Tag: Kyle Graves

EchoVerse announce debut album ‘Whisper Between Worlds’ with video for new single “Not Like The Other”

EchoVerse is a Progressive Rock band that seamlessly blends Christian spirituality with elements of Prog, Hard Rock, and even Classical music. Set to release their debut album Whispers Between Worlds on August 20th, 2024, the band navigates complex themes of faith and the human experience through a series of powerful tracks.

The band are pleased to share the new video for “Not Like The Others,” directed by Christian Rios, here:

The band had this to say about the new single:
“‘Not Like The Others’ confronts the hypocrisy within modern churches, highlighting the emptiness of outward displays of faith without genuine love, and challenges us all to embrace true compassion and humility in our journies with God. The track is also a straight-ahead rocker with some 7/4 riffs to help maintain our Prog cred. :)”

EchoVerse has also launched a Kickstarter campaign to support the album’s release, featuring an 8-panel Digipak CD, two limited Vinyl options, a Kickstarter-exclusive T-Shirt, and much more.

Kickstarter details here:

Support EchoVerse: Help Launch Our Debut Prog Rock Album! 🪐 by EchoVerse — Kickstarter

Drawing inspiration from bands like Spock’s Beard, Rush, Marillion, and Dream Theater, EchoVerse builds on the foundation of their former group, Ascher, with a new lineup and a fresh creative vision.

Whispers Between Worlds opens with “Not Like the Other,” which addresses outward hypocrisy in modern churches, and quickly moves into “Sins of the Father,” exploring the enduring impact of generational sin on today’s society. “Feelings of Grey” then offers a contemplative look at mental health, emphasizing the comforting role of faith during dark times. The narrative of hope and resurrection unfolds in “Empty,” which narrates the story of The Passion from the Empty Room to the Empty Tomb. Reaching a narrative crescendo, “The War Within” presents a 31-minute epic, divided into nine sections, that explores the battles between man and evil, both internally and externally. The album concludes with “Walk Alone,” which poses profound questions about the choices we make and the paths we choose to follow.

Track Listing

1. Not Like the Other (5:44)

2. Sins of the Father  (6:45)

3. Feelings of Grey  (6:42)

4. Empty (5:23)

5. The War Within (Total Time 30:54)

I. I Walk Away   (5:17)

II. Something Sinister This Way Comes  (1:51)

III. The Devil in My Ear (2:35)

IV. Push Back (3:20)

V. Now (3:57)

VI. Final Conflict (6:05)

VII. Back Where I Belong (3:51)
VIII. I Know It’s You (2:52)

IX. The War Within (1:06)

6. Walk Alone (6:17)

EchoVerse:
Kyle Graves: Lead Vocals
Doug Bowers: Vocals, Keys, Bass, Guitar
Rob Perez: Lead Guitar
Kyle Fagala: Drums, Vocals

EchoVerse Debuts with a Bold Reimagining of The Beatles’ Classic ‘Eleanor Rigby’

Emerging from the progressive rock scene, EchoVerse announces the release of their first single, a distinctive cover of The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby.” EchoVerse, born from members of the Christian Prog Rock band Ascher, blend influences from progressive rock giants like Spock’s Beard, RUSH, and Dream Theater.

The track was mixed by renowned producer Rich Mouser, noted for his collaborations with bands like Weezer, Spock’s Beard, and Dream Theater. The music video, inspired by the iconic Yellow Submarine film, was directed by Christian Rios, a prominent name in the Prog Rock scene, known for his work with Neal Morse Band, Flying Colors, and Jethro Tull.

EchoVerse is thrilled to release their debut music video for their cover of “Eleanor Rigby”.

You can watch the video on YouTube here:

EchoVerse’s interpretation of “Eleanor Rigby” transforms the timeless song with a progressive rock perspective, preserving the essence that made the original remarkable while aiming to enhance the musical setting. This approach results in a creation that is both sharp and grand, offering a fresh take on a beloved classic.

“With ‘Eleanor Rigby’, we wanted to pay homage to The Beatles, but also put our own twist on it, maybe with a little more punch,” says Kyle Graves, the lead singer. “Our aim is to create music that’s enjoyable to listen to but also makes you think and feel, both with the sound and the stories we’re telling. And what better story than Eleanor Rigby?”

EchoVerse has a distinct sound, mixing complex music with experimental features. Their recent cover is more than a simple version of a song; it introduces their musical identity. Their first album with original songs “Whispers Between Worlds” is coming in 2024, and this cover gives a sneak peek at the fresh and inventive music EchoVerse will bring to Progressive Rock.

EchoVerse:
Kyle Graves: Lead Vocals
Doug Bowers: Vocals, Keys, Bass, Guitar
Rob Perez: Lead Guitar
Kyle Fagala: Drums, Vocals

Review – Ascher – Beginnings

I love discovering new music, especially when it comes out of the blue. I had a review request in with regard to new US progressive rock group Ascher and I respected the opinion of the PR guy who had sent me the album so, as a favour, I listened to their debut release ‘Beginnings’ and the rest, as they say, is history…

The band features Doug Bowers (guitars, bass, keys, vocals), Blake Dickeson (rhythm guitars), Rob Perez (lead guitar) and Kyle Graves (lead vocals). Doug and Rob have been collaborating on one another’s projects for years. Toward the end of 2022, Bowers began collaborating with guitarist, Blake, fleshing out some musical ideas that he had developed over the years, Rob was brought in to add tasty lead guitar to the effort. Rob suggested a singer that he had recently encountered, Kyle was writing lyrics for an upcoming album for Rob and Rob felt he would be a perfect fit for Ascher. Rob was right and the band was complete.

The album contains five instrumental pieces and four songs, clocks in at fifty-seven minutes and will keep fans of melodic progressive rock with hook laden grooves extremely happy. Opening instrumental, catchily titled Beginnings, has a proper Rush feel from the restrained opening to the elegantly powerful guitar lines and thunderous rhythm section. Rob’s guitar guides a perfect path through this funky piece and you are immediately drawn in to Ascher’s intriguing musical world. There’s an almost 80’s pop-prog (think ‘90125’ era Yes or Peter Gabriel material of that time) quality to the opening of In The Clear Distance, an urgent, staccato guitar riff and dynamic vocals keep this energetic track at a high-tempo pace, of particular note are the harmonised chorus, the groovy keys and, once again, the fleeting guitar licks that always bring a smile to my face, this album has definitely grabbed my attention now! Next comes one of the best songs on the album, the brilliant The Great Divide. From it’s slow burning opening with its emotive vocals and stirring piano, this track grabs your attention and doesn’t let go, musically it has a feel of Marillion at their best and I’m a big fan of that band! A powerful ballad with a passionate chorus that just bleeds emotion, it’s a track I have returned to many times and will continue to do so. Hard rock, bluesy grooves abound on the lively, funk laden Ransom For The Righteous with its super stylish vintage keys and sunny, west-coast, outlook. One of the best rock instrumentals you will here in a long time, blending 80’s hard rock with the laid back sound of the 70’s just about perfectly, another stand out track on what is turning out to be the most surprising releases of the year so far. De Profundis (‘out of the depths’ to you and me) takes a dark and solemn turn with its mysterious opening and enigmatic vocals. You find yourself almost holding your breath in expectation as this cryptic track takes you on a journey into the unknown. All seems to be revealed as a flowering guitar opens up the dark into the light and drags you along with it and you truly do come ‘out of the depths’. It’s very clever songwriting as the twilight refuses to be subdued and tries to return, this ying and yang of darkness and light is really clever and makes for an very engrossing piece of music.

I love the instrumental, Nail Soup. A chance for these musicians to let their hair down and just enjoy themselves, it flows perfectly and is just a highly enjoyable five and a half minutes where you just forget your troubles, sit down with a beer, tap your toes and smile. The polished songwriting continues with the captivating brilliance of What The World Can’t Give, another hard rock infused prog masterpiece that really powers along, fuelled by the chugging riff pairing of guitar and keyboards. This track will surely be a monster live, its high energy intensity is addictive and compelling and the guitar playing is just stellar! Wheels Turning Now is wistful, nostalgic and melancholic in equal measure and dances along with a lightness of touch that you just marvel at. You have to say that Ascher are bloody good at writing excellent instrumentals and this is another one that has me humming along and nodding my head in time to the music. The album I have closes with the bonus track The Instrumental Divide (everyone needs the version with this wonderful piece of music on) and closes on an extreme high. Rob is channelling is inner guitar hero (be it Satriani, Schon or Vai or any of the other guitar legends out there) and he is on fire, literally! This glorious instrumental bleeds emotion, passion and many other things to leave you open mouthed in admiration and just begging for more, what a way to sign off this incredible release!

When it comes to music, an unexpected surprise is a rare thing nowadays so when one arrives in your inbox it really must be cherished. With ‘Begginings’, Ascher have really set the bar high for debut releases and set themselves on the path to what should be a successful career, it has certainly got my attention and I have to say that, for me, it is a definite highlight of 2023 so far and I’m sure will still be up there when the year ends.

Released 16th March, 2023.

Order the album from bandcamp here:

Beginnings | Ascher (bandcamp.com)

US Progressive Rock Group Ascher Release Debut Album ‘Beginnings’

New US progressive rock group, Ascher, release their debut album ‘Beginnings’ today, March 16th. The album, containing five instrumental pieces and four songs, clocks in at fifty-seven minutes. From the opening instrumental title track to the bonus track closer, “The Instrumental Divide,” the album flows seamlessly through a sonic landscape of guitar-driven rock, vintage keyboard wizardry, and a lofty hook-laden ballad. The instrumental pieces power through enough time signature and meter changes to keep the die-hard prog fan happy while the thought provoking songs reveal a more grounded down to earth feel. 

The band features Doug Bowers (Guitars/Keys/Bass/Vocals),  Blake Dickeson (Rhythm Guitars), Rob Perez (Lead Guitar), and Kyle Graves (Lead Vocals).

 Beginnings will be available via the band’s Bandcamp page as well as all digital music retailers and streaming sites. Lyrics are also available on Ascher’s Bandcamp page.
https://ascher1.bandcamp.com/album/beginnings

To coincide with the release of the album, Ascher has released video for the track, “What the World Can’t Give,” which you can see here: 

The band released their first single, “The Great Divide,” in February accompanied by a video:

Tracklisting:

1. Beginnings (6:03)
2. In the Clear Distance (5:07)

3. The Great Divide (7:44)
4. Ransom For the Righteous (6:19)
5. De Profundis (7:58)
6. Nail Soup (5:27)
7. What the World Can’t Give (6:03)
8. Wheels Turning Now (4:12)

Doug Bowers (Ad Astra, KDB3, Vertical Alignment) and Rob Perez (Visual Cliff, Bluesyndrome) have been collaborating on one another’s projects for years. A short-lived band formed in 2021 and disbanded in early 2022 yielded many co-written instrumental pieces that never saw the light of day. Toward the end of 2022, Doug began collaborating with guitarist, Blake Dickeson, fleshing out some musical ideas that Blake had developed over the years, Rob was brought in to add tasty lead guitar to the effort. When Rob suggested that the trio revisit some of the unfinished instrumental pieces, it was decided that a band might be the best expression of their growing repertoire. Thus Ascher was born. It quickly became apparent that Doug was not up to singing the melodies he was writing for his lyrics and the search for a proper singer was soon underway. Rob suggested a singer that he had recently encountered. Kyle Graves was writing lyrics for an upcoming album for Rob and Rob felt he would be a perfect fit for Ascher. Rob was right and the band was complete.