Babal releases Limited Edition LP, CD, also available a digital release includes original art by Paul Kopal and Andy White.
All profits from this release to benefit Macmillan Cancer Support charity which provides specialist health care, information, and financial support to people affected by cancer in the UK.
CD Cover Art
Track Listing 1. FRANK’ S LAMENT 09:31 2. THE AXE 03:31 3. BONES & BLOOD (new version) 03:45 4. ENDLESS RE-RUN SOCIETY (live) 05:44
In November 2018, Vocalist Karen Langley received a shocking diagnosis that she was suffering from potentially terminal blood cancer. thankfully through intensive, life-saving chemotherapy and a stem-cell transplant, she has recovered and the cancer is in remission.
Our world was turned upside down, inside out, through the wormhole and back again. Everything changed. The focus was on Karen’s illness. BABAL went dark and all energy went into living with the unknown and not giving in to black thoughts. Throughout, Rob carried on getting existing BABAL material produced and put out as well as looking after Karen.
The good news is that Karen is through the worst and is now on the path of recovery. BABAL’s new release came out of all the uncertainty and anguish. So much love and support over the year have kept us going mentally and physically and our music continues to evolve with all perspectives remaining on authenticity and inner creative impulses.
We are not defined by illness or bad luck or even the past; we meet in the now and are thankful for the continuation that prevails.
Small things become important and big things happen when you are looking at the flowers. Be ready xx
Enjoy the new music; all profits to benefit Macmillan Cancer Support charity which provides specialist health care, information, and financial support to people affected by cancer in the UK.
Here I am writing about a compilation album which you cannot buy, but is easy to obtain. Perhaps I had better let Nick Katona explain: “Each Year we host a holiday release to showcase many bands and artists that you may not be aware of; but should be. The album will feature many styles of holiday music and original music; all of which will touch your heart and soul. May it inspire you for in giving, we receive so much more. To receive your copy as a gift from MRR and with the kind permission of all of our contributing artists we ask you to commit a great act of kindness. Send us proof of you donating to your local charity of choice, it can be your time, or tangible goods such as blankets, food or clothing. Think outside of the box, donate your time at the local food bank, soup kitchen or shelter. Certainly, the hospitals would be grateful for volunteers or donate blood today and save a life. We would like to promote the good deeds of great citizens and with your permission, we will share your photos on our page set up this holiday season to spread the good news.”
15 songs, nearly 80 minutes in length: one thing I really enjoyed about this album is the sheer variety, and it has allowed me to come across bands I have not heard of before. ‘The Sled’ starts with two of these, Jennifer Cutting’s Ocean Orchestra and Jack Potter. “Fall Leaves, Fall” is stunning in its arrangement, and I felt that I was listening to a reborn version of Renaissance, with beautiful orchestration, great woodwind, stunning rock guitar, and a singer who reminded me of Annie Haslam. A short piece of detective work later and I discovered that it was indeed Annie and that this song came out a few years ago. This is one of the delights of this album, as it truly is meant to be broad and wide-reaching, so while it does include songs from MRR artists, of course, it isn’t restricted to just that. Jack Potter’s “Snow Globe” is delicate, starting with just piano and again wonderful vocals, this time care of Salley Elsey. Taken from the ‘Pride Before The Fall’ album which was released earlier this year, I was reading more about it when I started filling up and had to compose myself for a minute. The reason is that one of the guitarists is none other than Colin Tench, and I don’t think any of us who knew him will ever really get over his loss last Christmas, so to find him on a Christmas album for 2018 feels both poignant and fitting. I know he would have a laugh about it.
I have always been a fan of Don Schiff, so it is great to see him here, while one of MRR’s newest signings, DC Snakebuster shows that rough and raw blues, with some great harmonica, also has a place at Christmas. Federico Fantacone provides some gorgeous piano, while Darrel Treece-Birch treats us to a song from his new album, ‘The first step..is to take one’ with the glorious “For Giving” which contains not only the sweeping keyboards we have come to expect but also some glorious guitar. Andy John Bradford is in fine form with “Raise A Glass For Christmas”, and overall the whole album is a delight.
So, what are you waiting for? This album is streaming until the end of January, but you can get your own copy now just by doing something for others at Christmas. Surely that is what the season should be about, instead of the commercial brashness it has become? Think outside the box, make a difference. Many already do so without any thought of reward, and for those who do, then here is a gift from some wonderful musicians just to say thanks.
Casey McPherson, the vocalist for prog rock supergroups Flying Colors and The Sea Within, is pleased to announce the release of a new Alpha Rev album entitled ‘Alpha Rev presents Cas.e Sessions, Volume 1.’ Alpha Rev is the singer/songwriters own project that he has spearheaded since 2005. The album is a collection of songs written over the course of the last two years as part of the singer’s monthly fan-subscription service, The Cas.e Sessions.
You can see the lyric video for the track “My Evolution” here:
After recording and performing with bands for most of his career, Casey McPherson wanted to do something outside the box, a more in-depth artistic look into life for him… so, he started a music and video experience called the Cas.e Sessions. The Cas.e Sessions explores creating songs around a relevant topic or experience and documents the whole process. Every month, the members of the Cas.e Sessions get a new song, a short documentary around the song, and an online live show, which has allowed McPherson to make a record completely independent, fully funded by the members.
Casey had this to say about the song and album:
“’My Evolution’ captures a lot of what I’ve learned from Flying Colors. I also ended up playing every instrument on the recording so that was a fun challenge. You won’t know what you’re capable of until you try!
I didn’t intend to release the Cas.e Sessions Volume 1 to the general public, just to the Cas.e Sessions members, mostly because I recorded each song in a day and wasn’t thinking about how it would be received. Maybe that was a good thing? Looking back, I’m very proud of the journey it takes you on!”
Tracklisting:
1.Changeling
2.My Evolution
3.I’m a Refugee
4.White Matter Recess
5.Everyone’s Charade
6.You Are the Peacemakers
7.Song of Aleppo
8.Write Your Name
9.Help Me
10.Stillness for Humans
Casey McPherson is a singer/songwriter who began his recording career with the band Endochine in 2004. A year later he formed Alpha Rev and found success in the pop/alternative world with that band’s second album New Morning and that album’s title track. “New Morning” was added on VH1, and it became a top 10 hit on the AAA radio charts, as did “Sing Loud” from the 3rd record “Bloom.”
In 2012, he was approached by Flying Colors manager Bill Evans at the suggestion of drummer Mike Portnoy, who was a fan of McPherson’s band Endochine. The singer joined Portnoy, Neal Morse, Dave LaRue and Steve Morse in Flying Colors, who released their debut album in 2012 and the follow-up Second Nature in 2014. This unexpected entry into the world of progressive rock introduced McPherson to a whole new audience. In 2018, he recorded a few tracks on the debut self-titled album by new prog supergroup The Sea Within, featuring Roine Stolt, Marco Minnemann, Jonas Reingold, Tom Brislin and Pain of Salvation vocalist Daniel Gildenlöw. McPherson has since replaced Gildenlöw as the group’s full-time singer. The Sea Within are set to appear on the upcoming Cruise to the Edge, Feb, 4th-9th in Tampa, Florida.
Currently, McPherson is working with Flying Colors on the group’s 3rd studio album. He is planning an upcoming solo progressive rock album and will continue to release albums under Alpha Rev and as a solo artist.
THE GREAT ADVENTURE
THE NEAL MORSE BAND PRESENTS THEIR LATEST DOUBLE CONCEPT ALBUM DUE OUT JANUARY 25, 2019 ON RADIANT RECORDS VIA METAL BLADE WORLDWIDE
NEAL MORSE: Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Guitars
MIKE PORTNOY: Drums, Vocals
RANDY GEORGE: Bass
ERIC GILLETTE: Guitar, Vocals
BILL HUBAUER: Keyboards, Vocals
The Great Adventure Continues…
“Let the great adventure now begin…”; the closing lines of The Neal Morse Band’s last and widely acclaimed 2016 album The Similitude of a Dream (TSOAD), have proved to be strangely prophetic.
The band faced the enviable problem (like Pink Floyd, The Eagles and many other great bands before them) of having to follow up a hugely successful album, as drummer Mike Portnoy explains, “How do you follow an epic double concept album??? Well, create another epic double album!! I always knew topping The Similitude of a Dream was going to be difficult, if not impossible, as I held it in such high regard… but I am absolutely blown away with what we have achieved here! We’ve created the ultimate companion to TSOAD.”
The new album – appropriately entitled The Great Adventure – is exactly that: a perfect companion piece to TSOAD’s partial retelling of John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress.
Morse admits that the band’s original intentions on re-entering the studio were largely to produce something very different from what has resulted. However, as the writing and recording process unfolded, it gradually became clear to the band that the unerring direction in which the music was heading was to build upon the work already completed in TSOAD, again using the space that the broader canvas of the double album format provides. Bassist Randy George explains, “I was sure that the follow up to TSOAD should be something quite different, but you have to follow your heart and go where the music wants to go.”
True to the album’s title, the creative process was indeed a ‘great adventure.’ Unlike many previous Morse albums, which have often been recorded in around a week, as many as 21 days of initial recording were laid down by these prolific and world-class musicians, producing an abundance of top quality material – enough for an album lasting well over two hours. This meant some ruthless decision-making: some already completed songs and characters had to go, and with studio time running out, new links and ideas were being composed and recorded up to the eleventh hour. “A lot of work and re-work has gone into this,” says Morse, “but I know that some of the most successful and far-reaching albums I’ve been involved with have been just like that – Sola Scriptura and Spock’s Beard’s Snow album come to mind.”
Another key question that had to be addressed was how to pull all the ideas together into a coherent whole. In the end, what unlocked this ‘adventure’ for Morse was the realisation that The Great Adventure needed a new voice and perspective. This time, it is that of the Pilgrim’s abandoned son, a younger, perhaps angrier, voice than was heard on TSOAD, as George explains, “The Great Adventure is nothing short of a miracle: it’s similar to TSOAD in concept and form, but it’s tougher and deeper in tone! It’s a very powerful work and I look forward to playing it live!”
The Great Adventure has everything that fans would expect from a Neal Morse Band album, and more: rock, metal, classical and jazz elements appear throughout, as well as some killer melodies, all played faultlessly by some of the greatest rock musicians on the planet. Says Morse, “This band continues to amaze me! I have to say it was a little daunting to follow up The Similitude of a Dream, as it was such a special album and it delivered every night at our concerts. But The Great Adventure is everything that I hoped it would be! I listened through it yesterday and I was in tears at the end!”
TRACKLIST:
Act I:
Chapter 1 (12:50)
1. Overture
2. The Dream Isn’t Over
Chapter 2 (23:48)
3. Welcome To The World
4. A Momentary Change
5. Dark Melody
6. I Got To Run
7. To The River
Chapter 3 (17:59)
8. The Great Adventure
9. Venture In Black
10. Hey Ho Let’s Go
11. Beyond The Borders
Act II:
Chapter 4 (18:13)
1. Overture 2
2. Long Ago
3. The Dream Continues
4. Fighting With Destiny
5. Vanity Fair
Chapter 5 (30:57)
6. Welcome To The World 2
7. The Element Of Fear
8. Child Of Wonder
9. The Great Despair
10. Freedom Calling
11. A Love That Never Dies
Watch “Welcome To The World” lyric video
The Neal Morse Band will take the new album on tour worldwide in early 2019: it promises to be a great adventure indeed.
The Neal Morse Band will take the new album on tour worldwide in early 2019: it promises to be a great adventure indeed.
The Great Adventure will be available in three formats: – 2CD package – 2CD/DVD Special Edition featuring behind-the-scenes video clips of the making of the album. – 3 Vinyl LPs: RADIANT EXCLUSIVE – WHITE VINYL! (Purchase includes audio CDs.)
PRE-ORDERS AVAILABLE NOW!
SPECIAL PRE-ORDER OFFERS: – Free audio download of the first single “Welcome to the World” with ALL pre-orders. – We will randomly pick 50 people who order in the first 24 hours (9:00 AM CST on 12/4 – 9:00 AM CST on 12/5) to receive this free exclusive framable graphic autographed by all of The Neal Morse Band! – Enter a drawing to win the Mike Portnoy master notes from the recording sessions – autographed by Mike! Drawing to take place on December 11th.
PLUS: Three more songs from the album will be released shortly as videos (release date TBA). As they are released, those three songs will be made available as free audio downloads to all who have pre-ordered the album in any format! (You will later receive an email with a download link.)
In a statement from Progeland: Finally, the day we have waited has come and we can proudly present to you our new album, Harmony Of The Universe. Eight new songs with powerful and touching melodies invite you again on a journey to Progelands soil and seas. The stories are about life, memories, dreams, the future, and the past. Can you imagine what kind of different ingredients make our lives complete, what we don’t need and what we need to find?
Track Listing
1. World Without End 01:50
2. Make Me Real Again 07:58
3. Welcome Winter Time 06:26
4. Lost 05:47
5. Out Of The Point Of No Return 04:32
6. Gamblin With Time 05:36
7. The Song Of The Sea 06:06
8. What A Perfect Summer Day 05:19
Album credits
Music by Petri Lindström
Lyrics by Tomi Murtomäki
Engineering, Mixing and Mastering by Petri Anttila
Produced by Petri Anttila, Tomi Murtomäki and Petri Lindström
Progeland is
Petri Lindström // Bass
Tomi Murtomäki // Vocals
Juha Kaski // Keyboards
Matias Kangasniemi // Guitar
Pasi Manninen // Drums
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