Presto Ballet
Peace Among The Ruins

THE REVIEW

In this album, we find the versatile guitarist of Metal Church, Kurdt Vanderhoof, engaged in one of his many parallel projects.

Accompanying him are Scott Albright on vocals, the experienced keyboardist Brian Cokeley (Quiet Riot, Vanilla Fudge), as well as drummer Jeff Wade and bassist Brian Lake (both from Metal Church).

The strange thing is that 'Peace Among The Ruins', released last summer, sounds like an album in perfect 70s style. If you don’t check the publication date, you would scarcely believe it.

The music in this work was recorded in the old-fashioned way, with real sounds from the Hammond organ and synthesizer, all seasoned with progressive and psychedelic hints that make this work a real delight to listen to. The eight tracks of the album contain references to major seventies groups, from Deep Purple to Yes, passing by Pink Floyd to Uriah Heep, and even Emerson Lake & Palmer.

It is very difficult to point out pieces better than others in this work, although a special mention certainly goes to the title track, a real sonic blast that closely recalls the style of the old Deep Purple with Vanderhoof's guitar and Brian Cokeley's organ dominating the scene. With The Fringes, we move through another adrenaline-filled and powerful track that maintains constant melodic lines and typically dated riffs, making it engaging and captivating.

With Season, we embark on a psychedelic journey that closely resembles the early Genesis, the Peter Gabriel ones to be precise, but it is with Find The Time, a progressive and atmospheric piece, that Presto Ballet reach notable compositional peaks, with Scott Albright's singing soaring above the entire structure. The journey continues with Speed The Time, Sunshine and Slave, tracks where the guitar and the Hammond chase and exchange pleasantries endlessly, without leaving aside the melodic vein, which is the true backbone of this group. The close of the album is the classic cherry on top, Bringing' it On, a stunning melodic piece that would even make the most hardcore metalhead blush.

In my humble opinion, this is a debut of great value, and for those, like me, who love 70s music, it's an album worth listening to over and over again.