The live album was recorded during the band’s east coast mini-tour in late 2019 at My Father’s Place in the Roslyn Hotel, Long Island, New York. “Live From New York” features 75 minutes of music, including two songs from each of their last two albums and one brand new song Chasing the Lesser Light.
All purchases of the new album come with an immediate download of the (MPEG-4) concert filmed In New York during the recording of the live album.
Kinetic Element goes ECO-friendly with the new album. The CD is housed in ECO-friendly CD packaging called a Digipack Lite™ made from recyclable and post-consumer recycled materials. This is not the first time our label has used this type of packaging… It has also been used for releases by Allison vonBuelow, Aethellis, AmuZeum, Bomber Goggles, Colouratura, Darusso, Lisa LaRue, Murky Red, Potter’s Daughter, Scarlet Hollow, Sonic Divide, Ten Jinn and Transport Aerian have all released special eco- friendly CD packages, + the label has released 5 eco- friendly promotional CDs.
CD & Shipping outside the USA is $20.00 CD & Shipping in The USA $15.00
Recorded Live in October 2019 at “My Fathers Place” Rosyln NY
1. War Song 19:21 2. Into The Lair 09:00 3. Chasing The Lesser Light 20:45 4.Epistle 06:36 5. The Face of Life 19:26
Performed by Mike Visaggio (keyboards) Michael Murray (drums) Mark Tupko (bass) John Coleman (vocals) Peter Matuchniak (guitar)
Peter Hedeman – Video and Production Manager John Fig – House Audio, Don Gabis Monitor, and Mixer. Marc Greene – Stage Manager
This is the debut album from Dutch neo-prog band The Dame, which as the name might suggest is built heavily around the female lead singer, Marian van Charante. They have been gaining a lot of attention for their image and style, as apparently they aim to convey a feeling of the Roaring Twenties in what they do, although it must be said that with a download as opposed to a CD that isn’t necessarily apparent. For the most part, the keyboards are actually quite basic and in the background, but given that Thijs de Ruijter is actually the son of the guitarist Stephen and is just 16 years old perhaps that is understandable.
The songs feel like stories, which is very much a positive, and Marian moves between singing softly and bringing in elements of Alanis Morissette with her phrasing. It is pleasant enough, but this just doesn’t shine the way it should. Some of that is down to the arrangements which feel a little clunky at times, and the production which often pushes the snare drum over the top of the guitar. The use of acoustic guitar as an additional rhythm works well, but I can’t get nearly as excited over this as many others seem to be.
I have been having quite a few conversations with keyboard/sax player Marek Arnold about his various musical outlets, and he recently provided me with access to virtually everything that has been released by Toxic Smile. Prior to this, I had only heard their fourth album, ‘7’ (which was their seventh overall release), so I was looking forward to this and jumped into the task with relish. For those who haven’t come across them before, the band started as a collaboration between Marek, drummer Daniel Zehe and guitarist Uwe Reinholz in early 1996 when they were still students, really coming together as unit two years later when they were joined by singer Larry B. ‘M.A.D’ was their debut album, released in 2000, but what I am playing is the 2011 reissue which contains two additional songs, one of which is a cover (more of that later).
Musically these guys are at the intersection of prog metal, heavy prog, symphonic, crossover, neo-prog, and more straightforward hard rock. At times they are reminiscent of classic Saga, at others Dream Theater, while IQ has also had an impact, as has Steve Howe. What really ties this all together is the way that Marek and Uwe are joined at the hip, while bassist Robert Brenner is incredibly important to the overall mix with a strong warm bass that can be sat quietly at the back or also provide touches right at the front to provide a completely different and unexpected emphasis. The music swirls, it moves, it switches and loops like a rollercoaster, and right at the very front of this is Larry B., totally in control. He can be emotional, he can be rough and raw, or pure and melodic. The only time he comes unstuck is when the band play “Owner Of A Lonely Heart”. While the arrangement is interesting (I personally would have stuck with the harder riffs they used in the introduction), Larry is singing at the very limit of his range and has to go into falsetto. It would have been more interesting if they had moved away from trying to replicate Anderson and instead did something in a lower register to provide a harshness.
But, that and the sound quality of the snare drum are the only low points of what is a great debut album, and I find it strange that it has taken nearly twenty years for me to come across it and that there isn’t a single review of it on ProgArchives! Well, both of these issues have been rectified now. Well worth investigating.
Astralis is a Chilean progrock band rooted in 1999. The musical brainchild is guitarist and singer Patricio Vera-Pinto.
The music is scouting the borders between symphonic and neo prog with the emphasis on the latter genre, especially the early Marillion and Pendragon fans will be pleased. The varied, modern sounding keyboard work is wonderful and the guitarplay powerful, often very moving.
The Spanish vocals sound warm, it is a pleasant Latin-American flavor on this beautiful album by the promising Chilean progrock band Astralis.
A Visit To Chigwick is taken from the album Cocoon by Tiger Moth Tales.
Cocoon is a concept album on the subject of Childhood, and coming to terms with the loss of childhood. The journey goes through stages of Innocence, joy, imagination, stories, friendship, love, nature, nostalgia, grief, acceptance and rebirth.
“I would often write songs or instrumentals around a story or event. Sometimes these could be quite long pieces with unconventional structures. I suppose I always had a free form approach to composing, and although I didn’t know it at the time, I was writing music with progressive leanings from the age of eight well in to my teens.” (Pete)
Tiger Moth Tales is essentially the brain child of Nottinghamshire based composer, multi – instrumentalist and musician Peter Jones, who has been involved in the music industry performing around the UK and recording his own material since the late 90s At fifteen months old Pete lost his sight due to Retinoblastoma.
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