Progressive Savage

The Whirlwind by Transatlantic

Yes, I’ve been silent for some time now, but new Transatlantic CD is something I can’t pass by quietly. I mentioned this, at that time still upcoming, release back in April and now I hold it in my hand. The Whirlwind–because that’s the name of the album–is band’s third studio album, released eight years after Bridge Across Forever. To those who haven’t heard of the band before–is it even possible?–Transatlantic is a progressive super-group consisting of such a prog-stars as Neal Morse (ex-Spock’s Beard), Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater), Roine Stolt (Flower Kings) and Pete Trewavas (Marillion).

Eight years is quite a lot of time and a lot can–and actually did–change in each musician’s lives, though I’m referring here mostly to Neal as he’s the person behind the lyrics on The Whirlwind. This mind shift, I think most clearly visible on his solo albums starting from Testimony, had an obvious influence on album’s lyrical layer. To keep it short, some time ago Neal’s infant daughter had been diagnosed as having a hole in her heart but, even though none of the doctors gave her a lot of time to live, Neal and his wive kept praying and to all’s surprise the hole vanished. This became a turning point in Neal’s live and–even though to some it may sound odd for a rock compositions–Neal’s lyrics on The Whirlwind refer to his Christian views constantly, for example:

And you are dancing with eternal glory
There’s a reason you’re here
this is not by chance
When the giver of life, is asking you to dance!

Other than what I’d call a classic-transatlantic you can find here some resemblances to early Flower Kings–let’s say the Retropolis era–in “A Man can Feel” or some classical-rock singing, bit like Aerosmith’s Steve Tyler’s, in “Lay Down your Life”. On a strictly instrumental level, the album does not present so many joyful arrangements as previous CDs did. The mood is kept solemn for the most part and the album introduces more heavy riffs, with “Dancing with Eternal Glory / Whirlwind (Reprise)”, the longest and not necessarily full-speed-multi-note composition in the mood of Dream Theater’s “The Spirit Carries On”, bearing most resemblance to Transatlantic’s previous songs. Still, you can find some interesting themes here and there, such as a Bigelf-like passage near the end of “A Man can Feel”, or a short but utterly amusing keyboard tune, quite like a main theme from my childhood’s cartoon Koziołek Matołek, in the tension-growing passage of “Overture / Whirlwind”.

So to sum it all up, The Whirlwind–a 77 minutes long epic, though only because it has been called one on the “making of” DVD as listening to the album did not gave me such an impression–is an interesting but I wouldn’t daresay essential album. If I were to rank Transatlantic albums, I think I’d place The Whirlwind right after SMPTe with Bridge Across Forever on the top. This is strictly personal impression that depends on what are you looking for in music and The Whirlwind is a wee-bit different than what I’ve expected to come from Transatlantic.

Released: November 2009
Website: www.transatlanticweb.com
Line-up: Neal Morse (vocals, keyboards, acoustic & electric guitars), Mike Portnoy (drums, vocals), Roine Stolt (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, mellotron, percussion), Pete Trewavas (bass, bass pedals, vocals)
Track list:

1. Overture / Whirlwind 9:54
2. The Wind Blew Them All Away 6:10
3. On The Prowl 6:03
4. A Man Can Feel 6:35
5. Out Of The Night 4:22
6. Rose Colored Glasses 7:54
7. Evermore 4:10
8. Set Us Free 5:03
9. Lay Down Your Life 5:11
10. Pieces Of Heaven 2:17
11. Is It Really Happening? 8:11
12. Dancing With Eternal Glory / Whirlwind (Reprise) 12:04