Melodic Revolution Records is excited to announce the upcoming new album by Murky Red, “No Pocus Without Hocus” the bands first full length release in 3 years.
Murky Red returns after 3 years and delivers a record filled with addictive, memorable and electrifying songs. The title describes the album perfectly, the journey that Murky Red traveled, to complete their second album. The change of the band’s line-up, serious illnesses, the loss of loved ones, victims of fraud, financial and relational barriers… It seemed like The Murkies were cursed by the devil (although we paid him, the bloody twat. Wise lesson kids: never trust a devil).
According to the band: The making of ‘No Pocus Without Hocus’ was no walk in the park, but thanks to dedication, patience (ours and our fans’), friendship and a bit of sorcery, we returned with an album we’re all proud of.
The meaning of the album title is a variation of ‘no gain, no pain’, which reflects on the making of the album but also on daily life. Sometimes you need a little magic to help you through the daily struggles. But that doesn’t mean we made a pitch black, sad album. It’s a laugh and a cry album. The songs are about the normal everyday things that happen in your life; you hallucinate a bit, you discuss world problems with your cat, you get horny, you can’t sleep, you penetrate a mermaid with a fish stick… in fact this is the perfect soundtrack for your life! We know our listeners!
Musically, we stole all the best parts of Deep Floyd, The Black Doors, Led Sabbath and Dennie Christian, but you wouldn’t know it if we hadn’t told you. They endured the Murky-treatment: we put them all in big black cauldron, added 4 cans of blues sauce and spiced it with prog-herbs. We stirred it all up and let it simmer for about 2 years. The end result smells funny but it sounds just like Murky Red doing a cover of a Murky Red tribute band.
We asked Colin Tench (Corvus Stone, Oceans 5, CTP, Transmission Rails, The Minstrel’s Ghost, Coalition …) for his mixing – pocus and to be a guest on ‘Collateral Damage’. Colin immediately agreed and put a new set of strings on his cowbells. You really don’t want to miss this!
‘No Pocus Without Hocus’ should see an early to late fall release, as the album is in the final stages.
Track Listing: Pixelated Friends, Stoned And Horny, Sweet Dark Hypnosis, She’s Crying Diamonds, Nothing Can Go Wrong, A Wooden Groove, Collateral Damage, Bad Wolf Of The Pack, Wild Flower, Mermaids and Elena.
Genre: Art Rock / Symphonic / Progressive Rock Band
Other Genres IO Earth Use:
Rock, Ambient, Jazz, Classical, World, Progressive Rock, Dance, Celtic, Contemporary, Folk, Metal, Symphonic Rock, Crossover Prog and many many more! Basically,
IO Earth is GENRE DEFYING!
Band Members
Linda Odinsen: Lead & Backing Vocals Dave Cureton: Lead, Rhythm & Acoustic Guitar, Lead & Backing Vocals, Keyboards, Programming Luke Shingler: Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute & EWI Adam Gough: Keyboards, Theremin, Acoustic & Electric Guitar, Lead & Backing Vocals, Programming Jez King: Violin & Rhythm Guitar
‘Genre Defying’ as the band IO Earth places upon themselves is a total understatement. I would go on record now to say they ‘Genre Shattering’. I was as if a mirror were broken and the total sum of its shattered pieces represented many its influential parts. This band has deliberately made sure that the progressive rock/metal community use their own judgement and draw their own conclusion without any other influence outside what you hear on IO Earth’s – New World album.
This is perhaps one of the most challenging reviews I have written in my 15 years of reviewing albums. Although the band has two other studio releases before New World, it is in fact New World that will cement them as one of the top progressive bands in the world today. New World is a double album with 16 tracks. None of those 16 tracks are alike yet they still have the IO Earth signature to them where you know it is them without second guessing.
Following in the tradition of Renaissance and Annie Halsam with Renate Knaupf of Amon Duii during the the pioneer years of women in and Joanna Hogg of IONA and Christina Booth of Magenta with some Heather Findley ex-Mostly Autumn,Linda Odinsen of IO Earth bridges the gap between the pioneers and innovators and transcends generations with her power yet beautiful vocal melodies on New World. That is no easy task either considering IO Earth can not be pigeonholed into any one genre. At times Linda Odinsen reminds me of even Candice Night of Blackmores Night in certain areas of New World.
Move As One opens up as if ocean waves are crashing against the shore. It is also as if LindaOdinsen and the Adam Gough – keyboards are standing at the edge of the shore in this open ballad. Move As One is a definitely sets the mood for Redemption.
Redemption begins as a straight away prog metal/rock vibe with Dave Cureton letting it rip. There is some killer rhythm riffs between Christian Jerromes -Drums & Percussion and Christian Nokes – Bass Guitar & Double Bass. Linda then comes in and uses her voice for more of a orchestral chant than actual vocal. At the 2:28 mark Luke Shingler – uses a tenor Saxophone to create a killer spot on far east oriental sound. At the 2:58 mark the band employs a delightful Arabic scale with the combination of Jez King – Violin and either Dave Cureton or Adam Gough on keyboards. Redemption definitely begins to convince the listener that this band is truly ‘Genre Defying’. At the 4:00 mark there is a killer signature bending guitar solo that works off time yet on time with the rest of the instrumental.
Journey To Discovery reminds me much of the chant vocal work Nightwish used on their CenturyChild and Once albums, especially on a track like Ghost Love Score. At the :28 markDave Crueton really lets it out. At the 1:00 mark it is as if Linda created her own language for this track especially in the opening verse. Thr drums contain some great melodic chimes in the background. Journey To Discovery is just that a discovery of the bands continued arsenal of talent of progression.
Trance begins with a beautiful acoustic passage. At the :32 mark there is a great yet bizzare spoken word segment combined with gorgeous chants. Trance sits on a pure Arabic scale and vibe both in the rhythm section and stringed section. It also contains male backing chants serving as backing vocals. The soprano saxophone reminds me a lot of early work of the band Chicago and later Magellan, however with a more Arabic middle eastern scale progression.
Morning opens with a lush harmony of piano like keyboards and flute setting a ethereal mood for the fabulous vocals of Linda. Morning reminds me of elements Blackmores Night uses on albums such as Ghost Of A Rose and Village Lantern with elements IONA used on albums like The Kell’s and Journey To The Mourn. Lyrically it is a introspective song of love and inviting it in to one’s life.
Collision lives up to its name alone. This is the band at its ‘Genre Shattering’ best. There is a certain explosion of several time signatures, tones and progressions and killer drum chimes. Although it is number 6 in the arrangement this is the track where the band really tighten up in sound, vibe and instrumentally. This is also one of the darker tracks on New World opening with a deep dark atmospheric passage. The intro is as dark as many chamber music tracks however in a progressive rock/metal vibe. I anticipate Collision to be a favourite in live sets also.
Fade To Grey a wonderful acoustical intro before it explodes with a layered stringer section between the violin perfectly timed with the rhythm section. Fade To Grey in its nature is a progressive rock ballad. This is definitely one written and recorded with more layering progressions in mind than say a typical progressive time signature. The saxophone solo really adds a acid jazz vibe to it before the guitars come layered with the sax to produce a unique sound. The guys really compliment Linda with their backing vocals towards the end.
New World Suite is another track that opens much like a chamber like track with a dark violin and wonderful cymbal and chime percussion work beautifully coming together in harmony. Soon it takes off like a straight on progressive rock track with multiple time signatures and hooks. There are points in New World Suite that remind me of a film score with the violin and percussion signatures running alongside vocal chants. New World Suite sounds as if they are all watching a film and recording a score with a conductor front and centre.
Insomnia starts off with a dark keyboard passage with a spoken word verse in the background. This is followed up with the many instruments in a orchestral progression. Soon the vocals kick in really dark ambient in nature. The chorus contains heavy elements combined with a choir style vocal layered with Linda’s lead vocal. Another highlight to Insomnia is the beautiful soprano sax blended and layered with spoken word passages telling a story. The vocal chorus’ are borderline metal in nature however appealing to the progressive rock purist. The guitar solo and rhythm solo has some serious wicked time signatures play off one another and at times are blistering making this one of the heavier tracks on New World.
Red Smoke begins with a world music style vibe much like Enya or Dead Can Dance. The drums have this odd style time signature that stands out the traditional 4/4. About the the 2:00 mark DaveCrueton has a wicked distorted guitar vibe that plays off the already wicked rhythm section. About the 3:58 mark Linda’s vocal sounds like a cross of Annie Halsam Prog Rock Britannia and Renate Knaupf with a old school Krautrock vibe combined. Another highlight is the Arabic Scale played in different keys.
The Rising begins with a spoken word section much like a news report talking about the events of September , 11th , 2001. After which the guitar goes :30 seconds with a melancholic passage. 2:00 minutes in the tenor saxophone comes in harmony with the string section and the keyboard section. The Rising tastefully pays respect to those lost that day in instrumental harmony. The Rising reminds me a lot of Dream Theater’s – The Spirit Carries On with a twist of Sacrificed Sons. The Rising is a track that explains in very few words the triumph over tragedy.
Body And Soul continues with the dark slow atmospheric passage intro’s that the second half of NewWorld seems to have. This is very introspective lyrically. About the 2:30 mark the track gets quite a bit heavier with the band playing with more conviction. One of the highlights is most definitely the flute in the middle in time and sync with the double kick cymbals in the percussion area. At the 5:00mark it once again takes off with heavier melodies and harmonies both lyrically and instrumentally.
Colours starts out with a really heavy bottom rhythm harmony between guitar, bass and drums with some small shred elements incorporated. IO Earth display the very many sides and time signatures they have within their harmonic arsenal. Colours is a track that even will sit well with the most picky progressive hard rock/metal purists. The guitar time progression towards the end reminds me a little of Crimson Glory’s – Where Dragons Rule off 1986’s Transcendence.
Follow begins like a atmospheric melodic fog setting over the acoustical progression. At the 1:00 mark takes off and gets heavier. This is yet again one of those ‘Genre Defying’ tracks due to the fact the male vocals sound more like the more ambient alternative band like The Church – Under TheMilky Way than anything in the progressive rock scene. The guitar solo smoke towards the end.
Dreams open almost in a reggae zydeco vibe. The male and female ambient vocals are like nothing I have truly heard and to make comparison here would not do it justice. Dreams as a whole has a soothing quality to it. It is most definitely for those who like ambient rock with killer jazz saxophone’s and drums. It is like ambient progressive jazz than anything.
New World has a more traditional progressive rock. With steady hard rock passages and typical keyboard tracking. It is also perfectly arranged where the track serves as a finale track to this double album known as its namesake New World. It has great piano passage in the middle with vocals serving more as instrumental chants. The drums truly surface as the backbone in this one as well.
As I end this review I sit here in shock about how so many genres, time signatures and chord progressions were represented. I have not been it this amount of awe and wonder of a band like IOEarth’s – New World since Pain of Salvation’s BE. IO Earth have a uncanny ability to move more past the conventional wisdom on how Progressive Rock/Metal albums should be written and recorded.
Although it is only August IO Earth’s- New World sits in my top 3 of Albums of 2015. It is definitely a strong contender for my ‘Prog Album of 2015.’ I give this a 5/5 for sheer talent and originality.
Over twenty plus years and 11 albums to their credit, Symphony X have surely been a banner band in the world of progressive metal. Along with some of their typical peers such as Dream Theater, Vanden Plas, Pain Of Salvation, Fates Warning, etc , Symphony X have had a influential hand in the community of progressive metal that has held up of the course of time.
While some bands have gone through roster changes, revamped sounds, and going off to the land of solo & side project land, Symphony X have managed to stay together as one of the stronger more cohesive units. Members have done that as well, however once they come back together as a band it has been as if they never took a break and remained consistent in their sound, attitude and structure.
Their new offering Underworld confirms and justifies all my claims mentioned above. Underworld certainly has elements of their last three albums Iconoclast, Paradise Lost and Odyssey. The band also continues to mature and grow with every album they release. Although their are no 10-25 minute epics like Divine Wings Of Tragedy, Odyssey & Iconoclast, the album is still epic in nature. The band has kept Underworld more in the vibe of The Damnation Game, V: The Mythology Suite and Paradise Lost. With all that now said let’s examine Symphony X’s – Underworld.
Overture opens up with killer male choir like chat much in the vein as home Prelude opened up 2000’s V: The Mythology Suite. Mike Pinnella’s keyboard sets a very dark mood before the rest of the band goes into a unified orchestral progression of rhythm between the bass of Mike LePond and drum work of Jason Rullo that continues like a march to melodic battle towards the next track Nevermore.
Nevermore takes off with a blistering progressive/power metal signature. Russell Allen soon enters in with some of the very serious aggressive vocals which he has seemed to execute since Paradise Lost. Vocals that are very smooth and melodic on one hand and on the other hand a more rough crunchy almost growl. The instrumental portion is a bit progressive thrash metal in nature. The are some wicked signatures and hooks that subtly come up to grab the listener especially with the shred solo’s by Michael Romeo.
Underworld is obviously the title track on the album. Underworld has some of the most brutal vocals I have ever heard from Russell Allen. It is as if he picked up where Iconoclast left of. There is also a wonderful male choral chant serving as backing vocals. Mike LePond’s bass work really starts to show through in its very distinctive style. The very distinctive style that makes him one of the foremost sought after bass players for other musicians and projects outside Symphony X.
Without You has a more traditional old school melodic sound the band had with Edge Of Forever from 199’5 s The Damnation Game, Candlelight Fantasia from 1997’s The Divine Wings OfTragedy or Wicked from 2002’s The Odyssey. Mike Pinnella’s keyboard work is a major highlight on this one.
Kiss Of Fire is without a doubt the heaviest and most brutal track on Underworld. Jason Rullo damn near enters the realms of black metal with his relentless double bass drum blast beats. The bridge, chorus, verse combination’s flow much in a Pantera southern groove metal vibe. Kiss Of Fire most definitely has some of Michael Romeo’s most diverse lead to rhythm work in the band’s history. The lyrical content even compliments the instrumental perfectly.
Charon displays some great melodic elements. Although it is only 6:06 in time it contains some elements that the bands 24:09The Odyssey. The vocals are smooth and harmonic with the chord progression’s and rhythm sections. There is a killer time signature on the Outro in this one.
To Hell And Back sounds like a departure of the typical Symphony X ‘majestic sound’. In some ways the intro sounds like a really heavy ‘AOR/Hard Rock’ progression. However not for long. To Hell And Back is very diverse following some killer time signatures on different key sounds and notes. The way they wrote and recorded this makes the guitar solo sound like two solo’s into one signature. At the midway point the vocals are very tastefully brutal. There appears to be a guitar/instrumental solo every 2:50 mark then the band goes back to lead verse in different progressions and keys.
In My Darkest Hour is a 4:22 progressive frenzy going from smooth slow melodic harmonies to majestic bridge, chorus, verse work. The other highlight that is obvious is the fast progressive groove metal instrumentals. This one again contains a shred style guitar solo perfectly timed.
Run With The Devil is a highly up tempo track crafting fast aggressive signatures. This track is a sheer fast, aggressive instrumental song with smooth vocal melodies. The time signatures between instrumental and vocals go from one range to the other side of the spectrum throughout the entire composition. The keyboards and guitars make for a unique smooth sound on this one as well.
Swansong begins with a beautiful piano and drum combination. The piano and drums definitely remind me of Accolade I and Accolade II with portions of V: The Mythology Suite. Swansong most definitely has the warmest harmonies and vocals on Underworld.
Legend starts as a straight away prog metal song with some powerful, yet basic 4/4 signatures. It contains very fast instrumental melodies with the instrumentalists, with Michael Romeo bending the stray wicked chord in certain portions. Even is some portions Russell Allen uses his voice as an instrument to portray a few chants. Legend is also arranged perfectly on the album being the last track.
Symphony X have created another great well written and produced masterpiece with Underworld. Anyone of the tracks on this album will be great to hear live. This gets a 4/5 for arrangement and its evolutionary nature. It will be interesting to listen to any of these tracks live as well.
According to Unified Past, a new chapter has begun for us with the addition of Emmy Award Winning Vocalist Phil Naro.
The new CD, “Shifting the Equilibrium”, is right on schedule for a September release. In the mid-term the band thought they we would give fans a glimpse, and a taste of what is ahead. This is the first time people get to hear Unified Past with the addition of Phil Naro (Backhand, Druckfarbin, Corvus Stone) as their newest member of the band on vocals. Today Unified Past posted a video of their reinterpretation of a progressive rock classic “From the Beginning” by veteran Proggers ELP.
“From the Beginning” will not be released on the new CD, instead it will be offered as a free digital-only bonus track, and will only be available for the first 100 people that pre-order the new CD. This is just one of the perks planned for the upcoming pre-order of “Shifting the Equilibrium”. Stay tuned for more information.
Petri Lindström Project will release “My Time Is Now” on Tuesday July 28th, it is the first single from the upcoming debut “Hail To Sabbath” due out early to mid 2016.
According to Petri Lindström “The first release under the banner of “Petri Lindström Project” will pay tribute to what I consider to be one of the world’s greatest bands. I have been influenced by the music of Black Sabbath since I first heard them at a very young age, so it was with this in mind, that I would record my first solo album as a tribute to Black Sabbath. However this is not an album of Black Sabbath cover songs, it is simply a tribute to a band that created a sound that inspired me as a musician. All the six compositions on the album are original and will feature various special guest.”
“Hail To Sabbath” lineup is: Petri ‘Lemmy’ Lindström: Guitars, Bass & Keyboards
Special Guests: Blake Carpenter: (The Minstrel’s Ghost, Voice of The Enslaved, Corvus Stone) Vocals Juha-Matti Koppelomäki: (Wolfhorde) Solo Guitar, Recording, Mixing & Mastering Janne Ahonen: Drums
Petri Lindström is the founder, Bass Player and creative force behind Finland’s very own Progeland, other bands and projects include experimental prog band Corvus Stone and US prog metal band Voice of The Enslaved.
Official Website and Social Network Links Coming Soon!
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