Short Reviews [ Lobate Scarp - 2022 - "You Have It All"]

Lobate Scarp released their debut album in 2012, and it has only taken them 10 years to come up with the next one. Mind you, I seem to recall it took five years for the debut, so does that mean it will take 20 years for the third? Only time will tell. The man behind Lobate Scarp is Adam Sears, who provides lead vocals and keyboards, and the only other full member of the band who played on the debut is bassist Andy Catt (although guitarist Hoyt Binder does appear on one track). These days the guitarist for the band is none other than Peter Matuchniak who has had a load of fun playing on this while also working on a new album with Kinetic Element as well as some solo albums. Most of the heavy and lead guitar is him, with rhythm shared. There are a load of “names” on this album, with Jimmy Keegan, Ryo Okumoto, Jon Davidson and Billy Sherwood just some of the ones who should be mentioned, while Rick Mouser is again at the production helm, but all of this talent would mean nothing if the album itself was no good so what is it like? If I can count, then there are more than 20 musicians working on this album, but that is quite a lot less than the debut, but somehow, they are all pulled together so it seems like a single unit. This is crossover prog with neo-prog tendencies, and the result is a very melodic progressive album which is easy to listen to the very first time of playing and just gets better the more it is repeated. I was fortunate enough to hear some of this prior to them appearing at RoSFest, which just made me feel incredibly envious of all those who were able to attend, as I am sure hearing these songs in live setting was just something else. There are a couple of songs which break the fourteen-minute barrier, and they have everything one could wish for from a lengthy progger with lots of sections and changes of style throughout. But there are songs which are barely a minute long, plus others in-between, and these more direct numbers show a different side of the band, all with Adam’s vocals at the heart although they are also prepared to provide lengthy instrumentals when the time is right. We move from times when Adam is accompanied just by an acoustic guitar, and others when it is full bombast yet always with the melodic punch which keeps the music interesting and accessible on very first hearing. It is packed full of dynamics, loads of twists and turns which keeps the listener coming back for more. Let’s hope there are loads more gigs and not much long to wait until the next album as this is a superb release which needs far more attention paying to it. One for all progheads to enjoy.