DESTINY?

Mystery come from Lorraine,Canada, formed in 1986 by Michel St-Pere as a studio project.With the first solid six-piece line-up established in 1990 they released a self-titled mini-CD in 1992,after which bassist Richard Addison left to form Addison Project and drummer Stephane Perreault lost both his legs due to a serious illness.Still,he remained a member of the band,which by 1995 was down to a quartet.The same year St-Pere establishes the major prog label Unicorn and the year after Mystery release the album ''Theatre of the Mind'',another Melodic Rock effort.Unfortunately Perreault left the band shortly after,replaced by Steve Gagne.In 1998 it was time for the band's third studio release ''Destiny?''.

Often described as Mystery's first effort into the Progressive Rock field,the album still belongs into the Melodic Rock/AOR category with some Hard Rock touches and minor prog influences.The sound contains elements from bands like SAGA, ASIA, JOURNEY and FOREIGNER as well as strong RUSH overtones at moments.Melodic and groovy guitars combine with light keyboards and the sweet yet hoarse voice of the long-time vocalist Gary Savoie to produce some decent atmospheres with an AOR vibe and hints of pomposity,but trully far from what I call prog.There are also plenty of mellow moments with rather cliche tunes of melodramatic rock,strongly based on the lyrical content.However the two-three longer cuts contain also quasi-prog moments with changing climates,keyboards on the front with some good soloing and a bit more complicated arrangements along with interesting guitar parts,making them propably of interest for the Progressive Rock fans.However the lack of some conveincing dynamics prevent even these tracks from being trully captivating.

''Destiny?'' finds Mystery in a transition period.The band starts to add some prog elements in its sound,but the whole package is still in a very commercial vein.Additionally these easy-listening tracks are good but without strong memorable content.The album might be of some interest for fans of FINAL CONFLICT,PALLAS and early CREDO...2.5 stars.