Short Reviews [Lightspeed - 2025 - "Delta"]

I was on Facebook recently when I saw a post regarding a new album which was soon to come out by Lightspeed. The computer in my head started crunching and I was quickly asking myself was this the same Lightspeed I remembered from a few decades ago? The short answer is "yes", and at long last we have their fourth album: "Waves" which I reviewed in 2004, being the third. Here is a band who toured extensively in the 70's, retired in the 80's and reformed in the 90's to release three albums, could they do it? Songwriter and band leader Rod Chappell (6 and 12 string guitars, 4 string bass guitars, 5 string fretted and fretless bass, vocals, keyboards, percussion) managed to get his brother Gary (keyboards), singer John Persichini and guitarist Gene Murray onboard but when it was time for Gene to come and record his parts he was a no-show. It transpired he had salmonella poisoning, and soon passed away, which led to Rod cancelling the project given that Gene had been there since the very beginning. However, a few months' later Rod's daughter told him he had to finish the album as Gene loved the songs, so that is what has happened (and rightfully there is a photo and dedication to him in the booklet). The main band for this recording was Rod, Wilmer Waabroek and John Persichini (vocals), Tommy Denander (guitar), Howard Helm (keyboards) and Holland Malmrose (drums) along with guests Jamie Glaser and Janne Starke (guitars), Oliver Wakeman and Gary Chappell (keyboards), John Helliwell and Theo Travis (saxes), Norda Mullen (flute) , Ruth and Joyce of Sephira (rock violins), Luis Conte (percussion) with orchestrations by Shane Myers (played by the Tribeca String Quartet) while the producer was none other than Rich Mouser who has worked so strongly with the likes of Spock's Beard over the years. Here we have an album from musicians which are a combination of original band members, newbies and sessions, recorded under what must have been emotional circumstances for those who knew Gene, more than 20 years on from the last one, so what on earth was it going to be like? "Brilliant" is the answer. I have often said, but it is worth repeating, that I never read press releases until it is time to write the review as this is about the music I hear and I never want to be impacted on what may be contained within, so I had no idea of the back story until just now, but now knowing this I am amazed at just how joyous and lush this album is. Denander has always been one of my favourite guitarists within the melodic rock/AOR scene, and here he has filled some big shoes managing to link in with Rod so much so that one would never think there was no longstanding relationship. The two singers swap leads and support with wonderful harmonies, and the result is an album which has been heavily impacted by classic 70's Styx, although a little more progressive. This never sounds like a long-dormant band releasing music independently in 2025, but as if it is a remixed and revitalised classic of the genre. I must confess to not having played "Waves" for years (one of the weird things about being a music reviewer is that I rarely listen to music for pleasure as I am always listening to what needs to be reviewed next), but I can see I need to go back and listen to it again. Back then I ended the review with the words "Let's just hope they start getting more prolific!", as I felt it was "a joy throughout and highly recommended". I can just repeat those words again, as this is a superb album which I enjoyed the first time I played it and that feeling just increases. If you like AOR style progressive rock from days gone by with superb songs, vocals and arrangements, then this is it.