UK progressive rockers Frost* recently announced the release of their brand new double concept album ‘Life In The Wires’, due out October 18th, 2024 via InsideOutMusic. “Every prog band worth their salt really should do a double album, shouldn’t they?” asks Frost* frontman Jem Godfrey. “We’ve always kind of had this idea of wanting to do one. So I sat down last summer and thought, well, I’m just gonna have to get my head down and go for it.”
Today sees the launch of the track ‘Moral & Consequence’, a song that appears later in the story, and you can watch it now here:
Jem Godfrey comments: “Moral and Consequence is a song of two halves, you’ll never guess what each section is called… In 2008, on our 2nd album “Experiments In Mass Appeal”, I sang – “The ideal and the innocence, the moral and the consequence. Core desire, it’s a real Livewire, setting my life on fire, oh it’s unreal.” It’s not a sequel to the song from 2008, but at the same time it is. It’s a bit complicated, all will be revealed on the new album.”
*** “It’s actually a continuation from Day and Age” explains Godfrey, “the first track on the new album starts with the end of the last track from that album “Repeat to Fade,” where the static comes up and a voice says “Can you hear me?”. I remember putting that in when we did Day and Age as a possible little hook for the future; a character somewhere out there in Day and Age land trying to be heard. What does he want to say? Can anybody hear him? Day and Age kind of sets up the world that this character lives in and Life In The Wires tells his story”.
The story revolves around the main character Naio, an aimless kid heading for a meaningless future in an A.I. run world. He hears an old DJ talking on the ancient AM radio his mother once gave him and decides to trace the source of the signal and find “Livewire” to see if there’s a better future out there. However, the All Seeing Eye is less than impressed at this bid for independent thought and fights back. Soon Naio finds himself pursued across the country by an outraged mob as he tries to locate the home of Livewire and his freedom. Tune in at www.lifeinthewires.com and see if you can hear Livewire on the radio.
Helping create this parallel world are the “classic” Frost* lineup of guitarist John Mitchell, bassist Nathan King, and returning drummer Craig Blundell.
Fans of the band’s masterful debut album Milliontown (2006) will enjoy the band revisiting the style that made that debut album one of the most successful prog rock albums of the last 20 years, a fact that was not lost on Godfrey as he was writing this new record.
“With Day and Age, we made it a very specific point: we’re not doing any solos, we’ll do clever arrangements. And we enjoyed that discipline, but this time I thought it might be good to row back on that position a bit. Plus, I wanted to have a little bit of a nod to Milliontown with this album, because it’s been nearly 20 years since Milliontown came out and I’m still proud of it. The 15-minute title track has a few of those Milliontown moments in it which were great fun to do again.”
‘Life In The Wires’ will be available as a Limited 2CD, Gatefold 180g 2LP & as Digital Album, with subtle difference across the 3 formats for added interest. The album features artwork design by Carl Glover, who also designed the cover of ‘Day And Age’. The full track listing is as follows:
CD1:
1. Skywaving 1:57 2. Life in the Wires, Part 1 5:30 3. This House Of Winter 6:10 4. The Solid State Orchestra 6:35 5. Evaporator 8:09 6. Strange World 5:09 7. Idiot Box 4:59 8. Absent Friends 3:58
CD2:
1. School (Introducing The All Seeing Eye) 3:12 2. Propergander 5:34 3. Sign Of Life 5:44 4. Moral And Consequence 8:13 5. Life in the Wires, Part 2 15:51 Starting Fires 4:40
UK underground progressive champions Dawnwalker unveil their latest opus The Unknowing. Helmed by mastermind and songwriter Mark Norgate, The Unknowing features an exciting new cast of players including Luke Fabian (ex-Pupil Slicer), Sofia Sourianou (Deathbloom, Lure In), Chris J Allan (ex-Malefice) and flautist Bella Band. Conceived across three studio albums, The Unknowing promises a sharply tuned focus on songwriting, harmony and sonic finesse through a new found foray into heavy, art-rock flavoured songs.
Main songwriter Mark Norgate hints that “T he album deals with grand themes that we’ve been reaching for throughout our whole discography; a conscious move away from post-metal towards something spacier and more progressive; and probably more pop too.” The Unknowing promises to challenge fans and listeners as a concept album meditating on grand themes concerning our shared search for belonging, and our desire to know our place in this vast, hostile and unknowable universe.
Following their widely acclaimed fifth album House Of Sand, Dawnwalker continue to build their legacy independently and will self-release The Unknowing on October 18th in-house on classic black Vinyl, plus a limited blue marbled vinyl variant, making The Unknowing is a relic for record collectors. In late 2023, Dawnwalker completed a short double-headlining UK tour with HealthyLiving, initiating some of this new recording line-up ahead of the album writing and studio process. The band have also shared stages with the likes of <Bruit, Sacred Son, Bodies On Everest, Sugar Horse, Novere, and more.
Progressive rock band Joe Deninzon & Stratospheerius spent six years making their sixth album, “Impostor!” due on 7d Media (City Hall Distribution) on October 11, 2024. The songs share stories of emotional battles Joe has observed in his life and the outside world.
“Sometimes you write a bunch of songs and don’t see the thread that binds them together until they are all on one album.”
“Impostor!” is being released on Trey Gunn’s 7d Media and features Joe (electric 7-string violin, acoustic violin, viola, chin cello, lead and background vocals, and producer), Michelangelo Quirinale-(Guitars), Paul Ranieri (bass), Jason Gianni (drums), and Bill Hubauer (keyboards). “Impostor!” is mixed and mastered by Rich Mouser (Tears for Fears, Dream Theater, Weezer).
Now the band are pleased to share the video for the new single “Outrage Olympics”. Watch the video here:
“‘Outrage Olympics’ criticizes cancel culture. It shows both the world at large and his band being spied upon by drones and cameras in a present-day dystopia.”
‘Impostor!’ features many outstanding guests and tackles a number of topics. “Cognitive Dissonance” features guest vocals from Randy McStine (Steven Wilson, Porcupine Tree) explores how religious intolerance destroys childhood friendships. “Storm Surge” explores anxiety and features some legends in the prog world, including pianist/flautist Rachel Flowers, guitarist Fernando Perdomo (“Echo in the Canyon,” Jacob Dylan, Carmine Appice), and Saga vocalist Michael Sadler, who co-wrote the song with Joe and the group’s drummer Jason Gianni. Inspired by Friedrich Burgmuller’s 19th century piano piece, “L’Orage (the Storm).”
The title track addresses impostor syndrome and the epic “Chasing the Dragon” about “ unrealized dreams and expectations, ‘Are we ever satisfied?’ The dragon represents that elusive goal, always just out of reach.” The song features guest vocalist Chloe Lowery (Trans-Siberian Orchestra).
The album also includes the Jean Luc Ponty/Jerry Goodman-inspired instrumentals “Voodoo Vortex Part I & II.” The song title, “Tripping the Merry-Go-Round” is taken from Bruce Springsteen’s lyric in “Blinded by the Light.” Joe performs most of the acoustic strings and describes the song; “If Gentle Giant wrote ‘Eleanor Rigby.’ It’s a snapshot of a long relationship where the ‘merry-go-round’ of life keeps people from making adequate time for each other.”
Stratospheerius also covers King Crimson’s “Frame by Frame” with backup vocals from Val Vigoda (Groovelilly).
Joe’s music’s been compared to Rush, Muse, Dream Theater, and Kansas, who welcomed Joe into the band in May 2023. “While Kansas became my main gig, it was my work with Stratospheerius that got their attention.” Looks like all that “dragon chasing” paid off for Joe and his bandmates!
CLEAR VINYL Signed by both Rick Wakeman and Gordon Giltrap – Limited to 250 Copies
“From Brush & Stone” is a studio album by guitarist Gordon Giltrap and keyboardist Rick Wakeman. The album is the first opportunity to record together for Gordon Giltrap and Rick Wakeman. Both are longtime friends who have been on separate musical paths for forty years.
“Having known Gordon for more years than we both care to remember and having great admiration for both his musical and technical ability plus his unique style of composing, it was a no-brainer for us to produce this album together. Logically, I played exactly what I felt was needed on Gordon’s compositions and he played exactly what he felt was needed on mine – another no-brainer. It’s one of those albums where every time you listen to it you discover something new in the music. Each track evokes a different emotion for the listener which indeed it did for Gordon and myself when we recorded the tracks. An album I think we can be rightly proud of.” – Rick Wakeman
“In 1963 at age 15 I was forced to leave school by my well-meaning father, suggesting that I learn a trade thus abandoning any hope I had of going to art college. Since becoming a writer of tunes I think subconsciously I have been using music as my creative canvas. I have always found that paintings have been a great source of inspiration culminating in 1976 with the William Blake inspired Visionary album and then in 1981 with Peacock Party followed by the Pre-Raphaelite inspired Brotherhood Suite. When the opportunity came along to make an album with my old friend and towering keyboard genius Rick Wakeman I put forward my Brotherhood Suite as a concept and starting point. Rick responded very positively and came back with his idea of classical sculpture as an inspiration. This he did superbly. I was given the luxury of time to work on his compositions, about 6 months in fact, and I hope I did justice to his creations. It was and continues to be an honour to have worked with one of the great Godfathers of progressive rock.” – Gordon Giltrap
Tracklist: Side One 1. The Savannah Bird 2. Caesar Augustus 3. The Kiss 4. Hermes Side Two 1. The Thinker 2. David 3. The Discus Thrower 4. The Last of England Spring Side Three 1. The Death of Chatterton 2. The Light of the World 3. World 4. By Angle Tarn 5. Maddie Goes West Side Four (Previously Unreleased) 1. A Dublin Day 2. Down The River 3. Isabella’s Wedding
Personnel: Gordon Giltrap – guitars Rick Wakeman – keyboards Production Produced by Erik Jordan, Gordon Giltrap and Rick Wakeman. Guitar recording sessions engineered by Paul White at Malvern Studios. Keyboard recording sessions engineered by Erik Jordan at Pavilion Studios. Mixed by Erik Jordan at Jordan Audio Studios. Artwork by Jan Leytham-Gain. Additional photography by Lee Wilkinson. Special thanks to Malcolm ‘Mad Malc’ Welch.
The first single “Outrage Olympics” is now streaming on all digital platforms. Plus the album Impostor! is available for pre-order on Bandcamp and the 7D Media website.
Led by the remarkable Kansas violinist/guitarist Joe Deninzon, who also serves as the frontman and lead singer, Stratospheerius boasts a talented lineup including guitarist Michelangelo Quirinale (Thrilldriver), keyboardist Bill Hubauer (Neal Morse Band, Crack the Sky), bassist Paul Ranieri (Mark Wood, Riot Act), and drummer Jason Gianni (Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Rock of Ages, Neal Morse Band).
The band’s sixth album “Impostor!” will be released on October 11 by 7d Media. Their album features an impressive array of guest musicians from the prog rock world, such as Michael Sadler (Saga), Randy McStine (Porcupine Tree), Fernando Perdomo (Jacob Dylan), Chloe Lowery (Trans-Siberian Orchestra), Val Vigoda (Groovelilly), and multi instrumentalist Rachel Flowers.
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