DIFFERENT LIGHT

The musician Trevor Tabone, hailing from Malta and living in the Czech Republic for years, has kept himself busy with his melodic neo-prog band Different Light since 1994. Its existence may be deemed erratic to say the least. As evidenced by my next scribbling.

When the band ceases to exist after the atmospheric debut album "All About Yourself" (1996) and an EP in 1999, Tabone moves to Prague and forms a new Different Light. It's 2009 when their second album "Icons That Weep" is released with a handful of Czechs next to singing keyboardist Tabone, including masterful guitarist Petr Lux. Seven years later it's the turn of our topic, "The Burden Of Paradise", album number three. A successor has been released in the meantime in the shape of "Binary Suns" (2020), but for now the focus is on the previous one.

Because the melancholy of the debut album really appeals to me, a comparative study seems to me the right peg on which to hang this paragraph. The melancholy of "All About Yourself" brings with it a lot of sultry warmth with the result that the whole has a soothing lethargy about it. The latter is not particularly present on "The Burden Of Paradise". A look at the track list makes things clear. Although the album only has eight songs, three of them have an epic division of eight, six and two subsections respectively. For example, "The Burden Of Paradise" has no less than 21 tracks, all of which in 66 minutes. You can safely conclude that the music is therefore more compact and concise. Let's be honest, "The Burden Of Paradise" is a great neo-prog album full of inspired vocals, atmospheric keyboard chords, fine synth and piano themes, fantastic guitar solos and an unobtrusively good rhythm section.

I would prefer to discuss all 21 tracks, but my mother won't let me, that's why I grabbed my pogo stick and merrily leapt my way through it.

The album kicks off with the 18-minute In The Grand Scheme Of Things, which immediately demands attention with its atmospheric keyboards in opening track The Schemer Wakes. A beautiful synth theme that has a slightly Neal Morse-esque style makes its appearance and then moves on to Letter For Alice via an acoustic guitar. This track shows exactly what this album is all about. In short: catchy melodic neo-prog, music in which there is always room for a brilliant guitar solo with vocals that are somewhere in between Nick Barrett's (Pendragon) and Ruud Stoker's (Timelock). The subsequent Happiness is a bit of a quicky due to the extensive harmony vocals, once again reminds us of Neal Morse's music. Pascal's Wager and Out Of The Goldilocks Zone are very strong tracks, the first because of its rousing section containing an excellent guitar solo and the second because it's an Arena-like instrumental, convincingly played. The epic closes with a short reprise of the opening theme, which is great in terms of composition.

Then they come up with two separate songs, of which the ballad Voice Of Outside provides the right demarcation. The song develops into a power ballad that is somewhat in the spirit of the previous epic and the same can be said of the instrumental afterwards.

With Eternal Return the band presents another epic. This time there are six tracks and, to please my mother, I will limit myself to the whole. This piano-driven song comes across as a bit fragmented, although the more elaborate AOR parts are definitely pleasant to listen to. The guitar solo towards the end can be seen as one of the best on the album.

Transient Dream has a Knight Area-esque vibe to it and will appeal to many fans of the knights' old style. Another separate song is Mare Imbrium, an instrumental with voice fragments. It is quite common on this album to play with such sections a few times. Something I would normally dislike, but not this time.

The third epic presents itself with the two-part In Love And War. Now I have agreed with my father not to mention this one at all as I do not want to send my mother up the wall. There is so much beautiful happening here, I wouldn't stop talking about it.

The closing All For You has a somewhat mild appearance and lyrics that makes you think. It's the perfect ending to this entertaining CD.

My mother has already put the cricket-bat back in the closet and is now listening to "The Burden Of Paradise" with headphones on. I see a grin on her face. Justice at last.

Orginally posted on www.progenrock.com

For as much as I disparage the 1990s as progressive rock's dark ages, there were some genuinely excellent albums from that decade. The few bands that did put out good music in that era?acts like Spock's Beard and The Flower Kings?had a distinct sound that, when put to strong compositions, could stand alongside the prog giants of yore. With the rise in popularity of heavier prog acts in the early 2000s (think Porcupine Tree and The Mars Volta), the relatively lush sounds of the '90s became much rarer. That's why I was surprised to find such a '90s-sounding album being released in 2020.

Different Light aren't just aping that old sound; they were formed in 1994, but they disbanded after just one album. They re-formed in 2008, and Binary Suns is their third album since that reunion. The overall sound on Binary Suns is lighter and lusher than most acts in the contemporary scene. Piano is the dominant instrument, and synth pads tie everything together.

The album opens on a bombastic note, with the bright piano chords and dramatic guitar lines of "Amphibians". The melodies are strong overall, though there are moments where I'm not wild about some of the sonic choices. This song (and most of the album at large) is more major-key than what I usually listen to, but I acclimated to that environment eventually.

In an unusual sequencing decision, a 21-minute suite is the third song on this album. "Spectres and Permanent Apparitions" is the strongest song on the album. It opens with an energetic passage underpinned by some crunchy rhythm guitar that reminds me of a non-metallic Dream Theater. The suite's slower moments give flashes of Marillion, and the more somber tone suits the band very well.

Next is "The Answer", the shortest track on the album, and also one of the most enjoyable. There's a surprising amount of structural and sonic diversity for a song that doesn't even crack four minutes. "On the Borderline" closes the album on a fairly strong note. It could have been tightened up a bit, but the meandering doesn't detract too much.

There are some glaring weaknesses here, though. "Faith" is a straightforward song with some good ideas. However, some of the vocal lines are a bit too sunny and light for my taste. And the ballad "Two Faces", Binary Suns' penultimate track, is an eight-minute slog. It reminds me of Styx. And not fun, goofy Styx, like "Mr. Roboto" or "Fooling Yourself", but schmaltzy, soft rock Styx, like "Babe".

On a broader level, the album is also hampered by a limited sound palette. Piano, nondescript synth pads, and one distorted guitar tone can only get you so far, especially when stretched out across the span of an hour. I may also just be too much of a Debbie Downer to enjoy those gentle, uplifting choruses, but they had a same-y-ness that did get old by the album's end.

Binary Suns feels like an artifact of the mid-1990s progressive rock world. It demonstrates many of the ways that era framed the genre. Different Light mostly succeeded at bringing those sounds together to make something enjoyable. If you like the gentler side of rock music, this would probably be right up your alley, but many moments felt toothless to me.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2020/01/27/album-review-different-light-binary-suns-part-1-operant-condition/

As the golden age of prog drifts on past the 50 year mark of its existence as a subgenre of rock music, the longing for the classics seems never-ending with many a band offering upgraded retro sounds to satisfy the craving for the stylistic approach propagated by all the prog gods of yesteryear however as we enter the third decade in the 21st century even the 90s revival era has garnered a nostalgic longing with some modern bands looking to that second coming for inspiration rather than mining the 60s and 70s. One such band is DIFFERENT LIGHT strangely enough actually formed all the way back in the island nation of Malta in 1994 by Trevor Tabone (vocals, keyboards), Mark Agius Cesareo (guitars), Richie Rizzo (drums) and Trevor Catania (bass).

The band released it's first album 'All About Yourself in 1996 and then toured extensively through Malta and even supported ex-Marillion superstar Fish but after the release of another EP the band called it quits in 1999 and presumably never to be heard from again but after several years in musical limbo, Tabone moved to Prague in the Czech Republic and reformed the band in 2008 with Hynek Kocourek (guitars) and Petr Lux (guitars) along with Daniel Charron (drums) and Premek Matejovic (bass), This lineup released the album 'Icons That Weep' and then wouldn't be heard from until 2016 with new bassist Jirka Matousek and a new album titled 'The Burden Of Paradise.' Having found a stable lineup the band managed to make a dent in the prog underground and stuck it out with the same lineup with the exception of newbie drummer David Filak to craft the followup BINARY SUNS (PART 1 - OPERANT CONDITION) that his the market in 2020.

Having formed in the 90s Tabone never moved on from the classic symphonic and neo-prog sounds of the 90s therefore out of all the new styles of prog that have emerged in the last twenty-something years, DIFFERENT LIGHT sounds as if it still exists in the 90s along bands like The Flower Kings, Neal Morse, Spock's Beard, Transatlantic and Glass Hammer. On BINARY SUNS the band has developed a fully formed example of what i call flower prog, that symphonic rich happiness inducing prog that many find ecstatic and other the epitome of prog cheesiness. The sunny side of prog this is complete with cheerful melodies, neo-prog guitar wailing and never-ending piano runs that evoke all the aforementioned 90s classic symphonic prog acts, in fact Trevor Trabone's vocal style reminds me often of Neal Morse and a few times even evokes a dead ringer for Kevin Cronin of REO Speedwagon!

BINARY SUNS runs just shy of the 57 mark and features six tracks, three of which are composed of subunit suites in the form of proggy excess with the sprawler-in-chief title going to the 21 minute 'Spectres and Permanent Apparations.' The opening 'Amphibians' immediately established this album as some sort of long lost 90s recording session held back for two decades with cheerful piano melodies accompanied by atmospheric symphonic runs. The immediate connection to REO Speedwagon as some of the piano progressions sound right out of the classic 80s REO playbook. Imagine 'I Can't Fight That Feeling' only teased out into a Neal Morse / Spock's Beard prog behemoth and you pretty much get the gist of this one. This is particularly true of the track 'Two Faces.' Expect major chord prozac type prog for the entire run similar to bands like Moon Safari and any Neal Morse project and you'll pretty much get the gist.

Overall this is a pleasantly performed album that offers an authentic retro approach to the 90s symph- / neo-prog bigwigs but admittedly this is not my favorite style of prog and DIFFERENT LIGHT belies its moniker and really isn't very DIFFERENT at all. This by-the-numbers 90s symph prog just really doesn't have much to offer in originality or taking this specific musical style into new arenas. Perhaps the lapse in time didn't close a certain chapter in the book but i would think by 2020 that a band that clearly has a firm command of the neo-prog scene could muster up a little bit of music magic in the creativity department. Personally i'd just rather listen to the influences that experience this one again. For those who can't get enough neo-prog, this will surely please but for yours truly i'd rather investigate bands with more inspiration beyond hero worship.

This is the fourth album from Different Light, who were originally from Malta. They released their debut back in 1996, but it was only after moving to Prague that singer/keyboard player Trevor Tabone decided to create a different version of the band in 2009 and release a new album. Only guitarist/singer Petr Lux has survived from those days, and on this release the line-up is completed by Jirka Matousek (bass) and David Filak (drums). Listening to this takes me back roughly to the time of the debut, but not to Malta but instead to America. Back then there were a few progressive bands making new strides and pushing boundaries, yet there were also quite a few who were mixing American melodic rock with commercial progressive rock to create something which was very different indeed to most of the prog coming out of Europe. Indeed, when I saw a review of this album saying it sounded almost as if REO Speedwagon and Mystery had come together to form a single unit, I had to smile as I had been thinking a very similar thing myself.

Some of this may well indeed be down to Trevor Tabone, who is similar in many ways to Kevin Cronin, and one wouldn't think he wasn't American from his performance. The piano is very important to the overall sound, much more than the rest of the keyboards, and this combines with multi-layered guitars and loads of hooks to create something which is melodic, poppy, AOR and crossover prog all at the same time. It has been four years since the last album, but one can only hope that given the title the next album will be out sometime soon, as although this style of music was briefly popular some twenty odd years ago it is quite unusual indeed these days, and I found I really enjoyed this. A very easy album indeed to get into on the very first listen, it only gets better with repeated plays. For those who enjoy the American melodic rock style with a tinge of prog, along with great vocals and songs.

After releasing the spectacular album 'The Burden of Paradise', DIFFERENT LIGHT took four years to complete their new item. So for now, we have CD 'Binary Suns' (Part 1 - Operant Condition)' which confirms the band's ability to provide remarkable and digestible progressive rock. Built around the talents of Trevor Tabone (lead singing & keyboard courtesy), Petr Lux (guitars & b/v), Jirka Matousek (bass) and David Filak (drums), the a close-knit group cooperate with Lucy Lux to bring an extra dimension in the beautiful sonic landscape. Their recent offering is a wonderful teamwork full of musical dexterity, quirky melodies, subtle dynamics, glued together by gentle harmonies and graceful playing. A crucial strategic move is the vocal delivery of Trevor Tabone whose voice soars, coming front and centre in the well-produced arrangement. Setting a variety of catchy atmospheres, the internal balance has been suitably accomplished. Even though I comment on this release, I don't think that a track-by-track analysis would be of any benefit to the reader - because each listener should find his own meanings on the set which may be described as amazing blend with lots of transformative moments throughout. In terms of overall sound, the music comes into the universe where aesthetics and textures span from lofty Styx to occasional gesture of Yes, switching to nimbleness of Toto intermingled with pretentious REO Speedwagon, passing to majestic Kansas alongside throbbing IQ. This is a really ambitious modus operandi, to say the least. Of course, you may notice elements of giants here, but these are threads scattered in a tapestry with very original nuances. The end result serves as a wondrous scrapbook of 6 songs with the longest one coming in at 21:28 min. which fits under the banner of progressive rock epic. Whatever a number of influences, Different Light produce a message featuring the addictive vocal interplay and majestic orchestration. So I just had to write this because it would be a mistake to let a prog mastepiece like CD 'Binary Suns' be ignored.

DIFFERENT LIGHT is a band project that serves as the creative vehicle of composer and musician Trevor Tabone. Initially formed in Malta in 1994, the band fell apart a few years later but then reappeared as a venture based in the Czech Republic starting in 2008. Following the return of Different Light they have released a compilation album and two studio productions. "The Burden of Paradise" is the most recent of the latter, and was self-released by the band in 2016.

Sometimes you do not need to say all that much about an album, and this is just such a case. A well made album on all levels, featuring material that should please just about anyone with a taste for classic era, mid 80's style neo-progressive rock. If this is the kind of music you tend to enjoy, this is an album that most certainly warrants a check.

So Much To Love On This Album!

Starting with a low droning synth patch which segues into a delicate piano pattern with a portion of Charlie Chaplin's "The Great Dictator" speech setting the tone for what follows, you know that this is probably NOT going to be your average, standard Crossover outing...

Overall, there appears to be a larger story (a semi-concept?) of individual freedom co-existing within interdependence found throughout this endeavor.

I'm a musician; I play music, and sometimes, I'm not very good at describing with any semblance of cogent articulation what I'm hearing.

For this, I apologize...

However, ever since I first heard The Burden Of Paradise I've been particularly moved and inspired and find myself naturally gravitating to putting it into Winamp for another go-around. I'm NEVER disappointed in my choice when I do decide to give this personal treasure another listen.

The themes opened, explored and recapitulated are very musically consonant and captivating to my senses. Although there are three larger Suites, the individual components as well as the songs not directly related to the larger Suite pieces seen to help to hold the whole of the album together. There is no filler, all these songs seem to have a place within the whole, and the album would be a lesser product had these pieces not been included...

There's such a great balance of melody, harmony, gentle and rough - there are great hooks within both the verses and the choruses, & memorable lyrics, all of which which lend to the sense of "completeness" on this outing. Every instrument (especially the vocals of Trevor Tabone) are given ample opportunity to shine in their respective moments.

The guitars are well balanced between clean, distorted, and acoustic and the solos contain enough emotion with just the right amount of flash to keep an old "shredder" such as myself interested.

A fine example of the guitars in my opinion can be found on the almost Heavy Prog-like track "A St. Martin's Summer"; it's a bit of a romp somewhat in the style of Opeth's take on old Goblin songs - with some very tasty guitar work! Also of note in the guitar department are the solos during "Eternal Return VI. Waking Moment" and also "In Love And War II. War".

The historical vocal samples are a nice touch to be found on this album!!! The Neil Armstrong samples during "In The Grand Scheme Of Things : V - Pascal's Wager and VI. Out Of The Goldilocks Zone" is a nice, familiar touchstone to be found on this adventure. And once again, we find a return of Chaplin during "Eternal Return IV. A Carpathian Day", and also "Mare Imbrium".

All in all, I find this to be a very satisfying album and more than a worthwhile investment in time and effort in listening!

I'm giving this a very warm, 4.5 PA Stars!

As always, your actual mileage may vary.

Grace and peace, Cylli Kat (Jim)

Originally written January 21, 2020 Uploaded April 30, 2020

In short: this is going to end up very high on my list of favourite albums of the year, and it won't surprise me if it takes the top spot.

Beautiful, intricately constructed, melodic progressive rock with gorgeous harmonies, interesting lyrics, lovely interplay between parts and the occasional virtuoso stand-out moment. Lovely, unusual chord changes, great use of suspense in pedal note bass, some delicious guitar trem arm flutter moments and all sorts of other technical observations, but above all this is just musical and engaging. It took me a couple of listens to really take to it but now it grows on me with every listen.

Stand out tracks: Love and War is sublime. Special mention for "At First Light" too. There are moments which are a little like modern (songful) Rush, some more Neo-prog moments that could be Marillion if you squint a bit. Loads of big majestic, symphonic moments, and a brave but wonderful end to the album.

This is really, really fine stuff. Not wall to wall virtuoso stuff, but some of the most musically engaging prog I've heard in a long time. Top marks with no reservations.

I never knew about this band, but I'm blown away.

I really like this kind of progrock. It has some similarities to IQ, Millenium, Pendragon but also It Bites and Saga. The style is a heavy kind of prog, with lots of guitarriffs and solos. There are lots of rhythm changes and nice heavy soloing on synths and guitar. Sometimes the heavier parts remind me of Threshold and Subsignal.

On the softer parts there also lots of use of piano. Also a reminder of Threshold. The heavy riffing and piano has also some Savatage-moments, even Queen sometimes. Haven't heard such use of piano in heavy rock for a very long time. The vocalist is very good. He sings with a gentle and often warm voice but can easily hold his ground when the music gets heavy. There's lots of use of backing- and harmony vocals. All very melodic and catchy.

There are two long epic suites that work very well and the different parts flow into eachother very easily.

I can really recommend this cd to people who get tired of modern prog being either depressing or too much metal. This is oldschool progrock with a heavy rock approach (with a pop/aor flavour here and there) and offers a lot musically. A very colourful album.

Review #33. I must admit that I had no idea about 'Different Light'; this is actually the first album I listened by them, and I am very pleased to say the least. When I sit down to write a "review" I try to listen to the album at least 3 or 4 times first. (Right now I am listening to it for the 3rd time).

So, let's take a closer look: The album includes 8 songs, with 2 of them being divided into many smaller parts, and has a total running time of more than an hour. The album's characteristic is the 2 long suits, 'In the Grand Scheme of Things', and 'Eternal Return'. 'In The Grand Scheme of Things' is the album's opening song, an - almost - 22-minute-long suite, which is divided into 8 shorter parts. It is a typical example of modern Progressive Rock, (I will not say Neo-Prog), including very nice melodies and many turns and changes. The dominant instrument is the keyboards, with the electric guitar playing a significant role as well. Personally speaking, I heard many Marillion influences here and there, but it doesn't really matter since the outcome is very good and pleasant to the ears. (Upon listening to it over and over, you will discover more "hidden" influences from other bands as well). Next comes Voice of Outside, a beautiful and melodic tune, which is one of the album's personal favorites. Voice of the Outside is followed by the instrumental A St. Martin's Summer, a very pleasant tune with very good guitar work, and a heavier overall sound. Although it is not a bad tune, it passes - let's say - unnoticed, because of the 2 previous and the next song, which are really good ones! So, after St. Martin's Summer comes the highlight of the album in my opinion, Eternal Return. It is the album's second long suite, divided in 6 parts. With very good rhythm, beautiful melodies, sweet piano passages and nice changes in the song's main structure, it surely is a very good song, that "catches" the listener's attention from the first listening. Transient Dreams is also a good piece, but being placed after Eternal Return is loosing some of its dynamic. After that, Mare Imbrium enters, which is actually the intro for the 10-minute-long Love and War, that is divided in 2 parts. Another very good tune! All for You is the album's closing song, a cool and relaxed melody, with piano and acoustic guitar in most parts. Not bad, but also nothing special as well. So, in order to sum up, what we have here is a very good album, including some impressive moments, especially with the presence of the 2 long suites, beautiful melodies and a soft and pleasant sound, that can be appreciated by almost everyone, being a Progressive Rock fan or not.

In my opinion their overall sound and style reminds me of the Scottish band Comedy of Errors, but in an improved way so to say. The Burden of Paradise is a very pleasant and enjoyable album, one of this year's surprises, that you should definitely give it a try! [Because of my radio show, I get the chance to speak and "meet" with many artists, and sometimes their overall behaviour matters to my final decision. I contacted their leader Trevor Tabone a few days ago, and I have to say that he seems like a very cool and gentle guy. (I will have him actually as guest in my radio show on the 16th of October).] So, my rating will be 3.5 stars for the album, plus 0.5 stars for Trevor's overall behaviour, which adds up to 4.0 solid stars.