One of the things that still keep me excited about the progressive scene more than 30 years on from when I started writing about it is the way “unknown” bands can arrive fully formed producing debut albums that are exciting right from the off. In this case it all started when guitarist John Cook (ex-This Winter Machine, ex-This Other Eden) began writing new material and then brought in singer Charlie Bramald (Ghost of the Machine, Shadows On Mercury), bassist Mark Gatland (Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate, IT), and drummer Dom Bennison (Last Motion Picture, ex-This Winter Machine) to pull it all together – John, Mark and Dom all provide keyboards on this. Although Dom and John were both in This Winter Machine, I am not sure if they played together in that outfit, especially as Dom’s role in that band was guitarist (he is a real multi-instrumentalist). They also brought in singer Philip Stuckey to take on the lead role on “Take Me Down” while Ruby Jones provided piano and keyboards on both that song and “The Uninvited”.
When this band finally get included on ProgArchives it will be interesting to see what sub-genre picks them up as there are times when they are Crossover, others where they are veering into Prog Metal, but for the most part these guys are solidly Neo and to my mind that is where they firmly belong. This is incredibly polished material with great hooks and strong performances, it certainly never seems as if it is a debut album at all, and clearly shows that the guys have all been around, recording with their different bands. It means they have come out fully formed, complex and complicated with a sense of simplicity, guitars with bite and keyboards providing the supporting role and rarely providing lead melodies. Charlie’s vocals are totally on point, providing clarity and cutting through the accompaniment which can switch from supporting to edgy at the drop of a hat. It is strange to think that Dom has been providing guitar elsewhere as he is a superb drummer as well, and with Mark they combine to provide a solid foundation for John to lay his lines over the top.
The album feels very tight, yet they have maintained a use of space, so it never feels claustrophobic and each time I play this there is a little more to discover. For fans of Neo-style prog with plenty of rock guitar, powering hooks and good melodies combined with strong vocals then this is well worth discovering.
