REVOLUTION ROAD

ROCKET SCIENTISTS is definitely a band worth checking out. This is the first album I have ever heard from them and I can say it makes for a very enjoyable experience. The best thing about "Revolution Road" is the amount of songs and the healthy variation one can find in these two discs. One can find very simple, straight-forward rock songs, one can find songs that sound more retro, or tracks with a distinct progressive-symphonic flavor, or a few excellent instrumentals where the musicianship of the band shines through, as well as the symphonic roots is built upon.

As I said in the beginning, the symphonic factor in this album is not immediately evident. Most of the songs are, in my view, closer to neo-prog, in my opinion, than to what we traditionally know as symphonic-prog (molded after the giants of the 70's, like YES or GENESIS). If one is to find that sound anywhere on this record, it will be in the excellent instrumentals, the longest and most interesting pieces in the entire "Revolution Road". But the songs are good anyway, symphonic-factor notwithstanding. Most of them have good melodies, memorable choruses and vocal lines, and there's a few jewels like "Better view" which sounds progressive, without necessarily sounding symphonic. The diversity of influences is huge, as one can hear echoes from classics like ELP or the aforementioned bands, and at the same time a heavier, harder-edge rock sound can be felt, in the vein of bands like DEEP PURPLE; as said before, neo-prog touches can be detected, and there are a few riffs that actually sound slightly metal. A good reference for newcomers would be SPOCK'S BEARD: a band that mixes classic progressive elements with a far more accessible approach to rock music. There's even a track where we're strongly reminded of space-rock/metal great AYREON, which shouldn't come as a surprise as Norlander has collaborated with Arjen Lucassen in a few occasions.

The musicianship is quite good, especially from seasoned-master Erik Norlander on keyboards and Don Schiff in the Chapman Stick. The vocals are good but lack force at some moments. The drumming is very precise if rather unimpressive, especially coming from a legend like Gregg Bissonette. The track "Better View" features two different drummers, drum-giant Simon Phillips in the intro and outro of the song, probably playing the most interesting fills of the whole record, and Shaun Guerin, who was going to be the band's drummer but passed away before production, in the middle section.

All in all, a terrific collection of songs, with variety and enough progressive elements to warrant more than a few very compelling listens. The album will take a long, long time to get old, and it's for that reason that I raise the rating from the 3.5 it deserves due to a few minor flaws to a 4, as it's an excellent addition to any collection.

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