Imagine

The press release that The Laser's Edge (an independent label based in Voorhees, NJ) sent out with Stride's second album, Imagine, described this late 2005 release as "progressive metal." But most of the time, calling Imagine metal is a stretch. The terms "progressive rock" and "arena rock" certainly apply, but despite some metallic guitar crunch at times, Imagine's outlook is much more Journey than Iron Maiden — much closer to Survivor and Kansas than Judas Priest, Grim Reaper, or Saxon. But however one categorizes Imagine, this isn't a bad album — highly derivative and a bit uneven, but not bad. Stride definitely favors the slicker, more middle-of-the-road side of prog rock — the Journey/Kansas/Styx/Survivor side rather than the more daring Yes/Pink Floyd/King Crimson/Rush/early Genesis side — and Imagine is full of slick, glossy, very clean, and polished material that would not have been out of place on an album rock station in the late '70s or early '80s. In fact, Imagine is a very faithful re-creation of the most commercial FM rock of that era; from the polished production to Gary Belin's Steve Perry-ish lead vocals to Rick Flores' keyboards, Imagine sounds like it could have been recorded 25 years earlier. This CD is totally oblivious to post-'80s, post-Nirvana, post-Nevermind developments in rock — and considering that these Houston residents are good at what they do, that is probably for the best. Imagine is unlikely to win over anyone who isn't already a fan of the slicker, more commercial end of progressive rock, but it's a decent and pleasant effort that is worth hearing if one still listens to Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" and Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" religiously.