Detailed Reviews [Indrek Patte - 2014 - "Thank and Share"]

Prolusion. Estonian composer and musician Indrek PATTE is a veteran of the Estonian rock movement, and a rather well-known figure in his national scene too, if what the newspaper stories I have seen up from various Estonian newspapers about him are anything to go by. Legendary – a word that appears now and then in these. He's been a member of a number of different bands over the years, and has built a solid reputation as a studio engineer and producer as well. As a solo artist he made his debut in 2012 with the CD "Celebration". Two years later he returned with "Thank and Share", and, like his initial album, it was released through Strangiato Records, a subdivision of the Estonian label Hyper Records.

Analysis. As with Patte's first solo album "Celebration", he wants to thank and share on multiple levels on his latest CD as well. His religious views come across rather unfiltered, but also in a manner that shouldn't come appear as invasive for those who doesn't share the same belief. In addition he seems to have a passion for both progressive rock as well as material of a more straightforward nature, although the latter is in the minority here. The more mainstream-oriented affairs here are compositions with at least half a foot inside AOR-meets-hard rock territories, and sometimes more, generally found in some of the shorter tracks this time around, and then usually approached from or as a part of a greater progressive rock founded context. The most purebred example is the catchy, vibrant composition Promises, which kind of comes across as a blend between late ‘80s Yes and AOR-ish hard rock in style, form and execution. And besides a few compositions that appear to hone in fairly close to neo progressive rock at times, there's something of a Yes spirit that is a recurring trait throughout the recording. The use of a multitude of keyboard textures and sounds with something of a vintage edge to them, booming bass guitar, sharp and concise guitar solo details, reminding ever so slightly of Steve Howe, as well as light-toned lead vocals not all that far away from Jon Anderson in sound, style and delivery. Close in a manner of giving rise to associations rather than being similar on a stronger level, but that feeling is fairly constant throughout most of the songs here. While they may be closer to neo progressive rock or AOR-ish hard rock in certain passages, in others the ghosts and shades of both classic and later day Yes can be heard drifting in the background, with occasional shadows entering the limelight as well, allegorically speaking. It's an interesting experience, especially as there's also quite a lot of variation to the compositions here, with room for passages incorporating more of a folk-oriented touch and even a slight taste of more exotic world music, making a subtly token appearance on The Servant Soul, this latter a song that wouldn't have been totally out of place on the ABWH album from the late ‘80s, although this specific song was actually written and recorded the year before this Yes-related album was released.

Conclusion. "Thank and Share" comes across as a well developed album by an artist secure in what kind of music he desires to create and how he is going about to create it. The material is accessible yet sophisticated, and bears similarities and tendencies to neo progressive rock, vintage symphonic progressive rock and AOR-ish hard rock all alike. I'd hazard a guess that those who love and treasure their Pendragon just as much as Neal Morse and the various incarnations of Yes should find this album to be a rather intriguing one.

OMB=Olav M Bjornsen: October 16, 2016
The Rating Room