Cryptic Vision – Heavy Prog – United States
So last Tuesday I had a good run. I averaged under 10 minute per mile pace over the 4.2 mile course the soundtrack for the run was the 2004 release from Cryptic Vision Moments of Clarity. Cryptic Vision is a progressive rock band from Sarasota Florida. The band was formed in 2003 by multi-instrumentalist/producer Rick Duncan and vocalist Todd Plan. I don’t know if I got the whole story or not. I do know boy found girl, boy lost girl and his faith. Overall both the music and vocals were, in my humble opinion, very good. But then again what do I know. All I know is what I like and I like Cryptic Vision’s music. It kept me interested and moving throughout my run.
ProgArchvies.com includes the band in the sub-genre of Heavy Prog. According to ProgArchives Heavy Prog includes:
Heavy Prog defines progressive rock music that draws as much influence from hard rock as it does from classic progressive rock. In simple terms, it is a marriage of the guitar-based heavy blues of the late 1960s and 1970s – artists such as Cream, Led Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath – and the progressive/symphonic movement represented by King Crimson, Yes and Genesis.
Well I’ll be, several of those bands appear in my music library! The reviewers at the archives are divided over the album Forty-Six (46) percent of the reviewers say that the album is: Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music (5 stars) and then Forty-two (42) percent rate it as (3 stars): Good, but non-essential and none rate it in the middle (4 stars) as an:Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection. I would tend to make it a four star album for me!
About Moments of Clarity
Larry Nal of Progression gavev Moments of Clarity five stars and has this to say:
Cryptic Vision has received enthusiastic press for this debut. and I’m going to add to it: This is an exciting, beautifully realized piece of work. The core of the band is Todd Plant on vocals, Rick Duncan on keyboards, guitars, drums, bass, and djembe and Robert Van Dyne on keyboards and guitars. Duncan is the chief songwriter here and his absorbing compositions are full of great hooks, soaring melodies, and skillful use of tension and release.
I’m assuming Plant is responsible for the vocal arrangements, which through his own overdubs plus several backing vocalists, expand his pliant emotional voice into frequent, rapturous choruses. With their excellent, complex songcraft, multiple keyboards, and use of several violinists (including David Ragsdale), the music often recalls Kansas, while song structures, and those vocal arrangements, evoke Yes.
But what’s most appealing about Cryptic Vision – and it’s a quality shared by those influences – is a heart- swelling positivism that hits the listener like a head rush. Inventive guitar work, cool organ solos and tremendous joy in music-making abound. Highly recommended.
The Band
According to their Facebook page the current band members include
:Rick Duncan, guitars, bass, keyboards, drums,
Todd Plant,vocals
Sam Conable, bass, vocals
Tim Keese,/ guitar, vocals
Howard Helm keyboards, vocals
Former Members: John Zahner,keyboards Robert Van Dyne: keyboards, guitar
This current lineup is the one that appears on their most recent album Of Infinate Possibilites. I have not listen to the album, yet! But one that I will be checking out soon!
Here’s the band performing “Grand Design” from Moments of Clarity Time now for another run and the soundtrack will be…..???