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REVIEWS: EXPLORERS CLUB Age Of Impact back to artists page Discography • Audio • Tour Dates • Links Released July 28, 1998 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Bolstered by the monster rhythm section of bassist Billy Sheehan and drummer Terry Bozzio, John Petrucci unleashes some of the most biting, from-the-gut playing of his career on Age of Impact. – Guitar World magazine –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Explorer's Club is the brainchild of Trent Gardner, the keyboard player, vocalist, songwriter, and producer for the band Magellan. Within these five tracks is an absolutely star-studded line-up of progressive musicians. Handling the rhythm duties are Billy Sheehan on bass and Terry Bozzio on drums. Guest guitar turns are taken by Steve Howe and James Murphy, among others, whereas Dream Theater's John Petrucci is responsible for the majority of the solos. Petrucci is joined by his bandmates Derek Sherinian on keys and James LaBrie on lead vocals. Also taking a turn at the mic are Cairo's Bret Douglas, Royal Hunt's D.C. Cooper, Matt Bradley, and Gardner himself. Impact 1 is "Fate Speaks," a sixteen-minute rocker which is probably my favorite track on this disc. Beginning with a nice classical guitar intro, "Fate Speaks" segues into a powerful metallic riff. After an initial jam session, the band settles down and the album finally begins with the passionate vocals of Bret Douglas. "Fate Speaks" is a fabulous song, featuring some of the catchiest and most difficult-to-remember lyrics of any prog tune. The rhythms are heavy, the vocals are wonderful, and the soloing is nothing short of amazing. "Fading Fast" begins softly and builds slowly, as Matt Bradley delivers a beautiful performance at the mic. The song gets heavier towards the end, and Gardner takes his first stab at lead vocal duties. Bozzio's drumming and Gardner's keys are particularly interesting during the initial portions of this eight-minute track. "No Returning" starts heavy, slows down for a flute solo, then kicks in again with James LaBrie at the helm. While containing wonderful individual performances, this song and the follower "Time Enough" are less interesting than the other selections on Age Of Impact. While "Time Enough" does feature a nice vocal turn by D.C. Cooper, along with some cool piano work, these songs tend to lose me. Fortunately, picks things up again with Impact 5, "Last Call," which reintroduces the heavy riff from "Fate Speaks." James LaBrie again takes a turn at the mic, and delivers as expected. "Last Call" is marked by some of the most impressive soloing on this whole disc, in itself a remarkable accomplishment. The album winds down appropriately with Gardner at the mic and an absolutely furious solo from Petrucci. These are some of the most impressive progressive musical performances you're likely to hear anywhere. This disc is most closely comparable to vintage 1970s progressive-rock, but with a more metallic 1990s edge. Dream Theater fans will probably dig this album, particularly if you enjoyed Falling Into Infinity. Those who prefer their music more straight-forward will probably be overwhelmed and ultimately bored by most of Explorer's Club. Basically, if you ever enjoyed a release from Magna Carta, then you'll probably appreciate "Age Of Impact." – Joel Ansier for OpenUpAndSay.com –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Explorer's Club is the brainchild of Magellan's Trent Gardner. The band consists of Trent on keyboard, his brother Wayne on guitar, Terry Bozzio on drums and Billy Sheehan on bass. There are a huge number of guest appearances on this release. Vocalists include Dream Theater's James LaBrie, D.C. Cooper, Cairo's Bret Douglas, and Dali's Dilemma's Matt Bradley. Guitar soloists include Dream Theater's John Petrucci and Yes' Steve Howe. Ex-Dream Theater's Derek Sherinian is the keyboard soloist. The entire album was written by Trent Gardner. The first (of five) track is called "Fate Speaks" and is sung by Bret Douglas. This along with the last track sounds, the most like the unmistakable sound of Magellan. Although I'm not a huge fan of Douglas, his voice fits this track perfectly. "Fading Fast," sung by Bradley, is next and is a soft, slow track a little reminiscent of some stuff from Genesis' excellent "Calling All Stations." "No Returning" has LaBrie on vocals where he sounds excellent with lots of harmony backing vocals behind him. D.C. Cooper is next with "Time Enough," a mid-tempo track that suites his voice perfectly. The CD ends with "Last Call" where LaBrie and Trent Gardner split the vocals. LaBrie starts singing very aggresively, sounding much like heavier Dream Theater songs. Midway through, Gardner picks up the vocals for a powerful ending. From start to finish there are excellent prog-style solos interspersed throughout the tracks. This is a brilliant CD, much like I was expecting from Magellan's last release, Test Of Wills. Anyone who likes Magellan should definitely get this. And all other prog-rock fans should like it as long as they don't mind Gardner's very unusual song structures. Even if you aren't a big Magellan fan, this is a great CD just for the all-star cast. – OpenUpAndSay.com –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Click here to order Age Of Impact. For information about Explorers Club's second CD, Raising the Mammoth, click here. |
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