SMPT:E

Although I find the extended opening and closing tracks a bit rambling, they do contain some very good prog-rock bits. However, the three independent tracks are all much more cohesive, and have clear internal direction. My New World sounds a bit like U.K., but in a good way. And Mystery Train has become one of my favorite prog-rock songs by any band. Considering that these guys had never played together before - and that they wrote and recorded the album in 10 days - it is a remarkable effort.

This is one of the most talked about albums this year. It's a super- group that has been planned since 1998 that we can hear on this newly released CD. The original line-up consisted of Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER), Jim Matheos of FATES WARNING, Neal Morse of SPOCK'S BEARD and Pete Trewavas of MARILLION. Roine Stolt of the FLOWER KINGS later replaced Jim Matheos. The final result is an outstanding album by one of the most interesting progressive super-groups ever, featuring four of the genre's most talented musicians. Judging by the music you get the impression that Neal Morse and Roine Stolt have had the biggest influence on the project. The music is very close to both SPOCK'S BEARD and The FLOWER KINGS. Of course there's a lot of reminiscences to DREAM THEATER and MARILLION too, but not that obvious. The music is very 70's influenced and you often get to think about The BEATLES/Paul McCartney, ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA, Peter Gabriel era GENESIS, JETHRO TULL, KING CRIMSON, PINK FLOYD, STEELY DAN and YES. Both Neal Morse and Roine Stolt have great characteristic voices. Neal has laid a lot of beautiful Hammond organ throughout the whole album and it reminds you of SPOCK'S BEARD. Some might say that Roine Stolt's guitar playing is very reminiscent to Steve Howe of YES, but I have always claimed that Roine is one of Sweden's best guitarists with his own unique style and sound. You instantly know that it's Roine when you hear his guitar and that is the case on this album too. Most surprisingly is Mike Portnoy's drum playing on this album! It's far away from what he's playing in DREAM THEATER and he's approaching the music in a more melodic way. The tracks range from 5:45 to 30:59 minutes. The highlights are the thirty- minute epic masterpiece "All Of The Above" that is built up of six shorter parts and "My New World". The closing track is a cover of the old Procul Harum track "In Held ('Twas) In I" from their album "Shine On Brightly" (1968). Although this is a very "retro" sounding album, TRANSATLANTIC will end up as one of the best releases of 2000. Highly recommended, especially to lovers of The FLOWER KINGS, GENESIS, SPOCK'S BEARD and YES! If you don't already have the album you have no excuse for not buying it. They've already plans for a second album. I can't wait!

Take SPOCK'S BEARD, The FLOWER KINGS, MARILLION and add the drum clinic of Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER) all together and you have TRANSATLANTIC. "SMPTE" is a superb album full of energy and creativity with some smashing musical moments. They even pull off PROCOL HARUM's classic "In Held (Twas) In I" from "Shine On Brightly" which has always been one of my fav's... of course nothing can replace the original, but these lads do a great rendition. Roine Stolt adds some lovely guitar and mellotron work which always make my heart go giggy-up. Mike Portnoy's drums are excellent as you would expect and sounds superb against Trewavas' comanding bass lines. Neal MORSE as always brings some tremendous energy and quality to the album. Opening track is a 30 min epic "All Of The Above" which covers a wide spectrum and is a great way to kick off the album.

Put together the talented guitar performing by Roine STOLT from THE FLOWER KINGS, the majestic drums of Mr. Mike PORTNOY from progmetal band DREAM THEATER, the gifted keyboards execution by Neal MORSE and outstanding MARILLION's bassist Pete TREWAVAS and what you get in return? TRANSATLANTIC. These great musicians definitely pulled this project off with this gathering by combining the correct ingredients, by mixing the precise formula and by releasing "SMPT:E". Each one of these marvelous guys brought a lil' something into it, and by that I mean they absolutely forgot about their rolls they play on their actual bands. It ain't a sketchy blend of a lil' pinch of MARILLION there or a lil' smidge of SPOCK'S BEARD there, no! this is an original creation, a unique revealing prog warp to new horizons (you can call me overreacting, but that's just the way I feel about this material).

I don't see TRANSATLANTIC as another "for the old times" get gathering, this is indeed the result of an arduous work in the studio since I believe it must've been pretty difficult for these guys to connect in the first place, but once on track and from the get go, this record explains itself. "All of the above" is an incomparable prog suite that shows us that it's not all about long drum solos and hypnotic strident guitars; this song may appear endless to you once you pop the cd in, but you gotta go along without blinking and believe me, you'll be amazed by the end of it and asking for seconds. I think this could be the beginning of something huge, and I'm hoping that right after "Live in America" and "Live in Europe", the SMPT:E experience will be taken to a whole different level. Let it be more TRANSATLANTIC ladies and gentlemen.

Prog for a new millennium

If there was any doubt at the start of the new millennium that prog would continue to flourish, along came Transatlantic to reassure us that all we well. As the label on the box says, this supergroup features (ex) members of Dream Theater, Marillion, Spock's Beard, and The Flower Kings.

The album consists of just five tracks, yet it lasts well over 70 minutes. "All of the above" contributes almost half of this time, being a 31 minute epic. For reference purposes, the track has 6 sections, but it is very much a single piece. All four members get writing credits, but its primarily a Neal Morse composition. The track is pure prog from start to finish, guitar solos, keyboard breaks, time changes, the lot!

A couple of shorter (i.e. under 7 minutes!) tracks follow, both again Morse contributions. "We all need some light" is a softer song, almost a ballad, while "Mystery Train" is probably the most commercial track on the album. The final two tracks are Roinne Stolt's "My new world", another great prog piece, and finally a cover of Procol Harum's "In held ('twas) in I". I've always loved the original version of this, and this new version is pretty faithful, apart from some lyrics spoken on the original being sung here. It doesn't therefore really improve upon the 30 year old piece, but it is good to hear it again.

The album is slightly lighter than Spock's Beard, less jazz influenced than The Flower Kings, less metallic than Dream Theater, and generally happier than Marillion. The band was always intended to be a side project for the members, and with it now apparently disbanded, we at least have a legacy of two superb studio albums.

Prog rock that is almost too perfect for my liking.Everything is a exactly where it should be.Everything is well played.Everything is nice and melodic.No real innovation or anything that could be considered new though.Transatlantic try very hard to be 'all things to all men' but at the end of the day this is just a little bland for my liking.Can't really criticise it though if I'm being objective.

Transatlantic is like a dream team in almost any sport game. It consists of those considered among the best musicians in the progressive rock field -- Roine Stolt (The Flower Kings), Neal Morse (Spock's Beard), Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater) and Pete Trewavas (Marillion). No wonder, they have been labeled as "supergroup".

But they successfully prove themselves to be more than just supergroup on paper -- they manage to actually deliver beautifully crafted music as if they have been playing together for years. This album is amazing effort regarding the fact that they put the session together rather quickly.

Yes, one may find that the influences of 1970s progressive bands as well as elements of each member's original band are too obvious. These impressions, however, should not overshadow the pivotal fact that as a group they manage to merge those influence and elements in such a way so that the result, the music they jointly crafted, sounds theirs - - even fresh.

Look no farther than the first track, a 30-plus-minute epic "All of the Above". Listen to it with open mind. Those who know each member's original band well would easily find, between its grandiose yet tight arrangement, Stolt guitar playing which has been among the trademarks of The Flower Kings, Morse voices and keyboard touch which was significant during his tenure with Spock's Beard, Portnoy's signature drumming as magical as in Dream Theater, and Trewavas insightful bass playing usually found in Marillion's work. One should also not disagree that it deserves to stand among the best progressive rock music ever written.

Three original compositions follow and guarantee to bring new level of excitement to the listeners' ears: the uplifting "We All Need Some Light", the imaginative "Mystery Train" and another epic "My New World". As if they are not enough, a cover of the Procol Harum material "In Held (Twas In I)" added as a fantastic closing enjoyment.

Surely, this album has the right to claim a place among the masterpieces.

It seems like a dream come true, the new supergroup of prog (like ELP) filled with brilliant musicians, and long epics ... but ... It does not sound very interesting nor groundbreaking ... it sounds like mainstream progressive rock mixed with the Spock's Beard sound.

All of The Above 8/10 Starts this album, and it is a very solid epic that tries hard to be another Close to the Edge ... The problem? While the musicianship is superb ... Well, the song does not excite me a lot. It is missing three things for me (that usually is the problem with neoprog except for FLower Kings) : creativity, soul, and excitement. IT feels a little bland for me.

We All Need Some Light 7.5/10 : This is a pretty ballad with great acoustic work and vocal harmonies.

Mystery Train 8/10 : Excellent short song that really rocks. Many don't seem to like this track though, I may be in the minority. Download it in this site and judge it.

My New World 9/10 : Easily the best song from Transatlantic. IT has the spirit of the Flower Kings and feels like a "Heart Of The Sunrise II" ... while I have a little of a dislike toward some of the bombastic sections close to the end, This is a very satisfying epic with a great introduction, good vocal harmonies and guitar work, and yes ... exciting!.

In Held ('twas) in I 8.5/10 : This is the a strong epic, but flows badly ... but what I like about it, is that it is more exciting than All of The Above. Of course, like all tracks in Transatlantic, the musicianship is very good.

So, this is a very solid album that could have been better if it could have been more emotional and exciting like what you would hear in "The Flower Kings" and Neal Morse's solo work.

My Grade : B+

I'm inclined to consider this album as a masterpiece of prog rock as the composition (arrangements and structure), songwriting, musicianship and overall performance are truly top notch. The only thing I'm facing is the overall structure of the album which I think needs some improvements because as an album it does not seem cohesive even on some segments of the epic track there is a bit of misaligned flow. One thing for sure, I always ask this question: "Is there any compelling reason why it must be a 31 minute long for an epic? Does the story require the epic consume that long? Or, was it due to musician ego to create something that truly prog by creating a song as lengthy as possible?". Having all of these questions in my mind every time I listen to this debut album, so that means I still have something missing to give this album with a well rounded five stars. An excellent album is a definite one!

The copy that I have on my hands is a pre-ordered 2 CD set with enhanced bonus CD. My chief reason to buy this enhanced version was the booklet which usually excellent - indeed, it is - and the special CD package. I was not eager to have the bonus CD because based on my experience it contains 'not so good' material - indeed, it is with this package. The extended booklet contains 32 pages full with colorful picture and lyrics. That's on the physical part; the most interesting thing is on the story behind the making of the album as the band members commented that most communication were done through the net because the members coming from different continents. It was okay for them but when it comes to artwork and final mixing, they found some difficulties. The situation was worsen with the facts that three members (Mike, Neal and Roine) were also leaders of their respective home grown band. You can imagine how the arguments were flowing around them. No wonder, after the final version and the album was released, Neal and Roine separately issued their individual mixes with CDs titled as "Roine Stolt Mixes" and "Neal Morse Mixes". Oh man .. what a bad idea! They should think big and not issuing another version proclaiming their own egos. Even though I had the two different mixes from my friend who lent me, I don't actually really care with these two different mixes. I still prefer the original version. Be it. I don't want to be dragged down into selecting which mix is better - I don't care man!

All of The Above (30:59) is an epic that comprises six parts. It starts with full energy and relatively fast tempo music heavily influenced by Spock's Beard music. Yes, overall album music has heavy influences from Spock's Beard. It seems like everything about this album is very Neal Morseish. The first opening part combines great sounds of keyboard, bass, guitar and dazzling drums. There are some organ sounds that remind me to the music of 70's. The changing tempo happens quite frequently with transition through quieter passages featuring vocals and piano touch. In the middle of the epic the music changes in style which happens not truly smooth. The organ sound inserts are really nice. The change to other style sometimes happen abruptly but it rocks as it continues with a stunning guitar solo. An excellent composition.

We All Need Some Light (5:44) is a ballad like Spock's Beard ballad song in "Day For Night" album with acoustic guitar as main rhythm section. It's a good one even though it's not my favorite track.

Mystery Train (6:51) is an upbeat tempo music with musical punctuation comprising a combination of dynamic drum, organ, guitar rhythm. When vocal line enters the music turns into funk style with some distorted sounds. The composition is really excellent combining funk and rock in complex style. This track has become one of Transatlantic favorite tracks. I like the part where only bass guitar and drum play the music followed with symphonic keyboard sound. Awesome.

My New World (16:15) starts off with a symphonic exploration in a classical music style. The music goes symphonic with guitar leading the melody accompanied with soaring keyboard sound. Nice piano work during first lyrical part. This track sounds like the Flower Kings song where it loans the style a lot from. The flow of music is excellent. The guitar solo followed by keyboard solo are stunning!

In Held ('twas) in I (17:21) is the band's cover for Procol Harum's sound and they do it excellently which I'm sure the members of Procol Harum would be very happy with this arrangement. Though it's arranged differently, some characteristics of the original version - like organ sounds - is maintained thoroughly and reminds me to the seventies music. This cover might be the reason for Procol Harum's fans to buy this CD enjoying another alternative of Harum's legendary track.

Overall, it's an excellent addition to any prog collection. Highly recommended. Keep on proggin ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Right off the bat I'd like to admit that this album did nothing for me. The opening 30 minute track was so overlong and guideless, I practically fell asleep. Only 'Mystery Train' held my interest. And to top it off, the CD was given to me for free. But a funny thing happened. I threw it on again after a few weeks, and lo and behold, the melodies were stuck in my head even tho I had thought them in one eye and out the other. Now after a few years since its debut, I can say with all cliche's attached, it took me a few listens but it's now one of my favorites post 2000. And the first track, (which is an album in and of itself) is my favorite epic of the past 10 or more years. It just has so much going on all throughout its 30 minutes, I never get tired of hearing it. It is absolute glory! 'We All Need Light' is a typical Morse ballad-like track and just doesn't do anything for me. 'Mystery Train' is a solid rocker, ala Deep Purple and Uriah Heep. Stoner rock, man! 'My New World' has to be Stolt's best song since the early days of The Flower Kings. It's got his awesome guitar picking, ala Mr Howe. My second favorite track almost rivaling the opener. "In Held (twas) In I' is a super solid remake of the old Procal Harum track from 1968, (early long prog track, BTW), Trewavas's flat singing in spots is its only drawback for me. A stunner, nonetheless. A powerful album that is amazing given it took them less than two weeks to record, and I must mention Portnoy's fantastic drum work. It's remarkable, and I'm not a Dream Theatre fan at all. get this classic album for modern prog done stunningly right! 4.5 stars.

Stolt, Morse, Portnoy, Trewaves: four of the most highly regarded modern prog musicians collaborating in this short lived, but highly impactive supergroup. While a common supergroup could just be written off as a big jam-session, Transatlantic can not. Just as much thought and care is put into this as in their own groups.

While there are nods to the classic prog rock bands, as well as each members respective band, it is Morse's sound that comes out the most, leading me to believe that he is Transatlantic's primary writer, though I do know they all pitched in on all but one of the songs. Maybe it was just the input of the other three members, but Morse is stronger than ever. In fact, this, as far as I'm concerned, is the album that launched Morse into the realm of brilliance he is in today. Ever since Transatlantic, he has been churning out incredible albums one after the other, and quickly too.

On their debut, the guys don't hold anything back. The first track is a 31-minute epic. "All of the Above" stands out as one of progressive rock's finest epics. It's meldoies are memorable, often catchy, and full of feeling. This is no shock; I regard Morse and Stolt as two of the finest melody makers in music. It is marvelling how the group has this naturally cohesive sound, especially when considering how long they've been playing together. Not once do I get bored during this song.

Following that giant are two shorter pieces, "We All Need Some Light" and "Mystery Train." The former is a slower tempo piece, the latter being the opposite in that aspect, but both are uplifting. Again, memorable hooks and great emotion lead the way.

"My New World" is the last of the original pieces here, and it's back to the extended format. This one, however, is only 16 minutes, just barely over half the length of the other epic. The quality is equal to the prior songs.

The album ends with a cover of Procul Harum's "In Held ('Twas) in I." A good cover for sure, but I, not being a big fan of covers, often end the album without listening to this one. It is good though; don''t get me wrong.

To sum up all of the above (and to throw in a silly pun), the music is highly catchy, memorable and emotional. Fans of Spock's Beard will definitely enjoy this, as will pretty much any fan of [new or old] progressive rock. The music, as you would expect, is technical, but it isn't overly gratuitous (a common criticism for Portnoy's main band). I would rate the album 4 1/2 stars. It is not very original, but it is very, very good. Due to the high quality and my personal sentiment, I have to give it the 5 star score.

Transatlantic are arguably the first prog super group of the 90's generation (so of course, it was released in 2000), made up from leading members of four of the biggest bands of the 90's. Roine Stolt, Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy and Pete Trewaves make up an extremely talented group of musicians and any band who's first song is 30 minutes long (!) is clearly ambitious.

This is an album clearly performed in the manner of classic Symphonic prog, big arrangements, big guitar solos, impressive keyboard solo's and genre defining bass guitar performances, the first album from Transatlantic has it all, and that includes intelligent sounding lyrics that tend to go nowhere. To be more specific the band sounds like a cross between The Flower Kings (largely from Stolts guitars and Trewaves bass) and Spock's Beard (from Morse's keyboards and Portnoys drumming).

Anyone that is familiar with these two bands will know what to expect, and that's mainly incredible musicianship ala Yes in their heyday. I feel that each of the four members here gave an impressively focused performance, there is no meandering into pointless instrumental parts that go nowhere, an accomplishment for Stolt as he is certainly guilty of this in The Flower Kings, and just break up the song. The opening track, the 31 minute All of the Above, is testament to this as it seems to go past in only half the time that it lasts, never being dull at all. This can also be said for the other two epics on this album, My New World and the Procul Harum cover In Held ('Twas) in I. The other trap that the band could have fallen into was the obvious attempt to create radio friendly tracks to gain attention (something that Neal Morse was guilty of doing in Spock's Beard from time to time). Thankfully, they've stayed clear f this as well.

Special mention should go to Pete Trewaves performance on this album as he really brought his level of playing up to that of the others, who are recognized masters of their respective instruments. Though no one could fault his creativity with Marillion, he never showed, or needed to show, highly accomplished levels of technical ability (I suspect because it wouldn't have fitted into the slightly simpler style of Marillion). But here he really pushes the boat out and shows what he's got, whilst keeping that impressive ability to always create an interesting bass line that grabs as much attention as any other instrument without overshadowing them.

Like the previously mentioned bands, Transatlantic doesn't re-invent Symphonic prog but gives it a more up-dated sound for modern times. This is rather derivative of the music pioneered by the classic groups Yes, Genesis, etc, but its just done so incredibly well that any fan of the classic bands should be able to get on with this like a house on fire. Each song is composed brilliantly and is both or either beautiful and exiting all the way through. As I said, its derivative of the classics but its just so enjoyable that I cant recommend this enough to any fan of the original bands. 5 stars without hesitation.

This is the album by the so-called supergroup, consisting of members from four well- known prog rock bands, Pete Trewavas (Marillion), Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater) Roine Stolt (Flower Kings) and Neal Morse (Spock's Beard). Sometimes, supergroups don't work particularly well; maybe the musicians just aren't compatible, or their egos kick in, or the songwriting isn't all it could be. With Transatlantic, the four musicians have created a tremendous piece of work. They sound, and play, as if they were a band that has been going strong a long time. Ok, the dominant sound of this album is a mixture of TFK and Spock's Beard. To my ears, there is little or nothing of Marillion, and less of Dream Theater, (though that is a good thing for me, not being a DT fan). Morse takes the lions share of the vocals and songwriting, as befits one whose project this is. Stolt is also well to the fore, though he sings less on this album. His easily recognised guitar style is prominent throughout. The first track, 'All Of The Above', is destined to be an all-time classic. It really is a wonderful song, and the highlight of the album. Superb keyboards from Morse, great changes in mood and pace, nice bass from Trewavas, and some killer guitar work from Stolt, sounding at times like Steve Howe. The whole never flags, or drags on too long, and at the end, Stolt puts in a brilliant solo to finish. 'We All Need Some Light' is the shortest track on the album, and the only one solely credited to Morse. A gentle song, it opens with some lovely 12 string acoustic playing from Stolt, and then the gentle melody wanders in. It's a great song, yet probably my least favourite track on the album - but only comparatively - as it is a very straightforward piece in which nothing particular happens. 'Mystery Train' is the album's 'fun' piece. Great off the wall lyrics, weird harmonies,it's an uptempo, pyschedelic song that grows on the listener the more he or she listens. And it has a great ending too. 'My New World' is Stolt's baby; he takes the lion share of the vocal duties, and it's another superb tune. The middle section onwards is really powerful stuff. The type of song that TFK could easily use. Finally, 'In Held ('twas) In I finishes the album in strong style. It's a cover version of an old Procul Harum song, and very well done too. Trewavas, (I think) speaks the opening sequence, and then the odd melody starts properly. Some nice Procul Harum style organ playing from Morse in this tune, and some great bass and drums too. I have to say Portnoy is a gifted drummer, and even though this is miles from DT, he does a fine job here. The end brings another great solo from Stolt, and it ends with Trewavas saying 'isn't it?' which is almost how it started. This is a very strong offering from some of today's best prog musicians When I first heard about this, I only knew of Stolt and Trewavas, but now I appreciate the other musicians too. This is a must have for fans of TFK, Spock's Beard, and good prog rock in general. Four stars, easily.

The concept of a prog rock supergroup has loads of potential for overblown, pompous, and laughable music. That is not the case with Transatlantic! These guys have come together and put out a very nice album, and you can just tell from the energy and happiness of the music that they loved the process of doing it. SMPTe was one of my first official prog purchases from reading ProgArchives, and as such it functioned as a sort of gateway album. It led me to explore more Morse and Dream Theater (thank goodness) as well as Marillion and The Flower Kings (less impressed, but still some keepers).

All of the Above. Probably in my top 25 epics, this is just a great song: one of the few tunes that can make me feel as happy as when I'm listening to Yes. They are really on the same page here: some of my favorite Portnoy work (no double bass, thank goodness), Morse is quite tasteful on keys/synths (and his voice sounds great as well), Stolt is ever-present (great both on lead and backing), and Trewavas lays down some nice grooves. Extra kudos for the beautiful closing guitar line, and the Yes-like die down.

We All Need Some Light, Mystery Train. The shorter tracks are also well done. The former is a beautifully arranged, dreamy ballad- type, and the latter is a catchy rocker with a nice freakout in the middle. I like them both every time.

My New World. I probably enjoy this less than other reviewers, though it's certainly 16 minutes of enjoyable music. It's a bit too disjointed and slow in parts for me to really get into, but this is a Stolt song, and I often have the same impression of The Flower Kings' songs.

In Held ('Twas) in I. Not being familiar with the original, I have no standard for proper comparison, but for what it's worth, I really like what I hear! A true collaborative effort, with each member making important musical and vocal contributions, though Portnoy and Stolt stand out as sounding especially good here. Excellent way to end an album.

I'm very close to giving this masterpiece status, but I think it falls JUST short. Even though there is not a second on here that I don't enjoy, there is just a little bit of originality and creativity that's missing to be a masterpiece. That being said, I am quite fond of this album, and I believe you will be too.

I always thought the successor was better than this debut but I'm not sure anymore. It's a fact to me that All of the Above is the strongest composition of both the albums. I consider it one of the ultimate epics ever, really tremendous. On the other hand it is also by far the best track of this album. We all need some light is a very nice ballad and My new world is another great long one. But the other two tracks are to be rated much lower. Still that leaves all in all a very good album, at least worth four stars but not good enough for 5. And that was also the case with Bridge across forever. So I think the albums are more or less equal in quality.

I think summarizing Transatlantic was a succesful project but I think it's wise to leave it at this. Two albums will do and it's better for the members to concentrate on their own bands, that's more important it seems to me.

TRANSATLANTIC are a memorable supergroup formed in 1999 by ex-SPOCK'S BEARD main figure Neal Morse and DREAM THEATER's overcreative drummer Mike Portnoy,who recruited MARILLION's Peter Trewavas on bass and THE FLOWER KINGS'/KAIPA's leader Roine Stolt on guitars.''SMPTe'' was released a year later and it was what exactly progressive rock needed:A modern and fresh progressive rock album with qualitive musicianship,beautiful epics,killer individual performances,nice melodies and a vintage 70's like sound,especially in PROCOL HARUM's excellent cover version of ''In held (twas )in I''.The rest of the tracks (four that is) is a masterful combination of GENESIS' powerful softness,JETHRO TULL's energy,PINK FLOYD's atmosphere,YES' diversity and THE BEATLES' cleverness with nice moods,melodies and arrangements.A highly recommended work with classic prog inspiration,especially if you want to check out what progressive rock is all about.

It would make sense logically that one of the many inherent problems involved in assembling so-called "Supergroups" would be ending up with a whole lotta chiefs and not enough Indians. It's also naive to postulate that a utopian democracy would work, either, so I get the impression that at some point Neal Morse got designated as the untitled chairman of the board of this project, so to speak, because I find his influence to be the most dominant of the four on this album. This is not to say it's a detriment, however, and his tactful leadership probably kept this debut from becoming a free-for-all anarchy of egos.

Not being the personality types to timidly test the waters, Transatlantic boldly steps out and presents a 31-minute epic to introduce themselves to the symphonic prog world. It's quite a haul to digest at first but it definitely shows that they weren't afraid to reach for the stars. "All of the Above" is predictably long on music and short on decipherable lyrics but it makes for an enjoyable half hour of listening, nonetheless. It's divided into six segments and the first one, "Full Moon Rising," fades in like you're standing close to the edge of a mysterious abyss and soon you're immersed in an energized, instrumental mini-overture that features the inimitable growl of the Hammond organ. (Always a plus.) Morse takes the initial shift at the mike by singing something about a full moon appearing "while the sun burns bright as day" and off you go. "October Winds" offers a calmer atmosphere with dense harmonies, then a cathedral organ accompanied by Roine Stolt's guitar stylizations and fat tone elevate things to a higher level in a hurry. Neal tosses in a nice jazzy piano solo before moving to the organ and then he steps aside to let Roine's guitar blaze a wide swath again. Things smooth out once more with the haunting refrain of "maybe nothing matters anyway," leading to the graceful bass guitar chordings of Pete Trewavas that characterize the understated "Camouflaged in Blue," a somewhat traditional-sounding but pleasant ballad that provides some perspective. Stolt's raging guitar segues into the rockin' "Half Alive," yet another jaded glimpse into a musician's life on the road, followed by the quieter "Undying Love." Mike Portnoy's always-amazing drumming draws you into Roine's hot guitar lead and then you get a reprise of the opening section. Here the guitar playing is again very impressive as it swirls atop a huge cathedral of sound. You may find it odd but my favorite part of all is what I call the "shimmering" ending in which they patiently take their time to create a fantasy of suspended musical colors, reminding me of a mist-shrouded waterfall. While the whole opus fails to achieve greatness you gotta give them props for attempting such a large-scale undertaking right out of the gate.

No one writes better prog rock ballads than Neal Morse and "We All Need Some Light" is one of his best. The deep, ringing 12- string guitars and the clever interplay between piano and acoustic guitar in the middle compliment Morse's poignant delivery of lines pleading for a glimmer of hope in this mixed-up world. "Mystery Train" is very much an eclectic rocker in the vein of Spock's Beard (Neal's band at the time) with its unorthodox but alluring funky groove that Mike and Pete slip into with ease. There's some intriguing percussion rolling around in the shadows and it has a dreamy, Beatle-ish ending. Next is Roine's "My New World" and it may be the most cohesive track offered here. It starts with a classical twist, then establishes a big wall of sound around the fluid guitar. A verse partially performed in 5/6 time and a full, three part harmony-embellished chorus are remarkable but it's the solo section that literally sizzles with various inventive forays off the beaten path. Neal's comforting Hammond organ ride guides you back to the verse and chorus, punctuated by some jazzy guitarisms. Overall, the well-thought-out and crafty arrangement of the tune makes this a true highlight of the CD.

Yet all this fantastic musicianship and cooperation didn't stop the proceedings from ending up in what I think was an error in judgment when they opted to revive the old Procol Harum ditty, "In Held ('Twas I)." While I can appreciate that they obviously came to a consensus concerning including a lengthy, involved song they all craved to cover for one reason or another, I have to admit that I'd never heard it before and I think there's a good reason for that. It's just not that memorable. Beginning with some flatly spoken metaphysical babble that evolves into an overly dramatic score, the tune meanders listlessly through different moods before entering a dated psychedelic arena where anything goes. That's followed by a build up that sounds like something from a cheap monster movie taking you back to some lackadaisical verses before transporting you to a weird pomp-and- circumstance motif where they perform an unusual variation on "God Save the Queen." While the song does give Portnoy a chance to kick out the jams on his drum kit as only he can do, I have to state the blatant fact that I don't "get" the total sum of this saga. It's kinda like having one of your friends play you something that just knocks them out but does absolutely nothing for you personally. And it's not like I didn't try my damnedest to like it. I gave it at least ten spins before giving up on it. So it goes.

This album has all the earmarks of a supremely talented foursome feeling each other out while attempting to find a unified sound. It's not weak or tedious at all but it lacks the cohesiveness that would personify their brilliant follow-up, "Bridge Across Forever," which I think is one of the best symphonic prog albums of the 21st century. I feel that if I'd gotten this CD first I may have hesitated to invest in their next one and I would've been tragically cheating myself so be advised that they get a lot better on #2. While I grant this one 4 stars (mainly due to the high level of musicianship and engineering involved) it really deserves a 3.5 in my book.

This is an uneven debut-album by this impressive supergroup. Although most of the band's material was pre-written by Neal Morse the longer tracks still manage to shine a lot more than the original demo recordings which can be heard on the album The Transatlantic Demos. A huge surprise for me was the re-recording of the great Procol Harum opus because I never really care much for that composition in the past but thanks to Transatlantic it now shines in a whole different light and I actually consider it to be one of my all time favorite lengthier pieces. Although it doesn't surpass the original it still adds to this album, beside it's great when a band gives credit where credit is deserved.

As for the original material that SMPTe has to offer, I just never liked it all that much. This might have to do a lot with the far more superior follow up album which perfects the formula of both the lengthy and shorter piece. I still do enjoy listening to All Of The Above since some of the sections are truly magnificent but, composition-wise, it just doesn't hold a candle to Duel With The Devil or even Stranger In Your Soul.

Eventually the band would come into their own on their next release which I highly recommend getting before this debut album. If you've already heard Bridge Across Forever and feel like hearing more from where it came from then, by all means, pick it up and continue on in you Transatlantic-quest!

**** star songs: All Of The Above (30:59) My New World (16:15) In Held ('Twas) In I (17:21)

*** star songs: We All Need Some Light (5:44) Mystery Train (6:51)

Total Rating: 3,84

4.5 stars

After 31 minutes of the song All The Above I just sat there. Stunned. Slowly I started to smile, even laugh! This is one of the greatest epics I've ever heard. Stunningly beautiful, catchy and utterly progressive. This is all the good stuff from the '70s paired with great modern music, resulting in a very accessible masterpiece.

There's Hammond organ, modern synths and other, more atmospheric keys and fantastic piano. And on top of this the rich guitar of my countryman Roine Stolt and an always interesting, yet subtle bass courtesy of mr. Pete Trewavas. Vocals are soft and warm and the drumming duties are taken care of by no other than Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater fame. Need I say more?

Well, I guess I have to. Because not everything on this album is as masterful as All of the Above. We All Need Some Light sure is nice and gentle, but I've never really grown fond of it. Something of a yawner. Mystery Train is great and more like the opener, but more aggressive and with powerful drumming from Portnoy. My New World is second only to All of The Above, with a bunch of different segments, filled with strong influences from Beatles, but most certainly also from Yes!

In held ('twas) in I is the last song and it's a cover. Procol Harum, and I haven't heard the original. It sure is a tribute, but 17 minutes of it? It's a nice song, but I won't count it in the review. Doesn't feel right since it's not the band's own material and due to the fact that I can't compare it to the original.

I love this brand of warm, 'happy' (instrumentation) progressive rock. Always reminds me of Kansas. Great!

A stellar entry into the symphonic rock genre with soaring melodies, dynamic performances, catchy songs, and genuine energy; the label 'super-group' is truly legitimate here.

The lineup does not really need to be raved about anymore, but I feel it bears reiterating that although it includes two of THE names of the time (Morse/Stolt), 'SMPTe' does not necessarily feel like a clone of those player's bands. While similarities are all over the place, this release comes across with a unique feel and energy which picks up the best of what Spock's Beard/Flower Kings have to over and leave out their respective 'fluff'. Perhaps most fun for me is Stolt's infectious voice and amazing guitar without the trite lyrics that completely bog-down FK's music, but there is so much good stuff going on here that no single player steals the show.

First, is the songwriting, which shines in terms of its likeability, polished performance, and craftsmanship. As expected, there is an outstanding contrast of tempos and dynamics, with vocal duties being covered mostly by Morse (who is more restrained and less grating than in SBeard). Portnoy's drumming is tight and intricate (obviously), but not quite as gung-ho as in Dream Theatre; Trewavas on the other hand feels like a whole new player-- cranking out fat bass lines very unlike what he does in this era of Marillion's music.

There is an exceptional feeling of approachability to this songs-- they're pompous and long, sure, but there is a level class in 'SMPTe' which I feel might extend to those who wouldn't normally consider listening to this kind of music. Of course, for those of us who do... this remains one of the best options out there.

Songwriting: 4 Instrumental Performances: 5 Lyrics/Vocals: 4 Style/Emotion/Replay: 4

Transatlantic´s debut album SMPTe was a nice surprise to me when it was released in 2000. I was a big fan at the time of both Dream Theater, The Flower Kings, Spock´s Beard and Marillion, where the members ( Neil Morse of Spock´s Beard on vocals and keyboards, Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater on drums and backing vocals, Roine Stolt of The Flower Kings on guitar, vocals, mellotron and percussion and Pete Trewavas of Marillion on bass and backing vocals)of Transatlantic normally spend their working hours. My expectations were of course very high regarding this supergroup and they were met to some extent. By that I mean that I was expecting a new sound for Transatlantic but as it turned out Neal Morse wrote most of the material and SMPTe ended up sounding like a Spock´s Beard album most of the time.

I don´t have many reservations about this as I like Spock´s Beard allthough I could have wished for a more original sound with four such outstanding musicians. Here on SMPTe it just shines through who is in what band a little too much.

The album consists of five songs. Three of the songs are long epics while the two last songs are more simple while still in a progressive vein. All of the above is a 31 minute long epic song predominantly written by Neal Morse. It sounds mostly like a Spock´s Beard song and one of the better ones that is. All of the above is followed by the two shorter songs We all need some light and Mystery train which are also Neal Morse compositions. We All Need Some Light is a ballad type song while Mystery Train is a rock song. None of them makes the biggest impression on me. The epic 16 minute long My new world is a Roine Stolt composition and just as the Neal Morse compositions sound like Spock´s Beard My new world sounds very much like The Flower Kings. I like The Flower Kings so this is a treat for me. The 17 minute long epic In held ('twas) in I closes the album. It´s Procul Harum cover song and even though I don´t know the original this version is very good.

The musicianship is outstanding as you might have guessed with these musicians and of course there are millions of parts in the long songs and lots of soloing to satisfy most symphonic prog rock fans.

The production sounds very much like a Spock´s Beard album even though the drums have a different sound.

SMPTe might not be the most original album as it is very seventies retro in sound, but it is certainly a welcome addition to my prog rock collection. The compositions are of high quality and the overall impression of the album means that I will rate it 4 stars. It´s a long way from being a masterpiece but it´s far too good to only be rated 3 stars so 4 stars it will be.

Considering the all star team, I was a bit disappointed. This album sounded too much like Spock's Beard V. Certainly Neal Morse is the main character here and if you like his music, chances are you're going to enjoy this album a lot. Since I'm not a real fan of SB, Transatlantic's music sounds to me as other Spock's Beard releases: complex, interesting, very well done and does have his own style. (Morse's style, that is). There are very few things here that reminds me of The Flower Kings, Marillion or (much less) Dream Theatre.

Although I must also say that these musicians are absolute superb ones (as you all know very well), this is the classic case where you know the album is good, but you do not hear it a lot. Even after reading all these glowing reviews and hearing the record several times, my opinion haven't changed much: it does not move me. Nothing's wrong with the band. Maybe the songwriting is not my taste. I wish the other members had added more of their strong talents to the final mix. Even if there are several writing credits for them. They became little more than the backing musicians.

A good prog album, no question about it. But it is definitely for Neil Morse's fans.

Another excellent Spock's Beard album! Wait a moment... In the cover says Transatlantic? This must be a mistake!

Ok... There are some strange voices for being a Spock's Beard release, wich sound like Roine Stolt, and so are some guitar parts, even with the typical Stolt's wah-wah effect... And the drum's sound is uglier than the Nick de Virgilio's! It's dry, too direct, but very technical... I'd swer it's similar to Mike Portnoy! And what about this Marillion-like ambiental and bass-guided part in the minute 13 of All of the Above? It's so strange... What happened with the Dave Meros's strong basses? This bass sounds softer, although is great...

Let's see the booklet... Oh no, this is not a Spock's Beard album! Is really another group (or supergroup...) called Transatlantic! Then... Why is it souding like another Spock's Beard release? Maybe is because Neal Morse's talent is above the other's one. Or maybe because he was the most focused and interested memeber of the group, and he made most of the compositions. He is obviously the mastermind behind this proyect.

There are also some The Flower King's elements... Specially in My New World (because of Roine's vocals...) and In Held (`Twas) In, with some Roine Stolt's typical guitar passages, specially at the end. Like I said before, in All of the Above there is maybe a section wich sounds like Marillion... And except for the Mike Portnoy's typical and ugly drums sound and some double pedal playing, we have not Dream Theater here. So this album is a bit dissappointing for me, because I hoped it would be more diversed, and it has a big influence of all the original bands of the musician... But SMPT:e is just another Spock's Beard album with some The Flower Kings influences!

The two short tracks could easily be in Day for Night, and All of the Above, could be included in V, although it has not the quality of the long tacks of this album... So if you like the Neal Morse's old band, you'll like Transatlantic. Otherwise, you'll find more of the same thing.

Best Songs: All of the Above (really good Spock's Beard track, worthy of the album V...) and My new World (very nice track, with some The Flower King's feeling, and a lot of Spock's Beard again...)

Conclusion: if you like Spock's Beard, you'll surely like this album, like I do... But if you are not in the Neal Morse's style, then avoid this release. Because despite the great musicians involved in Transatlantic, Morse is the obvious mastermind of the group. This is the reason why I think this album is dissappointing. I waited something different, original, and diverse... And this is just another Spock's Beard disc. Nevertheless, is a very good one.

My rating: ***1/2

This band was originally Mike Portnoy's idea, he contacted Neal Morse first who gladly said yes, Jim Matheos agreed to play lead guitar, and the final piece of the puzzle MARILLION's Pete Trewavas who signed on for bass duties. It should be noted that Mike Portnoy is a big fan of all three of the bands that these guys play (played) with. Unfortunately because of numerous delays Jim Matheos from FATES WARNING wasn't going to be availeable. So Neal suggested Roine Stolt to Mike who agreed. Hence we have 2 Americans and 2 Europeans: TRANSATLANTIC. Neal took the bull by the horns and became the leader of this band. Everywhere I read about this debut album from them people say it sounds like SPOCK'S BEARD, and I have to agree. Neal himself said that this recording is much more progressive than a SPOCK'S BEARD album, but the fact is that Morse's finger prints are all over this record. I was surprised it took about 4 listens before I started to really enjoy it,but now i'm a big fan of this album.

"All Of The Above" is the almost 31 minute opener. The first 1 1/2 minutes are classic SPOCK'S BEARD in my opinion .It sounds amazing. Great organ work. Pete is prominant throughout this song on bass. This is just a fantastic ride with Portnoy sounding awesome as usual. I love when Neal starts to sing 5 minutes in. Roine offers up many solos, I especially like it when he starts to rip it up 18 minutes in, and he sounds incredible later around 23 minutes. I really like the uplifting calm 24 minutes in. So many highlights on this epic track.

"We All Need Some Light" opens with some beautiful guitar, mellotron a minute in. This is a mellow track that does get quite powerful 5 minutes in. "Mystery Train" is my favourite. Mainly because of Portnoy and Trewavas. Portnoy is having a blast. "My New World" is actually a refreshing change with Roine on vocals. I like the lyrics too speaking about life in the sixties and how Jim (Morrison) and Janis (Joplin) got us higher. This song is over 16 minutes long. Another great tune. "In Held (Twas) In I" is a cover of a PROCOL HARUM song. It opens with a spoken word story before the music kicks in aggressively before 2 minutes. Great sound after 3 minutes. Check out the organ and drums after 7 minutes ! Portnoy's great again 9 minutes in. So many highlights though. Lots of mellotron in this one too. Roine is ripping it up 15 1/2 minutes in.

Easily 4 stars and my favourite of their two releases.

The sum of the whole...

Transatlantic is likely the biggest prog supergroup to emerge since ELP did in the 70s. With musicians from each of the biggest modern stars in the genre what we have here is quite a mix of style that mix quite well. What's quite ironic about this band is that their albums rank above what most of the members have done with their original bands despite the fact that it really just sounds like all those band blended into a puree. Neal Morse of Spock's Beard is arguably the leader of this project with his name at the front of every song, but worry not those who think it will be highly religious because this album comes even before Snow (by Spock's Beard) which is where it could be argued that Morse became kind of an acquired taste. His voice is also the lead one here, even if it is a bit strange to hear his voice backed by the gruff Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater and the ethereal Roine Stolt of The Flower Kings (who also takes the lead for one track). Pete Trevawas of Marillion also appears to play a mean bass.

The style is basically as you'd expect it to be. If you said to your friend, ''oh! they're this new band that sounds like Spock's Beard meets Dream Theater meets The Flower Kings meets Marillion... but without Fish'' you'd be spot on. Each of the members brings an uncompromisingly large amount of their own style to this band and it actually works really well. I suppose the ego of any of these guys can't be too big - although at the time of writing this review the band is no longer around, so who knows. With each of the members considered the top of their respective instruments this album can really get over the top with it's sound, but who in the prog community really has a problem with that? It's not quite as out there as some prog metal can get, really it's just at the level of some of the old masters (however, we are only talking about over-the-top-ness right now though).

There aren't many tracks on the album, but it's a very long one none the less. The music on this album stuffs the cd to the max, with around 77 minutes of play time in 5 tracks. Mike Portnoy has been quoted as saying, ''our first album was just full of f***in' epics!'' and yes - yes it is. This can make the album both appealing and inaccessible since right off the bat you have a titan of a song hit you square between the eyes without any time for the listener to warm up as All Of The Above kicks into gear. This one really takes on the uplifting features of a Spock's Beard epic while keeping the outerworld feel of The Flower Kings in the slower bits. What's great about the song is that even though it comes to an abrupt stop and continues in a slow fashion right about the middle it really doesn't ever lose momentum. The meditative bass carries on where everything dropped off and then everything picks up again and carries us onto the end. Is this song really worth the 30 minutes of your time though? Short answer - Yes. Long answer - Yes, this is how modern symphonic prog should be played. It's retro, but it's contemporary, it's exciting and it grabs your attention. You really can't do much better than this when it comes to wanting to do a really, really long song. And believe me, each of these guys has tried (with varying degrees of success) in their other bands.

A couple of short songs follow the big one, these ones with different degrees of success. We All need Some Light and Mystery Train are both good songs, but not quite up to the standard of some of the other tunes on the album. We All need Some Light is your standard Morse tune with a slow pace thats full of emotion but fairly out of place coming right out of the giant uplifting epic. Mystery Train is the rocker on the album, still more to the mispaced side of things. Portnoy somewhat spoils this one with over ambitious drumming that becomes particularly annoying as he starts to drum out of time with the vocals coming into the second verse. Intentional - probably. Well used? - not really. Still a fun song that leads us into the next two epics.

Coming into the end we get a couple of real treats. My New World is the last original composition on the album and it's wonderfully highlighted by Stolt's vocals (it's strange because I like his voice in everything but The Flower Kings) and the backing of the rest of the band. This one is fairly boppy sounding as it skips along, it's another very uplifting tune that works very well on the album. Finally we get to the one that a lot of other people have been looking at with raised eyebrows... the cover of Procol Harum's In Held 'Twas I. Well, worry not, these guys do a wonderful modern version of the song. You can tell that each of the band members is really passionate about what they're doing since they each try to get their voices in there at least once (and it works each time) and they play the hell out of it in general. This one will likely never be known as better than the original, but it works in context very well anyways.

Like many modern prog supergroups this is prog music by prog fans for prog fans. Very well performed and executed this one is going to have to get 4 blimps out of 5. An excellent addition to any prog collection. Fans of each of the band involved in the project may enjoy this one more than others, but it's a good chance for those who are skeptical of the other bands to give their members another shot in a different light.

Overall I must say this is a great album. All Of The Above is one of the greatest epics of all time, and is the album's headliner, and MOSTLY everything else on the album is very strong too. Portnoy's drumming is top-notch as usual, and Roine's guitaris distinctive and great too.

All of the Above- 5/5 stars, a great epic and is one of the greatest songs of all time. The ending guitar solo is some of Roine's best playing, and is overall a masterpeice.

We All Need Some Light- 5/5 stars, a great shorter song of Neal Morse's, and includes a great acoustic guitar solo in it too.

Mystery Train- 4/5 stars, another shorter song of Neal's, but nowhere near the masterpeice of the last song. It's a good song, but it doesn't really fit the album.

My New World- 5/5 stars, a great song (one of my favorites). It has sort of weird lyrics, but it doesn't matter in the long run considering how great the music is.

In Held (Twas) In I- 1/5 stars, Here's where everything falls. I never really liked Procal Harum, and they picked just about their worst song to cover on this album. I skip this song every time I listen to the album and in my mind there are only 4 songs on SMPT:e.

Overall, you have to buy this album, even if the last song doesn't fit the album. It is really a masterpeice with or without the cover song, and you will be listening to All of the Above non-stop.

This is a more standard supergroup release. We see for the most part a lack of musical cohesion, and the band doesn't seem to quite do much except follow Morse as the leader.

Transatlantic may be one of the more important supergroups of the last decade, at least. Bridging the leaders in progressive metal and neo-prog, while throwing in a Flower King and a certain Neal Morse, this band meets on a strange level. Usually groups like this aim for peers, like Liquid Tension Experiment or The Tangent. But Transatlantic came onto the scene featuring a chance for something different. Unfortunately, Marillion's Pete Trewavas is mostly silent in the songwriting process, though his voice and bass chops are quite nice here. Mike Portnoy defers to Neal. Roine Stolt seems to have some input into the songwriting, but he is quite obviously overshadowed by Morse. In the end, especially when compared with something like Morse's ? album (which features three of the four members of the band), there isn't a terrible lot of difference here. That said, for what this album is and the kinds of music thrown into it, it's definitely worth a look from fans of any of the four involved bands.

It opens with the particularly long song All of the Above. The title is perfect. It's a collection of songs tied together with a great beginning and ending. The midsections are nice. However, on the whole, it doesn't really flow like a song but rather like a suite. This wouldn't be that bad if it weren't for Transatlantic's other epics (My New World, Duel with the Devil, and Stranger in Your Soul) proving how the band could put together a long song and make it still be one song. Again, though, the first ten minutes and the last five are really well done, and the middle bits are also enjoyable. Not a bad song, but nothing particularly out of the ordinary.

The album then moves onto the strongest song here. Usually, Neal Morse's ballads all sound the same and all do the same thing. We All Need Some Light sounds like modern Morse fare, but for some reason this song works very, very well. Definitely a recommended listen, as it's built around splendid acoustic guitar and really pretty harmonies. A neat little solo in the middle bridges the song to a dramatic conclusion (indeed, one almost as impressive of an ending as happens on some of Neal's twenty minute tunes). Mystery Train jumps in next, a psychedelic rock tune with a lot of energy and a lot of quirk. Complicated drumming and a catchy harmonized chorus turn this song into a unique little winner in Morse's catalog.

My New World wanders on next, being a shorter epic piece, and much less assuming than All of the Above. Roine Stolt takes most of the lead vocals here, and for the most part, it's a fairly mellow and quiet track. A cool little jam in the middle features a cool guitar solo and some spiffy bass playing. Keyboards take the lead, and the drums get a work out. Basically, what you'd expect from four talented musicians taking time to show their skills. Only, it actually seems to work okay here, not detracting much from the song. One riff comes in every now and then (like at 6:15) and just sounds wonderful. The album then closes with a cover of a Procul Harum song. I find this one worthless after a couple of listens, and it saddens me that it was included.

In the end, if this was the only album Transatlantic made, they could have been written off as just another supergroup that did the usual supergroup things. My advice would be to look at Bridge Across Forever first, and then move on from there if you are seriously interested in what the band is doing. A fun album, but fairly flawed.

At first glance any prog fan would be drawn into the brilliant album cover of this dream team super group, with its eclectic space blimp soaring across a cloud streaked sky and stagnant seascape. The super group comprises of guitarist Stolt from The Flower Kings, Morse the keyboardist and voice of Spock's Beard, Portnoy drummer of Dream Theater and Trewavas the bassist extraordinaire of Marillion. The mix of musical genius works together to formulate an amazing sound with incredible musicianship from start to finish.

The first track, 'All of the above', is an epic and worth the price of purchase alone. At about 30 minutes it moves from song to song with subsections of instrumental prowess unlike anything the band members had tackled in their former groups. Unlike Asia, that virtually shunned the prog style to embrace a more mainstream subculture and indeed the music charts, ala the debut album, Transatlantic are unashamedly and gloriously prog. Time signatures are off the scale and at times they sound like Pink Floyd, or Yes or King Crimson, but mostly like Spock's Beard due to Morse's dominance in the vocal department. It is a terrific debut from the band and definitely one of the best amalgamations of prog legends.

Not every track goes on forever. There is a nice pleasant ballad, 'We all need some light', sounding very much like Morse's solo work.

The last 2 tracks are mini epics and very well constructed as are all tracks. 'In held ('twas) in I' sounded familiar and then I realised it was a Procol Harum song, as good as if not better than the original.

There is not one filler or throwaway track on the album and it is a very good debut for the band. I for one cannot wait to get hold of more Transatlantic in the future.

What an ensemble- this quartet borrows members from four of the most revered bands of modern progressive rock. Neal Morse, best known for his work as the mind behind Spock's Beard, clearly handles the brunt of the songwriting duties, while tackling the lead vocals and keyboards. He is joined by Roine Stolt, the mastermind and guitarist of The Flower Kings. Mike Portnoy, a drummer for whom with every performance my respect grows, comes from that behemoth of progressive metal, Dream Theater. The fourth and least outspoken member is Pete Trewavas, the bassist for a band that is credited with beginning a movement, Marillion. As a whole, these four men create some remarkable music. Even still though, the entire project resonates more closely with the Spock's Beard sound overall, meaning that if I didn't know any better, I would have believed this to be another a lost Spock's Beard album, with Stolt as a special guest.

"All of the Above" Bristling with energy and finesse, this half-hour expedition is a grandly formulaic piece of modern progressive rock music. The piece contains a Trewavas-led riff that serves as a main theme throughout, but largely this epic piece is a playground for Morse and Stolt, the former on keyboards and the latter on guitar. Trewavas uses his bass almost as a rhythm guitar in the middle section, playing smoothly and evenly. Portnoy demonstrates his awesome versatility, always providing the music exactly what it needs rhythmically. The composition does not flow as smoothly as I prefer songs of this length to do, but these thirty minutes contain many memorable passages and some downright exquisite playing. Overall, I would not consider this the tour de force many would make it out to be, but it is still a solid suite of musical craftsmanship.

"We All Need Some Light" The shortest track is also the predominantly acoustic one. It features a pair of acoustic guitars, gentle vocals, and a gorgeous refrain.

"Mystery Train" This is a funky, almost psychedelic rocker with quirky tones from all over; once again, it sounds like something right out of the second or third albums from Spock's Beard. As expected, then, it has a catchy chorus with funkier fare for the verses, made complete by an excellent, bass-driven instrumental section.

"My New World" Lovely strings begin this exceptional song. Electric guitar leads the band through an interpretation of the majestic introduction. Piano and light bass take over, and finally, Stolt steps up to the microphone for lead vocal duties. There are some stellar keyboard passages throughout, and a very delicate middle section featuring lovely counterpoint vocals. This piece is the one that does sound more like The Flower Kings, which is natural, since Stolt was the main writer. Also naturally (because of this), several minutes should have been slashed to make the song much better.

"In Held ('Twas) in I" The final track is a Procol Harum cover, beginning with spoken word and spacey music. I'm not really sure what Transatlantic was meaning to accomplish by covering this piece. I think they do a respectable job, but it would seem a debut album (or any album) should close with something original...perhaps that is a foolish and arbitrary preference on my end. Stolt sounds incredibly strange during his vocal moments, as though trying to overcompensate for his vocal deficiencies, and to this date I cannot decide if I like what he is doing or not. In fact, I question whether the band had made the right choice in terms of what to cover, as this piece seems unsuited for their talents. All the same, I don't consider this the throwaway track some others consider it to be, and the dual lead guitar work that concludes the piece makes for a stalwart and worthy end to a fine album anyway.

Nice standalone album, average album in perspective

These recent years, specially the last couple of them, (2008 and 2009) have been special to progressive rock as it comes to impressive new releases of new material from both young and old bands. I have, however, most of times enjoyed better the new releases from old bands, such as the new Cynic album, the new Delirium album, the new Maudlin of the Well album, the new Ayreon album, the new Meshuggah album and so on, mainly because they allow be to look (or listen) in perspective what they have done in the past and what they did in the recent years and enjoy better their past or recent album(s). With Transatlantic it was no different.

Upon listening repeatedly to their newest album, The Whirlwind, and their first two albums, A Bridge Across Forever and this one (SMPTe), I was able to put all of their works in perspective and, therefore, was able to enjoy more the band's two most recent studio albums wile their debut left me more and more cold: when compared to their other releases, SMPTe sounds less like a teamwork than Transatlantic's other studio albums. Some reviewers went as far as saying that this is simply a Spock's Beard album or a solo Neal Morse effort with other great and talented musicians but, despite the obviousness of Neal Morse's strong influence in the production of this album, that did made it sound somewhat close to some of Neal's work outside Transatlantic, the influence and the work of the other band members can be noticed throughout the album many times. So it is clear (or it seems so) that such result was mainly caused due to the lack of interaction in the daily work in the studio they had with one another until recording SMPTe, because, as far as I know, they had never worked together before Transatlantic's debut album.

Regarding the songs, musicianship and related features

As the title of my review and what I wrote before can show, SMPTe is one of those albums that shouldn't (or couldn't) have anything after its release. That is because, if the band keep on working, improving itself and making its music more refined, as has happened with Transatlantic, the flaws of such album become terribly apparent in the same pace as the qualities of the refined album become more and more appealing. So, when considered by itself, SMPTe is a very nice album, but when put in perspective and compared with other albums by the same band, it becomes obvious the drastic improvement they have done over the years.

The Highlights go to: All of the above and We all need some Light.

Grade and Final Thoughts

All in all, STPMe is a very interesting album. It is fun to listen and have some impressive music inside it, but due to its roughness and crudeness, the 3 stars grade seem to fit the album perfectly.

Well, this album is certainly not any hidden gem of prog, it's a very well received album already gaining a classic status as a prog masterpiece of the new Millennium. TRANSATLANTIC is THE prog supergroup as we all know (and if you don't know the line-up, all you have to do is take a look at the cover). Already on their debut these guys work amazingly well together. The closest comparisons are naturally FLOWER KINGS and SPOCK'S BEARD, since Stolt and Morse are the main writers here. The resemblance with Marillion or Dream Theater are in a much smaller role, which of course doesn't mean that Pete Trewavas (bass) or Mike Portnoy (drums) were not equal members in the supergroup.

If you want epics, here's a 31-minute (!) opener, for starters. 'All Of The Above' fills excellently the ambitious length in six parts. It has inevitable moments of tight and complex prog attack (which would, on its own, be quite a tiresome listening to me) but also calmer moments of wonderfully melodic songwriting. It all forms a coherent suite with no out-of-place extensions. It is followed by a shortish, ballad-ish track by Neal Morse, 'We All Need Some Light'. A very good song, even if not anything very special. But the album need this kind of simpler stuff also, to be balanced.

The third track 'Mystery Train' is my least favourite in the album, noisier and rougher than the rest. Roine Stolt's 16-minute 'My New World' is another great track. It would grace any Flower Kings album too, as a midsize epic with a memorable, highly emotional chorus and a delicate dreamier section.

With 77 minutes in total, it's not a sin to use 17 minutes to cover an early prog epic. Yes, it's the one discussed recently in the forums whether or not it's the first full-blown prog epic. It must be if you ask me! PROCOL HARUM's fantastic 'In Held Twas In I' is actually very suitable number to be covered by a modern group. They take some liberties; if I'm not badly mistaken, some section is left out completely, while others are given some extra stretch. But I must say that I rather listen to the original from 1968.

4½ stars. With one unpleasant track, I'll round it down.

A super-group for the modern progressive rock era, Transatlantic have, since their inception in 2000, become hugely popular, rivalling each member's individual group for both kudos and record sales. For those of you who have been living in a cave for the last ten years the line-up is made up of ex-Spock's Beard vocalist-and-keyboardist Neal Morse(post his religious conversion)long-time Marillion bassist Pete Trewavas, Dream Theatre-drummer Mike Portnoy and The Flower King's main-man and guitarist Roine Stolt. A genuine multi-national affair(Trewavas hails from Wales, Stolt is Swedish and Portnoy and Morse come from the old U S of A), the Transatlantic 'idea' was the product of a modern prog arena where all-star projects seemed to becoming the everyday norm. Thankfully, Transatlantic managed to imbue their love of good, old-fashioned progressive rock epic's with a sense of good-time fun, giving their debut album a lively, energetic feel that only goes to enrich the superb musicianship on show, thus demonstrating that a super-group set up can, in the right hands at least, work. The album itself kicks off with the half-hour long 'All Of The Above', a song worthy of any great prog album featuring dynamic interplay from the foursome, complex rhythms, jazzy hues, masterful prog breaks, and a genuine all-encompassing feel for all strands of modern prog before finishing off with a splendid version of Procol Harum's 'In Held Twas I', a song many believe to be the first ever piece of proper prog. In between these epics are a set of shorter, sharper efforts featuring Stolt's intricate guitar-playing, Morse's breathy vocals, Portnoy's barrage of drum tricks and Trewavas' rock-steady bass, with each piece displaying the hallmarks of a tightly-knit unit who obviously consider each other as equals. A real treat, SMPTE is an immensely entertaining album that more than fulfills it's obvious potential. STEFAN TURNER, LONDON, 2010

Out of the four musicians from this "supergroup", the only one I can't really acclaim is Neal Morse. Mixing religion and music has never been my cup of tea. But this band is indeed a fine combo on paper. So, let's listen to their music!

Well, as you could imagine: a mix between TFK for the instrumental parts (which are fortunately quite long) and "Spock's Beard" for the vocal parts. Juicy guitar sounds, jazzy tendencies and of course a solid drumming are quite alright during the long epic and opening song: "All Of The Above".

Over half an hour which can be related to "The Truth Will Set You Free": it features the same bombastic and positive feel; superb guitar melodies and vocal harmonies. Did you say TFK?

What is sure is that "All Of The Above" is quite a good epic which should please any Flower Kings fans even if it might sound as too much of a "Yes" derivative of course. A highlight.

The power of the band is fully expressed during "Mystery Train". Again, the bombastic effect submerges: being vocally or instrumentally. Each of the band members perfectly knows what to do, at the right time. A good song it is. Splendid keys as well!

This album is actually very good. Most of the songs featured are a highlight (except "We All Need Some Light"). Of course, the music that is proposed is fully TFK oriented. But of the best vein: harmonious, catchy, mighty and skilled. This album is technical but still human. The music is an absolute delight for most of the time. "My New World" is another highlight.

This album shows the best that one can expect when several great musicians get together. Skills are all there, and offer a great musical experience. I was quite skeptical before I first listened to this album, but this is really a very good one.

I don't rate this album with five stars because of the closing number which is too loose and below par on this work. This cover of one of the first prog epic released a long, long time ago by "Procol Harum" doesn't add anything to the greatness of the original. This track could have been perfectly avoided since this lengthy album clocks at over 77 minutes. Sixty would have been perfect.

Anyway: four stars with no problem. This is an excellent album.

And here we have the premier album from modern prog's best known supergroup. And it's everything we might have hoped it would be. Grand epics, with stellar performances from each member, with just awesome solos.

Being the first album from this group, it has many of the characteristics of the bands the members were most known for. The opening track, All Of The Above would fit in quite well on any of the Neal Morse-led Spock's Beard albums, with a similar structure to some of their epics. And on My New World, Transatlantic equals the sound of The Flower Kings, in both beauty and grandiosity.

The band really hits their stride with Mystery Train, a heavy, slightly funky tune that, although a bit murky at times, works better here than on the toned down live versions. And My New World, where each member gets to shine, is a wonder.

The only downer is Morse's We All Need Some Light, which starts with Roine Stolt playing a Steve Howe-like acoustic guitar intro, leading to some anticipation of a beautiful ballad. But unfortunately it turns into a bland religious ballad, with Morse singing some particularly naive Christian buzzwords. It makes me wonder if it's Transatlantic's tolerance of this type of song that makes Morse feel that he can continue to record with them, and not the Beardies. Still, the song is short, and doesn't mar the rest of the album.

I suppose that a majority of the so-called "trendy" and "modern" music critics in 2000 would have argued that the last thing that poor old planet earth needed was a progressive rock supergroup, indulging their passion for the genre and whipping poor listeners back to its heyday of the early to mid 1970's.

Of course, the last group of people who we prog fans take a blind bit of notice of is the modern music critic. However, the background to the setting up of this project was, of course, the most favourable conditions commercially for the genre in quite a few years. Dream Theater had exploded onto the metal scene, and cleverly introduced a young audience to the joys of intelligent prog rock. Spock's Beard were no commercial slouches themselves, The Flower Kings were already beloved by those of us who loved grandiose, jazzy, symphonic prog, and, finally, Marillion were still a very powerful force within the rock music scene, with a very strong and loyal following. So, when this lot did get together, it was never really going to be a disaster commercially. The point, to me, was, would it be a disaster musically?

No is the strong and pointed answer. I am not usually a great fan of retro music, because I feel, in many instances, that it lacks a certain kind of originality, warmth, and you can, of course, always listen to the real thing. This, though, is different. This album deliberately set out to pay homage to the myriad influences that the cohorts loved, and to provide its buyers with an unashamed classical prog rock album, but did it in such a way that, the cover aside, all of it was utterly original, and brilliantly so.

The main opus is the opener, which would have taken up a whole side on the vinyl of yesteryear (and then some). As a statement of intent, All Of The Above really does take some beating. At half an hour long, it never once loses the listener's attention, either through the grandiose and pomp driven core, or, also, the delicious October Winds quieter passage. The extended closing guitar led passage is simply superb. However, at the very core of this track is about the finest example of bass playing I have had the pleasure to hear in my entire life. Trewavas is at the forefront of all of this track, and I remember seeing an interview with Mike Portnoy saying as much, and expressing his and colleagues utter amazement that someone could play bass so well. Not, though, that any of the others are slouches. The vocal performances by Morse & Stolt are simply amazing, the drums are a match for Trewavas on bass, and the guitar and keys combine wonderfully to create a soundscape that takes one back to the joy of symphonic Yes, Genesis, Camel, the best proto prog. In other words, all of the stuff that we loved so much in the halcyon days, mixed together with the best of the modern. I would here say that if you love this, then you must explore The Flower Kings (symphonic albums, not more jazz orientated) and Spocks Beard, whose sound and attitude it resembles most of the constituent parts.

But even this oral joy is not the best here. For me, this dream track is supplanted by the beautiful lyric and execution of We All Need Some Light. The live version I have sees Neal Morse dedicate this to the 9/11 victims of New York a little while later. At the time of it being written, the lyrics just express that lovely, and probably naive, hope that we as a race can all pull together and find some light and live together in peace. Morse puts in his finest vocal performance of a great career, and the guitar playing is straight from the heart, whilst Portnoy plays one of the finest understated power drumming I have heard. This remains one of my all time favourites.

Mystery Train is funky and bombastic, whilst the orchestral My New World is the finest track that The Flower Kings never got to record. It is clearly the work of a group, rather than those of disparate individuals, and the fact that this was recorded in such a quick time is testament to the talents on display here. It might have benefited, I suppose, from having a couple of minutes shaved off, but that really is a minor and pointless quibble. This was designed to be an over the top album. The strings at the commencement are just perfect as the opening, before the majestic guitar gets to work. The passage of Stolt singing gently, backed by a delicate piano and backing vocals, still has the hair raised on the back of my neck, and the main instrumental section is incredibly disciplined and enjoyable.

Lastly, there is the Procol Harum cover (at the time we did not know that this would become a staple feature of the group) In Held ('Twas) In I. This was one of the finest tracks that great band put to record, and this more than does it justice, from the opening poetry, to the guitar led close. I believe that it was Portnoy who pushed for this to be included, and I, for one, am glad that he did.

I remember twelve years ago being rather excited about this album's release. I think I saw it advertised in Kerrang magazine, although I could be wrong. Whatever, its simple joy and celebration of life and a genre I love has never left me, and it richly deserves the classification of essential, a modern classic with more than a nod to the past glories.

Five stars. If you don't have it, get it, and see what all the fuss is about.

Transatlantic's debut album was released in the spring of 2000, five months before the SPOCK'S BEARD career peak of "V". Clearly the stars were aligned for Neal Morse that year, although I doubt the erstwhile Beard frontman would interpret his good luck in such pagan terms (insert rueful emoticon here).

The supergroup attracted some criticism for being musically skewed toward its keyboard player, a hollow complaint after hearing the new band's centerpiece epic "All of the Above", arguably the best Spock's Beard song not on a Spock's Beard album. It was a piecemeal opus, as usual for Morse, but the separate pieces all highlighted his compositional fluency, as well as a few performance skills I wish he'd exercise more often, best heard in strictly instrumental passages like the jazzy "October Winds" jam.

It needs to be said that the song's heroic length was more calculated than organic. If you own the Roine Stolt remix of the album, you'll hear drummer Mike Portnoy during the extended ambient outro urging his bandmates to "keep it going!" just to reach the half-hour plateau. But there isn't a dull moment over any of those thirty-one minutes, from the "Close to the Edge" fade-in to the final guitar harmonics.

The six-part suite almost deserves an entire review by itself, which I'll refrain from pursuing, except to note the understated beauty of "Camouflaged in Blue", one of loveliest ballads ever penned by the prolific Morse. Ditto "We All Need Some Light", an even prettier song until the bombast kicks in, and showing signs of belated lyrical maturity as well. "While the creep beats the rap on appeal / And the cop who can't stop shows the kids how to steal" is a clever bit of doggerel, and the heartfelt yearning of the chorus is a lot easier to digest than the medieval wish-fulfillment in a typical Neal Morse sermon from his later solo career.

But after that the quartet has to scramble to find enough material to fill a CD, with mixed results. "Mystery Train" is a not unpleasant throwaway rocker resembling an outtake from the "V" sessions. "My New World" is a lackluster Roine Stolt original with a trite storyline about a hippy chick and her soldier boy, complete with stock '60s references to Woodstock, Jimi and Janis, and Frisco (the latter a particular annoyance to any Bay Area native).

And the album ends with a curious piece of musical archeology, resurrecting the Proto Prog relic "In Held (Twas) in I", one of the earliest Progressive Rock epics ever recorded. The song hasn't aged particularly well, which in theory would make it the ideal candidate for a thirty-year face-lift. But the update sounds mechanical when compared against the richly arranged PROCOL HARUM original, trading the faux-pretensions of the 1968 version for the real thing.

In retrospect the band probably went into the recording studio too quickly, before enough of the new material was properly chewed and digested (which might explain why their 2001 follow-up "The Bridge Across Forever" was so much stronger). Apparently even a global alliance of Prog Rock superstars needs time to find its feet, but there were a lot of fans (myself included, at the time) willing to share those growing pains with almost masochistic enthusiasm.

The last supergroup of the 20th Century is here. Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater) thought it might be fun to work with Neal Morse (Spock's Beard), and a few e-mails later the line-up was completed by Roine Stolt (Flower Kings) and Pete Trewavas (Marillion). The impression coming strongly through the music is that Neal and Roine have been the two largest musical influences, although Neal plays much more Hammond organ than would normally be found with the Beard.

The opener manages to kick in at over thirty minutes in length, and there are two other tracks (one of which is a Procul Harum cover, "In Held (Twas) I") which are over fifteen minutes long. They make the other two songs (both over five minutes long) seem very short in comparison. This is much more about traditional Seventies sounds, with a huge chunk of Steely Dan style sound being incorporated at times. Neal and Roine both sing lead vocals, while the others provide harmonies.

The music is very intricate, very complex, very prog, but doesn't move into the prog metal style beloved by Mike and (at times) Neal. It is certainly the most progressive album to involve Pete for some years.... It is an album that any proghead will be queuing for when it hits the shops on April 10th. These guys prove that it doesn't need loads of volume. All it needs is a tune, some vocals, and some interplay (okay, so the tune is moving through different time signatures, and is extremely complicated and diverse while the vocal harmonies are spot on). "Mystery Train" is the one that sounds as if it could have been lifted straight from 'Day For Night' as the restrained verse leads into a very Spock's Beard style soaring chorus.

Just simply, a superb album.

Originally appeared in Feedback #57

Are Neal Morse and Mike Portnoy the two closest BFFs in modern prog rock? It seems likely; after all, when Morse shocked the prog world by leaving Spock's Beard after Snow, it would be Portnoy who'd become one of most his most regular collaborators, appearing on a slew of his post-Beard projects (both solo and in side groups like Flying Colors and Yellow Matter Custard).

Before all that went down, however, Morse and Portnoy put together Transatlantic - recruiting Roine Stolt of The Flower Kings after Jim Matheos of Fates Warning couldn't participate and filling out the lineup with Marillion's Pete Trewavas. With Morse still in Spock's Beard at this point and Portnoy a good decade or so away from leaving Dream Theater, the band represented a true supergroup of modern prog, and expectations were high of their first album.

That said, don't go into this setting those expectations too high, or hoping for something with significant doses of, say, the prog metal of Dream Theater or the indie rock-influenced modernised prog sound that Marillion were exploring at the era (or, for that matter, a throwback to Fish-era Marillion). The centre of gravity of the band's sound at this point in time was very much skewed towards the approach of Spock's Beard, with perhaps a healthy pinch of The Flower Kings.

A big part of this comes down to the fact that there's a strong 1960s influence underpinning some of what's going on here - the album ends on a cover of a Procol Harum epic, after all - which both Spock's Beard and The Flower Kings had also been incorporating into their music. Between that and the way Neal Morse and Stolt take point on lead vocals, and the use of vocal harmonies in particular, the parallels are rather prominent, and without the sort of jazzier or more Zappa-esque detours which the Flower Kings take, the balance of the album's sound leans somewhat in a Spock's Beard direction.

Perhaps this was to be expected - the group were still feeling things out. In the long run, Transatlantic would prove to be more than a one-off flash in the pan and develop their sound further from this early pass. The album is a solid start from the project, but they don't yet have an identity distinct from Spock's Beard, and some listeners might be thrown by that, especially anyone who was hoping for more Dream Theater or Marillion-ish moments.

TRANSATLANTIC was probably the most successful supergroup of the 2000s, and their first work, SMPT:e (after the initials of the last names of its members) one of the best releases. Many essential bands from previous generations were a source of inspiration, whose works, belonging to the symphonic side of the progressive genre, are clearly recognizable in SMPT:e.

The album begins with the long All of the Above, a typical 31-minute progressive suite divided into 6 fragments, where a short, very jazzy sequence of keyboards stands out, arriving 10 minutes into the song, and an aroma of JETHRO TULL without flutes but with melodic airs from the Ian Anderson group around the 19 minutes-mark, to face the last section with spatial ramblings of the guitar in the style of Hackett in the more mature GENESIS, and the occasional reminiscence of YES as well. Summing up, this theme is a statement from its main architect, Neal Morse.

The beautiful ballad We All Need Some Light sums up melancholy in all its melody, loaded with feeling. With its less than 6 minutes, in addition to being the shortest song on the album, it is also the easiest to listen to. Similar in length, Mystery Train is a combination of Beatleanian influences from Sgt. Pepper´s? and a superficial modernized psychedelic that doesn't add as much to the work.

My New World is an excellent symphonic exercise of more than 16 minutes, full of variations and tempos, with clear influences from the early works of YES, E, L & P, GENESIS, all together and scrambled but without being cloying. At times it seems that Steve Howe, Keith Emerson, and similar legends are accompanying them, but far from trying to copy them, they are more like a magnificent tribute to the genre, with the particular touch of its main manager, the leader of THE FLOWER KINGS, Roine Stolt.

The cover In Held ('Twas) in I, taken from one of PROCOL HARUM´s best albums, Shine On Brightly from 1968, finishes SMPT: e, another imposing theme of more than 17 minutes, reproduced with great taste, and recognition of the value of one of the original groups of the genre.

TRANSATLANTIC, perhaps without having it as its main objective, gives a fresh and renewed air to the movement with SMPT: e. In a nutshell, one of the best of the 2000s.

The prog revival of the 1990s found the complex excesses of the 1970s return in full regalia with all the musical attributes that gained a loyal following as well as critics who couldn't stand the fact that they couldn't figure it all out in a single listening session but alas the independent fiery nature of the underground had prevailed against the money grubbing record industry that had systematically been dumbing all musical expressions down to a common single denominator. The 90s found a whole host of newbies such as Porcupine Tree, Anglagard and Anekdoten reinterpreting the classics of the past as well as newer metal bands like Dream Theater and Ayreon eager to cross-pollinate their more extreme excesses with the myriad styles of the prog history books.

With all these new bands rekindling the progressive rock scene, it didn't take long at all for some of these musicians to start the musical chairs game of switching things up and forming new bands. One of the first supergroups to emerge around the beginning of the 21st century was TRANSATLANTIC which resulted when Dream Theater's drummer Mike Portnoy had broken up his other project Liquid Tension Experiment once Jordan Rudess had left to join his main band. The project came to fruition as a true progressive rock project that eschewed the bombast of the Dream Theater metal heft and focused on the classic symphonic prog sounds of Yes, Genesis and other classic 70s bigwigs. The first member to join the team being Neal Morse due to the fact Portnoy had become such a huge Spock's Beard fan. Also signing up was long-term Marillion bassist Pete Trewavas but when it came to scoring Portnoy's top pick for guitar duties, Fates Warning axe master Jim Matheos didn't quite work out.

When and was said and done, the role of guitarist was filled by none other than The Flower Kings' mainman Roine Stolt and together this quartet of powerhouse musicians released a couple of the best supergroup prog albums in all of history before taking a hiatus. The first of these albums was the debut album SMPT:e which may look like a secret code for some computer software instruction manual but in reality simply referred to the member's last initials. S-tolt. M-orse. P-ortnoy. T-rewavas. The :e part is what may throw that assumption off but was added because the initials SMPTE referred to The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers which is a global professional association of engineers, technologists, and executives working in the media and entertainment industry, thus providing a secondary reference for all those in the know when it comes tech talk.

By all accounts, TRANSATLANTIC was the real prog deal delivering an unforgiving slice of modern contemporary prog operating within the classic standards, namely uncompromising compositional majesty with little regard to time lengths, commercial palatability or modern trendiness. SMPT:E immediately goes for the prog jugular with the whopping 31-minute opener "All Of The Above" which featured no less than six distinct movements all tied together through interconnecting motifs which brought aspects of all the members on board into a much greater sum of the parts. Upon a single listen, it's obvious that TRANSATLANTIC was all about enhancing the strengths of each musician rather than the watering down of great talent which unfortunately is often the case in rock-based supergroups. If that wasn't enough, this 77-minute plus listening experience features not only one but two more epic tracks that both exceed the 16-minute mark.

While TRANSATLANTIC certainly ticked off all the boxes of the prog check list with inspiration from the classic era ranging from epic Yes-like classically infused compositional fortitude, Pink Floydian space rock moments and the pastoral folk-flavored moments of classic Genesis to the more modern symphonic prog approaches of Morse's Spock's Beard and Stolt's Flower Kings. Add excellent diverse dynamics, irresistible melodies laced with Beatles-esque harmonies, time signature workouts and instrumental gymnastics without sacrificing the emotive expressionism and it's no wonder why TRANSATLANTIC hit the ground running on full steam and has remained relevant in the decades since this debut hit the scene. Many have rightfully proclaimed that the first two early TRANSATLANTIC albums are amongst the best progressive rock albums ever created. I certainly can't argue with that.

Despite the pompousness that exceedingly lengthy tracks can exude, TRANSATLANTIC avoided all the pitfalls on SMPT:e with an emphasis on keeping the music accessible with irresistible almost ear-wormy hooks that if crafted into shorter chunks could easily qualify as brilliant pop rock but what TRANSATLANTIC so successfully mastered was the ability to craft a series of brilliant melodies and harmonies and thought provoking lyrics and teased them all out into epic symphonic prog masterpieces that found a series of varying ideas strung together like a string of pearls that sparkles in the sun. Every one of these four guys was really firing on all cylinders with excellent musicianship while performing highly engaging compositions of epic proportion. This is one of those albums where no single person steals the show as its the careful and thoughtful weaving interactive instrumentation that makes this one so utterly divine.

If nothing else, TRANSATLANTIC proved that the prog revival scene was no fluke and provided the perfect example of how prog was in no danger of burning out any time soon as the odometer was changing to a new millennium however this music goes well beyond merely proving prog was still a force to be reckoned with as TRANSATLANTIC went well beyond the call of duty in crafting some fo the most compelling symphonic prog ever recorded and although the following "Bridge Across Forever" was roughly of equal caliber, this quartet of prog heroes certainly raised the bar so high that few have been able to match including the band itself on its later albums. There also exists a special edition that features a bonus disc with alternative mixes of "My New World" as well as some demos and a couple pointless cover songs and hardly essential but this original album collection of five ridiculously strong tracks is nothing less than a masterpiece through and through.

In the realm of progressive rock, supergroups come into the fray quite often. Many musicians love to get together and have a good time. It is a tradition in any genre really, hip hop groups like Wu-Tang Clan and Run The Jewels are fairly notable examples, same with punk music with groups like Fake Names and Me First And The Gimme Gimmes. Back to Prog rock though, supergroups happen all the time it seems. Emerson, Lake, and Palmer are the most popular examples, with Greg Lake from King Crimson being at the forefront of the band. Another example is Asia, with Steve Howe from Yes, Geoffrey Downes from The Buggles, John Wetton from King Crimson and UK, and Carl Palmer from ELP. However, there is no supergroup out there that has shaped the face of modern progressive rock music more so than Transatlantic.

Formed in 1999, this multinational group was built up by Neal Morse of Spock's Bears (Keyboard, Vocals), and Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater (Drums). They originally wanted Jim Matheos of Fates Warning to be a guitarist for the band, but due to the inability to participate, they got the next best thing, which was Roine Stolt of The Flower Kings (Guitar, Vocals). To complete the lineup, they called in Pete Trewavas of Marillion and Edison's Children (Bass). With this lineup of artists from bands that are extremely well received in the progressive rock community due to their great playing styles, it comes as no surprise that this group would garner a great deal of fame. This unique mix of retro progressive rock, Neo-Prog, and progressive metal and you'll get the brilliant work that is Transatlantic. I have been checking them out a bit recently and so far they have become, slowly but surely, one of my favorite acts in progressive rock. I only listened to two of their albums so far, and I wanted to review one or the other, and I didn't know which one to review, however, I landed on SMPTe ultimately since I think it is interesting to see the origins of a band that has become one of the biggest in terms of progressive rock more so than some of their most legendary works in my mind.

The album begins with the huge 30-minute epic of All Of The Above. The title doesn't lie, this does have pretty much the entire scope of the influences that shaped retro progressive rock. You get that complexity of Yes, those symphonic of Genesis, and the fun stylization of ELP, wrapped up into one big song. With the lineup of musicians we have here, we get some great instrumentation. The star of the show here must be Roine Stolt. His guitar skills are fantastic and goes so well with Neal's singing and Mike's drumming. Speaking of Mike's drumming, I fully believe it just soars to new heights here. It was great in Dream Theater, but here we have him truly embracing those proggy and fun feelings, which helps him a lot in the long run. These two helped shape this epic into a great one for me. However, while I think this is a great epic, I think it has some things that fall short of brilliance. For one, the song has a bit of weird way of ending. It has a big crescendo, a big finale at 26 minutes, and then after 28 minutes it fizzles out, and then we have 3 minutes left of ambient guitars, which I think feels very weird for an ending. I think if they put those ambient guitars on one of the quieter parts then the ending would become a lot better in my mind, while still keeping in tune with the long 31-minute time frame. However that's my only complaint because every aspect of this song, from the playing to the singing, is still virtually the cream of the crop in terms of progressive rock music, so any complaints I can give are gonna be very small in terms of the grand scale this song gives.

Switching away from the big grand epics, we get We All Need Some Light. This is that acoustic soft rock ballad Neal Morse loves to pull out in his albums, especially in his solo career, so I wasn't too surprised to hear it on here. In my mind, this song is very alright. It gets the job done for being that soft-spoken ballad that you might come across, but that is it. The song may be good, but I think all it serves is to get the job done, fill in some space. Compared to any other of Neal's many soft rock songs (from what I have heard) this is the weakest. It does not try to do anything cool or different, it is just another one of those songs they can play at a concert so people can pull out their lighters and sway them from side to side. It is practically just there.

Things do turn around though with Mystery Train. It has that wacky and silly type of progressive rock that sprouts up with more psychedelic influences, especially that of the 60s or 70s, but here with the more symphonic progressive rock type of music found here it comes off a lot different than what you'd expect. This is where they embrace the weirder side of progressive rock, but I feel like it is sort of in that weird middle ground of being completely silly, and still being grounded as a whole, which I think defeats the purpose of the sort of that surreal side. It feels like an experiment, where you can tell they are making great music, it feels like where they are making said great music is one where the members are in different mindsets in the song's direction. It's weird, and in some ways a good fashion, but in others, it is a rather poor way of conveying this type of music.

Getting back to the epics, we have My New World. This is where Roine Stolt comes into really shine a bit more of that Flower Kings sound. We get that jovial, and trippy form of progressive rock here that is helmed by Stolt's lustrous singing here. For a 16-minute epic, it hits all the right spots for me. A great mix of that rock sound, mixed in with a little bit of atmosphere and topped off with a great closure. With it being 16 minutes long, it doesn't overstay its welcome and instead allows the music to evolve in a great fashion. The musicianship here is on point as ever, and everything just fits seamlessly into place. I do not have any gripes on this song. This is their best original song here, and it's very easy to hear why.

Now notice how I said "original" in the last paragraph. Well, that's because My New World is not the best song on the full album, it's close, but it's not the best. That title has to go to the cover of Procol Harum's 1968 epic, In Held 'Twas in I. If you wanted to see a cover song that is better than the original, look no further than here. For the sake of this review I checked out the original epic, and I did fairly enjoy it. I thought it got a good amount of things right as an early progressive rock epic, but some parts felt weaker than others. Here, in the entire whole of the song, no part feels weaker or stronger. Every part of this suite has consistent greatness to it as it meshes together into one big whole. It even modernizes the song in such a way that the original doesn't get lost, but the additions and newer viewing scope help it stand tall more than ever. For a cover, this is a treat to behold, and quite frankly better than what the original had done. If you want a great cover song, look here.

As a whole, this album is amazing, if we only look at the epics. The two shorter tracks loosen this album up a bit for me, and they feel weak as in or out of the listening of this album. The epics however are great, as you'd expect from musicians that are some of the best in progressive music. I think this album is interesting because after this they seem to focus more on stretches of music, especially on The Whirlwind. With this, it's clear that this album as a whole is an experiment to see what route they want to go in, whether it be towards long and amazing epics, or towards the shorter song route, and ultimately, for the better, they went for the longer songs. I think this album is a great example of the differences in the facets that make progressive rock as it is. I say check it if you want some great retro progressive rock, however, I do suggest starting with The Whirlwind first since that album is much, much better than this one, but if you have the time then do check in on it.

Review Nº 724

Transatlantic is a multinational progressive rock super group consisting of Roine Stolt of Flower Kings, Neal Morse ex-Spock's Beard, Pete Trewavas of Marillion and Mike Portnoy Dream Theater. They formed in 1999 a side project to their full time bands and solo musical projects. Transatlantic started when Portnoy invited Morse to join him on a super group project. Portnoy is known for his love for Spock's Beard, so Morse wasn't a strange choice. One of Portnoy's other favourite bands is Marillion and Trewavas was another natural choice. But, finding a guitarist was more difficult. Originally Jim Matheos of Fates Warning was meant to be the first choice, but due to several delays it wasn't possible. So, Morse suggested Stolt and finaly the project was ready to go. It was disbanded in 2002 but they reunited in 2009.

'SMPTe' is the debut studio album of Transatlantic and was released in 2000. The title is a play on words. It's a combination of the band's member initials and a type of time code used in recording technology of the four names.

So, the line up on 'SMPTe' work is Roine Stolt (vocals, electric guitar, twelve string acoustic guitar, Mellotrons and percussion), Neal Morse (vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitar and electric guitar), Pete Trewavas (vocals, bass guitar and moog Taurus pedals) and Mike Portnoy (backing vocals and drums).

'SMPTe' has five tracks. All songs were written and composed by Roine Stolt, Neal Morse, Pete Trewavas and Mike Portnoy except 'We All Need Some Light' which was written by Neal Morse and 'In Held (Twas) In I' which is a Procol Harum's song that was written by Gary Brooker, Matthew Fisher and Keith Reid and arranged by Stolt, Morse, Trewavas and Portnoy. The first track 'All Of The Above' is divided into six parts: 'Fool Moon Rising', 'October Winds', 'Camouflaged In Blue', 'Half Alive', 'Undying Love' and 'Full Moon Rising (Reprise)'. It's an epic of a length seldom seen in the recent years. Atmospheric sounds in the style of 'Close To The Edge' lead to a typical Spock's Beard intro. This is quite Beard's, especially the vocal parts of Morse that are very much similar to his own Beard's style. The music rolls through rhythm and tempo changes, through symphonic and bombastic. The keyboards are quite dominant and the influence of the guitar style of Howe on Stolt is perfectly evident. This track alone is more than a worth to buying the album for. The second track 'We All Need Some Light' is a song with a beginning of acoustic guitar and piano that gives place to a great melodic song. It's the shortest song on the album that develops into a very nice ballad that would have fitted perfectly well on any Neal's solo album. It's the most accessible song and serves as a contrast with the complexity of the previous track. The third track 'Mystery Train' is a song with influences of The Beatles and has a very good work of its rhythm section with a lightly filtered voice. It has a dynamic melody elaborated with Mellotron and excellent chorus, without losing its almost psychedelic air that presides over the whole song. The highlight of the song is the drumming work by Portnoy. The fourth track 'My New World' has a beginning in the style of Yes and where Stolt appears singing with filtered voice. The differences among both vocalists are patent in this music. The song is guided more towards the classic progressive music, being very well worked, with good vocal harmonies and a soft melody. There are some guitar fragments that remind me strongly Howe, and powerful musical atmospheres clearly influenced by Genesis with some references also to Camel. The fifth and last track 'In Held (Twas) In I' is divided into four parts: 'Glimpses Of Nirvana', 'In The Autumn Of My Madness', 'Look To Your Soul' and 'Grand Finale'. This song was originally recorded by Procol Harum in 1967 and was released on their second studio album 'Shine On Brightly' in 1968. It's widely regarded as the first progressive rock epic. This dark and enigmatic suite has a length of about 17 minutes and is a modern view of the classic version, which is taken into a more symphonic version. I like very much of this new version of the song, and that can real explain why a cover song became as one of the highlights of this album.

Conclusion: 'SMPTe' is an album with heavy reminiscences to the 70's. We can revisit many classic prog bands such as The Beatles, Yes, Genesis, Gentle Giant, King Crimson and Camel, for instance. They even covered a song of Procol Harum, one of the most underrated prog bands. The references to some of the greatest classic prog musicians are also evident. Listen to Stolt's guitar playing and you might be able to relate to Howe. Some keyboard playing is also similar to Wakeman. 'SMPTe' is an excellent album of symphonic prog rock with the objective of arriving to more public and making the genre more known. If we compare it with the musical trajectories of the bands of the musicians that form this project, we may say that it's much closer to Flower Kings and Spock's Beard than Dream Theatre or Marillion styles. So, 'SMPTe' is an excellent musical proposal served with some of the best prog musicians in our days. It seems to be an obligatory purchase for all progressive rock followers, especially for the lovers of the classic progressive era.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)