While I have a love of the Canadian progressive rock sounds from bands such as Rush and VOIVOD, I always wanted to hear what the Great White North has in store to continue the next generation of the prog genre. There’s so many, old and new; Klaatu, Tumbleweed Dealer, Max Webster, Crown Lands, Harmonium, Blood Ceremony, Morse Code, Maniege, and this new artist that completely took me by surprise is none other than Jacob Roberge.
Hailing from Quebec, Roberge has it nailed down as an arranger, composer, singer-songwriter, and a multi-instrumentalist in his Symphonic textures by showcasing his strength and wisdom that is like a jet engine going at 600 miles per hour. You can’t deny the latitude this artist has by keeping his feet to the ground on his debut release, The Passing.
Ten years in the making, The Passing is quite the essential debut for Jacob to tackle themes on grief and remembrance, and tipping his hat to Styx, Neal Morse, Pink Floyd, Harmonium, Rush, and Steven Wilson. Roberge has pour his heart and soul into this album by giving it an emotional sense of moving forward, focusing on the good moments you have with your loved ones, and their spirits will be not only be with them, but following and guiding them for a long, long time.
Not only Jacob is a multi-instrumentalist, but adding in Guitarist, bassist, keyboardist and programmer William Gaboury, cellist Julien Siino, violinist Majorie Bourque, additional vocalist Annie Payeur, and guitarist Gabriele Cyr into the fold, they know that this is a very big mission to lead Jacob into the heart of the subject matter that is handed to them, knowing it is going to be a roller-coaster ride like no other.
Likewise, The Passing gives listeners an insight on what’s going on. Take for example, the opening track ‘The Long Way Home’ retains Jacobs’ heartfelt vocals, minor piano arrangements, bass, and acoustic guitar setting up for the loss of a loved one and how to move forward. It gives some ideas for the strings to come forward and employ Jacob by reaching the light at the end of the tunnel, then growing into this thumped-up progressive metal force with riffs, solo going into the night, and reaching the mountain top to let all of the anger and sorrow out.
The two-parter ‘Empty Traces’ is the walk towards moving forwards as the first stage of grievance, hits hard and puts you in state of disbelief. Jacob is channeling Steven’s lyrical textures which he explores the uplifting status quo on what will happen next, how things will be different after the loss of a loved one.
The second and final part sees us heading into the resting place. At first, you don’t know if you want visit them, which is understandable, but it becomes very hard and brave for them to see where they’re resting. It becomes emotional, passionate, and all of the tears begin to come in as the guitar solo belts it out to someone who wants to give their final goodbyes and knowing they’ll see them on the other side.
Jacob lets the musicians go use free reign on the complexity and insane time changes which is shown on the ‘Garden of Souls’ for a brief moment before the rain starts to hit by maintaining a time signature of 3/4 ballad time. The guitars goes up and down the fret board to let out that huge cry for the orchestral boundaries, hitting you harder than ever.
But it’s the final section of ‘Petrichor’ which gives it that electrical juice by going into this classical, flamenco arrangement, Neal Morse-like arrangements, and an epic spaghetti western, it all flows into this whirlpool of moog wonders which speaks of the Italian prog momentum of Premiata Forneria Marconi’s first album and bits of Rick Wakeman thrown into the mix, Jacob finally gets what he truly deserves to bring this opus in a whole other world.
The closing 32-minute epic of the title-track sets in the final goodbye with its orchestral overture of strings, horns, and blending in this eruptive volcanic blast with a stop-and-go momentum then going into this crescendo blast which you can imagine the word “Excelsior!” hitting you in all cylinders. Look at how he captures the prog metal forces in its galloping battle cry to get you on your feet and rise up to stand for your rights until you’re the last man standing in the middle of this bloody battlefield.
Then, the fills and of course the NWOBHM movement which totally speaks of Iron Maiden, followed by organ-driven attacks, and its power metal textures in the hands of Blind Guardian and Ayreon rolled into one giant smoothie. That’s how prog you can really, really get! The Passing is quite the emotional ride with unbelievable results and wonderous sense of arrangements Jacob has brought to the fold.
