HOLDING PATTERN

Artist's Website
Contact Artist
Connecticut, USA

Flying Colors
Breaking the Silence
Fishbulb
Once as One
Out the Other
Back to the Tunnels
Blaster
Like Waves
Honor before Glory (live bonus track)

"The focus is on prime mover and musical brainchild Tony Spada, his guitarwork, from howling to propulsive riffs and lots of fiery guitar solos, loaded with biting and blistering runs like in the title track (also featuring a sparkling synthesizer solo with lush Mellotron), Fishbulb, Once As One, Out The Other and Blaster (catchy rhythm and great interplay). A very good composition is the long and alternating Back To The Tunnels delivering a beautiful part with twanging acoustic guitar and piano and a flashy synthesizer solo, accompanied by propulsvie guitar riffs and powerful drums. But my highlight is the final song Honor Before Glory (live Tokyo 2005): a dreamy first part with Mellotron and sensitive electric guitar play , then a compelling atmosphere with a great build-up guitar solo with many howling runs, goose bumps! I am sure it will please many progheads who like more dynamic and bombastic progrock with lots of strong guitarwork.The album also features a live bonus track from their performance at Tokyo’s Poseidon Festival 2005 and cover art by GENESIS album artist Paul Whitehead." - Progwalhalla

"This is a refreshing instrumental amalgam of sounds that at times evokes Happy The Man, The Dregs, and Genesis - often within the same song! 2007 was not a banner year for progressive rock. In the last days of the year it's nice to see these guys reunite and give the genre a kick in the butt. For nostaglia's sake the band enlisted noted artist Paul Whitehead to create the cover art. Highly recommended." - Ken Golden, The Laser’s Edge

"Superb 2007 release by Connecticut's Holding Pattern. Musically this is even superior to their excellent debut! "Breaking the Silence" is a very symphonic and satisfying instrumental prog album that really delivers the goods. The guitar work of Tony Spada is the highlight but the entire band is quite amazing. But mostly this is a mature and highly original work by seasoned musicians at the height of their creative powers - and Tony's guitarwork on both acoustic & electric is second to none. If you enjoy instrumental progressive rock with beautiful melodies & inventive solos then this is certainly for you!" – ZNR

"Comeback album from this very good instrumental prog act lead by guitarist Tony Spada. Melodic and inventive." - Progress Records

"This is a fabulous album,with all the trademarks of a little instrumental masterpiece! Tony Spada delivers,once again superb six string play and amazing technique" - T.Larz

"Breaking the Silence is the 2007 reunion album from Connecticut's legendary prog band Holding Pattern. After a strong debut album back in 1981 and plenty of touring, the band called it a day in the early 90's, with guitarist Tony Spada carrying the torch through a string of excellent solo albums. With Breaking the Silence, many of the trademark Holding Pattern sounds are in place, although greatly updated. Spada's guitarwork is front and center, and his lyrical, Steve Morse-ish chops dazzle throughout this release. As far as instrumental prog albums go, you really can't go wrong here. Songs like the majestic & melodic title track, the rip-snorting guitar/keyboard interplay of "Fishbulb", Spada's amazing solos on "Once As One", the complex "Out the Other", the atmospheric & dramatic "Like Waves”, and the Mellotron heavy "Honor Before Glory", all are just a joy to listen to. It's not often that instrumental albums work wonders as far as chops and memorable hooks go, but this one combines the two quite well together.

If you buy into any prog reunion albums this year, along with the new release from New York's Cathedral, this one's a no brainer. And yes, that's cover art from Paul Whitehead, in case you were wondering." - Peter Pardo, Sea of Tranquility

"Breaking The Silence contains a series of mostly bright and shiny tracks that are joyous and energetic. This is an all instrumental affair that puts the guitar at the forefront, and has a sound that is seasoned with a touch of classic Kansas, but more so just a hint of a mid-western feel. The arrangements are dense, filled with a lot of movement, whether its drums, percussion, bass, keyboards or the guitar… there's always something happening. "Fishbulb" races along, almost breathlessly. It only slows down marginally for a darker, throatier section filled with trumpeting Mellotron (although they don't sound like trumpets). This is a piece in which I hear a drop of Rush.

"Blaster," a lyrical piece that defies its title. It's also got the feel of classical music played in a rock arrangement. It's guitar rock. It's pounding metal (just listen to Castellano wale away on the bass). So, okay, it's doesn't quite defy its title. I want to mention drummer Rob "The Drummer" Gottfried here, too, because, although he is not buried elsewhere in album, his stick work seems especially at the fore on "Blaster." While you don't think it will be on those first notes, this is a rollicking rollercoaster ride of a track. It's thrilling and electric and will leave you exhausted at the end -- good thing the mellower "Like Waves" follows; it's lush, with rich mix of keyboards, guitar, and bass.
On "Once As One," Spada's bright and bold guitar phrases are very much in evidence. In fact, guitar-rock aficionados will find this album right up their alley. I mean, whoo!, listen to Spada solo in the closing minutes of this track and just marvel. Or listen to the furious opening to "Out The Other," a track that shifts from a mid-tempo rocker; to a snarly, vicious high-octane rocker, a tempest in a teacup (it just came to me, what can I say); to a calm and not-quite-languid cool down.
But let's get back to "Back To The Tunnels." King Crimson angularity comes to mind with this dark and stormy track. It stomps all over the place, barreling its way through, at times strutting. And yet in this mix there's a bit of the baroque… just something about the keyboards here and there for a passage or two, which mixes in some classicism to the affair.
Call it um… avant-baroque-metal-prog rock hybrid. Life is harsh in these tunnels, that's for sure; perhaps a fierce wind blows through them, given the slashing and thrashing that's going on musically.

The set closes with a live bonus track of "Honor Before Glory," recorded in 2005 at the Poseidon Festival in Tokyo, Japan. Spada's elegiac guitar phrases are emotive; Robert Hutchinson's drumming like a heartbeat, although, naturally, not entirely, as one hopes ones heart doesn't pound out fills. Keyboards create a breathy, misty atmosphere… A beautiful piece… majestic, even. It originally appeared on Majestic, a compilation of material.If you love guitar. Love prog. Heck, if you love music, you can't go wrong here." -
Steph Sollow, ProgressiveWorld

"Well over 16 years has passed since the release of “Majestic” (which in fact is a combination of the first mini-album from 1981 and later works) and here is finally the successor to this highly acclaimed album. That is, if one doesn’t take into account Spada’s solo-albums (“Balance of Power” from 1993 and “Human Element” from 2004). Old band-mate Mark Tannenbaum (keyboards) and co-founder Tony Spada (guitars) are the nucleus of the new Holding Pattern although Tony Castellano (bass & keyboards) participated on both “Majestic” and Spada’s “Balance Of Power” and is therefore a long time member of the band too. Castellano as well as drummer Robert Gottfried both played on Spada’s “Human Element” album. The original HP drummer Robert Hutchinson plays the drums on the live bonus-track "Honor Before Glory” . If HP’s music was to be categorized, then one should be addressing it as “instrumental progressive symphonic rock with jazz and fusion influences”. Spada’s guitar sings most of the melodies and does some of the accompaniment alongside the bass as well as of course the keyboards and the richly filling drums. The keyboard-solo’s are rare but really nice so this makes the album guitar-dominated; we can find both gentle melodic tracks as well as up tempo and powerful pieces, slightly more in the vein of jazz-rock, all well composed. it’s pure delight and top entertainment all the way. There’s not an extensive booklet but the link from the cover of “Breaking The Silence” to the one of the very first album is highly original. The artwork was done by Paul Whitehead, renowned for his artwork with the early Genesis." - Menno von Brucken Fock, IOPages