Tag: Evership

2022 Progradar’s Best Of The Year – John Wenlock-Smith’s Top 20

Yesterday saw the editor’s top twenty albums of 2022, today we see what made respected contributor John Wenlock-Smith’s list….

John says, “It’s been a great year for music, especially prog, with many fine releases from established and also newer acts. Here are twenty that really struck a chord with me, in no particular order but all worthy of inspection and consideration.”

D’VIRGILIO, MORSE, JENNINGS – TROIKA

In which well known prog aficionados beguile us with their inner CSN&Y. It’s all acoustically in the main but a very strong collection of songs that must warrant a second visit – here’s hoping so at least!

Hats of Gentlemen It’s Adequate – The Confidence Trick 

A wonderful and diverse set of songs around the concept that we are being led by arrogant fools whose overconfidence is actually severely dangerous, examples being Trump, Johnson and, more recently, Liz Truss whose overconfidence nearly destroyed any chance of economic growth.

Stuckfish – Days of Innocence 

A simply marvellous album that impressed many with its thoughtful lyrics and excellent music.

SiX By SiX – Self Titled

A bit of Saga, a bit of Saxon, add Robert Berry’s muscular bass and you have a blistering rock album with very progressive elements and leanings. Again this one impressed greatly.

Kaipa – Urskog

The long established Swedish folk-proggers delivered a truly graceful album with several epics and more than a touch of vintage Yes, a great set of songs.

Derek Sherinian – Vortex 

In which the ex-Dream Theater keyboard man delivers a captivating, electric set of tracks supported by several big name friends including Steve Stevens, Nuno Bettencourt, Bumblefoot and Joe Bonamassa, to name a few. Blistering in parts and excellent overall.

The Mighty Ra – All Secrets Known 

A new band of mainly Welsh prog musicians who began writing together with this rather fine album being the result. An excellent new album with great promise.

Verbal Delirium – Conundrum

This was new to me but what a find! A very classy album with a great vocalist, strong songs and great playing from all, definitely one to discover.

Arc Of Life – Don’t Look Down

The second album from Yes spin off Arc of Life. Jon Davison and Billy Sherwood delivering the album that Yes maybe should have. Epics like Real Time World and Arc of Life were standout tracks in an album of importance and strength.

The Bardic Depths – Promises Of Hope

Literature loving progressive band deliver a fine second album about suicide via a fictional tale of a suicidal queen whose death is prevented by the Gods. Enthralling and with many guests in tow.

Tribe of Names – Evolver 

Evolutionary album from ex-Tinyfish man Simon Godfrey & colleagues that sees them stretching their legs musically. There’s a welcome strong Rush influence throughout and its a superb album overall. 

Phi Yaan Zek – Interdimensional Garden Party

This very strange but satisfying album occupies a realm the sadly departed and much missed Frank Zappa would have graced with its blend of instrumentals and strong songs. Wonderful weirdness is obligatory with such stunning tracks as Wickety Wickety being enough to make anyone smile. A seriously good album that warrants investigation.

John Holden – Kintsugi 

John lives close to me and he delivers a strong fourth album of various pieces with a stellar assembly of guests, a highly varied and ultimately satisfying and enjoyable album.

Pattern Seeking Animals – Only Passing Through

This is the third album from Spock’s Beard writer and contributor John Boegehold. With excellent support from existing members of the band, strong songs and catchy hooks abound.

Red Bazar- Inverted Reality 

Another unexpected pleasure with a harder edged sound and excellent vocals from Peter Jones, this was very welcome indeed.

Dave Brons – Return to Arda 

Simply divine and beautifully melodic Celtic-tinged music from Dave Brons and friends with a concentration on melody with moments of shredding brilliance. Totally sublime and utterly captivating. 

Ghost Of The Machine – Scissorgames

A triumphant debut from ex-This Winter Machine men who, along with sublime vocalist Charlie Bramald, fuse melody and muscle in a devastating combination. Truly awesome, well received by many and rightly so too!

Clive Mitten – Tales From A Misspent Youth Volume 1

Entirely orchestral versions of songs that inspired Clive whilst growing up. His take on key songs from Pink Floyd, Genesis, Supertramp and Rush really are a must to hear. How he brings out hitherto hidden beauties to much loved pieces is gorgeous.

Evership – The Uncrowned King Act 2

The final part of the tale is a sobering statement of intent from fine US proggers Evership and the additional vocals from Saga’s Michael Sadler impress greatly.

David Longdon – Door One

Posthumously released after David’s unexpected death in 2021, this telling collection reveals his continued evolution as a writer and, whilst short, this bittersweet album reminds us of of the great man we lost last year.

So, there you have it, that’s it for 2022 from John and myself, see you on the other side…

Review – Evership – The Uncrowned King – Act 2 – by John Wenlock-Smith

I have long championed the group Evership and have had the pleasure of doing so through several reviews of their music that I have penned! I find much within their music that is pleasing to my ears and their skills continue to shine out. This latest release continues in the vein the band began with last year’s ‘The Uncrowned King – Act One’ in which we were introduced to the main characters within the book issued in 1910 by Harold Bell Wright, his allegorical tale about fame, fortune and success and what it’s pursuit can do to you. I found the actual story or novella fairly difficult to understand as it is written in rather old English that confused me greatly. As it is an allegory, meanings can be obscured anyway, the gist of it is about truth and the reality of it. but it’s somewhat obscure at times.

This album carries on from where act one concluded, at the point at which the king had died and, with the two Princesses adrift in a far off land, the second-born Prince, Seems-to-Be, senses an opportunity to seize the crown for himself whilst his brother, Really-Is, tarries and lingers with goodbyes and his hesitation will have repercussions down the years…

The album begins with acoustic guitar and synths that evoke images of breath and winds, it’s is a subdued opening but with fabulous vocals from Mike Priebe as The Voice Of The Night and then the pace quickens with an urgent guitar riff. This song has so many echoes of classic Kansas, it is not a clone but certainly is heavily influenced by that band with lots of keyboard embellishments and tones that hark back to that era. Evership make that sound relevant and up to date and all the better for it too. This first song really grabs your attention for all the right reasons, and is followed by Missive Pursuits, another masterful track that encompasses everything that the band are and this song showcases it all herein, fabulous stuff. The Law Of Ages is where Really-Is realises that in his tarry his brother, who is not the rightful heir, is deceiving everybody by his seizure of the crown, This is a sad song, not of regret, but of pity for his wayward brother whose actions are not those of a true King, the song also has a fabulous guitar solo that takes it towards its conclusion.

Coronation follows and is Seems-to-Be’s moment of seeming triumph. This is opportunism make good for him, although in reality all is an illusion, a deception, smoke and mirrors, like a magician’s trick. Seems- to-Be is hoping no one will notice, meanwhile his brother prays for his him and his acts. The music is very engaging and fits the lyrics well, with a great recurring synth riff underpinning everything. The next track, The Voice Of The New Day, is completely different in that the vocalist is Michael Sadler of Saga whose tones are simply majestic and his warmth carries the song beautifully. The song points to a different conclusion that may yet occur, giving a new hope. Nobody is about Really-Is and the quiet life he now leads, the song is sad but ,ultimately, it has much to commend. Beautifully orchestrated and poignant at different stages, it’s ultimately a triumph. Fading Away is the point at which it is revealed that Seems-to-Be’s actions have a terrible price to pay, strangely odd as this seems to be happening this week in the UK with Liz Truss and the Tories who have a price to pay for their deception and treachery. It seems that all actions have repercussions, a fact ignored by many today, to their cost and peril. This song surges along with lots of powerful flourishes and energy as the kingdom is righted, the rightful heir restoring the balance and order. If only that would happen here, now! The final track, Pilgrim’s Reprise, contains musical themes within the album used as a fitting conclusion to proceedings.

To be fair, this album is probably best heard together with Act One but, either way, this second act is both very welcome and very rewarding to hear as the talents of all are well utilised and realised. Hats off to Shane Atkinson, Beau West, James Atkinson and Ben Young for realising the vision and making it into reality, exemplary performances from all on a really impressive and rewarding release.

Released 14th October, 2022.

Order from bandcamp here:

The Uncrowned King – Act 2 | Evership | Friends of Melodic Revolution (bandcamp.com)

Review – Evership – The Uncrowned King Act 1 – by John Wenlock-Smith

Evership are, if you do not already know, the new face of American Prog, their music is a graceful and enticing mix of lots of classic US Prog and Pomp Rock bands like Kansas, Styx and Starcastle, to name just three. This ,along with their love of European progressive rock like Genesis, Yes, Gentle Giant and PFM (and romantic classical music) makes for a heady mix of sounds and textures.

They are most definitely a band to watch in the next few years. Led by Shane Atkinson (keyboards, drums, vocals, percussion, theremin and sound design) and aided by Beau West (lead vocals), James Atkinson (lead guitar) and John Rose (rhythm, classical, acoustic and lead guitar). They are also supported by Ben Young on bass and a few other friends also lend their talents to this album.

The album takes its inspiration from a book published in 1910 by Harold Bell Wright called ‘The Uncrowned King’, an allegory in the style of John Bunyan’s ‘Pilgrims Progress’ with a story arc that fuses Mark Twain’s ‘The Prince and the Pauper’ with Charles Dicken’s ‘A Christmas Carol’. The book is about the search for truth and how real truth cannot be found solely with just our five senses. That truth  is a more transcendent concept and one must show courage in the pursuit of it and its consequences. This is a two part story, this album is part 1, with part 2 in the pipeline. If you like the works that Neal Morse has offered, like ‘The Great Adventure’ and ‘Similitude Of A Dream’, appeal to you then I suspect that this one will too, as it ploughs a similar furlough in style and meaning.

Unlike Neal’s work, this album merely hints at spirituality rather than making any blatant declarations. This is, I feel, a highly effective tactic as it means the listener must reach his own conclusions about the viewpoints raised in the album. The album touches on religion, but it is not about religion although it does feature throughout.

The album has seven tracks, an epic sixteen minute track, three long tracks around ten minutes long and three shorter tracks. Together, this all lasts for just around sixty minutes and is full of excellent music and songs with quality lyrics. You will need the booklet with you to comprehend and grasp the subtleties of this album to get maximum enjoyment and appreciation of this piece of exquisitely crafted music.

The album opens with The Pilgrimage, which starts with a long instrumental section of about four minutes with lots of keyboards and synths, this is followed by some chunky guitar riffs as vocals are introduced. This is very symphonic sounding prog and very well done indeed. The pilgrimage details the journey the traveller makes from the Desert of Facts to The Temple of Truth and acts as an opener to the tale. Upon reaching the temple the traveller must meet the criteria for entry. The traveller is granted entry to The Quiet Room where he will be visited by four voices, firstly The Voice of The Waves who speaks of The Great That Is, The Uncrowned King and a Magic Crown.

This is followed by Crownshine/Allthetime which relates more of the backstory to the tale and commences with keyboards for one and a half minutes before Beau West starts singing of how the Crown was beautiful, magical and marvellous. All this is aided by some soaring guitar lines, choral voices and what sounds like tubular bells, although it could be played by the the synths of Shane Atkinson, all in all a strong and agreeable opening section.

The Tower follows where the narrative is told in song, of how the two princes in the kingdom wanted more than what they could see. Whilst looking from the tallest tower in the land they could see in the distance another land that looked good to them and so they sought consent from the king to go and discover this land for themselves. As they looked beyond their world to seek out and find new experiences and attractions to satisfy their wanderlust, the two princes, Really-Is and Seemsto-be, are prepared to risk everything.

There is a lot going on in the section with some excellent musicianship and some strong themes, along with lots of information pertaining to the story. We are also introduced to the two princes, Really-Is and Seemsto-be and we are also told of the life they lived, happy in a land where they enjoyed freedom of choices about what they chose to believe and the way they lived by. It also tells us of how they both looked the same and no one could tell them apart, a critical part of the tale as it transpires. 

The Voice of The Evening Wind introduces the two princes, their steeds Reality and Appearance and set us up for the adventures they had in the pursuit of what they did not have. This is the paradox at the heart of the tale and how truth can be deceptive, and wisdom can be forgotten and forsaken in foolish quests.    

The book on which this tale is based is certainly an interesting and intriguing one, one that, because it is over 200 years old, is not always clear in the points it makes but it is worth looking into. It is a book much loved by Shane and Beau and the video on their website details its impact on them. 

This album takes you partway into the tale with the remainder to follow later this year and if it is as good as this one is it too will be very warmly welcomed and received, you really need to listen to it several times to understand, excellent work from all concerned.

Released May 21st, 2021.

Order direct from the band here:

Evership Store – Purchase CDs, Vinyl, T-shirts and other Evership Merchandise