Tag: Ben Jones

Review – Orion – The Lightbringers

“Music is an outburst of the soul…” – Frederick Delius

So much truth in such a simple statement; whether sad or joyous, music comes from within the soul of its composer. It can be a long and laboured task that is ultimately triumphal and that is the case with ‘The Lightbringers’, the second full album from Orion, the musical project of the prodigiously talented Ben Jones.

In the album liner notes Ben states that this was an album he fully expected not to make, he goes on to say, “My first album, ‘The End of Suffering’, was intended to be the realisation of an ambition that was born over 20 years ago. The hope was that it would put such notions to bed, once and for all! Within a few months of releasing that first album, it had sold all around Europe, as well as going as far as Japan, North America, and even New Zealand. Needless to say, this unexpected success sparked a few ideas…”

Ben had barely played a note in the 5-6 years leading up to that first album and had largely stopped listening to anything other than background noice, he knew he could do better, meaning that he knew he should do better. He wrote the first three tracks that appeared as the ‘Passing Through’ EP in December of last year and that ultimately became the genesis for this new, full-length release.

“So who/what are The Lightbringers? The basic idea is that maybe they’re a force that’s bringing everything to the ultimate good. Whatever horrors we might be experiencing in life, perhaps they serve the purpose of this ultimate good. Maybe The Lightbringers have no concept of bad, because everything they do is in the name of the best there can ultimately be. Is all of this unlikely? Probably, but you’ve got to have something to hold on to.“

I’m just looking for the light, a beacon on the shore.

A resting place to find what’s right, and a home forever more.

The opening track The Tumult of My Heart was inspired by a book of the same name by Jason Spencer from The Prog Mind. The book is about trying to deal with religious trauma from the author’s past. An imposing wall of sound is created by the layered widescreen guitar sound and the powerful rhythm section but the vocals add some real heart and soul so it’s not just a metal track. There’s a searching passion and questioning mind at the heart of this powerfully emotive piece of music and a feeling of fragility and a soul laid bare. It’s very compelling and influential and a great start to the album. The Ghosts Among Us is a profound piece of music written about the gut wrenching experience of caring for someone with a profound disability. Whilst it’s not something Ben has had to do, it is something he’s witnessed first hand. And I myself have a real affinity with this track as I have some experience of this myself and which came all flooding back as I listened to this brilliantly written song.

This Sickness is a diatribe about the negativity of social media and, man, is this track angry! Crunching guitars in the style of ‘Train Of Thought’ era Dream Theater and drums that are hewn out of granite open this thunderously compelling track. The vocals are distinct and authoritarian and the whole song just bleeds a potent intent. This is ‘proper’ prog-metal that puts a smile on my face, and not just because of the subject matter. The musicianship is sublime and Ben just seems to be having a whale of a time, venting his frustration in the best way he knows how. It’s a riot from beginning to end and I seriously enjoyed it. As Best We Can was intended to be a stripped back acoustic track that tackles the sadness of a failed relationship. Just to be clear, this is a failed relationship, not a concluded relationship. The people in this relationship have drifted apart, but they’re still together. The song opens with a gorgeous acoustic guitar and sweeping string-like synths before Ben’s hushed vocal creates a haunting atmosphere over and above the music. This elegant musical tapestry continues, imbuing the listener with a wonderful feeling of tranquility. This is the calm before the musical storm of the powerful ending to the track where everything begins to build up to a quite inspirational conclusion.

To everything, there’s a season.

A time, and a place, and a race, under the stars.

Spark opens The Cycle of Light suite, the epic that concludes the album, Ben had hoped to write an album that was in the 45-minute region as he believes that albums today are just too damned long was already around the 25-minute mark, so an epic seemed like the perfect fit! This track is a very impressive instrumental that takes you on a quite marvellous symphonic journey through the world of The Lightbringers and one where Ben really started getting into his orchestral sample libraries, hence the ramped up presence of strings, French horns, trumpets, and god knows what else during the second half of the album. Crunching guitars, thunderous, primeval drums, sweeping strings and a serious amount of grandeur add up to a truly wondrous way to begin an epic. As previously stated, The Lightbringers was a force, or a collection of entities, that have no concept of bad. They just do what they do to bring about a final state of good. The idea of The Scattering Stars is that these forces are seemingly chaotically moving. In reality, they’re just getting into position so they might exert their influence. I love this piece of music, it opens so peacefully with a delicate piano motif and the hushed vocals along with the heavenly horns and wistful strings before breaking out into an uplifting crescendo of symphonic prog metal with as much dynamism and drama as you can handle and the repeated lyric of, “They just bring gravity…” and that’s what this song fundamentally does, it pulls you into its willing embrace. We’ve all heard of people talking about the sky falling down around them. It’s catastrophic, it’s apocalyptic…. But maybe it’s necessary. Maybe these things are here to burn down our temples so that we might build better ones. The Falling Heavens is prog metal done just right, a truly incendiary cacophony of sound where every note, every drum beat and every word has a precise edge and dynamism. It’s primeval in feel and delivery, music that is hewn out of granite with djent style guitars and a passionate vocal. It all makes for a track that you aren’t going to forget in a hurry!

But is fate what they break, for those that survive the fall?

Left to rebuild the world, in the image of us all.

Although it’s tragic, maybe a person will pass away before they get to even see what light they brought to the world. I can’t imagine that in Anne Frank’s final moments, she had any concept of what her diary would bring to the world. Perhaps The Lightbringers had bigger plans.

And so we come to the conclusion of this epic album with the final track and the final part of The Cycle of Life. The Lightbringers is the best track that Ben has ever written, ten minutes of pure majesty and theatre laid out before you and what this sublime album has all been leading up to. Partly written from the perspective of the enigmatic Lightbringers, it is an utterly immersive and involving piece of music with so many brilliant hooks, riffs and motifs to keep you happy for a lifetime. The catchy chorus and addictive music are on another planet and I find myself singing the classic lines, “Let The Lightbringers burn us alive, let The Lightbringers bring us to life.” in all sorts of odd places but it has just stuck with me and isn’t that the sign of excellent music and songwriting? Just go with the flow and let the music take you along on this fantastical musical journey that is ultimately uplifting and life affirming.

The best music can take you on a wondrous, fantastical journey where, for a short while, you can forget about the trials and tribulations of this planet that we inhabit and with his latest superb Orion album, ‘The Lightbringers’, Ben Jones does just that. It is a highlight of another fantastic musical year and one that I feel will be on many people’s end of year lists and it deserves to be.

Released 16th august, 2024.

Order from bandcamp here:

The Lightbringers | Orion (bandcamp.com)

Review – Orion – Passing Through

Orion is the musical project of the hugely talented, and very humble, Ben Jones and John Wenlock-Smith reviewed Orion’s debut release, ‘The End Of Suffering’, earlier this year and was mightily impressed, closing his review with this paragraph;

“There is great musicianship and intelligence to this album, all in all ‘The End of Suffering’ is a most wonderful release, I highly commend it to all, especially those who like their prog harder and less symphonic.”

I had to heartily agree with John, the fact that it was totally self-financed by Ben and he wrote, performed and produced every single note was also worthy of much appreciation. Now, as Ben works on his second full length album, he has released a taster of the Orion’s musical direction with this new E.P. ‘Passing Through’. Ben gives us some background to this new release;

‘”Passing Through’ is a mini release, aimed at giving people an insight into where Orion will be headed next. It features three new songs, and hopefully breaks some new musical ground. There is also an extended version available, which also includes instrumental mixes of the three new tracks“, He goes on to say, With ‘Passing Through,’ I’ve been keen to implement different time signatures, more intricate playing, wider soundscapes, and generally take a bit more of an adventurous path with the music. Beyond expanding my synth library, I’ve also added some orchestral sample packs into my musical palette. I’m no Michael Kamen, but it’s been exciting to resurrect my music theory knowledge, and apply it to strings, woodwind and horn sections.  I’ve also added a seven-string guitar and a five-string bass to the mix, resulting in at least one track which is, I dare say, verging on heavy.“

So, without further ado, let’s dig into these three new tracks…

The opening track The Tumult of My Heart was inspired by a book of the same name by Jason Spencer from The Prog Mind. The book is about trying to deal with religious trauma from the author’s past. The song itself tries to deal with these issues. There are many good elements to religion, and there are many bad elements. That’ simplifying it a tad, but you get the picture. As for the music, well, what can I say, an imposing wall of sound is created by the layered widescreen guitar sound and the powerful rhythm section but the vocals add some real heart and soul so it’s not just a metal track. There’s a searching passion and questioning mind at the heart of this powerfully emotive piece of music and a feeling of fragility and a soul laid bare. It’s very compelling and influential and a great start to the E.P.

My favourite song of the three is The Ghosts Among Us, it is a profound piece of music written about the gut wrenching experience of caring for someone with a profound disability. Whilst it’s not something Ben has had to do, it is something he’s witnessed first hand. And I myself have a real affinity with this track as I have some experience of this myself and which came all flooding back as I listened to this brilliantly written song.

“Ultimately, it’s almost as if they’re no longer alive, other than physically. You can read their vital signs, but can you read them as a person? I can’t imagine having to make the decision to switch off the things that are keeping some people alive, but I also can’t imagine the horror of being trapped in an unresponsive body.“

Genres go out of the window when there is a subject as deep as this, it is just beautifully enlightened and discerning music that treats the subject matter with the gravity it deserves, a hauntingly graceful guitar opens the song before the hushed vocal enters, adding an earnest, insightful quality, before the drums and superb bass lay down a dynamic rhythm and Ben’s vocal takes over. I can’t really describe how the music touches you and makes you feel, you’ll just have to listen to it yourself, suffice to say I felt enlightened by the sensitive way the subject is dealt with on this utterly captivating track, bravo to Ben for getting it perfect, much like the superb guitar solo…

After the emotional roller coaster of the previous track, the in-your-face metal infused prog of This Sickness and it’s diatribe on the negativity of social media is just about spot on.

“When I finally become the Supreme Ruler of Earth, Tik Tok will be burned to the ground… Vote for me. I’m not a fan of social media. It’s just terrible. I appreciate the irony of the fact that my entire following is based around Facebook and Bandcamp, but that’s different. I don’t do absurd dances to terrible music… I write my own terrible music. As with all things, there are good parts and bad parts. In my view, the bad parts of social media seem to outnumber the good.”

And, man, is this track angry! Crunching guitars in the style of ‘Train Of Thought’ era Dream Theater and drums that are hewn out of granite open this thunderously compelling track. The vocals are distinct and authoritarian and the whole song just bleeds a potent intent. This is ‘proper’ prog-metal that puts a smile on my face, and not just because of the subject matter. The musicianship is sublime and Ben just seems to be having a whale of a time, venting his frustration in the best way he knows how. It’s a riot from beginning to end and I seriously enjoyed it.

It’s not often I review E.P’s but, knowing it was the follow up to Orion’s stunning debut album and a glimpse into Ben’s future musical direction, I just had to review this one. I am so glad I did, ‘Passing Through’ shows a musician highly confident in his abilities and features songwriting of the highest calibre. It’s a monumental achievement in only three songs and I cannot wait for what comes next, I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Released 1st December, 2023.

Order from bandcamp here;

Passing Through | Orion (bandcamp.com)

And, for the measly additional cost of £1, you can get the extended edition with the instrumentals here:

Passing Through – Extended Edition | Orion (bandcamp.com)

Review – Orion – The End Of Suffering – by John Wenlock-Smith

I seldom fail to be impressed with folks who take the huge step into the unknown and are prepared to present to the world the music they have created from thoughts or dreams they have held sometimes for many years. I know several who have done this to a great reception and widespread acclaim.

Obviously everyone would like that, which is why reviews can matter through helping to raise awareness and, hopefully, allow an artist to gain traction and, in their profile being raised, generate both interest and push sales forward. I certainly hope this is the case for this Orion album, ‘The End Of Suffering’, as it is most definitely worthy of attention.

A little background might help here, Orion is the name chosen for Ben Jones’s concept album that came about after he read Eckhart Tolle’s book The Power Of Now, which deals with how we address our own internal dialogue between the past and the present. It talks about a personal awakening and enlightenment which incorporates the Buddhist concept that enlightenment is the beginning of the end of suffering. Quite a lofty concept but one rooted in the aspect of how time controls us and makes us slaves to its demands as we struggle to get done what we need to in the time allotted to us. It’s a never ending game of cat and mouse and one that drains, frustrates and depresses on a daily basis. As we are forever chasing our own tails, all for the Mammon at the end of the day/month/year, it’s soul destroying really and this album addresses that cycle in its lyrics.

This album was 20 years in the making, with the book being a pivotal moment towards personal enlightenment and  acceptance. Furthermore, the album was entirely self financed, performed and recorded by Ben Jones, with no intent other than to get the album completed and out to a world and see what happened as a result. Ben also made the CD available on bandcamp at a most reasonable price to encourage folks to listen for themselves. All of which is very laudable but is it any good?

Well this reviewer finds it is a really good listen and, once you understand it’s concepts and ideas, it’s both satisfying and musically very rewarding indeed.

The album begins with a gentle piano motif that is recurrent at times throughout the whole record before a huge riff commences that really opens the sound vista wide. It’s a very impressive riff that really works well and fades to some frenzied fretwork before resuming and then quietening down a little, more power chords then play the track out. As an instrumental opener Now  is a very strong and gripping track, this fades to fast strummed acoustic guitar that opens the second track, In The Beginning. This is a pretty epic song with that great recurring acoustic guitar and a great bass part to it. There is a blistering middle section with lots of frantic bass and crunchy riffing guitar parts and a tidy but brief solo, it sounds double tracked and all the better for that too,

Tomorrow is about how what we do leaves its mark in time and that we should do all we can to make that impression a good one. Again, this has a lot going on throughout and also has a fine solo. It’s a very strong track taken at a pace that doesn’t let up and, with great vocals, it’s one of my favourites thus far. The Hurricane is about the the battles of middle life and keeping control during it. There is another monstrous riff running through it all, making it quite a hard number but a powerful one that leads into Yesterday and its melancholy for the middle years and the opportunities that now seem squandered, again this is a rather epic song of regrets and missed chances.

Out Of Time is about the realisation that it’s too late and time has gone for you, a rather sobering  song really as it faces that difficult reality. Myself and I is about the enlightenment and that time is an illusion of the mind and Out Of Time pt. 2 is the reality that time is a concept and how he is not constrained or beholden to it any longer. The End Of Suffering is the last track of the album and brings us back full circle as it has a similar opening as the beginning of the album and is an excellent closer to a most unusual and somewhat different album. This track has a wall of sound effect at times, similar to Devin Townsend’s dense sound. This track has everything happening at once it is manic and urgent despite being a mid tempo piece. It really is most impressive I really like it.

There is great musicianship and intelligence to this album, okay, it might help to have read the book to fully understand the concept, something I will do for myself in the coming weeks. All in all ‘The End of Suffering’ is a most wonderful release, I highly commend it to all, especially those who like their prog harder and less symphonic.

More info at:

Orion Music – Home (orion-music.co.uk)

Released 5th June, 2023.

Order from bandcamp here:

The End of Suffering | Orion (bandcamp.com)