Once in a while an artist will come seemingly out of
nowhere, and show himself as an absolute master of his craft. An artist that is
not only among the best at the instrument he becomes known for, but a
multi-instrumentalist that seems capable of playing almost any instrument, with
amazing precision, and dedication. Eric Gillette of The Neal Morse Band is one
such artist.
If you follow along with the genre of progressive rock,
there’s a pretty good chance that you have at least heard of Neal Morse. He is one
of the top artists out there today. His music is intricate, brilliantly
composed, and most definitely very difficult to pull of live. In April of 2012,
Neal called upon the world to form a live band that could pull of his very
difficult music. One of the artists to answer the call was none other than Mr.
Eric Gillette. And what a great choice Neal made. Not only could Eric pull of
Neal’s music with heart, and soul, but he could shred on the guitar like none
other. The closest example would be something akin to Dream Theater’s John
Petrucci.
His first album, “Afterthought” was released in 2013. A very
proggy affair, it began to show the world just what this man was capable of.
When he followed that album up in 2016, with “The Great Unknown”, heads turned,
ears perked up, and prog lovers were treated with an album that is so full of
chops, and fantastically composed songs, that it’s hard not to return to the
album multiple times, and listen in shock, and amazement at the out of this
world musicianship, and composition that adorns this sure to classic album.
The album starts off with “The Great Unknown”, and this
track is progressive-metal at its finest. With crunching guitars, and a synth
part that will leave other keyboard players speechless, this song is a great
way to start an album. And it doesn’t let up, as “The Aftermath”, and the
eighteen minute epic “Escape” follow. I’ve always been known for giving the
longest cut on the album a spin first, and I have to say that “Escape” is what
caused my jaw to drop to the floor. Eric has composed a song here that I would
stand next to the best of Dream Theater / Neal Morse epics. It’s such a great
song, and worth the price of admission alone.
“Damage Is Done” follows the epic, and is a very Muse-esque
song. This is what I wish Muse would steer back towards, and it’s very cool to
see Eric take something that they seemed to have pioneered, and elevate it to
something so very special. “Empty” is the album’s breather track, and possibly
one of the most beautiful songs that I have heard in a long time. With an
emotionally driven piano, and his voice taking center stage, it’s here that his
voice really shines through, and he proves that he may just have some of the
best pipes in the business.
The album closes with the nine minute “Runaway”, and the
eight minute “All I Am”. And what a great way to close the album! “Runaway is
more of a melodic prog-rock tune, and one of my very favorites on the album.
The guitar playing here is beyond anything I’ve heard, just drenched with
emotion. “All I Am” is another melodic prog-rocker, a slower song that just
sort of chugs along at a slower pace than much of the album, and a fantastic
choice to close the disc that was one of the best of 2016.
Gillette recently debuted much of the album’s material live,
and on tour. And from what I’ve heard, the playing (with the boys from Haken)
is phenomenal. And as he continues touring, and developing his craft, I’m sure
that he will solidify himself as one of the great prog-rockers of this generation.
And I for one can not wait to hear what he cooks up next!
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