Flying Colours

I know that ‘supergroup’ is a term that has been overused to include every joining of two has-beens but Flying Colours are the most worthy of the title since they combine the talents of Steve Morse on guitar (ex- Deep Purple, Dixie Dregs and Kansas) with Mike Portnoy on drums (Dream Theatre, Winery Dogs & Transatlantic), Neal Morse (Transatlantic, Spock’s Beard and solo work), Dave La Rue on bass (Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Dixie Dregs). Add in a newcomer in Casey McPherson to provide melodic songwriting and the result is really quite exceptional.

Normally I would expect names like these to fall into a category I can only call Fusion/Prog but the melodic qualities of the music make it rather more than just a marriage. Of course it is loaded with powerful drumming and soaring guitar lines but underlying all that there is a sense that the songs really are songs and not just expositions.

Take ‘Mask Machine’. Pounding drums and a martial air but the guitar patterns support the vocals rather than fighting against them and the song has the qualities of Rush at their best as the changes take you into different areas of the theme.
Then there is ‘The Fury of my Love’ – a beautiful, sensitive love song that shows off Casey McPherson’s vocals to their best. The playing has power and height but it all encapsulates a story and allows the listener to feel with the singer.
‘One Love Forever which has a folk core but soaring vocal line or the closer ‘Cosmic Symphony’ which brings all of the toys out of the box – harmonies, melody and complex interplays.

It almost goes without saying that the playing all through the album is faultless but they also achieve a sense of playing as a band rather than just great musicians. Stunning album that gives you more each time you listen.