ALIVE BEYOND RECOGNITION

Steve Tassler's sole solo album is truly a one-man affair, as every note on this album was written, sung and played by Tassler. But the basic instrumentation is all accounted for on this album as Tassler handles drums, all vocals, guitars, basses and keyboards. Tassler started life as the drummer and one of the backing vocalists with Starcastle, and there are some Starcastle references on the album, namely in the extensive harmony vocals on the album. However, this album eschews the Starcastle penchant for sounding like Yes circa 1972 in favor of a more modern, more keyboard heavy sound. Of course, as Tassler is a drummer, this is also very drum heavy, in fact, the drums are very loud in the mix, sometimes a little too much so, drowning out the other instrumentation.

Tassler does however show off some very good chops on the drums, and comes across as a decent keyboard, bass and guitar player. His voice is fairly pleasant, but he has a limited range (which in itself is ok) that he sometimes sounds like he's straining outside. A good reference point for his voice would be Martin Orford. The songs are very-well composed and Tassler shows a strong melodic sense in his songwriting. This is most apparent on the song "Firebright" which sports a very catchy chorus as well as some strong neo-sounding keyboard work. "Bring the Promise" has some chunky guitar playing and is one of the more energetic songs of the album. "...and Still She Wonders" is an accoustic, plaintive ballad filled with a sense of sadness. "Aeon's Arrival" is a strong symphonic instrumental where Tassler really shows his chops on the drums and percussion.

The centerpiece of the album is the 14 minute epic Interregnum where Tassler takes us back in time. But instead of taking us back to 1972 Yes, he takes us back instead to 1985 IQ. This has a strong IQ vibe to it (albeit on the mellower side of IQ). In fact, if you replaced Tassler's vocals with Nichols' vocals, this could fit comfortably on Tales or Wake. Of course, as stated earlier, his vocals don't take it too far away from IQ territory, as he and Orford share a similar vocal style. If you like the mellower side of classic neo, this is a song you really should hear.

The rest of the songs on the album show Tassler's melodic sense, has some strong neo sounding keyboards, very strong drum work, Starcastle like harmonies and a rather uplifting feel to the whole thing. A couple of downsides of this CD are the sometimes strained sound to the vocals, but that's really a minor detail. Another problem is that sometimes the album lacks a sense of energy and spontaneity that a real band could have provided. Still, even with those two caveats, this is a very good neo album and this rates a solid 3 stars. If you like the mellower side of neo, this is an album you should enjoy.