A MOMENT BEYOND TIME

"A moment beyond time" is a progressive rock record from the Montreal band Visible Wind. The tracks have many influences. The drums often sound like on the Jadis' "More than meets the eye" album. The lead singer has a bit the voice of John Wetton. The first track "Behind the curtain" is a New Age introduction sounding like a good Tangerine Dream track of the mid 80's. The track "A moment in time" is VERY catchy: it has a vintage rhythmic & ambient organ and modern melodic keyboards, a loud and bottom bass sound and fast & complex drums a la Jadis; the electric guitar solo has the Gary Chandler's style in a less flamboyant style; regardless of the organ, some bits of this track could be mistaken for a Jadis' track. "Soleil d'aube" starts peacefully and invites to relaxation; it is sung in French: there are quality acoustic guitars and floating keyboards, followed by an echoed guitar solo and complex drums. "Chasing the skyline" used to be the musical theme of the progressive rock show on the CKRL radio in Quebec City, around 1992: the show was named "DANGEREUSES VISIONS": the excellent track is quite progressive and rhythm changing; the keyboards are made of vintage organ and more modern ones, and one can really feel some fusion and hard rock elements on this track; some bits slightly remind Saga around 1980 and Yes' "Drama", especially the later parts. The catchy, addictive and VERY progressive "Ulysse's return" contains excellent lead & backing vocals, and the sound is quite flashy and modern: it is almost an FM prog song! "Seeking the moon" is another catchy and addictive song, full of excellent clean & brief discrete guitar notes a la Marillion or Pendragon; the lead vocals and the overall air are memorable; the background rhythmic organ is not too outdated. "Solitude" is a beautiful electroacoustic guitar track, having the Rush's "Broon's Bane" sound. The not bad "The faded years" is a more conventional art rock track which less retains the attention. The last track, "A moment beyond time", has some IQ's influence, as reveal the moog-like solos reminding "Tales from the lush attic", the rhythmic piano and the background organ near the end reminding "Dark matter".

Rating: 4.5 stars