Cats In Space - Atlantis
Release Date – 27 November 2020
Album review by; Nick
When it comes to bombastic larger than life rock music these days, we must look deep into the archives of Google and YouTube to find it. Not since the Darkness have a British band had such extraordinary grandness as Cats In Space. A much-needed dose of light in these dark times indeed. Their fourth album entitled Atlantis, hits our shelves with agenda hot on the heels of last year's release Daytrips to Narnia, and it doesn’t disappoint one bit. A nice blend of 70s glam rock and progressive rock which would leave the listener wondering, “Imagine if Genesis dressed like Sweet.”
​
An Instrumental opener kicks the album off Dive; it really lives up to its name, giving the listener the feeling of diving into the ocean. The introduction to the song hooks you in instantly and you can easily figure out where the concept is going, the clue is in the album title. Straight away we are treated with rocking guitar riffs and duelling keyboards from Greg Hart, Dean Howard and Andy Stewart with the sound effects giving that movie feel so that the listener is picturing everything going on around them. It’s full of bombast and really sets the album up with a bang.
​
The album directly goes straight into the second song Spaceship Superstar. It launches you into an atmosphere with powerful vocals from Damien Edwards. The song has early 80s Genesis vibes, reminding me of their hit Turn It on Again in places. Memorable guitar hooks that would make Professor Brian May proud, complimented by a catchy chorus with amazing backing vocals from the band. A thunderous drum intro from Steevi Bacon rips into the next song Revolution. I love the defying lyrics to this song, they speak about the times we are living in and the leeches that try and take advantage through power, money, and greed. I would love to see how they will perform this song live as it is such a sing-along anthem and I feel an anthem that will be a crowd pleaser for years to come.
​
We go into full on pomp with the next song Sunday best, the structure of the song is based around beautiful melodic piano and gives off a very mid 70s influence. I can hear elements of Supertramp and Styx here and again the song is full of luscious harmonies which remind me of early Queen. A lovely, bouncy song that would have been a sure hit back in the day. The next song on the album is contender for me for my favourite track. With Listen To The Radio, the band decides to travel in time and fast forward a decade going into Sammy Hagar era Van Halen territory. Another airwave friendly track which had me air guitaring all the way through. The guitar harmonies and riffs are again second to none and the guys show again that they are not afraid to write catchy pop hooks with hard rocking riffs.
​
The band slow things down with stunning piano ballad I Fell Out Of Love With Rock N Roll, a meaningful song about how the music industry was shifting from the 80s into the 90s and how the protagonist feels disillusioned by it all. There are some stunning gang vocals at the end of the song which have a Hey Jude aura to them, and the guitar solos are a song themselves which complement the ballad pleasantly.
​
Marionettes is a brilliant tale of the modern ages. The song reflects on the politics and a world dominated by technology and materialistic views on life. It’s a moody song with lots of progressive rock elements. Damien’s vocals remind me a lot of Dennis DeYoung on this song which fits the energy to the song's progressive nature. I am a sucker for Moog Synthesiser being a prog fan and it is all over this song adding to the character of the story. The speed changes towards the end of the song leading to a blustering finish.
​
From the spontaneous prog back to the riff friendly rockers. Queen Of The Neverland packs a punch and has an arena friendly feel compared to fellow band Thunder throughout. The song mellows out in the middle section but bounces back with an ending to keep you captivated and wanting more. Continuing onto the next track Magic Lovin Feelin, keeping that steady rock pace going. A song that 70s AOR legends Boston would have wished they wrote. The Talk box affect and the acoustic guitars add to the blend and shows you that these guys are by far from being one trick ponies.
​
With Can’t Wait Until Tomorrow you have a song that again goes back to those days where radio was full of beautifully crafted music, and this song again could fit into those glory days happily. A Lush 70s acoustic number that takes the listener on a musical journey with a memorable chorus and thoughtful lyrics. I even got into my own happy place listening to this song as it has true meaning about the times that we are living in and that there will be hope for us again. Again, as you can tell I am a sucker for a good Moog Synthesiser and this song features more Moog! Beautiful Keyboards throughout, hinting at influences from Kansas.
​
An amazing keyboard intro continues the album for the song Seasons Change. This gives off a very summery feel and makes you wish you were on the beach sipping a cocktail. Sounds of early Journey and Europe come off from here and the song takes you to another place. You can feel Damien’s vocals in this song and he truly sings from the heart. This song will get your fist pumping in the air with delight.
​
The final song on the album is the title track and what a finish it is. It’s an astonishing ballad with a busy bass line courtesy of Jeff Brown. The song concludes the albums concept with its storytelling and instrumentation. You feel that the musical journey is ending, and it leaves you in deep thought processing it all in. The colourful guitar solos and patterns highlight the ballad before the song builds you up to an epic climax. I often say the best endings to an album are either sombre or go out with a bang and this truly does everything intended to please.
​
From start to finish this album takes you on a journey Cats In Space style. A true adventure which the band were determined to take us on in these strange times and to keep our spirits lifted. The music has been very important this year and with bands like Cats In Space, it truly is shaping up to be the strongest year for rock in a long time.
​
Album Rating: 5/5