The band Ghost Circus is the musical creation of Chris Brown from Tennessee and Ronald Wahle of the Netherlands and “Across The Line” is the duo's second full album release following on from the critically acclaimed debut “Cycles”. This latest venture features eight tracks all of which ably demonstrate that whatever your musical tastes this duo have something for everybody. A lot of progressive rock albums can sometimes need a fair bit of effort on the part of the listener to finally reveal their secrets and work their magic but“Across The Line” works in completely the opposite way. From the first track to the last this album is accessible, listenable, enjoyable and ultimately very satisfying in a wonderfully immediate fashion.

Opener “Reflection” features a slightly folksy and melancholy acoustic part with sustained electric guitars swooping and diving in and out of what is a wonderfully evocative soundscape and pushes proceedings forward to the heavier workout that is “The Pathway”. Clever drum patterns and crunching guitar riffs drive this along and the mood is dark and mildly ominous whilst the performance is highly skilled. “Holding On” on the other hand shows that, as a writing pair Chris and Ronald know how to write consummate AOR. With a sparse keyboard opening and lone guitar solo  it echoes Neal Schon before the walls of vocals and keyboards are more reminiscent of a heavier Asia. “To Be” then takes things in a more commercial direction, reminiscent of Mike And The Mechanics or the Cutting Crew it’s simple and straightforward and instantly pleasing. “Losing Time” brings to mind  Rush but is perhaps the most under whelming on the album seeming to drift past without grabbing the attention.

“Through The Darkness” sees the band injecting some heaviness back into their sound, the arrangement is uncluttered giving everything a very solid feel whilst the guitar solo is full of energy and feels frantic and leads nicely into the album's epic “Through The Light”. Split into eight sections it introduces new sounds and textures showing that Ghost Circus know their way around a recording studio. Each section has its own, slightly different flavour which all adds up to a very rewarding listen. For lovers of smooth and silky electric lead guitar playing this track has it by the bucket load. Drawing the album to a close is the title track “Across The Line” harking back to Pink Floyd initially with its wall of distorted and delayed guitars but then developing into something  more akin to Marillion or Genesis.

Ghost Circus certainly made quite an impression with Across The Line and if you're a fan of the pop song orientated Genesis, Marillion or Asia and want to step up to a slightly more heavier level of progressive rock Ghost Circus deserve attention without delay. Highly recommended.

Al Hey