Originally just called Soliloquy, this band was formed by Pete Morten as long ago as 2002, but they have only recently released this their debut album. Some of the reason for it taking so long is that Pete has been playing guitar with Threshold since 2007, but also apart from Damon Roots on drums this ended up being a solo album as Pete provides everything else. However, the band is now back to being a full unit, as they have been joined by Chris Sharp (bass), Andy Berry (keyboards) and Mike Gilpin (guitars, backing vocals). This doesn’t sound as if it was a solo project though, as Pete is a very skilled musician as well as a great singer. True, the keyboards may not be as in your face and dynamic as some prog metal outfits, but the guitars more than make up for that.
Although covering a similar genre to Threshold this is actually quite a different form as there is a lot of space within the arrangements, and not nearly as much intensity. That’s not to say that this album doesn’t belt it out as it does, but there are bits and pieces contained within that almost don’t feel like they belong to the same band as they take the music in a quite different direction. Renowned prog producer Rob Aubrey has taken control of this, and that must have been a deliberate approach to take a step away from Threshold, and give the music a more prog sound as opposed the more metallic that would have come across if he had used Karl.
Overall this is an enjoyable romp, and I certainly didn’t realise that he is such a strong singer. Obviously fans of Threshold are going to be intrigued with this, but if you enjoy any prog metal, especially those that can be lighter in places then this is for you.
www.lasersedgegroup.com
