Melodic Revolution Records is thrilled to announce the upcoming release Chasing the Lesser Light by US Symphonic Prog band Kinetic Element.
Chasing the Lesser Light is a sixty-minute symphonic prog journey through human’s desire to explore space. From the lunar missions of 50 years ago to the present-day planning for a journey to Mars.
Five songs cover the past, present, and future:
1) First Stage (6:15) – contemplating space travel, as we learn to fly high without wings. 2) Chasing the Lesser Light (19:50) – landing on the moon, and seeing the earth as one world. 3) Radio Silence (9:55) – the perils of space travel, with the emotional impact on an astronaut’s son. 4) We Can’t Forget (11:35) – glancing back at the moon, as we look ahead to mars. 5) Door To Forever (15:18) – reopening the door to space travel, and to become the Starman in the sky.
The cover artwork portrays space travel as commonplace with a man in a business suit and helmet, as he observes an Apollo launch that brought a nation and the world together.
Mike Visaggio: Piano, Organ, & Synthesizers Michael Murray: Drums Mark Tupko: Bass Saint. John Coleman: Vocals Peter Matuchniak: Guitars
Track 2, 5, by Mike Visaggio Track 1, 3, by Peter Matuchniak Track 4, by Mike Visaggio and Peter Matuchniak
All arrangements by Kinetic Element Mixed and mastered by Peter Matuchniak Engineered by Michael Murray, Peter Matuchniak Layout and Graphics, Man in the Mountain
Kinetic Element is a neo/symphonic progressive rock band from Richmond, Virginia that harbors musical roots in classic artists like Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Yes, Asia and Genesis and blends those influences with philosophical and spiritually powerful and uplifting lyrics. They are a known act in the prog-rock genre.
Kinetic Element has been invited to perform at the Winters End Festival UK on April 1st, 2023, the band has also performed at many prestigious festival in the past i.e., Prog Day, RoSFest, Progtoberfest, ProgStock, in the USA and Terra Incognita in Canada
Let Go” is a new collection of songs written and recorded by multi-instrumentalist Matt Dorsey. Stylistically it stands as a blend of all the artists and bands that influenced him including, Rush, Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd, XTC, The Police, Peter Gabriel, Steely Dan and more. It can be described as progressive-pop-rock. On it Matt sings and plays guitars, bass, keyboards, percussion and, on two of the songs, the drums. Marco Minnemann provides drums on three tracks and Jonathan Mover on another three. Dave Kerzner performs a keyboard solo that he wrote for one of the songs.
Says Matt, “‘Let Go’ is a collection of songs that cover many aspects of life. I studied philosophy in college and the first song I wrote following my studies was MAN, which is something of a summary of the human condition and a celebration of the mystery and miracle of human existence. Following my college days, I shifted my focus from western to eastern philosophy and you can hear a sense of that influence in the song Echo which expresses a deep connection with all living things. ‘Let Go,’ too, is a reflection of the eastern philosophical tradition expressing a sort of taoist disposition toward the flow of things and a zen-like non-attachment. Waiting for the Fall and Castles Made of Sand are a bit darker, expressing a more existential despair, the one about perpetual failure and the other about the fleeting nature of time. But, to round the album out, Compromise, Dangerous and Impossible Friends are more straight-forward love songs. Life is many things. Art should reflect that. ‘Let Go’ is an album about the philosophy of life.”
The album contains 8 tracks recorded almost entirely at Matt’s home studio in Orange County, except for the drum tracks provided by Minnemann and Mover, and the keyboard solo by Kerzner. The album was mixed by Matt and mastered by Andy VanDette. The album artwork was created by Ed Unitsky.
Best known as a founding member of Sound of Contact, he has also played with Beth Hart, Dave Kerzner, In Continuum, and most recently with the all-star progressive rock cover band ProgJect.
Says Matt, “I hope those who listen to my music actually get something meaningful or useful out of it, even if it’s just the enjoyment of the rhythms and melodies or the tapping of the foot. If one gleans anything more deeply significant, all the better. If I’m honest, I write and play music entirely for the sheer joy of it. I guess that’s a bit selfish to say. That said, I know there is power in music, to be sure, and it can move people in very potent ways. I feel privileged to be a part of that. I guess to sum it up my message is simply, life is extraordinary and we would do well to look longer and more carefully at it.”
Track List:
1. Castles Made of Sand 2. Compromise 3. Waiting for the Fall 4. Man 5. Impossible Friends 6. Echo 7. Let Go 8. Dangerous
Christian Progressive Rock FromFort Walton Beach, Florida.
Newcomers, Ascher, premiered their video, ‘The Great Divide’, to promote the first single from their upcoming debut album, Beginnings, today. The performance video was edited in black and white and features the members of Ascher interspersed with several anonymous clips that help convery the message of the song.
The Great Divide was written by Doug Bowers to convey feelings he had concerning friendships ‘lost along the way’. The lyric, “Time is not the enemy – Does not provide the wait-and-see” is the writer’s way of saying that that the passage of time time cannot be blamed for the loss of a friendship and it doesn’t necessarily heal all wounds. It is up to the individual to keep relationships alive. The song came about late in the writing sessions for the album, ‘Beginnings’, and each band member’s contributions during the recording sessions made the song the standout piece that it is.
‘The Great Divide’ is currently available as a digital download at Ascher’s Bandcamp site. The page also contains the song’s lyrics. Vocals and lead guitars were recorded remotely by Kyle Graves and Rob Perez respectively with the bulk of the song recorded at Berwood South in Fort Walton Beach by Doug Bowers. The song was mixed and mastered by Doug Bowers at Berwood South.
The Great Divide is the first single from the album, Beginnings.
THE GREAT DIVIDE LYRICS
Here in the shadows of a self-made reality, the product of all I have known Built from assurance that the life out in front of me was all that my mind’s eye was shown
Here, now, we never thought to figure in the how Gaze, smile, this moment will be gone in just a while, just a while
Reaching for promise while lost in the innocence of youthful dreams so far, so neatly placed No thought of the notion that a hat tip to common sense might help ease the future that I faced
Youth, haste, too much to do to let time go to waste Friends lost, in moving on I didn’t count the cost
Time is not the enemy, does not provide the wait and see We all must face the truth to heal our wounds The great divide will only grow if left unchecked the seeds we sew Will bind us
Left to my thoughts and consumed by the arrogance of a life well lived, the product of my goals Behind me the paths that might have been my inheritance, untrod, my unfulfilling roles
Truth, lies, the compass I create I will despise Give, take, the moment won’t exist for its own sake
Time is not the enemy, does not provide the wait and see We all must face the truth to heal our wounds The great divide will only grow if left unchecked the seeds we sew Will bind us
A message from a long-lost friend arrived yesterday In it, I heard faint echoes from my past The great divide with no amend had led us astray If only time could make that friendship last
But, time is not the enemy, does not provide the wait and see We all must face the truth to heal our wounds The great divide will only grow if left unchecked the seeds we sew Will yield the vines that grow, surround, and bind us
Song Credits
Music and Lyrics by Doug Bowers Recorded by Doug Bowers, Rob Perez, and Kyle Graves Mixed and mastered by Doug Bowers
Ascher is:
Doug Bowers: Keyboards, Rhythm Guitar, Bass Guitar, Percussion Programming, Lead and Backing Vocals Blake Dickeson: Acoustic and Electric Rhythm Guitars Rob Perez: Lead Guitar Kyle Graves: Lead and Backing Vocals
RIVERSIDE are set to begin their worldwide touring campaign for “ID.Entity” this Friday, Feb 17th in Tampa, Fl. The tour takes them across North America thru March. Ticket info: https://riversideband.pl/en/gigs
RIVERSIDE – “ID.Entity” – Live 2023:
RIVERSIDE new studio album “ID.Entity” managed to appear in various international sales charts as follows:RIVERSIDE – “ID.Entity” – Chart Positions: Germany: # 4 Poland: # 2 Switzerland: # 6 The Netherlands: # 9 Finland: # 14 Austria: # 22 Belgium: # 97 France: # 155 UK: # 89 UK / Rock Charts: # 3 USA / Top New Artist Albums: # 7 USA / Current Album Sales: # 61 USA / Hard Music Albums: # 9 USA / Current Rock Albums: # 20
“ID.Entity”, the group’s 8th studio album was recorded and mixed in two studios – The Boogie Town Studio in Otwock with Paweł Marciniak and in Serakos studio in Warsaw with Magda and Robert Srzedniccy -, mastered by Robert Szydło and produced by RIVERSIDE’s Mariusz Duda himself. The “ID.Entity” artwork was created by Polish artist Jarek Kubicki. Order “ID.Entity” in its various formats here: https://riverside.lnk.to/IDEntity
RIVERSIDE – “ID.Entity” (53:11) Tracklist: 1. Friend or Foe? (07:29) 2. Landmine Blast (04:50) 3. Big Tech Brother (07:24) 4. Post-Truth (05:37) 5. The Place Where I Belong (13:16) 6. I’m Done With You (05:52) 7. Self-Aware (8:43)
The bonus material appearing on “ID.Entity” includes the instrumental tracks “Age of Anger” (11:56) and “Together Again” (06:29) as well as “Friend or Foe? (Single Edit)” (05:59) and “Self-Aware (Single Edit)” (05:29).
RIVERSIDE line-up: (From left to right on photo by Radek Zawadzki) Michał Łapaj – keyboards and Hammond Organ Mariusz Duda – vocal, bass Maciej Meller – guitar Piotr Kozieradzki – drums
TRANSATLANTIC – the Prog Supergroup of Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy, Roine Stolt & Pete Trewavas – are set to release the new concert set ‘The Final Flight: Live At L’Olympia’ on Friday, February 17th, 2023. It was recorded and filmed in France on the last stop of a tour to promote the band’s fifth and most audacious album to date, ‘The Absolute Universe’. This was the multinational group’s first outing in eight years.
Watch the live clip for ‘We All Need Some Light’, originally featured on the bands debut album, here:
Watch the band performing ‘Owl Howl’, a highlight from ‘The Absolute Universe’ album, here: https://youtu.be/7kHEtZNPtsQ
Released in February 2021 to unanimous praise, ‘The Absolute Universe’ came in two alternate formats; an abridged 64-minute record known as ‘The Breath Of Life’, and a companion piece entitled ‘Forevermore’ that added a further four songs, clocking in at an hour and a half. Though the foundations of both were shared, each format featured lyrics and music independent of the other.
However, when Transatlantic finally hit the road they opted to perform a third format of the album, a full-bells-and-whistles, 96-minute Blu-ray culmination of both takes known as ‘The Ultimate Edition’ that had been released in 5.1 surround sound. Following that segment of the show Transatlantic took a short intermission and returned to the stage for a rollercoaster trawl through the remainder of their lavish catalogue. From the first note of ‘Overture (The Absolute Universe)’ through to the medley based around the first two Transatlantic albums that closes the evening, the performance comprised 3 hours of music in total.
“Ever since the start of this band we have played for three hours, so that’s something we’re all used to,” states drummer Mike Portnoy, who grins whilst describing his own experience as “butt-numbing”. However, Roine Stolt is ready to admit that this time felt very slightly different.
“It was a great tour,” acknowledges the guitarist and multi-musician, “but when you include our spot at Morsefest [where besides performing ‘The Absolute Universe’ the band also revisited their 2009 album ‘The Whirlwind’ and revised a cover of Procol Harum’s ‘In Held (’Twas) In I’ that had featured on their debut from 2000, ‘SMPTe’] I felt the challenge of learning, or re-learning, three-and-a-half hours of music before leaving Sweden. Now that I am getting slightly older, I was a little worried about playing for that long – it requires a lot of concentration: ‘Is this one in 7/8 or 9/8? Maybe we’ll play it in 13/8 and in a different key?’ But of course, once we got out there onto the stage, those thoughts went straight out of the window.”
With a chuckle, vocalist and keyboard wizard Neal Morse reveals that as the tour found its feet Transatlantic threw an additional curveball. “We started playing songs slightly differently to the way you’ve heard them on ‘The Ultimate Edition”, he grins. “So what you get with this live album is similar, but essentially it’s a fourth version [of the record]. When you play live, from night to night it helps to keep things fresh by jamming a bit and changing things up as you go. There are a few examples of that, for instance, the beginning of the last section that starts with ‘Belong’ is quite different than the record – partly because we couldn’t remember it! So we made up a new structure.”
“We’re always as well prepared as we can be but in a way Transatlantic is kind of a show band” points out bassist Pete Trewavas. “Playing alongside Mike who is a powerhouse on the drums, there is this raw power. If he wants to raise the energy that’s what we do. We’re all taking solos here and there, though we get the songs across we’re all showing off as much as we can”.
Filmed by Paul Green (who also shot their ‘Whirld Tour 2010: Live in London release), and mixed by longtime collaborator Rich Mouser, this set will be available as a Special Edition 3CD+Blu-ray Digipak (incl. 5.1 surround sound) & as a Gatefold 180g 4LP release. Both feature artwork by Thomas Ewerhard & photos by Nidhal Marzouk.
1. The Absolute Universe Intro 2. Overture 3. Reaching For The Sky 4. Higher Than The Morning 5. The Darkness In The Light 6. Take Now My Soul 7. Bully 8. Rainbow Sky 9. Looking For The Light 10. The World We Used To Know 11. MP Intro 12. The Sun Comes Up Today 13. Love Made A Way (Prelude) 14. Owl Howl 15. Solitude 16. Belong 17. Lonesome Rebel 18. Can You Feel It 19. Looking For The Light (Reprise) 20. The Greatest Story Never Ends 21. Love Made A Way 22. The Whirlwind Suite 23. NM & RS Intro 24. We All Need Some Light 25. The Final Medley
Line-Up (on this recording): Neal Morse – Keyboards, Acoustic Guitar & Vocals Mike Portnoy – Drums & Vocals Roine Stolt – Guitar & Vocals Pete Trewavas – Bass & Vocals
With:
Ted Leonard – Guitar, Keyboards, Percussion & Vocals
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