Friday, November 27, 2020

Prog Ensemble ILLUMINAE to Release Debut Album “Dark Horizons” February 12, 2021

Featuring special guests Steve Hackett (Genesis), John Helliwell (Supertramp), Troy Donockley (Nightwish), Craig Blundell (Steven Wilson), Luke Machin and Gonzalo Carrera.

Immrama Records and Gonzo MultiMedia announce the release of “Dark Horizons,” the debut album from ILLUMINAE, the brand-new project from Ian Jones (Karnataka, Chasing The Monsoon) and Agnieszka Swita (Caamora). The album features special guests Steve Hackett (Genesis), John Helliwell (Supertramp), Troy Donockley (Nightwish), Craig Blundell (Steven Wilson), Luke Machin and Gonzalo Carrera. The album was mixed by Joe Gibb, highly regarded as a world class mix engineer and who has worked with many prestigious artists including Massive Attack, The Cure and Leftfield.

ILLUMINAE will be releasing the single & video for “Blood On Your Hands” on November 27th.

From dark, twisted symphonies to sweet lullabies, the collective writing talents of Ian Jones (Karnataka, Chasing The Monsoon) and Agnieszka Swita (solo, Caamora) combine in their powerful new musical collaboration ILLUMINAE. Embracing symphonic, progressive and Celtic influences, bitter sweet melodies intertwine with lush harmonies to create a majestic towering cathedral of sound, songs which traverse the dividing line between darkness and light, life and death, solitude and hope. Shards of light piercing a subterranean labyrinth.  

London based Welshman, Ian Jones, is a founder member, composer and multi-instrumentalist with British symphonic rock band Karnataka and Chasing The Monsoon. Karnataka have released several critically acclaimed and award-winning albums, including The Gathering Light and Secrets of Angels. Vocalist, pianist and composer Agnieszka Świta, hailing from Poland and living in London, released her self-penned debut solo album “Sleepless,” a modern symphonic rock album, to critical acclaim and has released several albums with Clive Nolan in their collaborative project Caamora.  

TRACK LIST:
The Lighthouse
Blood On Your Hands
Edge of Darkness
Lullaby
Twice
Heretics and Prophecy
Sanctuary
Black Angel
Sign of Infinity
Dark Horizons

For press and distribution enquiries contact:
info@illuminae.net
www.illuminae.net
www.facebook.com/illuminaemusic www.twitter.com/illuminaemusic www.instagram.com/illuminaemusic

Gonzo MultiMedia: www.gonzomultimedia.co.uk

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

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)


Thursday, November 19, 2020

MAGMA 'BOURGES 1979' (2CD) Remastered Edition Now Available!

This particular concert stands out as a moment of grace, partly due to its extreme tension and the risks taken collectively, which the audience still reminisces of to this day.

While chosen for their rich and original musical content, rather than strictly technical qualities per se, these archives are a testament to the astounding talent of cult band Magma during its 50 years of career. In addition to the remastering, the original tape, which had suffered before being found, has been restored and reworked here. Recorded in Bourges in 1979, this concert stands out as a moment of grace, partly due to its extreme tension and the risks taken collectively, which the audience still reminisces of to this day. And if all the musicians offer, as usual, their energy ever so in synch with their worldly reputation, AKT 15 holds a special place in the band's history, documenting this particular period for which we have very few testimonies. All earthly fans and more recent amateurs will, without a doubt, take great pleasure in (re)discovering that exceptional performance

Magma during the time of this recording:
Klaus Blasquiz - vocal  
Stella Vander - vocal, Fender piano
Maria Popkiewicz - vocal
Liza Deluxe - vocal
Jean-Luc Chevalier - guitar, bass
André Hervé - piano Fender, synthétiseur
Michel Hervé - bass  
Christian Vander - drums
René “Stundehr” Garber - tenor saxophone

Track List:
RETROVISION
THE LAST SEVEN MINUTES
URGON GORGO
KORUSZ XXVI
HHAI
NONO
MEKANIK DESTRUKTIW KOMMANDOH

AKT 15V2

To purchase: https://www.seventhrecords.com/en/magma-19/magma-bourges-1979-2cd-remastered-1050.html

For more information:
Magma's official website: www.magmamusic.org
Seventh Records: www.seventhrecords.com

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Sea Of Tranquility Fall Fest 2020

Sea of Tranquility is excited to announce Sea Of Tranquility Fall Fest 2020, its first ever curated virtual concert to benefit The Humane Society's COVID-19 Relief Fund.   



The world premiere will be Saturday, November 21st at 7:00 PM EST.

Since its inception as a web-zine in 2001, Sea of Tranquility has been championing progressive rock, metal, and fusion music and musicians from all over the world. Today, after 1000s of interviews, reviews and feature articles, Sea Of Tranquility has built a large loyal following.

Artists participating include Doro Pesch, Uriah Heep, Mark Kelly (Marillion), Joe Bouchard (formerly of Blue Oyster Cult), Andy Powell (Wishbone Ash), Gentle Giant and fans, Jeff Young (Ex-Megadeth/ex-Badi Assad),  Lance King, Luke Fortini, Dwiki Dharmawan, Epic Tantrum, Gary Husband, Wingffield/Reuter/Stavi/Sirikis, Zero Hour, Fernando Perdomo, Glass Hammer, Ilium, Jack Hues (Wang Chung), Jim Ledford, Mike Antonelli and Friends and more.

The Humane Society launched the COVID-19 Relief Fund to support animal shelters, rescue groups and other organizations that are responding to the economic impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak, with the goal of keeping people and their pets together during this crisis. Contributions to the fund are being used to provide veterinary care, pet food, horse feed and animal care supplies, as well as other costs related to caring for animals during the outbreak. Sea Of Tranquility Fall Fest 2020 will also encourage fans to adopt a pet to help reduce the strain on shelters.

We are selling limited edition merch and donating the proceeds to The Humane Society's COVID-19 Relief Fund.  We will also set up a link on our page to The Humane Society's COVID-19 Relief Fund for people who want to make a direct donation.

Based on what we have seen with other shows like this that we have been involved in, we expect over 100,000 views for the event in the first month.

Sea Of Tranquility Fall Fest 2020 will premiere on Sea Of Tranquility's YouTube and Facebook pages.

Sea Of Tranquility Fall Fest 2020 is being organized by Sea Of Tranquility, Vision Merch/Manic Merch and Chipster PR.
 
Links:
www.humanesociety.org/resources/covid-19-relief-fund
 
Sea of Tranquility:
Website: www.seaoftranquility.org
YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCZF6XvqkFb9lURwIPePFU5w
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SeaofTranquility.org
 
Merch for Sea of Tranquility Fest:
www.visionmerch.com/SotFest2020

Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Prog Ensemble IZZ Releases "42: Glimpse of a Moment" Documentary

IZZ began the writing sessions for what would become their 7th full length studio album, Don’t Panic, in mid-2017. At the end of that year, the band got together in a rehearsal studio to piece together the centerpiece of the album, “42.”

The band hired a film crew to document these sessions not knowing in what manner the film might be used later on. The result of these sessions, 42: Glimpse of a Moment is a 48-minute documentary that provides a unique window into the band’s process as they write, arrange, and rehearse their epic track from Don't Panic, “42.” The documentary includes a full rehearsal run-through of the entire song at that early stage of development.

42: Glimpse of a Moment is available now for purchase (download and streaming) for $4.99 via Vimeo On Demand here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/42glimpseofamoment and linked on the IZZ website (www.izzmusic.com).

“The footage in this film was shot several months prior to commencing the recording of Don’t Panic, so it’s really exciting to have captured the band working together in the studio at such an early stage in the writing and arranging process,” notes bassist John Galgano.

Don’t Panic, released in May 2019, turned out to be IZZ’s most successful album to date and when the band looked back at the footage from these sessions in late 2017, they found that they had captured the essence of the collaborative spirit and camaraderie of IZZ.

“I think IZZ fans will absolutely love this look behind the curtain and I think fans of progressive rock in general will enjoy it because it’s just an interesting peek into how a band works on an extended piece of music,” says keyboardist Tom Galgano.

IZZ hopes that fans will enjoy the experience of being a fly on the wall with the band.

Film and editing by Mallory Kinney, who has previously worked with IZZ and Laura Meade on the videos for Don’t Panic and Sunflowers at Chernobyl.

Watch the Trailer for 42: Glimpse of a Moment here: 

IZZ
Paul Bremner: Guitars
Anmarie Byrnes: Vocals
Brian Coralian: Drums & Percussion
Greg DiMiceli: Drums & Percussion
John Galgano: Bass & Vocals
Tom Galgano: Keyboards & Vocals
Laura Meade: Vocals

For more information:
www.izzmusic.com
www.izzmusic.bandcamp.com
info@doonerecords.com

Press inquiries:
Glass Onyon PR
Billy James
PH: 828-350-8158
glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Friday, November 6, 2020

Rick Wakeman’s “Return to the Centre of the Earth” Deluxe & Super Deluxe Box Sets Available For Pre-order

Keyboard legend Rick Wakeman’s “Return to the Centre of the Earth” Deluxe and Super Deluxe box sets are now available for pre-order!

“Return to the Centre of the Earth” is a studio album released on March 15, 1999 on EMI Classics. The album is a sequel to Wakeman’s 1974 concept album “Journey to the Centre of the Earth”, itself based on the same-titled science fiction novel by Jules Verne. Wakeman wrote a new story of three unnamed travelers who attempt to follow the original journey two hundred years later, including the music which features guest performances from Ozzy Osbourne, Bonnie Tyler, Tony Mitchell, Trevor Rabin, Justin Hayward, and Katrina Leskanich. The story is narrated by Patrick Stewart. Upon release, the album reached number 34 on the UK Albums Chart.

“I AM IMMENSELY PROUD OF RETURN TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH, AS WHEN I LOOK BACK, IT APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN ALMOST SUICIDAL TO HAVE RECORDED AND RELEASED IT WHEN PROG WAS AT SUCH A LOW STATUS, BUT THANKS TO RICHARD LYTTLETON, THE PRESIDENT OF EMI CLASSICS, WHO BELIEVED SO MUCH IN THE MUSIC, IT WAS RECORDED TO THE HIGHEST STANDARD POSSIBLE AND I CAN HONESTLY SAY THAT WITHOUT HIM, THE MUSIC WOULD NOT EXIST TODAY.” -  Rick Wakeman, UK 2020.

Details of what is in the boxes:

“Return to the Centre of the Earth” Deluxe:
Signed and Numbered Certificate
“Return to the Centre of the Earth” CD
“Return to the Centre of the Earth” - LIVE double CD from Canadian performance where the narration is in french.
CD of Radio Edits
DVD of;
surround sound mix and enhanced stereo by Simon Heyworth
Approximately 80 minutes unseen footage filmed in the studio, at the album launch as well as featuring Rick includes Bonnie Tyler and Justin Heywood
Reproduction Press Pack
Reproduction Press Photo
Reproduction ticket to the album launch
2 x A3 Posters

To pre-order: https://www.rickwakemansmusicemporium.com/products/return-to-the-centre-of-the-earth-deluxe-box-set

“Return to the Centre of the Earth” Super Deluxe:
Signed and Numbered Certificate
180 gram double vinyl album
“Return to the Centre of the Earth” CD
“Return to the Centre of the Earth” - LIVE double CD from Canadian performance where the narration is in french.
CD of Radio Edits
DVD of;
surround sound mix and enhanced stereo by Simon Heyworth
Approximately 80 minutes unseen footage filmed in the studio, at the album launch as well as featuring Rick includes Bonnie Tyler and Justin Heywood
Reproduction Press Pack
Reproduction Press Photo
Reproduction ticket to the album launch
2 x A3 Posters

To pre-order: https://www.rickwakemansmusicemporium.com/products/return-to-the-centre-of-the-earth-super-deluxe-box-set

Watch the sneak preview of what fans can expect from episode one of Rick's Plaice: 

Rick Wakeman’s official website: www.rwcc.com

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, Billy James, PH: 1-828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Monday, November 2, 2020

All-Star Keith Emerson Tribute Concert Release Announced

Los Angeles, CA - In celebration of Keith Emerson's 76th birthday, The Keith Emerson Estate and Cherry Red Records announce the long-awaited release of The Official Keith Emerson Tribute Concert on March 11, 2021 (the 5th anniversary of Keith's passing). This official 3-disc set brings you the historical 2016 tribute show in Los Angeles featuring a once-in-a-lifetime lineup of musical luminaries performing music from Emerson, Lake & Palmer, The Nice, Emerson, Lake & Powell, The Keith Emerson Band and the Three Fates Project.

The 2 1/2 - hour concert film features many stellar performances by over two dozen prominent artists in rock, jazz and classical music as well as artist interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, tribute speeches, and a gallery of personal never-before-seen photos from the Emerson estate. The concert will be released on Blu-Ray along with a bonus 2-CD set which features an exclusive audio recording of the show.

Performers include Brian Auger, Eddie Jobson, Jordan Rudess, Steve Lukather, Steve Porcaro, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, Vinnie Colaiuta, Marc Bonilla, Gregg Bissonnette, CJ Vanston, Troy Luccketta, Rachel Flowers, Terje Mikkelsen, Philippe Saisse, Joe Travers, Travis Davis, Ed Roth, Jonathan Sindelman, Mike Wallace, Mick Mahan, Karma Auger, Rick Livingstone, Kae Matsumoto, Aaron Emerson, Dan Lutz, and Michael Fitzpatrick.

This highly-anticipated concert captures the essence of what made Keith Emerson a pioneer of prog rock, a treasure among his many fans and friends, and a legendary keyboardist and composer with the iconic supergroup Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

“It was a great honor to be asked to play in tribute to not only a friend but a musical giant and hero to us all.  I hope he smiles from heaven knowing the spirit this was done in. So many unreal musicians and thanks to Marc for putting it all together like that! RIP Keith. You are so missed...” - Steve Lukather, 2020

All proceeds go to the charity The Dystonia Medical Research Foundation, which was close to Keith’s heart. Artists, crew and all involved have donated their skills and time gratis for this worthy cause, which afflicts thousands of musicians annually.

For more information and updates on the Blu-ray release, please visit:
www.keithemerson.com  
www.facebook.com/officialkeithemerson
www.facebook.com/keithemersontributeconcert

Contact: Mari Kawaguchi, info@keith-emerson.com

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com