Search - Stride :: Imagine

Nothing short of astounding. A cross between Dream Theater a

Just Bill | Grand Rapids, MI United States | 01/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Stride's Imagine CD is absolutely amazing. The vocals harken back to the days when lead singers could actually sing. Picture Steve Perry of Journey. Or Steve Walsh of Kansas. Then picture taking that quality of vocal ability and combining it with Dream Theater's technical virtuosity and you have Stride -- one of the most amazing bands I've heard in a long, long time.



Heck, one song of theirs, alone ("Ion Drive"), is worth the price of this CD. Clocking in at smidgeon over three and a half minutes, this track is as technically brilliant as anything Symphony X could conjure up, yet it has more melodic sensibilities and momentum than anything Dream Theater or Symphony X have produced in years. "Ion Drive" rocks!



Proving himself to be a shredder of the highest order, guitarist Joel Gregoire is as fleet-fingered as Yngwie or Michael Romeo, yet -- to my ears -- is more adept at choosing the right amount of notes to employ at any given time. In other words, he doesn't seem to be as showy or pretentious as Yngwie, yet could easily be his rival. Joel's majestic power chords and thousand-note flurries (nicely captured in "Alive") are nothing short of amazing. This guy is an incredible guitarist, now one of my favorites.



Vocalist Gary Belin is a rare find for a band these days. His voice has power and range, but is crystal-clear like the aforementioned vocal style of Perry and Walsh. On some tracks (such as the opener "Imagine"), Gary reminds me slightly of another of my favorite vocalists: David Glen Eisley.



Drummer Matt Kanzler is a monster. He can double-kick it with the best of 'em, yet is never excessive like Mike Portnoy can sometimes be. Matt shows rare restraint for a drummer in a prog/power metal band these days.



Rick Flores (Keys) and Mike Martin (Bass) complete the quintet's line-up and do so admirably well. Flores is nimble-fingered and clever like Dream Theater's Jordan Rudess or Symphony X's Michael Pinella and Mike's bass style is solid and creative (listen to that heavy bottom-end propel everyone forward on "Ion Drive"!).



Overall, I hear a lot of Dream Theater in this CD -- but the Dream Theater circa When Dream and Day Unite and Images and Words -- before they got so heavy and dissonant that they lost even the barest pretense of melody. I also hear another favorite band of mine: Secret Sphere.



Bottom line: Imagine is a dream come true for me. It's melodic, expertly played, dramatic, and powerful music. I had the entire CD on "repeat" at the office Friday and literally listened to it all day long. It kept me energized, happy and focused on my writing tasks at hand.



Thank you, Stride! This is brilliant stuff!"

How did I miss this disc in 2005?

Murat Batmaz | Istanbul, Turkey | 01/27/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Remember the first three Journey albums (between 1975 and 1977) with Gregg Rolie on vocals? They were a great melodic prog rock band then with awesome keyboards and fusion-inspired guitar work. Though they were mainly focusing on complex and impressive instrumental work, they also knew how to write melodic choruses. Such is the case with Stride's second album Imagine. Now with a vocalist, the band have retained their head-spinning instrumentation, but there is also plenty of room for excellent harmonies and the powerful vocals of Gary Belin.



Gary Belin's voice is a cross between Steve Walsh of Kansas, Steve Perry of Journey, and perhaps Jon Anderson of Yes. He sings with complete power and perfect pitch, opting for both crystal clear harmonies and angrier, more pronounced vocal stylings. He is one of the most expressive singers I've heard in prog metal in recent years. At times his enunciation evokes Enchant's Ted Leonard in the way he knows when to take the lead of the song and when to let the other members shine. Actually, Stride could be likened to Enchant on a higher scale as well. Similarly, the guys in Stride are also excellent musicians with tremendous technique, but they never sacrifice melody and are most interested in penning solid, cohesive songs. Perhaps that's what makes Imagine so amazing. However, when the moment calls for it, they will also break loose and sweep you away with outstanding instrumental passages, all subtly injected into the songcraft. Almost all songs start out with majestic keyboards played by Rick Flores, who deserves a special mention. This guy is insanely talented and can play anything from AOR synths to uber-complex solos to 70's Moog stuff. "Alive" exhibits an intense interplay between Rick Flores and guitarist Joel Gregoire, who is also an excellent player. His soloing is always restrained and full of melodic hooks. Besides beautiful harmonies, he also goes for circular lead work. And guess what? His tone is absolutely beautiful. His rhythms are crunchy, always in diametric opposite to Flores' angelic piano or keyboard melodies.



One of the most interesting tracks is "Role Model". It starts out rather differently than the other pieces. It is also longer and quite atmospheric. Characterized by creepy textures and an almost cinematic vibe, the band suddenly delves into one of their most complex and attention-demanding instrumental moments until a soothing piano break is introduced, emphasizing Belin's passionate vocal melodies. All the while, the cinematic vibe is retained, as traces of indecipherable spoken voices continue in the background. Come to think of it, the layered production of this disc is stunning. "Face the Day", my personal favourite, marks the band's heaviest songwriting to date. For a change, it begins with a low bass lead and leads into a dreamy and almost poppy Steve Perry type of harmony draped over sparse piano notes. Fans of Journey, particularly those who miss the earlier Perry albums, would love this track, if not the whole album. All of a sudden, the relaxing and toned down vocals of Belin erupt like a volcano and form one of the biggest and most aggressive choruses you'll ever hear. This song proves how diverse a vocal style Belin actually has and what he is capable of. The latter part of the track is simply out of this world. Hyper-speed synth soloing a la Dream Theater meets Symphony X gives way to a Steve Morse meets Neal Schon type of a solo guitar spot and is finalised with Matt Kanzler's drum attack that would even surprise Deen Castronovo.



Stride hasn't gone all AOR meets prog metal though. They also included two all instrumental songs, except that they are a lot more cohesive than the ones on their debut. "Endeavor" is a fast, guitar and keyboard duelling effort, leaving enough space for AOR synths and more multi-rhythm drums, while "Ion Drive" is a nod to the instrumental work on Symphony X's overlooked The Damnation Game. Gregoire's riffs are dark and thick and contrast Flores' analog synths. Although he alternate picks in the same speed of John Petrucci, his playing is a lot more melody-friendly.



This was one of those albums I missed in 2005. I'm glad I finally got to hear it. Pick it up, I can't see it disappointing any prog metal fan that enjoys some AOR and 70's hard rock too."

A Great Melodic Progressive Rock Album

5150 | Houston, TX | 11/20/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Stride is the vocals of Journey and the lyrics of Triumph along with the melodies of both. Mixed with the progressive chops of Kansas and Dream Theater. This is an excellent example of melodic progressive rock. It's not metal but if you are looking for the next Savatage album, this one fits the bill. They are now primed to make their mark. And if you get a chance to see them live. Do so, you won't be disappointed. They are five very talented musicians."