MelodicRock.com - Interactive Melodic CD Reviews

Track Listing

· Listen To What I Say (1)
· Corporate Wheel
· Sacrifice (2)
· Time (3)
· Down On My Knees
· Every Man
· Giving Me A Reason
· Comin My Way
· Fallin From The Sky
· Hallowed Ground
· Look In Your Eyes

(*) Best Tracks

Discography & (Rank)

· Departure (3)
· Open Your Mind (2)
· Corporate Wheel (1)

Buy it if you like:

Two Fires
Journey
Departure

DEPARTURE

Corporate Wheel

Escape Music ESM 082

· Produced By: Mike Walsh
· Running Time: 47.24 · Release Date: Jan. 13
· Released: EU · Genre: AOR
· LabelLink: Escape

91%

Departure's first album was ok, but their second saw the band really hit their straps. It was a nice 80's sounding album of pop & pomp/prog in the vein of Kansas, Styx and Yes.
Bu things chance and singer Dave Baldwin has been replaced with newcomer Timothy Lewis. Timothy has a voice that remains in Baldwin's upper octave range, but is far smoother, placing him in the unmistakable Steve Perry comparison category.
And it seems the band have altered their sound to work with new singer Lewis. This is a far more commercial and pure style AOR release then it's more pomp filled predecessor. Corporate Wheel is 80's AOR, with a strong keyboard presence and lots of layered synth and guitar melodies. And for fans of the first two album's, there's still some of that over the top pompishness there.
The albums runs though several emotions from the required bombastic opening number Listen To What I Say, to the moody and multi-layered Sacrifice to the big lighter-in-the-air power ballad Time.
This album is like listening to Journey with Steve Augeri up front, or one of Kevin Chalfant's releases. You know it sounds like Perry, but you know it's not him.
Either way, fans of 80's keyboard/guitar AOR and big pompous production values will get a bit lift from this album.
The band have written their best set of songs to date and this is easily their best production value of the 3 records.
Guitar fans still have plenty to chew on, but vocals and keyboards rule this record.

The Bottom Line

The guys really have nailed that 80's sound and the Journey comparisons, so I think personal enjoyment of the record will be somewhat dependant on you having a pre-disposition for this sound.
Having said that, I'm a sucker for the 80's and the album is written and it's done far too well not to be liked and rated highly.
There are a lot of folks that visit this site for a variety of musical reasons. If it's pure AOR you are looking for, Departure have what you want.

Line Up

· Timothy Lewis: Vocals
· Mike Walsh: Guitar & Keyboards
· John O'Connell: Keyboards
· Duey Ribestello: Drums
· Mike Beres: Bass

Additional Ratings

Songwriting

93%

Attitude

90%

Production

90%

07/03/10: grimz - grimzmad@live.com
Rating: 85
Duey-Productions@hotmail.com dats wat i was sent buy duey an yes we is as good as we say we are an its me who started this fmcs label"free style mcs" or "f#cn mad c#nts" ive been doin it for the last 11 to 12 years ive been asked to send a demo im gettin it organised for duey so it shouldnt b long an realize i do al da beat makin on ma own on a bodgie com witch dosnt run dat wel an ive got crap mics an mixer so for tha sound clarity isnt da best but is all ive got at the moment to work with an im workin with asid pro6 please give the demo a good lison an maybe me a chance i like ya site set up an i hope to here from yaz before or arfter i send the demo yours.sinserly mickeal mathews {grimz,FMCS] toowoomba queensland australia

11/02/04: Jonny B - froloth@hotmail.com
Rating: 78
The biggest problem I have with Departure's recent album, is that they sound TOO much like Journey; all the way down to the average album after the potential hit single. If I could take new singer Timothy Lewis and have him sing the songs of "Open Your Mind", it would be a great album. Aside from the Perry-like vocals, the music is very average; though well-written and have hooks, but they are hooks that are not catchy. The production is sub-par compared to "Open Your Mind," sometimes, the vocals are a little lost in the mix at times. It's really too bad because this was an album I looked forward to for awhile and it wasn't as good as it could've been.

17/09/03: John K - badco2004@hotmail.com
Rating: 90
Took a chance on this band based on the reviews.
orporate Wheel is a great slab of Melodic rock.
Definitely worth the money.Any fans of Journey/The Storm/Urban Tale should purchase this disc. You won't be disappointed!
A lot of these song's grab you from the start and are unrelenting. Excellent playing and singing across the board.
I wonder if Timothy Lewis ever auditioned for the "Post Perry Journey"?

24/08/03: Kevin - kjahr@isd.net
Rating: 92
If STEVE PERRY was still with JOURNEY, this is what it would sound like. (sacrofice) Great VOCALS & GUITAR good songwriting.

27/06/03: savacap - ka1912@otenet.gr
Rating: 50
Why all the groups that sounds like Journey has to take a very good grade? Nothing great just mimics of the good old materialof previous groups.

20/06/03: Susumu - sfuku@d7.dion.ne.jp
Rating: 93
At first listen it sounded a bit brand compared with Open Your Mind. But as a whole it bacame better and clearer. It's the album which should get more attention. Time and Down On My Knees should become huge adult rock chart hits.

03/04/03: Neil - falkeeins@aol.com
Rating: 95
..Agree with everything Rich has written and then some.. this is the album that Journey never made after 'Frontiers' ...Mike Walsh has all the chops and the whole shebang is wreathed in cool keys and soaring vocals...up there with Jidhed for top spot this year so far..!

25/03/03: Freddy De Keyzer - freddydekeyzer@hotmail.com
Rating: 86
This is one of the better releases of recent times. Not as good as their debut, which was a wonderful pomp CD, but this is good AOR, certainly better than both On The Rise and Jim Jidhed. Only the production is a bit too loud for me and for an AOR release. This is a good, but underrated band !

15/03/03: Steve - bento@aaec.com
Rating: 92
Excellent Album. I love the sound of these songs. Great hooks, production, vocalist and above all - topnotch songwriting. What more could you ask for???!!

Recommended!

04/03/03: Erik - erikhardam@hetnet.nl
Rating: 90
Very nice record indeed. Singer reminds me of the former singer of Valentine, Hugo.
All very well balanced songs. Not a filler on the cd to be found. Great stuff all in all. Looking forward to new stuff from these guys.

27/02/03: Rich - drhall01@hotmail.com
Rating: 90
This is cool melodic rock straight out of the 80's.Departure pays tribute to the vintage AOR sounds that reflect the past work of bands like Journey,Strangeways,Balance,Styx and F.M.(u.k.).I've the song "Sacrifice" on repeat .The vocals, harmonies and melodic structure of the song are glorious, this song alone is worth the price of the album.Check this band out for nostalgia and pure ear candy.

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