Kev Rowland Originally just called Soliloquy, this band was formed by Pete Morten as long ago as 2002, but they have only recently released this their debut album. Some of the reason for it taking so long is that Pete has been playing guitar with Threshold since 2007, but also apart from Damon Roots on drums this ended up being a solo album as Pete provides everything else. However, the band is now back to being a full unit, as they have been joined by Chris Sharp (bass), Andy Berry (keyboards) and Mike Gilpin (guitars, backing vocals). This doesn’t sound as if it was a solo project though, as Pete is a very skilled musician as well as a great singer. True, the keyboards may not be as in your face and dynamic as some prog metal outfits, but the guitars more than make up for that.

Although covering a similar genre to Threshold this is actually quite a different form as there is a lot of space within the arrangements, and not nearly as much intensity. That’s not to say that this album doesn’t belt it out as it does, but there are bits and pieces contained within that almost don’t feel like they belong to the same band as they take the music in a quite different direction. Renowned prog producer Rob Aubrey has taken control of this, and that must have been a deliberate approach to take a step away from Threshold, and give the music a more prog sound as opposed the more metallic that would have come across if he had used Karl.

Overall this is an enjoyable romp, and I certainly didn’t realise that he is such a strong singer. Obviously fans of Threshold are going to be intrigued with this, but if you enjoy any prog metal, especially those that can be lighter in places then this is for you. www.lasersedgegroup.com

adg211288 The Interpreter is the debut full-length album by UK progressive metal act My Soliloquy. The album was released in 2013. My Soliloquy have actually been around for over a decade by this point but haven’t put out anything more major than an EP, Esoterica, and that was as far back as 2007. My Soliloquy features among their number Pete Morten (vocals and guitars), who also plays with Threshold.

The Interpreter features a largely song-based progressive metal sound opposed to long and winding epic compositions, although the average length of each of the tracks is still quite mid-range, always longer than five minutes, but shorter than eight. The sound of the actual music though has much more in common with traditional progressive metal, featuring both creativity and complexity while it’s made to sound a bit more modern through the use of quite substantial lashings of symphonic elements, and a much rarer use of power metal, while on the lighter side of things the band isn’t afraid to tone their sound done a bit towards progressive rock standards. It’s a sound that right from the off speaks volumes about the potential of the band, who also aren’t afraid to think outside the rock/metal box, as is evident in the intro of Corrosive De-Emphasis, which is electronic/techno music.

The weak link unfortunately is the vocals of Pete Morten. The man has a pleasant enough voice and carries The Interpreter well enough across the eight tracks, but throughout I couldn’t shake the feeling that the material would have made a bigger impact on me overall if his vocals were just that bit stronger. There are some parts of the music that he does well but more often than not his voice comes over as bland and uninspiring, which puts him in contrast with the music in the wrong way.

The songs themselves are mostly solid with the occasional highlight cropping up, such as opener Ascension Pending, but there are also a couple which don’t work for me, like Star, which closes the album in a balladry style which comes over as excessively cheesy in all the wrong ways. Taken individually almost every track does have its merits, but as a whole The Interpreter is slightly underwhelming. This is a good debut album, but I can’t help but think that in the over ten years it’s taken My Soliloquy to get this far they should by rights have come up with something stronger. I still feel mostly positive about the album, enough to award it a ‘good album’ tier rating, but the only lasting impression that this one leaves is that it could easily have been so much more. Good, but patchy.

71/100

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven (http://metaltube.freeforums.org/my-soliloquy-the-interpreter-t2873.html))

Time Signature Flashpoint...

Genre: progressive metal

Evolving around Pete Morten of Threshold note, My Soliloquy has been around for more than a decade, but it is only now that their first proper album is released.

As with other British progressive metal bands on the scene these days, My Soliloquy take their music in an alternative, more accessible, direction than the type of progressive metal metal spearheaded by the likes of Dream Theater. While definitely sophisticated and progressive, My Soliloquy focus more on songwriting than on self-indulgent instrumental masturbation, which has resulted in an album containing songs that are dynamic and kept interesting all the way through.

Featuring, after all, some of the more typical traits of progressive metal, such as a couple of odd time signatures and prominent keyboards are present on the album, but My Soliloquy also draw inspiration from outside of the universe of progressive metal, such as progressive rock and, well, you will be forgiven if the techno-intro of 'Corrosive De-Emphasis' gives you a WTF-moment.

With superb songwriting and excellent musicianship, this is definitely an enjoyable and original progressive metal album. Pete Morten's quite distinct vocal style deserves special mention. Sounding like a blend of Rob Moratti, Geoff Tates, and Peter Gabriel, it may be an acquired taste, but I think that his singing suits the music perfectly and is a major factor in the establishment of the unique sound this album has.

Fans of progressive metal should definitely check out My Soliloquy's long awaited debut album.