Cinematic progressive rock band Proud Peasant (Austin, TX, USA) will release their new album Communion on Basement Avatar Records on October 20, 2023. The album is the follow-up to their debut album, Flight, and the second part of the It Does Not Cease trilogy.
Proud Peasant have forged a reputation for combining classic and modern sounds together, drawing comparisons to Mike Oldfield, Gryphon, Wobbler, and King Crimson, while also incorporating elements of movie and video game soundtracks, metal, thrash, chamber music, avant-garde, Chinese classical music, and ragtime jazz to create a cinematic mix of sounds.
Proud Peasant’s debut album ‘Flight’ was called an “aptly titled escape into musical fancy that masterfully knots together British folk, cinematic symphonic rock, Elizabethan prog, Gentle Giant-ish vocal fugues and even videogame-score-like whimsy.” (Progression Magazine) The album achieved significant acclaim, ending 2014on several best-of lists, reaching #1 on Amazon’s Progressive Rock charts, and spending 11 weeks on the Gagliarchives Top 20 Progressive Rock Albums of the Week.
Their next release was with ‘Peasantsongs’, a collection of rare and unreleased tracks, including covers of classic tracks by Eloy and Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, which were featured on Stuart Maconie’s Freak Zone on BBC Radio.
The band returns with ‘Communion’, the follow-up to ‘Flight’, and the second part of the ‘It Does Not Cease’ trilogy. Engineered by Chico Jones and mastered by SarahRegister, ‘Communion’ continues the sonic and stylistic shifts from previous albums, but brings a heavier, more modern sensibility, and adds vocals to the mix. Featuring an eclectic mix of six songs, the album culminates in the final track, The Fall, a 19-minute epic exploration of genre, mood, and sound.
Communion will be released on CD, digital download, and all major streaming services on October 20, 2023.
I was contacted on social media and invited to hear this album, released completely independently by Massimo himself as an outlet for his own music, but also seemingly as a kind of therapy for feelings and issues in his own past. This makes this rather gentle album all the more profound really as a journey into new adventures, ‘A New Beginning’ an apt title in that respect. Massimo is a music lecturer and teacher in Rome and he has played in various progressive groups in Italy, his own music is actually rather sensitive and beguiling, it certainly has excellent keyboards (unsurprisingly enough).
This short album is best heard in one continuous setting as it will take you on Massimo’s journey to contentment and completeness. It also makes political comments about Italian society along the way, in addition, it seems a lot of the songs are reflections on relationship issues that Massimo has experienced over the years. The music ranges in style from short vignettes to more pop based structures. Throughput the album there are some good keyboard tones and sounds employed to good effect. Out Of This World uses a sample taken from Charlie Chaplin’s 1940 film TheGreat Dictator to good effect to address the need for democracy in Italy after the era of Ille Duce (Mussolini)
In the information sheet that comes with the album Massimo gives some information that is pertinent to the album. He states “It is a largely autobiographical concept album, through which I tried to express my point of view on today’s society by taking a cue from my own personal problems and life experiences. Of the songs, the most autobiographical ones are Oh Father, Growing Old, Things To Live And To Die For and Family and Business. Other tracks like In November, Is That Girl Right? and Out of this World reflect my passion for cinema and film music. Finally the tracks A New Beginning parts A and B and I Hope You Will Always Be Here With Me are representative of my background in progressive music and my respect for others and environmental concerns.There is also an effort to present circularity in order to merge genres, my important academic studies and previous plays.”
Whether or not this succeeds on that score is possibly up to you, the listener, to decide but, in any respect, Massimo has crafted a deeply personal album with definite progressive elements and some fine keyboards in a very lush sounding recording. He has also started work on a second album that will utilise the talents of John Hackett, Nick Fletcher and Laura Piazzai, to name but three and I eagerly await that one too.
The album opens or commences with the brief but exciting synthesisers of Intro that gently swirl and create an atmosphere of warmth. Oh Father is a recollection of memories of Massimo’s father and the lessons he taught and showed about life and love. It seems the relationship was a difficult one, fraught with conflict but now, looking back with hindsight, Massimo understands his father’s interest was in shaping him. In November is a gentle song, although it has a good guitar line played throughout which sounds exquisite really, as does the the intro and opening section of Growing Old which reflects on ageing, the track is aided by a gorgeous fretless bass which definitely adds to the atmosphere created. Next is the song Is That Girl Right? which reflects on a relationship Massimo experienced, one that seemingly didn’t work out the way it was hoped or expected to.
Out Of This World is a political diatribe against inequality and division. This is followed by a jazzy Interlude with sax, piano and fretless bass that is short and segues into the next track, Things To Live And Die For, which sounds a little like an 80’s song but by whom eludes me at the moment. Family and Business has a harder edge provided by the excellent riff and Bowie-like vocal, it’s a proper rocker and one I really enjoyed. A New Beginning Parts A & B seems to be a call to treat each other with kindness, decency and dignity and also to care for our environment. I Hope You Will Always Be Here With Me is a plea for companionship on life’s journey, its better together than alone. The album proper ends with Intro Reprise which is, you guessed it, a reprise of the elegant opening tot he album and works really well to bring things to a close. The bonus tracks on this album are reworked, stripped down versions of the album tracks In November and Things To Live And Die For with a more spartan approach, This allows the beauty of the songs to shine through more clearly, although some might prefer the original, more layered, versions.
To be honest and fair whilst I have enjoyed this album, I don’t feel that it is one that I will reach for often, rather more one to listen to quietly later in the evening. For now though, there is plenty of thoughtfully considered musical performances on offer on this album. Massimo Pieretti I applaud this fine effort.
The deaths of Ray Thomas in 2017 and Graeme Edge in 2021 were the final nail in the coffin (sorry) for the almost sixty year period of existence for the Moody Blues, an era which the band had seen many highs and lows. This period saw their early transition from humble beginnings as a R n’ B band in Birmingham, along with contemporaries like The Idle Race and the Spencer Davis Group, through to their reinvention and revitalisation with the addition of John Lodge and Justin Hayward, replacing DennyLaine and Clint Warwick. This led to a the string of successes including their debut album ‘Days Of Future Passed’ in 1967 and the legendary Nights In White Satin single that took the charts by storm, not just once but three times, in1967, 1972 and 1979! It was an album that introduced the world to a new sound, aided in part with the unveiling of brand new sounds with the Mellotron.
‘Days Of Future Passed – My Sojourn’, this new interpretation from John Lodge, will take you back to that time in 1967 when ‘Days Of Future Passed’ was initially released on the new progressive imprint of DeccaRecords, Deram, that was created in order to publicise the new Deramic sound from the label. This sound was actually a false stereo sound, until this time most music was released in mixed in mono, both for ease of mixing but also because the public tended to hear music from single speaker playback like the Dansette or transistor radios. The Decca Panoramic Sound (later shortened to Deramic) was a huge step forward to the stereo sounds that emerged shortly afterwards and this album was the flagship release to unveil this new sound and ,with which, Decca hoped to sell their radiograph to the public.
It is possibly hard to conceive today just what a huge improvement in sound this system was. It was actually ground breaking and innovative and this album was able to reap the benefits of the system and, as such, was a major step in sound engineering, even now, nearly 60 years on, this is still astonishing. I often think that The Moody Blues did not receive the full respect and admiration that they were due, as without them their innovations prog as we know it would not have existed. Now, 56 years, on John has revisited this pivotal album and recreated it anew with a few tweaks and additions. To my ears, he has done an excellent reinterpretation of this seminal work.
John has utilised his 10,000 Light YearsBand on this album, with particular mention to musical director Alan Hewitt who has done a wonderful job in the orchestrations the album utilises in such an enlivened manner, meaning it is not just a pale recreation, it is a really impressive piece of work. This new imagining really benefits from the time that has elapsed since the original album, as the technological advances in that time allow for a fuller sound, one in which every instrument has space to be heard clearly. I also really like that John was able to get Graeme Edge involved in the project, with his poetry on Morning Glory opening the album and, on Late Lament, drawing the album to a close.
The album is composed of seven parts across its 17 tracks, these range from very brief interludes to the longer tracks that round out the album and the album sounds really spacious. The record also has Jon Davison of Yes singing on Tuesday Afternoon and Nights In White Satin, alongside John himself. I was especially taken with the great bass sounds the album has and the excellent ensemble playing of the 10,000 Light YearsBand, especially the guitar work of Alan Duffy and the keyboards of Alan Hewitt, who both shine throughout.
You tend to forget just what a huge step forward the original album was and the run of success that followed in its wake, as the run of albums that followed bridged the gap between the past and the present. The Moody Blues were at the forefront of progressive music at the time and were really pushing the envelope in terms of sound and craftsmanship.
It helps if you can hear the two versions together as you can hear the difference in sound immediately and can enjoy the journey the album takes you on. For me, the longer and rockier tracks like Tuesday Afternoon, Peak Hour and Nights In WhiteSatin are the standouts, the guitar runs on Tuesday Afternoon are magical, light and dextrous, as are the two poetry/spoken words segments with Graeme Edge’s Brummie voice clearly present. This is the first time he had actually read his own poems on record, normally Mike Pinder had read them on the albums. This was Graeme’s last ever recording as he sadly died very soon after this, so, for this reason alone, it is good to hear him on this album,
The production is lush, crisp and clear and the album artwork is really warm and wonderfully crafted with the definite touch of Roger Dean, although this is not credited.
This is an album that will reach into your heart with its gentleness and beauty and will refresh your soul as its hidden depths are re-discovered. I urge you to hear this masterpiece as a balm for modern times, it is most highly recommended.
I first came across this rather interesting and somewhat unusual sounding band very recently when they supported the Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate chaps at their album launch for the splendid ‘Light Of Ancient Mistakes’ in that there London, my first time in “The Smoke” for several years, well March 2021 to be precise. I had not heard anything by The Wood Demons anywhere and, despite seeing their name in various gig promotions, I knew nothing about them,
Well, I saw and enjoyed their brief set, several songs from which appear on this great album. These includ the album’s title track Angels Of Peckham Rye, Arithmomania and All Heaven’s Breaking Loose, to name just three, although they might have also played The Odd Particle, come to think of it.
Their sound is rather different, mixing in styles of progressive rock, psychedelia, folk and even ambient and classical touches. Their line up consists of Rick Startin (keys, guitar, vocals), John Silver (bass), Simon Carbery (lead vocals, guitar), EdKontargyris (drums) and they also have a secret weapon in the lush and enticing violin of Naomi Belshaw. The album is a very satisfying listen but, for me, it’s the elegant violin parts that add the icing to a very tasty cake. In places I was reminded of Caravan as Simon Carbery has a similar vocal style to Pye Hastings and several of the tracks are in a ‘Caravan’ type sound.
Opener Arithmomania certainly made my ears prick up with stylish arpeggio guitar and clever juxtaposition of lyrics and how we can count numbers to show the scope of the world and help us define it but also not just reducing it to a series of measurements. This song reveals a sense of wonder in our world and will hook you in as it is a terrific opening track and one that shows what The Wood Demons are all about. It distils their craft into one decent length track that is blessed with that sublime violin. I’m waxing lyrically as this track has rapidly become one of the best things I’ve heard in ages, believe me when I say that, in a year full of exciting and often excellent music, this one stands out and confirms just how good a track this really is, utterly compelling. The Odd Particle is a busy instrumental that allows John Silver’s classy bass to lead us on a merry saunter whilst Naomi struts her stuff with superb pizzicato playing and plucking and Simon lays down some great guitar tones. It’s a shorter piece, very atmospheric and almost cinematic wide-screen in sound and has the whole band blending together in a glorious melding to create a really worthy piece of music.
This is in turn followed by the equally as memorable Big Game Fishing, which is simply a gorgeous song with a gentle but very sweet acoustic guitar part and earnest yet warm vocals. This is very folk like and almost like a sea shanty in parts although when the mellotron kicks in with its lush sound, you can tell this is actually a rather more intricate track. There are great harmonies in this song too and some great understated and dexterous bass playing on offer from John. Of course Naomi’s lovely violin swoops and soars throughout making it all very splendid indeed. Starstruck is a very fine song too and one that works well, it’s harder sounding with the guitars very much to the fore here, they have a real crunch and bite to them. This song is chock full of chunky, chugging riffs and excellent dynamics and it also has a somewhat discordant guitar break, which works especially well with the sax of Michael Wilkins to make a really great sounding track. This is in part powered by more fine bass work before the song enters a more gentle section with keyboard effects and chiming guitar arpeggios and fingerpicking. It’s all very pastoral and in complete contrast to how the track began, unsurprisingly the momentum gathers pace again and the whole band sound urgent as they return to the harder sound once again. This is very impressive and dynamic and a fabulous track ends on sustained guitar riffs.
Angels Of Peckham Rye is inspired by the story of poet William Blake who, aged 8, saw visions of angels in an oak tree in Peckham Rye. Blake also wrote the classic Jerusalem, as made famous by Emerson, Lake and Palmer on their ‘Brain SaladSurgery’ album and also Tyger Tyger Burning Bright, which was covered by Tangerine Dream for their ‘Tyger’ album in the 1980’s. This track is really rather good too, mixing eastern sounding violin lines into the overall sound to create some epic sounds and a riff not dissimilar to Rainbow’sGates Of Babylon. It is all very impressive sounding and yet another excellent track. This leads into the album’s final track, All Heaven’s Breaking Loose, which is hinged on busy bass and guitar riffs, above all of which there is a soaring violin. This song is actually very energetic and there is a lot going on, with everyone seemingly doing their own thing but, somehow, it all seems to work and the track impresses greatly. There’s an excellent guitar solo from Simon, whose playing here is very effective and eloquently delivered and it ends the song, and indeed the album, in style.
At the live gig, the band also showcased a couple of new tracks that will, hopefully, appear on their next album but, for now, this will do very nicely. ‘Angels Of PeckhamRye’ is truly a splendid, interesting and engaging listen and one that you will want to return to frequently, I know I will. I do recommend this band and album to you, it’s worth it to hear that great violin!
I came across Z Machine, who hail from South Wales, via Facebook when they reached out for someone to listen to their music and I was very pleased to assist them with this. ‘Merging Worlds’ is a mixture of jazz fusion with some metallic edges and it also mixes in natural sounds to create something rather unique in its own way. The Band have a great sound and the use of Rob Harrison’s sax really works in their favour, as does having a drummer, Lester Greenhalgh, who is steeped in jazz which gives a lightness of touch, the high degree of talent and flair is also excellent. There are also two excellent guitarists in Gareth Piper and Owen Rosser who add significantly to the dense textures with some great licks and fills in the songs.
My initial thoughts were of Mel Collins work with King Crimson as the sound is heavy and dense with lots of room for the sax and flute to shine. Bassist Kristian Rees holds things down very tightly, his rumbling bass being another good fit to these songs. Well I say songs but they are all instrumental tracks, the album has six full tracks and six connecting pieces that act as a bridges between the tracks. This approach works especially effectively for the group and the use of natural and industrial sounds makes this a most interesting project and a very good listen too.
The album begins with Introduction – Amphibiospaien, the sound of birds and elephants, and what sounds like sirens but probably isn’t. This leads into BonusEruptus with a heavy riff and strong horns and drumming that powers the track along. There is also good interplay between the guitars and sax to create a most effective wall of sound with some great guitar fills. It’s all very musical and very Crimsonesque in parts and an excellent statement of intent from the band. This leads into the sequence track Interlude – Thunder in Paradise, which features thunder and percussion embellishments in a short piece. Big Old Hen is, again, very sax heavy with interjections by the guitars as the sax of wails most impressively. There are great dynamics at play here and also some great guitar flourishes and squeals that sound really impressive. This track, although short, has a lot going on throughout its seven minutes running time including a great guitar solo from Owen Rosser in which he channels his inner Mahavishnu as Rob Harrison adds supporting sax tones, another winner.
Interlude – Saltwash is next and this has radio chatter, electronica and what sounds like computer game noises before urgent drums lead in Myrtle the Turtle, Rob’s heavy sax playing a complicated syncopated riff, along with guitar fills. Thereafter aa short bass solo from Kristian takes the track into more heavy guitar licks and riffing as, again, the syncopated riff is repeated as drums crash all around the music with the guitarists peppering the riffs with tidy little fills and flourishes to sound really strong. It’s blistering and spirited and a really excellent track. Interlude – Whalespice Subdepth has ocean sounds along with train noises and then whale song and that leads us into Spacewalk with Kristian’s walking bassline accompanied by Robs Sax. There are yet more guitar embellishments courtesy of Gareth and Owen, who are both driving this track forward with drummer Lester Greenhalgh providing solid percussive support and drive. The middle part has a less urgent section where the band lesssen off and let the sax play languidly in places before regathering the tempo and moving forwards once again. I really like the interplay that is present in this track.
Interlude – Coyote Dusk features dogs barking and other night-time noises before Joining the Q opens with more solid bass work from Kristian. This shorter track has another great sax part from and more stylish guitar lines from Gareth and Owen, who follow the Sax melody with chiming arpeggios and harmonics. A short drum break from Lester then takes centre stage, eclipsed by the great fluid and lyrical guitar lines of Owen and Gareth who bring the track to a grand finale. Interlude –Driftscene has guitar tones and synths playing over forest noises before final track Synoceratus opens with a great flute over a quick bassline and guitars that are wailing in a most agreeable manner and tone. This piece burns like a Brand X outtake, it is most agreeable and satisfying to hear this degree of enthusiasm and dynamics being presented here. This is probably my favourite track of the entire album and really impresses, it’s a very good ending to what is a really strong album.
If you like the brassy strains of King Crimson this one might very well be for you. It is brilliant and incredibly interesting jazz fusion for the modern age, I highly recommend this wonderful album.
HeKz is a progressive rock band that stands at the crossroads of heavy metal legends and the luminaries of the prog rock genre.
Their journey began with their debut album, ‘Tabula Rasa’, which laid a strong foundation for their distinctive sound. Building on this, their sophomore effort, ‘Caerus’, saw the band ambitiously fusing the contrasting elements of their musical identity. This effort culminated in their third album, ‘Invicta’, where HeKz masterfully blended their influences to create a more homogenised sound that showcased the best of their past while venturing into new and exciting territory.
HeKz’s fourth album, ‘Terra Nova’, promises to be their most ambitious project yet. The band’s lineup consists of lead singer and bassist Matt Young, guitar virtuoso Mark Bogert (known for his work with Knight Area and Magoria), the enchanting Irina Markevich on violin, the rhythmic powerhouse Moyano el Buffalo (formerly of 5th Avenue Hamburg) on drums, and a special guest appearance by keyboard maestro Adam Holzman (noted for collaborations with Miles Davis and StevenWilson).
‘Terra Nova’ is a concept piece that weaves a tale of ambition, duality, and the relentless fight to conquer the darkest parts of one’s personality to become the person you were born to be.
So that’s the background out of the way, now let’s see what this new album is actually like…
Well, everything starts off with an almighty bang as album opener, and title track, Terra Nova hoves into view like a wild stallion on the rampage. Adrenaline fuelled musical mayhem with glorious vocal melodies and a riff hewn out of granite, if the rest of the album is anything like this then we are in for an incredible treat! It’s like the best hard rock and metal from the late 70’s and early 80’s blended with some progressive nuances to deliver something jet propelled and gob smacking. Matt’s super-funky bass and Moyano’s thunderous drums are the foundation for Mark’s fluid guitar and the subtle interjections of Irina’s violin are really clever. That focused energy flows straight into the monumental Sabotage which takes on a more glam metal feel with its truncated riffs and drum beat. Adam delivers some stellar Hammond organ-esque keys and Matt’s gloriously bombastic vocal is reminiscent of Justin Hawkins at his best. There’s an inctricate instrumental section in the middle which is pure prog and then Irina’s soaring violin takes us on a completely different tack, if only for a brief second before the afterburners are lit and off we go again with a blazing guitar solo from Mark, bloody hell, can I please catch my breath guys! A passionate guitar opens Horizons before things calm down a little (not much though!) and we are treated to a superb hard rock composition that really reminds me of that era of hair metal and glam rock, think Poison, Whitesnake, Bon Jovi and the like, only done with more panache and vivacity! Irina’s violin makes another welcome appearance but this song is just pure rock and roll and will put a huge grin on your face, check out Mark’s ever so 80’s solo and you will know exactly what I mean, it’s all just brilliantly over the top!
Matt’s funky, dirty bass opens the rocking rollercoaster ride that is Mayday, a thunderous thrill ride of perfect progressive metal where Mark’s guitar has that low down and dirt edge to it and Moyano’s drums have gone all primeval. Add in some funky keys from Adam and another shot of Irina’s amazing violin and you get something unique and totally captivating and entertaining. Welcome to the most addictive music you will hear this year, I just can’t get enough! Finally things do calm down with the wondrous haunting ballad So Far Gone, you can tell this is an amazing track as I immediately pressed repeat after the first time I heard it. Adam’s graceful piano combines with Irina’s ethereal violin to deliver music that will touch your soul and Matt gives a subdued but ever so passionate vocal performance, especially on the ever so impressive chorus. Mark enters the fray with an elegant guitar, the drums are perfectly judged so as not to intrude and Adam’s keyboard solo is bewitching, it’s all just magical!
The engrossing ten minutes of The Tower are the first time that we see the progressive being more than the rock on this amazing album. Almost musical theatre in places, especially Matt’s ardent, eloquent vocal, this song is a slow burning masterpiece that pulls you in before unleashing its inner darkness, check out that dark and dirty riff! A mesmerisingly convoluted section follows where everything seems to have gone completely mad, like you’re suffering from musical psychosis. It’s like something from Dream Theater’s heaviest album ‘Train of Thought’ and I bloody love it. Like a dystopian horror story, it ebbs and flows between the darkness and the light and you can barely keep up with the labyrinthine plot, this is music that tells a story, okay, in this case a very disturbing one but it is utterly magnificent, bombastic and completely over the top! A song to calm the nerves after that sinister thrill ride, Lifeline opens with subdued feel engendered by Matt’s vocal before it opens up into something more passionate and dramatic, this song could have come from an early Queen album with Matt’s towering vocals and a soaring guitar solo that Brian May would be very proud of. Add in Irina’s beseeching violin and it’s a very compelling way to close out Disc One of the album.
“Disc One?” I hear you shout! Oh yes, didn’t I say? This album is so long it is actually a double album!
Disc Two opens with Too far Gone and we are back to thunderous hard rock as the amazing intro reminds us. Mark then fires a superb riff at the skies and Irina’s violin adds to the majesty. Matt’s vocal has a more subdued feel at first and Moyano keeps the drums in support. Pre ‘Slippery When Wet’Bon Jovi is the vibe I’m getting here, before they went all hair metal and, controversial opinion, wrote better songs. Cue the high pitched vocals, flowing guitar solo and dynamic keyboards, the blue touch paper is lit and we are definitely off! Progressive metal for the primeval, I Am The Thrall hits you right in the solar plexus like a two ton heavy thing. A leviathan of the genre with it’s brooding atmosphere where the tension just build and builds, Irina’s violin is used to perfection. Matt’s harder edged vocal and Mark’s monstrous guitar add the drama and the intrigue as this heavier than lead song continues its inexorable progress. You can feel the guitar and the drums as they pummel you into submission and Adam’s ever so slightly evil keyboard solo adds the requisite maniacal grin, it’s ever so joyously wicked like a musical guilty pleasure and I love it!
We now come to the album’s properly epic epic! The Silent Man takes all that was great about early Dream Theater and Haken, adds in a dash of some serious Symphony X style progressive metal and then takes the band’s own inimitable style to create something quite remarkable and iconic. There’s something just right about a twenty-four minute song, especially when it shows the middle finger to mainstream music like this one, strap in and enjoy the ride because you are going to love it. Matt’s marvellously grandiose vocals are a joy to behold and Mark’s guitar is as ostentatious as you’d want on a track of this calibre. You think it can’t get any better than Adam’s meticulous, euphuistic keyboard solo and then Mark comes along and delivers a guitar solo that is utterly rhapsodic, add in Matt and Moyano, who are proving themselves to be a rhythm section to die for, and things are near perfect. Don’t take my word for it, you have got to hear this song as it is as brilliantly overblown and dramatic as they come. The album ends on a high and hopeful note with the gorgeously wistful Terra Nova II. Irina’s violin has been making superb guest appearances throughout the album so far but, finally, she gets to really shine on this beautiful, uplifting and ultimately optimistic piece of music. Imbuing a sense of beatific calm, this elegant track leaves traces of wonder as it passes, Matt’s vocal is tender and poignant and both Adam and Mark deliver their most evocative solos yet. This all combines to deliver the most emotive piece on the whole album and one that leaves you in a much better place than when you started.
“You know who you really are…”
Well, what can I say, I knew that a new Hekz album would be something pretty good but I had no idea it would be this special. With ‘Terra Nova’, Hekz have given us the ultimate involving musical thrill ride and I just don’t want to get off. To tell the truth, it’s the best progressive-metal album I’ve heard in many a year and, if this is the future of the genre, I’m completely sold!
“I often think in music, I live my daydreams in music, I see my life in terms of music.” –Albert Einstein.
That quote is really how I see music and why I started this website in the first place, I love music and spend the vast majority of my time listening to it. Progressive rock is one style of music that I really resonate with, to me, when it is done well, it is the modern version of classical music or musical theatre, both genres where the music can be so expressive.
Well, without spoiling the conclusion of this review, this new, much anticipated, album from legendary antipodean progressive band Unitopia definitely falls into the ‘done well’ category…
As the follow-up to 2010’s ‘Artificial’ and 2012’s ‘Covered Mirror Vol. 1 – Smooth as Silk‘ (a superb assortment of classic/prog rock reinterpretations), ‘Seven Chambers‘ is Unitopia’s first new outing in over a decade. Founded by vocalist/songwriter Mark “Truey” Trueack (United Progressive Fraternity) and multi-instrumentalist Sean Timms (Southern Empire,Damanek, UPF) in 1996, Australian progressive fusion Unitopia have always been among the most renowned and distinctive bands of their ilk and era.
During the interim, each member kept busy with various other projects, and according to Progrock.com‘s Essentials’ Mark Monforti, the method of getting the group going again was endearingly fortuitous:
“A few years ago, Steve Hackett was exploring studios and players for a show in Australia, and he contacted Timms about using the studio that he and Truey still owned. That got Sean and Truey talking about possibly working on new music together. Then, I reached out to them about doing some shows. They went exceedingly well, which sort of solidified the fact that Unitopia needed to come back.”
With Timms and Trueack reunited, the duo decided to expand Unitopia by bringing in fellow UPF maestro SteveUnruh, guitarist Dr. John Greenwood, drummer Chester Thompson (Frank Zappa, Weather Report, Genesis) and bassist Alphonso Johnson (Weather Report, Santana, David Gilmour).
With the powerhouse duo of Timms and Greenwood on creative duties, aided and abetted by Trueack and Unruh’s songwriting skills, Unitopia have delivered something rather special. It is a truly remarkable and immersive musical experience, wonderful musical theatre at its absolute best. The songs just ebb and flow magically and the musical virtuosity on show is totally mind blowing.
In a world where the darkness seems to be overwhelming the light, it is a salve for the soul to hear an album with as much emotional depth and sheer musical beauty and bombast as this. The music is the light that fights back the darkness and gives us hope and that’s what truly great music can do and why music really can mean more to you on a daily basis.
Mark’s powerful and emotive vocals are wonderfully stirring and effective, especially on songs like Broken Heart where John Greenwood’s magical guitar playing can first be heard. The keyboards dance like little gems of sound in your mind and the ever so cultured rhythm section of Chester Thompson and AlphonsoJohnson is a lesson in less is more except, of course, when more is more! The deeply thoughtful Something Invisible opens up into something strident and vibrantly dynamic where the music wends its way around your psyche like it’s almost alive. I honestly don’t think I’ve heard an album as meaningful as this in quite a long time, every note is perfectly placed and the vocals are sinuous and full of heart and soul. One of the things I really love about this album is the use of strings, Steve Unruh’s violin especially is utterly charming and full of intellect and vitality. Bittersweet is just that, the wistful guitar and piano that open the song, along with Truey’s delicate vocal are as sweet as they come, tinkling on your mind. Things get more darker and edgy in the second half of the song, very free form jazz influenced, but almost with a wry smile in the background, you just have to admire the fantastic songwriting again.
Mania is deliciously dark, there’s a sense of foreboding from the primeval opening and the crunching guitar, Mark’s vocal goes up in intensity, he really has such an expressive voice and when he sings a chorus it absolutely soars. Twelve minutes of sombre, brooding music that is brilliantly executed by all, it’s a real powerhouse of a song and an almost exhausting listen as the emotion in the track bleeds directly into you. John’s fervent guitar work is superb and, once again, Chester and Alphonso step up to the mark superbly, a highlight of the album for me. There’s refinement and elegance throughout this exquisite album and that continues with the elegant The Stroke Of Midnight, wistful and contemplative, it’s sheer grace and style are a joy to behold. Mark’s voice is as smooth as they come and the music just flows so elegantly. As a lesson in songwriting, it is nigh on perfect and the violin section will make the hairs on the back of your neck rise, it is utterly mesmerising.
If you have an album that is supposed to be progressive rock, then it needs to have an epic, or in the case of Unitopia, two epics to finish the album! First Helen gives us nineteen minutes of sheer musical brilliance with wide ranging musical styles all asked to turn up and blend in together and, boy do they ever. Symphonic rock, gypsy violin, flamenco guitar chops, heavy rock, they just keep coming. It’s a musical melting pot of sheer wonder and the band just seem to having so much fun playing it. The highlight for me is a marvellous section where Steve Unruh plays a beautiful flute alongside a stylish Elizabethan harpsichord and it just made me smile. The album closes with the widescreen wonderment of The Uncertain, a scintillating musical work that crosses the boundaries of musical theatre, classical music, progressive rock and contemporary music with abandon to deliver eighteen minutes of dazzling, intense brilliance. Mark’s vocals dip into each genre with ease as he shows off his fantastic talent and Steve delivers a violin solo that is utterly riveting and enchanting, this is six musicians working in perfect harmony, almost symbiotic and delivering the performances of their lives.
Unitopia have returned with one of the stand out releases of the year. It may be over a decade since we had any music from this uber-talented collective but, in this reinvigorated from, it would appear that they are back and even better than before. ‘Seven Chambers’ is possibly the ultimate expression of modern progressive rock and one of the highlights of this year, it just doesn’t get much better than this!
“Do you sing to heal the broken hearted?” wonders Tracey Thorn with a tone of whimsical curiosity, “Or do you sing to get the party started?” Emerging from the darkness, approaching the microphone, she confesses “I like the mic, and I like the dark, I like the mood, and it lights a spark.” (Karaoke, Track 10).
It has been 24 years since Everything But The Girl were last in the spotlight. An unexpected low-key announcement on Twitter in November 2022 lit a spark with news that work on an eleventh studio album was complete and ready to be released in April of this year. The result? Fuse. A remarkable album, infused with a staggering emotional depth and poignancy that resonates with the turbulent moods and experiences of the last few years. The deft lyrical incisiveness combined with crisp, laconic sketches of modern life bestows a haunting empathy and heartfelt compassion which is profoundly moving and, at times, overwhelming.
An almost painful rawness and vulnerability form a pervading presence across all the songs on this album. The heavy dubstep beat, the tremolo bass and the lyrical references of opening track Nothing Left to Lose (Track 1) provide a seamless connection with the spirit of previous albums. Yet the despondency and resignation of the space filled by Thorn’s vocal is unmistakable: “I need a thicker skin / This pain keeps getting in.” There is also abandonment and isolation: “Tell me what to do / ‘Cause nothing works without you.” The pressing need is to forget the hollowness and lose yourself, just for a while, in the warmth of the moment: “Kiss me while the world decays / Kiss me while the music plays.”
The fear of being alone and feelings of emptiness continue with Run The Red Light (Track 2). Our hopes, our dreams of ‘making it big’ are a show bravado to cover our vulnerability. The refrain points to the (false) comfort of losing ourselves and escaping in the moment: “Run a red light / Forget the morning / This is tonight.” The chorus is recycled with both Thorn and Watt singing, the latter’s voice Auto Tuned to add a robotoic texture. The theme continues in No One Knows We’re Dancing (Track 6), a hot, noisy afternoon underground nightclub, sweat dripping from the ceiling, while ‘normal’ life continues above. Amid the isolation, we crave company, companionship, just some sense of connection with others.
The noise, the desperation, the seeming heartless indifference of the things that happen to us, threaten to consume us. Emerging from the experience of lockdown, Lost (Track 7) is a recurring arpeggio accompanying a mundane litany of losing your place, your bags, your client, your job, and your friends until, at the lowest point of all, we encounter the three times repeated “I lost my mother / I lost my mother / I lost my mother’. Loss: the feeling of being lost, is consuming. At the very place, deep down, where things matter most. Where everything is supposed to make sense.
Don’t be fooled, however. This album, the music, the songs, are most certainly not an ode to depression or a wallowing in self-pity. Far from it. Inner Space (Track 9) filters and masters Thorn’s voice to sound like the inside of her head. We are lost even to ourselves, we do not know ourselves, we do not understand who we are. “The dark is an alien place / Interior space”. But there is also defiance. In what appears to be a swipe at the menopause, she sings “And no, I don’t bleed / And yes, I am freed / But what is that worth? / Are we all about birth?”
Despite everything, the album calls on us not to give in, not to give up, not to beat ourselves up for the mistakes we make. Lost itself is a call to carry on, to keep going, to not succumb to calling yourself a loser: “I just lost it / (Call yourself a loser and they will too) / (Don’t go down that road, don’t go down that road).”When You Mess Up (Track 4) is about all the uncertainties of being ourselves as we grow older and not punishing ourselves for the mistakes we’ve made. “In a world of micro-aggressions / Little human transgressions / Forgive yourself”. Do more than that: “Have a drink, talk too loud / Be a fool in the crowd / But forgive yourself / Forgive yourself.”
Forever (Track 8) brings this home, using a ‘four-on-the-floor beat’ to punch home the message. “Do away with cruelty / Do away with pain / Do away with playing games / For short term gain.” We need to work out what is important, what matters and whom we value most. “No more games / Start thinking what you’d save from the flames / What you’ll desire / When everything’s on fire / And who’ll be around / When everything’s burned down?”
These are the things that matter. The song fades away to “Give me something I can hold on to forever.” And that, in a nutshell, is the sheer majestic strength and triumph of this album. It finds us where we are. It befriends us. It resonates with our fears, our anxieties, our troubles. It puts an arm around us and says don’t worry, life is difficult, we all struggle, and that’s ok. Everyone is going through it. You’re not the only one. Don’t be too hard on yourself; stop beating yourself up. Keep going. Focus on what matters. Oh, and don’t forget – have fun!
Musically, the crystal-clear sound stage creates cavernous spaces within which Thorn’s voice can tell the stories which brought them back to the recording studio. In the time they’ve been away, Thorn and Watt have had two children, followed solo careers, experienced lockdown all the while struggling with the passing of the years. Thorn’s voice remains incomparable, breathtaking, even better than it was. Watts’ arrangements perfectly accompany, cradle and showcase not just the inherent beauty of her voice but an instinctive feel for how less is more and how space itself is all you need for the musical magic to emerge.
Let’s finish where we started. Emerging from the darkness, approaching the microphone, Thorn asks: “Do you sing to heal the broken hearted?” A firm answer comes back: “Oh, you know I do”. She asks again: “Or do you sing to get the party started?” The definitive response comes back: “And you know I love that too.” It’s never either/or. Music can and must be both/and. Fuse is precisely how music enables both/and to become possible. It is the perfect finish to what will be, without a doubt, my album of 2023.
TRACK LISTING 1. Nothing Left To Lose 3:46 2. Run A Red Light 3:39 3. Caution To The Wind 4:07 4. When You Mess Up 3:48 5. Time And Time Again 2:52 6. No One Knows We’re Dancing 4:09 7. Lost 3:25 8. Forever 3:41 9. Interior Space 2:24 10. Karaoke 3:54
MUSICIANS Tracey Thorn – Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals Ben Watt – Drum Programming, Programmed By [Sound Programming], Piano, Synthesizer, Electric Guitar, Backing Vocals, Recorded By [Additional iPhone Recordings]
ADDITIONAL INFO Artwork – Iwantdesign.co.uk, John Gilsenan Mastered By – Miles Showell Producer, Arranged By – Everything But The Girl Recorded By, Mixed By – Bruno Ellingham
Label: Buzzin Fly Records Format: CD, Vinyl, Digital 21st April 2023
Legendary guitarist Steve Hackett announces the dates for his 2024 UK tour: Steve Hackett – Genesis Greats, Lamb Highlights & Solo. The tour takes in 15 dates across the UK culminating with a visit to London’s Royal Albert Hall on Wednesday 23rd October. To mark the 50th anniversary of The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, Hackett is including a selection of highlights from this iconic Genesis album. Tickets go on sale on Friday 29th September at 10amhttps://myticket.co.uk/artists/steve-hackett
Steve Hackett’s timeless guitar-work was woven throughout Genesis’ classic 70’s catalogue of albums. In recent years he and his outstanding touring line-up of Roger King (keyboards), Nad Sylvan (vocals), Jonas Reingold (bass, backing vocals), Rob Townsend (saxophone, flutes, additional keyboards) and Craig Blundell (drums) have brought many of these albums back to the concert hall to great acclaim. Special guest, Amanda Lehmann will be joining the whole of the UK tour on guitar and vocals. Many fans have also been asking for more tracks from The Lamb to be included. What better way to celebrate half-a-century of this remarkable album than to include a selection of Lamb Highlights alongside some of Hackett’s finest solo work and unmissable Genesis Greats.
“I’m hugely looking forward to the 2024 UK tour,” says Steve Hackett, “including ‘The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway’ favourites as well as other iconic Genesis numbers along with solo gems. It’ll also be exciting to return to the wonderful Royal Albert Hall!”
Steve Hackett – Genesis Greats, Lamb Highlights & Solo tour dates 2024:
Steve Hackett joined Genesis at the beginning of 1971 and gained an international reputation as the guitarist in the band’s classic line-up alongside Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins. Hackett’s intricate guitar work was a key element of Genesis’ albums from Nursery Cryme (1971) to Wind And Wuthering (1977) including the iconic Selling England By The Pound.
After leaving Genesis at the end of 1977, Hackett’s solo career, which now spans more than 30 albums, has demonstrated his extraordinary versatility with both electric and acoustic guitar. Hackett is renowned as both an immensely talented and innovative rock musician and a virtuoso classical guitarist and composer and this was recognised in 2010 when he was inducted into the Rock And Rock Hall Of Fame. He has also worked alongside Steve Howe of YES in the supergroup GTR.
Hackett’s compositions take influences from many genres, including jazz, classical and blues. For his studio works The Night Siren (2017) and At The Edge Of Light (2019) Hackett has also explored the influences of world music. Recent tours have seen Hackett celebrate his time with Genesis including a spectacular 2018 tour in which he realised a long-held ambition to perform the works of Genesis live with his band and an orchestra.
The lockdown enforced by the 2020 global pandemic has proven to be a particularly creative period for Hackett. He began by releasing Selling England by the Pound & Spectral Mornings: Live at Hammersmith, a live recording of 2019’s hugely successful tour celebrating that Genesis classic together with the 40th anniversary of one of his most-loved solo albums. Lockdown also gave Hackett the opportunity to write and record two new studio albums in 2021: the UK Classical Chart hit Under A Mediterranean Sky and the hit rock album Surrender of Silence.
Hackett and his band enjoyed a return to touring withGenesis Revisited – Seconds Out + More! (2021) and Genesis Revisited – Foxtrot At Fifty (2022). Subsequently, the live album Genesis Revisited – Seconds Out + More!, released in 2022, became Hackett’s most successful-ever live album reaching number 28 in the UK Album Chart and achieving highest-ever chart positions in several European countries. He recently released the live album from the 2022 tour – Foxtrot at Fifty + Hackett Highlights – Live in Brighton. Hackett takes the Foxtrot at Fifty Tour to the USA from 3rd October through to 18th November.
Built For The Future have been around since 2015, releasing two very well received, Sc-Fi themed, progressive albums, ‘Chasing Light’ (2015) and ‘Brave New World’ (2021). The albums are produced and performed by Patric Farrell, with vocals by Kenny Bissett.
Their new album, ‘2084: Heretic’, is a take on George Orwell’s 1984 dystopian future, as it parallels to our current times. 2084 is our future. As told through Orwell’s views and language. The album is said to be darker and heavier than anything the band have done before.
With Patric writing all of the music and Kenny providing vocals and melodies, the duo decided to return to the shorter song format and focusing on a more direct delivery and a heavier, alternative, sound.
What is immediately obvious is a very strong 90’s influence on the sound, Patric’s Fender Jazz bass really brings to mind that exciting Manchester vibe of the Happy Mondays and the like, add in Kenny’s Sci-fi intoned vocal delivery and the dominance of the Mellotron and you really get something unique and rather brilliant.
The urgent, driving nature of opener Memory Machines with Kenny’s at times strident and, at others, elegant guitar playing and the bang on tempo drumming and you could literally be in a world of machines. The bass and guitar riff at the start of The Thought Police has a real Inspiral Carpets note to it and the whole song has a cool, laid back vibe to it, I must admit I am really digging the drums on this album and the bass is ever so cool. Argot opens a little harder with an early Rush vibe to the riffing and some delicious, effects laden, guitar. Central to the concept of an Orwellian-like future that the band are trying to portray is Kenny’s unique vocal delivery. For some types of music, his voice wouldn’t really work but here he has found his home and that voice is perfect for the music.
The excellent songwriting continues with Proletariat, a dream like, thoughtful track that seems to mesmerise and mystify at the same time. Almost brooding in tone but with a chink of light just out of reach to signify hope, it’s a powerful piece of music. Supernatural has a edgy, risky feel to it from the get go, your joining something that doesn’t tow the line, you’re a rebel and you will fight for your freedom. Powerful guitars, moody keyboards and a dynamic rhythm section all combine on this musical thrill ride. That edgy feeling returns with Diaspora, a deliciously dark and heavy intro that brings to mind a dystopian underworld leads into Kenny’s powerful vocal and continues in the background. Then, from out of nowhere, comes a superb chorus that wouldn’t be amiss on a Tears For Fears album. It’s a track with a Jekyll and Hyde nature and one that makes an impressive statement.
Zeit sees Patric’s bass go all Peter Hook, it’s a modern day New Order song that just sounds so good. The way that Patric and Kenny get this brilliant sound with influences from all around and different decades is just incredible. The ebb and flow on this track lends it a feel of nostalgia and wistfulness and makes it one of the stand outs on the album. That nostalgia and longing continues into the mellotron heavy wonder of The Collective where Kenny’s voice is seeking solace and has a touch of remorse. A meaningful, profound song that leaves its mark. Title track Heretic is another driving piece of music that has the 90’s written all over it and I think it work so well with this concept, the guitar and bass are superb and exude energy and intensity. Things come to a close with the epic 101, based on Room 101 from the original Orwell novel. Ten minutes of profound wonder that hypnotises and draws you in to its embrace to leave a mantra running through your mind as the song comes to a close and the last note plays out. Like the best longer tracks, it always holds your attention. The lengthy, subdued and elegant, guitar section and the fractious, staccato piece play off each other perfectly to deliver a clever and inventive piece of music.
Built For The Future have returned with a highly accomplished piece of musical theatre, a concept album that promises a lot and delivers in every way. ‘2084: Heretic’ brings the band to another level entirely, their musicianship and songwriting is sublime and I am sure will just continue to get better and better. A highlight of the year for me!
