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Progland was founded by John Gabbard in 2005. It's purpose has been to provide you, the music community with the latest music and dvd reviews. It will continue to be your link to the most popular music reviews in the progressive world.

 

(The Other Side)- “A Higher Vantage Point"

Label - Self-released
Reviewed by:

Jerry Lucky

Genre:
Prog
Country:
USA
Length:
54:25
Release Date:
2008
Band Members: Alan Mallery / keyboards, saxophone, theremin and percussion Lyle LaRaman / bass, guitar
  Lamar Neally / drums
     
     
Track Listing: 1.)-Maximum Vitality (5:10)
9.)-Walking The Labyrinth (5:49)
  2.)-Crying World (7:47)
10.)-Lunar Sunset (3:27)
  3.)-The Last Days Of Summer (6:52)  
  4.)- The Call To War (7:00)  
  5.)-Ouroboros (4:05)  
  6.)-Schizoid (5:57)  
  7.)-Transcendence (3:07)  
  8.)-The Point Of Being (5:11)  

Review:

I received an interesting CD the other day from composer/keyboardist/saxophonist Alan Mallery under the name of The Other Side. Mallery it turns out one busy man. Known for his work with the jazz-fusion group Zed, he’s also the co-founder of the Colorado Art Rock Society. Here he takes time out from the jazzier side of things to produce music that’s keyboard led progressive rock with a distinct symphonic feel. Entitled A Higher Vantage Point it proved to be a very engaging listen.***

The Other Side is made up of not only Mallery (keyboards, saxophone, Theremin, percussion) but also Lyle LaRaman (bass, guitars) and Lamar Neally (drums). The trio performs 10 instrumental compositions ranging in length from as short as 3:08 to as long as 7:47. I was struck listening to the disc at how much ground is actually covered. There are tracks that have a Camel influence, some that betray a little Triumvirat and others even a little Emerson Lake and Palmer. You mix it all together and you have…Voila…The Other Side. The keyboards are up front all the way, here, performing most of the lead lines and plenty of atmospheric backing, while the drums, bass and guitar form the core of the rhythm section propelling these pieces along. Most of the compositions are mid-tempo with repeating sections all of a very melodic nature. Nothing here is overly jarring; it’s all very smooth and well arranged. There’s even a couple sax solos that may remind you of some non-descript Pink Floyd songs. I really loved the track entitled “The Call to War” [7:01] that starts with a buzzing saw-tooth synth with the voices of Hitler and Winston Churchill spliced in at the beginning. This is the track that most reminded me of Triumvirat with the same kind of string sound heard at various points. The song has more than a few interesting starts and stops but always comes back to the core melodic themes. Another favorite track is “Schizoid” [5:57] with its rapid fire staccato breaks spiced up with some heavy Hammond styled organ and piping lead synth lines reminiscent of some ELP or Triumvirat. There is a nice little spacey-avant-garde section that drifts along in this track making the return the theme that much more relishing. I keep referring to Triumvirat because the overall feel of these compositions is lighter that what ELP might have done, although there are some similar keyboard synth sounds. Especially on “Walking the Labyrinth” [5:49] where the synth is very dramatic, aided by some brilliant Mellotron. On this track I particularly enjoyed the use of the bass synth lines that come in half way through…a real nice fat analog sounding synth, very big, very grand sound, very ELP-ish…you know what maybe this is my favorite track? ***

The Other Side create music that is like a breath of fresh air; much of it is very major-chord-sounding leaving you feeling very upbeat. If you’re a fan of the bands mentioned, or enjoy the work of keyboardists such as Peter Bardens, I think A Higher Vantage Point will really appeal to your ears. It’s a truly enjoyable listen.***

 

 

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