Salem Hill’s seventh studio album was recorded in England, but the American band implements the progressive rock of its homeland by the book. It might raise a certain opposition but Salem Hill, unlike many others, performs its original, lengthy, soul searching suites with so much care and truth that the Kansas comparison becomes marginal (although still inevitable).
The nuanced playing is shown from the beginning, and the talented band expands its scope with the help of guest players (such as David Ragsdale on violin and Neal Morse on vocals) to portray grandeur and offer rich, dramatic compositions that contemplate as much as they fire, with beautiful vocal harmonies, interlaced keyboards and guitars, and thoughtful melodies.
It is true that the twenty-one minutes "Stolen by Ghosts" should have been shortened and boosted, but the closing track (almost of the same length) that follows makes up for it: arguably the most realized composition among the four on the album, "The Future Me" features a blazing instrumental intro leading to passionate reflections and a triumphant execution that manages to evoke a slight catharsis. (8.5/10)
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