SMPT:E

The concept of a prog rock supergroup has loads of potential for overblown, pompous, and laughable music. That is not the case with Transatlantic! These guys have come together and put out a very nice album, and you can just tell from the energy and happiness of the music that they loved the process of doing it. SMPTe was one of my first official prog purchases from reading ProgArchives, and as such it functioned as a sort of gateway album. It led me to explore more Morse and Dream Theater (thank goodness) as well as Marillion and The Flower Kings (less impressed, but still some keepers).

All of the Above. Probably in my top 25 epics, this is just a great song: one of the few tunes that can make me feel as happy as when I'm listening to Yes. They are really on the same page here: some of my favorite Portnoy work (no double bass, thank goodness), Morse is quite tasteful on keys/synths (and his voice sounds great as well), Stolt is ever-present (great both on lead and backing), and Trewavas lays down some nice grooves. Extra kudos for the beautiful closing guitar line, and the Yes-like die down.

We All Need Some Light, Mystery Train. The shorter tracks are also well done. The former is a beautifully arranged, dreamy ballad- type, and the latter is a catchy rocker with a nice freakout in the middle. I like them both every time.

My New World. I probably enjoy this less than other reviewers, though it's certainly 16 minutes of enjoyable music. It's a bit too disjointed and slow in parts for me to really get into, but this is a Stolt song, and I often have the same impression of The Flower Kings' songs.

In Held ('Twas) in I. Not being familiar with the original, I have no standard for proper comparison, but for what it's worth, I really like what I hear! A true collaborative effort, with each member making important musical and vocal contributions, though Portnoy and Stolt stand out as sounding especially good here. Excellent way to end an album.

I'm very close to giving this masterpiece status, but I think it falls JUST short. Even though there is not a second on here that I don't enjoy, there is just a little bit of originality and creativity that's missing to be a masterpiece. That being said, I am quite fond of this album, and I believe you will be too.