Tag: Progradar

YES launch ‘All Connected’; second single from ‘Mirror To The Sky’

YES, who are Steve Howe, Geoff Downes, Jon Davison, Billy Sherwood & Jay Schellen, are pleased to announce their new studio album Mirror To The Sky on InsideOutMusic/Sony Music on the 19th May 2023. “This is a very important album for the band,”says Steve Howe, Yes’ longest serving member, master guitarist, and producer of Mirror To The Sky. “We kept the continuity in the approach we established on The Quest, but we haven’t repeated ourselves. That was the main thing. As Yes did in the seventies from one album to another, we’re growing and moving forward. In later years, Yes often got going but then didn’t do the next thing. This album is demonstrative of us growing, and building again.” For Yes, that “next thing” is a collection of high energy, intricate, lush and layered new studio songs for an album which adds to the band’s much heralded legacy, while charting a path to exciting future times ahead.

Today, the band are pleased to launch the video for the album’s second single. Listen to and watch ‘All Connected’ here:

Jon Davison comments: “I, along with my Yes band mates are excited to announce that the second single from our new album, Mirror to the Sky is out now. It’s entitled, All Connected, and it’s a longer piece, clocking in at a challenging 9 minutes. Steve added a beautifully poignant instrumental steel part which starts the journey. This section emotionally builds and crescendos into a glorious lead way for the vocals to begin telling their story. Billy composed complex and compelling musical themes which I helped to arrange, and we both composed vocals and lyrics, each of us singing our respective parts, making for a rich vocal tapestry.”

Billy Sherwood adds: “The initial idea came from a musical sketch I’d created using the idea of our “connectivity” in regards to communications in the modern age. It’s very exciting to know YES are maintaining that edge and energy we all know and love, this track is firing on all cylinders. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did creating it.”

You can also watch the previously released video for ‘Cut From The Stars’ here: https://youtu.be/NdEF-vMO8vc

‘Mirror To The Sky’ will be available on several formats, all featuring artwork by long-time Yes artist & collaborator Roger Dean:

Ltd Deluxe Electric Blue 2LP+2CD+Blu-ray Artbook with poster

Ltd Deluxe 2CD+Blu-ray Artbook

Ltd 2CD Digipak

Standard CD Jewel case

Gatefold 2LP+LP-Booklet

Digital Album

The blu-ray editions include the album as Dolby Atmos, 5.1 Surround Sound, Instrumental Versions & Hi-Res Stereo Mixes.

Pre-order now here: https://Yes-Band.lnk.to/MirrorToTheSky

The tracklisting is as follows:

CD1:

1. Cut From The Stars 05:27

2. All Connected 09:02

3. Luminosity 09:04

4. Living Out Their Dream 04:45

5. Mirror to the Sky 13:53

6. Circles of Time 04:59

CD2:

1. Unknown Place 08:15

2. One Second Is Enough 04:04

3. Magic Potion 04:08

As they were wrapping up The Quest, Yes found themselves with song sketches, structures, and ideas that were demanding attention. Yes received unconditional support from InsideOut boss Thomas Waber, who encouraged them to keep going in the studio, months before The Quest would even go on sale. It was like throwing gasoline on their creative fire.

“When we delivered everything, and they were just getting the vinyl and everything into production for manufacturing, we were still very much in that creative zone,” explains Steve Howe. “That belief that Thomas had in us really meant a lot,” he says.

“We truly get along as people,” says Jon Davison. “I feel like everyone’s focused inward to the greater circle, concentric to the core of highest standards that define Yes. It’s a wonderful thing to witness and of which to play a part. I believe this reflects vibrantly in the music and the creative input that each one is willing to apply, not for the benefit of the individual, but for the greater whole that is Yes.”

“There was a lot of material floating around because the band hadn’t done anything in the studio for so long. Ideas were just copious,”says bassist Billy Sherwood. “The pace of it was fast. As soon as we were finished with The Quest, and the mix had come out, we took a couple of little breaks there to catch our breath. But there was still music flowing around in the loop. It was just constantly being looked at and worked on. As we were all home and in that mode, things started progressing quite swiftly. We just went one album into another without really announcing, ‘Hey, we’re working on a second record right now.’ We just continued to work on material. It came about pretty naturally, and then we refined it as the process went on. But the initial bursts — there was a lot of material around!”

Much to everyone’s delight, including that of longtime-fan Thomas Waber, Yes have pushed into territory they practically invented — the prog rock epic — albeit in a thoroughly new and modern way. “I always felt that it would be great to have stuff that’s a little bit more epic,”he says, although he resisted the temptation to push for something that would be too formatted and could come off as contrived. He just gave the band space to do what they do and let things develop. “They were so excited by The Quest and the momentum they had that they went straight back in to the studio. What they were writing, even early on, was obviously headed in that epic direction — what Yes music really is to me. It is almost a genre onto itself. It is ‘Yes Music.’ Mirror To The Sky certainly is Yes Music.”

Mirror To The Sky features not one, but four tracks clocking in at over eight minutes, with the sweeping and cinematic title track coming in just shy of fourteen minutes. What’s more, the tracks, like Yes’ best, take the listener on a wide dynamically ranging journey of soundscapes which also showcase Steve Howe’s dazzling guitars, Jon Davison’s angelic, crystalline vocals, Billy Sherwood’s deftly dancing bass, keyboard wizard Geoff Downes’ impeccable sounds, exquisite melodies and fills, and Jay Schellen’s masterfully controlled explosions, on drums.

Jay Schellen, who has been touring with the band since 2016, was hand-picked to step into his mentor and friend Alan White’s role when White sadly passed away in 2022. “I had done the 2016 Topographic Drama tour on my own for Alan,” says Jay. “From late 2017 onwards, we had a partnership, and a beautiful partnership, I might add. I learned so much, and discovered so much about Alan’s style, and why it was the way it was. It fit his personality so perfectly. This album has Alan’s presence all over it. It is inside of us. So this is still, in my heart, Alan just being present and with us, and with me, in a big way.”

Review – We Came From Space – Overlords – by John Wenlock-Smith

Prog isn’t supposed to be fun is it? Well, if you think that way, you will miss out on this third album from Pittsburgh’s We Came From Space. This quartet are, in effect, also an offshoot or side project of the Neal Morse Band’s keyboard player Bill Hubauer, along with guitarist Dave Buzard, bassist Dave Hawk and drummer Tim Malone who, together, have delivered a really fun and fine release that offers prog stylings, along with a healthy shot of almost fusionesque tones and licks. 

There is so much to enjoy here, strong material and good music, alongside intelligent lyrics with a touch of goofiness that completes the sound. There is symphonic prog in there as well and I also detect touches of bands like Kansas and ELO, among others. Overall the band offer a great sounding set of songs and, like most releases these days, this is primarily available as a download, although physical CD’s can be found online if you look. I also recommend several listens for the music to really sink in. 

The music is generally stirring stuff, especially in the longer tracks like title track Overlords, She’s The Bomb/ Atomic Blues and Seize The Day, all of which benefit from longer running times that give the tracks time to evolve.  

Lets delve a little deeper into what makes this such a great album, beginning with Overlords. This slice of whimsy proposes aliens have previously visited and dominated humanity and that we play music for their amusement and satisfaction. It’s all complete hokum of course, but allows the band to channel their inner ELO, alongside some choppy guitar riffing in which Dave Buzard proves to be a pretty adept player. His descending riffs in the mid section are impressive, atmospherically mixing with the keyboards to deliver something very satisfying, a really strong opening track. On the Radio uses what sounds like early radio broadcasts to set the scene. This track appears to be about how we are manipulated and lied to by the media who want to push their own agendas and products onto us. It is quite a harsh lyrically, although probably well founded and has fantastic Hammond organ throughout. 

Empty Space has a great swing to it and is almost funky at times. The song has a good swagger to its almost LA jazz swing and is a really impressive sounding track, there is also a great guitar solo in the middle section. Again this track certainly impresses highly. This run of quality is continued with the superb She’s The Bomb /Atomic Blues which seems to be about a famous starlet who’s glory days are gone and now she leaves chaos in her wake. There’s an interesting middle section with a plethora of synths playing. Overall it is far more laid back with a funky guitar and synth instrumental part that has lots of atmosphere and some serious chops being played, extremely competent and effectively. It’s all really rather blistering in places and an excellent and engaging track. 

Reputation follows, opening with a very muscular riff. This track has a very radio friendly chorus to it and great vocals. The song details a celebrities fall from grace and his attempts to carry on afterwards. Silent Letters is next and this is a gentler number, possibly about a love never declared. This elegant track is graced with a wistful guitar solo and more strong supporting keyboards with a solid rhythm section, another standout track. 

Facade is another impressive track with a chugging guitar line that reminds me of something that I can’t quite put my finger on. It is a song about projecting an image that may not be true or real, a shorter and yet no less interesting track. Seize The Day sounds like prime Kansas with its strong piano motif really striking home and the vocals capture the sound too. The song is about making the most of what you have around you, time, talents and people. It is a call to make the most of these resources as life can be short. This track is my favourite on the album as it really works for me. I love the lyrics and the performances are certainly impassioned and really work very well. It closes the album on a positive note 

Overall this is a highly accomplished album and is one to return to frequently, I know I shall!

Released 3rd February, 2023.

Order digitally from bandcamp here:

Overlords | We Came From Space (bandcamp.com)

Order physical product here:

We Came From Space – Overlords – Radiant Records (nealmorse.com)

Aberdeen’s Barber Q, announce new single, “Afraid,” set to release on May 5th, 2023

Barber Q is a band that has won the hearts of the Polish community living in Scotland and caught the attention of music editors thanks to their unique sound. The band initially started out as a cover band and then transformed into a tribute band playing songs from the Polish band Dżem.

However, in 2020, the band’s vocalist, Mateusz Psonak, took part in one of the biggest music programs in Poland, The Voice of Poland, where he reached the quarternals under the guidance of Michał Szpak. This success became the impetus for creating their own material which was very well received by listeners.

The band’s first single was the song Dynamite which received great reviews in Scotland and Poland and reached over 30,000 plays on Spotify without the support of music labels. Barber Q also played as a support act for the band Ørganek at a Polish-Scottish festival in Aberdeen, which led to a later musical collaboration, Robert Markiewicz, the band’s drummer, recorded the drums for 5 upcoming singles, including the newest song Afraid, which will premiere on 5.05.23.

Afraid is a song that tackles important topics related to emotional issues and addictions. The song encourages courage, taking on challenges, and pushing one’s own limits, but also reminds us that we are not alone and can count on the support of others. The lyrics also contain a message that mistakes and failures are a part of life and that it’s worth learning from them rather than focusing on them.

This powerful track is an addictive slice of grunge and post-rock with a fantastic, harmonised chorus, some uber-cool riffs and staccato drumming that is full of a youthful energy but has maturity at its core. Mateusz Psonak delivers a commanding vocal performance that grabs your attention immediately and the twin guitar attack of Lukasz Pfeifer and Dawid Kutarnia is edgy, dynamic and exciting. If this is a taste of what is to come from this talented quartet then we are surely in for a musical treat!

Check out the video for their first single Dynamite here:

Review – Kinetic Element – Chasing the Lesser Light – by John Wenlock-Smith

‘Chasing The Lesser Light’ was released a few weeks back, at the end of March, in advance of the inaugural UK live performance from Kinetic Element at the highly acclaimed Winter’s End Festival held in Chepstow. Which, by all accounts, was both well attended and also highly rewarding for the band, significantly increasing their level of popularity along with being financially satisfying.

It is not hard too see why the band were so warmly received, especially on the strength of this almost concept album (or at least thematically linked collection of songs) that is based on the theme of space exploration. The record has merely five tracks in lengths of between six and almost twenty minutes duration. The music is definitely Symphonic Prog which has nods to the likes of ELP, Yes, Asia and many others. The band say that their lyrics have a spiritual touch, however, don’t be alarmed by this it is only mild and is really more about being positive as opposed to the possibly more heavy handed preaching of say Neal Morse or similar.

The album begins with its shortest track, First Stage, which is about contemplating space travel and flight without wings, as it were. The song has a slightly eastern sounding riff in it’s initial section which then becomes more straightforward after a synth section. Once John Coleman’s vocals begin, the bass on this song is very good and fair gallops along leaving space for Mike Visaagio’s piano parts and semi-jazz guitar licks form Peter Matuchniak. I find this very interesting as it deals with the anticipation and expectations of space travel.

Title track Chasing The Lesser Light concerns itself with the moon expeditions already completed and the impact they had globally. Ok, it was over 50 years ago now but it was truly a huge step for mankind and, unlike certain theories tell us, we really did go there and also return safely. When you think that the tablet that this very review was written on has more processing power and capabilities then were available to NASA at the time, it makes the fact that it even happened all the more impressive! The song is another impressive and lengthy one at almost 20 minutes long. Again there is excellent bass from Mark Tupko and lots of atmospheric organ and synths, you definitely hear E.L.P in this track with the descending bass runs and the effusive Hammond organ stabs. Not unexpectedly, there is a lot going on in this track, strong vocals, classic organ sounds strong piano and all manner of synths and rhythm section support, especially from Michael Murray’s superb drums. The latter portion of the song talks of seeing the earth from the moon and the powerful effect that has on the astronauts when first witnessed along with the powerful impression actually walking on the moon had globally when those early television broadcasts were transmitted, capturing the moment for posterity. Those images still evoke awe and wonder today, a fact this song manages to convey very well. For me though even better is Radio Silence which deals with the families left behind and their mix of emotions from being proud but also being fearful for their safety, this gentle song is very heartfelt and very well executed .

The next track We Can’t Forget sees us looking beyond the moon to further destinations like Mars to see if life exists or could survive in such a climate. Already folks like Elon Musk are looking at these prospects seriously and planning ways to get there. This song looks at these possibilities and asks are they realistic or just a pipe dream,? Only time will tell I guess but we are right to be asking such questions and musings. Door To Forever closes the album by musing on reopening the door to space travel, and to become the Starman in the sky. A wistful opening on this lengthy track where keys and guitar combine to give an almost Bowie-like feel to the music. John’s emotive vocals grab your attention and lead you on the journey where Peter’s guitar has touches of Steve Howe at his pomp. It’s an enjoyable, fine way to close what has been a brilliant listen.

Overall, this is an exceptional release with lots of great music and musicianship a plenty, a pumping, driving rhythm section alongside solid guitar and excellent keyboard sounds and solos. This will be especially satisfying to fans of acts like ELP or Yes and, indeed, to anyone who likes vintage prog bands as Kinetic Element have that classic sound and bring their own modern take on prog. The results are very fine indeed and most definitely worth a listen, give it a go and help this long standing US band get wider acclaim, they’ll appreciate it I’m sure!

Released 20th March, 2023

Order from bandcamp here:

Chasing The Lesser Light | Kinetic Element (bandcamp.com)

Review – Lars Fredrik Frøislie – Fire Fortellinger

‘Fire Fortellinger’ is the debut solo album from Wobbler’s Lars Fredrik Frøislie. Fitting perfectly into the 70s prog-rock tradition where the keyboardist makes a solo album between the band albums, this is music Frøislie has been doing, mostly alone, during the pandemic.

Had it not been for the pandemic, much of the material would probably have ended up on a new Wobbler album – but then run through the Wobbler grinder and with English lyrics. In other words, this is unpeeled and raw, as spontaneous as possible without going through too many rounds of processing.

Trying to preserve the impulsive – much of what you hear is improvised, and one-takes (preferably with playing errors and piano strings that break and the like). Trying to preserve the human aspect to a large extent, avoiding click tracks, auto-tune, MIDI or too much technology. Expect lots of old analogue keyboards such as cembalo, Mellotron, MiniMoog, Yamaha CP70 and Hammond organ.

Well, when that cover (marvellous isn’t it?) and that PR blurb arrived in my inbox I was immediately drawn to this album and just had to listen to it. I am so glad I did because this is one of the best releases of 2023 so far, let me tell you why I think so…

Aimed at fans of Wobbler, Yes, Gentle Giant, Jordsjø, Tusmørke and the like, ‘Fire Fortellinger’ is the like the best 70’s scandi-prog album that was never made in that decade. The simply fabulous keyboards, synths, Mellotron and Hammond organ combine to deliver a complete masterpiece of music. Does it matter that I don’t understand a word being said? Not at all, to me, that is what makes this a brilliant record. It was conceived and sung in Norwegian and singing the songs in any other language would take away that immediacy and originality and, to be honest, I love a Scandinavian lilt myself.

Four tunes, four stories, perfectly realised by Lars, this album delivers on every level, not only for the progressive rock fan but for any music fan in the world. The musicianship of Lars, aided and abetted by Nikolai Hængsle on bass, has to be heard to be believed, the music is sumptuous and lush, intense and dark in places but just sublime overall.

The first song, Rytter av dommedag, is themed around Ragnarok, when King Rakne awakens in his large burial mound outside Romerike and, together with the old gods, creates real mischief. This grand, awe-inspiring track opens majestically with an enduring keyboard motif that is all encompassing before opening up into a simply magnificent keyboard-fest where Lars just seems to let everything go and just enjoy himself. It contains moments of reflection and insight, mainly from the precise vocals and delicate piano but, ultimately, this is progressive rock as pomp and circumstance, seventeen minutes of deliciously overblown grandeur, and is even better for it, I just love it! Et sted under himmelhvelvet is dreamy, possibly set in a Renaissance garden near Florence or Arcadia. But in principle it can be anywhere where it feels good to be. It is partly about travelling to a place and feeling that you have been there before – only to find out that you had ancestors who lived there long ago. An almost hushed and wistful opening calms the soul as the lush string-like synths soar high. Once again, a wonderful, haunting motif runs throughout this dramatic, profound piece of music given it gravitas and solemnity and Lars is given free reign again to showcase his remarkable talents during a scintillating, free-form, synth and keyboard section where Nikolai’s base ably supports him. The wondrous music just simply keeps on coming as the song fades out with the outstanding motif.

Jærtegn opens in a frenzy, with a horse and cart speeding through the forest. The wagon overturns at the same time as there is a solar eclipse, and the riders become eternal wanderers in the dark forest, only visible to us now and then like the northern lights, as they vainly stretch their arms towards the sun in the hope of finding their way home. A hectic, chaotic rollercoaster ride of intelligent music that never lets you sit still, this track is like being inside the mind of a genius but one who cannot contain all the schemes in his head. Madcap, sparkling and dazzling at the same time, it certainly put a smile on my face. The travellers seem to find a calm oasis halfway into the song and the vocals take on a calming, almost hypnotic style before Lars goes all John Lord on us, the keyboards having more than a hint of 70’s classic rock allowing this superb track to close out in style.

The final song, and second epic, Naturens Katedral, is a depiction of the Norwegian mountains in winter where the cold is bitter, and blizzards and avalanches abound. It is also a search for bygone times when life was more basic out in the wilderness. It is dark and obsidian at its core with the swirling keyboards and dominant vocals imposing in manner and bringing to mind other Scandinavian prog artists with perhaps a less sunnier disposition like Änglagård and Anekdoten. The music seems to be holding back and building, leaving an anticipatory atmosphere which is only increased by the great vocals. Lars certainly knows how to get a hypnotic keyboard riff/motif into a song and does it again to give an irrepressible, tumultuous feel to this dynamic track. Like all great epic tracks, Naturens Katedral is split into parts and in the middle the music takes over with cinematic charm that totally invokes the harsh reality of a Norwegian winter. As this musical saga comes to a close it almost strays into the land of jazz/prog fusion with a touch of dark humour and leaves me with a knowing smile on my face.

To say I was not expecting how bloody good this album was going to be is an utter understatement. It may be presented as musical musings during lockdown but what Lars Fredrik Frøislie has created is one of the best 70’s influenced prog-rock keyboard albums of recent years. ‘Fire Fortellinger’ is that good that it will have you growing your hair, wearing flares and wondering why there are more than three channels on the TV. 2023 is proving to be yet another fantastic year for music and this record could just prove to be the best of the lot.

Released 2nd June, 2023.

Order from Karisma here:

KAR253 – Lars Fredrik Frøislie – Fire Fortellinger | Karisma Records

EINAR SOLBERG launches new single “Over The Top”

First solo live performance this weekend at Prognosis Festival

EINAR SOLBERG – frontman of Norwegian rock mavericks Leprous – recently announced the release of his debut solo album ‘16’ on June 2nd, 2023. Wildly diverse, but spiritually rooted in Einar’s well-established musical world, ‘16’ is an album that brims with surprises and spinning curveballs and features a collection of intimate but extravagant collaborations.
Today, ahead of his first ever live performance of his solo material at Prognosis Festival in the Netherlands, Einar is pleased to announce his cinematic new single ‘Over The Top’.
Watch the video, directed by Elena Sihida, here:

As mentioned, Einar will be performing this material for the first time ever at Prognosis Festival in the Netherlands this weekend, with an appearance at the London edition the following weekend. For these shows he will be joined by Hrafnkell Örn Guðjónsson (Agent Fresco), Ben Levin (ex-Bent Knee), Chris Baum (Bent Knee), Ari Karason (Mezzoforte) and Ruben Aksnes (Maraton). You can find more details here: https://www.prognosis-festival.nl/

Watch the previously released videos below:
 ‘A Beautiful Life’: https://youtu.be/XAE2y2RfHtg
‘Grotto’ (feat. Magnus Børmark): https://youtu.be/r_Ol_LSma6k

‘16’ will be released on Ltd CD Digipak, Gatefold 180g 2LP + LP-booklet & Digitally, and is now available to pre-order here: https://einarsolberg-artist.lnk.to/sixteen

Einar Solberg is as renowned for the tender honesty of his lyrics as he is for the eccentric majesty of Leprous’ music. But even by his usual standards, ‘16’ is an extremely emotional and dynamic piece of work. Einar describes the record as “the closest I’ve ever come to writing a concept album” and explains that the new songs are about a very specific and transformational period in the musician’s life. This is the sound of a restless spirit in his absolute element.

“It’s called 16 because that’s when the first really, really bad things started happening to me in life. From 16 to 19, there were a lot of very life-defining moments that happened to me, and that changed me,” he says. “That’s when I kind of lost my innocence and I started realising that life is serious and bad shit can happen. A lot of pretty drastic things happened within those three years. But this album is not only about the bad things. It’s also about some of the career-defining moments, like the moment I started playing with the band and began to find a community to belong to. Emotionally, I’m a bit of everything, so it covers the entire emotional spectrum!”

’16’ finds Einar collaborating with everyone from modern prog contemporaries like Bent Knee’s Ben Levin and Agent Fresco’s Toti Gudnason, to experimental cellist (and regular Leprous live musician) Raphael Weinroth-Browne and Magnus Børmark, best known as a member of Norwegian alt-folk troupe Gåte. He also once again collaborates with Ihsahn and Star Of Ash amongst many others. The record was mixed by mixed by Adam Noble (Placebo, Biffy Clyro, Nothing But Thieves) and mastered by Robin Schmidt (The 1975, Placebo, The Gaslight Anthem, etc.). The cover artwork was designed by Elena Sihida.

The full track-listing is as follows:1. 16 (feat. Raphael Weinroth-Browne)
2.Remember Me
3.A Beautiful Life
4.Where All The Twigs Broke (feat. Star Of Ash)
5.Metacognitive (feat. Raphael Weinroth-Browne)
6.Home (feat. Ben Levin)
7.Blue Light (feat. Asger Mygind)
8.Grotto (feat. Magnus Børmark)
9.Splitting The Soul (feat. Ihsahn)
10.Over The Top
11.The Glass Is Empty (feat. Tóti Guðnason)

Einar will debut his solo material live with two exclusive shows at the Eindhoven & London editions of Prognosis Festival (15th & 22nd April respectively). You can find more details here: https://www.prognosis-festival.nl/

RAY ALDER – Announces sophomore solo album “II”

Launches first single/lyric video “This Hollow Shell” / Pre-order started!

Following the fantastic feedback for the first solo album by Fates Warning vocalist Ray Alder “What The Water Wants” back in 2019, InsideOutMusic are pleased to announce the upcoming worldwide release of the follow-up effort “II” on June 9th 2023. 

Once again, just like for the “What The Water Wants” debut, the new album was written with guitarists Mike Abdow (Fates Warning touring member) and Tony Hernando (Lords Of Black) – who both also performed bass guitar on their own songs –, features drummer Craig Anderson (Ignite, Crescent Shield) and was mixed by Simone Mularoni (Rhapsody, Michael Romeo, DGM). Ray Alder’s second album is simply entitled “II”, but in musical terms this is a much more revealing, exploratory piece of work than its predecessor.

Ray Alder checked in with the following comment about “II”, whose cover artwork can be seen above:

“When we wrote the first solo album I wanted to try some different musical styles. I didn’t want it to be really heavy, but more musical with catchy choruses. I think we did a pretty good job on that first one.

But with this new album I wanted the music and lyrics to be darker and heavier. I think Mike did a fantastic job with the music. He listened to what I was saying and thinking musically. Tony knows that I like the big choruses and somewhat traditional sound. And of course Craig did an amazing job on the drums as usual. It’s an honor to be able to work with them.

 This album is more of a reflection of what I heard going forward as a solo artist. Longer songs, deeper lyrics and really pushing myself vocally. I hope that whoever listens to it enjoys it as much as I did while working on it…”

With the album’s pre-order starting today, you can now check out the opening track “This Hollow Shell” in a lyric-video created by Cloud Music Typography here:

Ray Alder added about “This Hollow Shell” as follows: 

“’This Hollow Shell’ is the first song to be released from my new solo album “II”. When I first heard this song I knew that it was going to be one of my favorites on the new album. It was dark and moody with tons of changes. It was like a huge blank canvas that I couldn’t wait to begin painting on. In the end it became one of the songs on the album that I am most proud of.” 

This is the complete tracklisting of the upcoming album: 

RAY ALDER – “II” (51:20)
1. This Hollow Shell (06:02)

2. My Oblivion (04:36)

3. Hands Of Time (06:08)

4. Waiting For Some Sun (04:29)

5. Silence The Enemy (04:41)

6. Keep Wandering (05:51)

7. Those Words I Bled (05:51)

8. Passengers (05:51)

9. Changes (07:45) 

“II” is available as limited first-pressing Digipak CD edition with a bonus track (An acoustic version of the opening track “This Hollow Shell”), as Digital Album (Also including the bonus track!) and as LP on 180gr. vinyl, both on unlimited black vinyl as well as on transparent red vinyl in a limited edition of 300x copies, available exclusively via the IOM Webshop and from CM Distro. 

You can pre-order the album in its various formats here:

Ray Alder – This Hollow Shell (lnk.to)

Danish math-stadium rock band Isbjörg release new single ‘Afterglow’ today!

Afterglow is Isbjörg’s second release from their upcoming second full-length album which is expected to be released in early 2024.

Along with the latest release ‘Ornament’, ‘Afterglow’ marks a new era for the band who, since the release of their debut album ‘Iridescent’ in 2019, have welcomed Jonathan Kjærulff Larsen as their new front figure.

‘Afterglow’ is a grand, energetic and modern rock ballad that engulfs the listener in a melancholic soundscape driven by lead
singer Jonathan Kjærulff Jensen’s powerful voice and balanced by Isbjörgs characteristic piano-centered rock sound. Lyrically, the
song is centered around two people’s loss of control, whose carelessness and unusual actions result in a negative spiral of which they can’t escape.

‘Afterglow’ is available on all major streaming services today:

Afterglow by Isbjörg (song.link)

Listen tot he track here:

Bio:
Isbjörg is a Danish math-stadium rock band centered around the piano.

The aim of the band has always been to surprise and break musical boundaries without compromising the songwriting. Odd time signatures and polyrhythms combined with catchy hooks and lush melodies captures the listener in an intense and captivating soundscape.

Following the release of two EP’s and singles, Isbjörg released their debut album ‘Iridescent’ in 2019. The album was very acclaimed by both fans and critics for its epic, piano-centered sound and the captivating songwriting.

After the release of ‘Iridescent’ Isbjörg have been touring around Denmark and played everything from small clubs to big festivals such as SmukFest in 2019. The last couple of

years Isbjörg have worked intensively on writing their follow-up album. After the departure of singer Niklas Jespersen in early 2022, Isbjörg welcomed Jonathan Kjærulff Jensen (Lara Luna) as their new lead singer and are now standing stronger and more focused than ever with a lot of single releases planned for 2023 before releasing their second full-length album in early 2024.

Website: http://isbjorg.dk

Isbjörg is:
Jonathan Kjærulff Jensen – Vocals

Mathias Bro Jørgensen – Piano, vocals

Dines Dahl Karlsen – Guitar

Lasse Gitz Thingholm – Guitar

Mathias Schouv Kjeldsen – Bass

Frederik Ølund Uglebjerg – Drums

Review – The Drinking Club – …really?!? – by John Wenlock-Smith

This album came up for review and upon listening I could immediately hear elements of early Marillion, I.Q, Pallas and Pendragon to name but four early eighties prog legends that this release harks back to on first and also subsequent listens. This independent release from The Drinking Club was the result of an advert posted over the internet to a Facebook group that celebrated those early 80’s Neo-prog acts mentioned above. In seeking like minded individuals/musicians to join with a project to turn Peter Hewitt’s shelved folder of discarded forgotten ideas into a more concrete and tangible firm reality. This album, ‘…really?!?’, is the result of those labours and efforts. What a labour of love it must have been to see these concepts and ideas taking shape, gaining traction and becoming fully formed.

When you add into that equation that the three members (Peter along with Kevin Borras and Tony Flint)worked on all this remotely, using file sharing and WeTransfer apps to compile the songs with various ideas, it is even more impressive. The results are definitely worthy of investigation by any prog fan as this album has much to savour, appreciate enjoy with some very interesting subject matter along with the guarantee of being wizard, witch and warlock free.

That said though, the element of political comment is clearly present as this album sees the anger and frustration of these 50 year old men venting their collective spleens on the issues of the day, ranging from immigration, the existence of God, tabloid hysteria and a painful divorce, to name but four issues. This is social conscience prog and how different it is to hear music that calls for a response and has strong and informed lyrics. Well this album has that in spades and is so well worth hearing for yourself, along with strong musical passages , solid guitar and keyboards to back everything up. This strong album has shot to the upper reaches of my best of 2023 albums already in a year of some stellar performances and will invariably create big waves come December.

The music is pretty epic at times with a few surprising influences and sounds and possibly some less obvious ones in parts! For example, I can hear traces of 80’s jazzers Working Week, especially when the trumpet kicks in during Light Years. It may not be obvious but I picked up on it for sure. It is a neat touch and one that adds to the gravitas of the subject matter of divorce and a failed relationship, the tangible hurt is sensitively handled without blame but with regret and is a bold exposition of pain and the determination to carry on and continue.

Especially noteworthy is the mock radio broadcast that forms both the introduction and outro of But For The Waves, which poses the question, what has the UK’s immigration process ever done for us? The answers this song offers are intelligent, heartfelt and artfully crafted and well worded and confidently addressed.

The album has a running time of fifty-one minutes and doesn’t drag at all. Each song has merit and the vocals are clear, in addition the guests all add something fresh and different First track Eternity (In An Empire Of Snow)/What We’re Made Of opens with a symphonic overture of synths and a good guitar line that leads into a more urgent section, this in turns leading to a solo guitar and a crash of drums, choral vocals and a subdued chord and a lone piano motif, all this lasts for over five minutes and is an impressive opening statement. I think the song is about the existence of God although I could be wrong on that! Next track is Ticking Clock which appears be about climate change and there are great lyrics in this one. Even better is But For The Waves which addresses the immigration crisis and questions the motives of those in charge and the media’s disinterest in the issue. This song is hard hitting and uncomfortable at times but its questions, while difficult, address our identity as a nation as does how our declining compassion weakens us. The outro is a brilliant and emotive heartfelt rebuttal to the question.

A Song Of Life is about a child growing up and the trials that can bring. Another interesting song in an album full of great tracks. Zero Sum Game is next with great synths and a surging guitar line. The song is about exploitation of artists with the special, often worthless, special edition of an album. This has a voiceover from a faded fictional prog musician who puts things into perspective. Light Years is the albums epic and my favourite with sombre music and lyrics but all wonderfully handled with, I must point out the great trumpet on this track too! The final track is A Song Of Deat. This song is about the cycle of life from birth to death and has a funky bassline that runs through the track and great lyrics as well. The album cover of a lone shoe in the sea is striking and is references in But For The Waves.

I thoroughly enjoyed this album, finding a wealth of great music with lots of nods to early 80’s Neo-prog and the future looks good for this trio, let’s hope there is more to come from The Drinking Club again very soon!

Released 3rd March, 2023

Order from bandcamp here:

…really?!? | The Drinking Club (bandcamp.com)

Review – A.C.T – Falling – by Kevin Thompson

I saw the Swedish band A.C.T. a couple of times when they played for the old Classic Rock Society in Rotherham. Both were great performances and I have a lasting memory of them reminding me musically of one of my favourite bands, Canada’s very own Saga. I also remember lead singer Herman Saming being a very enigmatic and energetic front man, who liked his hats on stage. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen them live since.

‘Trifles and Pandemonium‘ was the last album of theirs I bought, but the prohibitive costs of importing copies from abroad have prevented me from purchasing the current EPs, which is a shame because I really like this band. They never cease to put a smile on my face, from their infectious blend of complex progressive rock mixed with the accessibility of mainstream AOR, so I was pleasantly surprised when they agreed to let me review their latest release, ‘Falling‘, which is the third EP of a planned quartet. I have, much to my chagrin, only heard parts of the previous two. Whilst they apparently have an overarching narrative embedded in the three EPs and upcoming fourth, this third part can stand on its own. With six original tracks, the premise being – just like the dinosaurs – the human race faces extinction in the very near future as something terrible hurtles toward Earth at maximum velocity.

This exposes the traits of human nature and our actions, facing adversity and how we respond. Despite the gloomy plot line, the band’s effervescent personalities and upbeat tempos move this EP along quite nicely. They have a distinctive style and sound, but also like to experiment a little as well. One should never sit on one’s laurels.

Fall In is a short instrumental with the sounds of disturbed animals and the foreboding sound of something approaching swiftly, which explodes into the second song, introducing our first character as they are desperately Digging A Hole and building a survival shelter in the backyard. Are they a conspiracy theorist believing the end of the world is coming, or do they know something as they ignore their partner, who would prefer, if this were the end, to spend what time they have left together enjoying one another’s company. It reminds me of one of my favourite films, Take Shelter, in which Michael Shannon is plagued by apocalyptic visions and tries to stay sane, as his obsessive behaviour causes his marriage to Jessica Chastain’s character, livelihood and health to fall apart. Are the apparitions of the world ending real or is he suffering from a possible hereditary illness?

We then meet Emelie, The Girl Without A Past, who can recall nothing of her life but is bestowed with a special gift that allows her to see into the future and our impending doom. No amount of medical help brings back any memories and no one seems to know of her past. So, can her visions of what’s to come be trusted? Look to the skies for your answer (but try and avoid walking into a lamppost). When relationships have run their course, it is sometimes hard to admit it is no longer working and any feelings you had have faded into the distance. You don’t want to be there, claustrophobic, you can hardly Breathe, yet you carry on living the lie, pretending everything is OK for you. You have tried to say how you feel and leave before, but then something happens that makes you realise you have little time left. You reassess and decide to spend what precious minutes remain together, as your partner professes, they cannot breathe without you.

Is there nothing that can be done to prevent the oncoming threat? The longer we leave it to do something, the less chance we have of survival, it’s A Race Against Time if we are to save ourselves. The bells toll the end, run and hide with your loved ones, say your goodbyes. The immensity of what approaches leaves mankind in awe. Terrifying yet exciting in varying measures, you will witness the greatest spectacle ever seen and be a part of it. Is there any point in running to find a place of solace? The naivety of some fixated on the spectacle, the realisation for you that once done there will be nothing left, no one to remember or tell the tale of what is about to happen. Should you disillusion them? No, hold them, treasure them while you can and say One Last Goodbye to the one you love.

Siren’s wail, people scream at the shuddering impact, the object destroys everything in its path and all fades to silence as the Fall Out begins. Somewhere, the last notes of a piano are heard before being swallowed into the darkness. Incorporating sound clips and effects to enhance the feelings of a torn humanity, the building tension of those involved is portrayed by the music and lyrics, conveying their emotions. From tender keyboard passages and bursts of guitar coupled with the driving force of drum and bass, we hear the stories of those affected, good or bad it doesn’t matter now, as they face judgement day.

Masters of their craft, A.C.T. once again delight with tight playing, crisp vocals and the energy they imbue with their intricate arrangements. I am still amazed they are not more widely known.

In the meantime, I’m off to see how benevolent my bank manager is feeling.

Released 1st March, 2023

Check out the band’s website here:

A C T W O R L D

A version of this review was originally posted on The Progressive Aspect.