project with grace. With every listen and rotation there seems to be something new coming to the light of day or something there that has not been noticed before with previous listens.
In conclusion , Leon Alvarado has made a very intricate and artistic statement without compromising his initial vision. It take a lot of courage and risk to make a almost strictly instrumental conceptual piece. Although they are not for everybody they certainly have a niche audience that wants to sit back, chill and allow the theater of their minds to paint a picture alongside the music. I give Leon Alvarado’s The Future Left Behind a 4.5/5 for complete organic vision. This is set for release on July, 30, 2016 on Melodic Revolution Records.
