Showing posts with label Music Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Music Reviews. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Stefan Elefteriu releases 'Quantum Gates' - a journey through space, time and numerous genres

 


The latest album from progressive odyssey Stefan Elefteriu escapes reality and lets listeners enter a world of optimism. Titled "Quantum Gates", the album features 12 tracks that soar through realms of uncertainty with reassurance. While Stefan's journey to this moment has been eventful, Stefan's no stranger to the world of music. From building his own synthesisers in Communist Romania to scoring a science fiction film, if you think it, Stefan's probably done it. An experience that showcases huge complexity, intelligence and imagination, 'Quantum Gates' is bathed in classical, rock and electronic elements. 

Stefan mentioned that the release is based on, "Twelve portals open to twelve different worlds awaiting discovery through imagination, fantasy and feelings... Go beyond the Quantum Gates and, with each re-listening, you will perceive new territories of musical expression. Let the evolution and permanent dialogue of the melodic lines - based on symphonic counterpoint - take you through a new multidimensional sound universe."

For fans of Vangelis, Pink Floyd, Jean Michael Jarre and Kraftwerk, 'Quantum Gates' is truly a special album for all prog lovers.

Album Tracks:

  1. Coming from Above

  2. Push the Beat

  3. Hold On

  4. Play of Shadows

  5. Visitor on the Timeline

  6. Flying Island

  7. Lonely Alien

  8. Blue Peaks

  9. Too High

  10. Between Two Worlds

  11. Quantum Gates

  12. The Change

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StefanElefteriuMusic 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/stefanelefteriu  

Website: https://www.stefansound.com/

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/stefan_sound 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3uXquOCFBiGsuy2W5V90hh?si=5OxW-6VnRiSKQqqkDcv6-QYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2rXwyOWkt9kqfD3KZtRWFQ 


Saturday, December 12, 2020

Symphonic Prog Review: Wobbler-Dwellers Of The Deep

Release Date: October 23, 2020

Label: Karisma

Website

Wobbler originated in Honefoss, Norway in 1999, and with the release of this new album, Dwellers of the Deep, the band have now released 5 albums, since the debut, Hinterland, saw the light of day in 2005. I was fortunate enough to see this band in December 2019 when they headlined a mini-festival in Glasgow. The Prog Before Xmas (PB4X) is an annual one-day event featuring 4/5 bands with the proceeds going to named charities. This has been taking place for 5 years, but Covid-19 has caused this year’s festival to be cancelled. Last year, Wobbler played a set including many great tracks from their back catalogue, interspersed with music from the Dwellers of the Deep album and they simply “blew” the crowd away.

Dwellers of the Deep
is a 4 track album with a total time of just under 46 minutes and the final track, “Merry Macabre” is the longest on offer with a playing time of 19:00 minutes, and the penultimate track, “Naiad Dreams” is the shortest at 4:24 minutes.

The band on the album are Andreas Wettergreen Stromman Prestmo (vocals/guitar), Marius Halleland (guitar/backing vocals), Lars Frederik Froislie (keyboards), Kristian Karl Hultgren (bass) and Martin Nordrum Kneppen (drums), with Lars, Kristian and Martin original members of Wobbler. Kristian also guested on the Airbag current release, A Day At The Beach. Andreas was present in the band by album No 3, Rites At Dawn, in 2011 and Marius was onboard by album No 4 in 2017, From Silence To Somewhere.

The opening track, “By The Banks" (13:49), bursts into life with the band in full flow, soon to be joined by a bit of vocalization, then a simple keyboard and bass passage underpinned by excellent drumming. The bass and keyboards carry the track on before Andreas pitches in with his clear powerful vocals. The keyboards continue to "run" the track with those superb bass notes just in behind. The track builds and then gently subsides and the listener is both drawn in and carried along. At around the 5-minute mark, the piano has an excellent passage, very tranquil compared to what has gone before. Behind the vocals, the bass slowly builds and the guitar, drums and keyboards join the proceedings again. At the 9+ minute mark, there is a return to the tranquil style passage, and indeed, it is this contrasting switch that makes “By The Banks” an engrossing start to the album. Each member makes an amazing contribution to the sound, the clear vocals, the sweeping, soaring keyboards, the thundering, but so controlled bass, the subdued, but occasionally crunching guitar work and that superb drumming, both intense then very subtle at times.

The two shorter tracks are very different, with "Five Rooms" (8:28) being a close relative, musically speaking, to the opening track and "Naiad Dreams" (4:24), being a simply beautiful ballad with an excellent acoustic guitar start, showing the simpler, gentler side of the band. Both are excellent in their own way and set the listener up for the finale of the album.


The 19:00 minute "Merry Macabre" is a real tour-de-force, starting with a gentle introduction before the keyboards appear around the 1:00 minute point. As the vocals, bass, guitar and drums all add their presence, the band are off on a journey that encompasses all the areas that Wobbler have demonstrated throughout their back catalogue. Symphonic slices, eclectic sections and even a little jump in and out of the jazz world, appear and morph into one another, providing the listener with a stunning aural experience.

Each release has taken the band further and these 5 musicians know exactly what they want to do, and on Dwellers of the Deep, they have shown the world just what they are capable of. This is a superb album and should find a space on the
cd/vinyl shelves in all progressive music followers’ collections.

Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson – Prog Rock Music Talk Staff
November 27, 2020


Tracks:

1. By The Banks (13:49)
2. Five Rooms (08:28)
3. Naiad Dreams (04:24)
4. Merry Macabre (19:00)


Sunday, November 22, 2020

Crossover Prog Review: Gazpacho-Fireworker

Release Date: September 18, 2020

Label: K Scope

Website

Gazpacho hail from Norway and was formed back in 1996. The release under review is the 11th studio album from the band, Fireworker, and the debut was released in 2003, Bravo. I have liked this band for several years after hearing a track on a sampler CD and have enjoyed their music immensely.


Briefly, they are one of the few bands that seem to be able to generate majestic atmospheric soundscapes, where the quiet (and even silent) moments are as important to the overall effect of the music as the superb skills of the musicians.


The band has been relatively settled, with Jan Henrik Ohme (vocals), Thomas Alexander Anderson (keyboards), and Jon Arne Vilbo (guitars) all original members of the band, who were then joined by Mikael Kromer (violin/mandolin) and Kristian Torp (bass) as guest musicians on the album No 3, Firebird, in 2005 and band members on the next release, album No 4, Night, in 2007. Finally, Lars Erik Asp (drums) appears in the band on the album No 6, Missa Atropos, in 2010 and that band has remained constant in the intervening years.

Fireworker is a 5-track album with a total playing time of just over 50 minutes (50:23), with track 1, “Space Cowboy,” the longest on offer at 19:41 minutes and track 2, “Hourglass,” the shortest at 4:15 minutes.

Gazpacho has a tradition of producing albums that fuse various situations, from deep philosophical questions to the intricacies and complexities of the human mind. Isolation was the key on earlier albums, Night and Missa Atropos, dramatic scenarios on Tick Tock and Soyuz, and theological /scientific questions on Demon and Molok.

Fireworker deals with an entity that inhabits everyone and ensures that it survives from generation to generation and can, at times, control our actions. The entity is known by several names, Fireworker, Lizard, or Space Cowboy. The entity exerts control by rewarding or punishing the individual. So, you will have gathered this is not a light-hearted musical album, but it is a wonderfully atmospheric piece of work.

The opening track, “Space Cowboy” (19:41) is a stunning piece of music by the band. Starting very simply with the superb voice of Jan Henrik Ohme, backed with subdued bass, piano, and violin, setting the scene before the band moves up a notch around the 2-minute mark. The track moves on with changing tempo from time to time. Around the 5-minute mark, a choir appears which is a warning to the individual not to get closer to the entity within. The lyrics are in a pre-language, so no easy to follow lyrics. The track then swings from Jan Henrik led atmospheric vocals and music, back and forth to the choir. Around the 13-minute point, the band moves into a more hard-hitting passage.

I will admit that this opening track did take me several listens, as well as checking the band’s explanation of the track on Facebook, before the sheer magnitude and power of the opening 19+ minutes hit home. Not the easiest track to open the album with, but when you “get it,” it is superb. A track that makes you work hard to understand it.

The next three tracks, “Hourglass” (4:15), “Fireworker” (4:41), and “Antique” (6:24) are shorter and easier to get into while continuing the atmosphere generated by the opening track.

“Hourglass” is more up-tempo with superb piano in the opening portion and a church-style organ passage before the choir re-entering. The stunning, haunting violin played by Mikael, the superb piano passages, and those crystal-clear Jan Henrik vocals make “Hourglass” and excellent 4+ minutes.

The title track, “Fireworker,” is a quite different style of a track which simply rips along, from the violin enhanced early passages, through the vocals and allows the band to flex those musical muscles. Tempo changes drive the track towards its finale which sees the song simply fade away.
“Antique” continues the gentle atmospheric soundscape with the band in superb form, little bass lines, exquisite drumming, superb piano, and guitar, all contributing behind that powerful vocal. The violin has another great passage just after 3 minutes and then moves behind the vocals, bass, drums, and keyboards as the song finishes.

The final track, “Sapien” (15:22) has a keyboard and drum intro before the rest of the band pitch in and the vocals enter just after a minute. The melodic vocal weaves its way along before becoming more forceful around the 2:30 minute point. The haunting melody drifts along, almost as a touchstone as the track progresses. Around the 5:15 minute, the band leaves a keyboard and Jan Henrik’s voice to continue the story, then return under a minute later. A gentle piano and synth passage follows and the vocals re-enter. This passage is an excellent example of how to produce an atmospheric soundscape. The musicians make it seem so simple, but they are experts at this style. The tempo rises slightly before leaving just the drums, bass, and piano to continue to build the atmosphere. At 11:00 minutes, those beautiful vocals reappear and start to carry the track towards the finale. Returning to a previous theme, the band set about completing this superb soundscape. Sparse instrumentation behind the vocals slowly builds and the track starts to fade just before the 15-minute mark.

Fireworker is simply a majestic album that requires several listens and a fair bit of work on the side of the listener, but I would suggest that the listener spends the time and makes the effort. The reward will be the full appreciation of a superb piece of work by a group of dedicated, and very skilled, musicians.


Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson – Prog Rock Music Talk Staff
November 12, 2020

Tracks:
1. Space Cowboy (19:41)
2. Hourglass (04:15)
3. Fireworker (04:41)
4. Antique (06:24)
5. Sapien (15:22)


Sunday, October 25, 2020

Prog Rock Review: Circuline-Circulive New View

Release Date: October 9, 2020

Label: Circuline Music

Website

Prog Stock 2017 was attended by actual people, how different? Things that were normal every day things have changed in the new norm. I usually attend at least 5 concerts a year and I went to one just before the virus spread like wildfire.


Circulive New View just came out this month. I covered Circuline-Circulive::Majestik DVD in 2018. That was an excellent prog-rock experience so I anticipate the same with the new release and was not disappointed.

The band Circuline is a prog-rock band out of New York that is no stranger to the stage. Circuline is Andrew Colyer (keyboards, vocals), Darin Brannon (drums, percussion), Alek Darson (guitars), Joel Simches (bass), and lead vocalists Billy Spillane and Natalie Brown.

Their performance at the festival was captured on a magnificent Blu-ray and DVD. This is a 3-disc set including a CD so all formats are covered for thirteen tracks offered on this superb audio-visual experience. There also bonus features with official videos, tour posters, images, and more.

Circuline members are polished professionals and bring a very entertaining show to the stage. Their music is distinctively prog-rock with an in-sync rhythm section, two incredibly talented vocalists, a guitar player suited to play through all the many changes one song can go through, and of course the amazing Andrew Colyer on keyboards. Andrew is recognized for his accomplishments but not on the level he should be. Based on what I have heard over the last few years, he ranks right up there with some of the best and most tasteful players active today.

Coming in under the wire in the prog world is nothing new because it refuses to go mainstream. Fans such as myself and thousands more are grateful for that and thank them for staying true to themselves and the music. That is something that is accepted going into this type of music and the music remains the most important factor, endearing fans of all ages to their work. This set is a document to the excellence of Circuline as a functioning musical unit without exception.

The two performances I enjoyed the most were the “Piano Challenge” on track #5 and “The Forbidden Planet + Drum Feature” on track 10. The drum performance was quite entertaining as everyone on stage was playing some sort of percussion. They all were in sync as well, which is not an easy task, especially if it is not your primary instrument.

The bonus you get has two choices of viewing for the video and then the soundtrack on CD for strictly the audio experience. Also, something interesting is the option of watching the video to a band commentary, however, I would recommend watching just the concert first then the commentary version to see what they all have to say about the performance.

Circulive New View
is the complete audio and visual experience you could have. Excellent musicianship is the most important factor and that is what makes everything else the icing on the cake.


Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-Prog Rock Music Talk Founder
October 24, 2020

Track List:
01. Intro / Erosion (Live)        
02. Soleil Noir (Live)        
03. One Wish (Live)    
04. Nautilus (Live)    
05. Piano Challenge (Live)    
06. Hollow (Live)    
07. Return (Acoustic) [Live}        
08. Fallout Shelter (Live)    
09. Pale Blue Dot (Live)    
10. Forbidden Planet / Drum Feature (Live)    
11. Inception (Live)    
12. Summit (Live)        
13. Stereotypes (Live)


Saturday, September 26, 2020

Jazz/Prog Fusion Review: The Segue

Release Date: December 8, 2019

Label: Digital release

Website


The Segue hail from Poland and are the second new Polish band to catch my attention recently. The band comprises 4 members, Robert Wiercioch (guitar), Karolina Wiercioch (piano, grand piano, synths), Marcin Essen (bass) and Szymon Piotrowski (drums) and they are joined on this recording, Holograms, by three guest musicians, Jan Kozlinski (bass), Michal Sarapata (bass) and Maciej Dzik (drums).

I am most impressed with this debut, as I will freely admit that fusion/jazz fusion would not normally be a genre I would listen to, and, it is also an instrumental album, another area I can find less interesting, but The Segue have an interesting sound that takes me beyond any preconceptions.

Holograms
is a 7 track album with a playing time of just over 45 minutes (45:15), with the opening track, “Segue,” the shortest on offer at 3:55 minutes and the final track, “Time Space Illusion” being the longest, clocking in at 8:14 minutes.

The opening track, “Segue,” bounces into life very quickly and grabs the attention just as fast. Guitar, bass and drums set down an amazingly interesting sound and just after the 1-minute mark, there is a synthesizer passage before the track settles into the earlier style. Around the 2:10 minute point there is a slight change to the guitar which steps to the fore, driving the track along, suitably underpinned by that thumping bass and precision drumming. Just into the 3-minute mark there is a very atmospheric passage before the band wind up and are away. An ideal opening track, highlighting the musician skills and enticing the listener into the sound of The Segue.

Track 2, “Questions” (6:31), starts off much more gently and soon the piano of Karolina takes the track onwards with a very jazzy feel, suitably aided by the guitar, bass and drums. Karolina then moves into one or two different piano passages, complimented by the engine-room of drum and bass. The piano remains the major instrument, although around 3:45 minutes, there is an excellent bass passage which changes the tone of the track. Karolina (piano) and Robert (guitar) take the track on with Robert coming to the forefront, before a very gentle piano/bass passage ushers the track to completion.

The fourth track, “Future Ways” (4:30), starts with a synth passage to which the bass and drums soon pitch in followed by the guitar. Karolina concentrates on the synth on this track, together with Robert’s exquisite guitar playing and the bass and drum foundation is always there, supporting. “Future Ways,” as with all the tracks, gives the individual musicians a chance to step into the spotlight and shows the band to be a unit of very skillful musicians.

Initially I mentioned that jazz and instrumentals do not form a major part of what I would normally listen to, but The Segue seem to be different in that they mix what they do so well. Karolina is as accomplished on synths as the piano, although her style of playing certainly shows a love of jazz. Robert on guitar can throw out jazzy guitar runs with the best of them, but is not averse to suddenly diving into a more prog vein.

I think that it is this versatility that make Holograms so accessible and I have no doubt that many people will think the same. Holograms will be an excellent addition to many CD collections and indeed I still listen to tracks regularly. This is an excellent debut release and I look forward to finding out where further releases will take the band.


Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson -Prog Rock Music Talk Staff
September 22, 2020

Tracks:
1. Segue (3:55)
2. Questions (6:31)
3. Torrent (8:05)
4. Exosphere (6:30)
5. Future Ways (4:30)
6. Broken Mind (7:30)
7. Time Space Illusion (8:14)




Sunday, June 21, 2020

Eclectic Prog Review: Fren-Where Do You Want Ghosts To Reside?

Release Date: March 6 2020
Label: Independent

Where Do You Want Ghosts To Reside? is the debut album released by the Polish band, Fren. Hailing from Krakow, they are classed as an eclectic prog band and were formed in 2017. The band is a quartet, comprising Oscar Cenkier (keyboards), Michal Chalota (guitars), Andrew Shamanov (bass) and Oleksii Federov (drums).

These guys are creating a few waves for being newcomers, as I have seen a couple of reviews which have extolled the virtues of this band, as well as hinting that they have a few older bands to thank for their sound. Having listened to this release, which was sent to me by Michal, many times, what we have here is an excellent set of musicians who give “nods” to various areas of “older, classic” prog, but masterfully incorporate these retro-style sound excursions into the sound of Fren. At this point, I should also mention that Fren is an instrumental band, and they have successfully circumvented my normal apprehension of such entities, as at no time during Where Do You Want Ghosts To Reside? did I think “what a difference a vocalist could have made at this point.”

Where Do You Wants Ghosts To Reside? is a 6 track album with a total playing time of just under 45 minutes (44:29), with track 3, “Goraca Linia”, being the shortest at 2:59 minutes and the fourth track, “Pleonasm,” the longest on offer at just over 12 minutes (12:02).

“Pleonasm” is a majestic track dominated by the superb piano passages. After a gentle piano passage starts the track, with the rest of the band almost unobtrusive in the background, the piece moves into a more jazzy sequence with all the players playing their parts very well, as the piece unfolds, the tempo, and the intensity shifts several times with the piano leading the way for the most part. The interplay between the four very skilled musicians is nudging perfection. Little forays, again into a more jazz-based style, this time led by guitar, ebb and flow, as the music returns to the piano lead before entering into a majestic full band passage around the midpoint of the track. The listener is drawn into the atmospheric piece by the shifting points of emphasis and the revisiting of the superb piano sections. At times this track is very minimalistic before building into a thunderous full band section, then the sound is stripped away to simply piano with the other instruments underpinning the track. The last 1-2 minutes are hugely atmospheric as the track moves to the finale. This is a stunning track that is different musically from the 3 prior tracks but maintains the high bar set by those tracks.

The final track on the album is track 6, “Time To Take The Stones Away” (8:41), and starts with another majestic repeating riff, before settling into a guitar-led passage which pushes along, giving Michal the chance to shine. A simply lovely piano passage at 2:00 minutes is backed by tempered bass and drums with the piano again the main instrument of the piece. Just after 4:00 minutes, the sound clears away to leave a stunning bass sequence with sporadic drum inputs before the guitar almost stealthily enters proceedings. Prior to the 6:00 minute point, the sound moves more aggressively before the piano comes in over the top and with the band now playing with such skill, the track is escorted to its completion.

This is a stunning debut release by Fren, performed by musicians who share a similar goal, that is, to aim for perfection in their music. Where Do You Want Ghosts To Reside? is an album that simply shouts out “Buy Me!”. From the simplest of passages to the multi-layered passages, this is an enthralling album to listen to. You will marvel at the points where you just about have time to think “that sounds like….” before another passage whisks you deep into the sound of Fren. This, in my opinion, is a must-have purchase in any true prog fan’s collection and will be listened to many, many times generating real musical enjoyment.

Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson   ProgRockMusicTalk Staff
June 16, 2022

Tracks:
1. Twin Peaks (4:41)
2. Surge (9:43)
3. Goraca Linia (2:59)
4. Pleonasm (12:02)
5. Heavy Matter (6:23)
6. Time To Take Stones Away (8:41)

 

Monday, June 8, 2020

Neo Prog Review: Airbag- A Day At The Beach

Release Date: June 19 2020
Label: Karisma
Website: www.airbagsound.com
  
The Norwegian band, Airbag, was formed by high school friends away back in 1994 but the release of their first EP heralds the fresh start as a “proper” band. They released a second EP which was freely downloadable from their website, as indeed, was the first release.

In 2009, the band was signed to the Norwegian label, Karisma, and the first album, Identity, was issued. This included more fleshed out versions of tracks on the two EPs, which were subsequently deleted. Three more albums followed, All Rights Removed (2011), The Greatest Show On Earth (2013), and Disconnected (2016) before the new album under review, A Day At The Beach (2020).

Initially a 5 piece band on the debut, there was a change in the drum seat for album 2, the same line-up for album 3, before a drop to a 4 piece outfit for album 4 and a further drop to a trio, comprising Asle Tostrup (lead vocals/keyboards/programming), Bjorn Riis (guitars/keyboards /backing vocals) and Henrik Fossum (drums) on this new release. Asle and Bjorn are original members with Henrik joining as the drummer from album 2, so a very settled core to the band. Guesting on A Day At The Beach, is bassist Kristian Karl Hultgren from fellow Norwegian band, Wobbler.

A Day At The Beach is a 6 track album with a combined running time of just under 49 minutes (48:50), with the opening track “Machines and Men” clocking in as the longest track at 10:48 minutes and “A Day At The Beach Part 1”, track 2, the shortest at 3:55 minutes.

The opening track, “Machines and Men” (10:48) is unmistakably Airbag, that is, if you are conversant with earlier releases by the band. As with a few Airbag introductions, there is a quiet section before any sound becomes detectable, and that first sound appears to be provided by the guest musician, Kristian Karl Hultgren’s bass. This repetitive riff is soon joined by the guitar of Bjorn Riis and the characteristic vocal of Asle Tostrup, before a more 80’s style electronica passage settles in with the band in full flow; bass, guitar, and drums perfectly in synch behind the vocals. Around 5:30 minutes, the sound falls away leaving a bass and guitar passage before the vocals return and the driving sound restarts with Bjorn’s guitar coming through loud and clear at around 7:15 minutes. The vocals arrive again nearer 8:00 minutes and an excellent instrumental section leading to the sound simply fading towards the track finale will have kept the listener’s attention. This track flows through light, airy passages and heavier, darker areas and is a superb opening track to the album.

“Sunsets” (8:16) is track 4 and starts with a little drum rhythm before the band kick into play. A slow passage that builds, then drops to leave bass and drums, and that expressive voice from Asle. A verse later and the chorus kicks in at a higher level before returning to the atmospheric music that Airbag is renowned for. Just after the 3:00 minute mark, the towering guitar provided by Bjorn takes over and drives the track along. Over the 4:00 minute mark and there is another “doff of the hat” to some 80’s electronica, before Bjorn “ups the ante” even further. Asle’s characteristic vocal takes over again before leaving the way open for the guitar of Bjorn to sweep the track on from around 6 minutes, until 7:45 minutes when it is atmospheric to the finale.

This album, A Day At The Beach, is a stunning release from the band. They have perfected, in my opinion, a “less is more” attitude with the quiet passages being as powerful for the listener, as an all-out blast from the guitar. They paint superb aural landscapes on each album and A Day At The Beach is no exception. I will happily admit to being a huge fan of Airbag, but the band has always produced “the goods” with each successive album. My advice is simple, go out and buy this album and you will not be disappointed, and it might tempt you into purchasing their back catalog.

Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson - Prog Rock Music Talk Staff
June 4, 2020


Tracks:
1. Machines And Men (10:48)
2, A Day At The Beach Pt 1 (3:55)
3, Into The Unknown (10:28)
4, Sunsets (8:16)
5, A Day At The Beach Pt 2 (5:33)
6, Megalomaniac (9:50)


Sunday, May 17, 2020

Prog Rock Review: Notion Blue-The Son, The Liar and The Victor

Release Date: May 12, 2020
Label: Digital Self Released


This was an unexpected album for review, The Son, The Liar and The Victor, as I had not heard of the band, Notion Blue before. A little bit of research gave me some info about the 3-piece rock band from Connecticut.

Unfortunately, the unifying force behind the formation of Notion Blue was a tragedy. Brothers, Gabe (drums/vocals), and Luke (vocals/guitar/bass) Chase had often joined Max (vocals/synthesizer/keyboards) and Johny (bass) Barbi for gigs since high school days. Although this happened a lot of the time, they never actually considered forming a band. Everything changed in 2018 when Johny died unexpectedly and in dealing with this loss, the three remaining friends decided to form an official band to produce a concept album about the life and times of Johny Barbi. Over the following 12 months, they worked hard, writing and recording demos and wrestling with rough ideas.

The resulting album, The Son, The Liar and The Victor, is a prog concept album greatly influenced by concept albums from The Neal Morse Band, Dream Theater and Steven Wilson to depict Johny Barbi’s life.

The album is a 10-track release with a total running time of just over 42 minutes. The longest track on offer is track 5, “Keeping Apart” which clocks in at 5:41 minutes, and the shortest is the opening track, “Memories” at under 2 minutes.

Opening the album is “Memories” (1:31) a short introduction to the album with excellent piano, strings joining in around 35 seconds, and a plaintive vocal appearing after 60 seconds. A really good piece of music to set the listener up for the rest of the album.

The fourth track, “The Liar” (5:40) has a stunning keyboard/guitar intro before dropping away to the vocals and then returning to the opening passage. The tempo builds up to another stunning keyboard/guitar interplay which drives the track on until dropping away with the return of the vocals and the opening theme. An interesting guitar riff takes the track towards the finale and a gentle fading away.

The last featured track is track 6, “Doubt Is Not A Destination” (5:36) which commences with a gentle acoustic guitar and vocal, taking the track onwards for the first 1:30 minutes, before the band starts to flow with an excellent section and a great guitar backed passage. By 3 minutes the music has returned to the gentleness of the opening section before building up as the track enters the final quarter with some excellent harmonized vocals and strings again reappearing. The gentle acoustic guitar from the start escorts the track out.


This was a huge undertaking by the three remaining friends and musicians, and they have produced an excellent prog-rock album. If I have one niggle, I do tend to find that in trying to convey areas and happenings in the life of Johny, the flow of the lyrics sometimes doesn’t quite work, but with such excellent music, it is only a niggle. The band provides sensitive lyrics, great vocals, both on lead and on the harmonies, superb bass, guitar, and keyboards going from the delicate to the soaring and the gentle to the driving.

I found The Son, The Liar and The Victor to be an excellent first album and congratulate the three band members on their achievement. Grab a listen to this album, and while I cannot guarantee that everyone will be blown away by it, I feel that many prog followers will find this of sufficient interest to add it to their collection.

Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson – Prog Rock Music Talk Staff
March 16, 2020

Tracks:

01. Memories (1:31)
02. The Gathering/Overture (4.47)
03. Always Tomorrow.\ (4.27)
04. The Liar (5.40)
05. Keeping Apart (5.41)
06. Doubt Is Not A Destination (5.36)
07. I See The Light (4.03)
08. Passing (4.20)
09. Homecoming (3.13)
10. Gates of Heaven (3.11)

 

Saturday, May 2, 2020

Crossover Prog Review: Long Earth-Once Around The Sun

Release Date: March 16, 2020
Label: Grand Tour Music
Website

Once Around The Sun is the title of the second release by Long Earth, and is the follow-up to the debut, The Source, in 2017. At first glance, a person might think that this is a new young band to the prog scene, but that would only be partially correct. Long Earth is a new band, but these guys have been around the scene for a good number of years. (I’m not sure I should say exactly how long.) The band comprises 5 members, Gordon Mackie (bass), Ken Weir (drums), Mike Baxter (keyboards), Renaldo McKim (guitar) with Martin Haggerty (vocals since 2018) replacing Neil Mackie (vocal and guitar on the debut) and have known each other from different bands over the years. Three were in Abel Ganz, two were in Identity Crisis and Mike, Ken, Gordon, Renaldo and Hew Montgomery (Abel Ganz/Grand Tour, as well as being the motivating factor of Long Earth, and co-producing both releases) all played at the same Glasgow festival in the ’80s, albeit with different bands.

To sum up, Long Earth is a new band, but there is a wealth of musical experience in the band. The debut, The Source, was eagerly awaited by the crowds of prog followers that knew of Long Earth and had seen them live, and it was very well received upon release. The follow-up, Once Around The Sun has consolidated Long Earth as being a leading light in the modern prog community.

Once Around The Sun, is a 6 track album clocking in at just under 67 minutes (66:55), with track 3, “Man In The Mirror,” the shortest track at 4:16 minutes and the final and title track, the longest with a running time of 33:06 minutes. This track is also split into 4 parts, Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.

The opening track, “We Own Tomorrow” (8:06), starts by generating a little hook and a superb bass riff by Gordon, then into a soaring keyboard passage. New vocalist since 2018, Martin Haggerty, has a powerful voice and the overall effect is of excellent prog music which the listener becomes very quickly comfortable with. Recurring little hooks and Martin’s voice takes the song on with the return of that superb bass riff from Gordon around 5:15 minutes and a chance for Renaldo to show his superb guitar skills from 5:50 minutes and to then escort the track to the end of it’s running time. A wonderful start to a stunning album and the listener is eager to hear more.

The epic finale to the album, the 33:06 minute “Once Around The Sun” is split into four parts, spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The four seasons cover a year, hence the album title, as it is the time taken for the Earth to orbit the sun. The storyline mirrors the seasons as it tells the tale of a romance encompassing the hope and joy of the fledgling relationship in spring, the building of the relationship in summer, the start of doubts in autumn, and finally the ending of the relationship in winter. The lyrics convey the journey excellently and the very expressive vocals supplied by Martin, together with the sympathetic music, carry the story line majestically.


Musically, the suite goes through phases with spring being represented by an acoustic start and a very simple melody. Summer has excellent keyboard passages underpinning the vocal as the story unwinds. As summer draws to an end, the music becomes very atmospheric and melancholic as it weaves to an ending. Autumn begins with an orchestral feel before again echoing the melancholic section 2, which fits the lyrical content beautifully. The final section, winter, commences with a superb melodic opening with some excellent strings adding to the atmosphere. There is a repeated series of verses, guitar passages and keyboards plus string sections prior to Martin taking the storyline to its inevitable conclusion. Renaldo has a beautiful repeating guitar passage just before Martin brings the ending with the lyrics, “Once around the sun, but no further on. Once around the sun and our race is run.”

A stunning ending to a superb album where all the musicians have excelled. Mike with majestic keyboards, Gordon with those excellent bass runs, Ken keeping everything firmly anchored on drums, Renaldo with some exquisite guitar work and finally, Martin providing the evocative, emotive vocals.

All in all, this is a stunning follow-up to the debut, showing how the band has evolved into an excellent unit. Don’t delay, just go and get a copy of Once Around The Sun and sample what is a masterpiece of modern prog with huge leanings to the “old style,” played by musicians who have dreamed the dream and have now delivered the dream. The dream has a name, and the name is Once Around The Sun.


Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson – Prog Rock Music Talk Staff
April 28, 2020


Tracks: 
1. We Own Tomorrow. (8:07)
2. My Suit Of Armour. (5:03)
3. A Guy From Down The Road. (12:00)
4. What About Love?  (4:23)
5. The Man In The Mirror. (4:16)
6. Once Around the Sun. (33.06)


Thursday, April 30, 2020

Rock-Americana-Progressive Review: Euphoria-The Reverie Suite

Release Date: September 17, 2019
Label: Independent

Euphoria’s second release titled The Reverie Suite was released in September 2019. This is the kind of music that can be hard to put into a corner and stick a label on. For my ears, that is a fine start knowing that I was in for a lot of diversity and surprises.

I would call it Rock-Americana with a Progressive twist, just as the band describes it. What is initially indicative of the progressive leanings is the length of the tracks.

The band explains the album like this: It is a concept album based on the life of vocalist Saskia who delivers her story with an earnest passion that’s hauntingly beautiful. Its theme is centered around childhood and musically presented with a sound that evokes America in all its beauty – whether it be folk, rock, jazz, or Native purple mountains majesty with progressive tinges.

I think that statement puts it all into a proper perspective for potential listeners. It serves as a looking glass into what you can expect. It is everything and more than one would expect actually. Saskia has a rich powerful voice that pulls you right into the story and holds you. The music is all very tasteful and well suited to the lyrics and vocal style of Saskia. Every track is a musical carpet ride that will capture your imagination. In a word, it is all quite cinematic. Choosing the recording to be a concept album worked well.

Hoyt Binder’s guitar is fantastic. He can be powerful with some meaty chords or tone it down to sound quieter and more textured. He also utilizes a banjo and mandolin to get that Americana element in place sandwiched in between his power strokes. I most certainly appreciate all of his work with the stringed instruments. His multitude of talent leads the way, inviting Saskia’s inviting vocals to come out and play with the music making it a complete experience for a listener. Her vocals were giving me goosebumps.

The Reverie Suite is engaging, precise, diversified, exciting, and filled with the many colors of the world and cultures. I sincerely appreciate that kind of take on a recording, it is always impressive and something you cannot forget. The musicianship is stellar. Ronald Van Deurzen adds the quintessential keyboard element while The Americana Daydream Revival Orchestra delivers background harmonies, flute, percussion, harmonica, bass, and strings, which in turn gives their sound a layered effect that makes each track a real musical journey. (I have included a list of all contributors below)

Their magnum opus is ”Paradise Road,” which clocks in at a hefty 9:42. With this one track, you get the whole package and stylings that this band commands in one track. It is quite impressive to sit back and hear everything going on. I loved every minute of it. The long instrumental breaks are a testament to this band’s all-around talent. This is the one track I would call definitively progressive. The way it ends so suddenly with Saskia singing “And paradise is her name,” puts the final touch on the elements of prog as the door shuts and you get ready for the next track (or another one opens).

Then you get the full instrumental track “Remind Me.” It is a delight, bringing a distinct Americana/Celtic flair to your senses, transporting the listener to a world stage. Getting the full instrumental treatment of their sounds encourages you to paint your personal picture on the canvas of their music.

The Reverie Suite
may take a few listens to get it all into perspective, but I believe that any listener that has an appreciation for rock, prog, Americana, folk, or any combination thereof, will find great value in this album.

LINE-UP:
Saskia Binder - Vocals
Hoyt Binder - Guitars, banjo, mandolin, background harmonies
Ronald Van Deurzen - Piano, organ
Trevor Lloyd - Strings
Tollak Ollestad - Harmonica
Rebecca Kleinmann - Flute
Paulo Gustavo - Bass
Chris Quirarte - Drums
Mike Disarro - Background harmonies
Bobby Albright – Percussion

Mixed by Smiley Sean
Mastered by Howie Weinberg at Howie Weinberg Mastering

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
April 28, 2020
Founder of:

Review Provided By Prog Rock Music Talk

Track List: 
01. Prelude/ She's Calling 04:54
02. Reverie 07:12
03. On My Way 07:31  
04. Heartbeat 04:53
05. Bridge of Dreams 04:38
06. Queen of Hearts 04:47
07. Paradise Road 09:42
08. Move On 05:21
09. Seasons 07:00  
10. Reprise 03:24
11. Remind Me 05:44
12. Content 05:57

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Crossover Prog Review: : Different Light-Binary Suns (Part 1 – Operant Condition)

Release Date: January 17, 2020
Label: Progressive Gears Records
The band, Different Light, was initially formed in 1994 in Malta. The first of four albums were released in 1996, All About Yourself. In 1999, the band disbanded and later, in 2004, Trevor Tabone, an original member, reformed the band in the Czech Republic. Three albums have followed from this reformed band, Icons That Weep (2009), The Burden Of Paradise (2016) and the album in this review, Binary Suns (2020).

The current lineup of the band is Trevor Tabone (vocals/keyboards), Petr Lux (guitar/backing vocals), Jirka Matousek (bass) and David Filak (drums). Binary Suns has been an album I have looked forward to hearing, as the previous release I found to be a stunning work. It is fair to say that I have in no way been disappointed now that Binary Suns has been issued.

Opening the album is “Amphibious” (8:51) which is a mini-suite made up of four parts. This starts with a piano intro into a repeated passage that ebbs and flows and carries the listener along. Around the 1:30 minute mark, there is a simple piano theme, backed by a soaring guitar which leads to the vocals and a superb piano backing by Trevor. The melody is a real hook that builds up and moves along with those crystal-clear vocals catching the ear of the listener. Just before the 6:00 minute mark, the tempo drops to leave just the vocals and piano as the mainstay, before returning to the more involved melodious, harmonious part of the track. At just under 9:00 minutes, this is a stunning track, carried off and out with a superb piece of guitar work by Petr.

A shorter track, “Faith” (4:09) continues the harmonious smooth vocals so prevalent on the opening track. Although not too obvious, there is a hook that edges into your mind and “plants its feet firmly.” The piano again is the major instrument and I find it refreshing that it is the main keyboard used. More keyboards join the piano as well as some terrific guitar riffs. This is another superb track that fades out with the sound of a rainstorm. 

“Spectres And Permanent Apparitions” (21:31) is track three, the longest track on Binary Suns and is in seven parts. By this track, the listener should be aware that this is an exceptional album and the changes in tempo throughout the 21+ minutes merge smoothly and flow easily allowing the listener to drift along, immersed in the music. Little hooks are scattered liberally throughout the track and weave in and out, acting almost as touchstones on the 21+ minute journey. This is a band that works as a very tight unit and appears to be totally in tune with each other.

Binary Suns is a superb release and takes the amazing music contained on album 3, The Burden Of Paradise, to a higher level. It may only be March but I think that I have already found one of my “best of 2020” albums. All I have to say about Binary Suns (Pt 1 Operant Condition) is “do yourself a huge favor and buy it at the earliest opportunity.” I am close to 100% sure that no-one will be disappointed.

Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson - Prog Rock Music Talk Staff
March 31, 2020


Tracks:
1. Amphibians (8:45)
   a) Water
   b) Land
   c) Sky
   d) The Message

2. Faith (4:12)

3. Spectres and Permanent Apparitions (21:31)
   a) Ataraxia
   b)Two Shows
   c) Small Mercies
   d) Hand Of Providence
   e) BarBrera
   f) Synestesia
   g) Midas Gold

4. The Answer (3:47)

5. Two Faces (7:42)

6. On The Borderline (10.45)
 a) Talking To Strangers
 b) Seduction
 c) Obsession
 d) Vindication
 e) Demonic
 f) Now Just Go Away