There are so many contributing musicians here on this progressive metal work that it needs one person to hold them together. That one person is Frenchman Vivien Lalu, and what an impressive group of musicians he has assembled. The supporting cast of eight includes members of Dream Theater (Jordan Rudess), Stratovarius, the Devin Townsend band, Cloudscape, Darkane, James LaBrie and more. The actual band is impressive too, comprising Mekong Delta’s vocalist, Symphony X’s bassist, DGM’s guitarist, Planet X’s drummer and Mr Lalu himself on keyboards. As you will gather, Mr Lalu has a wealth of experience himself and clearly plenty of contacts.
Name dropping apart, I did have the initial fear that this work was going to be something eclectic and self-indulgent. It is true that these ten individually-crafted tracks amount to a sampler or compendium of prog metal, but with this level of experience it was always going to be done with sensitivity and consummate skill. Nor to his credit does Mr Lalu, who plays in Shadrane but is known for writing soundtracks, dominate his own show. By and large the band overcomes the risk of self-indulgence. The problem, I find, is that with prog you can be in or out. There was a section in the second track “War on Animals” where for me the singers – Martin LeMar and Cloudscape’s Mike Andersson – isolated themselves himself with their harsh emotional pleas. Yet I know lovers of Dream Theater, Haken et al who would love this. I did pick up from Mr Lalu’s web site that he is concerned with animal welfare, which could explain this surplus of emotion, but within prog the power is often intensified through the channelling. But even this track is full of instrumental power and articulation.
This album hit me with its richness and interesting twists. It’s dreamy and creative but never soft. In fact it’s heavy and hard when it wants to be and in the true spirit of expressive prog metal. There are acoustic and orchestral moments in here too. As you might expect, the electronic sections add layers to the wholesome sound. “Atomic Ark” starts with a bombastic and flowery style of prog. “Greed” captures us from the outset. There’s a solid core, but what I really liked was the quirkiness and eccentricity which defined some of the later tracks. Where “Bast” has a Mediterranean feel, “Momento” is delightfully oriental. It is from this track that the keyboard comes into its own and triggers an explosion of imagination. “Slaughtered” has a bit of music hall and Russian dance. But it’s not about the eccentric parts alone. Far from it. This is a finely-balanced prog feast. “Revelations”, the final track, starts like the soundtrack to the film “ET”, but as it develops, there is an everyday intimacy about it. 19 minutes long, it’s a big epic adventure, which is split into one dramatic and gripping passage after another. An extended classical piano piece takes us into a progressive build up and a series of hair-raising and memorable sections which capture the balance, skill and intensity of this album.
Like all good prog albums, “AtomicArk” is something to imbibe and delight in. I felt close to this and the immaculate blend of musicianship. There are messages in the lyrics, but I preferred to absorb and wonder at the ten prog metal experiences, which Mr Lalu and his collaborators offer us.
(8/10 Andrew Doherty)
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