Visions of Atlantis' 'Pirates' - Album Review

I cannot think of many examples of bands whose later work is a significant improvement over their early releases. I can think of plenty of bands whose newer work is as good as their original albums - but not many who have improved exponentially over time. The Austrian symphonic metal five-piece Visions of Atlantis is one such act in my opinion, though, who have undergone something of a revolution since current frontwoman Clémentine Delauney joined the band in 2013. Prior to Delauney's appointment, Visions of Atlantis released five albums, went through a significant number of line-up changes, and never really got their foot through the door. I am certainly no expert on the band's back catalogue, but the older albums that I have heard certainly do not set the world alight. Symphonic metal was in vogue throughout the 2000s, and the early Visions of Atlantis albums are very much products of that time - when so many bands were trying to replicate the success of acts like Nightwish and Within Temptation. Something seemed to change when Delauney came aboard, however, and this is despite the fact that a planned reunion with the band's original guitarist, bassist, and keyboard player failed to last. At this point, drummer Thomas Caser is the only original member of Visions of Atlantis left - and the only musician to be credited on all of the band's albums. Considering that there was such a turn over of band members in the past, and that Caser is not much of a songwriter, this is potentially one of the reasons why the band's early work does not excite me all that much. No line-up was together for all that long, meaning that each album saw changes from the one previously. This was the case until recently, however, and the Visions of Atlantis of 2022 seems to very much be set in stone. The band released their eighth studio album, Pirates, last month, and it is the first Visions of Atlantis studio album to feature the same line-up as its predecessor. Pirates follows three years after the excellent Wanderers (which I reviewed here), which could well be my favourite Visions of Atlantis album. 2018's strong The Deep & the Dark kicked off the Delauney era proper the year before, but it is somewhat unclear who actually played on that album - as it seems to have put together between the breakdown of the somewhat original line-up reunion and the formation of much of the band's current line-up. Wanderers saw the band solidified, however, and also introduced Delauney's vocal partner Michele Guaitoli to the fans. Whilst Delauney has been a big songwriting force in the band since joining, and Guaitoli contributed a couple of songs to Wanderers, Pirates sees Delauney and Guaitoli striking up a fine songwriting partnership - aided throughout by producer Felix Heldt, who replaces Frank Pitters in the producer/songwriter/keyboard player role this time. Due to his significant songwriting contributions throughout the album, too, Guaitoli seems more of a vocal force on his second outing with the band - which leads to lots of excellent vocal interplay between him and Delauney throughout.

Visions of Atlantis' brand of symphonic metal is generally at the poppier and more restrained end of the genre, but more recently the band have occasionally stretched things out. The album's opener Pirates Will Return is certainly more epic than is typical of the band, and it opens slowly - with rumbling piano melodies and some dancing orchestral arrangements, before the song proper kicks off. Christian Douscha is a bit of a busier player than many of his symphonic metal peers, and Pirates Will Return opens up thanks to his powerful riffing - whilst the verses are full of crunch thanks to his rhythms. Delauney dominates the song vocally early on, singing the first verse and chorus alone, but Guaitoli takes over for the second verse - and the second chorus is sung in unison, showcasing the power of the band's dual-vocal approach. The pace slows down somewhat following this second chorus, and a chugging instrumental section takes over. It is very riff-heavy at first, with the rhythm section of Caser and bassist Herbert Glos creating the weight, but Douscha soon takes over to deliver a melodic and lengthy guitar solo - which is packed full of memorable phrases. A final reprise of the chorus follows, and the song is a perfect album opener thanks to its balance of hooks and epic symphonic arrangements. Many of the songs here are not quite as epic though, but the band's sense of melody is retained throughout. Melancholy Angel reins in the ambition somewhat, but the song is much catchier as a result. It opens with a hooky keyboard melody, before Delauney lays down a poppy verse vocal that sits nicely against Glos' pounding bassline and a reprise of the intro's keyboard melody. She stretches her wings a bit more during the choruses, which feature some pseudo-operatic vocal lines - but these sections are still extremely hooky, and the mix of her voice with Guaitoli's gives the chorus plenty of heft. Due to its simple arrangement and big hooks, Melancholy Angel is the sort of song that is sure to become a live staple for the band going forward. Master the Hurricane follows, and it is the only other real epic track here - alongside Pirates Will Return. The song opens with a driving rhythm, soaring choral vocals, and orchestral arrangements that rival bands like Epica in scope. The song is not as progressive as Epica, though, and there is still a focus on pop hooks - but they are sat against a driving Douscha riff and plenty of choral vocals. The vocal arrangement generally is much more open this time, too, with Delauney and Guaitoli constantly trading lyrics throughout. I like that Guaitoli has a bigger presence vocally throughout this album, as it helps to give the band their identity. Master the Hurricane is one of the songs here which he wrote the music for, too, and it showcases his overall scope - with the song being the most ambitious here thanks to its dynamic arrangement. Clocks is more like Melancholy Angel, however, and the song is a strong mid-paced rocker - with some playful vocal melodies that remind me a little of Nightwish's Storytime. It is the sort of song that sticks in the brain after only a couple of listens, and it makes the most of Delauney's voice thanks to the poppy nature of the vocal melodies. A few guitar leads add some overall depth, though, and Glos' bass presence is very thick - and dominates during the verses in particular.

Freedom opens more slowly, with some dark-sounding keyboard melodies - which Guaitoli soon starts to croon atop. His voice is quite expressive, and it suits the darker nature of the piece, as is Delauney's, who soon joins in singing in a lower register than is typical for her. This song proceeds in this relatively low-key manner for a while, with the two singers trading vocal lines whilst the song slowly grows around them. The keyboards form the basis of the musical backing, but strings add depth - and some percussion soon creates a bit of a rhythm. The song is relatively organic-sounding on the whole, though, or at least as organic as a symphonic metal band can realistically be. Much of the band's trademark heaviness has been stripped away here, and the song never really builds towards a big crescendo - with the closing crescendo being a big choral one that comes as a bit of a surprise, but works really well. Legion of the Seas returns to the band's typical sound, though, and it was the album's first single - so it was the first look that the fans had at what Pirates had to offer. Delauney's vocals generally set the tone on the band's songs, but this is one that Guaitoli tends to lead - which is fitting as it is another one of his compositions. His verse delivery is quite gritty, and contrasts well with the smooth, soaring pre-chorus which Delauney takes over for. Having sat out for the previous song, Douscha's riffing is back in a big way here and the heaviness returns. Caser's drumming is urgent throughout, too, his double bass playing driving everything - whilst Douscha also adds to the song's melodic offering with a catchy and fairly lengthy guitar solo. The song's chorus is where is really shines, though, and it is one of the hookiest pieces here. Wild Elysium is somewhat similar in the fact that it is very hooky, but it takes a bit more of a dynamic approach overall. The song opens with a flurry of riffing and soaring strings, but this is almost immediately stripped away as the verses tread a much lighter path - with gentle keyboards providing much of the backing to the vocals. The song grows as it moves along, though, and by the time the chorus is reached it really explodes. Some of the vocal hooks and the chorus' driving pace remind me of some of the choruses on Kamelot's more recent albums. The guitar solo section is quite Kamelot-esque, too, and it would appear that the band's 2019 tour with Kamelot has paid off somewhat in an influence context. Darkness Inside reins in some of the bombast of the previous track, and instead goes for more of a crunching, mid-paced approach. The strings and orchestral arrangements still flesh out the track, but on the whole the crunch of the guitar and the bass is left to provide the main musical meat - save for a twinkling keyboard melody that occasionally rears its head to add depth. The song is still very hooky though, and the vocal melodies contain lots of pop inflections, whilst a simple guitar solo also adds plenty of melody. Despite the simpler arrangement the song still sounds like Visions of Atlantis, and the stronger focus on the guitars is welcome.

In My World is similar, but it includes a bit of a folk influence thanks to the occasional flute melody courtesy of Ben Metzner (Feuerschwanz). He contributes flutes and bagpipes to a few songs here, but In My World is one of the songs where his playing adds the most for me. The flute melodies during the song's intro contrast nicely with the riffing and the orchestral arrangements, and they re-appear throughout to add more folkiness to the melodic song. Douscha's guitar solo follows a similar folky path, too, and there is definitely a big of a jig vibe going on throughout parts of the song - or at least a rather grand-sounding jig that is backed by an orchestra and driving riffs. The standout performer for me, though, is Delauney. Her vocal performance throughout the song is excellent, and she revisits the classical vocal approach that was flirted with earlier in the album. It plays more of a role this time, though, and it helps to add an extra dimension to the piece. Mercy ups the pace and heaviness again, and the song returns to Visions of Atlantis' core sound with a good mix of poppy vocal hooks, double bass drumming, and stabs of dramatic strings. Despite being a symphonic metal band, not all of the band's songs are overtly dramatic or rely on classic symphonic metal tropes. Mercy is one that does, though, and it is certainly one of the biggest-sounding pieces here - with lots of big choral vocal sections and a particularly gritty vocal from Guaitoli. There is lots of good guitar playing from Douscha, too, who gets plenty of time to show off with a lengthy guitar solo. Heal the Scars opens up slowly, with some piano melodies which Delauney soon sings over the top of. It is the album's only true ballad, as Freedom never really felt like a proper ballad despite its slower pace, and it brings the best out of Delauney vocally - who's delicate side is put on display here. Her poppy delivery still carries plenty of emotion, and she sits nicely atop the piano and keyboard melodies - and there are shades of early Sharon den Adel in her delivery. Metzner's bagpipes add the occasional melody, and a surprising amount of emotional depth (from someone who is not a lover of bagpipes), but generally this is a song that is all about Delauney - as there is very little that stands in the way of her excellent vocal performance. The album comes to a close with the crunching, mid-paced I Will Be Gone, which is another piece that goes for an epic sound. There is always something about slower paced symphonic metal tracks that make for perfect album closers, and I Will Be Gone is one such piece. Douscha's guitar playing is weighty and deep-sounding here, whilst more bagpipes add some melodic hooks. The verses are generally quite bass-heavy, but the winning section of the song for me is the chorus - which sees both Delauney and Guaitoli singing together in harmony to create a huge sound. It is another chorus here that sticks in the brain after only a couple of listens, and the huge orchestral arrangements throughout ensure that the song sounds massive - even though it is not as long and expansive and some of the other pieces here. It ends the album on a high, but in truth much of the album is of a similar quality. Pirates, for me, continues on perfectly from where Wanderers left of in 2019 - and it builds nicely on what the band did previously. It is great to see Visions of Atlantis finally thriving, and this current line-up will certainly be seen as the band's golden age in the future.

The album was released on 13th May 2022 via Napalm Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Legions of the Sea.

Tremonti - Bristol Review

Considering that Tremonti is essentially a side project for its founder and namesake Mark Tremonti (vocals/guitar), it is amazing how well-established the band has become over the past decade. Having always been the lead guitarist in his bands previously, Tremonti the band gave Tremonti the musician an opportunity to move from the side of the stage into the centre - and become the lead singer and sole driving force. Whilst I am sure that most, including Tremonti himself, see Alter Bridge as his 'main' job, his solo band has taken on a life of its own in recent years. I would imagine that Tremonti released All I Was with some trepidation back in 2012 - but with five solo albums now under his belt, Tremonti is well-established as a solo artist and singer in his own right. He is clearly an extremely prolific musician, and his solo band allows him to tread a somewhat heavier path than Alter Bridge often does. Alter Bridge is generally influenced by lots of different music, and is the creative brainchild of both Tremonti and frontman Myles Kennedy, but Tremonti's solo work allows him to showcase his love of all things metal - particularly bands like Pantera, who he grew up with. Despite the heaviness, though, Tremonti's solo work is still very reminiscent of everything that he has done in his career to date. He certainly has a distinct writing style which can be traced back to his early days with Creed, and this is also showcased throughout his solo work. He has also really developed as a frontman over the past decade or so, too. I remember seeing him in Wolverhampton back in 2013 promoting All I Was and he seemed a bit awkward fronting his own band. Fast forward to 2022, though, and Tremonti has taken on a life of its own - and I imagine that this will continue, despite the on-going success of Alter Bridge. Tremonti released his fifth solo album Marching in Time last year, and is currently over here in Europe touring it. The shows were supposed to take place in January, but were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Touring in June probably makes more sense, though, as he has been able to tie a few festival appearances to his headline tour - which ensures that Marching in Time receives a lot of love before the next Alter Bridge album touring cycle kicks off later this year. The European tour included a handful of UK dates, and I headed up to Bristol yesterday to catch the show at the city's O2 Academy. I had seen Tremonti twice previously, once in Wolverhampton and once in Birmingham, so was looking forward to adding Bristol to that list - as the city's O2 Academy is generally a good place to catch bands at.

Something which seems to have become a theme with the venue recently, though, is not opening on time. I remember that it took me a long time to actually get in when I saw Alestorm last December, and that was also the case yesterday. I do not recall this being a problem previously, but by the time I finally got into the venue the first support band Hawxx were already a few songs into their set. Despite the late opening, I still managed to catch a handful of the band's songs and I think that it is fair to say that Hawxx have a pretty unique sound. Their sound is a mix of alternative rock and djent, with angular, heavy riffing mixing with atmospheric and sultry vocal melodies. Most of the songs played on these contrasts, with big riffs often punctuating moments of relative calm that contained most of the vocal lines. Hawxx are certainly not on a full-on tech metal band, but much of the riffing certainly comes from that school of guitar playing. Listening to Hawxx is not like listening to Meshuggah or TesseracT, though, as there is very much an emphasis on atmosphere, too. The band's verses tend to be quite quiet, with pulsing basslines and guitar atmospherics backing the vocals, with the choruses being somewhat heavier. The instrumental sections tended to be the heaviest parts of the songs, though, and occasional guitar solos added demented melodies when called upon. I liked the band's approach to vocal melodies, too, with all four members singing to help give the band a bigger sound. This helped to push the atmospheric side of Hawxx's sound, and off-set some of the big riffing too. Despite only catching part of their short set I enjoyed Hawxx's overall sound and approach. I imagine that some of the intricacies of their music are lost live, but it is always good to see a band that is doing something a bit different. They certainly seem to be a band to keep an eye on, and I will be interested to see how they develop over the coming years.

Following Hawxx were The Raven Age, a five-piece metal band who have never really done anything for me despite seeing them live a couple of times previously. I last saw the band live in 2019, when they opened for Alter Bridge, but I was prepared to be open-minded and give them another go. Sadly, though, my view on the band has not changed. The Raven Age are one of those bands that seem to have a lot of a right ingredients - but for whatever reason their songs just do not do it for me. Frontman Matt James has a strong voice and the band can write decent riffs, but the songs just do not hang together for me. None of the band's choruses jumped out at me at all, and there was very little light among the shade. With the exception of one song that opened quite slowly, everything else that the band played was relentless and pretty heavy. There were no real quieter moments or interesting arrangements to differentiate one song from the next, and band very much fall into the bland category for me. They are part of the post-metalcore boom of newish bands that take what some of the big names of that genre did a decade or so ago and make it sound a bit more modern - which sadly seems to involve stripping away many of the hooks and go for an overall dryer sound that ups the heaviness. I certainly prefer The Raven Age to bands like Bleed From Within, though, thanks to James' strong voice - and I feel like with some better choruses and more interesting overall arrangements the band could actually appeal to me. They do seem to be doing quite well for themselves, though, so there must be plenty of people out there who do get what The Raven Age are about. It is always great to see new bands doing well and building a fanbase, but as it stands The Raven Age are still not for me - and three albums into their career I doubt they will do much in the future that will change that.

It was only around 20 minutes after The Raven Age finished their set that Tremonti hit the stage, and the four-piece band played for around 100 minutes with little pretence. One thing that I like about Tremonti as a solo performer is how he just gets on with it. Save for a handful of brief conversations with the crowd, where he seemed in good spirits, he just let his music do the talking. He always makes a big deal about not going off and coming back for an encore, too, so his 100 minutes on stage was basically just packed full of great music from start to finish. All five of his solo albums were represented in the set, but perhaps unsurprisingly Marching in Time was the most heavily featured. Two songs from this album, Thrown Further and If Not for You, opened the show - and it was clear from the off that the night was going to be a memorable one. The band were loud and sounded great, and the large crowd were really up for the show. Everyone around me was singing along to all the songs, and the atmosphere throughout was really good as a result. The band seemed to sense this, and as a result the show was probably the best of the three Tremonti shows that I have now seen. Tremonti seem to be more of a band now, too. Whilst Tremonti himself is still the star of the show, Eric Friedman (guitar/vocals) certainly shared more of the spotlight this time. He took the solos in a few of the songs, including during Thrown Further, and just generally seemed to be a big part of the show with his harmony vocals and riffing. Tremonti still soloed the most, though, and his riffs throughout the thrashy My Last Mistake and the gorgeous melodies of The Things I've Seen were great representations of the different sides of his songwriting. Most of the newer songs came early in the set, with a highlight being the hard-hitting A World Away, whilst the anthemic Let That Be Us had everyone singing along during the chorus. The new songs were also greeted like old friends by the large crowd, but there was still perhaps more singing during the older songs. Melodic metal anthems such as Cauterize and Catching Fire certainly say plenty of singing - before Flying Monkeys showcased Tremonti's love of all things 1990s with a slower pace and huge grooves. The rhythm section of Tanner Keegan (bass guitar/vocals) and Ryan Bennett (drums) particularly shone during Flying Monkeys thanks to its grooves, too. The slower-paced Dust then saw the crowd wave their phones in the air to help create more of an atmosphere, and it was one of the set's more poignant moments as a result. The heavier A Dying Machine was another highlight, too, with James from The Raven Age coming out to sing the song with Tremonti. This then led into the lengthy title track from the latest album, which impressed due to its diverse arrangement and hooky melodies. By this point there was not long left, but a rare outing for Decay had everyone singing along, before the band brought their set to a close with two massive anthems. The chorus of Another Heart is one of Tremonti's best, and it was sung loudly by the crowd, before the thrashy Wish You Well brought the curtain down on a great evening of heavy music. The setlist was:

Thrown Further

If Not for You

My Last Mistake

The Things I've Seen

No Afraid to Lose

A World Away

Let That Be Us

Cauterize

You Waste Your Time

Catching Fire

Flying Monkeys

Dust

A Dying Machine [w/ Matt James]

Marching in Time

The First the Last

Decay

Another Heart

Wish You Well

As I said earlier, of the three Tremonti shows that I have now seen last night's show in Bristol was likely the best of the bunch. The atmosphere throughout was excellent, and it was great to see the O2 Academy pretty much full. The band sounded tight and loud, too, and everything fell into place to make the night one to remember. With a new Alter Bridge album due out later this year, I imagine that there will not be another Tremonti tour for a little while, but I will certainly look forward to the next one - whenever that is. I have not yet made up my mind whether I will go and see Alter Bridge live again later this year, but last night's excellent show has certainly pushed me closer to getting a ticket - as any show involving Tremonti will always be a good one.

Cambridge Rock Festival 2022

With the exception of 2015 (due a break taken by the organisers that year) I went to the Cambridge Rock Festival (CRF) every year between 2008 and 2016. I only went for one of the days in 2008, but from 2009 onwards I camped for the weekend - and the festival became a yearly staple to look forward to. It became part of my summer routine, and despite the festival's modest size it was always real event. Bands were discovered, friends were met up with, long-standing favourite bands were seen countless times, and many burgers were eaten - but for various reasons this stopped after 2016. I do not wish to be too negative throughout this piece, as the CRF has been a big part of my musical life, but the line-ups from 2017-2019 did not really spark that much excitement. They were not significantly different to those of the years past, but in some ways that was part of the issue. Familiarity is a big part of the CRF's appeal, and great bands come back year after year - but good things can start to outstay their welcome after a while. The CRF's reliance on a relatively small handful of bands was becoming a bit of a crutch, and in 2015 I attended my first Bloodstock Open Air (due to the CRF's aforementioned break) - which I was keen to return to. As such, I took a bit of a break from the festival - and missed three of its iterations. As a result I missed the first move away from the Haggis Farm Polo Club, as well as 2019's return to the festival's spiritual home since 2009 - and probably three very solid weekends of live music. I did miss the CRF, but with Bloodstock, as well as Steelhouse Festival in 2018, keeping me busy I did not mind missing out on my trip up to Cambridgeshire each year - and in any case sometimes a break from something can be a good thing. When 2020 rolled around, however, I wanted to return to the CRF - and the line-up, whilst not exactly miles different from what had been booked between 2017 and 2019, contained enough strong bands to keep me interested. I decided to book a ticket, although it was clear that the CRF of 2020 was going to be different to that of the past - largely due to it once again moving away from the Haggis Farm Polo Club. The venue this time was to be the East of England Arena and Events Centre, just outside Peterborough - albeit still in Cambridgeshire. Due to a member of the group that I was going with no longer wanting to camp, I booked into a Travelodge at the edge of the site - which proved to be both a good and a bad thing. Of course, though, the CRF did not end up taking place in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic - so my ticket and Travelodge booking were rolled over into 2021 and then again into 2022. Most of the line-up was retained throughout both postponements - and the fact that a festival the size of the CRF managed to run at all after two such cancellations is certainly a testament to the organisers and crew - most of whom are volunteers.

Due to work commitments, and the fact that the Thursday night of the CRF has always largely just comprised of tribute bands, I did not actually get to the festival until around midday on Friday - after the long drive up from Devon. It was too early to check into the Travelodge, so I just headed for the site - which, although close, was not really walkable from the Travelodge sadly. The site itself was quite different from what I was used to at the Haggis Farm Polo Club. The festival made use of some of the site's existing infrastructure, as well as erecting some of their own. The smallest (Emerald) stage was inside a marquee, like the previous festivals, whereas the main (Ruby) stage was inside a something of a hangar and the second (Sapphire) stage was enclosed in what can only be described as a large stable block. It was a strange mix of stages, but they seemed to work fairly well - although I only made fleeting visits to the Sapphire Stage. The main issue with the Ruby Stage, though, was that you had to be inside the hangar to see any of the bands. The previous main stages were in marquees with open sides, which meant that you could sit outside and watch the bands. This meant that you could have a bit of a break and still enjoy the music, or check out a band that you were unsure about whilst eating your dinner. This was not possible this time, with the exception of the Emerald Stage - meaning that the bands missed out on any casual interest and the potential to pick up extra fans that way. It was nice to have proper toilets on site, though, and not have to rely on portaloos. The toilet block within the festival site itself took a hammering during the weekend though, and probably actually ended up faring rather less well than the portaloos - and it seemed that no-one from the wider site itself thought that they may require some attention, which was a shame. Something which the wider site also did not pay that much attention to was the food on offer. The bar was run by the festival, but due to the wider site's rules the food was all provided by them - and the festival could not organise this side of the experience. As such, there were only four food vendors present throughout the weekend - and one of them only served donuts and hot drinks. That meant that only three different types of meals were on offer throughout the whole weekend. This was certainly one of the positives of staying off-site, but the lack of good food options (which generally had not been an issue at the CRF previously, despite the choice lessening towards the end of my original run of visits) understandably annoyed many of the festival goers. There were plenty of places to sit outside, though, which was good - although as mentioned above this could not generally be combined with enjoying the music. You either had to be sat outside or actively watching the bands, which was disappointing.

With any festival, though, what matters the most is the music. The CRF has survived over the years thanks to its line-ups and, although I am of the view that the organisers rely on many of the same bands year after year (which is both a pro and a con), this year's iteration promised a solid weekend of rock, prog, and blues music. When I arrived at the site on Friday, the three-piece rock act Albany Down were just about to start their set on the Ruby Stage. I listened to their first handful of songs whilst looking through the records and CDs that were for sale at a stall that had been set up within the hangar, but soon decided that the band's rather bland brand of rock was not really for me. After finishing up at the record stall, I decided to go and have a sit down outside and heard the day's first band on the Emerald Stage - Between the Vines - warming up. They sounded promising, so when they started their set I headed into the marquee to give them a proper listen and ended up staying for their whole set. The four-piece band, which included Dare drummer Kev Whitehead, played a brand of country rock that was not too far removed from the Eagles and other similar bands - with tight vocal harmonies, single/songwriter-esque lyrics, and the occasional bluesy guitar break. Fronted by Rebecca Whitehead, Between the Vines impressed a decent-sized crowd during their set with a sound that was perfectly suited the sunny day outside. Friday was extremely warm, and Between the Vines' laid-back country rock sound was a perfect way to kick off the festival proper for me. Most of the band's songs seemed to tell a story, which made them easy to listen to, whilst memorable choruses and tight vocal harmonies gave them a melodic edge. My only criticism of the band would be that they relied on programmed keyboard parts for a couple of tracks. The keyboards enhanced the band's sound quite a lot, and it would have been good if they had experimented with keyboards on more of their songs and brought along someone to play them. All of the band's songs could have easily had an organ or piano backing, so perhaps this is something that they can toy with more going forward. A strong cover of Stevie Nicks' Tom Petty-written favourite Stop Draggin' My Heart Around went down well with the crowd towards the end of the set, too, and Between the Vines were one of the weekend's main discoveries - whom I shall need to investigate further going forward.

Following Between the Vines' set I decided to check out the last few songs of 4th Labyrinth's set, who were a good chunk of the way through their performance on the Ruby Stage. I remember enjoying the band's multiple sets in 2016, but they are not a band that I have kept up with at all since. The band's sound is a mix of 70s pop rock and prog rock, and it works quite well - but sadly there was not much left of their set by the time Between the Vines had finished. Marcel Kunkel (vocals/keyboards) also seemed to want to take up much of the last portion of the set trying to get the crowd to sing along with him and partake in Mexican waves - so I did not actually hear that much music from the band. The final, somewhat lengthy, song that they played, though, was excellent and very much reminded me why I had enjoyed them previously. I will need to check out the band's albums properly this time, too, as they certainly have a knack for writing great songs. It was the band that followed 4th Labyrinth that I was most interesting in checking out, though. The Room are a six-piece melodic rock band that I have been aware of for some time, but had never gotten around to actually checking out. I ended up watching the whole of The Room's set, as the band's mix of melodic and prog rock impressed. Frontman Martin Wilson has an expressive voice who gave some drama and flair to the band's lengthy, atmospheric songs, whilst the melodic guitar style of Steve Anderson and Alistair Bell added some further lyrical touches. With the exception of one song that was written as a single, most of the band's songs are quite lengthy. There were occasional hints of Marillion, both old and new, in the band's sound, but possibly the band that they reminded me of the most was Saga. Wilson's voice is not a million miles away from the style of Michael Sadler, and the band's atmospheric, synth-heavy sound is quite similar to the sweeping depth of the Canadian band's long-standing style. The Room's songs are not overly complex from a musical stand-point, but instead they are atmospherically deep - and I got the sense that lyrically there was quite a lot going on. They are a certainly a band that I am going to need to explore further, as I really enjoyed their set - even if a few issues with Chris Teeder's keyboards caused a few minor delays. I had planned to buy one of the band's CDs after their set, but they were having issues with their card machine (and I had no cash on me at the time) so I will be visiting their website shortly to make a purchase - as The Room are very much up my street.

Following a brief sit down I headed back to the Ruby Stage to check out Spriggan Mist, who had been promoted from the Emerald Stage to cover for a COVID-inflicted Space Elevator, but the folky/gothic/pagan rockers did very little for me. There was some theatricality to their set, with costumes and a couple of dancers/actors backing them up, but I did not find the songs very engaging. They very much seemed like a case of style over substance to me, so I decided that it was time for dinner - as my McDonald's breakfast seemed like quite a long way away. The pizza that I opted for was enjoyable, and set me up for the rest of the day - which consisted of the two bands that I was most excited to see. Up first on the Ruby Stage were Dare, a melodic rock five-piece fronted by Darren Wharton who have become a real favourite of mine of late. I last saw the band in March when they put on a barnstorming set in Nuneaton, and their set at the CRF was more of the same - with Wharton and co. delivering a set packed with hooks to an appreciative crowd. Three songs from the band's latest album, Road to Eden, kicked the set off, with the excellent Born in the Storm proving once again that it is one of the best songs that Wharton has ever written. Vinny Burns (guitar/vocals) delivered slow-burning solo after solo-burning solo throughout the first two-thirds of the set, with his playing in the soaring Cradle to the Grave and the poignant I'll Hear You Pray showcasing why is such the perfect foil for Wharton's songwriting style. Despite the heat, which was clearly getting a number of Friday's bands, Dare easily put on one of the sets of the festival. Hearing the band's festival anthem Days of Summer at a festival was a special moment, and the dark, atmospheric When Darkness Ends was a brief moment of reflection in what was otherwise an upbeat and soaring set - with the bass playing of Nigel Clutterbuck particularly shining during the later. The final third of the set moved away from the band's more recent albums, and back to their first couple of releases - when they were more of a hard rock act. Wings of Fire opened up this closing suite, and Burns raced through the gears with a shredded solo - with the whole band helping Wharton out during the anthemic chorus. The keyboards of Marc Roberts also took on more of a prominent role here, especially during the dancing intro of Abandon and the pomp riffing of Into the Fire - songs which are ever-present Dare staples. The slightly folky The Raindance impressed as always, but the highlight of the final portion of the set for me was the excellent ballad King of Spades - dedicated as always to the late Phil Lynott, with Burns interloping part of the Róisín Dubh (Black Rose): A Rock Legend guitar solo. It was left to Return the Heart to close things out, and by this point the band had been playing for nearly 90 minutes. The relatively small but appreciative crowd certainly made it known that they had enjoyed the band's set, and Dare seemed to have enjoyed themselves, too, despite the heat. Dare's setlist was:

Born in the Storm

Cradle to the Grave

Road to Eden

Home

Until

Days of Summer

I'll Hear You Pray

Every Time We Say Goodbye

Where Darkness Ends

Sea of Roses

Wings of Fire

Abandon

Into the Fire

The Raindance

King of Spades/Róisín Dubh (Black Rose): A Rock Legend [Thin Lizzy cover]

Return the Heart

Clashes are, of course, always something to contend with at a festival, but the one that hurt the most at this year's CRF was the fact that Tygers of Pan Tang clashed with Dare. I know that clashes are unavoidable, but putting two of the biggest names of the day on at the same time surely could have been avoided. I think it is fair to say that the turnout at the festival was not exactly great, so forcing the already relatively small crowd to choose between two relatively large draws probably did the festival no favours. I would have loved to have seen both bands, and I am sure that I am not alone in feeling that way. Both bands likely suffered as a result, too, and Dare's crowd certainly shrunk as their set moved along - with some likely opting to head over and check out Tygers of Pan Tang. This disappointment aside, there was still one band left that I wanted to see: Cats in Space. I have become a big Cats in Space fan over the past couple of years, and the six-piece throwback 1970s rockers put on what was probably the set of the festival with their brand of upbeat, feel-good glam rock. With frontman Damien Edwards now fully entrenched in the band's ranks, this set was possibly the best performance from the band that I have seen yet - and it contained a number of their best songs, as well as two tracks from their upcoming album Kickstart the Sun. As is often the case Too Many Gods kicked things off, with Edwards owning the song vocally. Cats in Space are band that are more than the sum of their parts though. Greg Hart (guitar/vocals) writes much of the material himself, but Dean Howard (guitar/vocals) takes the lion's share of the guitar solos, whilst Hart and bassist Jeff Brown do most of the harmonising with Edwards. What struck me this time was how tight those three are vocally. Howard adds some vocals during some of the more anthemic choruses, and Andy Stewart (keyboards/vocals) uses his vocoder to great effect, but the main harmonies come from Edwards, Hart, and Brown - and there is clearly no trickery going on behind the scenes to help them. What you hear is all live, and that made the band's set all the better. They pulled a decent crowd too, and it is easy to see why with anthems like Listen to the Radio and Only in Vegas being so easy to sing along with. Even the newer cuts Teenage Millionaires and Poke the Witch stuck with me after only a single listen, and the set just got better and better with the slow-burning I Fell Out of Love with Rock 'n' Roll and the disco-themed Thunder in the Night - complete with some great Brown bass playing. The epic Greatest Story Never Told rounded out the main set, with Brown and Edwards trading vocals, and the band briefly left the set to plenty of applause from the gathering crowd. There was time for one more, and the band dashed back out to squeeze in a powerful rendition of Hologram Man - which contains one of the best choruses in the band's canon in my opinion. They then took their bows to plenty of noise, and it was clear that little was going to top Cats in Space that day. The band's setlist was:

Dive!

Too Many Gods

Revolution

Listen to the Radio

Mr. Heartache

Only in Vegas

Teenage Millionaires

Scars

Poke the Witch

Marionettes

Atlantis

I Fell Out of Love with Rock 'n' Roll

Thunder in the Night

The Mad Hatter's Tea Party

Greatest Story Never Told

-

Hologram Man

With the exception of Dare and one other band, who I will get to, no other band came close to touching Cats in Space's excellent set at this year's CRF - and they were a great way to cap off a pretty full-on Friday. I made my way to the nearby Travelodge to check in and get some sleep - which came in fits in starts due to their being a few of us in the room, as well as the heat. I knew that Saturday was a relatively weak day bands-wise, and there was only one that I really wanted to see. I planned to head to the festival in the evening to catch Atomic Rooster, but much of the rest of the day was spent in nearby Peterborough. I briefly visited the city in 2019 for a conference, so it was nice to visit properly - despite the rain. Friday had been extremely hot, almost uncomfortably so at times, whilst Saturday was much cooler and often wet. Breakfast was consumed in one of the city's Wetherspoons, before I went shopping for a couple of hours. Some of the city's charity shops were quite fruitful, and I came away with five records in total. Four of these came from a vintage-inspired charity shop that had a huge selection of decent records to look through. I could have bought more, but sometimes you have to limit yourself. I also bought a new pair of trousers for future festivals as they were on offer in one of the camping shops. Over a drink later, my group decided that after Atomic Rooster's set we should head out for an Indian - so a plan was settled. I found the details of a local Indian restaurant and booked a table - which certainly seemed a better prospect than paying over the odds for food back at the festival. I also picked up some bits from Marks & Spencer for Sunday's lunch. As such, I barely engaged with the festival at all on Saturday. In some ways this was a shame, but it was also reflective of the wider line-up. There just were not that many bands playing on Saturday that I was interested in. I would have liked to have watched Hollowstar but they were one of the last bands of the day and the rest of my group would not have been up for watching them - leaving me stranded on site! Outside of them, and Atomic Rooster, though, nothing really appealed. Focus were the day's headliners, and the Dutch band do nothing for me at all - and have played at the festival countless times before. A day in Peterborough was better spent, then, especially with a pretty full-on Sunday to come.

I arrived back at the site not long before Atomic Rooster started their set, and what followed was over an hour of heavy progressive rock that showcased why the band were so influential back in the 1970s. The current incarnation of Atomic Rooster features two members from the band's classic period: Pete French (vocals) and Steve Bolton (guitar/vocals); and whilst neither of them are founding members there is still a feeling of legitimacy about the line-up. The current band is very much paying tribute to the original band and keeping the music of the late Vincent Crane alive, and their hard-hitting CRF set certainly saw them putting their best foot forward. I first saw the band at the CRF in 2016, which was one of the reunited Atomic Rooster's first shows. They have become quite the live fixture since, so I was looking forward to catching them again. Atomic Rooster are a progressive rock band, but they very much emphasise the harder end that sound. Aside from a couple of instrumental pieces, Atomic Rooster's set was riffy and melodic - with many of the songs possessing strong choruses that were easy to latch onto. Bolton provided some strong guitar solos, but for me the star of the show was new keyboard player Ross Munro. I did not quite catch what French said about him, but I think that the CRF show was Munro's first gig with the band. If so, this makes his performance all the more impressive. Due to Crane's songwriting dominance, keyboards are a huge part of Atomic Rooster's sound, and Munro laid into his Hammond organ throughout. Songs like the riffy Tomorrow Night and Devil's Answer benefitted hugely from this Hammond drive; whilst Shug Millidge (bass guitar) propelled everything forward in classic organ-trio (despite the presence of Bolton's guitar) fashion. There was a pretty healthy crowd gathered in the Ruby Stage's hangar during the band's set, and Atomic Rooster certainly received a strong reaction throughout. They ended with a version of Arthur Brown's Fire (also co-written by Crane) during which there was so much soloing that Bolton broke a string. It was a powerful end to a memorable set, and it certainly made Saturday's short trip to the festival worth it. I then headed the short distance to the nearby estate of Hampton Hargate for an Indian at the excellent Maharani's - which certainly seemed more appealing than watching Focus, who I have never really appreciated. The relatively early night was welcome, too, as there was to be plenty of music to enjoy the next day.

Following something of a lie in I travelled back to the festival site looking forward to a final day of good music. I got there whilst hard rockers Beguiled were playing on the Ruby Stage, but their rather uninspiring sound did little for me. It was not long before they finished, though, and I took my place to check out Sam Millar & The Sass Bandits - the first band that I had earmarked to watch. Millar was formally a part of hard rockers Bigfoot, who seemed to have something of a profile before splitting up, but his solo material seems to be much more AOR in nature. Despite having issues with his guitar throughout the set, and a live mix that was a bit mushy and buried James Thorley's keyboards, Millar impressed throughout his relatively short set. All of the songs played were pretty hooky, with memorable riffs and vocal refrains, whilst there were plenty of tasty solos to enjoy too. Much like Cats in Space, Millar's band can be commended for their tight vocal harmonies, too. Millar sang well throughout with Lucy Shevchuck (guitar/vocals) and Alex Lacy (drums/vocals), with the three bringing the band's big choruses to life. I often think that melodic rock bands can be let down live by their lack of tight vocal harmonies, and it really pays to have multiple competent singers in a band to ensure that such things can be properly delivered. Millar's band certainly pulled this off, and I imagine that the choruses would have sounded even better with a clearer mix. Throughout the festival the sound was generally pretty good, and Millar's band were one of the few to sound a bit muddy. It was a shame as AOR needs to sound clean to really work, and much of Thorley's work was sadly lost as a result. Despite this, though, I heard enough to know that I want to follow Millar's work going forward. There were enough chorus hooks to keep me interested, and the excellent ballad Lost in Translation contained lots of great soloing from the man himself. AOR has never been hugely represented at the CRF in the past either, so it was good to see the genre getting a bit of love this year. I was clearly not the only one impressed by Millar's band, either, as after his set he was selling plenty of EPs and shirts. I purchased his two EPs, and am looking forward to giving them a proper listen in due course - and I think that Millar will certainly be one to watch out for going forward.

The next band on the Ruby Stage, Cairo, were another band that I had earmarked to watch. I have been listening to Cairo since they released their debut album Say in 2016, due to Rob Cottingham's (vocals/keyboards) previous association with Touchstone. Despite having had since Say since it came out, I had never seen Cairo live before - so I was looking forward to finally doing so. It was fitting too, as I first discovered Touchstone at the 2008 iteration of the CRF, and I bought their debut album Discordant Dreams after their set, so it seemed right that I would catch Cairo live for the first time at the same festival. Despite enjoying Say, Cairo have never grabbed me as much as Touchstone did - particularly the band's first two albums. Touchstone always felt like a band that was more than the sum of its parts, with a number of different influences and songwriting styles meshing together to form something unique. Cairo has less of that diversity, and is very much Cottingham's brainchild. This is no bad thing, but for me Cairo work the best when they are playing to Cottingham's strengths. He excels at writing smooth, melodic songs - so Cairo's songs of that ilk really shine. I have never really thought of Cottingham as a true rocker though, so Cairo's heavier tracks never quite hit home - but generally the band operate in something of a melodic progressive rock camp, with Cottingham's keyboards dominating. Sharing the vocals with Cottingham was frontwoman Sarah Bayley, who is a relatively recent addition to the band. Her voice fitted in well with Cottingham's songs, though, and their two voices blended together nicely. Songs such as the spiky Wiped Out showcased the best of this vocal approach, whilst the smooth Say was a big vocal showcase for Bayley. James Hards (guitar) also impressed throughout the set, and he included melodic guitar solos in a number of the songs. Cairo's sound is much more soundscape based than Touchstone's ever was, so there is not quite the same emphasis on guitar solos, but when Hards did let rip he really impressed. The band's set came to an end with the proggy and melodic Nothing to Prove, a song which very much represents Cottingham's current approach to songwriting. A number of new songs were played, too, and the band's second album is due out later in the year. I will look forward to giving it a listen when it is released, and it is great to have finally seen Cairo live after six years.

The blues of the Chris Bevington Organisation did not tempt me, so I decided to head back to the car for lunch. Buying food the previous day in Peterborough had been a good idea, and it saved paying over the odds for something from one of the wagons. I did end up catching the end of the Chris Bevington Organisation's set, though, and the few songs that I heard were decent. They were more upbeat and interesting that the sort of barroom blues that the festival usually puts on, and their last few numbers passed the time until the next band that I was interested in catching: Magenta. Magenta are a Welsh progressive rock five-piece whom I have ever only really been a casual fan of. Despite being part of the wider modern UK prog 'scene', and often lumped together with Mostly Autumn, Touchstone, etc., Magenta are very much a progressive rock band with a capital P - and are much more Yes influenced than many of their peers. As such, I have generally only really followed the band from afar, but with my increased love of prog over the past couple of years I was looking forward to seeing the band again. I had seen the band live once previously, at the first ever Trinity Live event in 2014 - which was organised following the band's frontwoman Christina Booth's cancer diagnosis. Thankfully that all seems to be in the past now, and Magenta have continued rocking - putting out the well-received Masters of Illusion album in 2020. Like Mostly Autumn who followed them, Magenta were afforded a lengthy set - and a decent-sized crowd had gathered to watch them. Despite me not being familiar with much of the material played, I still really enjoyed Magenta's set - and it is certainly time that I properly delved into their catalogue. Most of the band's songs are quite lengthy, but there is still plenty of melody to be found. Booth is a great singer, who's clean tone soared above the rest of the band - whilst the rest of the band's core of Chris Fry (guitar/vocals) and Rob Reed (keyboards/vocals) provided the main musical motifs. Most of the soloing and melody came from Fry's lengthy solos, but songwriter Reed also shone with his dense soundscapes and occasional solo. Melodic tracks like Bela sat well alongside the lengthier songs, and every song impressed with their mix of melody and instrumental prowess. The band's powerful set came to a close with an excellent rendition of The Lizard King, with its great vocal hooks and clapping rhythm, which received a strong reaction from the crowd. There was only one more band that I was interested in properly catching following Magenta's set, but I headed outside for a bit of a break first. It had been a day consisting of a lot of standing by this point, so a quick sit down was needed before heading back into the hangar for Mostly Autumn's set.

It is my understanding that Mostly Autumn have played at every iteration of the CRF, with the exception of one, and they were one of the main reasons why I attended the final day in 2008. They are one of my favourite bands, and I take every opportunity possible to see them. They always deliver at the CRF, and their set this year was no different - especially as they were afforded an hour and 45 minutes on stage, which is much longer than is usual. The set was largely a truncated version of the Graveyard Star-led set which I saw the band perform at The Robin 2 last year, but the new material was mixed in with the older tunes for more of an overall flow - and the band also played one older song which I had never seen them play live before. The set kicked off with the high-energy and synth-heavy Tomorrow Dies, which has become a real live staple over the past few years. It is the sort of song that pushes Olivia Sparnenn-Josh's voice to the limit, and the pulsing playing of Iain Jennings (keyboards) - along with the punch of the rhythm section - made the song a perfect set-opener. Equally driving was the anthemic hard rock of Spirit of Mankind, from the latest album, which followed. In fact, the early portion of the set in general was pretty hard rocking, and the energy levels remained high throughout. Henry Rogers' (drums) barrage to start In for the Bite and the poppy upbeat rock of Into the Stars ensured that this was the case, and it was only with opening section of Western Skies, with the gorgeous flute playing of Angela Gordon (flute/keyboards/whistles/vocals), that the band slowed things down somewhat. Western Skies culminated in a powerful rocking crescendo, though, so there was not much respite to be had. The folky Skin of Mankind and the old favourite Nowhere to Hide (Close My Eyes) reined in the arrangements somewhat, before the spotlight was turned over to Chris Johnson (vocals/guitar/keyboards) for a couple of numbers. The alt-rock vibes of Changing Lives always go down well, and even encouraged a bit of audience participation, before his aching ballad Silver Glass, which was not played last year, injected some real emotion into the set - with bandleader Bryan Josh (vocals/guitar) adding the song's trademark guitar solo. A couple more new numbers followed, including Sparnenn-Josh's soaring This Endless War, before the old favourite in Mother Nature was wheeled out. Josh did not sing during this set as much as he often does due to the song selection, so it was great to hear him belt out the epic prog number - and the closing instrumental section with Jennings' keyboard solo and Josh's lengthy guitar solo is always a joy to behold. A surprise then followed in the form of Heart, Body and Soul - a song which was featured on the special edition of 2017's Sight of Day. The song had only been played a handful of times before, and featured Sparnenn-Josh and Gordon singing in perfect harmony, whilst briefly Johnson took over Gordon's keyboard duties. It was a brief moment of calm before the band's soaring signature cut Heroes Never Die took thing to the next level - with Josh's trademark closing solo being another highlight. It was left to Forever and Beyond to close things out, and given the reaction of the large crowd it was clear that Mostly Autumn had, as always, delivered one of the sets of the weekend. The setlist was:

Tomorrow Dies

Spirit of Mankind

In for the Bite [Bryan Josh solo material]

Into the Stars

Western Skies

Skin of Mankind

Nowhere to Hide (Close My Eyes)

Changing Lives

Silver Glass

This Endless War

Back in These Arms

Mother Nature

Heart, Body and Soul

Heroes Never Die

Forever and Beyond

Following Mostly Autumn on the Ruby Stage were Franck Carducci & The Fantastic Squad, a French progressive rock group which I had heard a lot about so was interested to check out. After two songs, however, the theatrical collective were not doing all that much for me, so after a long day I decided to call time on the CRF for 2022 - with Mostly Autumn's set a perfect way to round it out. Having now had a week or so to reflect on the festival whilst writing up this review, I think it is fair to say that the 2022 iteration of the CRF was a rather different experience to the festivals of the past for me. As I did not camp on site, I do not think that I really entered into the spirit of things as much as I usually would have. If I was staying on site, for example, I definitely would have made more effort with Saturday's line-up, and I may well have discovered some more unknown bands. I was glad of the proper bed and a shower every morning, though, so staying off site certainly had its benefits. As I have perhaps alluded to throughout this piece, too, I think that it is fair to say that the overall turnout at the festival was not great. Some of the 'name' bands pulled decent crowds, but the Ruby Stage's hangar never exactly looked all that busy. This is a real shame as CRFs of the past have generally been fairly well attended for their size, but I do wonder if fatigue is creeping in somewhat. Even until relatively recently the festival managed to get a couple of 'bigger' bands each year, but this year they very much stuck to their regulars. There were also quite a few bands that I would have watched if it was not for them clashing with other bands, which is an inevitability of every festival. I was gutted to miss Tygers of Pan Tang, Bad Touch, Sons of Liberty, and Vambo among others - which probably made the line-up feel thinner than it actually was. The clashes seemed worse this year than they had previously though, although that may not actually be the case. In conclusion, I had a good time at the 2022 iteration of the CRF. I think that I have probably sounded quite negative at times throughout this piece, but on the whole my experiences were still positive. I do feel that the festival is in a bit of a rut at the moment, although two cancellations and the general economic climate at the moment have certainly played their part in that. The festival's organisers always do the best they can with the resources that they have, and they should be congratulated for that. I do wonder, though, if some new ideas as to how to shake things up somewhat are needed - particularly line-up wise and the reliance on many of the same bands year after year. The success of 2022 and the wider economy will ultimately dictate what will happen with the CRF going forward, though, and I would certainly like to return to the festival again - although this will be very much dependant on the line-up and the location, and I think that it is a sign of a times that a ticket to the CRF, sadly, is no longer an auto-buy for me. To sign off on a positive note, though, all of the bands which I managed to see that I wanted to delivered on stage - and, ultimately, this is all that matters.

Ibaraki's 'Rashomon' - Album Review

A number of prominent 'mainstream' metal musicians over the years have expressed a wish to turn their hand to something heavier than their day job. Perhaps the most famous lover of the more extreme is Judas Priest's Rob Halford, but Trivium's Matt Heafy has also made it clear in the past that he would like to branch out - and last month he released Rashomon, the debut album from his new extreme metal project Ibaraki. Being in a band as prolific and as busy as Trivium has likely made it tricky for Heafy to turn his attentions elsewhere, and as such I am not sure of the exact history behind Rashomon. I would not be surprised if the album was put together over a number of years, but equally likely is the possibility that Rashomon was a lockdown project. Heafy and the rest of Trivium have already proved their prolific nature over the past couple of years - releasing What the Dead Men Say (which I reviewed here) in 2020 and following it up with the stunning In the Court of the Dragon (which I also reviewed here) last year - and they have been a part of two huge American tours since the COVID-19 lockdowns started to ease last summer. Trivium have never been a band to take it easy, and the band's members are clearly 100% dedicated to cause - which is partly why Trivium have the large global fanbase that they do. Briefly stepping away from the day job to try something new can be refreshing and good for the mind, though, and Rashomon is Heafy's first significant piece of work outside of Trivium. The time feels right for Heafy to stretch out, too. Trivium have been gradually evolving their sound since the get-go, but with their last handful of albums they seem to have finally settled on what will likely be their 'core' sound going forward. I am sure that the band will continue to experiment somewhat, but it seems as if they are finally starting to solidify their influences - which is unsurprising considering that they have now released 10 studio albums. Rashomon sees Heafy branching out, though, and it is the heaviest overall album that he has created - although there is still plenty of room for his melodic and somewhat more delicate side, too. Whilst Rashomon is essentially a solo album, it was produced by Ihsahn (Emperor; Peccatum) - who also co-wrote some of the songs and contributed instrumentally throughout. Heafy has kept Rashomon in the family, too, as the other three members of Trivium contribute - with Alex Bent in particular standing out thanks to his handling of the drumming duties throughout. Guest vocal spots from Nergal (Behemoth; Me and That Man) and Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance) help to add some variety, but in truth the album would still be varied enough without this additional help. Rashomon has often been called black metal, largely thanks to Heafy's wish to explore more extreme sounds and Ihsahn's involvement, but for me the album is a much heavier and more progressive take on Heafy's typical songwriting style. Trivium have had their progressive moments, but Rashomon feels more complex from an arrangement standpoint. There is certainly a strong black metal influence throughout, but the production levels throughout the album are high - and the album as a whole is a real melting pot of sounds that takes Heafy to places that he has never been before with Trivium.

The album opens slowly with the instrumental piece Hakanaki Hitsuzen. All of the album's songs, as well as its title and the name of the band, are Japanese, although the vast majority of the lyrics are in English. There are a few moments of Japanese throughout, as well as a hint of Polish and Norwegian - so the album is accessible for people who generally struggle to connect with songs not sung in English (like myself). Heafy is part-Japanese, and Rashomon sees him exploring that heritage both visually and lyrically. He has done so before with Trivium, too, but Rashomon sees him take that influence further. Hakanaki Hitsuzen is a slow-burning piece, with traditional Japanese instrumentation and wordless vocals setting the scene nicely. It is different to most extreme metal album openers, but it fits the overall tone of the album nicely - before things gets underway proper with the monstrous Kagutsuchi. Kagutsuchi opens with a mid-paced guitar and some busy Bent drumming, which sets the scene early on whilst Heafy screams the first few lines of the song, but the pace is soon upped. A knotty riff kicks in as Bent lays into his double bass drums, and the main verse showcases the overall heaviness of the album. Heafy's screams are more primal here than on any previous Trivium album, and there is an atmospheric backing that allows traditional instrumentation and sounds to sit behind the fast-paced riffing. It creates something of a unique sound, and it does not just sound like a leftover Trivium song. The song's choruses are sung clean, but they are still heavy - and take on a slightly doomy vibe thanks to Heafy's deep singing register and the dense, atmospheric sound. The song also showcases Heafy's love of a progressive arrangement, as around half way through the heaviness totally drops away and a melodic guitar lick kicks in which forms the basis for the next portion of the piece. His Trivium bandmate Paolo Gregoletto adds some busy bass slides and riffs under the guitar melodies, and Heafy sings atop these hooks in a delicate way - whilst some organic keyboards add depth. The song gets heavy again towards the end, with some tremolo-picked riffing and the odd blast beat - and the song is a great representation of Rashomon as a whole. Ibaraki-Dōji follows, and the song takes something of a symphonic path. Ihsahn's work has always sat at the symphonic end of the black metal spectrum, particularly with Emperor, so it is fitting that Rashomon is filled with soaring symphonic motifs. The opening couple of numbers utilised more traditional sounds, however, so Ibaraki-Dōji feels different as a result - as the soaring orchestral arrangements clash with the uncompromising riffing and relentless drums. There are quieter moments here, but overall the song is much more consistently heavy than Kagutsuchi. Even the clean-sung sections generally still feel heavy, thanks to the oppressive arrangement and Heafy's creepy whispers, whilst the blast beats and buzz saw guitar tones that dominate create a vibe of enveloping darkness.

Jigoku Dayū opens slowly with some acoustic guitar melodies, which are soon joined by a clean electric guitar and some percussion to add extra depth. These melodies form the basis of the early portion of the song. Heafy sings the first section of the song clean, and as such it really stands out from the first handful of tracks here. It is a pretty atmospheric piece, and the opening sections showcase what a great singer Heafy is. His clean singing has improved hugely over the years, and his emotional and rhythmic delivery here really fits the slow-burning guitar build up - and the contrast when the heavy section of the song kicks in is great. The lengthy intro only makes the heavy section sound heavier, though, and the song is well-arranged as a result. Once the song kicks in, though, there is little let up. Heafy screams his way through the story of the daughter of a murdered samurai forced into a life of servitude. Instrumentally the heavy section of the song remains interesting, though. The riffing is tight and furious, but there are short instrumental interludes that include pulsing keyboard stabs - as well as the occasional clean-sung section that inject more emotion into the piece. Tamashii No Houkai, which opens with noises that sound like they have come from an old 8-bit Nintendo game, continues the heaviness of the second half of the previous song - but the arrangement is such that Heafy switches back and forth between screams and clean vocals throughout. His screams dominate, but the short melodic interludes help to break up the relentless riffing. There is a lot going on throughout the song instrumentally, though. Parts of the song are blast beat-led and very fast, whilst more mid-paced sections allow a traditional instrumental backing to shine through - and an effects-heavy guitar solo from Ihsahn provides some additional spacey, progressive vibes to the piece. There are not a lot of guitar solos throughout Rashomon, but when they are deployed they are effective. Ihsahn's effort here is more about creating an atmosphere than showboating - and it works well in the varied context of the song. Akumu, which features Nergal, is very much a pure symphonic black metal piece - at least at first. It is perhaps less furious than some of the songs here, but the mid-paced blast beats and tremolo picked riffs are pure black metal - and the symphonics remind me of Dimmu Borgir's recent work. The pace slows down further for Nergal's section, sung in Polish, which showcases the deep bark of the Behemoth frontman perfectly. The backing for his section is atmospheric and progressive - and the song's main riffing style kicks back in afterwards, when Heafy starts screaming again. The final third of the song is perhaps the most progressive part of the track, as it features a lot of different riffing styles and lots of atmosphere thanks to Ihsahn's production. It also features the first clean-sung section of the song - which kicks in after a lengthy instrumental riff-fest that showcases Heafy's talents as a guitarist perfectly.

Komorebi slows the pace somewhat, and opens with a big guitar lead that sits atop a big slab of guitar rhythms and pounding drums. Lead guitar moments are not common throughout the album, but Komorebi makes good use of them - both for traditional melodic purposes as well as to create atmosphere. There are slow-burning clean-sung sections here which are filled with spacey guitar leads, and these sections sound nothing like the rest of the album - further showcasing the overall diversity that Heafy has cultivated here. With the exception of the album's closing number, this is easily the least-heavy of the album's cuts. There is a huge focus on Heafy's clean vocals here, and the subtle drumming of Bent really adds a great groove for him to sing atop - with symphonics and acoustic guitar melodies generally providing the backing. Heafy's Trivium bandmate Corey Beaulieu contributes a guitar solo, too, and it is probably the most traditional-sounding lead guitar moment on the whole album. It is perhaps not as furious as his Trivium solos, but it is melodic and full of nifty phrases that lift the song overall - which is general is a great showcase for many different guitar styles. Rōnin follows, and it is arguably the album's crowning achievement. It is the most progressive and complex song here - but it also contains some of the hookiest vocal moments Heafy has ever written. Way is featured here vocally, too, and he puts in a performance unlike anything he has committed to tape previously. If you expecting something like My Chemical Romance then you will be disappointed, as Way unleashes a number of memorable black metal-esque screams throughout the track. He dominates the heavier sections, whilst Heafy focuses on the clean vocal-led sections - and the contrast between the two singing styles is great. Ihsahn adds a rather jaunty guitar solo to the song too, which starts and ends in a poppy rhythm but soars in the middle. This is part of a wider progressive instrumental section that mixes plenty of riffs and rhythms together nicely - and then slows down for an acoustic guitar-led section with wordless vocal hooks. The song then ends as it started, with Heafy's hooky clean vocals and a strong atmospheric backing. Susanoo No Mikoto, which includes some Japanese lyrics and vocals from Ihsahn, is the last heavy track on the album - and it opens with lots of mid-paced black metal riffing and screams. The song is not as heavy as many of the tracks here, though, and even many of the screamed sections are very atmospheric. There are moments of riffing early on, but the song in general is very melodic - despite the dominance of screams. There are clean vocal sections throughout, which enhance the overall melodic nature of the piece, and I like the general approach taken throughout - which helps the song to stand out in the wider context of the album, which tends to be much heavier. The album closes with the short and jaunty Kaizoku, which is a very strange song lyrically. The lyrics are so graphic that I am not sure if they are supposed to be a joke or whether something has got a bit lost in translation - either literally or culturally. Musically the song is quite jaunty and nothing like the rest of the album - so things end on a rather strange note. Overall, though, Rashomon is a great album from Heafy. He has really pushed himself here, and the album sounds very different to his work with Trivium. The experimental nature of the songs here showcase a different side of his songwriting, and I would certainly like to see more from the Ibaraki project going forward.

The album was released on 5th May 2022 via Nuclear Blast Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Kagutsuchi.

Crashdïet's 'Automaton' - Album Review

It has been great having Crashdïet back in recent years. The Swedish glam metal band were a big part of the Scandinavian sleaze revival that took place towards the end of the 2000s and continued on into the beginning of the 2010s, before seemingly breaking up in 2015 due to the departure of then-singer Simon Cruz part-way through a tour of Japan. Before getting to that point, however, Crashdïet had to overcome plenty of adversity - including the suicide of their original frontman Dave Lepard, who performed on 2005's scene-defining Rest in Sleaze. Many bands would have struggled to carry on following such a tragic event, but both H. Olliver Twisted and Cruz proved that there were still plenty for Crashdïet to say - and by the time Cruz left Crashdïet had four excellent studio albums to their name. For a while it seemed that Crashdïet were truly over, but in 2017 they announced that current frontman Gabriel Keyes had joined the band. This was great news, of course, but the fans were made to wait a further two years before the Keyes era was launched proper. Some sporadic live appearances and a couple of singles helped to tie the fanbase over, but in September 2019 the band's fifth album Rust (which I reviewed here) was finally released. In my opinion Rust is as good as anything that the band had put out previously, and my view on it has only improved since I wrote my review. I also saw the band deliver a furious 30 minute set opening for Skid Row towards the end of 2019, so for me the Rust era of Crashdïet was a fruitful one. I was impressed with Keyes, too, and hoped that he was going to be the frontman that finally stuck with the band for the long-term. The band's core of guitarist Martin Sweet, bassist Peter London, and drummer Eric Young has essentially been in place since 2003 - but neither Twisted nor Cruz stuck around. So far, though, Keyes has done so - and I hope that he continues on in the role for a long time. Crashdïet really do not need to go through another frontman change, but for now that is not on the cards thankfully - as the second album with Keyes at the helm, Automaton, was released back in April. I was looking forward to where Crashdïet would go after Rust, which was pretty typical of their classic sound, but Automaton finds the band seemingly wanting to do things a little differently. It is not a drastic shift in sound, but the album certainly seems a little cleaner and less raw-sounding than their earlier work - and there are a few stylistic choices throughout which I do not think work that well within Crashdïet's established sound. Interestingly Sweet, who has always been the driving force behind the band as a songwriter, has only been involved in the writing in six of the album's 12 tracks - with the dominant force this time being Young. Young has contributed a few songs previously, but this album sees his writing dominate - which is strange considering his on-and-off (and on-going) absence from the band's shows in recent years and complete lack of songwriting credits on Rust.

Following the very short instrumental title track, which is essentially just some atmospheric noise that offers little musically, the album kicks off proper with Together Whatever - one of its singles. The song is a classic-sounding Crashdïet number, and it ensures that the album starts with a bang. Young's drum roll kicks things off, before a crunching Sweet riff soon comes in - with a hooky guitar lead sitting atop it. The song is very catchy, hence it being released as a single, and it is a vocal showcase for Keyes. He is a great frontman, and has a great voice too, with the crunchy, staccato riffing throughout the song's verses being a good backing for his charismatic delivery. The verses are nice and weighty thanks to the riffs and the big presence of London's bass, whilst the choruses are more poppy - with soaring sleazy hooks and some effects-heavy vocals that add some sugar. A shredded guitar solo injects some of Sweet's classic melodic playing into the track, and the song has all of the classic Crashdïet hallmarks - and is another great sleaze anthem from the band. Shine On opens with some pulsing synths, although a barrelling guitar riff soon kicks in - which the synths then double. This is something new for Crashdïet, who have never been big synth users. Their use previously has tended to be subtle, but the keyboards during the song's intro are quite prominent - making the riff sound bigger. They do somewhat round the edges off the riff, however. Crashdïet are at their best when there is a dirty edge to their playing, and the synths do counter that somewhat. When the verses start, however, the synths largely drop away - and the song becomes another sleazy hard rocker. The chorus is particularly memorable, with some irresistible vocal hooks and a varied performance from Keyes who hits some impressive high notes during it. Gang vocals add to the punky nature of the chorus, and a wordless bridge section near the end allows for some additional hooks. No Man's Land opens with a pretty heavy riff, which like the riff for Together Whatever has a melodic guitar lead sitting atop it. The verses see some of the opening heaviness toned down though, as they are generally driven by the bass and drums whilst Sweet adds colour with some guitar textures. The main riff resurfaces for the chorus, though, and the spiky section is a pretty catchy one with some fists-in-the-air gang vocal sections and some pretty heavy drumming from Young. Darker Minds slows the pace down somewhat and goes for a pseudo-ballad vibe. Whilst the change of pace is welcome after three heavier songs, the song is so smooth and poppy that it does not really sound like Crashdïet. The band's previous ballads have still managed to maintain the band's trademark edge, but Darker Minds is very sugary - and reminds me more of a band like The Struts than Crashdïet. It is not a bad song, and the chorus hook is very memorable, but it is the first real example here of the band showcasing a sound that is lacking in their trademark sleaze - although the main riff for Shine On somewhat did that too.

Dead Crusade gets the album back on track in a big way though, with the sugary nature of the previous song immediately replaced with a grinding mid-paced riff. The song is possibly the heaviest that the band have ever sounded, and it hits harder following the semi-ballad that preceded it. Sweet's riffing throughout has a satisfying crunch and rhythm, whilst Youngs' drumming is punchy - with choice use of double bass fills when necessary to add to the overall heaviness. Despite this heaviness, though, there is still enough of the band's trademark sleaze sound to make it sound like Crashdïet. The chorus has more gang vocals and call-and-response melodies - and another great solo from Sweet makes the song stand out with its weight and screaming melodies. Powerline, which features guest vocals from Michael Starr (L.A. Guns; Steel Panther), is another pretty poppy track. The chorus is pretty AOR-centric, and sounds like something from a Frontiers Records (which is ironic as Crashdïet are no longer signed to Frontiers) release with its layers of vocal harmonies and fairly typical AOR-esque hooks. It is a decent chorus, though, and the melodies stick in the brain even if it does not really sound much like Crashdïet. The rest of the song generally does though, with some more decent Sweet riffing throughout - and another big bass presence from London. I am not really sure what Starr brings to the song, though. For me, Keyes is a better singer and I feel like the Steel Panther hype bubble has well and truly burst at this point - so having Starr on the album is not likely to be the commercial pull that it would have been a few years ago. Resurrection of the Damned is another heavier piece, and the Keyes/Sweet composition sounds like it could have sat on Rust back in 2019. The song is one of the best on the album in my opinion, and it is a great example of the band's trademark sound. There is little of the smoother production which has generally been used throughout the album, as Sweet's riffs have plenty of bite to them - whilst London's bass punches through the speakers in the way that it tended to do on the band's older albums. The chorus is a feast of hooks, too, and showcases Keyes' vocal power in a big way. It is the sort of song that shows why he was hired by the band, and the chorus might be my favourite individual moment on the album thanks to its sleazy grooves and soaring vocal hooks. We Die Hard reins in the heaviness somewhat, and injects some poppier vibes back into the band's sound, but there is still enough of a sleazy edge to make the song a winner for me. It sounds a bit like Chemical from 2010's Generation Wild - which for me was a good example of how Crashdïet can write a very poppy song and still sound like themselves. Songs like Darker Minds and Powerline cross the line at times for me, but We Die Hard still sounds like Crashdïet. There is a sleazy vibe throughout the song, and it is not filled to the brim with overly-processed backing vocals or hooks that have come straight from a pop album - with the exception of a low key bridge section which is used for effect rather than as a dominant overall sound.

Shell Shock is a crunchy mid-paced rocker that reminds me generally of the sound that Crashdïet cultivated on 2007's The Unattractive Revolution. There is a slightly darker vibe throughout the song, although there is still a bit of a sleazy feel thanks to some big grooves and a number of riffs that would certainly go down well live. Considering the synths that have been used elsewhere on the album, as well as the song's heaviness, Shell Shock is actually one of the album's most atmospheric pieces. There are moments that sound quite dark and expansive with clean guitar melodies and ringing basslines, whilst other moments explode with hard-hitting mid-paced guitar riffs - as well as plenty of punchy gang vocal moments during the choruses which really push the song forward. Unbroken sounds like it is going to be a ballad thanks to a quiet opening, but this is a bit of a red herring as it soon explodes with another big riff. It is a much faster song, and the pace is generally pretty high throughout. Parts of the verses slow things down a little, but on the whole the song is one that injects some of the band's punky energy back into the proceedings. It reminds me of a poppier version of Down With the Dust from Generation Wild, which was another Young-penned track that steamed along at a fast pace. The chorus here sounds quite a bit poppier, though, with some strong vocal hooks and layering - but it works well thanks to the overall high-energy nature of the song and the conviction of Keyes' vocal delivery. The album comes to a close with the Sweet-penned ballad I Can't Move On (Without You), which is an acoustic-based song that features an emotional vocal performance from Keyes, but as a whole it falls a little flat for me - especially when considered in its context as an album closer. Despite lots of poppy moments, the album as a whole has generally been pretty upbeat and hard rocking - so ending it with an acoustic ballad does not really work for me. Many albums have made this stylistic choice work, but I feel like the album's songs should have been rearranged so that it could end with a bang. The song does eventually kick in at the end for the final chorus, but for me this is not enough to give the album the powerful end that it deserved. The song itself is enjoyable, and certainly more in-keeping with Crashdïet than Darker Minds - but it feels a bit limp as a closing cut. Overall, then, for me Automaton is a strong record on the whole that is let down by a few songs that do not do that much for me. The heavier songs and the classic Crashdïet sleaze moments find the band sounding as good as ever, but those songs which push the pop melodies to the fore and shave off the jagged edges with synths end up sounding poorer for it. There is still a lot to enjoy here for the sleaze fan, though, and many of these songs would fit into the band's live repertoire nicely.

The album was released on 29th April 2022 via Crusader/Golden Robot Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Together Whatever.

Yes - Tavistock Review

Seeing a bigger band perform in a venue which is significantly smaller than they would usually book is always a treat. It does not happen very often, but when it does the night is often a very memorable one. The most recent example for me prior to this past Monday night was when Diamond Head appeared at The Junction in Plymouth as a warm-up for their slot at last year's Bloodstock Open Air; but this was trumped in the band/venue ratio stakes on Monday when the progressive rock giants Yes rolled into the Devon town of Tavistock for a show at The Wharf. In truth, Yes had actually rolled into Tavistock a week or so prior to the show - as they had been using the venue to rehearse for their upcoming UK tour. As part of the deal, the band agreed to play a warm-up show at the venue - which unsurprisingly attracted a healthy crowd. Whilst Yes might not headline the sort of venues that they did at their commercial peak, the band are still a big draw. They are regulars in the country's plush theatre-type venues, so the small confines of The Wharf would have certainly taken the band out of their comfort zone. For me, though, this gig came at the right time. I have been significantly expanding my love of progressive rock over the past couple of years, and Yes are one of the bands which I have been listening to a lot more. I have been a casual Yes fan for years, and even saw them live in Leicester back in 2014, but I have been making much more of an effort with their catalogue of late. The fact that I have finally gotten into Genesis properly over the past couple of years has made me re-evaluate a lot of progressive rock music beyond a handful of long-time favourites, so the opportunity to see Yes again was one that I was not going to turn down. If the show was not local, though, I doubt that I would have gone. I have passed up on every Yes tour since 2014, but I was not going to miss them at The Wharf - which is the venue that I have probably visited the most in my life. The biggest band that I had seen at the venue prior to Yes' show was Uriah Heep, but I would say that Yes' profile in the UK is generally higher than that of Uriah Heep's. I had tickets to see the original line-up of Asia at The Wharf too a number of years ago, but that show was sadly cancelled. Yes were certainly not to be missed, then, and many others clearly thought so - as the venue was packed despite the high ticket price for a venue of The Wharf's size. The band were never going to have problem pulling a crowd, though, despite the fact that many Yes die-hards are very critical of the band's recent line-ups and output. For me, though, Steve Howe (guitar/lap steel/vachalia/vocals) is important enough to Yes' success and legacy to be able to lead the band, despite him not being an original member. A number of the other members of the current band have been associated with Yes for a long time at this point, too, so for me Howe's Yes is very much a legitimate entity.

Yes do not tend to have support acts at their shows, and this was also the case in Tavistock. The show did not get off to the start that was planned, however, as the artist Roger Dean was supposed to kick the evening off with a Q&A - but he was not well enough to travel. It was also announced prior to the show that the band were unable to fit their touring lighting rig and video backdrop on the stage - which surprised no-one in attendance. It seemed a strange thing to make a point of considering that everyone was expecting a very stripped-back Yes show. Those of us who turned up came for the music in any case, and the band certainly did not disappoint on that front - playing set that was over two hours in length and that included a complete performance of 1972's Close to the Edge album to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The setlist itself contained a good mix of material - from all-time classic staples to some new material and deep cuts. Perhaps the biggest surprise came right away, as the band opened with the hard-hitting On the Silent Wings of Freedom. It was not a song that I was familiar with prior to the evening, but it made an impact. It was a great showcase for frontman Jon Davison, and the song's cinematic vibe was enhanced by a crystal clear mix. The live sound was generally excellent throughout, even if Jay Schellen's drums were a little overpowering in a handful of spots - but on the whole the mix was such that it allowed the band's complex music to shine. There were a couple of moments that showcased a bit of ring rust, too, but that was to be expected. It was the band's first live show in almost three years, and billed as a dress rehearsal. These moments were rare, though, and in my opinion the band sounded tight - which their complex music requires them to be. After surprising everyone with On the Silent Wings of Freedom, the band returned to firmer ground with Yours Is No Disgrace - an all-time classic track. In truth, though, the crowd greeted every track with the same level of enthusiasm. Everyone was there to have a good time, and it was not just a case of waiting for the hits. Nearly everyone around me was singing along to every word, and Yours Is No Disgrace in particular saw lots of singing thanks to its hooky refrain. The somewhat more stripped-back No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed showcased the band's early period, before an early highlight in the form of Does It Really Happen? was wheeled out. The song was a real showcase for Billy Sherwood (bass guitar/harmonica/vocals), who opened the track with his swaggering bass playing, and also for Geoff Downes (keyboards) as it came from 1980's Drama - his first album with the band.

The band's set was generally high-energy, but there was a brief period of respite following Does It Really Happen?. The rest of the band departed the stage to allow Howe to perform Clap, before he was re-joined by everyone else for a run-through of the delicate ballad Wonderous Stories. This song showcased how well Davison can sing the classic material, before the spotlight was shined on his era of the band with two songs from last year's excellent The Quest being debuted. The Ice Bridge was up first, and the song is one of my favourites that the band have done in recent years. It was another song that also pushed Downes into the spotlight, too, as it contained lots of melodic keyboard playing and most of the song's main hooks came from him. The song's instrumental mid-section came across really well, too, with both Howe and Downes delivering impressive solos. The more laid-back Dare to Know followed, with more of a vocal presence from Howe, but the crowd really erupted for the following number - Heart of the Sunrise. The lengthy track has always been a fan-favourite, and it is one of Yes' classic varied epics. Parts of the song allowed for some rocking out, whilst other sections were more delicate. It went down a storm as predicted, and it set up the set-closing suite nicely - as it was after Heart of the Sunrise that Howe announced that they were going to play Close to the Edge. He did the vast majority of the between-song talking, and Yes is very much his band now. He very much dominates the stage too with his jazz-influenced playing, but the rest of the band still shine too - and the Close to the Edge suite was a perfect opportunity for all to do their bit. The album's title track is a real favourite of mine, and it was great to hear it live again. Despite its length, it is filled with melodies and Davison really brought them to life - as he also did during the somewhat more low key And You and I which featured more acoustic playing and subtle textures. The main set then came to a close with the hard rocking Siberian Khatru, another regular favourite that always goes down well. The riffs throughout the song were some of the evening's more harder rocking moments - and it was a great high-energy moment to end things with. I assumed that only one song would be played as an encore, but there was time for two more. Up first was Roundabout, which was arguably the best-received song of the night. Everyone was singing along to its catchy chorus, and the keyboard soloing from Downes throughout was great. It was left to Starship Trooper to bring the whole evening to a close, and it was another song that really brought the house down. If Downes shone during Roundabout, then Howe shone during Starship Trooper - and his soloing was a fitting way to bring the curtain down on over two hours of varied progressive rock. The setlist was:

On the Silent Wings of Freedom

Yours Is No Disgrace

No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed [Richie Havens cover]

Does It Really Happen?

Clap

Wonderous Stories

The Ice Bridge

Dare to Know

Heart of the Sunrise

Close to the Edge

And You and I

Siberian Khatru

-

Roundabout

Starship Trooper

Whilst I still am not a die-hard Yes fan, and there are plenty of others more versed in the catalogue than me, I really enjoyed my time with Yes in Tavistock. Seeing them perform in such a small venue was a real treat. The mix of songs played was great, and the performance was a powerful one despite the long break between live shows. It has certainly inspired me to continue on with my Yes journey, as there is still quite a bit more for me to discover. I am sure that I will only enjoy the band more the further that I investigate - and the Tavistock show will be one that I look back on and remember for a long time.