Greek Dionysian band Chickn recently released their self-titled debut album, on October 10th via Inner Ear Records. Chickn is a modular music band formed during the Christmas holidays of 2012 in Athens. Bringing together an assemblage of musicians whose primary work has been influenced by Eastern Mediterranean music, psychedelic and progressive rock.
Angelos Krallis (vocals, guitars, lute, tsambouna, udu) grew up in Kos island, a Greek paradise close to the Anatolian coast of Turkey and hooked up with “rembetiko” musicians. Evangelos Aslanides (drums, percussion, djembe, darbuka, bendir) and Pantelis Karasevdas (drums, percussion, congas, djembe) both hail from Exarchia, the music scene of Athens. The main pillars of Chickn’s music is improvisation, as well as their tendency to embrace the unexpected. They have developed a large body of artists that they work with and as a result their liquid line-up gets temporarily solidified by their current expressive needs.
This is a radio zapping 68-minute car drive. This is a field unfolding in front of your very eyes and at the same time a call of wandering. This is an attempt of these unique musicians to invent themselves through playing. This is Jetztzeit rock. A sound conceived as a jump in the free sky of history.
The album was composed by the Athens-based trio in Athens and Valencia during the period 2014-2015. It was recorded from July to October 2015 in Sonic Playground Studio and in Iraklis Vlachakis’ home in Athens. The album was produced by Chickn and Nikos Triantafyllou and it was mastered by Alan Douches in West West Side Studios in New York.
Musicians appearing on this album: Konstantinos Protopappas (electric guitar), Haris Neilas (darbuka, congas, cowbell), Andreas Kiltsiksis (oud, amanes) and the band Baby Guru (Sir Kosmiche (bass), Prins Obi (additional synths, additional vocals) and King Elephant (saxophone)).
Tracklist:
1. Chickn Tribe
2. Omens
3. Aleppo – Jam
4. Modular Prayer 5. Taqsim – Rhy – Tavk Hava 6. Forget – Small Things 7. Articulation 8. Modular Prayer (Reprise) 9. Prelude On Mary 10. Shifting Time Blues – Akhedia
I came across Queensryche whilst serving alongside the U.S. Forces among others in The Netherlands, where I bought the ‘Operation : Livecrime’ box set from the PX. The video was an excellent concept and I enjoyed it so much that when my video player died I bought it on DVD. I bought their back catalogue and traced the progression in their sound and Geoff Tate’s voice. I then bought ‘Empire’ which for me was the pinnacle of their recordings.
None of the others since have been particularly bad, ‘American Soldier’ being worthy of note but they never seemed to match either ‘Mindcrime’ or ‘Empire’. Then came the acrimonious split and albums from both parties. Traces from both of old successes but again nothing outstanding. I stopped at ‘Kings & Thieves’ and didn’t buy ‘Frequency Unknown’ or ‘The Key’ from Geoff’s new band Operation: Mindcrime , which was part one of a trilogy and quite badly mauled by the press.
So when I was asked to review this, the second of the three part story, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The old logo is cleverly reworked into the cover design which looks like a panel from the page of a graphic novel, a good start, but what is the concept? Who better than the man himself Mr Geoff Tate to explain, “It continues the story that began on the first album ‘The Key’ with the near death experience of the lead character known as ‘H‘ and his subsequent recovery of the missing encryption key. With the Key finally in his possession, ‘H‘ has everything he needs to finally launch his long awaited project called ‘The New Reality’. Or does he…”
Time to see if Mr Tate has everything he needs to resurrect my interest……
Intriguing sound effects, introduce the short, opening instrumental piece and title track ‘Resurrection’, whichthen slides into track two, ‘When All Fades Away’, a heavier more majestic piece of instrumentation which seems to imply the beginning of, or preparation for, a journey in it’s tone. Seguing into the thirty second track ‘A Moment In Time’, where Geoff Tate’s vocals make a brief introduction before we find ourselves ‘Through The Noize’, on the next track. Whilst Tate’s distorted vocals (similar to those used on previous recordings) are meant to impart a certain atmosphere, for some reason they seem to ‘muddy’ the sound on this recording and I have to really listen to understand the lyrics.
Whilst not classic Geoff Tate he appears to be moving forward has gathered a worthy band of musicians/vocalists to ably assist him so he’s not ‘Left For Dead’yet, as this fifth track leans toward the ‘Queensryche’ trademark sound with memorable chorus. The lyrics indicate a fighting spirit, knocked down but undeterred he will rise and push on as he leads out with ‘It’s all I know….’
Most of the lyrics seem autobiographical and can be listened to as a continuation of Tate’s dislike for corporate/political improbity and corruption bought from excesses of wealth. Yet at the same time it could be viewed as a personal reflection of the last four years, since the acrimonious split from his former band mates in most unsavoury fashion have at times left him feeling ‘Miles Away’. The tracks seem to grow in stature along with Tate’s confidence and the selected performers are allowed to show their various talents, flourishing guitar solos and the drums in particular standing out here.
‘Do you think he knows?’ a question Tate feels ready to answer as he sings ‘Healing My Wounds’, and brandishes his trusty sax solo on this album for this first time, (an instrument he under-uses in my opinion), which brings a different flavour to the sound and soaring guitar adds to the orchestration creating an epic feel. ‘I think he knows’.
The laid-back retro-‘ryche delivery on the eighth track belie ‘The Fight’ the man has been waging on all fronts. Acoustic finger picking intro and Geoff’s beginning to feel less reason to look backwards and a growing recognition he’s able to not only stand on his own terms but also that he’s free to explore avenues that may not have been possible within the band collective. He seems comfortable with this song, like a familiar snug blanket and let’s hope Tate’s not shy of using the old sound mixed in with new ideas to progress himself.
Tate may have had the impression at times that he’s ‘Taking On The World’, but he seems to be coming out on top with the best track on this album unashamedly channelling his inner ‘ryche, which echoes staple tracks like ‘I Don’t Believe in Love’. Whilst the voice is used a little more economically these days as age does it’s duty on the vocal chords, he is still on fine form and sounds as if he’s really enjoying himself for the first time in a while and finding his path forward. Again the musicianship as on all the tracks is excellent. I particularly like the introductions on each track as they add to the atmosphere.
I’m not sure Tate feels ‘Invincible’, but with his confidence asseveration on each track, number ten sees him facing off against his demons sensing he holds the key to his resurrection and growing stronger with each breath.
The heavier, bluesier ‘Smear Campaign’ wears it’s heart on it’s sleeve and the thin veneer of the concept fails to fully cover the most blatant of all the tracks to raise the bitter taste in the musical throat, on the thorny subject of the last four years. With cries of ‘What’s the point, easy target’ and ‘People will either love you, or hate you’ among the lyrics it’s not a giant leap to see the real pain. Yet with shifting time-scales and changes in tempo it also showcases once again, the excellent musicians he has surrounded himself with and teases us with a brief but delicious slice of Geoff on sax and building into a dramatic finish.
As in any conflict you find at some stage you will be asked ‘Which Side Your On’, (it’s the way it was spelled on the review copy I was sent) as Tate appeals to anyone listening and rallies support for his cause. Unfortunately this seems to lose cohesion, sounding more indistinct. For me this could have been left off the album as it offers nothing and causes the album to stumble a little and lose it’s way.
The penultimate track offers Tate ‘Into The Hands Of The World’, and is probably the riskiest track on the album as it juggles genre, mixing brass with heavy guitar riffs and twiddly keyboards along the way and whilst once again it doesn’t hold a consistent earworm of a tune it is more palatable than it’s predecessor and leads us to the grandiose platform for the last track.
Tate addresses you ‘Live From My Machine’, recovering the album and finishing in majestically, relaxed style. ‘It’s always a challenge, facing the challenge’, he sings in acknowledgement of what he has achieved on this album.
It may not reach the dizzy peaks of past triumphs but ‘Resurrection‘, sees Geoff Tate climbing in the right direction and with conviction to greater heights and building empires.
(I can only hope the sound quality is better on the actual release.)
Glasgow Based FVNERALS’ Tiffany, Syd and Chris sit in that dark world of Doom, Ambient, post rock, shoe Gazing alternative music. There is nothing, and I mean nothing, upbeat about the music this trio produce. No, that’s not insulting, it’s just a fact about the music they produce. This is their fourth release and they have been around since about 2012.
The name evokes an image and the music reflects that right back in the mirror. If can imagine the Cocteau Twins meeting Trent Reznor and then having a session with the Tangerine Dream (circa Zeit) then you have some idea of what to expect.
The sound is huge but full of space for Tiffany’s voice to swim in the soundscapes, more as a complimentary instrument than a vocalist putting lyrics over a song. This is Goth/industrial in the great tradition, following its predecessors and then leading the way to a different feeling. Their contemporaries, the likes of True Widow, Chelsea Wolfe and, to a lesser degree, Sigur Ros are ploughing the industrial furrow in an interesting way and getting an audience for it.
It is pointless doing a track by track description as this is an album that generates a feeling rather than songs which I would normally avoid except that we must never restrict ourselves to one path for we may miss much that is rewarding.
I will talk about Crown, the slow grinding guitar reminiscent of TonyIommi on the first Black Sabbath album but without the release of any of the tension that builds from the beginning to the last 2 minutes, when it is replaced by a plaintiff keyboard and acoustic guitar sound. It lets you free long enough for a breather then goes straight into the next track Antlers. This is a lesson in guitar distortion and the use of Tiffany’s voice to provide a theme into an ambient openness drifting along on the current of the music. The closer Where is the most Spartan of all the tracks and it has a deep sense of loss and dread from beginning to end, I would draw a connection to early Anathema here, if anyone needs a link.
To sum up really this is not even close to mainstream and it’s progressive music in that its seeks to find a place of its own that is as far from the 4/4 3 minute pop song of the “X factor” as you could possibly get. It has an atmosphere that is at the same time chilling and terrifying yet has a sense of comfort at the core.
None of the music is fast paced banging or hectic, it has a consistent rhythm to it. If want something that is away from the mainstream and has a sense of ambient darkness then this is the one you want.
I’m to listen to a new release on Naughty Pachyderm’s imprint, write a review and post it off all before David “The Progmeister” Elliot realises I’ve been listening through the keyhole of his prog vault.
So I sneaked into Elephant HQ, snuck under the wallet emptier’s detection wet string and tin can alarm system, negotiated Tom Slatter’s tentacle armour, carelessly strewn about the floor. Through a door located beneath the might piles of CD’s awaiting re-homing, I step into a bright and sunny place, the Far Meadows.
And that folks is where our story really begins.
The press release for The Far Meadow’s‘Given The Impossible’ helpfully tells me that the members of this band were in other bands before. The band claim to enjoy leek knotting, Icicle archery and banana pushing. I may have snatched a look at the unfinished article as banana pushing? Seems a bit farfetched to this progboy, but I’m here to listen to the noise they make, not comment on what they do when not making noise.
So , The Far Meadow – First impressions are that it’s a refined, gentle place where musicians meet to construct songs with verses and choruses, middles, beginnings and ends. They construct them in the traditional manner, with some lovely keyboard, flute and guitar flourishes between them.
The singer has a very pure soprano voice, all crystal and fine wine, whereas I’m more partial to an earthy red wine in an odd glass voice. But this voice is all pure elven tones, a departure from my preferred dwarvish blues gravel throat singers that have lived a full life . If you play the “sound like” game, then it’s more Juliette Reagan than Marianne Faithfull, more Christina Booth than Beth Hart. But it works.
Marguerita Alexandrou has a nice tone, a clear and unfaltering delivery and an interesting quality to her inflection that gives extra character to the material. The high notes are dealt with in her stride without any of that ghastly X factor wobble that seems to be used to stretch every utterance into a poly syllabic outburst.
Here we have a singer in tune, on the beat and singing that compliments the band behind her. That’s another good thing. The album sounds like the entire band were involved with the final mix.
As the Elephant team were kind enough to supply lyrics, I can finally do a proper grown up review and tell you that on this album, you learn about Wedding day nerves, Cracking the Enigma code, the facile nature of ambition, overcoming fear, a warning that technology cannot replace real engineers and more. OR I’ve misread the whole pile and it is actually a concept album about pan dimensional celestial flying nymphs… again.
So, modern themes for a modern Prog band to sing about. And they do sing. And they play. And they harmonise. And put in excellent little instrumental flourishes.
The songs sound like they are fully formed, not a collection of ideas and clever twiddly bits bolted together. As with all bands, the tipping point for me is would I enjoy them live?
The answer to this is YES.
I want to hear the dynamic shift and synth solo in the middle of Dinosaursperformed through a concert P.A. The Guitar solo after it will be a foot on monitor moment, adulation from the crowd driving the guitarist on through the solo. The keyboard and guitar parts are crying out for dry ice, big lights and a frenzied crowd…
Himalaya Flashmob cracks on , a rocky little ensemble after the Prog work out in Dinosaurs.
Lots of angular guitar riffs and angst filled vocals to start off, this is “The Epic” on the CD, a treatise on the vapid rewards of overachievement, A thoroughly modern disease, the overachiever’s bucket list route to enlightenment.
The track blasts off into It Bites land with some more great keyboard: guitar interplay before breaking through the clouds to a peaceful single guitar then instruments and ethereal voices paint the picture of the climbing of a mountain.
The protagonist seeks fulfilment through overachievement, joins the queue for the top, gets a wake up shot as finally they realise just how small they are, ego or no ego.
Do they learn from this? See the error of their ways and return a better person? The story is left at the point of enlightenment for us to decide. Not a cliff hanger, although, stuck at the top of a mountain struck by a sense of your own insignificance could be said to be the ultimate cliff hanger!
There is some great instrumental prowess here, but no sense of grandstanding. The music flows around you as you drift off in an enlightened cloud of Prog bliss. The final track, The Seamless Shirt starts all rock guitar and thundering drums, with a Zappa / Miles Davis Electric band vibe, the drumming is metallic rather than metal, then suddenly switches to a folk staple, not the first time this particular song has been shoehorned into an alien landscape .
The Stone Roses co-opted it on their debut album. Some pair of American folk singers adopted it too, back in the pre- streaming era.
Scarborough Fair gets dragged into the middle of this song, twisted to fit the narrative, we then flip back to the funky percussive tale of broken trust and dashed hope. a relationship in the making and unmaking of the shirt.
Again we get a guitar solo, this time , as I mentioned Frank, this references Steve Vai, with a lovely lyrical solo, the final instrumental section is a beautiful piano and drum piece, very Herbie Hancock in tone that stretches and bridges to the final verse.
Then, all too soon it’s over. 45 minutes of musical delights that is more progressive, more dextrous and more interesting than I deserved. Another fine wallet emptying collection for the ever expanding Bad Elephant stable. I really need to negotiate a discount as this reviewing is getting expensive.
I know I am lucky to get he pre-release mp3, but nothing beats the delight of owning the actual finished product. Be it vinyl or CD, it’s a thing of solidity in a fluid world.
‘Given The Impossible’ is that too, and like a good curry , it matures with time. I’ve listened constantly now for 4 or 5 plays. There are nuances and passages of beauty that my ears are enjoying navigating along. The more I listen the more it connects in my head to It Bites and Francis Dunnery’s lyrical guitar parts .
The naughty pachyderm has done it again, an excellent release.
I first came across Blind Ego courtesy of having originally discovered the delights of ‘World Through My Eyes (2005)’ by German based band RPWL. In the process of discovering more about them it emerged that lead guitarist Kalle Wallner was also running a solo project by the name of Blind Ego who, by pure coincidence, had just released a second album entitled ‘Numb (2007)’.
My interest was piqued by the superb musicians he had assembled to play with him. Paul Wrightson (ex Arena, replacing John Mitchell who sang on the first album), John Jowitt (ex IQ and Arena), Michael Schwager (ex Dreamscape) and Yogi Lang (fellow RPWL band member), with guest appearances by Sebastian Harnack (Sylvan) and Iggor Cavalera (Sepultura, Mix Hell).
Listening to ‘Numb’ was – and whenever I play it, still is – a happy revelation. Honest, fresh, atmospheric, it is full of punch and packed with energy and inventiveness. There is a steely drive and an exciting raw emotional power which resonates at all levels across the album. The intensity and the ever shifting flow of our emotions becomes the elemental force which powers and gives meaning to the music.
Wallner believes ‘Numb’ is all about the intensity of emotions, “snapshots of extreme feelings flooding one’s consciousness for a short time, siegeing the mind and letting nothing else reside next to them.” He emphasises this by using only one word for the title of each track: Lost, Guilt, Numb, Leave, Death, Change, Seek, Risk, Torn, Vow, Change. The music perfectly mirrors and captures this rollercoaster of emotions through solid rock-style drumming, crunching power riffing, all interspersed with acoustic arrangements and melodic solos which captivate and surprise.
It has been a long seven years since then and I’ll confess that news of a third studio album from the Blind Ego stable certainly put me in a state of agitated excitement. Wallner’s choice to lead with another single word title, ‘Liquid’, certainly seems to signal a clear intention to carry on where the previous album left off.
The musicians he has gathered around him this time are equally impressive. Vocals are shared between Arno Menses (Subsignal), Erik Ez Blomkvist (Seven Thorns) and Aaron Brooks (Simeone Soul Charger), whilst the always impressive Sebastian Harnack (Sylvan) returns alongside appearances from Heiko Jung (Panzerballett) and Ralf Schwager (Subsignal) on bass. It is also wonderful to see the inimitable Michael Schwager remaining behind the drum kit for this third instalment.
‘Liquid’ is an album of profoundly stark and unexpected contrasts – lyrically, emotionally and musically. Where ‘Numb’ has a relentless and intensely focused momentum, ‘Liquid’ to some extent takes its foot off the pedal, gives itself some time to breathe, and offers a more varied, versatile and challenging range of music with which to grapple. There is a greater sense of maturity about this release, a more reflective and contemplative approach to the song writing which takes the edge off the direct rawness which characterised ‘Numb’ and in the process, opens wider possibilities for emotive expression in and through the music.
The passion, the intensity and the focus are all still present in abundance. But there is now a more deliberate and even meditative quality coming through. When passion is spent and the rage of emotion has run its course, reason quietly returns and adds its voice once more. Indeed, this is often how the album feels; torrents of sharp, powerful, aggressive passages are followed by calmer, soothing almost heightened moments of tranquility and clarity, the instrumental ferocity dialed right back to leave an airy, almost passive, healing aftermath.
Kallner’s guitar work is blisteringly brilliant. Listening to the sheer precision of his playing, the eagerness and constrained passion he exudes and the forcefulness of his attack when he abandons controlled discipline and lets his virtuosity soar in some jaw dropping solo work belies the impression that this is something deeply personal. You get the feeling that he is working things through, maybe in his own mind, and riding the ebb and flow of shifting, troubled emotions as he goes along. Some people are good at expressing themselves through words; he lets his guitar do his thinking out loud.
To this extent, ‘Liquid’ becomes a fascinating insight into the turbulent thoughts and emotions which are swirling throughout the album, sometimes expressed in symphonic eddy’s churning just below the surface, at others gushing in anthemic, foot-stomping torrents before cascading into serene, harmonic waters. There is a natural momentum which carries you along from track to track and into the seamless, almost intuitive transitions between moods, thoughts and feelings.
Not everything on this album works. Just as you can become lost in your thoughts, so there are times when the music feels as if it has lost a little of its direction and focus. Some of the ideas don’t quite work as I suspect they were intended, upheavals in rhythmic timing perhaps too hasty and maybe one or two of the hooks not quite transiting to where the music wants to lead us. But then, thoughts are never complete, feelings are always on the way to somewhere else and the exuberance, fervour and excitement of the music is more than enough to carry us through the choppy waters to the next part of the river.
Wallner believes that ‘Liquid’ “completes a comprehensive artistic process that saw its beginnings years ago”. This new release certainly brings significant developments and unexpected progressions to the Blind Ego project. My sincere hope, however, is that rather than reaching the end and completing the journey, there are more bends yet to come in this particular musical river.
Kyros (Nee Synaethesia) is Adam Warne (vocals, keyboards), Joey Frevola (guitars), Peter Episcopo (bass, vocals), Robin Johnson (drums, percussion) & Sam Higgins (guitars, vocals). They have been tipped and praised in the media and rock press in their original guise growing out of Adam’s solo project into a fully fledged band. I am not one to patronise when I say this, but, these guys are young and this is a definitive advantage in many respects. They are not shackled to the 70s golden age but they pull influences from the 80s and 90s too. Like genuine artistic magpies they are content to take all that is good from a wide range of sources and put elements of it into their music.
The music is very very full on; the influences of Haken are obvious with drummer Raymond Hearne arranging the brass on various sections. It is a sonically dense album with so much going on that what at first appears to be a simple piece has hidden depths. New Paradigm is one such track. At face value it feels like a crooner from the 40s accompanied by a piano but then evolves into a an atmospheric combination of the harmony and keyboards that becomes almost ethereal in it quality.
To counterbalance this Technology Killed the Kids II is jam packed with intensity reflecting how much technology is filling the younger generation’s lives and leaving no space to breath or be real in a real world. It has a definite ‘Prog’ feel with massive keyboard sounds and it really stands out from the first listen to the last.
The single Cloudburst has overtones of later period Depeche Mode in it combined with post modern values in the writing. It is accessible and has a great hook and instrumental breaks that could easily be played on the mainstream radio. Yet it retains its “Progginess”, I hear IQ in the guitar breaks and keyboard combination but there is no plagiarism here.
Onto CD2 and the vision darkens here, beginning with track one Mind Electric,an ominous overtone of keys and guitar that has an air of a desperate struggle between humanity and technology. The endless struggle between humanity and its own invention is the theme that runs through the album from beginning to end. Monster is another stand out track, the keyboard riff that feels instantly familiar, frenetic musical breaks simulating a struggle between the Frankenstein’s monster of the theme and the inner humanity railing against the metaphorical windmills.
This drops straight into a far less fraught piece called Hounds that lulls you into a false sense of security as you become hunted by the music and the beast itself. The closing track of the album, simply called Dilate, channels everything into a climax of tragedy and despair as we inevitably fall into a trap of our own design.
Overall ‘Vox Humana’ works very well indeed and takes the project to the next level with the song writing and sophistication. It has been carefully crafted and created with much maturity that is rare in any band.
This record is full of clever harmonies but is clever merely for the sake of being clever but, rather, because it fits the need. It really feels like it has been written and created by the band rather than just Adam getting people to play his music. Which to be honest, as good as Synaethesia was, that is what it felt like to me.
If you want something that pulls musically from the 80s and 90s and only really offers a nod to the roots of Prog rock then this is for you. It has more from the likes of IQ, IT Bites, Muse, Radiohead, Depeche Mode and Haken than anything made in 1973. It isn’t a late night chill out but is excellent driving music and it shows that the future of our music is in good hands.
As most people who have followed my reviewing career will know, I am a big fan of instrumental albums and have reviewed many in the past 3 or 4 years, some excellent, some great and some, well, okay.
I am also a sucker for great album covers so when the chance came to review renowned Estonian guitar god Kalle Vilpuu’s first solo album ‘Silver Lining’, and I saw the minimal but stylish artwork by Hannes Aasamets & Mihkel Maripuu, I was very happy to take it on.
I’ve been really busy this year but I have finally found time to put my words down and deliver my review of this ultimately satisfying collection of songs.
Kalle Vilpuu was born in the Estonian miners’ town of Kohtla-Järve on July 24th, 1963. He started playing drums in a school band at the 1st Kohtla-Järve High School. Kalle soon switched to the guitar, however, due to a lack of serious interest in the drums and the rest, as they say, is history.
He has had a lengthy and interesting career, first playing in one of Estonia’s biggest band’s, Seitsmes Meel, while still studying at the Georg Ots Tallinn Music School. Kalle has played with some of Estonia’s biggest rock acts including Tõnis Mägi’s777, Ultima Thule, Marju Länik’s Saxappeal Band as well as hard rock act House of Games.
After leaving HoG, Kalle started composing and recording his own music that culminated in 2013 in his first solo album ‘Silver Lining’. Now he continues to play for Ultima Thule and Seitsmes Meel is back together after a 23 year break, busy working on new material and playing gigs.
Joining Kalle on his solo release is a fantastic collection of musicians:
Andrus Lillepea (drums), Henno Kelp (bass guitar), Mari Pokinen (vocal), Tarvi Jaago (flute), Tiit Kikas (violin), Martti Mägi (violin), Imre Eenma (bass, viola da gamba) Eduard Akulin (trombone) and Indrek Kruusimaa (flamenco guitar).
I have listened tot his album many times now and I have to admit it has taken its time to work its way into my affections. At first it seems a disparate collection of songs with no common thread but, give ‘Silver Linings’ time to appreciate its subtle nuances and stylish musicianship and you will realise that this is one of those albums that needs repeated play and will stay in your memory a lot longer for it.
Opening track Anomalies has much of the feel of a Satriani/Vai style track, if a little less in your face and you immediately respect the quality of Kalle’s playing, it has a sci-fi feel to it, like a harder edged Public Service Broadcasting. We move on to Unforgivenwith its mystical, laid back opening which then proceeds into a determined, driving track but one which also has a rather nice ethereal flute as accompaniment. Here we get Kalle firing some burning licks and thunderous riffs, once again demonstrating his undoubted proficiency. Next Inferno, a piece of music which belies its title to deliver an otherworldly feel of peace, calm and harmony. A bewitching vocal performance adds some Celtic drama and gives a real ‘World Music’ appeal to the track.
Industrial No.4does exactly what it says on the tin. A hard rocking industrial metal riff powers this leviathan of a song along. Pensive and solemn, I’m put in mind of hard-edged industrial rockers Ministry as the repetitive riff gets you nodding in appreciation, hitting you like a ten ton heavy thing! Fast paced and fluid, In The Back Of My Head charges into view like an irresistible force and an amalgam of sci-fi films all rolled into one. The solo in the middle of the track is a really powerful piece of playing that just adds to the drama of this juggernaut, a superb monster of a track. An electro-psychedelic homage to Satriani’s ‘Surfing With The Alien’, The Aliens (Have Landed) is quite a fun track that bounces along like it hasn’t got a care in the world. Discordant, left-field and just out there, it adds a real note of fun and mystery to the album.
Trappingis like the X-Files turned into music, quite disturbing and with a real creepy edge to it, it is quite deliciously suspenseful and apprehensive and makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. There is a feeling of tension and anticipation running throughout and it doesn’t let up right until the end. Dreamlike and hypnotic, The Touch Of An Angelwashes over you with its calming influence and mesmerising vocal backing. You feel yourself becalmed and in an oasis of musical serenity. That feeling continues with the delightfully charming and alluring notes of Rosie. Two and a half minutes of enchanting and sublimely soothing tranquility, just let all your troubles float away to leave you totally unruffled.
Forgiven gives us heavy, persistent riffs and matches them with a mystical feel of eastern promise to deliver a haunting and yet vibrant piece of intrumental music that has an inner vitality urging it along. We end with the title track Silver Lining, a song that has an initial anxious edge to it, treading water with some stylish electronic beats before a deep and dense guitar takes up the tale. It reminds me a bit of Shoot High, Aim Low from Yes’ much maligned 1987 release ‘Big Generator’ but without the vocals, obviously! This track goes off in its own direction with the addition of Kalle’s unforgettable soaring plaintive guitar playing. Quite a moving piece of music to close out the album with.
After the first couple of listens to this album I thought that, despite the obvious musical talent on show, it was a collection of disparate songs that were great in their own right but didn’t quite click together. Well, how wrong was I? Please give this stylish, classy release time to work its undoubted charms on you and you will come to realise, like I did, that is a really rather excellent collection of songs. Another great recommendation from me to you!
THE FESTIVAL WHICH HIGHLIGHTS THE WORLD’S BEST PROGRESSIVE BANDS ADD MIKE PORTNOY’S SHATTERED FORTRESS TO THE LINE UP
Since its inception in 2014 the Barcelona based festival Be Prog! My Friend has played host to the likes of Opeth, Steven Wilson, Anathema, Devin Townsend, TesseracT, The Pineapple Thief, Magma, Agent Fresco, Camel, Meshuggah, Katatonia, Riverside, Ihsahn and Alcest.
Taking place in the beautiful open air surroundings of Poble Espanyol – a huge stone built architectural museum – the site is one of the most important and striking landmarks of tourism in Barcelona. Whilst by day the Catalonian hotspot may play host to some of Barcelona’s most interesting historical articles, by the end of June to the start of July it will instead play host to some of the world’s finest progressive bands.
This year saw the festival co-headlined by Steven Wilson and fellow progressive heavy weights Opeth. So far for 2017 Be Prog! My Friend have announced the legendary Jethro Tull as Saturday’s headliner alongside Norwegian music collective Ulver, Anathema, Animals as Leaders and Caligula’s Horse. While Marillion will headline the Friday.
Now Be Prog! My Friend have announced that Mike Portnoy’s Shattered Fortress will join the bill. Mike Portnoy comments:
‘I am so excited to be bringing my Shattered Fortress show to Spain and Be Prog My Friend! The Shattered Fortress is myself and an all-star Prog lineup performing Dream Theater’s 12 Step Suite live in it’s entirety for the first time!
This is not “a new band or project” for me, it is an exclusive event that will be making several select live appearances in select markets throughout the world in 2017…and Be Prog My Friend is one of the selected shows!
The setlist at the show will be comprised of the 12 Step Suite and select other Dream Theater songs that I’ve written the lyrics to.
Keep in mind, I have no plans (or interest) in revisiting DT material in any of my other bands…this is not an ongoing “project” or career move…this is merely a unique event that I am doing in select markets in 2017 to share with fans around the world…so catch it while you can!!’
Tickets are on sale now at the fixed price of 130 Euros:
‘And so Prog finds itself in love with Barcelona, the delightful weather and everything that Be Prog! My Friend has to offer’– Prog Magazine
‘The leading festival for progressive music in Spain, showcased avant-garde music in a magnificent location’ – The Independent
‘Set in the hazy sunlit square of Barcelona’s historic and quite stunning Poble Espanyol, it certainly beats the sodden mud of the British festival season’ – Total Guitar Magazine
‘If nothing else, it proves that prog is alive and kicking. Especially in Catalonia’ – Classic Rock Magazine
Be Prog! My Friend takes place in the heart of Barcelona and with an airport only 12km away, regular, cheap flights make it an easy festival to get and from the UK. Bands will start playing from mid/late afternoon each day which will also mean visitors have plenty of time to explore the stunning city of Barcelona while they are there.
RELEASED NOVEMBER 11 ON RADIANT RECORDS
VIA METAL BLADE RECORDS/SONY
2CD, TRIPLE VINYL AND DIGITAL DOWNLOAD
WORLDWIDE TOUR STARTS
JANUARY 15, 2017 IN NASHVILLE, TN
NEAL MORSE: LEAD VOCALS, KEYBOARDS, GUITARS
MIKE PORTNOY: DRUMS, VOCALS
RANDY GEORGE: BASS
ERIC GILLETTE: GUITAR, VOCALS
BILL HUBAUER: KEYBOARDS, VOCALS
The journey of Neal Morse has seen three decades of musical accomplishments, the latest being the inception of The Neal Morse Band. Morse has forged many relationships over the years with his other bands, Spock’s Beard, Flying Colors, and Transatlantic. However, the most compelling and fruitful efforts have been those with drummer Mike Portnoy (The Winery Dogs, Flying Colors, Transatlantic, ex-Dream Theater).
Now the current line-up of “The Neal Morse Band”—Morse, Portnoy, bassist Randy George, keyboardist Bill Hubauer and guitarist Eric Gillette—brings forth “The Similitude of a Dream”, a concept album to be released November 11 on Radiant Records via Metal Blade Records/SONY. This will be the eighth studio album with Morse, Portnoy and George, and the second as a true collaboration with this current lineup. A lyric video for the song, “Overture,” premiered on PROG Magazine’s website earlier today and will be available on the band’s official YouTube page tomorrow. Watch the lyric video for the songs “Long Day” and “Overture”
Clocking in at over 100 minutes, this amazing piece of prog storytelling will leave you breathless, exhilarated, amused and fulfilled in a way that only inspired music can. It will be available in various formats: a two CD package, a Special Edition with the two CDs and “The Making of a Dream” DVD, or as three vinyl records along with two CDs.
The Neal Morse Band (L-R): Eric Gillette, Mike Portnoy, Randy George, Neal Morse, Bill Hubauer. Photo: John Zocco
Track Listing:
Disc 1:
Long Day
Overture
The Dream
City Of Destruction
We Have Got To Go
Makes No Sense
Draw The Line
The Slough
Back To The City
The Ways Of A Fool
So Far Gone
Breath Of Angels
Disc 2:
Slave To Your Mind
Shortcut to Salvation
The Man in The Iron Cage
The Road Called Home
Sloth
Freedom Song
I’m Running
The Mask
Confrontation
The Battle
Broken Sky / Long Day (Reprise)
Together, Morse and Portnoy have launched four bands, but the one that has endured the longest and thus with the most musical output has been The Neal Morse Band. Over the years, Morse, along with Portnoy and George, always assembled musicians as needed to support Neal’s solo music. In 2012, they held auditions to find the musicians needed to fill out the band as a permanent lineup that would write music collectively. Hubauer and Gillette joined the band after three days of auditions. The fivesome went on to release The Grand Experiment in 2014 followed by the Alive Again live DVD/2 CD package in 2015.
“The Similitude of a Dream is loosely and sometimes directly based on the book, Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan,” explains Neal Morse. “The book’s original title was The Pilgrim’s Progress from this world to that which is to come, delivered under the similitude of a dream, and was originally published in 1678. The book chronicles the spiritual journey of a man from the City of Destruction to a place of Deliverance. Someone had suggested to me that I do a concept album based on this book, but I kind of forgot about it. Then when I began writing new songs last December, the suggestion came to my mind. I had never read the book, so I Googled the SparkNotes story outline and began to write some little song bits and instrumentals based on what I had read. Those bits combined with the ideas that the other guys brought to the table then miraculously exploded into this double concept album. Funny thing is, this album only really covers about the first 75 or 80 pages. Maybe we should’ve made a five disc collection! Well, we’ll save that for later. Ha.”
Continues Neal, “At the conclusion of the grueling recording sessions, I remember Mike saying rather prophetically, ‘Boys, I think we just made the album of our careers.’”
“I honestly think this is THE album of my career,” declares Portnoy. “Neal and I have now made 18 studio albums together, and I consider The Similitude of a Dream the absolute creative pinnacle of our collaborations together. I’ve always had a soft spot for double concept albums such as Pink Floyd’s The Wall and The Who’s Tommy, and I can bravely say that I think we’ve created an album here that can sit side by side with those masterpieces. Bold words, I know, but after a career of almost 50 albums, I honestly consider this to be one of the defining works of my career.”
“We weren’t sure we had enough music to make a double CD, and yet it seemed as though the concept and the music wanted to go there,” bassist Randy George continues. “Ultimately, we created so much great music in the sessions that it just had to be a double album! To cap that off, we worked with a pre-imminent classic album cover artist to create painted illustrations of our concept which will grace the booklet!”
The Neal Morse Band tours worldwide almost yearly and continues to grow in popularity, attracting new listeners everywhere they go. The band has toured in North America, Central America, Europe, Israel, Mexico and India. The shows are filled with excited and extremely loyal fans, some which have regularly traveled very long distances to see the band. The band has an extensive catalog of live shows on Blu-Ray and DVD as well.
Their latest round of worldwide tour dates start January 15, 2017 in Morse’s current hometown of Nashville, TN. More dates will be announced in the coming weeks on the band’s official website.
The Swedish metal force PAIN, led by multi-instrumentalist and producer Peter Tägtgren (HYPOCRISY, LINDEMANN), will return to the road with their Coming Home Tour 2016 this week. The band will join forces with THE VISION BLEAK, DYNAZTY and BILLION DOLLAR BABIES.
Today, the band released the brand new lyric video for the song “Designed To Piss You Off“.
“Coming Home Tour 2016”
PAIN
THE VISION BLEAK
DYNAZTY
BILLION DOLLAR BABIES.
13.10. D Berlin – Astra
14.10. D Wuerzburg – Posthalle
15.10. D Leipzig – Hellraiser
16.10. CZ Prague – Meet Factory
17.10. A Vienna – Szene
19.10. D Ludwigsburg – Rockfabrik
20.10. D Munich – Backstage
21.10. CH Lausanne – Les Docks
22.10. D Lindau – Vaudeville
23.10. D Essen – Turock 24.10. UK London – Underworld 25.10. UK Wolverhampton – Salde Rooms 26.10. UK Bristol – The Fleece
27.10. F Paris – Petit Bain
28.10. E Barcelona – Razzmatazz 2
29.10. E Madrid – Changó
30.10. P Lisbon – RCA Club
01.11. E Bilbao – Stage Live
02.11. F Marseille – Jas Rod
03.11. F Lyon – Ninkasi Kao
04.11. F Nancy – Nancy On Rock Festival*
05.11. D Markneukirchen – Music Hall
07.11. NL Tilburg – 013
08.11. B Antwerp – Trix
09.11. D Hamburg – Klubsen
10.11. DK Aalborg – Aalborg Metal Fest
11.11. S Gothenburg – Brewhouse
12.11. S Stockholm – Debaser
17.11. FIN Kuopio – Henry’s*
18.11. FIN Oulu – Hevimesta*
19.11. FIN Helsinki – Nosturi*
24.11. FIN Tampere – Klubi*
25.11. FIN Jyväskylä – Lutakko*
26.11. FIN Seinäjoki*
*without support
