STEVE MORSE BAND – Triangulation

RELEASE YEAR: 2025
BAND URL: https://www.stevemorseofficial.com/

The supremely skilled Steve Morse, who has delighted us for decades with his vibrant and vigorous work with Deep Purple, Dixie Dregs, Flying Colors, Kansas, and not least his solo offerings, is back with a new album that sees him team up with such renowned musicians as bass player Dave LaRue (Flying Colors) and drummer Van Romaine (Enrique Iglesias) for a proggy, playful, and bluesy fusion-esque little odyssey that balances technicality, talent, atmosphere, and emotion splendidly.

This is the first Steve Morse Band output to see the light of day since 2009’s Out Standing in Their Field, and the wait has been worth it. Brimming with energy and sprinkled with a solid layer of enthusiasm on top, Morse and his compatriots are clearly reveling in the possibilities that their impassioned exploration of instrumental rock music offers, and it is a thrill to hear them go down various avenues and conjure up some wonderful melodies, intricate arrangements, and hooky riffs. The compositions can seem restless on the surface of things in that they move and slither in seemingly effortless ways between different moods and styles, but the overall cohesion remains intact throughout and these chaps never lose the plot along the way. Muscular-sounding, robust, joyful, and uplifting are merely some of the adjectives that come to mind here.

Triangulation is a tightly focused affair performed by first class musicians, and there are a certain punch and oomph to such sharp, groovy, and intriguing cuts as “Break Through,” “Ice Breaker,” and “Off the Cuff” (not to mention the highly atmospheric “The Unexpected”) that will keep you coming back for more. Dream Theater’s John Petrucci makes an appearance too.