INNERVISIONS

Japanese keyboardist / drummer Tadashi Goto returns in 2008 with a new studio album. This his second album and includes 12 instrumental tracks of oriented to Progressive Rock with serious focus on guitars and keyboards. A huge list of illustrious guests lends support with their guitars (Ty Tabor, Sean Conklin, Chris Poland) and basses (Tony Levin, Tony Franklin, Randy George). This is more Hard Rock than Progressive Rock, and it is reminiscent of guitar soloists in the distant 80s, more centered on song format than on long, boring demonstrations of virtuosity. Strong guitars, omnipresent keyboards, the mandatory experimentation in the genre, perfect balance between the rocker side and the experimental side. These are some of the elements that make "Innervisions". The only problem is the mechanical sound in the drums. This album will not save the genre but if you have lost faith in Hard Rock / Progressive Rock instrumental records, this is a good bet.

'The ultimate bombastic keyboard driven prog?'

Tadashi Goto (keyboards and drum programming) was born in 1976 and grew up listening to classical music as a child. He began his musical career playing the organ at the age 5 and by the time he was 10 years old he had begun composing. His recognition for his creative talent grew when he joined the Yamaha Original Concert in Japan. While he was performing with the JOC, he met Yoshihiko Ujihara, professional guitarist and lead guitarist of former member of X-Japan. He taught Goto synthesizers oriented composition and progressive rock. Later, Goto met Donny Schwekendiek,a professional jazz pianist from Atlanta who taught him jazz rock. Goto traveled to Newcastle in Australia, lived there between 2000 and 2001 and in 2005 he released his first solo album Soundscape, in 2008 followed by this stunning second effort entitled Innervisions.

The 12 compositions mainly deliver heavy and bombastic atmospheres featuring thunderous drumming, strong bass lines (a wide range of guest bass players, including Tony Levin), blistering guitarwork and dazzling synthesizer runs with a variety of spectacular sounds, incredible! Some songs sound dreamy or more electronic/ambient oriened with a modern keyboard sound and the use of samples. For instance the final track The Spirits Within: a mellow blend of piano, voices and keyboards, halfway a sensitive guitar joines, very beautiful. But in general it's a breathtaking keyboard driven progressive mix of several styles, very powerful, bombastic and dynamic.

To me Tadashi Goto his second album Innervisions sounds like 'a wet dream for bombastic keyboard driven prog aficionados'. He even tops Japanese keyboard wizard Toshio Egawa, what an overwhelming keyboard sound, so incredibly over-the-top and super bombastic, wow!

My rating: 3,5 star.