Jonathan Marshall

Palace Terrace

The album 'Flying Through Infinity' that was reviewed in the first issue of this year made a good impression and still makes its rounds in my CD player. The tasty prog metal mix on this first album of Palace Terrace will hopefully be the mark of a strong new asset to the scene. Main man George Bellas turned out just as enthusiastic as expected in answering our questions. Read here what he has to say…


Text: Winston


For starters, could you explain to our readers who George Bellas is, what he does and what he loves?
I am a composer, guitarist and keyboardist. I love composing music in many various styles, from strict classical, modern progressive, neoclassical rock, jazz, vocal and world music. I began releasing albums when I got signed to Mike Varney's record label Shrapnel Records. My debut album on Shrapnel Records was called TURN OF THE MILLENNIUM and was a progressive instrumental work. I have released over sixteen albums while working with a wide range of talented musicians, including: Deen Castronova, Barry Sparks, Virgil Donati, Mike Terrana, Vitalij Kuprij, UFO, Ansley Dunbar, Mark Boals, John West, Eric Martin, Magellan and many others. I am constantly writing and have a seemingly endless amount of ideas that I am always working with to get down on paper and ultimately recorded. All of my music is composed one note at a time on staff paper, that is the method I've used since I was very young. I try to achieve a fine balance between composing and playing my instrument. I am equally happy with paper and pencil as well as playing my guitar. As much as I love composing I also very, very much love improvising.

Your new album 'Flying Through Infinity' – that has been released recently - made a strong impression on me. Why did you deicide to release it under a band name? Does it mean you are running an actual new band?
I was originally going to release it as a solo album, but later in the production it was recommended that I release it under a band name in order not to confuse my existing instrumental fan base.

The vocalist, Jonathan R. Marshall is a very nice surprise, he carries the album just like you do with your musicianship skills, how did you find John?
I have known John for over two decades. The two of us originally met through a mutual friend. We once had played in a band together but hadn't been in contact for quite some time after that. We had always wanted to record an album together, and Flying Through Infinity was the perfect opportunity to do just that. John and I had a fun time recording his vocal parts. We would spend countless hours working through parts, scrapping some and writing new ones. There was some classical counterpoint and other melodies that I wrote in which were a challenge for Jonathan at first, but he would diligently take home the parts and work on them until he was satisfied with the execution and then would come in to my studio to record them.

With John being a classical trained tenor, did he have knowledge of and love for the rock and metal scene whatsoever?
Jonathan has played in various rock and metal bands throughout his life and is very familiar with the rock and metal scene. And although he can sing in a wide range, his most comfortable is in the tenor range. One of his biggest influential inspirations is Luciano Pavoratti.

The third and last member of Palace Terrace is Sasha Horn, in charge of percussion. What is his background like?
Sasha comes from a musical family. His father played drums, and still does, and was an early influence on him. Sasha is very comfortable playing in odd meters and complex rhythms, which was an initial requirement of mine when searching for a live drummer. He is very easy to work with, extremely disciplined and a very exciting player to watch live. He is very active and quite busy doing many musical projects. I was introduced to Sasha through a student of mine who had highly recommend I check out his playing. When we finally met we hit it off right away and have been working together ever since. He has his own rehearsal facility that we use in conjunction with my studio for conducting live rehearsals.

The band does not contain a bassplayer, you did those parts yourself. Why did you choose not to use a bassplayer, apart from the fact that you play the thing as good as well? And how are you going to solve this live?
I simply wanted to play the bass parts, and also retain complete control over everything else in order to ensure that the album came out as close to my original vision as possible. I sang and played more instruments than people may realize. For live purposes I would bring aboard one of the many players I know, just as an orchestra does that performs a composers piece. I have a lot of fun recording the other instruments besides just guitar, it allows me a fresh perspective on each part when I return to it after focusing on a specific instrument. I very much love to orch - Lords of Metal

Palace Terrace - Flying Through Infinity (2007)
Lion Music
Palace Terrace is a trio made up of a skilled artists: George Bellas (guitars, bass guitar, percussion, vocals; Ring Of Fire, Vitalij Kuprij, Mogg/Way), Jonathan R. Marshall (lead vocals) and Sasha Horn (percussion).
If you expect an insane shredding and furious guitar playing known from Bellas' solo CDs, you can be disappointed. It would be pointless to produce the same music as Palace Terrace. George offers us something absolutely different from his solo releases. Our attention is chiefly attracted by a tenor vocalist - Jonathan R. Marshall. His voice is very poetical, mysterious, magic and even sometimes romantic. His skills are as theatrical as Roy Khan, Mark Boals, Freddie Mercury, Oliver Hartmann and Olaf Hayer. As for George Bellas comes, this time he doesn't race against the light as he used to do on his solo albums. The stuff is performed at mid-tempos, even though there are also several fast parts. The lead guitar parts are mostly progressive, however guitar solos are played in neoclassical manner. George's artistic identification are twister-like solos and improvised parts here and there.
Although Jonathan R. Marshall is poorly known, I can assure you that he is in the lead of metal singers. George Bellas, thanks to his exquisite compositional skills, recognizable guitar style and technical mastery, managed to produce a fabulous mood. He should be a member of Trans-Siberian Orchestra without doubt! "Flying Through Infinity" is a progressive chamber music masterpiece! - Department of Virtuosity

Palace Terrace

The album 'Flying Through Infinity' that was reviewed in the first issue of this year made a good impression and still makes its rounds in my CD player. The tasty prog metal mix on this first album of Palace Terrace will hopefully be the mark of a strong new asset to the scene. Main man George Bellas turned out just as enthusiastic as expected in answering our questions. Read here what he has to say…


Text: Winston


For starters, could you explain to our readers who George Bellas is, what he does and what he loves?
I am a composer, guitarist and keyboardist. I love composing music in many various styles, from strict classical, modern progressive, neoclassical rock, jazz, vocal and world music. I began releasing albums when I got signed to Mike Varney's record label Shrapnel Records. My debut album on Shrapnel Records was called TURN OF THE MILLENNIUM and was a progressive instrumental work. I have released over sixteen albums while working with a wide range of talented musicians, including: Deen Castronova, Barry Sparks, Virgil Donati, Mike Terrana, Vitalij Kuprij, UFO, Ansley Dunbar, Mark Boals, John West, Eric Martin, Magellan and many others. I am constantly writing and have a seemingly endless amount of ideas that I am always working with to get down on paper and ultimately recorded. All of my music is composed one note at a time on staff paper, that is the method I've used since I was very young. I try to achieve a fine balance between composing and playing my instrument. I am equally happy with paper and pencil as well as playing my guitar. As much as I love composing I also very, very much love improvising.

Your new album 'Flying Through Infinity' – that has been released recently - made a strong impression on me. Why did you deicide to release it under a band name? Does it mean you are running an actual new band?
I was originally going to release it as a solo album, but later in the production it was recommended that I release it under a band name in order not to confuse my existing instrumental fan base.

The vocalist, Jonathan R. Marshall is a very nice surprise, he carries the album just like you do with your musicianship skills, how did you find John?
I have known John for over two decades. The two of us originally met through a mutual friend. We once had played in a band together but hadn't been in contact for quite some time after that. We had always wanted to record an album together, and Flying Through Infinity was the perfect opportunity to do just that. John and I had a fun time recording his vocal parts. We would spend countless hours working through parts, scrapping some and writing new ones. There was some classical counterpoint and other melodies that I wrote in which were a challenge for Jonathan at first, but he would diligently take home the parts and work on them until he was satisfied with the execution and then would come in to my studio to record them.

With John being a classical trained tenor, did he have knowledge of and love for the rock and metal scene whatsoever?
Jonathan has played in various rock and metal bands throughout his life and is very familiar with the rock and metal scene. And although he can sing in a wide range, his most comfortable is in the tenor range. One of his biggest influential inspirations is Luciano Pavoratti.

The third and last member of Palace Terrace is Sasha Horn, in charge of percussion. What is his background like?
Sasha comes from a musical family. His father played drums, and still does, and was an early influence on him. Sasha is very comfortable playing in odd meters and complex rhythms, which was an initial requirement of mine when searching for a live drummer. He is very easy to work with, extremely disciplined and a very exciting player to watch live. He is very active and quite busy doing many musical projects. I was introduced to Sasha through a student of mine who had highly recommend I check out his playing. When we finally met we hit it off right away and have been working together ever since. He has his own rehearsal facility that we use in conjunction with my studio for conducting live rehearsals.

The band does not contain a bassplayer, you did those parts yourself. Why did you choose not to use a bassplayer, apart from the fact that you play the thing as good as well? And how are you going to solve this live?
I simply wanted to play the bass parts, and also retain complete control over everything else in order to ensure that the album came out as close to my original vision as possible. I sang and played more instruments than people may realize. For live purposes I would bring aboard one of the many players I know, just as an orchestra does that performs a composers piece. I have a lot of fun recording the other instruments besides just guitar, it allows me a fresh perspective on each part when I return to it after focusing on a specific instrument. I very much love to orch - Lords of Metal

Palace Terrace is another chapter in the life of guitar maestro George Bellas' career, who continues to take on new challenges in an effort to push the progressive metal/ symphonic/ neo-classical music into more challenging directions. No question about Bellas' talent, with Palace Terrace not only does he do the composing, but also performs all guitars, bass, and keyboards on the cd, joining him are vocalist - Jonathan R. Marshall and also listed as a percussionist, and I assume that means drums as well is Sasha Horn. Bellas wanted a unique and over the top drummer, and a search led him to Horn, who's talents are well displayed throughout this cd.

This music really is a unique combination of progressive metal, symphonic classically inspired neo-classical, as well as melodic and pop music, nothing really derivative of any more well known bands, I guess in some regards bands like Symphony X, Artension or Royal Hunt are relevent, in fact, the singing talents of Marshall are closer to that of D.B. Cooper, than anyone else I have heard. His voice is arranged in many different settings, huge chorales, powerful leads, and cinematic backdrops, the vocal tracks alone have a huge effect on the overall quality of this music. Yet to me the stars of Palace Terror are Bellas and Horn, who while performing on the instrumental sections are delivering some of the most intricate neo-classical passages on cd.

This is a challenging cd to listen to, nothing really hits you over the head at the first few listens, (which is why I chose to refrain writing reviews with limited listening sessions), the music is so sophisticated that one really needs to take ample time to decipher the complexity of the arrangements to appreciate how the whole thing was put together. It must have been quite an endeavor for the musicians to create and perfect such a full scale recording. Imagine hearing Symphony X, with a singer like Cooper, paired with some of the more progressive arrangements heard on the first Explorer's Club, inject Bellas' shred heavy guitar playing, and some otherworldly sounding keyboards, as if from a video game, and you may have a idea of what I am trying to explain to you about this cd.

It's not lacking in innovations on some older ideas, and I can see that some people that are fans of the artists used in this review may not have the patience to really take in the nuances of this cd, as it really does require a few close listens to really appreciate. First listens may leave some considering that the band has an uneven feel, but that is mainly because of the extreme measures taken to create the abstract and sophisticated arrangements, when familiarizing with these arrangements, I was intrigued at the skills of each musician in their ability to put this all together. Interesting stuff indeed. - PROGGNOSIS

PALACE TERRACE - FLYING THROUGH INFINITY REVIEW

It is always a delight when something slightly original comes to surface, and although not totally original, this American trio Palace Terrace do bring an interesting twist to metal with their debut album "Flying Through Infinity". With a spacey mysterious front cover drawing intrigue, this is neoclassical, progressive music, some tracks more progressive rock inclined, and some leaning more towards metal, even progressive space power metal if you like with its wondrous explosions of musical inspiration and creativity.

"The Tenth Dimension" the longest track on the album weighing in at over nine minutes opens the album setting the scene, it almost feels as you are floating uncontrollably in the vast expanse of the universe, but musically there is no big bang until the introduction of the second track "Chaos Theory" that leads in with a flurry of double bass assault accompanied by crazy, chaotic guitar and keyboard compositions that are kept under control by the talented musicians of Palace Terrace.

Although these Tom and Jerry style guitar and keyboard solos are fantastic moments of inspiration and schizophrenic musicianship the album does not lean this way for the most part. For the most part of this album we have neoclassically influenced music of the rock variety. Even "rock" might seem a little inappropriate for "Flying Through Infinity" as the genre invokes images of Dee Sneider and other great rock singers being backed by a solid wall of powerful noise, yet here Palace Terrace seem methodical and precise with their progressive musicianship, more concerned with making sure each guitar solo sounds as inventive and artistic as the last.

Jonathan Marshall does a good job on vocal duties singing with a range of different notes and speeds through the most part of the album, "Time Will Tell", "Who Am I" and "Lights Fall Down" being good examples of his range, the latter also being the most speed metal type on the album with a battery of double bass through the whole song with equally varied piano and guitar placed delicately on the top. "From This Day Forward" is the icing on the cake to what is an impressive album of musicianship and diversity. This song is almost raises the Christmas spirit with its glorious bells and melodies and lovely chorus.

The album, almost an hour in length does have a few dry patches in the middle and the last ten minutes or so of the album. Production is good, but as I refer back to the notion of rock music the album seems surprisingly wafer thin, a crisp production but lacking good, thick meat. But these aside, on the whole "Flying Through Infinity" is an engrossingly interesting and original album that should have people flocking around its ingenious, creative and futuristic neoclassical vibes.

Rating: 8.2 - written by Baz Anderson

Palace Terrace is another chapter in the life of guitar maestro George Bellas' career, who continues to take on new challenges in an effort to push the progressive metal/ symphonic/ neo-classical music into more challenging directions. No question about Bellas' talent, with Palace Terrace not only does he do the composing, but also performs all guitars, bass, and keyboards on the cd, joining him are vocalist - Jonathan R. Marshall and also listed as a percussionist, and I assume that means drums as well is Sasha Horn. Bellas wanted a unique and over the top drummer, and a search led him to Horn, who's talents are well displayed throughout this cd.

This music really is a unique combination of progressive metal, symphonic classically inspired neo-classical, as well as melodic and pop music, nothing really derivative of any more well known bands, I guess in some regards bands like Symphony X, Artension or Royal Hunt are relevent, in fact, the singing talents of Marshall are closer to that of D.B. Cooper, than anyone else I have heard. His voice is arranged in many different settings, huge chorales, powerful leads, and cinematic backdrops, the vocal tracks alone have a huge effect on the overall quality of this music. Yet to me the stars of Palace Terror are Bellas and Horn, who while performing on the instrumental sections are delivering some of the most intricate neo-classical passages on cd.

This is a challenging cd to listen to, nothing really hits you over the head at the first few listens, (which is why I chose to refrain writing reviews with limited listening sessions), the music is so sophisticated that one really needs to take ample time to decipher the complexity of the arrangements to appreciate how the whole thing was put together. It must have been quite an endeavor for the musicians to create and perfect such a full scale recording. Imagine hearing Symphony X, with a singer like Cooper, paired with some of the more progressive arrangements heard on the first Explorer's Club, inject Bellas' shred heavy guitar playing, and some otherworldly sounding keyboards, as if from a video game, and you may have a idea of what I am trying to explain to you about this cd.

It's not lacking in innovations on some older ideas, and I can see that some people that are fans of the artists used in this review may not have the patience to really take in the nuances of this cd, as it really does require a few close listens to really appreciate. First listens may leave some considering that the band has an uneven feel, but that is mainly because of the extreme measures taken to create the abstract and sophisticated arrangements, when familiarizing with these arrangements, I was intrigued at the skills of each musician in their ability to put this all together. Interesting stuff indeed. - PROGGNOSIS

It is always a delight when something slightly original comes to surface, and although not totally original, this American trio Palace Terrace do bring an interesting twist to metal with their debut album "Flying Through Infinity". With a spacey mysterious front cover drawing intrigue, this is neoclassical, progressive music, some tracks more progressive rock inclined, and some leaning more towards metal, even progressive space power metal if you like with its wondrous explosions of musical inspiration and creativity.

"The Tenth Dimension" the longest track on the album weighing in at over nine minutes opens the album setting the scene, it almost feels as you are floating uncontrollably in the vast expanse of the universe, but musically there is no big bang until the introduction of the second track "Chaos Theory" that leads in with a flurry of double bass assault accompanied by crazy, chaotic guitar and keyboard compositions that are kept under control by the talented musicians of Palace Terrace.

Although these Tom and Jerry style guitar and keyboard solos are fantastic moments of inspiration and schizophrenic musicianship the album does not lean this way for the most part. For the most part of this album we have neoclassically influenced music of the rock variety. Even "rock" might seem a little inappropriate for "Flying Through Infinity" as the genre invokes images of Dee Sneider and other great rock singers being backed by a solid wall of powerful noise, yet here Palace Terrace seem methodical and precise with their progressive musicianship, more concerned with making sure each guitar solo sounds as inventive and artistic as the last.

Jonathan Marshall does a good job on vocal duties singing with a range of different notes and speeds through the most part of the album, "Time Will Tell", "Who Am I" and "Lights Fall Down" being good examples of his range, the latter also being the most speed metal type on the album with a battery of double bass through the whole song with equally varied piano and guitar placed delicately on the top. "From This Day Forward" is the icing on the cake to what is an impressive album of musicianship and diversity. This song is almost raises the Christmas spirit with its glorious bells and melodies and lovely chorus.

The album, almost an hour in length does have a few dry patches in the middle and the last ten minutes or so of the album. Production is good, but as I refer back to the notion of rock music the album seems surprisingly wafer thin, a crisp production but lacking good, thick meat. But these aside, on the whole "Flying Through Infinity" is an engrossingly interesting and original album that should have people flocking around its ingenious, creative and futuristic neoclassical vibes.
8.2 rating - Metal Storm

Composer and guitar virtuoso George Bellas is the master behind the new album from Palace Terrace, and has a reputation that has been growing considerably over the last few years. Uli Jon Roth invited him to take part in his latest Sky Academy performance, and Bellas has a solo album already finished for release next year.

He's a busy man!

Komodo Rock's Mike Elliott recently caught up with Bellas to find out more about Palace Terrace, Uli Jon Roth, and how he works.



Mike Elliott: Palace Terrace is a new project for you. Can you give us a little background to it?

George Bellas: This particular album started a few years back, right after doing my Venomous Fingers album I had a vision to do a vocal oriented album. I had the "Flying Through Infinity" concept in mind before ever approaching the other musicians and knew I wanted to produce something massive and unlike anything I had ever done or heard before. Due to the extreme demands and nature of the music the musicians involved had to be no less than top notch, the cream of the top crop. There was only one singer I had in mind to do the album with... Jonathan R. Marshall, and he was the first and last person I called.

What was the inspiration behind the band's name?

Both Jonathan and I were standing around my studio in between recording vocal parts trying to think of a name, I was suggesting "something royal sounding"... "Music made for a Palace or something" then John mentioned "Terrace"... and the name PALACE TERRACE was born.

'Flying Through Infinity' is released on November 16th. Can you tell us a little more about the albums concept?

The essence of the album is about the journey of a soul travelling through the infinite universe and other dimensions within it. The story is really about all of us here on Earth and the wonder of what happens after we're gone. The spirit in the story is just a character that represents any one of us... wondering who we are, will we find loved ones on "the other side", feeling the need to complete unfinished business after we pass away... The soul's journey includes visiting loved ones on earth and reflecting on cherished memories all the while searching for its way to eternal peace and trying to find its ultimate purpose. At the end of the story the spirit finally finds inner peace, its ultimate purpose and a place to call home.

The culmination of the story really came to be as a combination of both Jonathan's words and my own.

Could you take us through some of the important tracks on the album please?

The Tenth Dimension - A progressive epic that begins with an entity awakening for the day ahead and ends with a soul in another dimension. Lots of odd meters and dynamics.

Chaos Theory - An uptempo driving neoclassical song with a wide range of dynamics, orchestration and ripping guitar.

Time Will Tell - A powerful progressive tune that begins in 5/8 time and traverses through many changes and different moods. Big vocal harmonies throughout this song.

I Know You're Home - Medium tempo Neoclassical song. This song showcases classical chorale vocal arrangements.

Who Am I - A ballad written in a Melodic Minor mode. This song reflects on the wonder of who we are and what are purpose is.

Declaration - A progressive song that begins with a heavy odd meter motive and then drops down to a dynamic verse.

Lights Fall Down - Super fast neoclassical song. This song contains classical counterpoint vocal arrangements.

From This Day Forward - A commercial progressive song with a mesmerising deep feeling verse section.

End Of Time - A moderate tempo, very dynamic progressive song with a dreamy middle section filled with intense emotions and soulful guitar work.

Mesmerized - A slow progressive song. The story concludes with the main character realizing its purpose and finding its way home.

What inspired you to write the album?

I constantly have ideas for composition, it is non-stop actually. Astrophysics, the Universe and all things contained within and out of it were the source of inspiration for me. Earth and all the stars, matter and living beings in the known universe are "Flying Through Infinity". It is one thing that we all have in common and no known escape from. Musically the inspiration comes from both classical and modern music principles. The music on the album contains extensive odd meters (with one section in 99/32 time), melodic vocal lines sung by John Marshall and rich vocal harmonies sung by myself, along with big orchestrations and guitar solos that are drenched in feeling. The album is filled with a very wide dynamic range. Some of the vocal arrangements were written in a classical strict 4-part chorale style and others using imitative counterpoint. The album is very diverse in different types of songs, it contains progressive songs, neoclassical and even simpler commercial forms.

What do you hope listeners will take away from the experience the albu - Komodo Rock

It is always a delight when something slightly original comes to surface, and although not totally original, this American trio Palace Terrace do bring an interesting twist to metal with their debut album "Flying Through Infinity". With a spacey mysterious front cover drawing intrigue, this is neoclassical, progressive music, some tracks more progressive rock inclined, and some leaning more towards metal, even progressive space power metal if you like with its wondrous explosions of musical inspiration and creativity.

"The Tenth Dimension" the longest track on the album weighing in at over nine minutes opens the album setting the scene, it almost feels as you are floating uncontrollably in the vast expanse of the universe, but musically there is no big bang until the introduction of the second track "Chaos Theory" that leads in with a flurry of double bass assault accompanied by crazy, chaotic guitar and keyboard compositions that are kept under control by the talented musicians of Palace Terrace.

Although these Tom and Jerry style guitar and keyboard solos are fantastic moments of inspiration and schizophrenic musicianship the album does not lean this way for the most part. For the most part of this album we have neoclassically influenced music of the rock variety. Even "rock" might seem a little inappropriate for "Flying Through Infinity" as the genre invokes images of Dee Sneider and other great rock singers being backed by a solid wall of powerful noise, yet here Palace Terrace seem methodical and precise with their progressive musicianship, more concerned with making sure each guitar solo sounds as inventive and artistic as the last.

Jonathan Marshall does a good job on vocal duties singing with a range of different notes and speeds through the most part of the album, "Time Will Tell", "Who Am I" and "Lights Fall Down" being good examples of his range, the latter also being the most speed metal type on the album with a battery of double bass through the whole song with equally varied piano and guitar placed delicately on the top. "From This Day Forward" is the icing on the cake to what is an impressive album of musicianship and diversity. This song is almost raises the Christmas spirit with its glorious bells and melodies and lovely chorus.

The album, almost an hour in length does have a few dry patches in the middle and the last ten minutes or so of the album. Production is good, but as I refer back to the notion of rock music the album seems surprisingly wafer thin, a crisp production but lacking good, thick meat. But these aside, on the whole "Flying Through Infinity" is an engrossingly interesting and original album that should have people flocking around its ingenious, creative and futuristic neoclassical vibes.
8.2 rating - Metal Storm

PALACE TERRACE is a progressive and neoclassical rock band with a theatrical and modern edge. It is build around the talents of guitarist virtuoso George Bellas [ex RING OF FIRE,, ex Mogg/Way] and tenor Vocalist Jonathan R Marshall. Both musicians with background, musicianship, ability to make more then simple orchestrations to work and knowledge on music, beyond contemporary.
The two of them discussed how they would like to see the band debut as well as evolve into the future. Sharing very similar visions the two began writing their first album "Flying Through Infinity". The need for a talented percussionist lead them to the choice of Sasha Horn.
"Flying Through Infinity" is a combination of progressive and neoclassical styles. The most similar approach is Malmsteen but with a singer who doesn’t stretch himself to get the notes and the melodic lines. The other advantage is that having the classical training they evolve the melodies in vocals far beyond what Yngwie has ever done, coming real close to Opera and having vocal fireworks in the middle of the songs, that comes as subtle and relax as you cannot imagine, exploding in , when you least expect them. This is due mostly to the very talented singer Jonathan Marshall who has done in a way what Tarja did in NIGHTWISH, The music contains extensive odd meters melodic vocal lines sung by John Marshall and rich vocal harmonies sung by George Bellas, along with big orchestrations and guitar solos that are emotion neoclassical moments of serenity. In general the power metal is here, in tis more complex from the one of neoclassical music. Yet it never gets too furious, or too disturbing, scales and guitar exhibition. The well crafted compositions are based more in the classical music form and less in the traditional metal. The Bellas experience in rock music can be heard everywhere and makes the album technical interesting, yet ear friendly. .On the album’s concept George Bellas states, “The essence of the album is about the journey of a soul travelling through the infinite universe and other dimensions within it. The story is really about all of us here on Earth and the wonder of what happens after we're gone. The spirit in the story is just a character that represents any one of us... wondering who we are, will we find loved ones on "the other side", feeling the need to complete unfinished business after we pass away... The soul's journey includes visiting loved ones on earth and reflecting on cherished memories all the while searching for its way to eternal peace and trying to find its ultimate purpose. At the end of the story the spirit finally finds inner peace, its ultimate purpose and a place to call home”.
This album is characterized by George's strong compositions and his personal guitar playing, that has a lot to offer in the movement that until today had Malmsteen, Macalpine and Impelliteri as its main masters. Still the vocal are more then present, dominating the songs, with their melody, power and the feeling of the trained singer who adapts and brings colour to the songs far beyond the average metal singer. The combination of metal musicians, with musical training with real vocalists, not self taught who can sing and not only exhibit the high pitched vocals is a real winner. For fans of neoclassical music, enjoy this gem. - Metal Invader

PALACE TERRACE is a progressive and neoclassical rock band with a theatrical and modern edge. It is build around the talents of guitarist virtuoso George Bellas [ex RING OF FIRE,, ex Mogg/Way] and tenor Vocalist Jonathan R Marshall. Both musicians with background, musicianship, ability to make more then simple orchestrations to work and knowledge on music, beyond contemporary.
The two of them discussed how they would like to see the band debut as well as evolve into the future. Sharing very similar visions the two began writing their first album "Flying Through Infinity". The need for a talented percussionist lead them to the choice of Sasha Horn.
"Flying Through Infinity" is a combination of progressive and neoclassical styles. The most similar approach is Malmsteen but with a singer who doesn’t stretch himself to get the notes and the melodic lines. The other advantage is that having the classical training they evolve the melodies in vocals far beyond what Yngwie has ever done, coming real close to Opera and having vocal fireworks in the middle of the songs, that comes as subtle and relax as you cannot imagine, exploding in , when you least expect them. This is due mostly to the very talented singer Jonathan Marshall who has done in a way what Tarja did in NIGHTWISH, The music contains extensive odd meters melodic vocal lines sung by John Marshall and rich vocal harmonies sung by George Bellas, along with big orchestrations and guitar solos that are emotion neoclassical moments of serenity. In general the power metal is here, in tis more complex from the one of neoclassical music. Yet it never gets too furious, or too disturbing, scales and guitar exhibition. The well crafted compositions are based more in the classical music form and less in the traditional metal. The Bellas experience in rock music can be heard everywhere and makes the album technical interesting, yet ear friendly. .On the album’s concept George Bellas states, “The essence of the album is about the journey of a soul travelling through the infinite universe and other dimensions within it. The story is really about all of us here on Earth and the wonder of what happens after we're gone. The spirit in the story is just a character that represents any one of us... wondering who we are, will we find loved ones on "the other side", feeling the need to complete unfinished business after we pass away... The soul's journey includes visiting loved ones on earth and reflecting on cherished memories all the while searching for its way to eternal peace and trying to find its ultimate purpose. At the end of the story the spirit finally finds inner peace, its ultimate purpose and a place to call home”.
This album is characterized by George's strong compositions and his personal guitar playing, that has a lot to offer in the movement that until today had Malmsteen, Macalpine and Impelliteri as its main masters. Still the vocal are more then present, dominating the songs, with their melody, power and the feeling of the trained singer who adapts and brings colour to the songs far beyond the average metal singer. The combination of metal musicians, with musical training with real vocalists, not self taught who can sing and not only exhibit the high pitched vocals is a real winner. For fans of neoclassical music, enjoy this gem. - Metal Invader