Reviews

This is certainly no copycat sounding band who take bits from various popular progressive rock bands, cobbling it together to make their own usually inferior version, so this is no Yes, Kansas or even Spock's Beard lite, not at all, rather this is a band who take those very same influences and meld them into something that has noticeable reference points but ultimately has its own indelible stamp and identity. The disc has a great clear sound with good separation between the instrumentation and there is some fine musicianship on here too, so all in all a very worthy release and a great finale to what is a very interesting and musically adventurous trilogy of discs. If you are a fan of Kansas or Spock's Beard then Cryptic Vision could be right in your ballpark.
www.dprp.net/reviews/201305.php#crypticvision

There is a long and impressive guest list involved on this album, with David Ragsdale (Kansas) being amongst the most high profile, however at no point do Cryptic Vision slide into "project" mode, always sounding like a true, complete band, with the stunning keyboard work from Rick Duncan (who also provides drums and guitars) and Howard Helm knitting neatly with the twin guitar attack that is completed by Tim Keese. Add to that bass work from Sam Conable that consistently roams around the melody lines, while refusing to lose focus and sumptuous vocals courtesy of a certain Mr Plant... Todd Plant that is, and Cryptic Vision are a multi-talented, but singularly focused group. Fittingly the album kicks off with "Singularity", setting its stall out early as an album that transfixes through impressive musicianship, but remains on the right side of flash through carefully constructed and arranged songs. That's not to say that killer chops aren't in evidence, just listen to phenomenal 20 minutes closing title track for proof that when the mood takes them CV can stretch out, let loose and impress the hell out of you. Even then though the song is king with beautiful, emotional passages breaking up the blistering guitar solos and playful keyboard bursts. If there was to be a criticism of this release, it would arrive in the shape of two comments. Firstly things can be just ever so slightly samey across the whole album, although that is just a minor quibble, while the second point of contention would be the inability of Cryptic Vision to blend some more brooding atmospheres into their music, with the ever pervading upbeat attack sometimes needing something just a tinge less jolly to balance it.
www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=13052

Comparisons to Spock's Beard always seem to come up when listening to Cryptic Vision, but it's not so much that the two bands sound alike, more that they both effectively use catchy melodies and pair that with symphonic arrangements and a flair for epic & dramatic songs. In Cryptic Vision's case, they also are fully capable of injecting some muscle as well, as on the powerful opener, "Singularity", which contains a healthy dose of Dream Theater styled prog-metal. For the most part though, the band mixes soaring melodies with some vintage styled prog, as on the wonderful "Obsolete" or the engaging "Affecting Time", complete with powerful vocals, '70s styled keyboards, crunchy guitar, sinewy Rickenbacker bass, and intricate drum fills. The band dives into bombastic heavy prog-metal and pomp on the dramatic " Flash of Life - part 2" (Dream Theater meets Styx?), approach some of the proggy heights of the legendary Kansas on the rockin' "Other Side", and get all epic on us for the 20-minute, five part title track, which again brings to mind vintage Kansas. Some really tasty keyboard passages on this one, as well as scorching guitar solos, and Plant's vocals are just outstanding, reminding me a little of former Under the Sun guitarist/vocalist Chris Shryack.
www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=13052

Interview with Rick Duncan
www.epicprog.net/crypticvisioninterview042012.htm