BEYOND FRONTIERS

Having listened to this release in depth, a slight edit to my review this day, 11/2/15, but I will still maintain the 4 star rating, maybe closer to 3.5 now: I've found that people either love sampler CD's, or absolutely hate them. Personally, I've always found them enjoyable and look forward to getting them in magazines or as promotional material. Progstravaganza's release is no different, I've given "Beyond Frontiers" multiple listens off their audio stream link, and with each listen, it get's better and better. Seconds Before Landing starts us off with a very solid offering, "I'm All Alone." It's haunting lyrics sent chills up my spine with the closing whispers and gunshot, very powerful. Fughu picks up where the previous track left off and then draws you in with its arpeggio like organ runs before the theater opens. I find myself listening to this story with its unique lyrical qualities that peak my interest and "Quirk of Fate" offers up a little bit of everything prog that I like. Traffic Experiment is no accident; this is a smooth poetic track of coolness called "Weight of the World." The easiness explodes at the end with its electric guitar solo giving way to a chorus of organ outro. Machines Dream "Broken Door" has that dreamy quality before giving way to the guitar also. The flute bridge ties the two halves together nicely. The Moonling literally takes you "Backstage" in the theater of life, taking over from where Fughu started earlier in the disc. "Backstage" took a couple listens with the vocal gymnastics and circus sounds, but its quirkiness is quickly becoming a favorite. There are some tempo issues in the recording that I question as being purposeful, to me more bothersome. Rolf Remlinger gives us our first instrumental track. The section after the opening is very well developed with hints of mellotron, booming bass, and gentle synth solo. "Corrosive Exponent Too" explodes in the last half with an epic battle between guitar and synthesizer. Some studio polishing could still take place as the recording sounds rushed and underdeveloped in places, although, it maintains many progressive elements that an instrumental should have, in a perfect 4 minutes! Riccardo Sandri takes us on a folksy waltz style journey in his native language with classical guitar and simple percussion, accordion and organ. Just when you think you've heard the whole song and melody over and over again (which is still playing in my head!), he rocks it out at the end and really kicks it in overdrive. Sandri's piece just suffers from being a couple minutes too long ans it repeats and repeats, a shorter version wouldn't be as tedious, get to the ending sooner. Cea Serin, "The Victim Cult," cooks from beginning to end. I may not be a fan of some of the vocal styles used, but they make it work and balance throughout the piece. This song really rocks this disc and adds a whole new layer for the listener, a lot going on here (which I'm liking more and more). Overhaul, "Three Judges," shows multiple progressive qualities in different sections tied together with some real nice solo piano work. A lot of unique rhythmic changes and textures keep the listener interested. Celluloid Winter "Feigning Insanity (Part 1)," offers up some nice acoustic guitar work and vocals. I need to hear part 2 now! "Tin Man" by Amber Herd picks up the tempo with some almost "surf" sounding guitars throughout, a straightforward fun piece from beginning to end with a little march style bridge. The only other instrumental track, Fed Colombo "Midgar" takes us on a relaxing journey adding more and more layers as we go along finally driving home a rocking beat. The fade out at the end appropriately closes the disc in perfect fashion. Overall, I look forward to getting the physical CD and spinning it in the car stereo on many trips. I like the variety, all are solid quality recordings and the artists should be recognized for their efforts. There are minor flaws, some tracks may not be to every one's taste, but as far as samplers go, I can listen to this one from beginning to end without any track skipping.