Ghost Circus: Across the Line

As they did on their debut, Cycles, the two men in Ghost Circus open their second album of accessible progressive rock with another slow-building track that doesn't accurately represent the sound of multi-instrumentalists Chris Brown (from Tennessee) and Ronald Wahle (from The Netherlands). This time, the culprit is the acoustic guitar strumming and atmospheric keys of "Reflection." The song eventually segues into "Pathway," one of the heaviest and most riff-tastic songs this transcontinental duo has ever recorded, and it helps make Across the Line a more adventurous album than its predecessor.

Brown and Wahle met on Neal Morse's internet message board in 2004 and decided to create a long-distance musical collaboration. That connection continues to be strong, with "Holding On" and "Losing Time" memorable tunes that showcase their dusty vocals and set the stage for "Through the Light" — an uplifting albeit slightly disjointed eight-part, 27-minute epic that follows the raucousness of "Through the Darkness." It's all capped with the 10-minute title track, a tour-de-force instrumental that incorporates myriad musical ideas into one cohesive and mind-blowing piece of progressive might.

Through it all, a near-perfect blend of prog and AOR recalls vintage Asia and Peter Gabriel, tempered by more-contemporary elements from such artists as Neal Morse and RPWL. Like Cycles, Across the Line was recorded across the miles but still sounds seamless. Some bands don't manage to be this good even when all of their members are in the same studio.

Track Listing:
1) Reflection
2) Pathway
3) Holding On
4) To Be
5) Losing Time
6) Through the Darkness
7) Through the Light Parts 1-8
8) Across the Line

Added: April 16th 2008
Reviewer: Michael Popke
Score:
Related Link: Official Ghost Circus Web Site
Hits: 4950
Language: english

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