Published on Sep 28, 2004
(Editor’s note: Portions of this review were
originally published on houseofshred.com)
The name Magna Carta Records has in recent years become
synonymous with great progressive rock. No other label has produced
the quantity and quality of excellent releases in this genre. One
of the mainstays of Magna Carta’s creative stable of artists and
visionaries is Trent Gardner. Gardner has his name linked with
dozens of projects on the label. Starting with his own band
Magellan and on to several of Magna Carta’s tribute albums and more
recently, the stellar Steve Walsh solo album. His latest project is
the progressive/symphonic masterpiece
Leonardo – The Absolute Man.
The subject of
Leonardo is the seminal creative genius Leonardo Da Vinci.
Painter, architect, writer, musician and scientist are just a few
of the many disciplines that Da Vinci practiced. Considered by many
to be one of the most prolific creative influences on modern
culture, his life is fertile ground for this biographical
exportation, and Gardner’s moving symphonic rock is the perfect
vehicle to convey this story.
At its heart it’s a concept album. While not a linear story,
Leonardo is a series of vignettes that portray key events in
his life. One however, does not need to be familiar with his life
to enjoy this album. The individual songs stand on their own, and
the lush instrumental passages that tie the vocal songs together
add continuity and dimension.
Featuring a stellar cast, the voice of Leonardo is provided by
James LaBrie of Dream Theater. LaBrie is perfect for the part and
shows the great power and range that DT fans are already familiar
with. The rest of the cast (11 individual vocalists in all) is
comprised primarily of artists from the Magna Carta label including
Steve Walsh of Kansas, Chris Shryack of Under the Sun and one of my
favorite performers on the disc, Ice Age vocalist Josh Pincus, who
delivers an incredible performance.
It’s hard to decide what impressed me most on this disc-the
incredible musical arrangements, or the powerful vocal
performances. The musical emotions of Gardner’s compositions range
from the pastoral to the chaotic, as bits of heavy progressive rock
meld into graceful symphonic interludes, powerful vocals and
beautiful melodic passages including a masterfully delivered duet
between Steve Young and Michelle Young on “First Commission.”
The CD packaging is very well done as well, featuring a nice
introduction by Trent Garner, a full libretto of the score and some
nice artwork.