| Description: | Presto Ballet is the new band from Metal Church guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof. Evoking a classic 70's feel, their debut album "Peace Among The Ruins" heralds a return to a time when music was at its most colorful and influential. An album full of tasteful guitar parts, crunching Hammond organ and rich vocals, the band follows a path previously tread by rock pioneers such as Kansas, Yes, Genesis and Deep Purple. Vanderhoof describes the album from a production point of view, "We recorded the whole album in a somewhat 'old school' manner, which means analog synthesizers, real Hammond organ and real Mellotron sounds".
All of the tracks from "Peace Among The Ruins" were recorded using an analog tape machine, which was another nod to the sounds of the seventies. Vanderhoof explains, "Digital recording techniques are annoying! For rock music it's absolutely fatal when you always rely on samples, sequencers and drum machines. It destroys the live feel of the music. With Presto Ballet, it was our aim to return to a more 'natural' feel while keeping as melodic and musical as possible."
Without a doubt, the band has succeeded in the approach they took to their debut album. With the opening notes to the title track "Peace Among The Ruins", it's easy to see the band's full strengths on display. Following on from that, "The Fringes" powerfully recalls the sound of early American stadium rock. Tracks like "Seasons" or "Find The Time" unmistakably show the band's allegiance to a time in which they felt rock music was at its most alive. "For me, the seventies was the most interesting time, with the most skilled bands, the best songs and the best ideas", says Vanderhoof. "I've never understood why nobody has gone back to that kind of music again". The album also occasionally references the progressive and inventive approach of the Beatles, with psychedelic sounds and unconventional arrangements. |