Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I purchased the super deluxe version with the extra CD and the Making of DVD.
First of all, Bridge Across Forever is one of my fave CD's and Stranger in Your Soul is one of my favorite prog songs.
The Whirlwind CD is very good, and, compared to the other two Transatlantic CD's, is more consistent throughout. Bridge and SMTPe had some weak areas (Temple of the Gods).
One of the things that really stands out on the Whirlwind is the bass and guitar. The fairly well known rumors of grumbling by Roine and Pete over Bridge (and Roine's re-release of his own mix as proof) are not necessary here. The bass is strong with excellent tone! (I actually envy this bass tone). Roine's guitar parts are well executed with good tone, unlike the spacey wah-fest filler from Bridge.
The lyrics are overall very good. Some of Neal's vocals as usual are borderline too high; will be difficult to do live.
My favorite songs are The Wind Blew Them All Away, Rose Colored Glasses, EverMore, and the Finale. Although this is one big song it fits together nicely and some stand up on their own well.
This would be 5 stars.
The bonus CD (CD2) is hit and miss. The first four songs are new, but I really don't like any of them. Lenny Johnson has an interesting feel but it really doesn't go anywhere. For Such a Time is basically like I Can Only Imagine and would play well on Contemporary Christian (CCM) charts. Since I don't like candy-coated CCM, this is not necessarily a good thing.
These songs wouldn't be all that bad, but the Giant Hogweed song is SO GOOD that it makes these look like less than filler. The Giant Hogweed song has interesting parts, dynamics, funny vocals, and a great, fun feel. This song is 5 stars. The CD, however, is about 3 stars.
The Making of DVD is the usual. Not bad but about 15-20 minutes of interesting content in 90 minute DVD.
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2009 release from the Prog Rock supergroup featuring Dream Theater's Mike Portnoy, Neal Morse of Spock's Beard, Marillion's Pete Trewavas and Roine Stolt from the Flower Kings.With The Whirlwind, Transatlantic has pulled out all the stops! Their first two albums expanded the boundaries of Progressive Rock with songs like 'Stranger In Your Soul' that span some 30 minutes. Then, nine years later the band comes back with a walloping triumphant record that is one piece of music sprawling over 78 minutes in length! This is unprecedented, and the sheer brilliance of it is that it flows like a Progressive Rock symphony, taking the listener from shadow to glory and back again. What a tremendous whirlwind of music this is!--This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.
