John
Macaluso
is arguably one of the metal
world’s best known (and most active) drummers
largely thanks to work with Ark. Yngwie Malmsteen and with
Dream Theater’s James LaBrie. So what can you expect
when a drummer makes a solo album? Well in the case
of John Macaluso & Union Radio then a damn fine
progressive album in ‘The Radio Waves Goodbye’.
The vibe of the album is quite varied with a number of different
styles that all managed to remain progressive throughout the
13 tracks on offer. Yes the emphasis seems more on grooves
and keyboard textures (reminiscent of Pink Floyd in this respect)
as opposed to pure musical masturbation and guitar overload
(although there is still a lot of guitar to be enjoyed) and
this really makes the album shine with originality, the album
is also home to a great production with superb sonic spread
– listening with headphones is a truly dazzling experience!
Opener “Soul In Your Mind”
is the most accessible track for progressive metal fans to get
into with a sound that recalls the best of Dream Theater which
may suggest the reason why it fits James LaBrie’s vocals to a
tee. There is a tremendous amount of variation in this track
alone yet it remains a cohesive track from start to finish and
is home to an insanely addictive chorus. “Mother Illusion”
begins with Macaluso laying down some drum patterns which
verge on jazz and the vibe almost verges on ambient dance at
times, yet the vocals from Mike DiMeo keep this within the
rock field. “The Prayer Pill” sees the ambient sound
continue coming across as a prog rock version of Portishead to
these ears aside from the vocals of Adrian Holtz. Up next is
another dazzling track in “Dissolved” which sounds like
classic Pink Floyd (Animals era) with 21st century
attitude and a large dose of adrenaline for good measure.
Mike Dimeo’s vocals are sublime here and this track will
surely be a contender for song of 2007.
“Gates To Bridges”
is another super cool slice of what is now becoming trademark
Macaluso with a nice balance between the restraint verse and
powerful chorus. Vitalij Kurpij throws down some great
keyboard solos whilst Marco Sfogli adds some sublime guitar
work especially over the double time solo section. The track
is as will its predecessors enhanced by phenomenal drum work
which only adds to the song and manages to groove – something
many drummers in a prog environment could learn from.
“Shimmering Grey” begins atmospheric with a sustained
chord over which we get guitar volume swells (again quite Pink
Floyd) yet rumblings of something darker enter at around the
1:00 mark, the way the track builds shows an almost
architectural approach to song writing and shows Macaluso has
a very good idea of what to do in terms of overall musical
perspective. The chorus is again very strong and sounds
almost Kings X to these ears with strong vocal harmonies. The
7:33 long “T-34” is epic in approach and comes across
as a movie score to some fantasy epic to these ears, it’s
musically very visual and has arguably the most impressive
music in terms of technicality on the album and will keep prog
buffs happily dissecting the music bar by bar for hours.
“Staring ‘Pain’”
is another strong track that has several different nuances all
working together in harmony whilst Macaluso gets to show off
his drum chops in the solo track “Pretzel” complete with
comedy intro. “Yesterday I’ll Understand” begins with
a nice Fender Rhodes intro before we are treated to another
superb vocal performance this time from Don Chaffin and this
track has hit single written all over it, modern in approach
in many respects with another killer chorus. “The Six Foot
Under Happy Man” see Macaluso take an oddball journey into
show time jazz and to be honest it sounds totally out of place
on the album but I presume its here for a reason. “Things You
Should Not Know” sees the music head back into more familiar
waters with another compelling drum pattern leading the track
although it will take a few listens to get into this one as
its quite disjointed in places. The album closes with “Away
With Words” which is a nice atmospheric instrumental (aside
from some tribal chanting) and in a way the track seems to
resolve everything heard elsewhere making for a nice calming
end to the album.
“The Radio Waves Goodbye”
really is a very unique album. I don’t think there is any
other album reviewed here on this site that you can compare it
to. There are traces of influence throughout yet John Macaluso
has
managed to add his own stamp to the progressive genre with an
impressive collection of tracks that really have something for
fans from all angles of this varied genre from past to
present. Overall the album is a very rewarding experience
after a few listens and could well be the surprise package of
2007.
RATING
94%
OFFICIAL WEBSITE
http://www.johnmacaluso.com
http://www.lionmusic.com
