Leon Alvarado -
The Future Left Behind


(CD 2016, 46:25, Melodic Revolution Records)

The tracks:
  1- Preface(1:16)
  2- Launch Overture(6:10)
  3- A Voyage...(0:49)
  4- Journey Into Space(2:39)
  5- Weightless(2:24)
  6- Hard Choices(0:50)
  7- The Ones Left behind(6:14)
  8- Life In The Outside(0:55)
  9- Among The Stars(6:06)
10- Much Ado About...(0:35)
11- In Our Quiet Orbit(6:36)
12- To Be Loved(2:43)
13- A Silver Lining(0:39)
14- The Star Seekers(3:28)

Website      Melodic Revolution Records
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“Earth has become an unlivable place”.

With these words Leon Alvarado's album The Future Left Behind opens.
The album is based on a short story written by himself of the same name.

Due to pollution and the downwardness of the earth, people have to live in colonies.
There are 16 on earth and some on Mars and on the Moon. Each day spaceships are launched to bring people to the outer colonies to live there in peace. Life away from earth is much more relaxing, but due to the high prices on earth not an option for everyone.

The above context was the origin for the album. The album consists of 14 songs.
Well, actually 8 songs and 6 short fragments where a narrator is introducing the next song(s) as a part of the story. All 8 songs are instrumental.

On this album Leon has had the help of some well known musicians.
Billy Sherwood on guitar, Rick Wakeman on extra keys and a beautiful solo on Launch Overture. Johnny Bruhns on acoustic guitar and Steve Thamer as the narrator.

With these excellent musicians the music on the album is beautifully played. Lots of diversity in the instrumental bits and the pieces are flawlessly melted together. The topics handled in the songs are the cornerstones of the story.
Highlights for me are the opening track and the acoustic guitar driven To Be loved.

The only thing for me is that in general the music is too calm. Although there are some heavier bits, in general nothing on the album is really slapping you in the face.
I think the album as a hole would be stronger if the diversity between the songs was stronger.

As an example of this the album doesn't end with a bang. On the other hand this does the story justice, because in the end living in richness or poor

....life's what you make it........

*** Twan Terwindt (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen)

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