Review | Jordan Rudess – Permission To Fly

Inside Out Music

Jordan Rudess, the keyboard wizard of Dream Theater, now releases his twentieth solo album and it is called ‘Permission To Fly.’ All his former albums were almost 100% solo albums, but on this new one Rudess is musically assisted by Joe Payne (vocals), Darby Todd (drums) and Steve Dadaian (guitars), and some guitar solos from Bastian Martinez. The lyrics for this album were written by Jordan Rudess’s daughter, Ariana and that is of course kind of special, and they are truly theatrical and evocative.

PROG TO THE CORE

‘Permission To Fly’ is a progressive rock album to the core, a 100% diverse album, ranging from hard core prog to wonderous, melodic ballads. Jordan Rudess has made an experimental, dramatic, theatrical (sometimes maybe a bit too …..) album, which will be a treat to all lovers of prog rock in its purest form!

,,The Final Threshold” opens this album and it sets the tone, as it is proggy with excellent soundscapes, impressive keyboard playing by the wizard himself and excellent vocals by Joe Payne, which reminds me of classic Kansas song material. Follow up ,,Into The Lair”, clocking in over nine minutes, is a very innovative track with Rudess shining on keys and synths, while the underlying groove is really catchy.

,,The Alchemist”, another epic track is probably the best of the rest here, it is complex – hello Dream Theater – featuring a great guitar solo as well and this is prog rock at its best. ,,Embers” and ,,Shadow Of The Moon” are both ballads with formidable keyboard solos and melodic, dramatic vocals. ,,Eternal” features a heavy guitar riff opener, and it is a true prog rock extravaganza with funky and fast rhythms galore. 

JORDAN RUDESS – THE CONCLUSION

The best vocal performance of the album can be heard on ,,Footstep In The Snow”, while closing track ,,Dreamer” is a cinematic song, finishing this album in style as I can truly recommend this album to fans of Dream Theater and melodic, experimental prog rock music! Although this is not a metal album it is definitely worthwhile listening to, so play it LOUD and enjoy.

Listening tip: ,,The Alchemist”

Release date: 6 September 2024