\u201cThe empty page before me now, the pen is in my hand \/
The words don’t come so easy but I’m trying \/
I’m searching for a melody or some forgotten line \/
They can slip away from us so quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
The opening track of At the time of the release of Monolith<\/i>, the band was riding high on two blockbuster studio albums, a well-received live album, and two tours filling the largest venues available all over the world. Unfortunately, this release doesn’t seem to have built on that momentum. The songwriting had become cleanly divided between Kerry Livgren and Steve Walsh, and it feels like they both were a bit dried up creatively. Livgren turns in one of his most bizarre compositions ever with \u201cPeople Of The South Wind,\u201d a likable homage to their home state, but it’s poppy and danceable, two things a Walsh’s songs on the album tend towards hard rock, but they don’t follow traditional rock trends.\u00a0 That\u2019s fine if it works, but his songs largely don’t. He seems to be trying way too hard to take the complex arrangements Even the great bands have their clunkers. Monolith<\/i> tries hard, but largely comes off overblown and lacking in inspiration. The few good tracks barely rise above the poorer ones.<\/p>\n On a personal note, it’s hard for me to slag these guys at all. I’m a proud Wheathead, and many of my fellow Wheatheads proclaim this as their favorite