CHASING THE LESSER LIGHT

Here we have the latest album from American neo-progressive rock band Kinetic Element, which have exactly the same line-up as for 2019's 'The Face of Life', with Saint John Coleman (vocals) and Peter Matuchniak (guitar) now firmly established alongside Mike Visaggio (keyboards), Mark Tupko (bass) and Michael Murray (drums, percussion). This is a thematic album working through our desire to conquer space, and the cover art is inspired as it shows a businessman holding a space helmet as he watches an Apollo mission blast off. There are only five tracks, but with only one being well under ten minutes and another nearly twenty this album comes in at an hour in length. Interestingly, there are two songs by Mike, two by Peter and then one where they work together.

Given Peter's long history in the scene I am somewhat surprised not to hear more of a guitar-oriented nature, but instead he shows why he is such an in-demand guitarist as he easily slips alongside Mike as they move ahead with arrangements which often have been heavily influenced by ELP or Genesis (I know Peter has long been a fan of Hackett). But while Mike and Peter create the melody which draws in the ear, it is important not to overlook the parts being played by Michael and Mark as the quartet all have equal roles to play which allow the arrangements to really take shape while never creating a wall of sound. It would certainly be easy to argue that they are all leading the songs, such is the impact each is having. The drums never sit within a set pattern, the bass is often leading the melody or counter melody, the guitars either provide the support or ramp ahead, while multiple keyboards sounds and styles all have an impact.

Unfortunately, the vocals are not up to the same standard, and Saint John is struggling with the pace of some of the lines and while he has a style which has similarities with Jon Anderson he is not nearly as clean, and often seems to be just slightly off key. With this album the band have made a significant step forward with the music, but the vocals have not matched that movement and consequently it is the instrumental passages which have the most impact. I have listened to this album multiple times, and have felt the same each time I have played it, which is a shame as musically this has a lot to offer.

It has been a while since I last listened to "Face of Life", the previous Kinetic Element album and the first to include Peter Matuchniak on guitar and Saint John Coleman on vocals. I remember being impressed with the classic seventies prog-styled music, but too much has passed into my ears since then. (I have it ready to hear soon again.) So, without any fresh memories, I plugged into "Chasing the Lesser Light" and was on the first listen wowed by what I heard.

Kinetic Element claim to be for fans of Emerson Lake & Palmer, classic Yes and early Genesis, with nods to keyboard bands like Triumvirate and Le Orme. This is most certainly true when you hear it. There are moments when I could imagine Tarkus rumbling onto the scene or the mysterious entanglement of Felona and Serona. There's even a moment in "Door to Forever" where I hear some Pink Floyd tribute happening. Beng familiar with Peter Matuchniak's guitar playing in other bands, I recognized his playing but not as often as I imagined I should. Instead of making his signature sound and style stand out as he did on older albums such as his solo releases or with Gekko Projekt, Peter seems to easily become part of this classic seventies prog concoction. Along with Mike Visaggio's exciting organ, synthesizer and piano solos, Mark Tupko's Chris Squire/Mike Rutherford Rickenbacher bass, and Michael Murry's "4/4 beats are just one small tool in my massive toolbox" drum playing, Peter's guitar fits in like a member of the band rather than a new face to show off.

The compositions are credited two to Mike, two to Peter, and one to the pair of them. In true classic prog styling, each track, whether a little long or an epic, takes the listener on various prog adventures, with changes happening quite frequently. The concept of the album is humanity's quest to set foot on celestial bodies beyond our own. Lyrics cover the space race of the sixties, the first trip to the moon, the plans to reach Mars, and heading to the great beyond. It requires far too much detail to describe each track for all the twists and turns, but rest assured that if the "for fans of" description sounds like its written for you, you will enjoy the music.

A few words should be said about vocalist Saint John Coleman. As mentioned in Kev Rowland's review, Coleman does reach hard for the notes sometimes and there are moments where I feel he is struggling to be in key. However, there are also moments where I worried he would not be able to hit some of the higher notes and yet he did and with vibrato to boot. He adopts a variety of singing approaches, some very suitable to the music, such as taking on a hint of a little boy's sentiment when singing the role of the son of the astronaut in "Radio Silence". Coleman moves between lighter vocal approaches that must keep up with the tricky pacing of the music and operatic moments that test if not tax his abilities. Nevertheless, aside from a few moments where the train seems in danger of going off the rails, Coleman pulls of a few incredible moments as well.

To wrap up, the musical performance on this album is really sharp and easily sounds like it belongs in 1972. The gentleman with sticks, keys and strings have put together a masterful work. I really do need to hear that previous album again!