Here’s a great new album that was recently forwarded to me: Memnon Sa’s Citadel, a collection of instrumentals that is highly recommended for all enthusiasts of krautrock revival, psychedelia, and doom metal. Memnon Sa is the pseudonym of Misha Hering, a musician and well-established recording engineer who worked on Citadel at his London studio Holy Mountain. Misha has described his music as “ancient psychedelia”. One could pitch it best as being halfway between drone doom like Sunn O))) and classic psych stuff like Ash Ra Tempel– it is somber, heavy psych rock, almost metal (but not quite), and it easily lends itself to weird imagery of pagan rituals.Read the full review by Matthew Sweeney at foreignaccentspdx.wordpress.com
The fifth album from While Heaven Wept commemorates the progressive doom titans’ 25th year of existence with considerable aplomb. Suspended at Aphelion is a single 39-minute long song, divided into 11 movements, and performed by the classic Fear of Infinity lineup (and if that’s not enough to get prog geeks salivating, there’s even an appearance by Fates Warning members Mark Zonder & Victor Arduini). As one might expect, it’s a thoroughly epic, almost cinematic affair that seamlessly blends the best of prog, melodic doom, and power metal, and with seven main musicians involved, there’s a lot going on. The album revels in its theatricality, its baroque orchestration and rippling leads polished to a fine sheen. Rain Irving’s vibrant, full-throated vocals soar in the foreground, abetted by those of guitarist/keyboardist and guiding force Tom Phillips and bassist Jim Hunter. The overall effect is nothing short of triumphant. Listen to the sorrowful bombast of “Heartburst” below.Media/Samples
(pitchfork.com)
The Last Dawn and Rays of Darkness are a pair of new albums by MONO. Recorded simultaneously yet conceptually and creatively disparate, the two act as both opposing and complementary sides to a story. No strangers to narratives, the twin albums explore familiar themes for the band: Hope and hopelessness, love and loss, immense joy and unspeakable pain. Those elemental parts of life and the complicated relationships they create have never been more resonant through MONO's music than they are here.
Rays of Darkness is the first MONO album in 15 years to feature no orchestral instruments whatsoever. That fact alone is remarkable given the band's reputation for sweeping, dramatic instrumentals that recall Oscar-worthy film scores. Instead, Rays of Darkness more closely resembles a jet engine taking off inside a small, crowded auditorium. It is MONO's blackest album ever, a collection of scorched riffs, doom rhythms, and an unexpected contribution from post-hardcore pioneer Tetsu Fukagawa of Envy. The album ends with the smoldering wreckage of distorted guitars and ominous drones playing out a eulogy to the days when MONO shot blinding rays of light through seemingly endless darkness.
The Last Dawn and Rays of Darkness are a pair of new albums by MONO. Recorded simultaneously yet conceptually and creatively disparate, the two act as both opposing and complementary sides to a story. No strangers to narratives, the twin albums explore familiar themes for the band: Hope and hopelessness, love and loss, immense joy and unspeakable pain. Those elemental parts of life and the complicated relationships they create have never been more resonant through MONO's music than they are here. The Last Dawn is the first of these two companion albums, and is the "lighter" of the two, thematically and melodically. It contains undoubtedly some of MONO's strongest songs ever, drawing on an array of influences from minimalist film score to vintage shoegaze. It is MONO at their absolute purest, executing an uncanny, unspoken dialogue with each other without the dozens of stringed instruments that have been so prominent throughout their catalog in recent years. The songs are also noticeably more efficient – there hasn't been a MONO full-length record that fit on a single slab of vinyl since 2003's One Step More And You Die – and the album benefits immeasurably from this streamlined approach. MONO have always been masters of telling compelling stories without words. But now they've proven they can do it without frills, too.Media/Samples
If I had to limit this sprawling 150+ minute set to a simplistic description I’d characterize the music as Prog-Jazz-Funk-Space-Ambient-Electronic-Noise Avant-Everything. It’s actually more cohesive than these descriptions suggest, and after several listens I’ve got a feel for the way OUA draw on their varied influences and, most importantly, the way they meld various musical styles and influences into something refreshingly unique.Read the full review by Jerry Kranitz at aural-innovations.com
The melodies on this record are as big as the individual performances and at least five of the tracks are easily suited to radio, without surrendering their souls. “Through the Open Door”, “Moment of Flight” and “Dreamwalker” are prime examples of this, with fast-paced riffing, melodious solo work, propulsive rhythms, and Sarah’s dynamic vocals. The guitar, drums, bass and keyboards serve as unique voices of their own and blend harmoniously. Every one of these tracks is capable of getting stuck in your cranium on an endless loop. Fortuitously, there is always another song vying for dominance to prevent such ear candy hyperpoxy. “Moment of Flight” is the more progressive of the three tracks, and features some eloquent keyboard work from the legendary Jens Johansson (Stratovarious, Yngwie Malmsteen).Read the full review by Rustyn Rose at metalholic.com
Settled into the center of the record is the 10-minute-plus progressive epic, “The Machine Stops”. It is the album’s most diverse track, at once beautiful, majestic and powerful. The first three minutes are instrumental, and during the song’s winding journey fans are treated to a tasty guitar solo from Matt Johnsen of Pharaoh. Some of the album’s most inspired moments are captured here.
The much anticipated debut solo album from Citizen Cain’s main composer and keys player Stewart Bell is a prog rock opera featuring five vocalists.Media/Samples
The story is based on his own experiences as a lifelong lucid dreamer and follows the adventures of a young boy as he masters the ability to control his dreams. This epic concept album chronicles the key events in his life, the weird synchronicities, strange experiences and profound questions that naturally arise when one grows up living in the twin worlds of dream and real.
This new work sees Stewart continue the musical path he has embarked on over the last 25 years with Citizen Cain, although this time he has taken the reins, not just with the compositions, but also with the lyrics, concept, vocal melodies and entire production.
The first in a trilogy “The Antechamber Of Being” will appeal not only to existing Citizen Cain fans but also to a much wider audience as Stewart delves into elements of prog metal, experiments with new soundscapes and brings his unique storytelling gift to the lyrics, in which he also shares his extensive knowledge of lucid dreaming.