Strattman: The Lie of the Beholder

Most progressive rock fans probably know Roy Strattman as the guitarist of Little Atlas, the US band who have released a handful of very good albums over the last decade, and a staple of the 10T Records roster. Strattman's first ever solo project, The Lie of the Beholder, sees him team up with drummer extraordinaire Nick D'Virgilio, plus his Little Atlas bandmates, bassist Rik Bigai, and keyboard player Steve Katsikas. All the vocals are handled by Strattman, and in addition to his guitar work he also lays down most of the keyboards as well.

You'd almost think you were listening to some long lost track from a Dream Theater or Pain of Salvation session with kick off song "A Better World"; this is a heavy piece, dark and foreboding, with crushing, metallic riffing, furious drum work from D'Virgilio, and ominous Mellotron samples. Things settle down a bit for the lush, almost pastoral "Caught Inside the Rain", as cascading keyboard & guitar textures support Strattman's yearning vocal, but things once again take a turn for the heavy and dark, as menacing riffs, acrobatic bass, and more of those creepy Mellotron sounds permeate "A Candle in the Sun". Roy's muscular wah-wah drenched lead lines snake in and out of the mix on this groove laden yet heavy track, complete with some very fascinating lyrics to boot. With all the well crafted instrumental bits included on the first three tracks, it's almost fitting that Strattman goes full bore on the brief "Jaded", as prog-fusion styled guitar, bass, and keyboard melodies weave around each other and D'Virgilio rumbling underneath. This segues right into "The Scene of the Crime", another dark, muscular heavy rocker, Strattman's yearning vocal floating over thick riffs and atmospheric keys.

The second half of the CD commences with the quirky yet heavy "Detonation", as pop laden vocal harmonies that wouldn't sound out of a place on a 10CC album collide with Gentle Giant -meets-Dream Theater styled complexity. A very cool tune. "Solace" offers up some dreamy melodies, acoustic guitar, and ethereal keyboards for one of The Lie of the Beholder's more meditative and melodic tracks, a must hear for fans of Genesis' Wind and Wuthering era. Another killer instrumental comes in the form of the raging title track, six minutes of high energy, heavy progressive rock. Haunting keyboard textures hover over crunchy riffs, nimble bass, and complex drumming for a dark yet exciting ride that mixes prog, fusion, and a little metal. The melancholy "Connection Lost" is an emotional pop tune with some prog leanings, as Strattman's melodic vocal soars over Katsikas' gorgeous piano colors, while the lyrically bleak "No Way Home" features instrumentation that supports the feelings of loneliness, loss, desperation, and isolation. The album ends with more somber tones, as "The Fire Dies" sees lush acoustic guitar strums and Roy's tender vocal take the listener out on a tranquil note.

The Lie of the Beholder really is an album full of 'light & shade', fluctuating from 'heavy to tranquil', and delivering 'menace as well as harmony', resulting in a varied listening experience that will prove to be quite rewarding to many. Overall it's not a very 'happy' album, as even the mellower tunes have a certain bleakness to them, but Roy Strattman has shown us that he's not only capable of delivering the melodic prog rock that he's known for in Little Atlas, but that he can kick things up a few notches and create some really heavy material that will appeal to a whole new audience. A job well done.

Track Listing
1) A Better World
2) Caught Inside the Rain
3) A Candle in the Sun
4) Jaded
5) The Scene of the Crime
6) Detonation
7) Solace
8) The Lie of the Beholder
9) Connection Lost
10) No Way Home
11) The Fire Dies

Added: August 1st 2014
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:
Related Link: Artist Website
Hits: 4821
Language: english

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