There are some musicians that never run out of ideas and inspiration. Jim Matheos is one of those people. Known for guiding Fates Warning as guitarist and principal songwriter since the band started, Matheos is also part of the duo OSI along with Kevin Moore of Chroma Key and formerly of Dream Theater. Moore also contributed to some Fates albums as well. Matheos has a side project with former John Arch, the original FW singer. So now Matheos has another project called Tuesday the Sky.

Tuesday the Sky is Matheos along with God is an Astronaut drummer Lloyd Hanney, who is ROCK solid through out their debut album “Drift.” Musically, Tuesday the Sky has more in common with OSI or even Matheos’ solo album “Away With Words.” The OSI comparison is natural since Moore guests on two tracks “It Comes In Waves” (one of the album’s best songs) and the title track. The main difference between Tuesday the Sky and OSI is the lack of heavy riffing that is a trademark of OSI. “Drift” is more about atmosphere and actually reminds me more of Chroma Key in that regard.

The only downside for me is the presence of wordless vocals by Anna-Lynne Williams on a couple of tracks, “Vortex Street” (one of the weaker tracks for me) and “Westerlies.” It’s not that Williams can’t sing because she can, it’s just one of those things that I’ve never been into. It’s trying to hard to be ethereal. Also, some of the electronic effects are over done here and there. Otherwise, these are a great batch of songs.

“Dyatlov Pass” is a favorite of mine. Half of it is ambient before things change up and the song kicks in which is really awesome. Patience leads to payoff. The aforementioned “It Comes in Waves” does sound like an OSI track with a great melodic guitar line from Matheos. He is such an underrated guitarist too. He always serves the song with his playing. And this track is no exception. I’d rather have the right notes than a shit ton of notes that are CLOSE.

Another track that I like is “Roger, Gordo” which has samples that you’d find on something Moore would do. It’s more about the sounds and textures which is really what all of “Drift” is about. The album is cinematic, atmospheric and ambient while it paints landscapes, both bright and dark. Jim Matheos proves he is more than just a prog metal guitarist. He is a great composer who deserves more attention to his work.

Rating: 8.5/10

Tracklist:
1. Today The Sky
2. Kite
3. Vortex Street
4. It Comes In Waves
5. Dyatlov Pass
6. Far And Away
7. Westerlies
8. Roger, Gordo
9. The Rowing Endeth
10. Drift

Label: Inside Out
Website: tuesdaythesky.com