STRIDE -

STRIDE - IMAGINE - SENSORY  
Imagine an American band whose music is a commercial mixture of Dream Theater and Fates Warning and whose vocals are reminiscent of Journey and Evergrey. This band can be mellow and commercial or go into overdrive and increase its heaviness and is called Stride. The band has got the chops and enough hooks to make friends, although its progressive or metal credentials are not consistent. Among the songs Face The Day is poppy, perhaps a bit too much so, Role Model has a riff reminiscent of Grieg or Savatage’s Hall Of The Mountain King along with great guitar leads and a closing number called Time which is an outright slow song. This last track is the most Journey-esque moment of the album. Endeavor is probably the album’s most properly 'progressive' number. This song, especially, shows the musicianship and the chops of the members. On the flip side the drumming is jerky and is stuck with not the best of sounds. Stride has come some way since being an unknown instrumental band and Imagine has what it takes for listeners who don’t mind all the standard progressive rock trappings, keyboards, vocal harmonies and so forth. - Ali “The Metallian”