ARTENSION – Sacred Pathways

John West here, and John West there… That’s what happens when terror gets to you; you have time to record and release albums so frequently that yours truly haven’t even shelved them before he gets his hands on the next one. Not that you really ever shelve albums John West appears on… Artension’s fifth CD, titled “Sacred Pathways”, is yet another perfect blend of power mixed with progressive, featuring stunning work from all performers; songwriter and keyboard wiz Vitalij Kuprij, Mr. West, guitarist Roger Staffelbach, as well as the returned drummer extraordinary Mike Terrana and bassist Kevin Chown. The observant will understand that Artension now is back with their original line-up, still sounding fresher than ever before. Maybe more on the commercial side than the earlier releases, which I guess fits the label Frontiers (known for a lot of mediocre AOR releases), Artension hold their trademark, already described as progressive meets power. The title track, “Nightmare”, “Running Out Of Time”, as well as the soulful “The Calm Before The Storm”, which shows that John West is capable of singing whatever is offered him, are all killer songs, and there’s more – so find out for yourself!!!