| The
Review |
I suppose it’s only natural to talk about the potential
for a sophomore slump anytime a band get’s to releasing that
second recording. But you can forget about that idea when
it comes to the second studio CD from Cryptic Vision entitled
In A World. They have easily picked up where they left off
and even taken their game up another notch. ***
Florida based Cryptic Vision consists of Rick Duncan
(drums, guitar, keyboards), Todd Plant (vocals, guitar), Sam
Connable (bass, vocals), Timothy Keese (guitar, vocals) and
Howard Helm (keyboards, vocals). The bulk of the material
was written and composed by Duncan and Plant with some able
assistance from Connable. They also gain the musical help
from guests including David Ragsdale and Alan Morse. I should
mention what a joy it is to listen to their lyrics on In A
World, interesting as well as uplifting. ***
Musically In A World picks up right where Moments of Clarity
left off although the music here seems fuller and definitely
more mature. This is really a lush symphonic progressive rock
that is driven by melodies and harmonies. While the music
takes any number of twists and turns it always comes back
around to drive the song home. In fact the album starts with
a thematic sound and after 72 minutes comes back to that same
musical theme. The opening track “In A World” clocks in at
just over 16 minutes and features everything from some crunchy
guitar to anthemic crescendos. The track “All Along” displays
some wonderful harmonies and an arrangement that builds beautifully
over the five minutes, ending in a huge swell of music. There’s
another track that’s 10 minutes and another almost 9, then
all the others are around 4 or 5 minutes, not that any of
that really matters since the songs tend to fade into each
other. Sound wise there is a hint of Kansas here, but that’s
probably because of Ragsdale’s distinctive style. You’ll also
detect hints of Spock’s Beard but more as a sonic touchstone
rather than actually sounding like them. In fact Cryptic Vision
have created a sound that is very much their own even though
they draw on some established influences. The songs are replete
with stellar musicianship and vocals that reach for the sky.
***
I liked Cryptic Vision from the first moment I heard
them and with this second release they’ve only gotten better.
Their style isn’t overly complex and yet there’s a lot going
on in each of the pieces, short or long and that means the
disc holds up really well over repeated listening. If symphonic
prog is what you like to listen to, In A World gets my strongest
recommendation. This is a great record. Cryptic Vision is
a band definitely on the way up in the world of progressive
rock. ***
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