GATEWAY

I heard about this band through a podcast by UK Progmeister. I decided to give this a listen. Definitely a good choice. If you like your prog heavy on the keys with heaping doses of ripped and shredded guitar and keyboard leads to go along with well-thought out orchestration, then this band is for you. Even a touch of folk creeps in. Comes complete with male a female vocals. Matt Maugeri sounds a lot like Michael Sadler of Saga, while Elizabeth Holder has a lighter voice reminiscent of folk singers from the 60's and 70's. Shawn Christie makes a guest appearance that must be heard. A few words on some of the tracks: Timelords (two featured versions) includes a near perfect rendition of the original Dr. Who theme and monster guitar solos on both versions, while The Poet rocks hard with a tasty guitar lead and a blazing keyboard solo at the end. The title track, Gateway, is a throwback to the folk-prog sound from late 60's England; think Fairport Convention/Jethro Tull with added punch in the middle. The piece de Resistance is the last track, The Siren That Calmed The Sea, an over 14 minute long composition that to my ears combines French Impressionism with synthesized orchestration and restrained, melodic tasteful piano work. It's like a neo-prog movie soundtrack, and the shifting moods and main motif are beautiful. Added note: unlike most prog, the lyrics on this album stand above the crowd. I have to give their first album a listen soon.