Biography
Kurdt Vanderhoof of Metal Church originated Presto Ballet to navigate the divide separating late-1970s melodic hard rock from twenty-first-century progressive metal. Frequent personnel turnover tied to his Metal Church obligations and Druid side project accompanied the group’s keyboard-saturated debut, Peace Among the Ruins, released in 2005. That album merged melody and intensity, drawing strong notices and parallels to early Kansas, Symphony X, Yes, Rush, Boston, Dream Theater, and the Flower Kings. Later releases sharpened the contrast between fleet-fingered guitar attack, multi-part vocal harmonies, and expansive organ, synth, and Mellotron sections, a direction crystallized on the 2012 album Relic of the Modern World.
Vanderhoof formed the band in fall 2004 in his Aberdeen, Washington hometown during a Metal Church pause. He recruited Brian Cokeley, who had sung with him in the Vanderhoof project during the late 1990s and early 2000s, as lead vocalist. The original roster also included guitarist Scott Albright, drummer Jeff Wade, and bassist Brian Lake, with Vanderhoof and Cokeley sharing keyboard duties. A late-2004 deal with Inside Out led to the recording of Peace Among the Ruins, issued in June 2005 and widely praised for its warm, organic tone achieved through analog tape and vintage guitars and synths. Festival appearances and shows aimed at Metal Church listeners followed amid continual lineup shifts. By the 2008 release of The Lost Art of Time Travel on Prog Rock Records, only Albright remained from the prior configuration, now handling vocals; the album’s sound leaned further backward, echoing the keyboard-driven hard rock of Deep Purple’s Jon Lord and Mick Box’s Uriah Heep while adopting the stacked choral harmonies associated with Styx and Kansas.
Invisible Places arrived in 2011 after Vanderhoof enlisted former Metal Church vocalist Ronny Munroe, keyboardist Kerry Shacklett, bassist Bobby Ferkovich, and drummer Henry Elwood. The album centered on organ textures yet retained metal appeal, and touring expanded the audience. Strong reception encouraged immediate studio work, with Munroe exiting amicably and Chuck Campbell assuming lead vocals while Larry Crowe replaced Elwood on drums. Relic of the Modern World followed in February 2012; its centerpiece, the twenty-minute, eight-part title suite, earned particular acclaim. After additional touring Vanderhoof returned to Metal Church and other projects for five years, reconvening Presto Ballet for late-2017 and early-2018 dates before entering the studio with new drummer Charlie Lorme. The resulting album, The Days Between, appeared in December and fused 1960s and early-1970s twin-lead-guitar approaches with Spock’s Beard-inspired modern neo-prog. Shacklett and Vanderhoof balanced angular prog hooks against layers of melody and lush vocal harmonies.
Vanderhoof formed the band in fall 2004 in his Aberdeen, Washington hometown during a Metal Church pause. He recruited Brian Cokeley, who had sung with him in the Vanderhoof project during the late 1990s and early 2000s, as lead vocalist. The original roster also included guitarist Scott Albright, drummer Jeff Wade, and bassist Brian Lake, with Vanderhoof and Cokeley sharing keyboard duties. A late-2004 deal with Inside Out led to the recording of Peace Among the Ruins, issued in June 2005 and widely praised for its warm, organic tone achieved through analog tape and vintage guitars and synths. Festival appearances and shows aimed at Metal Church listeners followed amid continual lineup shifts. By the 2008 release of The Lost Art of Time Travel on Prog Rock Records, only Albright remained from the prior configuration, now handling vocals; the album’s sound leaned further backward, echoing the keyboard-driven hard rock of Deep Purple’s Jon Lord and Mick Box’s Uriah Heep while adopting the stacked choral harmonies associated with Styx and Kansas.
Invisible Places arrived in 2011 after Vanderhoof enlisted former Metal Church vocalist Ronny Munroe, keyboardist Kerry Shacklett, bassist Bobby Ferkovich, and drummer Henry Elwood. The album centered on organ textures yet retained metal appeal, and touring expanded the audience. Strong reception encouraged immediate studio work, with Munroe exiting amicably and Chuck Campbell assuming lead vocals while Larry Crowe replaced Elwood on drums. Relic of the Modern World followed in February 2012; its centerpiece, the twenty-minute, eight-part title suite, earned particular acclaim. After additional touring Vanderhoof returned to Metal Church and other projects for five years, reconvening Presto Ballet for late-2017 and early-2018 dates before entering the studio with new drummer Charlie Lorme. The resulting album, The Days Between, appeared in December and fused 1960s and early-1970s twin-lead-guitar approaches with Spock’s Beard-inspired modern neo-prog. Shacklett and Vanderhoof balanced angular prog hooks against layers of melody and lush vocal harmonies.
Albums
