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░ ██ ██ Artist: Kinetic Element ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Travelog █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2015 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2016-04-02 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Melodic Revolution Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Six years after their very promising debut █
█ (Powered By Light), Kinetic Element is back again █
█ with their sophmore release called Travelog. It █
█ was a long time coming, but very worth the █
█ waiting. The american quartet had some changes: █
█ now Mark Tupko replaces original bassist Tony █
█ D┤Amato. And the vocal department, once courtesy █
█ of keyboardsman Mike Visaggio are now handle by █
█ three different guest singers. Other than that, █
█ the core members are the same (Visaggio on keys, █
█ Todd Russel on electric and acoustic guitars and █
█ Michael Murray on drums). █
█ Compared to their debut, Travelog is a much more █
█ symphonic affair, with a strong jazz-rock fusion █
█ influence (specially the guitar parts). The music █
█ is still melodic and accessible, but definitly █
█ more complex and elaborated now, with longer █
█ instrumental passages. For instance, the shortest █
█ song is the title track and it clocks well over █
█ the 9 minute mark. There are no fillers at all and █
█ it┤s hard to say which tune is the best, but I █
█ think the opener, the 20 minute epic War Song is █
█ definitely a highlight, with many tempo and mood █
█ changes. But the whole album is very inspired, █
█ very well produced and recorded and containing █
█ some powerful playing of all involved (including █
█ newcomer Tupko who shows his skills from the start █
█ with a short, but stunning bass solo on the █
█ aforementined War Song). I just love Visgagio┤s █
█ elegant keys (hints of Tony Banks, Rick Wakeman █
█ and Keith Emerson abound). Russel┤s guitar lines █
█ are superb too, but clearly this is a team work █
█ and everybody shines. Instrumentally speaking this █
█ album is as close to perfection as you can get, █
█ with not a wasted note to be found and everything █
█ flowing naturally thorughout the whole CD. █
█ Vocals on the other side are not that perfect in █
█ my humble opinion. The three vocalists are very █
█ good and do a very creditable job on all tunes, █
█ but being so varied it kind of robbed some █
█ personality from the group. Mike Visaggio┤s vocals █
█ on the first album showed that he was not the █
█ greatest singer, technically speaking, but he had █
█ a warm and soulful voice that suited their songs █
█ very well. While the guest singers were more █
█ professional, have stronger pipes, and most often █
█ than not they added a lot, sometimes they made the █
█ tunes sound too "clean" and less personal, if you █
█ know what I mean. It is just a detail only, of █
█ course. After all, 70 minutes of pure prog heaven █
█ is not something you find so easily nowadays! █
█ Travelog is a fantastic CD that showed that █
█ Kinetic Element more than fulfilled its promising █
█ start. One of the best albums I heard this year █
█ and certainly a must have for any prog fan. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. War Song 20:32 ░
░ 2. Travelog 9:51 ░
░ 3. Into the Lair 10:08 ░
░ 4. Her 11:19 ░
░ 5. Vision of a New Dawn 18:26 ░
░ 70:16 ░
░ ▒ ▒
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