THE WAY

Ah, I see that TCP has been added! Excellent. Just a warning, this is probably one of my favorite albums of 2009, so expect some bias. I guess if I had to make a reductionist summary of the album, I would say that it sounds like someone took Yes, Genesis, Fish, Dream Theater, and every darker piece from the Romantic period, threw them in a blender, added some nutmeg, and hit "frappe." Although I am not a huge fan of Genesis or Dream Theater, I am still quite pleased with the resulting taste.

"You Can Never Know" starts in an upbeat yet twisted and depressing sounding way that really creates a pretty cool contradiction. About halfway through the song you think it ends, and then it jumps into a catchy part that sounds like Yes Album era, well, Yes. Overall, pretty neat; I think its an effective opener. 4 stars.

"I'm Me" starts with a haunting acoustic guitar that's really reverbed out, and it's playing a really atmospheric 1800sish melody. Then the lyrics come in, with every word carefully chosen and presented with a poise that is over the top. It's a sublime experience :D. After a while, the song relaxes and then later segues into a really hard and driving part with an interesting vocal performance that reminds me a lot of something one might expect in a vintage opera. Overall, a pretty good song, only taken down a peg slightly by the short I'm Me vocal section at the end that really doesn't work. 4.5 stars

It's at this point that I should probably point out that Tarnecky's vocals aren't for everyone. Some people think Fish's performances in early Marillion were out there; Tarnecky makes Fish seemed reserved and cautious. I like it for the most part, but unfortunately it really ruins "Mankind." It has an excellent piano driven opening, and overall, the music and lyrics are great, but Tarnecky really reaches a bit far in his performance here. Too bad. 3 stars

"Heavy Billy" is a hard rocking instrumental that's driven largely by a really fluid sounding organ. A little to fluid IMO because it distracts from the rest of the instruments which sound much more gruff. I really loved this one the first time, but now I only like it ;). 3.5 stars

"Sheep" starts out with a really creepy and depressing melody that sounds like it would work in classic horror movie or the Diablo 1 soundtrack. I thought it was too much the first time through but now I love it. The rest of the song alternates between a more classic symphonic sound and a more modern metal sound. I enjoy it thoroughly, especially the lyrics which lambaste our crappy society, but not in a whiny liberal or stale right-wing way. 4.5 stars

"He's Like You" is probably the best number on the album. It's definitely the most metal, but don't let that turn you metal haters away. TCP is very good at creating an aggressive sound here without bringing in some of the elements that might be considered "cheesy" by some. (Just a disclaimer here, I really like lots of progressive and tech. metal so I'm playing devil's advocate) I was really taken aback how much more coarse and dissonant this song is when compared to the previous numbers, but ultimately, it makes it the most memorable. 5 stars

"Road to 2012" is an awesome short instrumental that brings forth vintage classical sound in spades once again. Really well executed IMO. 4.5 stars

"Hypatia" is the 2nd big misstep on this album unfortunately. The entire atmosphere of the song clashes horribly with the rest of the tracks, and Tarnecky's vocals really aren't geared towards spacier stuff like this. Oh well, too bad once again, but they completely redeem themselves with "She." This one is a continuation of the Hypatia lyrical theme, but it fits in more with what the band has been doing for the rest of the album. It's long twisting 10 min ride that completely makes me forget their previous foibles by the end of it. The drums are particularly enjoyable on this track, as well. Good stuff. "Hypatia"-2.5 stars, "She"-5 stars

"The Way" is perhaps not the most memorable track on the album but I really enjoy the forlorn sound that is employed in the opening. This also has another enjoyable Yes Album sounding section in the middle. 4 stars

"Liberate Me" is the 3rd and final instrumental that really shows a more playful side of the band. This actually reminds me just a tad of ATT era Gentle Giant. In other words, a great closer to a pretty good album. 4.5 stars.

4+4.5+3+3.5+4.5+5+4.5+2.5+5+4+4.5/11 =4.091,ergo 4 stars. Hah, that's right, I'm an engineer, and I brought math into a purely artistic enterprise. Hate me. :)