Digital Life Project - 2025 - Digital Life

(55:21; Digital Life Project)

Track list:
1. Out of the Ashes 5:06
2. The Invention 3:44
3. Fight the Good Fight 6:40
4. Simple Complexity Overture 5:26
- Digital Life Suite:
5. Arrival 5:25
6. New Begininngs 6:10
7. Digital Life 5:44
8. Longing 3:23
9. Age of Lies 6:58
10. A.I. Masters (Fall of Man) 6:45

Line-up:
Roby Deaton - keyboards
Hadi Kiani - vocals
John Haddad - bass
with:
Mike Thorn - drums
Phil Hronas - drums
Josh Mark Raj - guitars
Ehsan Imani - guitars
Frank Jung - guitars
Danny Miranda - bass


Prolusion.
US band Digital Life Project is a fairly recent addition to the US progressive rock scene, but it is also a direct continuation of the Deaton LeMay Project. For some reason or other LeMay isn't involved in this venture anymore, and Deaton has decided to continue creating music in a similar vein but under a new moniker. "Digital Life" is the first album to be released under the new band name, and was self released in the spring of 2025.

Analysis.
As was the case with the previous incarnation of this project, it is a style of progressive rock that looks back in time for inspiration we get here, and where the compositions by and large explore the symphonic progressive rock legacy in a direct and sometimes slightly indirect manner. Moods, atmospheres and melodies are given a stronger focus than expressive instrument details throughout, although those who are fond of the latter will obviously get a lot of ear candy thrown their way too. That substantial parts of this production consists of instrumental compositions is probably one of those small facts that may be of interest to those more fond of the role of the instruments inside of this context.

While we do get a number of expressive keyboard details in particular here, often reminding ever so slightly of ELP, the more elegant role of the wandering piano motif is perhaps a more central and defining feature as such throughout this production. And that we get a standalone, elegant piano instrumental may be regarded as an indication of the importance the piano as an instrument is for this project too I suspect. The keyboards and the organ are rather more dominant of course, grabbing the limelight with a more dramatic presence in sound as well as expression. The guitar has a rather prominent role throughout too, with several of the songs adding a little bit of a hard expansion to the symphonic progressive rock description that I find fits the bill of the landscapes explored here more often than not.

While I do get occasional ELP associations when listening to this album, the colder 80s style keyboard sound and the melodic sensibilities does actually make me think of ELP side project 3 to a greater extent than ELP themselves as far as specific associations go, and the melodic sensibilities as well as the songs featuring vocals expands my associations towards the different 80s varieties of Yes, and to some extent the Yes offshoot Anderson Bruford/ Wakeman/ Howe too. While some of the more powerful and majestic sides of Digital Life Project combined with the melodic sensibilities gives me associations towards just as legendary US band Kansas. 

It is inside of this quadrant of influences I'd place the exploits of Digital Life Project I guess, with a bit of an emphasis on this project having a stronger focus on moods and melodies while also having a bit of a tendency to expand the landscapes with a harder toned edge and a hard rock vibe. That being said, the important role of the piano in general and with some of the songs leaning towards a more generally atmospheric laden expression too, there is a bit more going on with this production. While I cannot pinpoint anything exact here, I get a bit of a feeling that this first album under a new moniker may be a little bit of a transitional creation. An album that perhaps may include some material written for the past version of this venture as well as material created specifically for the revised version of this project. Thoughts and reflections that obviously come from a subjective point of view, these are impressions and speculations due to subjective associations rather than descriptions based on objective facts.

Just like the albums released under the Deaton LeMay Project band name, this is a high quality album on all levels, where the songwriting, the performances and the mix and production all come with a solid stamp of quality. And with the inclusion of the cover of Triumph's 'Fight the Good Fight', this is an album that may even have a song with hit potential present. At least if that song was ever to be given the exposure it deserves.

Conclusion.
While this is a venture that probably can be regarded in a few different manners in terms of style and orientation, for my sake at least it is a distinctly 80s sounding variety of symphonic progressive rock that strikes me as the most defining feature this time around. Explored with a combination of melodic sensibilities being highlighted and an occasional harder edged expression being explored, but also in a manner that leaves space and room for gentler, more atmospheric laden sensibilities to be given a more central role at times. While different in a few different ways, I would suspect that those who enjoy the landscapes explored by Yes in the 1980s as well as those who find the albums by ELP offshot 3 to be generally interesting should find this first album released under the Digital Life Project band name to be rather intriguing.

Olav "Progmessor" Björnsen, June 2025

Links:
https://digitallifeproject.com/