I had my concerns, though.
The reason Transatlantic has been on the backburner for the last eight years is because Neal Morse, who also fronted Spock's Beard at the time, found Jesus and promptly left both bands. That was in 2001. Since then, he's put out a string of albums, some prog, some not, but all of them Christian. Now I have nothing against spirituality per se, but I don't want to be proselytized to and I certainly don't want to listen to an album that's full of the G- and J-words. I like my prog with a little less God, so to speak. I heard his Testimony album and while the music was solid, the lyrics ranged from groanworthy to completely laughable. Since Neal is the principle songwriter for the band, I was duly concerned.
So it was with this combination of excitement and skepticism that I dove into The Whirlwind.
First off, the album is a double CD. The first contains the extended title track, which is 77 minutes and 12 movements long. Each movement has its own track on the CD, so they could be skipped if necessary. This is very important as I will explain later. The second bonus CD consists of eight tracks - four originals and four covers. This isn't going to be a song-for-song review. I kinda hate those. I'm going to review each CD separately, though, as they have their own identity.
First up is "The Whirlwind," the 12-track, 77-minute epic. The structure of this epic is fairly standard prog - an introduction, or overture, where the main lyrical and musical themes are introduced, then the piece builds throughout the next 10 tracks, with a lot of shared lyrics and musical phrases, with a climax and resolution in the final movement, complete with a reprise of the overture.
The first thing I noticed about the album is that Neal Morse's voice isn't the first one you hear. In fact, Roine Stolt (The Flower Kings, guitar) takes the first lyrical turn, and both Pete Trewavas (Marillion, bass) and Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, drums) are featured prominently. One criticism of Transatlantic's past albums is that they sounded like Spock's Beard albums because of the dominance of Neal Morse. The fact that the other members are featured so early shows how much more of a band effort this album is. Some of the movements are obvious Stolt compositions. They're easy to pick out because he's singing them, but you can't listen to Evermore without thinking of the Flower Kings. Trewavas has some strong vocals, too, and you can't help but notice the improvement in Portnoy's vocals over previous albums.
The songs flow reasonably well, but there are two distinct sections. The section from the opening overture to the fifth movement, "Out of the Night," flows together well and starts off the CD strongly. The themes introduced in the overture have a lot riding on them, as they set the tone for the rest of the CD. Fortunately they're strong and compel you to keep listening. The overriding theme is that of the whirlwind representing the turbulence of modern life and the analogy works well - "We got caught in the whirlwind/Torn by the storms of our lives." Each movement represents a piece of modern life that contributes to that turbulence. The wind theme continues throughout the piece, especially the second movement, "The Wind Blew Them All Away." The musical themes work well, too. Portnoy's drumming is strong and although the music isn't exactly ground breaking, it shouldn't disappoint any fan of either Transatlantic or each member's main bands. All four play with passion and strength. Trewavas is a great compliment to Portnoy, Stolt's guitar is soaring and tasteful, and Morse fills the rest with his trademark organ, synth and mellotron sounds, plus he handles acoustic guitar as usual.
The highlight of the opening five-movement section is the fourth movement, "A Man Can Feel." It's a Stolt-dominated piece with a definite Flower Kings feel. The chorus of this movement is reused later on, so it's an important part of the whole song. The lyrics are about a man who is feeling lost in life. To me, it's centered around a dead-end job, but I could be wrong. It also has a great organ solo from Morse and slips seamlessly into the next movement, "Out of the Night."
"Rose Colored Glasses" is a typical Morse ballad and breaks the piece in half, both musically and literally. I read that it's about Morse's father, who passed away sometime before this album was released. It's a touching ballad and acts as a nice interlude between the first and second halves of the CD.
The second half, starting with "Evermore" and ending with "Is It Really Happening," is another section that flows together well. "Evermore" is a standout here, an obvious Stolt piece that follows one of his common themes of war and how it's not a good thing - "..We wage our wars/And send our sons to Evermore." I also have to mention "Lay Down Your Life" here. I've never heard Morse sing like this before. He's practically wailing through this dare-I-say traditional rock song. "Is It Really Happening" is another highlight. It starts off with some news sound bites until the lyrics are softly repeated. The lyrics are ripe with incredulity - "Is it really happening/Is it really going to be?" The song then builds up to a wonderful crescendo, punctuated by Stolt's searing guitar solos and Portnoy's pounding drums. The tension builds to an abrupt ending before being released during the last movement.
It is here where I need to revisit my earlier concerns regarding Morse's lyrics. So far, the lyrics have avoided being overtly religious, despite the subtle-but-secular hinting of the afterlife in "Rose Colored Glasses" or the not-so-subtle "God is testing us" theme of "On the Prowl." In fact, the G-word is only mentioned twice, one time in the word "ungodly," which isn't really a direct reference at all. The last movement, though, is where it all falls apart. I was skeptical immediately after I read the title - "Dancing with Eternal Glory" - and I had every reason to be. The music is another Morse ballad, and while it resolves the tension built up at the end of "Is It Really Happening," it also resolves the lyrical theme in a most religious way - "You're dancing with eternal glory/When the giver of life is asking you to dance" and "There's a reason you're here/This is not by chance." Fortunately, there are no G- or J-words, but the implication is there, especially in the reprise - "In the heart of the whirlwind/Is one who has been for all time/And he was sent to deliver." It sounds like something right out of a Sunday sermon. You can just feel the capital "H" in "He."
Now, if you like that sort of thing, you will have absolutely no problem with this record, as that is my sole complaint. The entire suite is a masterwork, a pillar of prog that deserves its place among the best prog recordings of all time. For me, the end is a bit over-the-top. Sometimes it's good to not have everything wrapped up nicely with a ribbon and bow. Sometimes, whether it's in music, books, or movies, it's nice to leave the ending open for interpretation. I tried an experiment one day - I created a playlist and took off "Dancing with Eternal Glory," ending the suite with "Is It Really Happening." You know what? It sounded great. The crescendo at the end of "Is It Really Happening" makes a great ending. All the tension remains, and it's up to the listener to figure out the ending, and that ending doesn't necessarily have to end with Jesus. It could, but it doesn't have to, and that's the beauty of it. It's also 12 minutes shorter at 55 minutes, which is easier to digest in one sitting. Try it out for yourself.
As for the second CD, it's a nice bonus disc and even though it could have been omitted, it's nice to have more music from these guys. Stolt's songs stand out here. "Spinning" is a great prog tune with a catchy chorus and a great bridge, and "Lenny Johnson" is a clever little bluesy song, at least blues through a Flower Kings filter. Trewavas' "Lending a Hand" is a Beatles-influenced song that, although not a standout, is enjoyable. Morse's "For Such a Time," though, is an out-and-out worship song that should've been left on one of his worship albums. The addition of the other three musicians does nothing to enhance the song.
The cover songs are well done, but to me the standout is the cover of Procol Harum's "A Salty Dog." Portnoy takes lead vocal duties on this song and his rendition is heartfelt, especially after hearing the back story. It was his father's favorite song, and his father passed away before The Whirlwind was released. It's a touching tribute and it comes through in his singing, which is, like I said before, much improved.
I give this album 4 1/2 out of 5. Without the proselytizing end to "The Whirlwind" or the worship song on the bonus CD it would've easily garnered a 5. Those who have no objections at all to religious-influenced music should find nothing to complain about, but every prog fan should pick this up. It's a modern prog classic.
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