THE WHIRLWIND

Eh, really, if this is a masterpice of progressive rock, I'm Mickey Mouse, I don't get what the fuss is all about this release. From the beggining I can say that they never and will never release a better album then Bridge across forever with the best piece they ever done Duel with the devil. After disbanded in 2003, each musician involved return to their own bands, Portnoy with DT, Morse with his solo career, Trewavas with Marillion and Stolt with Flower Kings. They got together in 2008 and they manage to come with this release from 2009 named The whirwind. To my ears this is an usual album, if almost mediocre in places, but overall not bad, only good and nothing more for sure. I can't understand why so many peoples think this is a masterpiece, they are blinded by the line up and maybe forget about the music, is their own choice after all. Back to the album, this is ausual affair, double album, with more then 2 hour of music, is hard to grasp all pieces on one listning, but with few spins I got my opinion. This album is less intresting and captivating then anything they release before and for sure weaker then Bridge across forever, their best album to date. Not a single pieces is i front, almost all has same level. The musicianship of course is great, they are excellent musicians, but together and specially on this album the ideas they gather are weak and to predictable and usual. Is true the album is progressive, has plenty of melodic parts, complex passages, but in the end I can't remember anything from what they offer, is was not the cas with precedent album. So, to me this is only a 3 star album, nothing more , nothing less, and far from masterpieces status, I know and have hundreds of more intresting albums only from that year not to mention from that period. In places it sounds like some leftovers from some Neal Morse solo album or some The Flower kings release. I don't know if this is a very welcome return in prog rock world, maybe if the next release will sound better I will return to them with a more opned mind, untill then I'll stick to Bridge across forver.