TRANSATLANTIC — Kaleidoscope (review)

TRANSATLANTIC — Kaleidoscope album cover

Album · 2014 · Metal Related

4/5 · 2014-02-26
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Kaleidoscope (2014) is the fourth full-length album by the multi-national symphonic progressive rock supergroup Transatlantic. It’s been some years now since the release of The Whirlwind (2009), their comeback album following an earlier 2002 spilt. I wasn’t really sure at the time if The Whirlwind would end up being a one-off reunion album or if Transatlantic would continue making albums. Since it's been a few years now I was starting to get concerned that it would be the former, but fortunately Roine Stolt (The Flower Kings), Neal Morse (ex-Spock's Beard), Mike Portnoy (ex-Dream Theater), and Pete Trewavas (Marillion) have got together once again for another album of their signature symphonic progressive rock.

Unlike The Whirlwind’s single epic length composition that lasted just shy of a seventy-eight minute duration, that was presented as a twelve part suite, Kaleidoscope returns to a format more like that of their first two albums SMPTe (2000) and Bridge Across Forever (2001); two epic length tracks (clocking in at 25:11 and 31:53 respectively), and a group of shorter ones, giving Kaleidoscope five tracks total. As with all three prior albums however there is also a two disc version available, this time with the bonus content given over entirely to covers, featuring the work of bands such as Yes, Focus and The Moody Blues. Since there are no Transatlantic originals on this one as with The Whirlwind's bonus disc it's not so essential to pick this version up, although they are a nice bunch of covers if that sort of thing interests you.

Kaleidoscope sounds exactly as expected if you've had some prior experience with Transatlantic's music. If you haven't then they play a mix of progressive rock and it's symphonic variant. You'll typically hear both styles in the band's epic length tracks while the shorter ones tend to stick to one or the other. Although you'll probably be able to find the band on any good metal database due to Mike Portnoy's presence in the group, with some even going as far to list them as progressive metal, they've only ever used some very minor metal elements in their music in the past, and there are none to be found on Kaleidoscope.

Bookending the album are the epics, Into the Blue and the title track respectively. It's these kind of tracks that has always been the most exciting part of a Transatlantic album for me, and I'm sure many others feel the same. As it is though, neither of Kaleidoscope's epics, although still showing just who the kings of progressive rock are, really stand up to the band's prior ventures into this area such as All of the Above (SMPTe), Duel with the Devil and Stranger in Your Soul (both Bridge Across Forever). Both are still excellent, especially the title track, but this time around I'm surprised to find it's the shorter songs that have made more of a lasting impression, Shine and Black as the Sky more so than Beyond the Sun, which is the typical Neal Morse sung ballad of this album.

Transatlantic are some of the best musicians in the genre, so even a lesser album from them, as Kaleidoscope ultimately has to be considered, is still an exceptional release of progressive rock. I'd call it the weakest out of their four albums to date though, so it is a major step down from the career best that was The Whirlwind. That's disappointing, given how long it's been since that album and that it's probably not wrong to guess another lengthy wait will be in store until there's a fifth Transatlantic album, but despite all this, Kaleidoscope is still a very worthwhile effort from the band.