Category: Uncategorised

Review – Mayfire – Cloudscapes & Silhouettes – by Rob Fisher

Some albums have an uncanny ability to quickly etch themselves on your soul, delivering an adrenaline-fuelled rush of tingling elation which makes you truly glad to be alive. Alive is certainly how you will feel by the time you reach the end of Cloudscapes and Silhouettes, heart-rate elevated, blood coursing through your veins, wide-eyed with exhilaration, a surprised but passion-spent ‘bloody hell’ escaping from your lips as the final notes fade.

Mayfire have created a blistering debut album which throbs, pulses, confronts and caresses, teases and goads, yet through it all, holds you captivated, enthralled and transfixed. By the time it finishes, you will, even though pleasantly dazed and perhaps a smidge flustered, truly understand with an aching certainty the fullest, deepest and most encompassing meaning of ‘epic’.

Opening track The Fall (Track 1) sets the scene, a moody, brooding, unsettling prophetic lament giving us a glimpse of the expansive cinematic canvas to come. The atmospheric panorama makes you feel as if you are being confronted by a momentous quest, a chilling, portentous challenge:

Some say it was the overpopulation that started it all
Some say it’s just human nature.
The power. The Greed.
The never-ending reach for more.
It doesn’t matter much who was wrong or right
And the Earth was left broken
And it didn’t stop human nature
So if you ask me
The fall, it was just a matter of time

The foreboding crescendo which follows is a premonition of the journey that is to come. Silence descends. We wait with bated breath.

City of Ruins (Track 2) quickly sets the scene; a light, symphonic intro dissolves into a compelling musical full frontal, the guitar work oscillating between staccato, accentuated bursts which then flow into reverberating, extended chords; an insistent, demanding drum pulsates, driving the music forward. Above it all the vocal prowess of MJX is towering, glorious, peerless, lighting the way, leading us on, a light in the darkness.

Shadows (Track 3) confirms initial impressions. An impressive opening gambit, growling with unsettling menace eases into a beautiful oasis of melodic calm. But the power of the voice returns to pierce the illusion; a voice laden with anger, despair, lament calls across growling guitar foundations into the emptiness:

Trying to understand, Never to be the same.
Now that I have seen it, it all makes sense.
Saying you’re sorry won’t suffice this time,
Giving you another chance or never to be seen again.   

Time signatures change and shift to match the mood and the pace of song; instrumental combinations weave, combine, dissipate, forming new combinations, driving the momentum forward. The magic of this album is precisely the ever-shifting textures in the soundscapes. Within the context of a song, you never hear the same thing twice. Mayfire are forging their own path, their own sound, in order to express emotional depth through the interplay of complex rhythms, sophisticated melodies, intricate changes of tempo and shuddering transitions.

The title track brings even greater contrasts. A discordant, jarring opening outburst gives way to the exquisitely nuanced and delicate melody. But it can’t last: the beauty is broken, disrupted back to discordant noise. But wait; beauty returns. That voice. Pleads. Begs. Dreams. Hopes. “Stay strong, carry on”. Vulnerability is writ large. But it can’t last, can’t withstand the onslaught which inevitably arrives. This time a soaring guitar solo replaces the voice amidst the mayhem, briefly taming the darkness.

Thicker Than Water (Track 5) is a welcome respite. Aiden’s bass carries the load and propels a reflective urge to reach tender depths as memories are recalled and the serenity of nostalgia calms the storm. For a while. Past and present conflict; the reverie breaks. Guitars leak into the musical canvas like water running down wallpaper heralding a coming flood.

A Sense of Purpose (Track 6) is a thundering, relentless assault, climactic vocals falling apart into guttural growls and screams. The melody reaches out to restore order but is quickly overwhelmed with the roar of brutal passion and raw emotion. Contrast this with Vinternatt (Track 7), a total shift of tone, mood and atmosphere. The growl remains present, but constrained, melody given an echoing, transparent musical backdrop. Like a scene change at a theatre, it’s replaced with dense, intense, busy-ness, only to shift again, and again until we reach the most glorious passage of almost shamanic chanting, unexpected and immersive in the way it mesmerises and stops you dead in your tracks.

Fearless (Track 8) brings us toward resolution. The melody is stronger, centre stage, not knocked off by competing instrumental contrasts. The song structure is almost ‘traditional’, paired back and simplified, allowing a lighter, brighter air. Closing track The Age of Kings (Track 9) brings us full circle to the feel of Track 1. Except, too much has happened, we have travelled so far, so long, so hard. It may be a return to where we started but it now feels very different. “Don’t let this moment ever be the end! / Been staring at these lights in the distance / Feeling kind of safe here / Alone.”

I found my way to prog via heavy metal and heavy rock. I retain a deep fondness for and strong affinity with both genres. In the burgeoning arena of progressive metal where so much mediocrity has unfortunately blunted its edge, what Mayfire have achieved with Cloudscapes and Silhouettes is, to my mind, remarkable. The vision of the album is both magnificent in its scope as well as monumental in its reach. Impressively ambitious. The innovative use of evolving layering to build creative shifting textures and create rich, resonant soundscapes is nothing short of triumphant. And in case I’ve not mentioned it before: that voice. Bloody hell. It gives you the world and everything in it.

Released November 17th, 2023.

Order from bandcamp here:

Cloudscapes & Silhouettes | Mayfire (bandcamp.com)

TRACK LISTING
1. The Fall 02:24
2. City Of Ruins 04:31
3. Shadows 06:33
4. Cloudscapes & Silhouettes 05:52
5. Thicker Than Water 03:51
6. A Sense Of Purpose 03:44
7. Vinternatt 05:35
8. Fearless 06:06
9. The Age Of Kings 05:24

MUSICIANS
Aiden – Bass
Eros – Drum
Locke – Guitar
MJX – Vocals
REX – Guitar

Projected Twin Unveils New Single “A Feat of Rage” from Upcoming Album “The Life & Death of Shaun Holton”

Renowned producer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist Shaun Holton, known under the moniker Projected Twin, is set to mesmerise audiences once again with the release of his latest single, “A Feat of Rage,” from the highly anticipated album “The Life & Death of Shaun Holton.”

Holton, who recently assumed the role of lead singer for the critically acclaimed Australian Progressive Rock band Southern Empire, has been making waves in the music industry. Southern Empire’s 2023 album, “Another World,” received widespread acclaim, with Holton’s vocal prowess earning him recognition as one of the best vocalists of 2023 by Prog Press “The Prog Mind.” The album itself was listed among the top 10 releases of 2023 by “Prog Magazine,” standing shoulder to shoulder with progressive icons Steven Wilson and Peter Gabriel.

“A Feat of Rage” marks the first single from the forthcoming Projected Twin album, which represents Holton’s fourth full-length release. This album is highly anticipated as it follows the conclusion of a conceptual trilogy of albums, the cult-celebrated “Earth/World” series.

Projected Twin’s sound is deeply rooted in progressive rock, drawing influences from 90s alternative, pop, rock, and metal icons such as Filter, Incubus, and Alice in Chains. Holton’s journey into the world of prog began in late 2005 when he was introduced to the discographies of Porcupine Tree and Opeth, alongside local Australian alt-rock/prog icons Cog and Karnivool.

Commenting on “A Feat of Rage” and the upcoming album, Holton shares, “This single is a glimpse into the sonic journey of ‘The Life & Death of Shaun Holton.’ It’s a blend of progressive elements with the raw energy of alternative rock, offering listeners an immersive experience.”

“The Life & Death of Shaun Holton” represents an ironic take on Holton’s public display of an identity crisis since Projected Twin’s conception, questioning whether he is, in fact, the artist ‘Projected Twin’ or ‘Shaun Holton.’

Listeners can immerse themselves in the captivating sounds of “A Feat of Rage” on all major streaming platforms starting 12/4/2024. Stay tuned for the release of “The Life & Death of Shaun Holton” for a musical experience that transcends boundaries and genres.

Listen to, and order, the track from bandcamp here:

https://projectedtwin.bandcamp.com/track/a-feat-of-rage

About Projected Twin:

Projected Twin is the musical brainchild of producer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist Shaun Holton. With influences ranging from 90s alternative to progressive rock icons, Projected Twin’s music offers a unique blend of sonic textures and emotive storytelling. “The Life & Death of Shaun Holton” represents the next chapter in Holton’s musical journey, promising an immersive experience for listeners.

GODSTICKS ANNOUNCE MORE TOUR DATES FOR 2024 – NEW ALBUM ‘THIS IS WHAT A WINNER LOOKS LIKE’ OUT NOW ON KSCOPE

After the release of their new album ‘This Is What A Winner Looks Like’ last year, Godsticks have continued to keep up the momentum in 2024 with a run of UK shows at the start of this year alongside an appearance at Planet Rock’s Winters End Festival. 

Now in June and September the band are continuing to build on this success with even more live dates across the UK. Frontman and guitarist Darran Charles had the following to say:  

“Our last few tours have easily been our most successful to date. Upon reading some of the reviews of those shows, it’s heartening to see that we’ve become recognised as a high-energy live act, even a ‘must-see’. This recent success is why we’re planning on touring far more regularly and travelling to places that we’ve never been to before. 

If we can keep growing the audience numbers as we have been, then it’s our ambition to create an even more special live experience and perform on some even bigger stages. However, we must admit that the intimate venues we’ve been playing of late have definitely made for some very memorable shows, so we’re determined to create more. 

One thing we’re confident of is that once you come to one Godsticks show, we’ll guarantee you’ll come to the next one – it’s a great time for both the band and the audience. Miss us at your peril!”

19/6/24 Heartbreakers, Southampton – Tickets

20/6/24 The Asylum 2, Birmingham – Tickets

21/6/24 The Globe, Glossop – Tickets

05/9/24 Three Wise Monkeys, Colchester – Tickets

6/9/2024 Le Pub, Newport, Wales – Tickets

Their love for writing and productivity had been reignited simply by being able to perform live. Experimenting with electronic sounds and delegating writing duties in the band allowed ‘This Is What A Winner Looks Like’ to be their most collaborative album to date. 

Order the album here:

THIS IS WHAT A WINNER LOOKS LIKE (lnk.to)

Dark folk / prog artist Marjana Semkina (Iamthemorning) announces new album and streams first single

Sirin album out 31st May; ‘We Are The Ocean’ lyric video streaming now

Album guest features include Jim Grey (Caligula’s Horse) & Mick Moss (Antimatter).

Progressive dark folk artist Marjana Semkina has announced the release her second solo LP – Sirin – on 31st May 2024 along with a Kickstarter campaign. She has also unveiled the first single ‘We Are The Ocean’ along with a stunning lyric video.

Watch the lyric video for ‘We Are The Ocean’ here:

Pre-order Sirin here:

SIRIN by Marjana Semkina — Kickstarter

Known for her work as the vocalist of prog duo Iamthemorning, self-exiled Russian Marjana has forged a successful solo career with two critically acclaimed solo releases: her 2020 debut solo album Sleepwalking, and 2021 follow-up EP Disillusioned. Like its predecessors, Sirin is a journey of dark stories and fairy tales, told with Marjana’s uniquely captivating voice, on a foundation of detailed musical arrangements. However there is a prevailing darkness and grief, inspired by of Russian invasion of Ukraine, with the first single about by the protests.

On new single ‘We Are The Ocean’ Marjana comments: “This song was inspired by all of my Russian friends coming out to protest against the war when it started, despite the fact that there was a very good chance they’d get arrested for doing so – a lot did in the end. I wrote lyrics to this song on a train to one of those protests in London, Trafalgar Square in early March 2022.”

On the album Sirin, she continues: “Sirin is a mythical creature from ancient Slavic mythology, half-bird half-woman, she’s a harbinger of bad luck and death, and it’s believed that if you meet Sirin a big catastrophe will happen – except in case with the events surrounding this album it’s already happened. Sirin cries and mourns for humankind, and nothing can be more appropriate in this day and age. Sirin is one of very few creatures that can travel between worlds – a world of gods of light, a world of dark deities (in some versions an alternative to the underworld) and a world of mortals. This felt appropriate because the album is quite diverse in sound and some might think parts of it sound happy, but the subject matter is almost always quite morbid, which creates a contrast that I enjoy.

“I was never very political and I always tried to keep my art within the realms of lore, literature and imagination. But when events like the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine happen, it is impossible – and I’d even say, unforgivable – to stay silent and do nothing. Thankfully being based in the UK I feel rather safe speaking out against the current regime and I do have a platform that I can use to try and show the world that Russians disagree with the actions of the Russian government, and there are so many of us that only wish for this to be over. I’m just trying to show it in the most artistic way I can muster.”

Now permanently based in the UK, Marjana has been an active campaigner against the Russian occupation in Ukraine and has raised thousands of pounds via her activities to support the victims of war. She will continue her work, including selling a number of a limited run of handwritten lyrics from Sirin, with the money going to Ukrainian charities. Acts punishable by 15 years imprisonment should she return home.

Marjana is joined by an array of world class musicians (detailed below), which includes two very special guest vocal performances from Jim Grey (Caligula’s Horse) and Mick Moss (Antimatter).

Marjana has previously collaborated with many incredible artists, including The Flower Kings, Jordan Rudess, Blackbriar, as well as Anna Murphy with their Maer project. Combined with her work in Iamthemorning, her experiences have enabled her to become one of the most unique and exciting solo artists in the progressive world today. 

Recording musicians:
Grigoriy Losenkov – piano, bass guitar, synths, drum programming
Vlad Avy – electric guitar, synths, drum programming
Keli Guðjónsson (Agent Fresco) – drums 
Charlie Cawood (Medieval baebes, Knifeworld) – acoustic guitar, bouzouki, glockenspiel, hammered dulcimer, luiqin, guzheng
Liam McLaughlin (Sithu aye, IATM) – electric guitar
Margarita Chernyshevskaya – 1st Violin 
Petr Chepelev  – 2nd Violin 
Julia Uliashcenkova – Viola 
Julia Romashko – Cello 

Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess launches new single ‘Embers’ 

Legendary Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess recently announced his signing to InsideOutMusic for a brand-new solo album to be released later in 2024, and now he is pleased to launch the first single from that album, titled ‘Embers’. Previously available as part of an exciting collaboration between Rudess and Moises AI, fans can now hear the track on all streaming services here:

Jordan Rudess – Embers – Single (lnk.to)

The track features Jordan alongside renowned drummer Darby Todd (Devin Townsend, The Darkness) & vocalist That Joe Payne, as well as a guest guitar solo by Bastian Martinez. 

He comments of the track: “EMBERS, the starting spark of my upcoming album, sets the tone for my latest solo musical journey. Originally created for Moises’ innovative platform, this track captures a mellower vibe, different from the rest of the album’s progressive tunes. For those prog heads out there, never fear, this album runs the gamut of my musical expression and you will get your polymeters and Snarling Pigs. The inspiration for creating this track coincided with a project I was asked to do for the app, Moises, a technology that can turn standard audio files into separate tracks while also showing chords, lyrics and more. I hope you enjoy listening to Embers and, if you are inspired to add your own musical collaboration on this tune, check it out on Moises.” 

Jordan adds on the forthcoming album: “I knew I was going to have some time off after the last Dream Theater tour ended. Enough time to, hopefully, complete a new solo album. I wanted this album to push me to evolve a new compositional perspective. So, this album is my inaugural voyage into crafting a solo album with a dedicated vocalist in mind. Joe Payne’s vocals inspired me from the first time I heard him and drummer, Darby Todd, has infused each track with his distinctive style.  I’m also stepping into uncharted instrumental territory, playing guitar on a few tracks. Another first, my daughter, Ariana, has penned all the lyrics for this album. We’ve worked closely together, ensuring that each lyric weaves a story and allows Joe’s beautiful voice to soar. Proud Dad here. All around this album is a testament to collaboration and personal growth.” 

Jordan recently made his live debut with Darby Todd & That Joe Payne, with two rapturously received sets on the 2024 edition of Cruise To The Edge, also marking the live premiere of the new single ‘Embers’. 

More information on Jordan Rudess:

Renowned as the “Best Keyboardist of All Time” by Music Radar Magazine, Jordan Rudess stands out as the extraordinary keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist for the platinum-selling, Grammy Award-winning progressive rock band, Dream Theater. Embarking on his musical journey as a classical prodigy, Jordan initiated his studies at the illustrious Juilliard School of Music at the age of 9, laying the foundation for a career marked by a distinctive fusion of classical and rock influences. 

Beyond his role in Dream Theater and the power group, Liquid Tension Experiment, Jordan’s musical prowess has resonated across a diverse spectrum of collaborations. From Deep Purple and David Bowie to Steven Wilson and Jan Hammer, he has left an indelible mark on the industry. Notable projects such as LMR (his side venture with Tony Levin and Marco Minneman), Steven Wilson’s Blackfield, guest appearances with Deep Purple and the Dixie Dregs and collaborations with artists like Enrique Iglesias, the Paul Winter Consort, Annie Haslam, and many others, underscore the breadth of his musical reach. 

Venturing into the realm of cutting-edge technology, Jordan has emerged as a pioneer with a focus on state-of-the-art keyboard controllers and music apps. As the owner of the highly successful iOS app development company, Wizdom Music, he has spearheaded the creation of award-winning apps, including GeoShred, MorphWiz, SampleWiz, Vythm, Polywave, Jam with Jordan and SampleWiz 2. GeoShred, Wizdom Music’s latest triumph, was a collaborative effort with moForte, founding members of Stanford University’s Sondius team. Rudess is currently working on an AI interactive project as Visiting Artist at MIT’s Media Lab in the Responsive Environments group. 

Review – David Jackson and René van Commenée – Keep Your Lane

‘Keep Your Lane’ is an intriguing collaboration between David Jackson and René van Commenée. The two artists have known each other for many years, often collaborating on gigs. That friendship and their live performances led to the release of a live CD – ‘Batteries Included’ in 2003. Jackson also worked with René’s project ‘Mr Averell’. This new recording is the duo’s first studio album that began during the covid lockdown. In the course of reviewing some previously laid down musical pieces David Jackson began re-working arrangements and orchestration – developing new ideas.

When he shared some tracks with René the project brought together two formidable virtuosos. Commenée began adding new production ideas and new parts from his astonishing collection of instruments. That collaboration blends their individual talents into a soundscape of overlaying styles and tempos capturing jazz vibes rock and folk.

Together the duo has created a suite of complex arrangements and multi-tracking with Jackson’s trademark sax and flute interspersed with van Commenée’s percussion. It is a wonderfully diverse collection of tunes that definitely fall into the eclectic and esoteric end of progressive rock and jazz fusion. Take opener Eternal Caravans with it’s pulsating percussion and edgy spiralling brass that gives a North African feel to the music, it is at once gripping but also asks questions of the listener as it builds into a crescendo. Garden Shed continues to pique your interest with its clever, upbeat, jerky delivery, like a brass band jamming with a local jazz collective, it sounds like it shouldn’t work but it really does. I am a big fan of Bird’s Lament with it’s marching band ethos reworked into something dynamic, fluid and thoroughly entertaining and the moody, atmospheric majesty of single release Gateway.

Waving At Strangers continues this diverse musical journey with a sophisticated and refined air, Jackson’s charismatic and compelling sax a laser sharp focus. The intelligent and influential songwriting continues with the intense and cinematic Gridlockdown, a track that could be the soundtrack to a grittier version of Hawaii-5-O and the wonderful medieval pageantry of Hills of The North, another highly satisfying piece of music full of pomp and circumstance. To me, Get A Grip! is a marvellous homage to the crime noir movies of the 50’s, or at least it should be. A true modern classic of dark, edgy jazz fusion with a pronounced air of superiority and a very clever piece of music indeed! Koozokudooro is as quirky a track as its title would suggest, just under two minutes of intrigue and chicanery that puts a smile on my face.

A lively and esoteric jolt of wild escapism mixing time signatures, keys, distorted sounds and voice, Pinball Potter dances suggestively across your synapses and JackLanzCom Haiku sees Jackson’s skittish flute play counterpoint to the moody sax and van Commenée’s strident percussion to deliver a mildly violent musical slap in the face. The new instrumental recreation and orchestration of Pioneers over c, the Van der Graaf Generator (VdGG) classic track from the 1970’s album ‘H to He Who Am The Only One‘. Now titled Pioneers over c, 2023’ is a homage to that elusive track that has only ever been played live once. It features the virtuoso Colin Edwin on bass (Porcupine Tree). Coming in at over ten minutes long, it is a wonderfully evocative piece of music that invokes the heyday of experimental progressive rock in the 1970’s, just lose yourself in the moment and enjoy the awe-inspiring musical tapestry that is laid out in front of you. The album closes with Felona, an impish, wistful piece of music drawn from the ideas that Jackson, with Peter Hammill prepared for VdGG’s Italian friends Le Orme for their 1973 English version of Felona e Sorona, Jackson’s sessions were timed-out, but they were not forgotten and have been reworked especially for this album.

If you’re a fan of intricate music full of expression and inventiveness that showcases the best of jazz fusion and epic progressive rock then go no further, your search is over. A more eclectic album you will be lucky to find this year and I really enjoyed it.

Released 2nd February, 2024.

Links to order CD and download here:

Keep your Lane | David Jackson (jaxontonewall.com)

Review Catalyst*R – Pace of Change – by John Wenlock-Smith

This review is for the recently released second album from Catlyst*R entitled ‘Pace of Change’. On this release we see a continued progression in their sound and ethos, with a good mixture of song lengths (three epic and four shorter tracks) which, all taken together, form an impressive sophomore release. The album is not afraid to experiment with sounds and textures ranging from gentle acoustic segments through to some hard hitting Porcupine Tree like sounds.

The album opens in style with the lengthy title track, Pace Of Change. This song offers a strong mix of almost ethereal sounds along with some very solid crunchy sections. It opens with a repeated piano note and motif, some chugging bass runs and excellent sound effects before a brutally punishing riff is unveiled. There’s strong vocals from Damien Child and great support from Gary Jeavon, who plays guitar and bass amongst other things admirably throughout, with Greg Pringle keeping everything held together with his excellent and subtle drumming and percussion. This piece is really musically strong and very powerfully delivered. Even so, it is not without its elements of light and shade, delicacy and domineering power in parts. It really is very impressive stuff and serves both as an excellent opener and a clear statement of intent to bring something new and fresh to the progressive genre. I feel they succeed here in some style, I detect elements of Marillion, Porcupine Tree and, vocally, Saga’s Michael Sadler in the mix here. As the opener is somewhat Blistering in places, unsurprisingly, they elected for a far gentler second song in Dust Within The Seams. The track is bolstered by a very busy bass part that underpins everything, along with more Saga-ish vocals and an excellent fluid guitar solo from Gary that certainly impresses. Again, the trio are making a great sound and, indeed, a fine album here, certainly something a little less expected or ordinary is on offer here. I really like this song it has agility and excellent dynamics and is a delight to hear.

Ghosts On The Radio is another strong and interesting track with a good guitar line and strong synths floating over the vocals in a most impressive manner. Homesick is the second longer track and this one has excellent keyboards along with a strong vocal and very melodic touches. It is a really good track, very good musically with especially impressive sturdy bass lines. I really like this song a lot, it’s the best so far in my opinion, especially the stunning guitar solo at the close! Unbroken is another very powerful track with a harder edge to the sound and has an excellent crunchy guitar tone in parts. This shorter piece is full of strong dynamics and melody, tempered with some powerful riffing and exciting solo parts, again, it is really impressive stuff.

Pendle Hill 1612 is the albums real epic track and tells the tale of the Lancastrian witch trials at Pendle Hill in 1612. This is a moody and slowly brooding song with strong instrumental work adding to the atmosphere. Excellent use of sound effects and timbres convey a air of malevolent darkness and add greatly to this most atmospheric track. The track doesn’t waste a second as it builds powerful to an emotional guitar solo, overall, a most well delivered and boldly imagined track and very satisfying indeed. We’ll Say Goodbye In The Rain concludes the album and, in this song, you can clearly hear the influences that years of musical theatre have impacted on Damien, not just vocally but in the sense of dynamics unveiled in this most emotionally laden song that would not be out of place in the West End Stage.

This is an album that really deserves a wider audience and fans of This Winter Machine and Ghost Of The Machine especially will find much familiar ground here as they explore a similar musical terrain. Either way, this is a very strong modern progressive rock album and certainly bodes well for more future activities in whatever form that may take. Definitely a contender for my album of the year list vote December 2024.

Released 1st March, 2024.

Order from bandcamp here:

Pace Of Change | Catalyst*R (bandcamp.com)

RIVERSIDE – Announce UK/Ireland Tour

Support from Klone (Unplugged) / Launch “Making of ID.Entity” documentary online

Poland’s pioneering and leading Progressive Rock band RIVERSIDE are pleased to announce a UK/Ireland tour in support of their latest studio album “ID.Entity”, released last year via InsideOutMusic.

RIVERSIDE’s Mariusz Duda checked in with the following comment:

“We’re coming back! We remember the fantastic shows in the UK and Ireland in the spring of 2023. Because we haven’t visited the Islands too often since the ‘Wasteland’ tour, we will return with our biggest UK/Ireland tour to date. We’d be very happy to meet you all (again). So before we close the chapter on ‘ID.Entity’ and take a break, come join us!”

 RIVERSIDE’s UK/Ireland tour will feature Klone as special guests with a special “unplugged” set. Klone’s Guillaume Bernard adds:

“We are really happy to share the stage with Riverside on this UK/Ireland tour. We are very excited to play in great venues, like the amazing KOKO in London, where we played 12 years ago with Gojira.  This time we will play ‘unplugged’ versions of our songs, but be sure that it will sound huge and heavy!”

RIVERSIDE – United Kingdom / Ireland Tour 2024
+ Special Guests KLONE (‘Unplugged’)

12.05.2024 Norwich (UK) – Epic Studios

13.05.2024 Birmingham (UK) – 02 Institute 1

15.05.2024 Belfast (UK) – Limelight 1

16.05.2024 Dublin (UK) – Academy

18.05.2024 Glasgow (UK) – The Old Fruit Market

19.05.2024 London (UK) – Koko

20.05.2024 Bristol (UK) – SWX

21.05.2024 Manchester (UK) – 02 Ritz

Tickets on sale tomorrow morning:

Riverside – Gigs (riversideband.pl)

Previous to this tour, RIVERSIDE will be performing in North America and Latin America as well appearing on several festival events in the summer as follows:

RIVERSIDE – Live 2024:

08.03.2024 Port Canaveral (USA) – Cruise To The Edge Festival

15.03.2024 Guadalajara (Mexico) – C3 Stage

17,03.2024 Monterrey (Mexico) – Café Iguana

19.03.2024 Mexico City (Mexico) – Auditorio Blackberry

21.03.2024 Bogotá (Colombia) – Teatro Astor Plaza

23.03.2024 San José (Costa Rica) – Pepper Club

28.03.2024 Buenos Aires (Argentina) – Groove

03.04.2024 São Paulo (Brazil) – Carioca Club

06.04.2024 Santiago (Chile) – Teatro Caupolicán

01.06.2024 Warsaw (Poland) – Torwar Hall

05-08.06.2024 Sölvesborg (Sweden) – Sweden Rock Festival

19-22.06.2024 Murcia (Spain) – Rock Imperium Festival

28-30.06.2024 Helsinki (Finland) – Tuska Festival

18-21.07.2024 Jarocin (Poland) – Jarocin Festival

19.07.2024 Sankt Goarshausen (Germany) – Night Of The Prog Festival

07-10.08.2024 Jaroměř (Czech Republic) – Brutal Assault

16.08.2024 Carhaix-Plouguer (France) – Motocultor Festival

And many more shows to be announced soon…

Tickets: Riverside – Gigs (riversideband.pl)

Most recently, RIVERSIDE have launched their “Making of ‘ID.Entity'” documentary, directed by Marcin Zawadziński. The documentary was screened a year ago at RIVERSIDE’s promotional meetings in Helios cinemas in Poland for the release of their latest studio album “’ID.Entity’ and now everyone will finally be able to watch it online, everywhere. 

Check it out here:

“ID.Entity”, the group’s 8th studio album was recorded and mixed in two studios – The Boogie Town Studio in Otwock with Paweł Marciniak and in Serakos studio in Warsaw with Magda and Robert Srzedniccy -, mastered by Robert Szydło and produced by RIVERSIDE’s Mariusz Duda himself. The “ID.Entity” artwork was created by Polish artist Jarek Kubicki.

“ID.Entity” achieved the following outstanding chart positions upon release: Germany: # 4, Poland: # 2, Switzerland: # 6, The Netherlands: # 9, Finland: # 14, Austria: # 22, Belgium: # 97, France: # 155, UK: # 89, UK / Rock Charts: # 3, USA / Top New Artist Albums: # 7, USA / Current Album Sales: # 61, USA / Hard Music Albums: # 9, USA / Current Rock Albums: # 20.

Check out the singles/videos off “ID.Entity” here:

“I’m Done With You”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q6XJfKxKb4

“Self-Aware (Single Edit)”: https://youtu.be/Weuo4hgVHyY

“Friend or Foe? (Single Edit)”: https://youtu.be/EWQQFjyHtro

And also check out two interesting videos in which the RIVERSIDE band members chat about “ID.Entity”:


About “ID.Entity” Pt. 1: https://youtu.be/_fK-qO6qVI8

About “ID.Entity” Pt. 2: https://youtu.be/awsIdOpgpO8

Can still order “ID.Entity” in its various formats here:
https://riverside.lnk.to/IDEntity

Or here:

https://riverside.lnk.to/IDEntitybio

And check out a YouTube playlist of visualizer clips for the entire album’s material here:

RIVERSIDE line-up:

Michał Łapaj – keyboards and Hammond Organ
Mariusz Duda – vocal, bass
Maciej Meller – guitar
Piotr Kozieradzki – drums

BIG BIG TRAIN ANNOUNCE ‘THE LIKES OF US’ TOUR – 12 UK/EUROPEAN SHOWS ANNOUNCED FOR SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2024BIG BIG TRAIN ANNOUNCE ‘THE LIKES OF US’ TOUR –

Big Big Train are delighted to announce 12 shows to take place in September and October 2024 in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway.

At these performances the seven piece band will be promoting their forthcoming The Likes Of Us album, their first for the InsideOut label, which will be released on 1st March 2024. Listen to the latest single ‘Miramare’ and pre-order here:

Big Big Train – Miramare (Single Edit) (lnk.to)

Lead vocalist Alberto Bravin says: “We’re really looking forward to getting back on the road this autumn around the UK and Europe.Following the success of last year’s The Journey Continues tour, we can’t wait to do it all again. On this tour in autumn we will be playing a significant amount of The Likes Of Us as well as some Big Big Train classics and a few surprises.”

Drummer Nick D’Virgilio adds: “Last year’s Big Big Train shows were so much fun. We made some changes to the set list every night. It was very challenging but it kept things fresh for both us and the audience, so we’re going to take a similar approach on this tour to make every show genuinely unique.”

Bassist Gregory Spawton continues: “For this tour we’ve decided to return to some of our favourite venues. But we were also keen to return to Wales for the first time since 2019 and get back to the north east and north west of England as well as visiting some parts of the country where Big Big Train hasn’t played before. While some fans travel vast distances to see us live, we recognise that others aren’t able to do so and therefore we’re trying to bring the show to them.”

Guitarist Rikard Sjöblom concludes: “In an ideal world, we would play everywhere! Scheduling is always challenging and so while we couldn’t organise a Swedish show this time around, I’m delighted that we will be performing in Oslo and Copenhagen again for my fellow Scandinavians. And I’m particularly looking forward to our weekend at the Boerderij where we plan to play two very different shows.”

BIG BIG TRAIN – THE LIKES OF USTOUR

TUESDAY 17TH SEPTEMBER 2024                     Wyvern Theatre, Swindon, UK

WEDNESDAY 18TH SEPTEMBER 2024              The Riverfront, Newport, UK

THURSDAY 19TH SEPTEMBER 2024                  Playhouse Theatre, Whitley Bay, UK

SATURDAY 21ST SEPTEMBER 2024                   Queens Hall, Edinburgh, UK

SUNDAY 22ND SEPTEMBER                            Palace Theatre, Newark, UK

TUESDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER                          Stables Theatre, Milton Keynes, UK

WEDNESDAY 25TH SEPTEMBER                   The Stoller Hall, Manchester, UK

FRIDAY 27TH SEPTEMBER 2024                         Stadthalle, Weinheim, GERMANY

SATURDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER 2024                  Boerderij, Zoetermeer, NETHERLANDS

SUNDAY 29TH SEPTEMBER 2024                       Boerderij, Zoetermeer, NETHERLANDS

TUESDAY 1ST OCTOBER 2024                            Cosmopolite, Oslo, NORWAY

WEDNESDAY 2ND OCTOBER 2024                    Viften, Copenhagen, DENMARK

Tickets for all shows go on sale at 10am UK/11am central European time on Friday 9th February. A pre-sale open to members of the band’s Passengers Club for all shows except Copenhagen, Oslo and Zoetermeer opens at 10am UK/11am central European time on Thursday 8th February. The pre-sale for Whitley Bay opens at 5pm on Thursday 8th February.

Ticket links here:

Live

Review – Ellesmere – Stranger Skies – by John Wenlock-Smith

I have come to the realisation that certain genres of music have the most impact on me. Growing up it was initially the raw power of Deep Purple that did it for me then, later on, Emerson, Lake and Palmer’s ‘Brain Salad Surgery’ made a huge impression on my young mind. I started exploring music for myself, helped in part by the fine chaps at my local record shop of choice, Reddington’s Rare Records in Birmingham, behind Marks & Spencers. This treasure trove or Aladdin’s cave of wonders was a crucial part of that, as the music I heard there was life changing. 

I was also an avid reader of Sounds and Melody Maker, later progressing onto Guitar World when I started to play the guitar. When I was in my 20’s, Kerrang and Raw Power came into my sphere of influence and with them I discovered multitudes of new and exciting groups and artists.

Some of those artists helped shape my tastes today, I, like many others, went through a heavy metal phase and also a blues period and later I went through a Miles Davis phase. However, one resounding constant has been my love of the likes of Kansas, Styx, Starcastle, Magnum and Queen, alongside Yes and ELP. For me, symphonic prog hits all the right spots, as Progradar Editor Martin Hutchinson knows only too well. So, when he offered me this new album from Ellesmere, I was certainly only too happy to accept, despite the group being totally new to me.

This album is actually the fourth excursion for multi-instrumentalist Roberto Vitelli’s project, visually and musically strongly linked to his ‘Wyrd’ of 2021. Although for this incarnation, Roberto has added a vocalist John Wilkinson of Swan Chorus, whose distinctive vocals aid with Roberto’s vision in creating music that has echoes of Genesis’ ‘Trick Of The Tail’ and Rush’s ‘Moving Pictures’.

In addition to John Wilkinson, featured are guests like Clive Nolan who provides keyboards and John Hackett, whose flute graces several tracks, and many others appear as well. The artwork is provided by Rodney Matthews whose artwork has graced many albums, including Magnum and Praying Mantis, to name but two. The artwork shows the setting visually by depicting a cold side (the first four tracks) and the other side being the warm side (the 2 lengthy tracks that complete the album).

The album seems to be centred on a series of imaginary or imagined adventures but what is the music like? let’s dive in and find out. The album begins with a mini epic called Northwards which is suitably spacious with lots of keyboards. It sounds vast and also a little foreboding, despite some rippling keyboards offering a bold soundscape. This evokes the warranted cold feelings wonderfully and all of this is in the first 2 minutes! The song concerns itself with an attempt to get to the North Pole overland by sledge, it is a very strong and moody track but handled marvellously by all. Tundra is next with a very sturdy bass part and thrashing drums. Again, the imagery used in this song evokes the cold and open spaces of the tundra most convincingly. I can hear elements of Yes in this track, notably in the vocals and also with the guitar work of Giacomo Ansolemi. Crystallised is an instrumental with acoustic guitar from Graham Taylor and also features David Jackson providing saxophone and other woodwind instruments. With a strong and prominent synth line, the track is excellent and very musically accomplished and shows splendid playing from all once more. Artica opens with a sturdy guitar riff and guitar lines. This song appears to be about climbing in the Arctic and the strength of character needed for such activities. The track has a strong essence of Asia to me, sounding like something from the ‘Alpha’ era of the band.

This track concludes the ‘cold’ side after which we progress on to the ‘warm’ side of the album with the first long piece Stranger Skies, a song about a pilot who undertakes a very strange flight indeed, one that takes him to a strange world full of strange creatures and leaves him with no way home. The track has a long instrumental section in the middle section that builds this atmospheric track well. The tense atmosphere of the lyrics is displayed convincingly in this track and I really like it, with John Wilkinson’s voice definitely capturing the Genesis sound of the Phil Collins era most impressively. The run out of the track especially sounds very pastoral and English prog like. Another World is the albums other long track and also the last track of this fine release. Opening with another strong guitar riff to lead in to the track, the song is about a searcher who finds another world that is very different to the one he knows. There is sumptuous, fluid guitar work on this track, all backed with sumptuous keyboard textures and sounds and some lovely flute from John Hackett as the journey concludes back at the North Pole, emphasising the circular nature of life.

‘Stranger Skies’ is a most compelling and very well conceived release, intelligently imagined and realised. Unsurprisingly I thoroughly enjoyed the album, it really stays with you and is most definitely worth checking out in my opinion.

Released 12th January, 2024.

Order from bandcamp here:

Stranger Skies | Ellesmere (bandcamp.com)