EXPLORERS CLUB - AGE OF IMPACT & RAISING THE MAMMOTH (2CD) - 1998 & 2002

YEAR: 1998 & 2002
STYLE: Prog Rock/ Prog Metal
FORMAT: FLAC (Image + Log + .Cue + Scans+ 5% Recovery)
SIZE: 834 Mb
COUNTRY: USA
THE BAND: Terry Bozzio / drums; Billy Sheehan / bass; Trent Gardner / keyboards, trombone; Wayne Gardner / electric and acoustic guitars, some bass; John Petrucci / guitar; Steve Howe / acoustic guitar; Derek Sherinian / keyboards; James Murphy / guitars; Michael Bemesderfer / flute, wind controller; Frederick Clarke / nylon string guitar; Matt Guillory / keyboards; Bret Douglas, Matt Bradley, James LaBrie, D.C. Cooper and Trent Gardner / vocals; John Myung / bass; Kerry Livgren / guitar; Marty Friedman / guitar; Gary Wehrkamp / guitar; Mark Robertson / keyboards Steve Walsh / vocals

I am generally quite sceptical about newer Prog bands and I usually stick with the classic bands of the 70's. The presence here of my hero Steve Howe on acoustic guitar was the primary reason for me checking this out. But I also knew Terry Bozzio's great drumming from UK, as well as the people from Dream Theater. Howe's impact on the music here turned out to be quite minimal, but I don't mind that since what I found was a great modern Prog album. Indeed, together with Dream Theater's Images And Words this is possibly the best album by a newer band that I have ever heard!

Explores Club is obviously a project strongly inspired by the classic Prog bands of the 70's (some of which some participants here belong(ed); Yes, UK). But while Explorers Club clearly belongs to a genre and tradition, I do not find them derivative. At least not in the blatant sense of so many Neo Prog and Prog Metal bands trying to sound exactly like their older heroes. The presence of legends like Howe and Bozzio lends this project some legacy often lacking in most newer Prog bands. Explorers Club manages to create a sound of their own; informed by the classics, but not copying them.

There is a slight metal sound and feeling on several passages but much less so than in Dream Theater. The sound of Age Of Impact has nothing to do with the 80's and 90's Trash metal that said band would lean so heavily towards on most of their post-Images And Words albums. Surprisingly, there is also sometimes an almost New Age or World Music influence on this album! Some parts of the second "impact" sounding a bit like Mike Oldfield with (moderately used) programmed drums and some exotic percussion. This feels fresh and sounds interesting to my ears.

The five "impacts" are basically one long, 50 minute + song. Bass, guitar, drums and keyboards are all excellently played. And the vocals and lyrics are very good too. The guitar surprisingly sometimes sounds a bit like Allan Holdsworth on some parts. The balance between electric and acoustic guitars is very good and there are also some other instruments, like a Jethro Tull-like flute solo at one point!

Age Of Impact actually made an impact on me and I consider it one of the best newer Prog albums (i.e. albums not from the late 60's to early 80's)

Highly recommended!

http://www.progarchives.com

CD1 - AGE IF IMPACT:

Track Listing:
01. Fate Speaks (16:00)
02. Fading Fast (8:45)
03. No Returning (8:20)
04. Time Enough (9:15)
05. Last Call (11:10)

The Band:
- Terry Bozzio / drums
- Billy Sheehan / bass
- Trent Gardner / keyboards, trombone
- Wayne Gardner / electric and acoustic guitars, some bass
- John Petrucci / guitar
- Steve Howe / acoustic guitar
- Derek Sherinian / keyboards
- James Murphy / guitars
- Michael Bemesderfer / flute, wind controller
- Frederick Clarke / nylon string guitar
- Matt Guillory / keyboards
- Bret Douglas, Matt Bradley, James LaBrie, D.C. Cooper and Trent Gardner / vocals

The wait was far too long for me for another EXPLORER'S CLUB album I loved the first one and "Raising The Mammoth" is unquestionably a serious prog-rock opus from some of the best performers in the genus. It never ceases to amaze me how these wonderful artists consider all this prolific and thought provoking work as side projects. That is an indication of the level of professionalism and talent that we are dealing with here. Lord knows how they all find the time to juggle their busy schedules to contribute to these projects. Just look at the names involved in Trent Gardner's newest onslaught for your ears ... Steve Walsh, Kerry Livgren, James LaBrie, John Myung, Terry Bozzio, Gary Wehrkamp, and a host of others that are very recognizable names in the industry today.

Note that there are 44 tracks listed, do not let that be a misunderstanding; it still manages to clock in just under an hour. This is your representative progressive rock format with explicitly long and drawn out soloing, and one song lasting nearly half the album. It's overkill, overindulgence, whatever you want to call it, it is the way it should be. It all works like a charm thank you very much. It turns out sounding like one big jam session that never ends, it's great and I loved every minute of it. This CD is leans heavily on the instrumental continuum, and rightfully so. Everyone needs to strut their stuff, and they do it in a big way. This is a decidedly keyboard oriented recording, which comes as no surprise, after all its Trent's gig. It sounds like everyone is having the time of their lives on this session, even though the intensity level is so high. You can tell that the atmosphere is one of camaraderie. Walsh and LaBrie sound great, former Megadeth lead guitar slinger Marty Friedman is allowed to go nuts; he is all over the musical map from beginning to end. It seems as though Marty was able to purge his soul after the untimely break up of his legendary group.

I am just beside myself every time I listen to music like this. It sucks me right in and mesmerizes me. I always find myself craving for more once the CD stops. That is what the entire purpose of music is, to sweep you away to some far away place where nobody can see you or communicate with you, it's just you and the music. I don't know about you, but prog-rock like this always does it for me. I never feel like I can do the music enough justice with my words on an emotional level. It always moves me so, at times beyond any words that I could possibly express. If all of that is not enough motivation for you to check this CD out then I think its time to put your stereo in the attic. Now with that, I bid you farewell until the next prog-rock masterpiece comes out that I can gush about.
http://www.progarchives.com

CD2 - RAISING THE MAMMOTH:

Track Listing:
01. (Part One) Passage To Paralysis I (0:45)
02. (Part One) Passage To Paralysis II (0:38)
03. (Part One) Passage To Paralysis III (2:00)
04. (Part One) Passage To Paralysis IV (1:56)
05. (Part One) Passage To Paralysis V (1:00)
06. (Part One) Passage To Paralysis VI (1:00)
07. (Part One) Passage To Paralysis VII (1:38)
08. (Part One) Passage To Paralysis VIII (0:47)
09. (Part One) Passage To Paralysis IX (0:45)
10. (Part One) Passage To Paralysis X (0:38)
11. (Part One) Passage To Paralysis XI (0:30)
12. (Part One) Passage To Paralysis XII (1:38)
13. (Part One) Passage To Paralysis XIII (1:50)
14. (Part Two) Broad Decay I (3:28)
15. (Part Two) Broad Decay II (1:08)
16. (Part Two) Broad Decay III (1:09)
17. (Part Two) Broad Decay IV (1:09)
18. (Part Two) Broad Decay V (1:59)
19. (Part Two) Broad Decay VI (2:54)
20. (Part Three) Vertebrates I (0:37)
21. (Part Three) Vertebrates II (2:15)
22. (Part Three) Vertebrates III (0:28)
23. (Part Three) Vertebrates IV (0:51)
24. (Part Three) Vertebrates V (0:29)
25. (Part Three) Vertebrates VI (1:17)
26. (Part Three) Vertebrates VII (3:02)
27. (Part Three) Vertebrates VIII (2:20)
28. (AKA Prog-O-Matic) Gigantipithicus I (0:47)
29. (AKA Prog-O-Matic) Gigantipithicus II (1:20)
30. (AKA Prog-O-Matic) Gigantipithicus III (0:32)
31. (AKA Prog-O-Matic) Gigantipithicus IV (0:32)
32. (AKA Prog-O-Matic) Gigantipithicus V (0:36)
33. (AKA Prog-O-Matic) Gigantipithicus VI (2:04)
34. (AKA Prog-O-Matic) Gigantipithicus VII (0:23)
35. (AKA Prog-O-Matic) Gigantipithicus VIII (1:32)
36. (AKA Prog-O-Matic) Gigantipithicus IX (1:45)
37. (AKA Prog-O-Matic) Gigantipithicus X (1:34)
38. (AKA Prog-O-Matic) Gigantipithicus XI (1:22)
39. (AKA Prog-O-Matic) Gigantipithicus XII (1:09)
40. (AKA Prog-O-Matic) Gigantipithicus XIII (1:41)
41. (AKA Prog-O-Matic) Gigantipithicus XIV (0:38)
42. (AKA Prog-O-Matic) Gigantipithicus XV (1:05)
43. (AKA Prog-O-Matic) Gigantipithicus XVI (1:52)
44. (AKA Prog-O-Matic) Gigantipithicus XVII (2:26)

The Band:
- Terry Bozzio / drums
- John Myung / bass
- Kerry Livgren / guitar
- Marty Friedman / guitar
- Gary Wehrkamp / guitar
- Trent Gardner / keyboards
- Mark Robertson / keyboards
- Steve Walsh / vocals
- James LaBrie / vocals
GUESTS:
- Jeff Curtis / additional guitar
- Hal 'Stringfellow' Imbrie / additional bass

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