Kinetic Element: Live From New York

American progressive rock band Kinetic Element should be familiar to many of our readers having been around since 2006 and have thus far released three studio albums; Powered By Light (2006), Travelog (2015) and The Face Of Life (2019). In 2020 the band came out with their first live album titled Live From New York. In 2019 guitarist Peter Matuchniak (Gekko Projekt, Evolve IV, Bomber Goggles) and vocalist Saint John Coleman joined the band and first appeared on The Face Of Life disc.

Matuchniak has been a great addition as he is a wonderful guitarist, I have been listening to his work for a number of years now. His intricate fills and melodic riffs can be heard often on the album’s five tracks. The addition of Coleman has been much more polarizing for fans it would seem, but I like his voice. It can get pretty dramatic at times and sometimes his pitch isn’t perfect, but I think he is ultimately a nice fit for the band.

If you have not listened to their music, think ‘70s era Yes, Genesis and Camel for a rough idea. If you enjoy symphonic prog in its infancy, there should be much for you to enjoy with this live platter. The first two tracks, “War Song� and “Into The Lair�, are taken from the Travelog album and are both excellent. Soaring vocals, intricate keyboard and guitar work, all driven by a fine rhythm section is the order of the day. Delicate guitar one moment, heavier fusion solos the next and all this enveloped in the band’s exceptional melodic sensibility. Founding member Mike Visaggio’s keyboards are a major part of the band’s sound, channelling that signature analog vibe as well as modern touches here and there. “Chasing The Lesser Light� is a massive epic at over twenty minutes and the band take full advantage traversing changing themes, tempos and meters, featuring fantastic musicianship from the entire band. The last two tracks, “Epistle� and “The Face Of Life� are both taken from The Face Of Life album and continue the band’s scintillating soloing, the latter being another epic, just short of twenty minutes, and shows outstanding diversity from calm soundscapes to fiery prog workouts.

For those of you who cannot get enough of ‘70s symphonic prog you really do need to check out Kinetic Element. Recommended.

A Melodic Revolution Records release.

Track Listing:
1. War Song
2. Into The Lair
3. Chasing The Lesser Light
4. Epistle
5. The Face Of Life

Added: April 14th 2021
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band's Official Site
Hits: 1218
Language: english

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