Well, ok, not just newcomers–my interview with James Newcomb, OUT OF THE MUSIC BOX. An introduction to prog with an emphasis on Big Big Train, The Tangent, Glass Hammer, Neal Morse, and a few others. A huge thanks to James for being such a gracious host.
Good news! Inmateria‘s impressive eponymous 2015 concept album is now available on iTunes and at Amazon.com. Spread the word!
BY PAUL WATSON April 24th sees the debut album ‘RETURN’ by a relatively new US band CIRCULINE. To be honest I was going to write a short bio and other interesting facets about things you may not know about this band to include in this article but their keyboardist ANDREW COLYER has actually provided a lot more information than I expected in a very enjoyable and candid interview with him below. Bradley also added a bit more about the album promo on March 19 below so check that out as well.
Not sure if you know this but there’s this three-worded Latin expression that goes like this. “Ordo ab chao” … which translated into English, if you haven’t already worked it out, sagely suggests, “… out of chaos comes order…” I’d seen it used years ago with the name of a Metal band and thought to myself, “how cool is that?” So now you’re wondering what has that got to do with Circuline and their new album? Simple. On the one hand I’m listening to these eight tracks and thinking, “Okay, I’m really liking this. I get it, although I have to say it’s hard to paint them into a corner using my trusty Prog group compass, because, let’s face it – it’s open season when hearing new bands and their albums and trying to tie them down to either Yes or Genesis or whoever…. label”, but on the other, I’m also trying to focus on the many varied layers on some of these songs. And boy, there are many layers here on first listen. I’m not just talking about how many multi-tracks have come into play but rather the delicately placed strips of all manner of sounds interwoven and joined without a hint of the seam as these songs move forward. It’s that good, and only gets better upon each playing. Just as well ears can’t blink because listening to, you might find yourself missing something poignant throughout the many subtle changes within these tracks. I just love the way so many ideas have come from various angles, in a kind of a living juxtaposition of possibilities realized, which in itself doesn’t go anywhere near describing this music but hopefully tells you the kind of frame of mind it leaves you in when listening to this.
Trust me – You’ll know what I mean when you listen to ‘Return’ yourselves. Expect a lot of great guitar and keyboard riffs. Okay, so where does “ordo ab chao” come into it? Track one ‘ the title track, ‘Return’ doesn’t give you much of a clue as it’s a straightforward melody with some great hooks in it, and one I think a number of radio stations will add this one to their playlists for high rotation. It’s a good song to start off with and imagine it works well performed on stage. Track two ‘Nebulae’ is where “ordo ab chao” seriously starts earning its money with an interesting dissonant beginning by Andrew on keys which we soon find out in this relatively short instrumental, out of random chaos we get order. In fact, most of the following tracks have a similar disjointed beginning that turns inside itself into something melodic throughout the rest of each piece. As you’ll see below, I asked Andrew about their writing and how they came about balancing the consonant and dissonant elements within most of these tracks.
So in a nutshell – this is a very tight and solid debut album which you’ll soon discover has so much going on within it. Not a second wasted and yet, not rushed or too busy. I think it’s too early to pigeon-hole them just yet. Certainly there are jazz fusion elements in some of these pieces but not enough to point them in that direction for certain. Vocals are very strong as is the bass playing, and you’re in for a treat right at the end with a high-energy violin solo, shades of Kansas to these ears. I like that they’ve evenly spread the vocal tracks with the instrumental pieces showcasing what a fine bunch of musicians each of them are. If you get the chance, go see their show which includes not only original numbers but also classic progressive rock tunes from the likes of Yes, Rush, Genesis, Pink Floyd, and Sound of Contact.
The band opens for Glass Hammer for three shows in the Northeastern U.S. starting from April 24th through to April 26th, 2015. Last year, Circuline opened for recent RoSfest act, Elephants of Scotland.
Andrew kindly answered all of my questions relating to the band and their pending new album. 
Reading from the band bio that you’ve put out there’s certainly a wide mix of talent and artistry there. Just how did you all meet and Circuline come about?
ANDREW: Bill Shannon was a founding member of the progressive rock tribute band Downing Grey back in 2009. Downing Grey found Darin Brannon through a series of Prog drumming YouTube videos (nirad2007) he had posted. Natalie Brown, Billy Spillane, and I met in early 2013, and realized that we could sing like Crosby, Stills and Nash. At the time, I was in two other original bands that were floundering, and feeling really frustrated. I went on the inaugural YES Cruise to the Edge, and played “Tarkus” (ELP) and the intro to “Awaken” (YES) in front of Geoff Downes at the late night Prog jam. Geoff told me, “very good, you’ve got those Prog Rock chops”. I came home from the CTTE, determined to find a group of people who were ready, willing, and able to be serious about being in a professional band. I found Downing Grey, and joined immediately. Natalie joined within weeks, singing backup. Billy Spillane had been fronting a Led Zeppelin tribute band (No Quarter) for at least five years, but was a lifetime Prog fan. Towards the end of 2013, Billy joined Downing Grey as the lead singer. In January of 2014, Downing Grey fell apart. There were personality issues that made it impossible to work together anymore. Circuline was born on February 8th, 2014.
Having seen in the past where in another band you were advertising for a new bass player due to “anger management” issues, I guess it’s about finding the right chemistry either by accident or by design. Do you recall the time you all got together and realised that this was a good fit and you had the sound you wanted to make and take this somewhere?
ANDREW: When I joined Downing Grey in the spring of 2013, I was very clear to the band that long term, I wanted to write original material. In fact, the very first day I was with Downing Grey, Darin, Bill, and I started jamming on some original material, while the bass player was in the bathroom. I still have those demo recordings from that day. Who knows, maybe they’ll turn up on the next record! The other thing that I was very clear to the band about when I joined Downing Grey, was that I was serious about making this a profitable venture. It’s so much work to learn all of those classic prog songs. I did not want to go to all the work of learning the songs, programming the sounds, rehearsing, schlepping gear, etc., to not have any people in the audience or make any money. What we learned from Downing Grey is that, being a Prog tribute band, covering nine bands in one night (YES, Genesis, ELP, Gentle Giant, King Crimson, UK, Jethro Tull, Rush, and Pink Floyd) is a very tough sell to venues, even if it “sounds just like the record”. In addition, it’s very difficult to have merchandise to sell long term, because you don’t own the rights to anything. The logos and images, the songs, everything belongs to someone else. The only way we were going to be able to build something long-term that was truly ours, was to start an original band, writing original material. We already knew that we could all play. We just had to start writing. AND, what we’ve realized, is that in the time it takes to learn all of that classic prog material, we could just write our own stuff!
Is this a one off project or are all of you in it for the long haul?
ANDREW: Bill, Darin, and I started this band with a vision of being a successful modern ProgRock band. Natalie and Billy are also in it for the long haul. We’ve already starting writing material for the second album, and Randy McStine (Lo-Fi Resistance, Sound of Contact, Pink Floyd Experience) has already agreed to continue in a songwriting capacity. Speaking of Randy, we are so grateful to have him as part our writing team. His beautiful melodies, harmonies, and lyrics were an absolute perfect fit for our music. Randy’s contribution to this album was invaluable, and we are happy to be working with him again in the future. 
The title you’ve given to your debut album is ‘Return.’ What does that refer to? Is it a play on your band name, ‘Circuline’ – making a full circle, or to be found in the lyrics of the first track on the album?
ANDREW: I’m glad you asked! Actually, for all of us, we are returning to what we love most – music. Every one of us started out as a young person dreaming of a career in music. Every one of us attained some level of success. But for one reason or another, had kind of dropped out. (Except for Billy, who was fronting the Zeppelin tribute band.) Natalie Brown had a 20-plus-year career as a theater actor, singer, and dancer, who had stopped. Darin Brannon had been in numerous bands in California and the midwest (Cleveland), and had dropped out. Bill Shannon had moderate success in Cincinatti, before moving to New York and starting Downing Grey, but was working as a graphic artist and art director for a magazine. I was classically trained, and wanted to go to Berklee to be a modern musician, but my parents pushed me into being a doctor. So I was pursuing music as best I could, part-time, for over 20 years. When we founded Circuline, we all looked each other in the eye, and said, “This is it! We’re all doing it. Are you up for it?” And everyone said yes. So for all of us, we are returning to our first love.
I’ve had a hard time trying to pinpoint what influences play a large or minor part in your music, but other than having initial thoughts of thinking of Thieves’ Kitchen on some tracks on the album, I come up with nada. You yourself and Bill Shannon and Darin Brannon come from the tribute band (Downing Grey) as well as one of your lead vocalists, Billy Spillane who sang in the Led Zeppelin tribute band, No Quarter that encapsulates all the best and finest songs from Prog Rock bands and not in most cases devoted to just one band say like Yes or Genesis and other notable Prog and Classic formations. Did that play a large part in deciding where you were going to take the band in coming up with an interesting blending of styles and sounds?
ANDREW: Darin Brannon grew up in a musical family, and seriously has Prog and Fusion in his DNA. He’s an encyclopedia of Genesis, Jean-Luc Ponty, Happy the Man, Peter Gabriel, Brand X, etc. He’s always telling me and Bill to “add in an extra beat, or take out a beat”. Darin actually came up with one of the important writing rules that we have – “If someone is singing, it’s in four. If someone is not singing, we’re going to experiment with playing odd time signatures.” We’re really lucky to have Darin’s sense of rhythm in the band, because neither Bill nor I would have ever thought of that. Bill Shannon is a self-taught guitar playing savant, who spent countless thousands of hours locked in his room listening to every prog and rock band you can think of from the 70’s, figuring out all of the guitar parts, bass parts, and keyboard parts. How to actually play them on his guitar. In addition, Bill listens to Brian Eno, David Bowie, modern dance music, and anything else that might be considered weird or abstract. So Bill is kind of like an encyclopedia in his own way. He is really good at coming up with licks and riffs, and abstract ideas that neither Darin nor I would think of. I’m classically trained, and grew up listening to movie soundtracks. I actually wanted to be a film composer. At the same time, every week I was listening to “Casey Kasem’s American Top 40”. So that was going into my brain. I have sung (All-State choir in high school), played the trumpet, organ, and piano for choirs, weddings and churches since I was nine years old. I was a D.J. and played in original and cover bands during the four years I was in chiropractic school. I had a jazz quartet for several years. So I have a very diverse background as well. Darin, Bill, and I are very conscious of wanting our music to have diversity. We’ve all heard bands, both new and old, come out with albums that sound very similar from track to track, and we don’t want to be one of those bands. Sonically we intend to have a broad palette. We think it will be more interesting for the end listener, and hopefully that’s come across in our first effort.
Almost as a recurring theme on first impressions here, what I really like as well as respect, especially in wondering how you conceived and composed a good number of these tracks is the amount of consonant and dissonant notes that truly work seamlessly here. It’s not pretentious or gratuitous, and I think you’ve got the balance just right. Given the angular approach to a number of intros to these songs as far as opening themes go, especially ‘One Wish’ would you consciously define this as your own band signature sound to where you want to take your music for new listeners?
ANDREW: First of all, we don’t like to be bored. We’ve all heard music that was great, but went on for just a little bit too long. We don’t want to be that band. We also know that we’re not in the “Information Age” anymore, we’re in the “Attention Age”. The hardest thing we have to do is capture someone’s attention, and retain it. Right now, it is possible for almost anyone to have the entire history of recorded music on their mobile phone, tablet, or computer. And if they don’t own it, they can stream it. We have to write music that will be interesting to the listener, and will make them want to listen to it again. Too many consonant notes? Too boring, like too much white wedding cake with vanilla icing. Too many dissonant notes? Then it’s too abstract, will grate on your nerves, and you won’t want to listen again. Our intention is to write music that has a balance of consonance and dissonance. Then hopefully it’s interesting.
That’s the thing I really like about this album. Once you hear it for the first and then go back and listen a bit more closely you start picking up various sounds within the mix which blend in very well. I’m just so impressed with the natural chiaroscuro you’ve managed to add to how these sounds blend in.
ANDREW: “Chiaroscuro” – the use the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. Thank you for the compliment. Actually, this would be a good time to mention Matt Dorsey (Sound of Contact), who played bass on five tracks, and mixed the entire record. Bill and I both write a lot of intricate, layered parts, and of course we each want to hear our own parts the loudest! Matt actually flew out to do a couple of gigs with us in November 2014. I think after writing and recording his bass lines, and rehearsing and performing live with us for a week, Matt really knew exactly what we were going for when mixing the record. He did a great job of making sure everyone’s parts were heard. 
‘Soleil Noir’ is the shortest track on this album at 2:51. Have to say it’s one of those instrumental pieces where you all get to shine one way or another. It’s also one of those tracks you wished it would go on a lot longer. You feel it’s just getting going and then it peters off. Is there in fact an extended version to this track that you play?
ANDREW: On a recording, it’s always better to leave people wanting more. But live, yes, for our upcoming shows, we’re looking at doing an extended version of “Soleil Noir”. It’s a nice moment for the audience to clap along – something that’s kind of rare in Prog! We’re constantly looking for ways to make our live “show” better. Having Natalie and Billy in the band is a blessing, since they are seasoned theater performers. We hope that you and the rest of the audience have a really good experience when you see us live.
I see on one of your pages your influences include; “Classical, jazz, pop, rock, funk, R&B, Progressive Rock, movie soundtracks….” That covers quite an extensive range although all these genres have been found in Prog Rock in one way or another over the years. How did you get involved in Progressive Rock and who were your influences? 
ANDREW: I’m a relative newcomer to the Prog world. In 2004, a new musician friend said to me, “you’re classically trained? You should be playing Prog.” And I said, “What’s Prog?” “Progressive Rock. You know, like YES.” “Oh, I know, ‘Owner of a Lonely Heart’.” “NOOOO, you know, like Genesis.” “Oh, I know, ‘Invisible Touch’.” “NOOOO, you know, like Peter Gabriel.” “Peter Gabriel was never in Genesis….” Seriously, that was the conversation. So he came back, handed me the YES Symphonic Live DVD, which I went home and watched, and I totally freaked out. So after a lifetime of listening to ELO, Journey, Styx, Kansas, Pat Metheny, Rachmaninoff, Miles Davis, Beethoven, Sting, Bruce Hornsby, Brahms, Keith Jarrett, Seal, Little River Band, Eagles, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Herbie Hancock, The Tubes, movie soundtracks, Chick Corea, Earth Wind & Fire, and anything by David Foster and Quincy Jones, I’ve spent the last 10 years playing catchup in the Prog world! From a band perspective, you know all the classics I’ve been cramming in trying to learn. Here’s my favorite newer prog bands, who I listen to repeatedly: Oblivion Sun (former members of Happy the Man), Sound of Contact, and Steven Wilson. As a keyboard player, my top Prog influences would include the usual suspects: Rick Wakeman, Tony Banks, and Keith Emerson. Jan Hammer for expressiveness and style. Jordan Rudess is one of the top keyboard players in the world – he can do it all. But if I had to pick one, and only one? Eddie Jobson.
Having been in a popular Prog tribute band and given your very impressive list of hardware and keyboard instruments you use, you must have had somewhere in their various Mellotron sounds but I haven’t picked up any of that on this new album. Would that have been too cliché to throw in familiar washes like that into your repertoire? In other words how did you as a keyboard approach this album with the full weight of Prog standards as a historical backdrop as well as an impressive arsenal of keyboards and software?
ANDREW: Forget about cowbell, we need more Mellotron! There actually IS Mellotron on the record, on four tracks. But it’s mixed and layered in with all the other sounds, to provide a “soundscape”. When I studied orchestral conducting at Juilliard, we had to study the scores of Beethoven, Brahms, Stravinsky, Holst, etc. Seeing how they layered instruments together to come up with different types of timbres was fascinating to me. In the same way as those classical composers did, I like to layer things, to come up with a new hybrid sound that nobody else would. I think that writing music is like cooking. You can’t use all of the spices all the time. It’s often an experiment as to which sounds to use. I have so many sounds and instruments that it’s virtually unlimited. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I have over 100,000 sounds in all of my libraries. How many are usable or appropriate? That’s another question. Often I will come up with two or three different examples of what I could use for a certain section, and then let the band vote on which one they like the best, for that part of the song. 
Once the album is released in April what are Circuline’s plans for the year?
ANDREW: Our number one goal is for every Prog fan in the world to listen to our album. Just once. If you like our music, please Follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/CirculineMusic), Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/circulinemusic), and sign up to get free stuff on our website (http://circulinemusic.com/). Our intention is to connect and be interactive with you and the other fans. We will tweet you back. We will Facebook message you back. We will do our best to personally email you back. If you really like the album, you might want to subscribe to our YouTube Channel (CirculineProgRock), and please ask all of your friends and family to check out our music. If you want to be a “Doh-Deka-Phonic-Super-Sonic-Uber-Ultra Fan”, we invite you to check out our Patreon page (https://www.patreon.com/circulinemusic), where you can support us creating more music videos, and a soon-to-be-released hopefully funny internet video series that the band is creating. 
Friday, April 24th is the CD release party, and we’re opening for Glass Hammer at the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock. Saturday, April 25th we’re performing with Glass Hammer and the Anton Roolaart band at the New Jersey Proghouse. Sunday, April 26th we’re opening for Glass Hammer at Orion Studios in Baltimore. The Friday night Bearsville show will have a six-camera video shoot and a 24-track live recording. You’ll see that later this year as a live CD/DVD release. In May, we’re launching Sonic Voyage Fest, a “traveling modern rock festival” with fellow acts Shadow Eden and Stratospheerius. Bass monster Paul Ranieri will be performing with us and Shadow Eden, and Joe Deninzon (electric violin, vocals) of Stratospheerius plays a blistering solo on “Silence Revealed” on our album. We’ll be performing on Friday, May 22nd, in Hartford, Connecticut, and Sunday, May 24th, in Newmarket New Hampshire. You can find out more details at www.SonicVoyageFest.com. (which is now live). In June and beyond, we’re dedicated to writing and producing our second album, producing more music videos, mixing and producing the Bearsville CD/DVD, and we’ll be launching our own internet TV show. Circuline is an eclectic and quirky bunch of individuals, and we hope you’ll find the shows entertaining. We’ve already committed to doing more work with recent RoSfest act Elephants of Scotland. With regards to touring with other bands, we’ve been talking to Lifesigns (great prog band from England), Dave Kerzner (his new band will be touring his debut album), and a really great instrumental prog band from Italy, Accordo dei Contrari. Of course, we’re working on some other cool stuff, which I’m not at liberty to discuss at the moment. You’ll have to stay tuned…….. Thank you so much for this interview! 
CIRCULINE ARE:
Andrew Colyer:
Keyboards, Vocals and has played piano, keyboards, trumpet, and sung across the United States, Canada, and Japan, including three times at Carnegie Hall. His classical classical training includes the Juilliard School, and his teaching lineage places him five steps down from Beethoven.Rock/pop experience includes performing and collaborating with Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel, King Crimson), Jon Anderson (YES), The Tubes, Max Flyer (CBS Records), 10th Planet, the Prog Rock Orchestra, and the Progressive Rock Tribute Band, Downing Grey. Andrew performed on keyboards/vocals with the Prog Rock Orchestra on the Moody Blues Cruise and the Yes-headlining Cruise To The Edge in April 2014.
Darin Brannon
Drums, percussion. Darin grew up playing piano,Drums, percussion, and saxophone in elementary school.Darin’s first rock band in junior high school was playing the music of Cream and Pink Floyd, but hearing Jethro Tull’s Thick as a Brick ignited his passion for the genre of Progressive Rock music. Darin has worked with Crosby, Stills, and Nash; Micky Dolenz; and Jerry Garcia. When progressive rock tribute band Downing Grey needed a new drummer, that’s how Darin was found – on YouTube.
. 
Bill Shannon
Acoustic and electric guitars, vocals. A former founding member of Progressive Rock tribute band Downing Grey.
Lead Vocalists Billy Spillane and Natalie Brown
Billy Spillane has been performing on stages literally around the world for over 25 years. As an actor, dancer, and singer, with a naturally high tenor voice, has always been able to “hit the high notes” with ease. In addition to composing and performing original and classic progressive rock with Circuline, Billy has been fronting the Led Zeppelin tribute band “No Quarter” for the past six years. Natalie Brown attended Boston Conservatory of Music the first two years after high school, Natalie quickly obtained work singing, acting, and dancing, and at 22 she became a member of Actor’s Equity Associati on. From straight plays to musicals, to jazzpoprock bands, Natalie has done it all, including the lead in Evita (twice); covering Heart, Stevie Wonder, and Joni Mitchell; andfronting her own soldout shows, “Natalie Brown and Friends”. 
Curculine also invited a number of special guest to appear on the album including on bass, Matt Dorsey (Sound of Contact). 
Also songwriter and vocalist, Randy McStine (LoFi Resistance), and Joe Deninzon (Stratospheerius) on electric violin. Shadow Eden’s Paul Raneiri is their current touring bassist.
Sheesh, this looks gorgeous. And, to make it even better, the narrative is written by one of the best music journalists anywhere, Stephen Humphries.
The Art of Rush is a 272 page coffee table book that delves into the 40 year relationship with Rush and their longtime artist and illustrator Hugh Syme. The stunning book begins with a foreword penned by Neil Peart, and contains original illustrations, paintings, photography, and the incredible stories behind each album that he has designed with the band since 1975.
Apparently, it is. Black Sabbath is calling it quits:
Last summer, the original lineup of Black Sabbath — Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, and Geezer Butler — roared back to life after some 30-plus years apart. In rather short order, the trio snagged their first-ever No. 1 album with 13, toured the world for nearly a full year, and even celebrated by winning a couple Grammys back in January. Now, in an interview with Metal Hammer (via Rolling Stone), frontman Osbourne talks the metal icons’ future plans, which include “one more album, and a final tour.”
We’ll get one more album, with a final show in November, 2015, in Tokyo. Part of this is due to the cancer treatment for guitarist Tony Iommi, and we do wish him well.
Godspeed, Black Sabbath – you’ve had a great run and your influence extends far beyond your own genre. You will be missed but you will not be forgotten.
Spiral Architect — “Purpose” (1995 Demo)
Argentine-Chilean vocalist Solange Sosa is here to remind you that you can buy your own copy of Inmateria‘s excellent 2015 album here or here, or else listen to it in its entirety via online streaming.
Inmateria (2015):
“La llama en el Mar” (“The Flame On The Sea”)
1. Preludio (Instrumental) [01:54]
2. Lejos De Aquí [05:19]
3. Anormal [04:48]
4. La Inocencia (Instrumental) [02:48]
5. Fuera De Lugar [04:07]
6. En La Oscuridad [07:16]
7. La Búsqueda (Instrumental) [01:56]
8. Un Paso Atrás [03:57]
9. Flotar [07:01]
10. Epílogo (Instrumental) [02:58]
11. El Problema Del Mal [10:34]
New World Deluxe by Dave Kerzner
By Alan Dawes. Rating 10/10
The standard version of New World was released last December, even though it was released so last in the year it had enough impact to finish in the top 10 albums for 2014 in Prog magazine readers poll.
The deluxe version of this incredible album has just been released and I truly believe it should top the readers poll this year. It would be an amazing achievement as it faces tough competition from Steven Wilson, Steve Hackett and David Gilmour.
For those of you unfamiliar with Mr Kerzner and this project, here is a brief history lesson.
Dave Kerzner first came to peoples notice as a member of Thud and then Giraffe which were both projects by the late, great Kevin Gilbert. After Kevin’s untimely death, Dave continued to write songs but mainly spent his time working at his Sonic Reality company recording sound samples for keyboard software so if you want Nick Mason, Neil Peart, Keith Emerson and many others playing on your own material it is possible with SR software.
A meeting with Simon Collins led the pair working together and eventually to the formation of Sound of Contact with Kelly Nordstrom and Matt Dorsey. The band recorded Dimensionaut , which was released to critical acclaim and the band went on to receive the best newcomer at last years prog awards. Upon returning home after The Night Of The Prog festival in Germany, Dave set about writing new material. It didn’t really come as a major surprise when it was revealed that he had left SoC.
After spending a few months writing and recording demo’s it was time to put a band together and set about creating his debut solo album. A kickstarter campaign was created on 27th June to try any raise $17.000 to fund the album by 6th August. The backers responded and nearly double the required amount was raised in the required time.
Dave recruited his old Thud bandmate Nick D’Virgilio on Drums and another friend Fernando “The Fretmeister”Perdomo on guitars. They were soon joined by several guest artists.
New World is a concept album that follows the story of “The Traveller” a man stranded in a vast desert after his ship has crashed and his journey to safety. I won’t go into the full details of how this journey progresses. I think if you gave the story outline to a dozen sci-fi authors, you would end up with twelve completely different books. So listen to the music, look at the artwork and write your own story.
So why should I buy the deluxe version instead of the standard? Well unlike most deluxe versions of albums this isn’t just the basic album with an extra cd thrown in with a few out takes and rough demos.
The deluxe version is an extension of the standard, the original 11 tracks are spread across the 2 CDs and another 12 tracks were added. As a follower of the kickstarter campaign I know that 3 of these tracks were originally meant to be on the standard release. The extra tracks have enhanced what was already a superb album.
I think to get the best from this album, put on some headphones, crank the volume and enjoy this incredible cinematic masterpiece.
New World opens with an extended version of Stranded a five part epic that sets the scene for the album. If this was a movie it would be shown as a series of flashbacks as The Traveller makes his way to safety. This track features A brilliant guitar solo from Steve Hackett and has backing vocals from Ana Cristina, Durga McBroom from Pink Floyd and Jason Scheff from Chicago. I must mention part five The Darkness, the vocal work on this part is amazing.
The recording sessions were still in progress when Dave was contacted by Keith Emerson to say that he was doing a radio show in the UK and that he wanted to play something from New World. As Stranded was the song closest to being finished, Dave did a quick mix and the whole song was played on Planet Rock Radio. After Dave’s initial mix he then took Stranded to Tom Lord-Alge to be re-mixed for the single release.
Next up is Into The Sun, once again extended from the standard release. Colin Edwin plays fretless bass on this track and the wonderful Heather Findlay provides backing vocals. The track builds in intensity throughout its nine minutes until Fernando Perdomo takes centre stage and unleashes a killer combination of solo and bass line. The original plan was to finish with a keyboard solo, but the guitar work was just too good to ignore.
The Lie is the first track on the album that I think could appeal to mainstream radio. At just over five minutes and with a really catchy chorus it isn’t too long. This song features the core band of Kerzner, Perdomo and D’Vigilio
The Traveller is the first of the new tracks and features Dave on keyboards while Heather recites some lines from Into The Sun.
The Secret was originally pencilled in for the standard release. It must have been an extremely hard decision to leave this out. Songs this beautiful are a rarity. Once again the song starts out calmly and builds in power throughout. The slide guitar on this is stunning.
Reflection is another short piece which could compete with any chill out album you care to mention. Really nice orchestration on this track which leads into Under Control which is very powerful. Both of these tracks are just Dave on his own playing all the instruments. This one is perfect for all the paranoid people out there.
Premonition Suite is mainly instrumental. The five parts link different parts of the album. Dave shares the writing credits on this track with Francis Dunnery who provides killer guitar on part two Resilience 1. It’s Dave’s turn for a solo on part four Altered State, sheer brilliance.
In The Garden is another work of art, beautifully written and performed. I love the acoustic guitar on this track and the vocals from Durga McBroom are superb.
The same can be said for the last two tracks on CD1, The Way Out and Recurring Dream are both excellent and could quite easily have been chosen for the standard release. The vocal work on the last track is incredible.
CD2 opens with Biodome which is a short into track with David Longdon reciting part of New World. This leads straight into the instrumental masterpiece Crossing Of Fates.
When Dave was recording Keith Emerson’s modular Moog for Sonic Reality, Keith played a solo part which Dave built this piece around. This is keyboard heaven as Dave and Keith take turns to show their skills. The rhythm section on this track is a change from the rest of the album. Billy Sherwood was recruited on bass and drums are provided by Simon Phillips.
Theta is another instrumental with backing vocals by Durga and Maryam Tollar who has an amazing voice. Also on board for this track is another musician from the days of Thud. Satnam Ramgotra plays tabla which gives the track it’s mystical feel. This leads into My Old Friend which is dedicated to Kevin Gilbert. Once again Maryam provides stunning vocals. Russ Parrish from Steel Panther sheds his Satchel persona to reunite with his Thud band mates and provide a blistering solo.
Ocean Of Stars wasn’t originally meant to be on the standard album but it couldn’t not be. Everything about this track is perfect. If the Grammy’s or Brits handed out awards for songwriting instead of just being a popularity contest between record companies, this would take some beating.
Solitude is vocal heaven. They are provided by the beautiful songbirds from Aussie Floyd. Lorelei McBroom, Lara Smiles and Emily Lynn join the band for this chilled track. Drums are by Nick Mason via Sonic Reality.
Nothing is another song that could be played on mainstream radio. Co-written with Fernando this has an ELO feel to it and I think it could be a big hit. It features great solo’s from Dave and Fernando.
Erased is a short cinematic instrumental which leads into Realign. Both this and the following instrumental Nexus were originally meant to be on the standard release.
The next track is New World and this is another contender for the songwriting awards. The lyrics are sheer bloody poetry. Francis Dunnery plays lead guitar and David Longdon does an excellent job with the backing vocals.
The album closes with Redemption (Stranded parts 6-10) another five part epic clocking in at over twenty minutes. Francis plays lead guitar and gets co-writer credit for Resilience 2 and Steve Hackett plays on the last two sections Mirage Of The Machines and To The Light. The album closes with Hackett solo which is a great way to finish any album.
I must mention part eight. High On The Dunes is destined to become a concert highlight on par with Dave Gilmour on top of the wall or Genesis playing Afterglow, the section is spine tingling. It is so powerful that it is bought back as a secret track at the end of the album.
I asked the question, why should I buy this instead of the standard. Simply put you would be mad not to.
This is different to a lot of recent releases from progressive groups, we don’t get fifteen time changes within the first two minutes, strange off tempo drumming that sounds like he’s completely forgotten what song he’s playing or solo’s that seem to be nothing more than someone trying to tune their new 37 string bass guitar.
What you do get is a collection of well crafted music. Every track plays it’s part in the story, there is nothing that can be regarded as filler. The musicianship is first class as is the production and packaging.
The brilliant artwork was done by Christine Leakey, who also provides vocals on Ocean Of Stars and Premonition Suite and this is a good reason you should buy the CD instead of download.
Albums this good are as rare as hens teeth. For me this is the best album I’ve heard in a very long time. I know when it comes to handing out the awards at the end on the year, Steven Wilson will sweep the boards but in my opinion there is not a single track on Hand.Cannot.Erase that is anywhere near as good as anything on New World.
THEO, The Game of Ouroboros (Big-O Records, 2015)
Tracks: 1. The Game of Ouroboros, 2. The Blood That Floats My Throne, 3. Creatures of Our Comfort, 4. These are the Simple Days, 5. Idle Worship, 6. Exile
I love discovering new bands that are absolutely amazing! I just found out about THEO a few days ago, and the more I am learning about the music and the band the more I like it. THEO’s The Game of Ouroboros offers so much to the listener. It is a keyboard driven album in a very traditionally “prog” sense, yet it does not allow itself to be tied to that [rather loose] definition. 
THEO find themselves sailing anywhere from prog metal (in an almost Haken fashion, just not quite as chaotic) to straight-up classic prog, to jazz, to an almost funk sound. Their exploration of different sounds, especially through the keyboards, is brilliant. Apart from The Tangent, it seems that there are very few third wave prog bands that center around the keyboards as much as THEO do, yet it is never overdone. Think ELP or Yes keyboards – always just the right amount.
So who are THEO?
Jim Alfredson: keyboards, lead vocals
Gary Davenport: bass
Kevin DePree: drums, backing vocals
Jack Reichbart: guitars
Specials guests: Greg Nagy and Zach Zunis on guitars for the title song
The album itself is actually a bit of a dystopian concept album, but you wouldn’t know that from a passive listen. The music is not depressing in a Floydian Animals or The Wall sense, but rather it is quite upbeat. Thematically, however, the album gets off to a rather dark start. “The Game of Ouroboros” starts with a computerized phone answering machine reading Theo’s personal RFID chip, which contains all of his personal information. To be honest, the idea of chipping humans scares the crap out of me. Once the music begins, Jim Alfredson’s distinct vocals take over and shortly deliver this cheery line: “Bow to the corporations, concede your very life.” There’s a happy thought. Here’s another one, from the second song, “The Blood that Floats my Throne”: “a passive citizen is a happy citizen.” Yikes. THEO are very upfront with their concept, and they are not afraid to hide it.
(Random fun fact. The ouroboros is an ancient symbol of a serpent eating its own tail. Interesting to have this circular idea so prominent in a progressive rock album, considering the word progress is in the name of the genre.)
So, while there are clear dystopian elements to be found here, the music itself does not follow the traditional depressing dystopian themes so often heard in “dystopian” albums. The first song has an almost jazzy element to it, in parts, because it jumps around to different instrument solos, and the vocal section almost acts as an instrumental solo, as opposed to being layered over the music. I can’t honestly remember hearing any other band attempt to use vocalization in that manner, but I think it works really well, especially with Jim’s voice, which is unlike most traditional “prog” singers. The jazz sounds will give way to prog metal in other places, and even to a funky type of prog in the fifth song, “Idle Worship.”
My favorite aspect of this album is definitely the keyboards, although all the instrumentation is quite good. There is heavy bass, great guitar riffs, and great drums. But those keyboards. Man are they good. At some points it sounds like an actual pipe organ, and then I found out that it actually is a real pipe organ, the one at Hope College’s chapel in Holland, Michigan, to be precise. I’m not a big fan of organ music in church, mainly because I have grown up in churches that wouldn’t dream of purchasing an organ, and the few times I have heard organs in church, the music has been atrocious. Prog keyboardists should be playing and writing those hymns, and I’d be willing to bet that more pews would be full on Sundays. This particular organ sounds amazing. At other places, the keyboards take on a Dennis DeYoung Styx sound, and in even other places, we have traditional piano. It truly is wonderful to a keyboard lover like me.
I highly recommend THEO’s The Game of Ouroboros. It is a wonderful combination of many different styles of music, and it keeps the listener entertained throughout. The lyrics are strong, and the instrumentation is even stronger. To any fans of Keith Emerson or Rick Wakemen, this album is a must listen. To everyone else, listen to it as well. You won’t be disappointed.
Big-O Records – THEO – The Game of Ouroboros
Here’s a self-written bio for Inmateria, the amazing band whose eponymous 2015 album I told you about yesterday (and be sure to have a free listen to the whole fantastic ★★★★★ album):
INMATERIA is a Progressive Rock band that excels in their home country, Chile. They possess the quality of a being a band with a progressive sound that does not invoke one specific band, but really depends on the listener to hear and reminisce in their mind for their own influences. The memorable melodies of their Argentine-Chilean vocalist Solange Sosa make Inmateria a more accesible band that both the most relentless progressive rock listeners, and the ones who love melodies to hum, would love.
Their concept album “Inmateria” is composed of a continuous 10-part story called “La llama en el Mar” (“The Flame On The Sea”) and a second song, 10:30 in length, called “El Problema Del Mal” (“The Problem Of Evil”). “The Flame On The Sea” is a metaphor with many layers that talks about childhood, feeling out of place, depression, and innocence. It blends powerful progressive rock songs with more mellow tunes and instrumental themes that could be part of a film score.
The second song on the album, “El Problema Del Mal,” is a shorter 10:30 tune that talks about “The Problem Of Evil,” which refers to the idea that, if God is omnipotent and good, why is there evil in the world?
INMATERIA is:
Solange Sosa – Vocals
Matías Armstrong – Guitars and Keyboards
Luis Jaraquemada – Bass and Keyboards
Daniel Frommer – Drums
Gabriel Varela – Keyboards
1. Preludio (Instrumental) [01:54]
2. Lejos De Aquí [05:19]
3. Anormal [04:48]
4. La Inocencia (Instrumental) [02:48]
5. Fuera De Lugar [04:07]
6. En La Oscuridad [07:16]
7. La Búsqueda (Instrumental) [01:56]
8. Un Paso Atrás [03:57]
9. Flotar [07:01]
10. Epílogo (Instrumental) [02:58]
11. El Problema Del Mal [10:34]
Progarchy 