The Lie of the Beholder (10t Records 10t10075, 2014)
The Lie of the Beholder is the debut album of Little Atlas guitarist Roy Strattman. Most readers know by now that I have little interest in heavy metal and specifically its subgenre called progressive metal. The Lie of the Beholder features an abundance of heavy and hard rock riffs which make me lose interest very quickly.
Despite the heavy material, Strattman’s album has some great pieces like ‘Caught Inside the Rain.’ It’s a slow tempo dreamy psychedelic composition with Steven Wilson-style vocals and guitars, including a memorable guitar solo. ‘Solace’ is another great cut. It turns unexpectedly from English-style rock to powerful flamenco-rock. ‘No Way Home’ returns to the Steven Wilson-style soft vocals and great mix of acoustic and electric guitars. The album concludes with a beautiful titled ‘The Fire Dies.’
“During the process of writing and recording the Little Atlas album Automatic Day, I found myself in an especially productive and energized creative mental space,” reveals Strattman. “Some of the writing was in a new direction for me and became the groundwork for a solo album and became my first solo album.”
The Lie of the Beholder includes Nick D’Virgilio (Genesis, Kevin Gilbert, Spocks Beard, Mike Keneally, Tears for Fears) on drums, Ricardo Bigai (Little Atlas, Supersam, Julio Iglesias) on bass, and Steve Katsikas (Little Atlas, The Dark Side of the Wall) on piano and cajon.