Showing posts with label Rocket Scientists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rocket Scientists. Show all posts

1/29/2015

Symphonic Progressive Review: Rocket Scientists-Refuel

Release Date: 9thDec 2014
Label: Think Tank Media

Having previously reviewed Rocket Scientists, a symphonic prog band from USA, with the release of their 2 track EP, Supernatural Highways, it is with a great deal of anticipation, that I have the new full length release, Refuel, on my desk for review.

Rocket Scientists is a 3 piece outfit which is expanded by guest musicians when required, with the core trio being, Marc McCrite (vocals, guitar), Erik Norlander (keyboards, vocals) and Don Schiff (Chapman Stick, bass guitar, cello, viola, mandolin). Guesting on the Refuel album are, Greg Bissonette (drums), Emily McCrite (vocals), John Papenbrook (trumpet), Rich Hoffman (piccolo trumpet), Eric Jorgensen (trombone) with Lana Lane and Kelly Keeling providing vocals on tracks 12 and 9 respectively.

Refuel is a 16 track album with a total playing time of around 79 minutes. The final four tracks are classed as bonus tracks, being as they are tracks that are already contained in the main body of the album, but appear without the crossfading. The longest track on offer on Refuelis track 10, “Rome’s About to Fall” at 8:15 minutes with track 8, “Reconstruct,” the shortest at 1:29 minutes.

The opening, and title, track, “Refuel” (2:13) is a short band workout that seems to just put layer after layer of sound to start and then allows an amazing passage of keyboards (Erik), followed by guitar acrobatics (Mark), all suitably “nailed down” by the bass (Don). This is a short track that simply demands you to listen to the rest of the album.

“She’s Getting Hysterical” (6:05) grabs your ears from the word go and proceeds to take you on a simply amazing aural journey. There are hooks galore, superb echo vocals, deep powerful vocals, an amazing motif that appears several times, mainly keyboard based, but toward the end, the motif appears played on a trumpet. The keyboards are simply sensational over this track.

“Martial” (3:41), “Regenerate” (4:33), “Reconstruct” (1:29), “Cheshire Cat Smile” (5:25), “Galileo” (5:05) and “The Lost Years” (5:59) would all fit into the “ear grabbing” category, all being up-tempo with sweeping synths and excellent guitar riffing. Each track is filled with those hooks that, even after only one play, have managed to get inside your head, almost without your knowledge.

The other tracks, “It’s Over” (6:25), “The Fading Light” (7:29), “The World Waits For You” (4:20) and “Rome’s About to Fall” (8:15), while not the same up-tempo status, nevertheless has hooks which are a little more subtle, which befits the gentler pace of these tracks.

The final four tracks, mentioned earlier as extras, with no crossfading, have very slightly different running times, but only by a few seconds.

This album was featured on my radio show, “She’s Getting Hysterical” and “Rome’s About To Fall” from the album and the long “Traveller On The Supernatural Highways” from the recent EP release and there were several comments about the amazing music being broadcast.

Refuel is a return to the sound that the Rocket Scientists are known for. On offer on this album, are the solos, from all the main musicians, the pop elements and the prerequisite key-changes that followers of Rocket Scientists will be on the lookout for. They will not be in any way disappointed with what they hear on Refuel, the huge swathes of majestic keyboards from Erik Norlander, excellent guitar work by Mark McCrite and that perfectly pitched and matched bass provided by Don Schiff are all here.

Refuel is an album that demands to be played over and over to really appreciate the majestic release that it is. Both “One to Buy” and “The Experience will last Forever” stickers adorn the cover and I can almost guarantee with 100% certainty, that upon hearing Refuel, it will be purchased and have a special little place on your CD shelves.

5/5 Stars

Key Tracks: She’s Getting Hysterical, It’s Over, Rome’s About To Fall

Tracks:
Refuel
She’s Getting Hysterical
Martial
It’s Over
Regenerate
The Fading Light
The World Waits For You
Reconstruct
Cheshire Cat Smile (feat Kelly Keeley)
Rome’s About To Fall
Galileo
The Lost Years (feat Lana Lane)
It’s Over (no crossfade)
Regenerate (no crossfade)
Reconstruct (no crossfade)
Cheshire Cat Smile (no crossfade)


Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson-Sr. Reviewer Prog Rock Music Talk

January 29, 2015

Review Provided By Prog Rock Music Talk



Symphonic Progressive Review: Rocket Scientists-Refuel

Release Date: 9thDec 2014
Label: Think Tank Media

Having previously reviewed Rocket Scientists, a symphonic prog band from USA, with the release of their 2 track EP, Supernatural Highways, it is with a great deal of anticipation, that I have the new full length release, Refuel, on my desk for review.

Rocket Scientists is a 3 piece outfit which is expanded by guest musicians when required, with the core trio being, Marc McCrite (vocals, guitar), Erik Norlander (keyboards, vocals) and Don Schiff (Chapman Stick, bass guitar, cello, viola, mandolin). Guesting on the Refuel album are, Greg Bissonette (drums), Emily McCrite (vocals), John Papenbrook (trumpet), Rich Hoffman (piccolo trumpet), Eric Jorgensen (trombone) with Lana Lane and Kelly Keeling providing vocals on tracks 12 and 9 respectively.

Refuel is a 16 track album with a total playing time of around 79 minutes. The final four tracks are classed as bonus tracks, being as they are tracks that are already contained in the main body of the album, but appear without the crossfading. The longest track on offer on Refuelis track 10, “Rome’s About to Fall” at 8:15 minutes with track 8, “Reconstruct,” the shortest at 1:29 minutes.

The opening, and title, track, “Refuel” (2:13) is a short band workout that seems to just put layer after layer of sound to start and then allows an amazing passage of keyboards (Erik), followed by guitar acrobatics (Mark), all suitably “nailed down” by the bass (Don). This is a short track that simply demands you to listen to the rest of the album.

“She’s Getting Hysterical” (6:05) grabs your ears from the word go and proceeds to take you on a simply amazing aural journey. There are hooks galore, superb echo vocals, deep powerful vocals, an amazing motif that appears several times, mainly keyboard based, but toward the end, the motif appears played on a trumpet. The keyboards are simply sensational over this track.

“Martial” (3:41), “Regenerate” (4:33), “Reconstruct” (1:29), “Cheshire Cat Smile” (5:25), “Galileo” (5:05) and “The Lost Years” (5:59) would all fit into the “ear grabbing” category, all being up-tempo with sweeping synths and excellent guitar riffing. Each track is filled with those hooks that, even after only one play, have managed to get inside your head, almost without your knowledge.

The other tracks, “It’s Over” (6:25), “The Fading Light” (7:29), “The World Waits For You” (4:20) and “Rome’s About to Fall” (8:15), while not the same up-tempo status, nevertheless has hooks which are a little more subtle, which befits the gentler pace of these tracks.

The final four tracks, mentioned earlier as extras, with no crossfading, have very slightly different running times, but only by a few seconds.

This album was featured on my radio show, “She’s Getting Hysterical” and “Rome’s About To Fall” from the album and the long “Traveller On The Supernatural Highways” from the recent EP release and there were several comments about the amazing music being broadcast.

Refuel is a return to the sound that the Rocket Scientists are known for. On offer on this album, are the solos, from all the main musicians, the pop elements and the prerequisite key-changes that followers of Rocket Scientists will be on the lookout for. They will not be in any way disappointed with what they hear on Refuel, the huge swathes of majestic keyboards from Erik Norlander, excellent guitar work by Mark McCrite and that perfectly pitched and matched bass provided by Don Schiff are all here.

Refuel is an album that demands to be played over and over to really appreciate the majestic release that it is. Both “One to Buy” and “The Experience will last Forever” stickers adorn the cover and I can almost guarantee with 100% certainty, that upon hearing Refuel, it will be purchased and have a special little place on your CD shelves.

5/5 Stars

Key Tracks: She’s Getting Hysterical, It’s Over, Rome’s About To Fall

Tracks:
Refuel
She’s Getting Hysterical
Martial
It’s Over
Regenerate
The Fading Light
The World Waits For You
Reconstruct
Cheshire Cat Smile (feat Kelly Keeley)
Rome’s About To Fall
Galileo
The Lost Years (feat Lana Lane)
It’s Over (no crossfade)
Regenerate (no crossfade)
Reconstruct (no crossfade)
Cheshire Cat Smile (no crossfade)


Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson-Sr. Reviewer Prog Rock Music Talk

January 29, 2015

Review Provided By Prog Rock Music Talk



11/18/2014

Featured Streaming Track: Rocket Scientists - The Lost Years (feat. Lana Lane)

The new album from prog rockers Rocket Scientists is forthcoming. Here is one select track to enjoy. You can stream the entire album on Bandcamp. Listen to "The Lost Years."

Featured Streaming Track: Rocket Scientists - The Lost Years (feat. Lana Lane)

4/15/2014

Progressive Rock Review: Rocket Scientists-Supernatural Highways

Release Date: March 20, 2014
Label:   Think Tank Media

Landing on my desk for review recently, was Supernatural Highways, by the band, Rocket Scientists, yet another of those bands that might have been lost “under my music radar.” In existence since the late 80’s, the band has previously released four studio albums, Earthbound(93), Brutal Architecture (95), Oblivion Days (99) and Revolution Road (06), a live album (97) and a box set of the initial three releases plus a bonus disc with new/cover material (08). This latest release, Supernatural Highways, is a mini album with one new track and one cover track.

Rocket Scientists is a trio comprising Erik Norlander (keyboards), Mark McCrite (vocals, guitar) and Don Schiff (Chapman stick), who are joined on Supernatural Highwaysby Gregg Bissonette (drums), Greg Ellis (percussion), Lana Lang (vocal pads), John Papenbrook (trumpet) and Eric Jorgensen (trombone). Erik and Mark are the original founding members of the band. 

Supernatural Highways is a two track mini album with a total playing time of around 30 minutes. The main track, “Traveler on the Supernatural Highway,” is an epic 26:09 minutes in length, while the cover of “ On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” is a much shorter 4:14 minutes long.

The main track on this mini album, “Traveler on the Supernatural Highway” (26:09) is an epic in every sense, as it is extraordinarily long, has simply superb musician skills highlighted, travels though many styles, and demands the listeners’ attention at all times. In truth, this is an instrumental that “grabs your ears” and refuses to let go for just over 26 minutes. There is an atmospheric start to the track, setting the scene, almost like a rocket engine idling, just waiting to kick in and let rip. There are some simple guitar/synth passages until the synths start in earnest around the 1:15 minute mark and then gently builds. Thoughts of Vangelis and Tangerine Dream drifted through my mind as the keyboards of Erik Norlander take off and carry you away. Drums and bass (stick) support the superb keyboards as the track takes off with those recurring keyboard passages constantly driving deep into the recesses of your mind. The ever shifting rhythms maintain the interest as passages flow effortlessly into place. The constant ebb and flow of the sound, highlights different aspects of the music with some exquisite cello passages present. Around the 10 minute mark, the sound drops to allow the cello a short “solo”, joined by some superb percussion, stick and piano/synth take the action onwards and upwards again. Just prior to 12 minutes, the tempo changes with a simple piano passage which continues to build in intensity with again, support from excellent drumming and stick playing. A more ethereal synth passage appears before the drums and stick get a little flourish in the spotlight leading to an interesting little synth duet. Thus far in the track, the guitar of Mark has been very subdued, but around the 16 minute mark, in a duel with very retro synth/keyboards, it is let loose for a short spell, before the track takes on a very “latinesque” feel. 20 minutes in, and the awesome keyboards are again driving the track along, prior to the long wind-down to the finale. Swirling synths and a return to the acoustic guitar theme from the start, escort the track into the last few seconds of its 26 minutes, when the “rocket engine,” heard at the start, throttles back and shuts down.

The cover of “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” (4:14) is a fairly straightforward version of the “Bond” song, but touches of superb guitar, magnificent brass work and some interesting synth passages, contribute to a satisfying, if relatively short, second track.

After a hiatus of around 6/7 years, the Rocket Scientists are back with a suitably supercharged mini album, Supernatural Highways, which certainly wants you to delve into their back catalogue, (assuming you haven’t heard of them), and also whets the appetite for some full length releases in the future. Powerful synthesizer based progressive rock, at times shifting from retro to futuristic modes, which certainly gets the “One to Buy” sticker and possibly the only reason that the second sticker doesn’t appear, is that there is a feeling of relative disappointment with the cover track after that masterful epic opening track.

4.5/5 Stars

Key Tracks: Traveler on the Supernatural Highway

Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson-Sr. Reviewer Prog Rock Music Talk

April 15, 2014

Review Provided By Prog Rock Music Talk