Label: Think Tank Media
Rocket Scientists is a trio comprising Erik Norlander
(keyboards), Mark McCrite (vocals, guitar) and Don Schiff (Chapman stick), who
are joined on Supernatural Highways
by Gregg Bissonette (drums), Greg Ellis (percussion), Lana Lang (vocal pads),
John Papenbrook (trumpet) and Eric Jorgensen (trombone). Erik and Mark are the
original founding members of the band.
Supernatural
Highways is a two track mini album with a total playing time of
around 30 minutes. The main track, “Traveler on the Supernatural Highway,” is
an epic 26:09 minutes in length, while the cover of “ On Her Majesty’s Secret
Service” is a much shorter 4:14 minutes long.
The main track on this mini album, “Traveler on the
Supernatural Highway” (26:09) is an epic in every sense, as it is
extraordinarily long, has simply superb musician skills highlighted, travels
though many styles, and demands the listeners’ attention at all times. In
truth, this is an instrumental that “grabs your ears” and refuses to let go for
just over 26 minutes. There is an atmospheric start to the track, setting the
scene, almost like a rocket engine idling, just waiting to kick in and let rip.
There are some simple guitar/synth passages until the synths start in earnest
around the 1:15 minute mark and then gently builds. Thoughts of Vangelis and
Tangerine Dream drifted through my mind as the keyboards of Erik Norlander take
off and carry you away. Drums and bass (stick) support the superb keyboards as
the track takes off with those recurring keyboard passages constantly driving
deep into the recesses of your mind. The ever shifting rhythms maintain the
interest as passages flow effortlessly into place. The constant ebb and flow of
the sound, highlights different aspects of the music with some exquisite cello
passages present. Around the 10 minute mark, the sound drops to allow the cello
a short “solo”, joined by some superb percussion, stick and piano/synth take
the action onwards and upwards again. Just prior to 12 minutes, the tempo
changes with a simple piano passage which continues to build in intensity with
again, support from excellent drumming and stick playing. A more ethereal synth
passage appears before the drums and stick get a little flourish in the
spotlight leading to an interesting little synth duet. Thus far in the track, the
guitar of Mark has been very subdued, but around the 16 minute mark, in a duel
with very retro synth/keyboards, it is let loose for a short spell, before the
track takes on a very “latinesque” feel. 20 minutes in, and the awesome
keyboards are again driving the track along, prior to the long wind-down to the
finale. Swirling synths and a return to the acoustic guitar theme from the
start, escort the track into the last few seconds of its 26 minutes, when the
“rocket engine,” heard at the start, throttles back and shuts down.
The cover of “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” (4:14) is
a fairly straightforward version of the “Bond” song, but touches of superb
guitar, magnificent brass work and some interesting synth passages, contribute
to a satisfying, if relatively short, second track.
After a hiatus of around 6/7 years, the Rocket Scientists
are back with a suitably supercharged mini album, Supernatural Highways, which certainly wants you to delve into
their back catalogue, (assuming you haven’t heard of them), and also whets the
appetite for some full length releases in the future. Powerful synthesizer
based progressive rock, at times shifting from retro to futuristic modes, which
certainly gets the “One to Buy” sticker and possibly the only reason that the
second sticker doesn’t appear, is that there is a feeling of relative
disappointment with the cover track after that masterful epic opening track.
4.5/5 Stars
Key
Tracks: Traveler on the Supernatural Highway
April 15, 2014
Review
Provided By Prog Rock Music Talk
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