Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Saga
Label: Inside Out Records
Release: 2009
Length: 47:02
Rating: 4.5/5
“The Human Condition” is the long-awaited twentieth studio album from the legendary Canadian progressive rock heavyweights Saga. Even before it came out, everybody knew this was a turning point in the band’s story, since it’s their first record with new singer Rob Moratti (ex-Final Frontier), who took over from founding member Michael Sadler. Rob had an incredibly tough job ahead of him, because Sadler was one of those irreplaceable vocalists with massive charisma, who over thirty years with the band played one of the key roles in defining their recognizable sound. The feverish guessing about how the newcomer would fit into the legendary collective is over now. Sadler was of course one of a kind and irreplaceable, but just like so many times before in the history of prog rock, when a highly charismatic singer walked away (the best examples being Genesis, Marillion and Spock’s Beard), the band found an excellent successor who brought a completely distinctive energy with him. All the other members managed to adapt convincingly to his highly melodic vocal style, and within their trademark sound they slipped in quite a few bold and refreshing experiments.
You could say Saga have gone through a proper rebirth with “The Human Condition”, and in a good way, because they’ve made yet another excellent and utterly unique album. On most tracks the sound leans toward an impulsive mix of modern neo-prog and melodic rock, and in places they even flirt with progressive metal, which means they haven’t sounded this punchy in a long time. Luckily for all the longtime fans, they’ve also held on to almost all of their recognizable instrumental trademarks. So you get Ian’s unique guitar flourishes and sprawling solos, as well as Gilmour’s neo-classical keyboard runs. The cult Scottish keyboardist also still takes care of the backing vocal harmonies where needed. Their consistency in quality, apart from two minor studio slips in the nineties, is becoming almost legendary.
After just the first track comes the wonderful realization that their music is still as original and unpredictable as it was over the previous three decades. The album opens with the title track, which immediately delivers the first sonic surprise. Anyone who thought Michael’s departure would bring on a wave of heavy sonic sentimentality is in for a shock, because this is a wild instrumental dance of countless neo-classical solos on guitar and keyboards. This is undoubtedly one of the most technically accomplished pieces in their history, sitting on the border between symphonic prog and progressive metal. Even among the passages wound up to the extreme, there’s still a ton of subtlety. Interestingly, we learn nothing concrete about Moratti’s vocal skills here, since his voice, along with Gilmour’s backing harmonies, is run through a vocoder. Then with the epic “Step Inside” the big moment finally arrives: after a brutal prog metal intro and a great flow into a melodic arrangement, Rob gets his first chance to shine in full light. By the first verse it’s clear that Saga weren’t looking for a Sadler replicant. Rob has a completely distinctive tone which, if you had to look for a similarity, is closest to someone like Steve Perry (ex-Journey). That means he brings very good vocal technique and an outstanding feel for melodic expression, but with a bit less theatrical charisma and sensuality than Sadler.
The ethereal ballad “Hands Of Time” is one of the most enchanting creations on the album, where their self-reflective qualities glow at full power. This track feels tailor-made for Rob’s voice, giving him plenty of room for the wide range of his melodic vocal expression, set inside the ethereal waves of Gilmour’s synthesizers and Ian’s melancholic guitar phrases. The mystical symphonic prog rock epic “Avalon” is slightly better still, as it’s the ideal union of their protective instrumental style and the new energy Rob’s vocals bring. The mighty chorus has a strong melodic rock component, while the composition still leaves enough room for assorted instrumental prog rock tomfoolery. Brian Doernier, fresh from recovery, holds the right balance on drums between hard rock punch and a feel for rhythmic finesse.
The intro of “A Number With A Name” sounds just like one of their older creations where you could easily picture Sadler too. Here Rob convincingly proves he can bend his tone to theatrical directions and to moments that need a touch of sarcasm. The layered vocals in this excellent composition are finger-licking good. Later on, Mr. Gilmour invites us onto a multi-harmonic carousel of sonic unpredictability with witty tricks on the electric piano.
“Now Is Now” is a completely one-of-a-kind experiment with plenty of electronic samples, punchy guitar passages and Rob’s superb switching between high and low registers. With “Let it Go” they step back onto prog metal territory, but all the while subtly keeping a high level of melody and hypnotic catchiness. Here too Moratti confirms he can put his vocal talent to use in all sorts of ways. The excellent “Crown of Thorns” practically buckles under the weight of its brilliant sections and colorful arrangements. On one hand it has no shortage of uncompromising hard rock, but at the same time it stands out for its highly subtle harmonies.
The closing “You Look Good To Me” has a slow, almost mechanical opening rhythm with a rich use of synth effects, then shifts in a surprisingly spontaneous way into a melodic rock fairy tale that peaks in a triumphant chorus. In the second half of the song they work in an extremely interesting, almost emblematic motif, a symbolic nod to the ancient classic “Climbing the Ladder”, followed by solo shenanigans from the two central instrumentalists. Here too they manage to blend their recognizable instrumental tricks with some modernist sonic innovations in a harmonious way.
The first Saga album with Rob Moratti as lead vocalist is, as a whole, brilliantly balanced between their unique sonic tradition and some new experiments from the worlds of neo-prog and prog metal. Mr. Moratti has brought a completely distinctive energy that has wonderfully refreshed the old foxes and let them refine their melodic rock side. They haven’t sounded this experimental and motivated about playing up their progressive rock strengths in a long time. From start to finish, “The Human Condition” proves that even after such a major change Saga are still a guarantee of quality and one of the leading progressive rock bands. Yet another of the many sonic restorations in their story has come off perfectly, and I have no doubt that “The Human Condition” will earn classic status among the faithful once it passes the test of time. Rob has every chance of leading his extremely motivated bandmates to new victories in the studio and on stage, though he’ll have to accept that in the hearts of all the longtime fans, Sadler remains the “definitive” Saga singer.
Line-up
Rob Moratti – vocals
Ian Crichton – guitar
Jim Crichton – bass
Jim Gilmour – keyboards
Brian Doerner – drums
Production
Saga
Track List
1. The Human Condition (6:51)
2. Step Inside (4:56)
3. Hands of Time (5:29)
4. Avalon (4:48)
5. A Number With A Name (4:51)
6. Now is Now (4:12)
7. Let It Go (4:47)
8. Crown of Thorns (5:46)
9. You Look Good To Me (5:22)
