Arc of Life – Arc of Life

4/10

Arc of Life is a new project that has Yes written all over it. With members such as Jon Davison and Billy Sherwood and a sound that tries to capture the spirit from the main band, Arc of Life seems like an attempt to carry the Yes torch on into the roaring twenties. So yeah, when it comes to the musical direction, this is as Yes as it gets! The downside is that when it comes to all the other things, like the song quality and the overall production, something’s really lacking.

The album just doesn’t grab me. The sound feels modern and compressed in a wierd way. And none of the songs impresses me that much either. It feels like they are trying to reach the Yes spirit of the 80’s and 90’s plus a little touch of Asia, but they just don’t have the strength and magic that these main bands simply just had. At first, the songs are quite direct and pop oriented, and then it moves more into the progressive territory with two ten minute monsters towards the end. A formula that usually works great, but here, it just moves from a shrug to a shrug.

Arc of Lifes debut is marketed as being the album for everyone who misses a new Yes album. Unfortunally, the end result doesn’t fill the main bands shoes in any way. If you want a new album in the Yes tradition, check out the new Transatlantic album instead!

Artist: Arc of Life
Title: Arc of Life
Label: Frontiers
Date of release: 12/2-21
Time: 57,20
Rating: 4/10
Standout track: You Make it Real