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YES Announce UK Dates For The CLASSIC TALES OF YES Tour 2024

Progressive legends YES have announced UK dates for the Classic Tales of YES Tour 2024. The 9 UK dates includes a visit to London’s Royal Albert Hall and the Bristol Beacon together with 7 dates rescheduled from the 2023 UK tour, for which all tickets remain valid.

YES are delighted to include the Royal Albert Hall among their 2024 UK tour dates having first played this prestige venue in 1968 and many times since through their illustrious career. Tickets for the Royal Albert Hall show (Tuesday 4 June 2024) and Bristol Beacon (Friday 31 May 2024) go on sale on at 12noon on Friday 12th May 2023.

The tour will feature Steve Howe (guitars, vocals), Geoff Downes (keyboards), Billy Sherwood (bass guitar, vocals), Jon Davison (vocals and acoustic guitar) and new drummer Jay Schellen. Jay began playing with YES, in 2016, when long-serving drummer Alan White was beset by health issues. Following Alan’s untimely passing in 2022, it is with Alan’s blessing that Jay has permanently joined the band.

The Classic Tales of YES Tour 2024 promises to include many iconic tracks from the YES back-catalogue covering fifty-plus years and, possibly, music from the new album Mirror To The Sky (to be released on InsideOutMusic/Sony Music on the 19th May 2023).

Looking forward to the Classic Tales of YES Tour, Steve Howe said:  “We’re putting together a great setlist covering the length and breadth of YES’ career.”

“As always, we are committed to pushing new boundaries and are very excited to be performing another chapter in the rich legacy of the band,” added Geoff Downes.

The Classic Tales of YES Tour 2024 dates are as follows: 

Thursday 23 May                 Manchester               Bridgewater Hall*

Friday 24 May                      Glasgow                    Royal Concert Hall*

Sunday 26 May                  Liverpool                    Philharmonic Hall*

Tuesday 28 May                  York                            Barbican*

Wednesday 29 May             Southend                   Cliffs Pavilion*

Friday 31May                       Bristol                       Beacon

Saturday 1 June                   Birmingham               Symphony Hall*

Sunday 2 June                     Gateshead                The Sage*

Tuesday 4 June                  London                     Royal Albert Hall

*Show rescheduled from 2023, all tickets remain valid.

Bristol Beacon and London Royal Albert Hall tickets go on sale on Friday 12 May 2023 at 12noon.  Buy tickets fromhttps://bookingsdirect.seetickets.com/tour/yes/

About YES

Steve Howe: guitars, backing vocals (1970 –1981, 1990–1992, 1995–present)
Geoff Downes: keyboards (1980–1981, 2011–present)
Jon Davison: lead vocals, acoustic guitar (2012–present)

Billy Sherwood: guitar, backing vocals ((1994, 1997–2000), bass guitar, backing vocals (2015–present)

Jay Schellen: drums and percussion

Formed in 1968 by Jon Anderson and the late, and much-missed, Chris Squire, YES have been one of the most innovative, influential and best-loved bands in rock music history. Their 1970s albums The Yes Album, Fragile, Close To The Edge, Yessongs (a triple live album set), Tales From Topographic Oceans, Relayer and Going For The One were ground-breaking in musical style and content. Their music also became synonymous with artist Roger Dean whose distinctive YES logo design and artwork adorned the lavish gatefold presentation sleeves of many YES albums.

With sales of over 50 million records, the Grammy-award winning YES were inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2017 where they performed Roundabout from the album Fragile and the FM radio-friendly Owner Of A Lonely Heart from the 1985 album 90125.

YES released their 22nd studio album in 2021, The Quest, produced by Steve Howe and which went to No. 1 in the UK Rock Albums Chart and entered the Official UK Album Chart at No. 20.

In 2022 came the sad news that drummer Alan White, ever-present in the YES line-up for 50 years, had passed away. The news came shortly before the band embarked on their classic, genre-defining album Close To The Edge 50th Anniversary Tour which they dedicated to Alan.

In February 2023, ahead of the news of the new studio album Mirror To The Sky, YES confirmed Jay Schellen as the new permanent drummer with YES, hand-picked to step into his mentor and friend Alan White’s role. “I had done the 2016 tour on my own for Alan,” says Jay. “From late 2017 onwards, we had a beautiful partnership. I learned and discovered so much about Alan’s style. His passion and creativity was phenomenal. The new album has Alan’s presence all over it. It is inside of us. So, this is still, in my heart, Alan just being present and with us, and with me, in a big way.”

Review – Djabe & Steve Hackett – Live in Györ – by John Wenlock-Smith

I guess most musicians have the need for another outlet for their talents, whether that comes via guest appearances, collaborations or side projects. Think of projects like GTR or Squackett ,which both feature Steve Hackett in a role very different to his own solo career. Steve has always looked for such opportunities and, when he guested on an early album by the Hungarian jazz/rock band Djabe, ‘Sheafs Are Dancing’, in 2003, Steve enjoyed the experience so much that he was happy to appear with Djabe in 2004 in London. Their friendship continues to this day with both acts working together to create a whole raft of excellent releases, a lot of which are live sets captured in Djabe’s native Hungary and Sardinia, among others. This meeting of kindred spirits extends to Djabe band members appearing on Steve’s own albums regularly, with their own world jazz stylings helping Steve explore different sounds and textures.

Djabe are all very accomplished musicians in their own right and their work with Steve Hackett is certainly a symbiotic relationship with both parties benefiting. This new 2CD & Blu-Ray set ‘Live In Gyor’ certainly proves the point, containing, as it does, several tracks from the ‘Back To Sardinia’ and ‘The Magic Stag’ albums, alongside selected Genesis songs and Steve Hackett solo tracks. What is very apparent from the start is just how this outside role elevates Steve’s own playing, with some very tasty, expressive and fiery guitar on show, the band are on excellent form and all seem to be relishing the experience.

The album that accompanies the Blu-Ray is a very fine one too with three extra live tracks that round the set out. For me, the one noticeable difference is that, on this show, Steve is playing a Fernandes guitar with a floating bridge/tremolo so he can really hit the whammy bar vigorously, which he does to great effect throughout. Normally Steve uses his Gold Top, so this change is an interesting one, the sound is immaculate and enjoyable to hear and watch, the visuals being equally as strong. If you have ever wondered if Steve can repeat the epic solo on Firth of Fifth on a strategy style guitar the answer is here, you can watch him do it with style, alongside seeing his famous tapping style, a skill that Eddie Van Halen utilised and elevated to an art form.

Also worth of note is the extremely dextrous bass playing of Djabe’s Tamás Barabás, whose playing is the anchor on which everyone can pivot, along with Gabor Olah on drums. Together they hold everyone together and give them a perfect solid platform from which to soar and fly. Seldom have I witnessed such sheer joy like this excellent and skilled performance. It’s such a strong set with  chance for everyone to shine, the music is world jazz music with Hungarian touches and instrumentation. This excellent set offers lots of extra features and extra music and I can’t recommend it enough as it really is an excellent set of performances with songs played by musicians who are at the top of their game and not afraid to let the music do the talking. This music certainly talks loudly and demands your attention.

As with a lot of these Djabe/Hackett sets there is a degree of overlap but, even so, there is enough new stuff to make this an essential and worthy purchase. As always the packaging and attention to detail is very impressive as, of course, is the sound which is exemplary with great separation and clarity. The whole show is beautifully captured and must have been truly magnificent and unique.

No doubt there will be more to come from this union and I personally  am very hopeful for further magic from these hugely talented parties. So, my advice is to get a hold of this great set as soon as possible and appreciate seeing some masters at work. Play and enjoy it in the confines our your own home and let the music tell its own joyful story for you. This really is a most worthwhile album especially if you like world music, jazz/fusion, Steve Hackett or even all three!

Released 28th April, 2023.

Order from Cherry Red here:

Djabe & Steve Hackett: Live In Gyor, 2CD & Blu-Ray Edition – Cherry Red Records

Review – Lars Fredrik Frøislie – Fire Fortellinger

‘Fire Fortellinger’ is the debut solo album from Wobbler’s Lars Fredrik Frøislie. Fitting perfectly into the 70s prog-rock tradition where the keyboardist makes a solo album between the band albums, this is music Frøislie has been doing, mostly alone, during the pandemic.

Had it not been for the pandemic, much of the material would probably have ended up on a new Wobbler album – but then run through the Wobbler grinder and with English lyrics. In other words, this is unpeeled and raw, as spontaneous as possible without going through too many rounds of processing.

Trying to preserve the impulsive – much of what you hear is improvised, and one-takes (preferably with playing errors and piano strings that break and the like). Trying to preserve the human aspect to a large extent, avoiding click tracks, auto-tune, MIDI or too much technology. Expect lots of old analogue keyboards such as cembalo, Mellotron, MiniMoog, Yamaha CP70 and Hammond organ.

Well, when that cover (marvellous isn’t it?) and that PR blurb arrived in my inbox I was immediately drawn to this album and just had to listen to it. I am so glad I did because this is one of the best releases of 2023 so far, let me tell you why I think so…

Aimed at fans of Wobbler, Yes, Gentle Giant, Jordsjø, Tusmørke and the like, ‘Fire Fortellinger’ is the like the best 70’s scandi-prog album that was never made in that decade. The simply fabulous keyboards, synths, Mellotron and Hammond organ combine to deliver a complete masterpiece of music. Does it matter that I don’t understand a word being said? Not at all, to me, that is what makes this a brilliant record. It was conceived and sung in Norwegian and singing the songs in any other language would take away that immediacy and originality and, to be honest, I love a Scandinavian lilt myself.

Four tunes, four stories, perfectly realised by Lars, this album delivers on every level, not only for the progressive rock fan but for any music fan in the world. The musicianship of Lars, aided and abetted by Nikolai Hængsle on bass, has to be heard to be believed, the music is sumptuous and lush, intense and dark in places but just sublime overall.

The first song, Rytter av dommedag, is themed around Ragnarok, when King Rakne awakens in his large burial mound outside Romerike and, together with the old gods, creates real mischief. This grand, awe-inspiring track opens majestically with an enduring keyboard motif that is all encompassing before opening up into a simply magnificent keyboard-fest where Lars just seems to let everything go and just enjoy himself. It contains moments of reflection and insight, mainly from the precise vocals and delicate piano but, ultimately, this is progressive rock as pomp and circumstance, seventeen minutes of deliciously overblown grandeur, and is even better for it, I just love it! Et sted under himmelhvelvet is dreamy, possibly set in a Renaissance garden near Florence or Arcadia. But in principle it can be anywhere where it feels good to be. It is partly about travelling to a place and feeling that you have been there before – only to find out that you had ancestors who lived there long ago. An almost hushed and wistful opening calms the soul as the lush string-like synths soar high. Once again, a wonderful, haunting motif runs throughout this dramatic, profound piece of music given it gravitas and solemnity and Lars is given free reign again to showcase his remarkable talents during a scintillating, free-form, synth and keyboard section where Nikolai’s base ably supports him. The wondrous music just simply keeps on coming as the song fades out with the outstanding motif.

Jærtegn opens in a frenzy, with a horse and cart speeding through the forest. The wagon overturns at the same time as there is a solar eclipse, and the riders become eternal wanderers in the dark forest, only visible to us now and then like the northern lights, as they vainly stretch their arms towards the sun in the hope of finding their way home. A hectic, chaotic rollercoaster ride of intelligent music that never lets you sit still, this track is like being inside the mind of a genius but one who cannot contain all the schemes in his head. Madcap, sparkling and dazzling at the same time, it certainly put a smile on my face. The travellers seem to find a calm oasis halfway into the song and the vocals take on a calming, almost hypnotic style before Lars goes all John Lord on us, the keyboards having more than a hint of 70’s classic rock allowing this superb track to close out in style.

The final song, and second epic, Naturens Katedral, is a depiction of the Norwegian mountains in winter where the cold is bitter, and blizzards and avalanches abound. It is also a search for bygone times when life was more basic out in the wilderness. It is dark and obsidian at its core with the swirling keyboards and dominant vocals imposing in manner and bringing to mind other Scandinavian prog artists with perhaps a less sunnier disposition like Änglagård and Anekdoten. The music seems to be holding back and building, leaving an anticipatory atmosphere which is only increased by the great vocals. Lars certainly knows how to get a hypnotic keyboard riff/motif into a song and does it again to give an irrepressible, tumultuous feel to this dynamic track. Like all great epic tracks, Naturens Katedral is split into parts and in the middle the music takes over with cinematic charm that totally invokes the harsh reality of a Norwegian winter. As this musical saga comes to a close it almost strays into the land of jazz/prog fusion with a touch of dark humour and leaves me with a knowing smile on my face.

To say I was not expecting how bloody good this album was going to be is an utter understatement. It may be presented as musical musings during lockdown but what Lars Fredrik Frøislie has created is one of the best 70’s influenced prog-rock keyboard albums of recent years. ‘Fire Fortellinger’ is that good that it will have you growing your hair, wearing flares and wondering why there are more than three channels on the TV. 2023 is proving to be yet another fantastic year for music and this record could just prove to be the best of the lot.

Released 2nd June, 2023.

Order from Karisma here:

KAR253 – Lars Fredrik Frøislie – Fire Fortellinger | Karisma Records

Norwegian progressive rock group AVKRVST release “Arcane Clouds”

2nd single from the forthcoming album ‘The Approbation’.

Pre-order for the album starts today.

Norwegian progressive rock group AVKRVST have announced they will release their album ‘The Approbation’ on 16th June, 2023.  

Today, the band are pleased to release the track “Arcane Clouds”, the 2nd single taken from the upcoming album.

In addition, ‘The Approbation’ is now available for pre-order.

The band had this to say about the track: 

“Arcane Clouds is the second single off the concept debut album The Approbation, and the anthem of forsaken hope. An inner voice trying to convince you to fight back and keep your head above water, while the ghosts are hunting you down.” 

You can listen to the song on streaming services and pre-order “The Approbation’ here:

AVKRVST – Arcane Clouds (lnk.to)

The Approbation is a concept album about a bleak soul who is left solely with his thoughts, isolated on a cabin deep into the dark forests, far away from civilization. The 49 minutes long concept album contains 7 songs, which take the listener though the thoughts of a man struggling towards the acceptance of death, being hauled into the abyss.

The whole album is written and recorded at a cabin in Alvdal (Norway) during a rainy, cold fall and winter. Throughout the album, the sounds of rain and train horns from afar can be heard, which are actual sounds recorded outside the cabin at night under the stars. 

Sonically, The Approbation is a massive sounding piece of music. It’s everything from lush, melancholy moods to heavy, more aggressive atmospheres. It tries to capture the feeling of a cold, gloomy fall – a dark sky, filled with gazing stars above the mist.

 Artwork by Eliran Kantor

Tracklisting:

1.Østerdalen 0:26

2.The Pale Moon 6:15

3.Isolation 5:41

4.The Great White River 6:30

5.Arcane Clouds 6:05

6.Anodyne 10:15

7.The Approbation 13:37

The band have also shared a video on how to pronounce “AVKRVST” which you can see here:

Watch the video for the first single “The Pale Moon” here:

Earlier this year the band shared a teaser video of them working in the studio which you can see here:

At the young age of 7 years old, Martin Utby and Simon Bergseth made a pact that they would form a band when they got older. Now, 22 years later they’ve done just that. An album is ready – 55 minutes of music inspired by everything they grew up listening to – everything from Mew, Anekdoten and Porcupine Tree to Opeth, Neal Morse and King Crimson.

All the music has been written at a small cabin, deep into the Norwegian forests (Alvdal, Nor- way). Simon (composer, guitars, bass and vocals) and Martin (composer, drummer and synths) have later been joined by Øystein Aadland on bass/keys, Edvard Seim on guitars and Auver Gaaren on keys. 

More to come.

AVKRVST Online: www.facebook.com/avkrvst www.instagram.com/avkrvst

RAY ALDER – Announces sophomore solo album “II”

Launches first single/lyric video “This Hollow Shell” / Pre-order started!

Following the fantastic feedback for the first solo album by Fates Warning vocalist Ray Alder “What The Water Wants” back in 2019, InsideOutMusic are pleased to announce the upcoming worldwide release of the follow-up effort “II” on June 9th 2023. 

Once again, just like for the “What The Water Wants” debut, the new album was written with guitarists Mike Abdow (Fates Warning touring member) and Tony Hernando (Lords Of Black) – who both also performed bass guitar on their own songs –, features drummer Craig Anderson (Ignite, Crescent Shield) and was mixed by Simone Mularoni (Rhapsody, Michael Romeo, DGM). Ray Alder’s second album is simply entitled “II”, but in musical terms this is a much more revealing, exploratory piece of work than its predecessor.

Ray Alder checked in with the following comment about “II”, whose cover artwork can be seen above:

“When we wrote the first solo album I wanted to try some different musical styles. I didn’t want it to be really heavy, but more musical with catchy choruses. I think we did a pretty good job on that first one.

But with this new album I wanted the music and lyrics to be darker and heavier. I think Mike did a fantastic job with the music. He listened to what I was saying and thinking musically. Tony knows that I like the big choruses and somewhat traditional sound. And of course Craig did an amazing job on the drums as usual. It’s an honor to be able to work with them.

 This album is more of a reflection of what I heard going forward as a solo artist. Longer songs, deeper lyrics and really pushing myself vocally. I hope that whoever listens to it enjoys it as much as I did while working on it…”

With the album’s pre-order starting today, you can now check out the opening track “This Hollow Shell” in a lyric-video created by Cloud Music Typography here:

Ray Alder added about “This Hollow Shell” as follows: 

“’This Hollow Shell’ is the first song to be released from my new solo album “II”. When I first heard this song I knew that it was going to be one of my favorites on the new album. It was dark and moody with tons of changes. It was like a huge blank canvas that I couldn’t wait to begin painting on. In the end it became one of the songs on the album that I am most proud of.” 

This is the complete tracklisting of the upcoming album: 

RAY ALDER – “II” (51:20)
1. This Hollow Shell (06:02)

2. My Oblivion (04:36)

3. Hands Of Time (06:08)

4. Waiting For Some Sun (04:29)

5. Silence The Enemy (04:41)

6. Keep Wandering (05:51)

7. Those Words I Bled (05:51)

8. Passengers (05:51)

9. Changes (07:45) 

“II” is available as limited first-pressing Digipak CD edition with a bonus track (An acoustic version of the opening track “This Hollow Shell”), as Digital Album (Also including the bonus track!) and as LP on 180gr. vinyl, both on unlimited black vinyl as well as on transparent red vinyl in a limited edition of 300x copies, available exclusively via the IOM Webshop and from CM Distro. 

You can pre-order the album in its various formats here:

Ray Alder – This Hollow Shell (lnk.to)

Review – The Drinking Club – …really?!? – by John Wenlock-Smith

This album came up for review and upon listening I could immediately hear elements of early Marillion, I.Q, Pallas and Pendragon to name but four early eighties prog legends that this release harks back to on first and also subsequent listens. This independent release from The Drinking Club was the result of an advert posted over the internet to a Facebook group that celebrated those early 80’s Neo-prog acts mentioned above. In seeking like minded individuals/musicians to join with a project to turn Peter Hewitt’s shelved folder of discarded forgotten ideas into a more concrete and tangible firm reality. This album, ‘…really?!?’, is the result of those labours and efforts. What a labour of love it must have been to see these concepts and ideas taking shape, gaining traction and becoming fully formed.

When you add into that equation that the three members (Peter along with Kevin Borras and Tony Flint)worked on all this remotely, using file sharing and WeTransfer apps to compile the songs with various ideas, it is even more impressive. The results are definitely worthy of investigation by any prog fan as this album has much to savour, appreciate enjoy with some very interesting subject matter along with the guarantee of being wizard, witch and warlock free.

That said though, the element of political comment is clearly present as this album sees the anger and frustration of these 50 year old men venting their collective spleens on the issues of the day, ranging from immigration, the existence of God, tabloid hysteria and a painful divorce, to name but four issues. This is social conscience prog and how different it is to hear music that calls for a response and has strong and informed lyrics. Well this album has that in spades and is so well worth hearing for yourself, along with strong musical passages , solid guitar and keyboards to back everything up. This strong album has shot to the upper reaches of my best of 2023 albums already in a year of some stellar performances and will invariably create big waves come December.

The music is pretty epic at times with a few surprising influences and sounds and possibly some less obvious ones in parts! For example, I can hear traces of 80’s jazzers Working Week, especially when the trumpet kicks in during Light Years. It may not be obvious but I picked up on it for sure. It is a neat touch and one that adds to the gravitas of the subject matter of divorce and a failed relationship, the tangible hurt is sensitively handled without blame but with regret and is a bold exposition of pain and the determination to carry on and continue.

Especially noteworthy is the mock radio broadcast that forms both the introduction and outro of But For The Waves, which poses the question, what has the UK’s immigration process ever done for us? The answers this song offers are intelligent, heartfelt and artfully crafted and well worded and confidently addressed.

The album has a running time of fifty-one minutes and doesn’t drag at all. Each song has merit and the vocals are clear, in addition the guests all add something fresh and different First track Eternity (In An Empire Of Snow)/What We’re Made Of opens with a symphonic overture of synths and a good guitar line that leads into a more urgent section, this in turns leading to a solo guitar and a crash of drums, choral vocals and a subdued chord and a lone piano motif, all this lasts for over five minutes and is an impressive opening statement. I think the song is about the existence of God although I could be wrong on that! Next track is Ticking Clock which appears be about climate change and there are great lyrics in this one. Even better is But For The Waves which addresses the immigration crisis and questions the motives of those in charge and the media’s disinterest in the issue. This song is hard hitting and uncomfortable at times but its questions, while difficult, address our identity as a nation as does how our declining compassion weakens us. The outro is a brilliant and emotive heartfelt rebuttal to the question.

A Song Of Life is about a child growing up and the trials that can bring. Another interesting song in an album full of great tracks. Zero Sum Game is next with great synths and a surging guitar line. The song is about exploitation of artists with the special, often worthless, special edition of an album. This has a voiceover from a faded fictional prog musician who puts things into perspective. Light Years is the albums epic and my favourite with sombre music and lyrics but all wonderfully handled with, I must point out the great trumpet on this track too! The final track is A Song Of Deat. This song is about the cycle of life from birth to death and has a funky bassline that runs through the track and great lyrics as well. The album cover of a lone shoe in the sea is striking and is references in But For The Waves.

I thoroughly enjoyed this album, finding a wealth of great music with lots of nods to early 80’s Neo-prog and the future looks good for this trio, let’s hope there is more to come from The Drinking Club again very soon!

Released 3rd March, 2023

Order from bandcamp here:

…really?!? | The Drinking Club (bandcamp.com)

Review – Deposed King – One Man’s Grief

I learn about new music in a lot of different ways and one is word of mouth. When a fellow reviewer who I respect recommends an album then I will definitely seek it out. Jason Spencer of well renowned review website The Prog Mind had been waxing lyrical about ‘One Man’s Grief’, the debut album from Hungarian duo Deposed King, for quite a while so I decided it must be worth a listen and, as usual, Jason wasn’t wrong…

Hailing from Budapest, Daniel Kriffel and Dominique Király cite the usual suspects when it comes to their influences with Steven Wilson, Mariusz Duda and Ólafur Arnalds included in the list. You can hear faint hints of these musicians in Deposed King’s sound but it is definitely a sound they have forged themselves. Their polished, low key music reminds me of a lot of the progressive rock and post-rock acts that have come out of eastern Europe recently and especially Poland (Amarok definitely come to mind!).

With intelligent and thought provoking music and a calming aura deep at its core, the album is nine tracks long and brief opener First Light sets the scene of things to come, thoughtful and wistful in tone and delivery, this delicate instrumental focuses your mind immediately. There’s a segue into the chiming guitars of Caves, a piece of music that, while thoughtful in nature, has a more urgent and intense feel than the previous track. Another instrumental and one that shows the prowess of these excellent musicians. The ambient soundscape of Endless Hours also sees the first introduction of vocals to the album and what gorgeous vocals they are, haunting and emotive in equal measure. With elegant guitars and lush electronics, this song is as polished as they come. There’s a definite feel of Mariusz Duda’s recent work on his Lunatic Soul project to the intelligent Path of Forlorn, the staccato drumming and almost eastern sounding guitar note adding a stylish sheen to this captivating track, a definite highlight of what is proving to be an utterly compelling collection of songs.

Half-Light takes electronic beats and shimmering soundscapes and blends them seamlessly with a progressive undercurrent to deliver a wide-screen masterpiece. Deep and meaningful , Fading Shadows is a proper nod to the epic progressive rock/metal of bands like Riverside but with a soft centre. The melancholic vocal and contemplative music have a trance like effect and are really addictive and the searing guitar solo is just magical. Sirens of the Sun is a charming piece of electronica that gets under your skin and you can’t help but like and then we arrive at Ceasing to Exist, the album’s epic centrepiece. The longest, and heaviest, track on the album, it’s a perfect mixture of textures and emotions and darkness and light and has a truly primeval weight to it. The use of harsh vocals works perfectly (not something I say very often) and the contrasts between the occasional moments of light and the often monumental riffs is flawless. The cinematic innocence of Last Light with its ethereal piano is a perfect and hypnotic close to the album, just let it wash over you, cleansing your mind and enriching your soul.

When music touches you on a personal level, it must be something quite special and ‘One Man’s Grief’ does exactly that and more. Deposed King write songs and music that has meaning and purpose and it is music that will stay with me for a very long time.

Released 12th January, 2023.

Order the album from bandcamp:

One Man’s Grief | Deposed King (bandcamp.com)

Review – Jason Bieler and the Baron Von Bielski Orhcestra – Postcards From The Asylum

Jason Bieler and the Baron Von Bielski Orchestra have returned once again with ‘Postcards From The Asylum‘,  the follow up to 2021’s critically acclaimed ‘Songs For The Apocalypse‘. 

The Baron Von Bielski Orchestra’s music has been described as Nordic Ambient Post-Classical Satanic Love Songs for Nomadic Peoples Living Above the Arctic Circle catering specifically for those who staff Musk Oxen Rescues and wear hemp based sweaters.When aggressively prodded for comment The Baron says…“Well, Art is Art, isn’t it? Still, on the other hand, water is water. And east is east and west is west and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does. Now you tell me what you know.” 

Renowned as a writer, producer, raconteur, comedian, singer-songwriter, fashion icon and hand-model (no, me neither?), Jason Bieler and the Baron Von Bielski Orchestra is new to me but having heard the single, Heathens, released earlier this year, I was intrigued enough to want to hear the whole album and once I’d heard it, I was even more intrigued…

When you read the who’s who of guests on the album, you get some idea of the musical style that it will follow. With the stellar talents of Andee Blacksugar (Blondie, KMFDM, Peter Murphy), Marco Minnemann (The Aristocrats), Todd  “Dammit” Kerns (Slash & The Conspirators, Toque), Edu Cominato (Geoff Tate, Soto) and Ryo Okumoto (Spock’s Beard, Progject) on board, it sounds to me like we are in for a bit of mad ride of progressive rock, metal and hard rock and, if that’s the case, please count me in!

The tongue-in-cheek black humour and out there lyrics are blended with some seriously sublime musical talent to create a pretty unique piece of musical theatre, one with a deliciously dark side to it! Covering thirteen (unlucky for some!) tracks and coming in at nearly seventy-five minutes long, ‘Postcards From The Asylum’ is infused with dystopian, steampunk infused images, the brilliant album cover and art drew me in on its own. A mysterious, dark and enigmatic collection of tracks that always leave you guessing and always leave you wanting more.

The highlights for me include the hard rocking opener Bombay with its pedal to the metal energy and dynamic riffing, the excellent vocals being central to proceedings, single release Heathens has a really funky edge to its glam rock leanings and the guitar is pure 90’s hard rock. Mexico has an almost ballad-like gloss and is a beautiful piece of music that would not have been out of place on a mid 90’s platinum selling stadium rocker’s album ( it takes me back to my youth, that’s for sure) and Birds of Prey takes it a step further with its definite Guns N’ Roses sound.

Flying Monkeys is an edgy, syncopated track that steers the album on a more progressive course and I feel there’s a definite Marco Minneman influence to this very likeable song. The Depths is another addictive listen with its darker aura and insistent tone and Beneath The Waves is my favourite track on the album, a thunderous, high energy combination of hard rock and metal with an added progressive rock intellect. A properly intense grunge style gives Feels Just Like Love a jaunty edge and Deep Blue is superb symphonic prog very much in the Spock’s Beard vein.

This highly intriguing and throughly enjoyable musical experience closes with the elegant charms of Human Head and you’re left wondering what just happened. There is so much invention and musical virtuosity contained in this album’s pretty lengthy running time and it requires quite a few listens to really buy in to the story that is being laid out before you. Trust me, you need to persevere because ‘Postcards From The Asylum’ could be one of the most fascinating and beguiling records you will have the pleasure of listening to this year.

Released 14th April, 2023.

Order from bandcamp here:

Postcards From The Asylum | Jason Bieler And The Baron Von Bielski Orchestra | Jason Bieler (bandcamp.com)

Review – Great Wide Nothing – Hymns for Hungry Spirits, Vol. II – by John Wenlock-Smith

Great Wide Nothing are a progressive punk rock band who hail from Atlanta, Georgia, USA and while you can hear punk in their anger, the music they offer is classic Neo Prog. They cite Coheed and Cambria, Thrice, Muse, Marillion, Depeche Mode, Deep Purple and The Cure among their very varied influences. Some interesting choices, really diverse and yet all these groups appear in their sound to some degree, acceptably some more than others. Although, once again, the band are entirely new to me, so I come to this album without any expectations and I find myself pleasantly surprised and satisfied by what I discover here.

This album has just five tracks but they are all strong ones, starting with Blind Eye To A Burning House, a song that nods it’s head firmly to Rush and one that laments the world’s indifference and inability to grasp and resolve climate change in any meaningful and sincere way. The music the trio make is strong and agreeable with lots of power but also with a subtle lightness of touch where required. There are also great performances from all members and the writing is strong and purposeful, really making an impact. The production is also very good with clear vocals and strong instrumentation. The song has an urgency that is mirrored in it lyrics as it belts along at a fair clip and I can hear elements of Saga in the vocals. This opening track shows how effective the band are, highly talented and musically adept with a really strong sound and distinctive vocals. It is an excellent piece that certainly grabs the attention with a good synth solo and a very memorable chorus, overall an excellent opening statement from the band.

We then move onto a shorter song, The Portal And The Precipice, hinged on an overdriven organ part which is very Deep Purple-like in tone. The track is about a failing relationship and the writer’s hope for a better outcome to it. Viper is about the abuse and trauma the writer suffered as a youth and how he has learned from it, applying resilience into the situation he experienced. Not allowing himself to be overcome by hatred and focusing on his refusal to let his abuser have any hold over him. It’s a very emotional, and ultimately, hopeful and positive response to a dreadful situation and his stance is bold and ultimately life affirming. While he understandably has anger for what has happened, he chooses that that it will not define him. He actually condemns his abuser, being free to move forward, a very dignified way of handling and resolving the conflict.

Inheritor is a song about the pandemic that we’ve all endured and survived recently. This one is an 80’s sounding track which sounds like Depeche Mode and it is a joyous celebration of life with a running guitar line throughout giving it a really upbeat feel. Highly memorable indeed, it is based on pandemic experiences and is a response to those. The final, and longest track, is To Find The Light Part Two, which lasts for just under twenty minutes. A song about the impermanence and trials of life, it is a deep, questioning existential muse on the paths life can take, yet, even in this, you will discover some rather astonishing musical passages and inspired performances. This is from what is primarily a three piece band, with excellent musical skills and compositions from Daniel Graham (bass guitars and vocals), Dylan Porper (keyboards, guitar and supporting vocals) and Jeff Matthews on drums. Together these three musicians make expansive, compelling and impressive music, above all, this is a very satisfying album offering music of substance and value.

The album is very well balanced and presented with great intelligence and is an excellent album in all. I really enjoyed it finding much to enjoy, especially the very bold and personal Viper which is emotionally raw, bare and extremely powerful music indeed. Well worth hearing for this track alone, as its such a significant and important one that deserves wider acclaim and will probably be of interest to people who have a similar tale or experience, it is really quite cathartic.

Released 20th January, 2023

Order from bandcamp here:

Hymns for Hungry Spirits, Vol. II | Great Wide Nothing (bandcamp.com)

YES Postpone 2023 Relayer Tour

Picture by Mike Ainscoe

It is with enormous regret that, due to unforeseen circumstances beyond the band’s control, YES have taken the decision to postpone their 2023 Relayer European and UK tour.

YES and their management have explored every possible avenue to arrange insurance cover for the tour in the event of COVID-related exemption or Act of War exclusion. The insurance industry has withdrawn all such insurances which made touring possible pre-COVID and before the Ukraine conflict.

There have always been calculated risk assessments to consider when touring and YES has unfailingly paid a premium to cover against terrorism in addition to conventional cancellation risks. With a view to supporting venues and crew, YES toured the UK in 2022 but the band simply cannot undertake such a large-scale tour with so many risks being uninsured. 

Insurance cover was promised for events in 2023 but this has now been withdrawn until 2024, with confirmations of normality in ’24 following representations to the insurance industry to reassess its attitudes to COVID and Act of War insurance. Bands at some levels can mitigate against these risks but YES’ touring model creates unjustifiable levels of risk.

YES’ 2023 Eventim Apollo (London) show is not happening, and tickets are now being re-funded.  The remainder of the tour dates are being rescheduled to 2024 with new dates to be announced shortly – all tickets will remain valid.  

YES wish to express their sincere regrets to their faithful fans and ask for their understanding. The band has now received the necessary assurances for 2024 and are committed to returning to the stage then.