5 Stars
Audio DVD (paid link)
Mystery are an aggressive prog rock band formed in Canada in 1986 by the talented multi-instrumentalist Michel St-Père. The man has formidable talent and a burning ambition.
Since 1996 there have been seven studio albums and four live albums.
Recorded on November 17th 2018 at Boerderji Cultuupodium, Zoetermeer, Netherlands, ‘Caught in the Whirlwind of Time’ is their latest live album, released in 2020 in support of the band’s world tour promoting the studio album ‘Lies and Butterflies.’
‘Caught in the Whirlwind of Time’ has two hours and forty minutes of music spread over three CDs.
The music is played with much gusto and remarkable precision.
Mystery’s lineup was initially very fluid, but these days they’ve settled down to Michel St-Père on guitars and keyboard, bassist François Fournier, guitarist Sylvain Moineau, drummer Jean-Sébastien Goyette, singer and flutists Jean Pageau, and keyboardist Antoine Michaud. All are masters of their craft and play magnificently tight.
Opening with the epic ‘Looking For Something Else’ clocking in at sixteen minutes and nine seconds, you get to experience the full range of Mystery’s powers. Soaring vocals, rampaging churning keyboards, uplifting vocals with perfect pitch, and guitars brutally scream and roar, along with dexterous bass work, underpinned by thrashing drums.
This is truly inspiring progressive rock music played by the best Canada has to offer. Don’t forget, Canada has already given us Rush and Saga in the progressive rock world. These guys are right up there with them.
The whole set plays out to your ears in barely controlled excitement. There are epics a plenty, interspersed by shorter songs.
But it’s the final run of epics to finish the main set that really take the task to the upper stratosphere. Starting with ‘Travel To The Night,’ then ‘A Song For You’ climaxing with Mystery’s flag song, ‘Chrysalis,’ the three songs together clock in at over forty minutes, sending the audience into raptures.
Mystery have managed headline status in their home country and mainland Europe, but so far they have failed to completely crack Britain or America, but there is time yet.
Written by Mott The Dog.
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