Listening to “Great Journeys” does not feel like experiencing an ordinary album. It is like opening a heavy, leather‑bound atlas whose pages crumble at the touch, releasing grains of Silk Road sand, flakes of Antarctic snow and a faint shimmer of cosmic dust. Colin Powell and Dave Allen — two British multi‑instrumentalists who play absolutely everything here (guitars, bass, keyboards, programmed drums) and share all vocal duties — have created a 75‑minute time‑traveling vessel that tears the listener away from everyday monotony and throws them into the deepest waters of human ambition. It is a tribute to those who preferred drawing maps rather than merely reading them. Powell brings to Riffstone the atmospheric sensibility he honed in A Multitude of One and Nova Cascade, where melancholic space meets cinematic storytelling. Allen, coming from the melodic prog outfit Spirergy, adds energy, drive and a love for dynamic, riff‑based structures. Their collaboration is a meeting of two worlds: Powell’s pastel emotionality and Allen’s more muscular, forward‑moving pulse. Together they make Riffstone sound like a band that could have existed in the 1970s — yet feels entirely contemporary.
The odyssey begins with the steam‑driven heartbeat of “The Orient Express.” It is Powell’s solo creation, opening the album with authentic locomotive sounds. Retro‑progressive textures intertwine with the elegance of old Europe, resurrecting the golden age of travel from Paris to Istanbul. It is not merely a track — it is a doorway into a world where each chapter is a different expedition.
“The Silk Road,” written jointly by Powell and Allen, leads us through the deserts of Persia, Samarkand and ancient China. The arrangement is rich, full of Eastern ornaments yet never slipping into cliché. It moves like a merchant caravan — slow, dignified, mysterious. In its pastel colors one hears echoes of Camel: melancholic guitar lines, pastoral keyboards, space that breathes.
“Himalayas” is a climb to the roof of the world. Synth layers and guitars ascend toward the icy peaks of Mount Everest, growing more monumental with every minute. This track does not describe mountains — it becomes mountains. Raw, majestic, full of air.
“Camino de Santiago” shifts the emotional tone. It is a spiritual walk, filled with reflection, faith and the fatigue of a long road. The guitars sound like footsteps of a pilgrim, while the keyboards glow like light entering through stained‑glass windows. In this fairytale‑like narrative one hears the spirit of Genesis and the solo works of Steve Hackett.
“South Pole” is an entry into the white desert of Antarctica. Harsh riffs collide with icy winds of synthesizers, forming a sonic portrait of a place that forgives nothing. Cold, merciless, yet beautiful in its stark simplicity.
“The Voyage of the Beagle” is Charles Darwin’s oceanic expedition. Dynamic, expansive, full of movement. You can hear waves, wind, discoveries, notes scribbled on the deck of HMS Beagle. The music flows.
“Mariana” is a descent into the deepest point of the planet. Dense bass, claustrophobic echoes, pressure that almost crushes the listener. This track does not describe the Mariana Trench — it simulates its darkness.
“Red Horizon” takes us to Mars. Prog‑rock weight merges with cosmic ambient, forming a vision of humanity’s first step on the Red Planet. It is music that looks forward.
And then comes the finale — “The Maps Are Fading To White.” Piano and cello intertwine in a nostalgic dialogue, like a traveler speaking softly to himself. It is a masterpiece of melancholy. After circling the Earth and touching Mars, the protagonist longs for only one thing — to return home.
“Great Journeys” is an album that bows deeply to the golden era of symphonic prog‑rock. Its cinematic conceptuality recalls The Alan Parsons Project, its melancholic solos echo Camel, its fairytale storytelling evokes Genesis and Hackett. But Riffstone is no imitation. It is a duo that understands that true prog‑rock does not need mathematical complexity if it has heart, a powerful riff and imagination.
This is an album for those who believe the world is larger than the maps suggest.
For those who want to feel wind on their face, snow on their hands, dust on their boots.
For those who know that the greatest journeys begin with a single sound.
