Omega Point's 'A Great Escape' - Album Review

It is always exciting when musicians whose work you admire join forces and strike out anew. The latest name on the British progress rock scene, Omega Point, is made up of a number of musicians whose careers I have followed for a while - and the five-piece have recently released their debut album A Great Escape. Spearheaded by bassist and songwriter Matthew Cohen (Magenta; The Reasoning; Ghost Community), the genesis of Omega Point can be traced back to 2019. Following a one-off reunion/farewell concert of Cohen's previous band The Reasoning, he started writing new material with former The Reasoning guitarist Keith Hawkins - as well as guitarist Paul Davies (Karnataka; Panic Room), who had played with The Reasoning at their 2019 gig. A few other names came and went from the embryonic band's line-up, but progress really seemed to be made when frontman John Paul Vaughan (Ghost Community) was brought on board. Following the break-up of The Reasoning, Cohen formed Ghost Community - a progressive rock band which Vaughan also fronted. Ghost Community's sole album, 2016's Cycle of Life (which I reviewed here), showed a great chemistry between Vaughan and Cohen - and it was a shame when Ghost Community came to an end as a result. It is great, then, that Omega Point has allowed Vaughan and Cohen to continue their partnership, and in some ways A Great Escape feels like the natural, yet heavier, successor to Cycle of Life. I had expected A Great Escape to be more of a hard rock album, and it is at times, but it also heavily ploughs the prog rock furrows that Cohen and co. have farmed previously. A Great Escape is spikier than Cycle of Life, however, which helps to give this new band its own identity. The creation of A Great Escape has been a long one, and the band line-up has changed a number of times over the past couple of years. This means that A Great Escape features the talents of a number of different people. The band credited on the album is Vaughan, Davies, Cohen, keyboardist Rob Wilsher (Multi Story), and drummer Vinden Wylde (The Reasoning) - but the album's liner notes reveal that others also contributed. Hawkins appears to have left the band at some point, so is credited with 'additional guitars' (although, considering that he seemed to be one of the band's main songwriters, I imagine that his contribution is more significant than that), while both Martin Howells and Robert Gerrard (The Reasoning; Ghost Community) are credited with some keyboard solos. The drums were handled by another regular Cohen collaborator in Jake Bradford-Sharp (The Reasoning; Ghost Community), too, meaning that A Great Escape includes a number of familiar faces for anyone who has followed Cohen's work - or the British prog rock scene in general.

One thing that is immediately apparent about A Great Escape is that it is generally characterised by longer-form compositions. With the exception of the opening track, the remaining five songs are all at least eight minutes long - meaning that A Great Escape is an album whereby each song is allowed to really flesh itself out. As mentioned, however, the opening track is different. Hourglass is more than the average album-opening scene-setter, but it still very much performs that function. A percussive loop and Wilsher's piano form the basis of the track, which Vaughan soon starts to sing over. Compared to the rest of the album Hourglass is very simple. There is little else here apart from the vocals and the piano, but it works well to conjure up a strong atmosphere. Despite the spiky nature of the album, there is still plenty of atmospheric depth to be found - and Hourglass perfectly represents this side of Omega Point. Fall of Empires follows, and this is where the band as a whole really start to showcase what they are about. The song builds over a relatively busy instrumental intro, which sees duelling lead guitar melodies, sparkling keyboard runs, and Cohen's melodic bass lines all weaving together nicely. There is a relative heaviness to parts of the song. Bradford-Sharp's drums have plenty of punch to them, and there is certainly a focus on guitar riffing over synths. This is, however, until Vaughan starts to sing, which sees everything drop out to be replaced by shimmering keyboards. This allows Vaughan's smooth voice to shine, but it is not too long before the band join back in - as the song slowly builds towards to its hooky chorus. Despite the lengthy songs here, there are still plenty of memorable melodies to be found throughout. Fall of Empires' chorus is one of the hookiest moments on the album for me, and this is largely thanks to Vaughan's triumphant vocal melodies - but also due to some soaring guitar leads mixed into the background. Another great moment within the song for me is the busy keyboard solo from Howells. It has a great old-school 1980s synth vibe to it, and the dark-sounding spoken word section that precedes it sets the tone perfectly for the cutting synth (and, later, guitar) melodies to follow.

Darkest Son is heavier, with some riffs that remind me a little of Cohen's time in The Reasoning. This is where the similarities end, however, as Vaughan has a very different vocal style to any of The Reasoning's various singers - and the song goes for a much more traditional prog rock sound overall. The heaviness allows the song to border on prog metal at times, but it never truly tips over into that territory. There is a certain crunch throughout, though, thanks to the guitar riffing and Cohen's fat bass tones - and it is great hearing the band really rocking out here. Cycle of Life is a strong album, but it very much focused on flowing, atmospheric pieces on the whole. Despite the similarities between the overall style of the two albums, the rockiness of A Great Escape gives it an urgency that the 2016 release never had. Darkest Son is full of that rocking energy, and even the moments which see the piano dominate still contain an edge to ensure that the overall harder rock vibe is maintained. The album's title track follows, and it starts relatively slowly with another percussive loop and some more spoken word - which starts out whispered before getting louder just before the band kicks in. The heaviness of the previous song is largely stripped away, however, as the track goes for a somewhat lower key overall vibe with a big bass presence and the occasional jangly guitar chord. There is certainly a stronger traditional prog rock vibe present throughout the song, but there is still a melodic smoothness that permeates throughout - thanks to the overall mix and some atmospheric keyboards. Off-kilter drum grooves occasionally break the flow, and push the song in more progressive directions, but the band always return to the piece's core to reinforce its key passages and melodies - with the chorus containing another hooky vocal and some excellent synths. It is cliché to say this, but the song really is one that comes alive after a few listens. The progressive nature of the album ensures that that is the case for every song here, but for me it is especially true of the title track. There is a lot going on throughout the song, with the aforementioned drum grooves and the hectic instrumental section towards the end really standing out. Another excellent Howells keyboard solo injects some chaotic energy into the piece, and the song ups the heaviness around it as a result. A shredding guitar solo follows the keyboard pyrotechnics - and it leads into a final chorus reprise nicely.

Thank You opens with some more great keyboard playing, this time from Gerrard. Sharp-sounding synth leads fill the speakers, and an atmospheric backing creates a dense soundscape. At some point the keyboard lines morph into effects-heavy guitar leads - and the guitar closes out this instrumental intro with some chaotic, shredded melodies. In contrast, the song proper is generally relatively sedate. It is probably the slowest piece here, and it has something of a ballad-esque vibe at times - at least early on. Vaughan's vocals are generally more reflective in tone than usual, although he does open up during the slightly heavier chorus sections - which retain the album's trademark spikiness. For me, however, the song is at its best when it is taking the slower path. These sections bring the best out of Cohen as a bassist, and his melodic bass lines really dominate the mix. The guitars and keyboards create an atmospheric bed for them, but the vocals and the bass really take the lead here - although the choruses feature more of a guitar presence. There is some strong guitar playing during the song's instrumental section, too, but again for me Howells' keyboards steal the show. The album's final song, Shells, ups the heaviness compared to Thank You and goes for the throat early on with an explosive instrumental intro that recalls The Reasoning at times. Cohen's bass riffing is very reminiscent to the style that he used throughout The Reasoning's four albums, but there is a much more overtly prog vibe this time thanks to how the song builds towards a chaotic, drum-led crescendo. Things settle down once Vaughan starts singing, but there is still plenty of weight to be found throughout the song. Some sections are more lightweight, with atmospheric keyboards and guitar chimes, but a big riff is never too far away. In many ways Shells is a good mix of everything that has been featured on the album up to this point. Softer sections sit side-by-side with big riffs and harder rocking moments perfectly - and the song has a great progressive sound as a result. It also features what is easily the most explosive instrumental section on the album, and it comes right at the end of the song. It is packed full of shredding guitar and keyboard lines, which constantly intertwine and compete with each other for dominance. It is a great way to close the album out, and a short, mournful keyboard melody can be heard as the album fades to black. Shells is a fitting closer too, as it really reinforces the progressive sound that Omega Point have forged here - as well as showing the compositional skills of all involved. A Great Escape is a great first outing for Omega Point, and all who contributed to it pulled together to help create a memorable album. Anyone who has followed Cohen's career will find plenty to enjoy here, but the other band members also shine. Now that Omega Point seems to have settled on a firm line-up, I am looking forward to seeing what happens from here - as a focused line-up could see the excellent sound of A Great Escape being built upon further going forward.

The album was released on 4th February 2022 via ROK Music. Below is the band's promotional trailer for A Great Escape, which features snippets of the album's six songs.