Tag: Phil Stuckey

Review – Stuckfish – ‘IV’ – by John Wenlock-Smith

I raved about Stuckfish’s last album ‘Days Of Innocence’ in my review in 2022 so I am very glad to report that this album continues in the same manner and vein. Although a few things have changed for the band, namely they are now part of the growing White Knight label run by Rob Reed and David Mackie. Also, they have a new keyboard player in Paul McNally who replaces Gary Holland (who left very amicably because of being unable to fully commit to the bands increased level of activity).

This new album has nine tracks, in all of varying lengths and all have a very different fell to them with differing moods. You do notice the quality oozing through the songs though as they are all very impressive sounding. The album begins with an acapella style opening on Shadows & Moonbeams, a song about Sarah Bernhardt, the French actress who had a very busy romantic life in that lots of men fell in love with her, thinking they were ‘The One’ who could win her heart completely. However, they never succeeded and she left a trail of broken hearts in her wake. It is a piece with a great chorus that will stay with you for ages and is one of the best opening tracks of the year with its chugging bass lines, sympathetic keyboards and a strong haunting guitar line from Ade Fisher. Silently Waiting is quite a fierce number with more solid keyboards and great acoustic guitar in the mix. This has a great vocal from Phil Stuckey who sounds a little Styx-like in his delivery, as he does on a few songs here. The song is about wanting to rebuild a relationship, here he is Silently Waiting for a positive outcome. The mid-section has an exciting and dramatic interplay between the musicians that impresses greatly and the whole band are on fine form here. The return of the acoustic guitar is a plus, as is the lyrical guitar solo that plays towards the tracks conclusion, another excellent track from the band.

Lifeline opens with strong chord work and, again, the Styx comparison holds true. Another strong vocal from Phil makes this a standout track for me, again the chorus is a distinct ear worm and will pop up unannounced in your thoughts during coming days. The song is about being free to be yourself and it is a fantastic song that calls out for a live performance, especially the great keyboards that close out the track. Liberty takes us to the poetry and musing of 13th century Persian poet and philosopher Rumi, who wrote about how love completes us. Again, the chorus is very memorable and strong and is repeated several times to great effect, Fragile is a short song, the shortest in Stuckfish’s canon of works and it benefits from a chugging bassline and atmospheric keyboards along with a very solid back beat from drummer Adam Sayers, whose meticulous timekeeping powers the track along. The song relates to how we are all fragile as individuals with our own life stories to live, experience and enjoy and how we can also make a new start when life fails us. A very short, concise and powerful track. The Time Of Your Life talks about how choices made early in life upon the expectations of other can be a burden that many are unprepared and unable to reach or cope with. The spoken word section is very memorable and works very well in the song, as does the excellent guitar solo from Adrian that crowns the song in style as he channels his inner Rothery in a very lyrical solo. This is another triumphant song, utterly magnificent!

JFKX rocks with style as more chugging bass and great keyboard textures and synths abound before a very meaty guitar riff is introduced by Adrian. The mid -ection has a keyboard solo from Phil McNally. Originally this song was written for Marc Storace of Krokus fame who rejected it, his loss being our gain. Fly (On Feathers Of Hope) begins with a very Yes like sound of keyboards and great guitar. The song is about love as a spiritual experience and expression so that it can be almost dreamlike. Which is an interesting construct as opposed to the traditional long slog of love that most folks experience. I guess it is all in how you approach it and also how much you value and appreciate your loved one. It is a journey that you take together and that is reflected in how you experience and express it for yourself. The album closes with the epic Skies Fall which is about near death experiences. This song is a slow burner with its strong use of bass, drums and keyboard interjections along with some harder metal edged guitar power chords. It slips into an almost eastern sounding mid section with more great guitar lines and that solid rhythm section holding everything together. There are great lyrics to this song too and, as the song builds in power, a great guitar break draws the song to its conclusion in style, including an effects pedal that changes pitch in a most dynamic way to fine effect.

So that’s it, a highly impressive sounding album full of memorable songs, strong choruses and excellent musicianship. If you get the chance to hear this album then you really must take it as it is certainly one of the years strongest releases and the band are more active touring wise these days too. So watch out for them as live this material will be fantastic!

Very Highly recommended indeed.

Released 13th October, 2024.

Order the album here:

https://stuckfish.bandcamp.com/album/stuckfish-iv-with-12-page-lyric-book

Watch the video for Shadows & Moonbeams here:

https://stuckfish.bandcamp.com/track/shadows-moonbeams

Review – Stuckfish – Days of Innocence – by John Wenlock-Smith

This might be one of the best new albums that I have had to pleasure to hear this year. Yes, it really is that impressive! The album has eight tracks, all above the five-and-a-half-minute mark and two over eight minutes.

No wonder this is attracting the interest of many prog fans for, in Stuckfish, we find a worthy blend of old school prog and classic rock, married together with a great vocalist in Phil Stuckey, who brings to mind a classic style, an excellent bass player (Phil Morey) and a fiery but tasteful guitarist in Ade Fisher. Together with drummer Adam Sayers and keyboard player Gary Holland, they make for a very tight and energetic team.

This is their third album written during the global layoff of 2021, which, as Ade says, was a better use of time than watching Netflix and chomping chocolate hobnobs and the results here can bear witness to that observation.

The album opens in a very Rush like vein with Age Of Renewal and its use of shifting time signatures which allows for some moody synth backing. Vocalist Phil Stuckey really performs well here with a strong clear tone that works well. There is a good synth/guitar interplay here too making the mid-section strong, just before Ade lets rip with a solo that takes the piece forward. Along with the great bass work on show, this is a great opener that will be a sure-fire winner live, seldom has seven minutes passed so quickly! The epic Days of Innocence follows, which features the nimble basswood of Phil Morey anchoring the song down. The track is a heartfelt one, a look back at childhood and the hope of a better future. The song is reflective and a touch maudlin, however it is certainly extraordinarily strong in tone. There’s great vocals too as Phil sings with passion and optimism for a star he has yet to reach. A very impressive track with good orchestration in the closing moments with great brass, unusual but effective and definitely memorable.

Painted Smile picks up the Rush baton once again with a chugging guitar riff that said band would have loved to employ. The song is about clowns and how their painted face often hides or masks their inner pains. This has great keyboards on it that create an aura of the circus with a suitable organ sound strong in the mix. Sounding sinister at times but creating and painting the setting wonderfully, this album makes a strong impression for all the right reasons and will surely appear in many bests of /end of the year’s lists, It will certainly be among my choices for that accolade, the track ends with a piano sound that evokes a silent film and concludes another fabulous track. The urgent guitar riff of Ade Fisher sees a segue into Game Changer, a track that flies out of the gate with style and punchy panache. This song properly rocks but does not forget to have melodies or dynamics that make this optimistic song stand out both musically and lyrically. I am really enjoying this album with its use of light and shade that works very well, as does the graceful guitar playing that leads the song on towards a marvellous rhythmic mid section which really makes an impact. Stuckfish have worked hard on this album, not only in the elegant material but also in the performances that are all highly impressive by any standard.

Thief In The Night is a great song about loss and the memories of a loved one that has gone. The track is very moving and is presented beautifully, with dignity and feeling. Phil’s voice is fantastic and really suited to the feeling of the song and making it my favourite on the album, sympathetically managed and beautifully written, it conveys perfectly what happens when a loved one passes on, glorious and magnificent in equal measures. Yearn is next and opens with a reverb laden piano that sets the tone for the song. With a trumpet evoking a smokey jazz club, it’s certainly very sultry and brooding sounding and has an epic chorus that really impacts. This is a slow burn of a track that creeps up on you and takes over, it’s truly that memorable. It reminds me of a Wishbone Ash song for some reason, must be the vocal inflections that it has. Wonderfully delicate and gracefully imagined and conceived, this is another great song that’s very well performed by all. A really impressive piece of music!

Nevermore is different as Phil sings in a Rob Halford sounding voice to significant effect. It is really distinctive to hear him singing in this manner and the song packs a punch to be sure, one of the shorter pieces but still a good listen. Different Ways closes the album in grand style, being one of the more blatantly progressive songs and one that gives room for the bands musical dexterity to shine through. With a great guitar solo from Ade and good support from all the group, this is a great album ending track.

So, there you have it, eight great tracks in one fine album from a band that are really on the rise. Get it while you can as it is utterly fantastic and definitely a highlight of the year so far!

Released 16th April, 2022.

Order from bandcamp here:

Days of Innocence | Stuckfish (bandcamp.com)