Jazz Rock/Fusion
United States
Imagine the ebullience of RUSH, ELP and DREAM THEATER injected with fiery jazz fusion laid out over some powerful melodies, and you'll have a good idea of what 4 FRONT sound like. They are an American trio of highly skilled musicians with impressive credentials: HAPPY THE MAN's very own drummer Joe Bergamini; guitarist-keyboardist Zak Rizvi and bassist Frank LaPlaca who have performed together for over a decade with US's premier RUSH tribute band POWER WINDOWS - LaPlaca also played with NYC rock acts ETERNAL VISION and The BUDDHA BRAINS. Under the name of 4 FRONT, they have toured extensively in the Eastern US and in Puerto Rico, opening shows for SAGA, MARILLION and KANSAS. Their material is strictly instrumental.
Rather than showing off their respective technical skills (which they'd have every reason to do), all members thankfully chose taste over self-indulgence, giving us some intelligent and mighty powerful prog that is much more than the mere sum of its elements. Take your pick from their three albums - recorded from 1996 to 2001 - and you'll alternately hear RUSH, ELP and DT plus hints of SPOCK'S BEARD, MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA and RETURN TO FOREVER as well as some Billy Joel, THE POLICE, Joe Jackson and THE DIXIE DREGS - even a little classical touch of Copland and Rachmaninoff. Extremely catchy, highly original, complex yet accessible, their material has an almost 'cinematic feel': it crackles with energy and passion yet never looses sight of intelligible hooks and melodies. The huge production, sophisticated compositions, surreal keyboards, searing guitars, intense drumming and fluid, melodic bass all make for some dynamic, ass-kicking melodic prog-fusion that can't be compared to anything.
If you ever wished bands like RUSH or DREAM THEATER dared venture into the next dimension, quickly get your hands on all of three of these albums. Hot stuff!
Lise (HIBOU), CANADA
ALBUMS:
1998 - GRAVITY
Musicians
- Zak Rizvi / guitars, keyboards
- Joe Bergamini / drums
- Frank LaPlaca / bass
GUESTS:
- Anthony Stramaglia / keyboard solos (2), Weird synth (11)
- Jimmy Wilgus / additional keyboards (3), all keyboards (14)
- Karl Kessler / violin (14)
- Rich Haddad / additional guitar (14)
- Neil Alexander / Bridge piano (3 & 13), all keyboards (4), Moog, ARP, piano and organ solos (5), keyboard solo (7), organ (11)
Tracks Listing
1. Prelude (1:30)
2. The Front (5:14)
3. Gravity (5:08)
4. Turbulence (2:59) 5. Gearth (4:41)
6. Home (4:47)
7. Blur (5:11)
8. Interlude (1:25)
9. Space and Time (6:51)
10. Dr. Chicken (Or how we learn to stop worrying and love the studio) (8:23)
11. Jamon (4:01)
12. Ultraviolence (2:43)
13. A Dying wish (7:28)
Bonus Track on second edition
14. Acid Cowboy * (4:21)
Total Time: 64:47
* Bonus Track recorded in 2002 specifically for this reissue of 'Gravity'.
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