This band was put together by Kurt Vanderhoof (Metal Church) with the intention of bringing back the glory days of progressive rock. They state that “Presto Ballet combines the melodic and harmonic old school aspects with the neo progressive rock sound of today,” and that they are bringing back the classical influence in rock and the sense of composition that was so very popular in the early 70s’. Presto Ballet is Neo Classic Progressive Rock.” So, that’s their views, and mostly they manage to hit those points well. That they have been heavily influenced by the likes of Kansas, Deep Purple and Uriah Heep is never in doubt, although the guitars are much heavier and modern sounding. But the one element that did surprise me is the amount of Styx influences that one can hear, both in the vocal melodies and the music itself, although this is far heavier than anything they ever attempted.
The album is packed full of melodic hooks, and although there are a couple of lengthy numbers (including one at fourteen minutes), there is always plenty going on and one is always wondering what turn the race is next going to take. The music is often played at pace, yet never provides the bite that one would expect from the involvement of an old-school thrasher like Kurt. Overall, this is a polished and refined album, but it could have done with just a bit rougher and rawness to make it shine.
