Lion Music is a label blessed with some of the world’s virtuoso guitarists. They may not have the profile of players such as Satriani, Vai, Gilbert or Petrucci but be in no doubt that they can still hold their own and if truth be said sometimes have more individual character to their playing styles. One such player is George Bellas (ex Ring Of Fire, Mogg/Way) who not only plays guitar to a terrifying level but also composes in the true sense of the word.

Palace Terrace is a band featuring Bellas), vocalist Jonathan Marshall and precussionist Sasha Horn and, whilst Bellas may be known in guitar circles for his instrumental albums, “Flying Through Infinity” as a project is vocal based, with of course dazzling guitar work. The aim with this album was to combine their superb musicianship with crafted melodies, unique harmonic progressions, compelling stories, counterpoint, large orchestrations, wide dynamics, odd meters, stunning vocal arrangements and elaborate forms. That’s a tall order but after a few plays through of the album I can say they have achieved every aspect that they set out to accomplish.

There is one feature of the aforementioned list, which did worry me as soon as I read it and that was odd meters. I have found that time signatures can often do two things to a piece of music. It either becomes incredibly interesting and, at times, exciting or it switches off the listener if it’s just too involved and if you’re wondering why I’m drawing your attention to this it’s because there’s a section of this album in 99/32 time! The album kicks off with “The Tenth Dimension” which has one of those time signatures that at first has you wondering what the hell is going on till your brain adjusts to the weirdness of it all. It took me an age to get this song to work which was a shame as the melodies and layered vocal harmonies on this track are fabulous and the series of guitar solo’s are magical thanks to the ever changing backing.

“Chaos Theory” sees the band pressing the speed button and melodies fly by at an alarming rate. As the guitars and keyboards played in unison I was reminded of “Flight Of The Bumble Bee”. “Time Will Tell” struck me as a song lost within its own sophisticated arrangement. Sometimes the lyrics actually sound rather clumsy due to the way they have been composed to fit within the tempo. It’s a shame as the vocal performance is fantastic and the guitar solo play out is wonderful.

“I Know Your Home” sees the band laying down a storming hard rock groove and galloping down the tracks before the song morphs into a vocal tour de force that sounds almost hymn like in its arrangement. There are moments of real harmonic beauty within this track. “Who Am I” has a beginning that brought to mind Kansas. As a song it’s more straightforward than what has gone before and as a result the listener can home in on the wonderful melodies and rich harmonic structure of the track. The guitar solo is exhilarating as it rises and falls with melodic patterns.

“Declaration” sees the return of the intricate rhythms but also the orchestration is stepped up a notch creating a very rich mix. There is a glorious guitar workout in the middle section, which had me returning to this track over and over again and, if there was a downside, it was that the clever time signatures started to mildly detract from the beauty of the track.

“Lights Fall Down” gets things back to foot to the floor speedy drumming and delivers a vibrant neo-classical romp through arpeggios and lightening fast licks. As a song it didn’t make a huge impression on me as the vocal melodies feel a little bit out on a limb. Instrumentally though it’s all very exciting stuff. “From This Day Forward” feels big and mildly epic but somehow just never really catches fire in a way that the opening segment implies. Saying that the vocal arrangement is out of this world.

“End Of Time” is a sophisticated song with an incredible guitar solo and intricate vocal harmonies and I found it got better and better on each play. The final track is “Mesmerized” which had me intrigued with its dark and yet uplifting mood. The guitar solo is delicate and yet intense and the final vocal lines are magnificent.

I found “Flying Through Infinity” took a few listens to really get under my skin. The vocals on this project are truly wonderful and they made an immediate impact. Sometimes they sounded a bit strange but I put it down to the fact that much of the vocal performance has been composed and so vocally sometimes things go where you don’t expect, but that makes it special at the end of the day. George Bellas plays lots of terrifying guitar that will have the shredders up all night trying to fathom how he does it and like the vocals he takes his melody lines to places rarely visited. The only thing that will put some listeners off is the sophisticated time signatures. It takes a good few listens to understand quiet a few of them. Perseverance pays off but I know there are some who want their fix to be more immediate. Saying that the whole album has a unique feel to it and almost a spiritual vibe, which I am sure, was the bands vision so looking for the quick and easy listen possibly wasn’t their intention in the first place. As it stands however I think that may just hold this release back a little bit.

Let us know your views on Flying Through Infinity

Track Listing

The Tenth Dimension
Chaos Theory
Time Will Tell
I Know Your Home
Who Am I
Declaration
Lights Fall Down
From This Day Forward
End of Time
Mesmerized

Line Up

George Bellas - Guitar/Bass/Keys/Vocals
Jonathon R. Marshall - Vocals
Sasha Horn - Percussion