Presto Ballet > The Lost Art of Time Travel > Reviews

This is the second album of a band from the Washington state. They might as well be considered the new early Kansas (band). Of the seven tracks of this album, clocking at a total of one hour, four tracks sound like Leftoverture era Kansas. There is beautiful interplay in each: “The Mind Machine”, “Thieves”, “One Tragedy at a Time”, and “Easy Tomorrow”...
usaprogmusic.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_simple_review&Itemid=28&review=203-Presto-Ballet-The-Lost-Art-of-Time-Travel

As a Neo-prog freak this album has gotten a warm welcome the day it arrived. Talk about Yes, a bit of Emerson Lake & Palmer showing up in the keyboards and even small influences by Kansas. As a former Metal Church lover (which was mostly in my teenage years to be honest but any metal lover should get the albums Metal Church and The Dark) it is good to Kurdt Vanderhoof back on guitars. Seven songs are being fired upon you and each one explodes in front of you. I am not saying the album sounds completly new which imo is almost impossible to archieve but that's ok, it still hits you like a ton a bricks and after track seven you will grab that remote control and start al over again.
progressivemusiccharliff.blogspot.com/2008/10/presto-ballet-lost-art-of-time-travel.html

...There's hardly a segment without at least one keyboard layer present, and quite often multiple layers from the different varieties of tangents used will be in the arrangement. Textures and details are served on a constant basis, heavy and majestic segments formed, often with the Hammond and guitar creating these in carefully crafted performances, and free-flowing soloing with a positive vibe is a feature as well as darker and more ominous sounding bits. Vocalist Albright has a powerful voice that suits the music very well and is skilled in regulating his expressions to suit whatever mood is explored at the time. Perhaps not the best vocalist around in terms of range, but among the better I've encountered in terms of control and delivery. The bass guitar and drums serve up some crafty details at times too; nothing spectacular but some detailed and slightly quirky drum patterns when needed and minor details added now and then to add minor varieties to the songs, and much the same can be said about the bass guitar. Nothing spectacular but solid through and through, adding the extra bit and details when needed. As albums go, this one doesn't contain many innovative elements from a musical perspective. The compositions do evolve in some unexpected manners at times, but the music as such stays within predictable parameters. Vanderhoof is a more than able composer and the strengths of this act are high quality compositions and solid performances...
www.progressor.net/review/presto_ballet_2008.html

...Mind Machine has a good, heavy start with some nice interplay between the keys and guitars. I love the guitar backdrop; heavy and bombastic inter dispersed with some quieter delicate rhythms. The track is somewhere between AOR and progressive. Song driven with some good instrumental sections. One Tragedy is the epic track on the album. It starts with an instrumental break which I've focused on a lot. This has had a few repeated listens. The section is fast yet not aggressive with some good keys and a heavy guitars. The keys are mostly delicate and the blend creates a very good sound. The singing (as always on the album) is good, Scott Albright has a good voice. You're Alive is probably the track that fits the AOR genre best. This is a gentle, quiet and pleasant song with a good constant acoustic guitar rhythm...
www.proggnosis.com/PGRelease.asp?RID=26969

Portuguese review
fenixwebzine.blogspot.com/2008/10/presto-ballet-lost-art-of-time-travel.html

...The Lost Art of Time Travel consists of seven tracks, a couple over six-minutes, a couple over nine and two over ten. As already stated the music created by Presto Ballet hearkens back to the mid-seventies in all the good ways…and when you add the Albright’s vocal range and tone, this stuff sounds like the best stuff Styx ever created, only Styx never sounded this good. The compositions, feature tons of dynamic musical guitar or keyboard accents, the songs start and stop, change time and tempo and, oh yeah they also rock. Without ever drifting into the prog-metal area, the guitar crunch is balanced by the ever present Mellotrons, Hammonds, synths and pianos. On the longer songs the music starts out in dramatic fashion building in intensity before morphing into the song’s core melodies. And there are plenty of wonderful parts to sing along to, an important aspect to Vanderhoof’s writing style. There’s even plenty of acoustic guitar that shows up from time to time. It’s really on display on “You’re Alive” (4:25) the shortest song of the bunch, which features a bit of a Yes influence with all the ringing guitars and layers of cathedral-styled strings. The standout songs for me naturally are the epics “The Mind Machine” (10:51) and “One Tragedy at a Time” (14:01) although the hook line from “Thieves” (9:05) was mighty catchy. Truth is there is catchy part in EVERY track. After a dozen plays I found myself saying “that’s my favorite track” only to have the next one start and I’d remember the good musical bit’s that were just around the corner...
www.jerrylucky.com/reviews%20p-t_032.htm

...I havent had the pleasure of hearing the first outing, but I kinda like this one, with great keyboard & guitar dual runs, powerful guitar chords and superb keyboard interludes, plenty of breaks and time signatures. Think Styx (especially the vocal parts) meets mid period Uriah heep (the keyboard & guitar parts) blended with equal parts Rush, Trillion and overall a very 70´ feel (in both arrangements, compositions and ideas). So this is not a such new thinking in musicform and delivery, but who cares this album and band deliver the goods a plenty!! I loved every minute of it !!..
www.progplanet.com/index.php?categoryid=42&p2_articleid=729

Italian review
www.hardsounds.it/public/recensione.php?id=4676

I really, really liked the debut album from Presto Ballet, "Peace Among The Ruins". One of the few modern day prog albums that could stand up against the legends of old, but without being a mere tribute. Metal Church man Kurdt Vanderhoof is the mastermind behind Presto Ballet and, finally, he's got round to releasing a follow-up. And, oh, it's good. He's moved home from InsideOut to the self explanatory ProgRock Records but it's had no impact on the quality of the music. If your yen points you towards the music of Kansas, Styx and early Spock's Beard, then come on in. You'll find the waters lovely...
s14.zetaboards.com/Zeitgeist/topic/6527836

French review
www.magicfiremusic.net/chronique.php?id=2337

German review
www.proggies.ch/magazine/index.php?name=Reviews&req=showcontent&id=370

...The epic 'One Tragedy At A Time' mixes heavy guitar with some simply breathtaking keyboard/Hammond runs from Ryan McPherson, over which sits the high range vocals of Scott Albright. The opening also reminded me of classic Rush, which is no bad thing at all! 'I am Not Blind' harks back to '90125' era Yes with the high tech harmonies and big sounding guitars. 'Haze' rounds it all off in style and the band take it down several notches to create a lush and relaxing musical soundscape. Perfect for those who like gentle, epic progressive music. After such an enjoyable debut the pressure was always on to match the music on there and the band have, whilst moving into a more keyboard led song structure. Quite simply one of the best classic sounding progressive bands out there and here's to album number three!
www.getreadytorock.com//reviews2008/presto_ballet2.htm

French review
www.metalchroniques.fr/guppy/articles.php?lng=fr&pg=2315

French review
www.leseternels.net/chronique.aspx?id=2787

German review
www.powermetal.de/review/review-13550.html

German review
www.metal1.info/reviews/reviews.php?rev_id=3172

...PRESTO BALLET offers a compact sound where no musician is pushed into the foreground. Minimal instrumental solo action. I can't remember noticing a remarkable guitar solo for example. The more mainstream AOR oriented I’m Not Blind and Easy Tomorrow can't hold the high standard of the diversified opener The Mind Machine which contains some typical neo prog and symphonic standards. Thieves impresses because presented very powerful bombastic. Varied drum playing - mostly in staccato, near to a military style. The song fades out with some ambient keyboard patterns - well done guys! You're Alive is the mandatory ballad with acoustic guitar and Haze appeals to me because containing a (way too short) part where the band invokes a nice, more relaxed, flow for a change...
www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=194979

resto Ballet is a sort of side project for Metal Church guitarist, Kurdt Vanderhoof. This is their second record, the first was released in 2005. I was really caught off guard by this record. It is truly a late 70’s commercial progressive rock record like Kansas or Styx would have made. They also use a lot of analog gear and try to go for that vibe but the production is too clean and not as rich as the 70’s analog recordings. This is an impressive CD with 7 tracks in one hour. The CD opens with the 10 minute The Mind Machine and man, you get thrown back to the mid 70’s Kansas sound. Scott Albright sounds more like DeYoung from Styx than Steve Walsh though. Impressive song. Thieves, 9 minutes in length, begins quite dark and ominous before a very contrasting happy guitar line kicks in and some synths and away we go in a very different direction from where we started. It develops into a more commercial track but also powerful stuff with nice solos. ..
aural-innovations.com/2009/january/prestoballet.htm

...The Mind Machine is the song that first drew the band to my attention and opens the album in a blaze of rhythmic Hammond and strident guitar. The rhythm section sounds both powerful and articulate and the breathless pace is broken by classical style piano, Mellotron and synth flourishes. Thieves maintains the upbeat momentum with stattacco bursts reminiscent of Yes’ Mind Drive and energetic guitar, organ and synth interplay that bring Neal Morse instantly to mind. A change of mood comes courtesy of You’re Alive with a chunky acoustic guitar riff in the vein of Supertramp’s Give A Little Bit and engaging Styx flavoured harmonies courtesy of Albright, McPherson and Rehaume. The albums centrepiece One Tragedy At A Time is suitably bombastic with Yes like wordless harmonies and showy Kansas style piano and organ playing. A respite comes at the midway point with symphonic Mellotron and synths followed by a ringing guitar led instrumental section that harks back to Genesis circa Wind And Wuthering. And speaking of which, the rippling acoustic guitar intro to I’m Not Blind has Genesis written all over it. A misleading start however because it turns into a mid-tempo rock number with standard verse/chorus/middle eight format and a heavy but infectious guitar riff. Easy Tomorrow continues in the same vein with bombastic guitar soloing contrasting with flowery piano and synth embellishments. The appropriately tiled Haze provides a refined conclusion with rich harmonies, jangly guitars, mellow synths and lush Mellotron strings...
www.dprp.net/reviews/200858.php#presto

...Its follow-up, The Lost Art of Time Travel is again in that fashion. No sequencers or samples, just pure, excellent music, based on extremely tasty and warm guitars licks, soaring vocals and harmonies of Scott Albright – who really shines brightly all around (how powerfully and with such emotion he hits the high notes is hardly believable). Great, often weird rhythm structures, hammond rides combined with piano swirls and real sounds of analog synths, walls of pedals, mellotrons, and various poly/mini-moog as trademarks of band’s sound. While on the predecessor, songs differed one from other, here the songs themselves are more focused on inner variation. Fantastic opener, The Mind Machine, has to be masterpiece for every musician/prog/rock fan. It’s followed by Thieves, darker, powerful, driving tune even melancholic on places...
www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=180495

...One of the nicest surprises I had this year. Everyone who loves classic prog rock should give this album a try. Warning: quite addictive! 4,5 stars.
www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=180928

...The opener is called The Mind Machine and takes you onto a travel back in time, back to the 70's. You can call it retro prog, but it doesn't matter how you label it, as long as the album is fun, right? The Mind Machine is retro prog rock with catchy vocals. This one revives the 70's! Partly it's the sound, the warm sound old analog recordings have - and the Hammond organ.as well as the mellotron just help to create this atmosphere. And the citations of classic pieces are brilliantly woven into the track! The following Thieves is following the chosen path, but add some Oriental sounds at the beginning of the track. Thieves is a bombastic rocker with heavy riffing and slow passages. Due to the vocals it reminds me a bit of old Styx... The more complex instrumental parts are a bit Kansas-like. With acoustic guitar and vocals they kick off You're Alive, then the others join in and it becomes a symphonic semi-acoustic song. Compared to the following One Tragedy At A Time the track You're Alive is quite simple, but cool. One Tragedy At A Time is more complex, has a bombastic edge and partly a Tull-ish flair. But you also find reminiscences to Yes and ELP - and old Saga...
www.ice-vajal.com/p/CD/prestoballet.htm

I was very fortunate enough to get my hands on an advance copy of this CD and just wanted to share a few lines on how this CD is so here goes ... Astonishing because Presto Ballet have actually gained ground on this release and truelly refined their sound by incorporating more 70's sounding prog elements . The Songs are strong and well written and diverse and lyrically leave the listener intrigued and surprised. melodically is where this CD really shines combine that with excellent (Kansas,Dream Theater) Chops what we have hear is almost a flawless masterpiece sure to please the most avid Prog metal/rock fan ... expect something special and you wont be disappointed!
www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=178501

Presto's Ballet second effort from 2008 named The lost art of time travel is another worthy album. Keeping the same formula in manner of composing Presto Ballet finaly found their sound and giving to the listner almost a perfect album. Again a perfect combination between greates of the '70's like Styx, Kansas but aswell some Flower Kings or even Spocks Beard elemts are here, this second release worth to be investigated. This album is better then first in my opinion who was aswell very strong, the pieces is more elaborated, living space to more instrumental passages, the bombastic arrangements are here again, the mellotron again sounds brilliant and interlude very natural with the rest of the instruments. The progressive rock now is more fluent has a great production, crystal sound and above all some fantastic vocal lines. Even Presto Ballet's music resenblance with the past, their aproach of progressive rock is modern. They are an energic band with great ideas, just to be check the opening trackThe Mind Machine , 10 min of pure beauty, great to be choosen for opening an album, this way the listner might be very intrested to discover more, and for sure will not be deseppointed. Another great tune is the longest pieces from here One tragedy at a time, nearly 15 min of one of the best pieces Presto Ballet ever done, super musicianship, great idea and neat sound. The music is complex enough to catch the intrest of progressive rock listners, toying with prog metal in places, but I might say without that metal sound, only the atmosphere. Scot Albright again shines on every pieces, the keyboards arrangements are great showing that is still much more to be done in progressive rock music these days, Presto Ballet is ne of the bands that for sure needs attention when we are talking about modern progressive music. 4 stars, better then the predecesor, Kurdt Vanderhoof did it gain, being the main composer of the band, he desearve almost the all credits, but also the rest of the musicians are like a machine who works like oiled. Recommended one of the pleasent surprises of late 00's.
www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=258912

...This will grab hold of the attentions of not just the prog fans old enough to remember what a lot of this is based on, but also those across the generations. The key drenched “The Mind Machine” opens the door in an eleven minute spiraling melodic prog epic. “Thieves” is the track that Yes never quite wrote, rich in melody it has Scott sounding uncannily Jon Anderson-like. “You’re Alive” is a smooth acoustically melodic interlude between the scale of all that stands around it. “One Tragedy At A Time” opens like a trip down the time tunnel back to huge epic symphonic prog of old. This is a fourteen minute journey through all that inspires the band, from the majestically orchestral, through to hard driving riffs. Undoubtedly the album’s shining centre piece it shimmers and shifts through a myriad of changes. Superb drumming and luscious keys complete this extraordinarily satisfying and complex piece of prog majesty...
blogcritics.org/archives/2009/02/03/1929253.php

Dutch review
www.fileunder.nl/archives/2008/09/presto_ballet_the_lost_art_of_time_travel.php

Every year, at least one new release is just so good that it's almost too tough to talk about. For me, this year's model is Presto Ballet's The Lost Art Of Time Travel, an album so strong that to lavish it with superlatives would be to damn it with faint praise. Straight up, then, this is progressive rock the way it is meant to be played: Clean, classic, melodic, bombastic progressive rock that's "retro" enough to delight veteran fans and accessible enough to attract a new generation of followers...
www.progressiveworld.net/html/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=3564

French review
www.musicwaves.fr/frmchronique.aspx?pro_id=3341

...metal band that I used to really like with their first few albums but I have since lost complete track of. I have a copy of Presto Ballet's debut album Peace Among the Ruins, which I picked up because it was released on the InsideOut record label, of which I am a huge fan of their stable of artists. I remember listening to that album and thinking that it was good, but it really didn't stand out as all that memorable to me. Recently in the forums, Big Boss from ProgRock records announced that they were trying something new with a record of the month club. I figured that this was a good deal since the price per CD was good, and I also really like the stable of artists on Prog Rock Records too. Anyhow, the first CD that they sent out was Presto Ballet's The Lost Art of Time Travel. My expectation before playing this was that hopefully it would be good but that I'll probably play it once or twice and set it aside to be picked up and played from time to time when the mood strikes, or it just happens to come up in the rotation scheme. Boy was I in for a surprise. Did I tell you that this album is terrific and that you just have to hear it? It was so good that I pulled out Peace Among the Ruins for the first time in awhile to give it another listen. It was better than I remembered, but it still didn't have the wow factor of this CD...
www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=180925

...All the symphonic elements that characterized the debut – the 70s feel – are well in place here on The Lost Art Of Time Travel, which isn't so lost if it can transport you to a time when bands like Styx, Rush, Yes, etc. were stadium/arena giants. What strikes me immediately is the depth the production reveals – clearly heard is everything -- the throbbing bass, the crashing drums, the chiming guitars, the blanket of keys, and sparkling vocals. All seem perfectly balanced, and in contrast to each other, are perfectly balanced. That is, good mix and good performance. In fact, the first track comes charging out of the gate with vim and vigor, with confident energy. "Yeh, this is how we sound, what about it?" it asks. That sound? Well to my ears, it's mostly Yes. But I'd say Yes on steroids – those steroids being legal doses of Styx, Kansas, ELP and Rush. But, if you want a contemporary comparison – not these bands aren't as they're all still around (even it's E over here, L over there and P here and there but elsewhere) – it'd be to Glass Hammer. Both are re-enactors of classic epic symphonic prog, drawing enough of their own inspired inspiration for them to not be one step removed from a tribute band. That is, the brew that Presto Ballet mix up includes enough fresh notions that this doesn't seem like a tired retread. At times, too, as on the opener "The Mind Machine," its happy keyboards remind me of Marillion, and specifically the upbeat keyboards of a "Garden Party." That is to say, this piece is festive. And at 10 minutes it's exhausting (not overlong, but full of high energy). There is a similarity in theme – lyrically (at least on the surface) to ELP's "Karnevil 9," and … interestingly enough, though I didn't plan it this way, it takes a similar cynical tack as Solstice Coil's A Prescription For Paper Cuts (which I reviewed immediately prior to this). It's not quite as angry as ELP (or SC, for that matter), but sure, it reads of "relax, you're good hands" punctuated with maniacal laughter (although the latter doesn't occur; and that's not a direct lyric). Anyway, it's widdily, symphonic, epic, punchy, hummable and all the things we love about rock, with a proggy approach...
www.progressiveworld.net/html/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=4428

...No offense to Metal Church, as I know it's the band that brings in much of Venderhoof's earnings, but Presto Ballet is where it's at. The Lost Art of Time Travel is killer prog rock from start to finish, a perfect homage to the great sounds of the 70's, yet with a modern twist. Now, if we can only get this band at some of the US Prog Festivals the world will be a better place!
www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=6632