Many years ago, long before the days of progressive rock being back in fashion and being discussed in the mainstream, I had been at a gig in London. Afterwards the normal band of hardcore progheads had gathered together, and there was only one topic that everyone wanted to talk about, “Had anyone else heard this amazing debut album that had been released in the States?”. The album was ‘The Light’, and the band was of course Spock’s Beard, and it amazed me firstly that everyone knew about it when it was yet to be made available properly in the UK but also that we all felt the same way. Fast forward to 2017 and I was in conversation with Artur at MLWZ in Poland asking him he thought of the new Cast album, and while he loved it he wanted to know what I thought of the new Barock Project release as it was amazing. The following week I asked Windhawk up in Norway the same question, and received the same response, which got me thinking that if two of my greatest progressive friends both thought the same thing I really ought to get onto it.
A short time later and I had this, their fifth release, playing and I immediately knew exactly what all the fuss is about: this is incredible. It is music like this that first got me into progressive rock – it is complex, it is magical, it keeps jumping into unexpected musical places, all with a sense of joy and happiness. I’m not going to bother trying to pick out all the musical clues and keys to their influences as they are many and diverse, but they have put them together in a way that is new and different, yet also incredibly melodic and the whole album is immediately accessible the very first time it is played.
The four-piece band of Luca Zabbini (lead vocals, keyboards, guitars (electric, acoustic & 12-string), mixing & mastering), Marco Mazzuoccolo (electric guitar), Francesco Caliendo (bass) and Eric Ombelli (drums, percussion) have been joined by three additional singers in Alex Mari, Ludovica Zanasi and Peter Jones and the vocals are wonderful, but it is the diversity of the music and how it is performed that keeps the listener glued to the speakers. I can’t pick a favourite song, as whatever is playing is always the one I want to listen to most, whether it is with vocals and just a simple piano, or harpsichord, or something that is way more bombastic and over the top. These guys are masters of all the styles, and I am having a hard time understanding that they have been around for years yet it is the first time I have ever come across them.
That is something I am going to have to get on top of it, as if the rest of their output is even half as good as this then they are all essential. There have already been some incredible albums released this year, and this one may just be the best of the lot. This is indispensable. When it comes to progressive rock, it just doesn’t get any better than this.
