I presented to you in 2020 his first album with his project 'COMPASS', 'Our Time on Earth', and 'Steve Newman' returns with a second offering 'Theory of Tides' which tells us about the life and works of the famous astronomer and scientist Galileo Galilei. Always driven by a desire to embark on long developments to bring a progressive side that he cannot offer in his AOR project 'NEWMAN', he concocted 8 compositions for us between 5 and 10 minutes in a mixture of rock and progressive metal with always this melodic constant allowing an almost immediate approach.
And it is with the longest title, 'Mountains on the Moon', that the album begins with an introduction which slowly increases in power, and which then delivers some sharp guitar riffs leading to a melodic section with a very beautiful guitar solo, the sung part arriving after more than three minutes and showing a more subdued face with a magnificent chorus. This composition already shows this delicious alternation of energetic atmospheres and other calmer ones, then, 'Searching for Answers' continues in this way and this title makes me think of the atmospheres developed by the Canadians of 'Saga' in the vocal parts, 'Ben Green' having much the same expressive vocals as 'Michael Sadler'. Same impression with the following title 'The Assayer', which begins in an energetic way, but which continues to take us into variations of intensities and original rhythms which requires several listens to draw all its richness, then, 'Once in a Lifetime' is certainly the composition which most highlights these rhythmic changes between catchy sections close to the AOR and other much calmer ones, the transitions being done very naturally. We then attack the centrepiece of the album, 'Laws of Nature', in three parts, which is a progressive saga in which it is good to get lost and let yourself be tossed around according to the melodic and rhythmic changes, the whole always remaining very accessible thanks to the paw of the outstanding melodist that is 'Steve Newman'. And to end this beautiful journey, the title song shows a more dancing face with a catchy rhythm that gives you ants in the legs and with a magnificent last guitar solo in the second part of the title.
In summary, thanks to artists highlighting the compositions of the Englishman, 'Steve Newman' confirms with 'Theory of Tides' all the good that we thought of him with his first album and offers us new compositions combining accessible melodic lines, catchy rhythms and original progressive research which highlight multiple influences, but which require a few repeated listens to draw all the substantive marrow... | |
