In Continuum - Acceleration Theory (Part 1&2) (2019)

There s no better way to start off a year for a progressive rock fan than with a new supergroup. Dave Kerzner, well known from Sound of Contact and his growing solo career, announced his new project In Continuum last year. Joining this new musical outfit are vocalist Gabriel Agudo (exBad Dreams) and Randy McStine (The Fringe, Lo-Fi Resistance), along with (fellow) Sound of Contact member Matt Dorsey on bass and the ubiquitous Marco Minnemann on drums as well as a handful of more than special guests. While leading the writing of the album, Kerzner shares composition duties throughout, even incorporating some music co-written with his former Sound of Contact bandmates that was meant for that group s second album that never happened.

There is definitely a stylistic similarity to the Sound of Contact s Dimensionaut release from 2013, and Kerzner proves just how much he had in that group s sound… Acceleration Theory is a concept album about, to put it succinctly, an interstellar Romeo and Juliet styled romance story. It s tough to put such a big and ever present story in few words so I encourage the readers to read Kerzner s explanation of it in the CD s liners as he did a better job explaining the concept than I honestly ever could (he s the creator after all). It s a great sci-fi drama that adds a lot to the music itself. However, that s not the only thing they focused obviously as we ll be looking on the music side of their debut album… In Continuum achieves something very special here. I don t imagine it is easy to juggle so many musicians, roles and guests in a supergroup like this and end up with something as palpable and smooth as Acceleration Theory. Kerzner shows he is adept at leading a wide array of talented musicians towards one clear vision. And now that the bar has been set, the only expectation is for Acceleration Theory Part Two. –The Prog Report

We ve all had times when we were looking forward to certain music, games, or films that just never seemed to materialize. Often, it s the most brilliant ones that get away for whatever reason. I know that the sophomore album from Sound of Contact was a hugely anticipated release, and then things fell apart in the background… In Continuum s Acceleration Theory is the resurrection of this hope. In Continuum includes two of the original four members of Sound of Contact: Dave Kerzner on lead vocals, keyboards, and acoustic guitar; and Matt Dorsey on bass, guitar, and vocals. The project also includes Gabriel Agudo, Leticia Wolf, and Jon Davison (Yes) on vocals, Randy McStine on guitar, and Marco Minnemann (Steven Wilson) on drums. Guests also include Nick D Virgilio (Big Big Train), John Wesley (Porcupine Tree), Fernando Perdomo (Dave Kerzner Band), Steve Hackett (Genesis), and Steve Rothery (Marillion). This is an immense work of collaboration and musicianship, as you can tell. …the style closely mirrors that of Sound of Contact s debut, to the surprise of no one… This album feels like the natural continuation of that work, and shows that Dave and Matt were a huge force in bringing us that masterpiece. The music is progressive rock, leaning towards pop substantially. The style is quite airy and otherworldly at points, which makes sense, and you will hear plenty of flowing keys and emotive guitar solos to accent emotional points in the story. Much of it feels abstract, as if to portray colors and feelings. This is all tied together well with wonderful vocal melodies from multiple singers and strong individual performances… The album opens well with the searing instrumental title track, and moves into Crash Landing, a fantastic track that feels textured and meaningful, not to mention its great chorus. Scavengers is another song in the first half that grabs my attention; with cutting guitar licks and awesome vocals, no less. The album really hits its stride in the second half, in my opinion. Starting with Racing through the Past, the album takes on more of an otherworldly quality, offering some truly astounding moments of texture and peace. Racing through the Past itself is more electronic-based, with textures and memories flying through our minds in fleeting and beautiful fashion. AlienA , though, may be my favorite on the album. It s off kilter sound is unlike anything else on the album. It is highly melodic while also feeling genuinely eccentric. The album ends really well, too. Man Unkind is a rocking track with powerful bass and the final emotional vocals on the album. Banished is a cinematic instrumental ending, and, man, is it awesome. The surging keys and the blast beats end this album in spectacular fashion. These tracks accentuate the social commentary aspects of the story… In Continuum has produced an album that is pretty much everything I wanted. It is atmospheric and rich, with lush instrumentals and powerful guest solos. The concept of the album is also well-told and brilliantly laid out, just as I had hoped. I don t know if we will get more from this project, but I certainly hope we do. –The Prog Mind

The past half decade has been quite an adventure for keyboardist, vocalist, composer, producer, and all-around you-name-it Dave Kerzner. Though he has been jamming with the likes of Kevin Gilbert and Nick D Virgilio since the 90s, he has really come into his own in the 2010s, since he decided to finally go all-in as a progressive rock musician. However, into each life some rain must fall, and possibly the most popular of Kerzner s projects, Sound of Contact, has dealt with nothing but tumult since its inception. The band, once comprised of Kerzner, Simon Collins, Matt Dorsey, and Kelly Nordstrom, officially broke up a few years ago, after the release of their album Dimensionaut, and gave it another shot later on, only to again falter in 2018, with the exit of Collins and Nordstrom, leaving Dorsey and Kerzner as the two remaining members. The band, for all intents and purposes, seemed to be dead, especially with the success of Kerzner s solo project. Fans assumed all of the work that had gone into what was to be the follow-up sophomore album to Dimensionaut would never see the light of day. That was, at least, until Dave Kerzner announced the existence of his new band In Continuum. Kerzner has been touring the U.S. and Europe, as well as making the rounds at the prog festivals with his solo band (known as Dave Kerzner Band, or DKB to his fans) and has made many friends along the way, even in such hallowed moments as paying tribute to John Wetton while joined by Kerzner s right-hand man Fernando Perdomo and the legendary Thijs van Leer of Focus. In this new band In Continuum, Kerzner not only employs the talents of those who have been a part of DKB, such as Randy McStine, Nick D Virgilio, Perdomo and Dorsey, but also newcomers he has met on his travels, such as Gabriel Agudo, Leticia Wolf, Joe Deninzon, Jon Davison, Steve Hackett, Jon Anderson, and Marco Minnemann. That might seem like a lot of musicians, especially as I haven t even mentioned every single performer involved, but instead of becoming a huge Ayreon-like production filled with double-digit amounts of singers, for In Continuum s debut album, Acceleration Theory, Part One: AlienA, Kerzner instead has written a story around three primary lead vocalists, and relies on a key group of musicians, and then several of the aforementioned names are really just noteworthy guest appearances (or guest composition in the case of Jon Anderson). And the result is quite cohesive, entertaining, musically satisfying, and it tells the first part of a tale which falls in line with classic progressive rock concept album storytelling. Thankfully, Kerzner has outlined the major parts of the story in prose form within the liner notes, as some of the finer points might be lost in just the lyrics doing the storytelling… So, considering In Continuum is Dave Kerzner s project, and is the spiritual successor of Sound of Contact, how does it stack up against his past works? … I would have to say, personally, this album ranks up there with the deluxe edition of Kerzner s New World. Much of that decision will ultimately hinge upon how Part Two turns out, but if the two are equally balanced, they could conceivably become Kerzner s crowning achievement at this point in his career. –Sonic Perspectives



Acceleration Theory Part One: AlienA [CD RecPlay Inc. ‎- RCPLCD07 (2019, USA)] [01:02:20]
01. Acceleration Theory [00:05:12]
02. Crash Landing [00:05:53]
03. I Remember [00:05:46]
04. Two Moons Setting With The Sun [00:06:20]
05. Scavengers [00:03:58]
06. Be The Light [00:04:54]
07. Hands of Time [00:11:13]
08. Racing Through The Past [00:03:12]
09. AlienA [00:04:46]
10. Meant To Be [00:02:08]
11. Man Unkind [00:05:50]
12. Banished [00:03:03]

Dave Kerzner - Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Acoustic Guitar
Gabriel Agudo - Lead Vocals
Randy McStine - Guitar, Vocals
Matt Dorsey - Bass, Guitar, Vocals
Marco Minnemann - Drums

Special Quests:
Nick D'Virgilio - Drums
John Wesley - Guitar
Fernando Perdomo - Guitar
Leticia Wolf - Vocals
Jon Davison - Vocals
Steve Hackett - Guitar on "Crash Landing"
Steve Rothery - Guitar on "Be The Light"

Acceleration Theory Part Two: Annihilation [CD RecPlay Inc. ‎- RCPLCD13 (2019, USA)] [01:03:41]
01. Impending Annihilation (Instrumental) [00:02:52]
02. You Don't Know How it Feels [00:06:05]
03. The Path [00:04:02]
04. In Her Cocoon [00:01:32]
05. AlienA Pt2 [00:02:22]
06. Vampires of the Soul [00:04:25]
07. Made of Stars [00:02:58]
08. Know That You Are [00:08:31]
09. The War Room [00:01:50]
10. All That Is [00:03:35]
11. Annihilation [00:20:48]
12. Interstellar Reunion [00:04:36]

Gabriel Agudo - Lead Vocals
Dave Kerzner - Lead Vocals, Keyboards
Leticia Wolf - Lead Vocals
Jon Davison - Lead Vocals
Michael Sadler - Lead Vocals
Matt Dorsey - Bass, Guitar
Randy McStine - Guitar
John Wesley - Guitar
Fernando Perdomo - Guitar, Bass, Drums
Nick D'Virgilio - Drums
Marco Minnemann - Drums
Ruti Celli - Cello
Kaitlin Wolfberg - Violin
Joe Deninzon - Violin





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