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Forever Twelve: Home
Forever Twelve - Home CD Album Review

Forever Twelve: Home

Melodic Progressive Rock
4.5/5.0

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Melodic Revolution Records
Review: Craig Hartranft
Added: 27.07.2017

After a lengthy hiatus of seven years since their last album, 2010's Taking Forever, California's Forever Twelve returns with their fourth studio effort, Home. The album introduces their new vocalist, former Mars Hollow vocalist John Baker, who came on board in 2012.

Forever Twelve Band Photo

Forever Twelve

While I had never heard of Forever Twelve before receiving their latest album, their melodic progressive rock sound is very familiar. The band seems to have been transported from another time and, perhaps, another country. Forever Twelve is pretty much old school classic prog from the Seventies to early Eighties, with the timbre of UK prog, maybe some Scandi as well. While I hear bits of Marillion and Genesis, you can also toss in some King Crimson, Kaipa, and Flower Kings.

The songs in arrangement are also quite familiar. You'll note the depth and breadth of each players input. The keyboards range from old school Hammond swirling to symphonic embellish, from classical piano to quirky electronica. They have a large place in most compositions. Tom Graham's guitar work is rather straight forward with classic rock lines, but with nuances of psychedelic and jazz vibes. The rhythm section is tight and substantial as it guides you through Forever Twelve's diverse tempos and time signatures. While not so much for the drums, you will hear an occasional bass solo as within The Seven Seas. Within all the intrigue of the complex, yet interesting, arrangements, a coherent melody laces through, giving each song much needed cohesion. The melodies are guided by the keyboards and guitar, but also Baker's voice. He has a clean, melodic, and strong presence, and some journalists have compared him to Geddy Lee and Jon Anderson. The former is a huge stretch (like Olympian). The latter is likely thought of because they want to give his timbre some English character to fit the band's English style prog.

As a listener, my thoughts about Forever Twelve and Home are typical of most melodic progressive rock. If you want to dissect and redact each part of each song for some understanding, then you'll have to pay close attention, hopefully with few distractions. If Home is left to play while you balance your checkbook, read the newspaper, or post stupid shit on Facebook, you're likely to find Forever Twelve something like elevator music or department store music. It lingers in the background and only comes into hearing when you remember it's their. Perhaps there's a middle ground, like let play through once in a relaxed listen, then latter with more inspection. Otherwise, for classic old school melodic progressive rock, Forever Twelve's Home is inventive, inspired, and entertaining music. Easily recommended.



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The Bottom Line

For classic old school melodic progressive rock, Forever Twelve's Home is inventive, inspired, and entertaining music. Easily recommended.

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