Band:	Palace Terrace
Album:	Flying Through Infinity
Style:	Progressive metal
Release date:	November 16, 2007
A review by:	Baz Anderson

01. The Tenth Dimension
02. Chaos Theory
03. Time Will Tell
04. I Know Your Home
05. Who Am I
06. Declaration
07. Lights Fall Down
08. From This Day Forward
09. End Of Time
10. Mesmerized

It is always a delight when something slightly original comes to surface, and although not totally original, this American trio Palace Terrace do bring an interesting twist to metal with their debut album "Flying Through Infinity". With a spacey mysterious front cover drawing intrigue, this is neoclassical, progressive music, some tracks more progressive rock inclined, and some leaning more towards metal, even progressive space power metal if you like with its wondrous explosions of musical inspiration and creativity.

"The Tenth Dimension" the longest track on the album weighing in at over nine minutes opens the album setting the scene, it almost feels as you are floating uncontrollably in the vast expanse of the universe, but musically there is no big bang until the introduction of the second track "Chaos Theory" that leads in with a flurry of double bass assault accompanied by crazy, chaotic guitar and keyboard compositions that are kept under control by the talented musicians of Palace Terrace.

Although these Tom and Jerry style guitar and keyboard solos are fantastic moments of inspiration and schizophrenic musicianship the album does not lean this way for the most part. For the most part of this album we have neoclassically influenced music of the rock variety. Even "rock" might seem a little inappropriate for "Flying Through Infinity" as the genre invokes images of Dee Sneider and other great rock singers being backed by a solid wall of powerful noise, yet here Palace Terrace seem methodical and precise with their progressive musicianship, more concerned with making sure each guitar solo sounds as inventive and artistic as the last.

Jonathan Marshall does a good job on vocal duties singing with a range of different notes and speeds through the most part of the album, "Time Will Tell", "Who Am I" and "Lights Fall Down" being good examples of his range, the latter also being the most speed metal type on the album with a battery of double bass through the whole song with equally varied piano and guitar placed delicately on the top. "From This Day Forward" is the icing on the cake to what is an impressive album of musicianship and diversity. This song is almost raises the Christmas spirit with its glorious bells and melodies and lovely chorus.

The album, almost an hour in length does have a few dry patches in the middle and the last ten minutes or so of the album. Production is good, but as I refer back to the notion of rock music the album seems surprisingly wafer thin, a crisp production but lacking good, thick meat. But these aside, on the whole "Flying Through Infinity" is an engrossingly interesting and original album that should have people flocking around its ingenious, creative and futuristic neoclassical vibes.