THE WHIRLWIND

Now there it is, the long-awaited third Studio-Album by today´s only remained Progressive-Rock-Supergoup. I admit that it took me three or four times to listen to the entire album before I could get warm with it. Now I would not like to comment on each of the 12 Whirlwind-parts. But all in all can I say that if there is something negetive at all to this Album, it´s just at highest stage. I think this album includes everything that belongs to a classic symphonic-prog-album. Couple of tricky instrumental passages, even though not as long and distinct as on the two previous albums (Overture, Pieces of Heaven, end of Is it really happening), lots of measured symphonic passages (The wind blew them all away, Dancing with eternal glory) and some memorable melodies (f.e. the different themes appearing in the Overture). The main difference to the two previous albums is the fact that the band had only seven days together in the studio to write and to record drums and bass-parts, I think. All the guitar-, keyboard and especially the vocal parts were recorded by each of the four members on their own. For the instrumentals this has the consequence thar there are not as many diferent technical ideas in it as on SMPTe and Bridge across Forever and some themes are protracted to get the song up to 77 Minutes so that in the end, they become a little boring. On the vocals, the short studio-time has the effect that there are only a few symphonic choir-vocals as there where lots f.e. in Suite Charlotte Pike or Duel with the Devil. So I miss them a little bit. Instead, some choir-passages are simply replaced by additional keyboards so that the keyboards sometimes become too dominant in my opinion. But all in all, these are just small things and I like The whirlwind as much as the two previous albums, so please, give this album a chance and be happy that there is still played great symphonic prog in the present time.