Band:	Michael Harris
Album:	Worlds Collide
Style:	Neoclassical, Progressive metal
Release date:	2003
A review by:	Malcolm

01. Shockestra (Intro)
02. Wash My Soul Away
03. Mask Of Deception
04. Myopia
05. Worlds Collide
06. Tears Roll Down
07. Mr. Strange
08. Prosthetic Brain
09. Into The Spiral Rain
10. Mandy Slang
11. Incarcerated
12. The Cozmic Desert
13. Battle Fatigue
14. Coffee With Mozart [Track bonus]

I have to emit that I never heard of Michael Harris before and was a bit skeptic in the beginning as well.
But it turned out to be a quite pleasant surprise, when I finally putted the album in my stereo.
What came out was a combination between a "guitar-hero" sound with a progressive Rock/Metal touch. But not the "Yngwie" kind of "guitar-hero" attitude, no this is somehow "nicer" and more music.
And the long progressive songs isn't there either, Michael is playing songs in a normal length, except for the last one, "Battle Fatigue", a 9 minute song, in 8 Phases.

Michael Harris is born in Ohio, USA and had two very music skilled parents, the father was into Jazz and the mother into Classic, so Michael got a stabile ground there and begun to play trumpet when he was 11. He did so, in the school band, for three years then he discovered the guitar, and he was stuck. After just 6 months he created his first band.
Band that he played and released albums with is, Tyrant that changed name to Arch Rival and released two EPs and three full-length albums and got a great reaction from the press.
Then he released some albums with Chastain / Harris band, and then he formed his heaviest band until today, Surgeon, and released the brutal debut, "Encyclopedia of the Insane" in 1996.
After that, he has released four instrumental solo albums, and the one we shall be focusing on today is his first vocal solo album.

Michael himself is handling all the instruments, except the drums, that his brother Brain handles.
The only thing that I have some problems with is the voice, you'll hear that Michael isn't a trained singer but he can use his voice, but a real singer would be something to wish for, or if Michael took some lessons to practice his voice a bit.
The music is very well written, but it takes time to get into it, if you're not a Progg Rock/Metal fan from the start, that I'm not.
The whole album is filled with passion and energy, and you can hear in the music that Michael loves what his doing, and that make the album even better.
And the mix between Electric and acoustic guitars is really nice done.
If I shall take some parallels between Michael's music and some other band and artist out there, Dream Theater is one that comes to my mind (Not the new DT, but the old).

So I recommend this one to all the Progressive Rock/Metal fans out there, and maybe to all Dream Theater fans as well, I'm not that much into Dream Theater so I don't know how close Michael are to them, but the little I heard of Dream Theater, it's quite alike.


Killing Songs: Well, this is the hardest part of the review, this time. Because I'm not really into this kind of music, but some tips to check up I might be able to give.
"Worlds Collide", "Was My Soul Away", "Mr. Stranger" & "The Cozmic Desert".
The last one is my favorite.