Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: S.O.T.O.
Label: Ear Music Records
Release: 2015
Running time: 64:39
Rating: 4.5/5
Jeff Scott Soto is a revered vocalist who, through his work over the years, especially on the hard rock scene but also in AOR and (broadly speaking) melodic rock, has definitely left a lasting mark. The man who, among other things, sang with Journey during his career, and who is otherwise busy with his solo career and the posthumous continuation of Talisman, now embodied by W.E.T., decided to put out an album that’s deeply personal in nature but doesn’t quite fit into his solo discography. He gathered a colorful crew of high-profile musicians around him and gave the project for this album the name S.O.T.O. Jeff plans to present the album on tour later on, so he needs a team beside him that works like a real band.
Jeff made this move because of events that entered his life over the last five years and left quite a few scars on his heart. The result is a wave of negative emotions, frustration and, above all, rage. The guy decided to pour those feelings into the lyrics and the compositions of the album »Inside the Vertigo«.
»Inside the Vertigo« is definitely a special album for Jeff Scott Soto. He’s never tried anything like it in his otherwise rich musical career. But if his progressive metal buddy James LaBrie (Dream Theater) can play around with popular genre experiments on his solo studio albums, why shouldn’t Jeff give it a go too?
First and foremost, Jeff surrounded himself with musicians who are strong at songwriting challenges and know how to quickly deliver a riff or lead guitar line for Soto’s trademark vocals to latch onto. »Inside the Vertigo« is an album full of anger, fury, rage. Soto spits fire on it like never before. It’s a dark, black album. Jeff made the call to move away from the predictability of old-school melodic rock stylistically. So he came out with an album that sounds super modern in its production and groovy, where the rhythms and phrases now and then »break« in a progressive metal way, and the songs even lean toward thrash metal and even metalcore, with transitional »breakdowns« sneaking into Wrath here and there. The mood is tailor-made for the dark lyrics. And that’s not all. Soto added elements of industrial to some of the songs (Trance, The Fall), building programmed loops that add extra contrast to the massive core of avalanche-like guitar riffs forming the bulk of the sonic picture. A lineup of outstanding guitarists, led by names like Adrenaline Mob guitarist Mike Orlando, plus Joel Hoekstra (Jeff’s Trans Siberian Orchestra colleague, former Nigth Ranger and new Whitesnake guitarist) and Gus G (Firewind, Ozzy Osbourne), conjure up mighty guitar wizardry with their technical polish. That brings serious tension and shifting moods into the songs, which spin dizzyingly especially in the middle »mid eight« passages, where they shake ultrasonic bursts of superior soloing out of their sleeves. After a seriously ferocious opening stretch of merciless song-slicing through Final Say, The Fall and Wrath, the album calms down a bit with the intro of Break.
Soto also sings some vocals through distorted effects, deliberately warping his natural tone (Narcistically Yours), which adds even more to the dark, atmospheric feel of the album. In the choruses he still shines, showing off the innate musicality of this superb singer, and thanks to their predatory catchiness they stand right up there with the albums he’s made or co-made over his career (Talisman, W.E.T., solo career, Axel Rudi Pell, Soul Sirkus,…).
The album »Inside the Vertigo« delivers a whopping 12 songs boasting outstanding playing and arrangements, and the focus of the artistic direction stays clear and tangible throughout. Soto got exactly what he wanted. He created an exceptionally dark, stylishly trendy »ripped up, torn, broken« album that’s a tough nut to crack, packing a colorful mix of metal subgenres where progressive metal, hints of thrash metal, even metalcore and industrial shake hands, along with the melodic pop sensibility Soto carries over from his melodic rock and hard rock roots. The album is also calmed in places by the exceptional epic suite End of Days, which opens as a ballad full of melancholy, with Soto delivering a literally moving, theatrical performance, before the song develops into hard-hitting metal acceleration, with symphonic elements (keyboards) creeping in, and a stunning chorus that gets under your skin in an instant. The song was reportedly inspired by the score for Terminator II, and with all its pomp it really does flirt with film soundtrack music. Additional vocals are added too, harmonizing Jeff’s main vocal line. If you’re looking for the song closest to Soto’s melodic rock material, it’d be the mellow When I’m Older. It’s a gorgeous song with an amazing chorus that would have no trouble finding a place on any of Soto’s earlier melodic rock records (solo or with W.E.T.). In short, given how quickly this album came together, there was also an incredible amount of »polishing« and careful thought about placing individual arrangements within the compositions. And the result is fascinating. »Inside the Vertigo« doesn’t bore for a second, yet it also gives the listener a real challenge to conquer musically.
»Inside the Vertigo« is a stylistic departure from the discography of this fascinating and highly respected singer, but Jeff pretty much needed this album to get all the anger and negative emotion out of his system. Surrounded by a crew of outstanding musicians, he carries out his new mission with feather-light ease and proves that his voice is extremely adaptable, penetrating and fully compatible expressively even in the modern, groove-heavy and darkly aggressive realms of the metal genres. »Inisde the Vertigo« is therefore not just a showcase for Jeff Scott Soto’s new vocal bravura, but also first-rate proof of his exceptional sense for composing and carrying out a clear musical vision. A rare virtue in a music world dominated only by the biggest and best talents.
Lineup
Jeff Scott Soto – vocals
Jorge Salan – guitar
BJ – keyboards, guitar,
David Z – bass guitar
Edu Cominato – drums
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Mike Orlando – guitar
Joel Hoekstra – guitar
Gus G – guitar
Leo Mancini – guitar
Chris Feener – guitar
Gary Schutt – guitar
Hugo Mariutti – guitar
Connor Engstrom – guitar
Jason Biele – guitar
Tony Dickinson – bass guitar
Henrique Baboom – bass guitar
Chris McLernon – bass guitar
Juan Carlos Gibaja – bass guitar
Casey Grillo – drums
Edu Brenes – drums
Production
Jeff Scott Soto
Tracklist
1. Final Say
2. The Fall
3. Wrath
4. Break
5. Narcissistically Yours
6. End of Days
7. Inside The Vertigo
8. When I’m Older
9. Trance
10. Jealousy
11. Karma’s Kiss
12. Fall To Pieces
