It’s probably a blessing and a curse that I tend to compartmentalize progressive rock into sub-genres in order to sort out what I’m hearing.  It’s likely a blessing in terms of having “signposts” of historical reference when trying to determine where a band’s music fits within the prog category, but perhaps a curse that I feel the need to shoehorn the band and music into a sub-genre in the first place, for we all know that progressive music rarely fits neatly into one “slot.”

No matter the reasoning, let’s just say that the Slovak proggers Persona Grata surprised the heck out of me with their new release, “Reaching Places High Above,” which for this prog fan fits nicely into the sub-genre where Dream Theater camps out – one that I’ll call “heavy prog” – and made this album an absolute pleasure to listen to.

“Reaching Places High Above” is at times aggressive, intricate, mellow, adventurous, and dynamic, but always progressive in scope, and a delight to listen to. Sound a bit like Dream Theater there?

It should. Listeners will be treated to a group that, like DT, fires on all cylinders with tight songwriting and arrangements, along with the technical prowess that easily puts them in a league with top-tier prog bands.  It’s worth mentioning in advance that the album is produced and mixed wonderfully, which can’t always be said for up-and-coming groups. It’s a big plus.

“Ace” preps us for the places we’ll go with some airline samples and radio dial tuning, eventually morphing into the track’s intro.  Those who may not be a fan of the two vocal wails at the beginning, fear not – it’s not indicative of what’s exclusively in store from the vocals department; singer/guitarist Martin Stavrovsky has plenty of range and, unlike some capable of wailing in prog, he doesn’t loiter in the high register all that much. The band moves from section to section in rapid pace with plenty of playing that’ll impress anyone who fancies quite a bit of playing in their prog.  However, they steer clear of what sometimes turns people off about virtuosic prog – shredding for shredding’s sake. The band does a fine job of keeping the song in check thematically and the song seems over before it starts.

“Edge Of Insanity” brings things down a notch with an intro electric guitar and flute (man, the flute sure is back in prog, innit?), moving to a first verse that features a lovely male/female harmony verse. The band then crescendoes with layers of aggressiveness for the next set of verses before heading back to the harmony vocals of the first verse. However, dust never settles on Persona Grata, for the prog returns almost as quickly, building to a heavy section of soloing.  Halfway though the track, the band pulls back to a section of acoustic guitar, flute and synth that brings us back to the feel of a couple of the early verses. They build back up to full-tilt, heavy prog, but seeing the bigger picture of arrangement, they bring it back down to reprise the intro.  Fab track.

The band then takes us on a three-instrumental, cross continental-themed musical journey starting with the brief “Istanbul,” which calls to mind elements of DT’s “Home” with sitar/guitar playing over a Tool-esque drum pattern. We’re then taken aboard the “Orient Express,” full of twists and turns in the vein of “The Dance Of Eternity” at nearly 10 minutes in length, then the band brings things to a close with the concluding “Venice” piece, done on harpsichord.

The album’s epic ender, “I Am You,” has an ambient start, then sees the band floating over an intricate, 5/4 piano part, then moving to a heavy yet cinematic feel that’s all ear candy.  Again, the band has a great ear for arrangements, never bleeding a riff to death and flowing from one section to another naturally. The song’s halfway point sees the band put the brakes on the heaviness a la Frost*, giving way to plucked strings that build into a full instrumental section. The harpsichord from “Venice” is back for part of the section and after one more “drop out” to a quiet section, the band cranks up to a fever pitch, followed by the obligatory anthemic finish, fading out to the ambient keyboards we heard at the beginning.

It seems like every year brings a surprise for me amidst the mass of prog releases; last year it was Big Big Train – truly a once-every-decade find for me – and this year has brought Persona Grata to the forefront of my new music listening.  Those bands certainly occupy two different sub-genres of prog, but neither lack in creativity. With “Reaching Places High Above,” Persona Grata have put themselves near the summit of the the heavy prog-rock peak.

More information: http://personagrataofficial.tumblr.com