The duo of guitarist Jon Barry and multi-instrumentalist slash keyboard wizard Mike Hewetson spare little time for niceties by plunging rapidly into a follow-up of their splendid instrumental powerhouse debut, which was met with joyous satisfaction by the prog aficionados. If you enjoy all kinds of Hammond organ, piano, synthesizers, mellotron, Solina strings, and Taurus bass pedals being staged up front and center, then you can start drooling now , before a note has been played.
They kick off where the left off, with the incendiary “Fireball” scorching the space between one’s ears, an unrelenting Hewetson sonic essay on insistence, followed by an ambient reflection, only to better announce the sprawling electric guitar fulminations from Mr Barry. Properly anesthetized, the epic “Song of the Ancient Sun God “ seeks out to outline the album title’s true meaning, a glowing expression of elegant bombast, the glorious mellotron spewing its magic in the background, where wobbly synths sneak through the clouds, while the Cort bass does its share of the foundational construction work with the Roland TD-11drum kit (which is excellently done BTW) to erect the cosmic shrine to the solar titans. Barry then adorns the temple walls with blistering axe runs that slash away with impunity. Hewetson drills the theme into the heavens.
The title track is another sizeable slab of dynamic expression, opting for a more delicate introduction, where pastoral glow illuminates the road ahead, as the orchestral elements rise in stature. The various string synths radiate brightly, the choir mellotron intervening with its usual colossal effect. Midway through, the tone shifts to a darker theme, albeit only temporarily, as the sun comes abruptly barrelling through with a warm symphonic swell, the classic church organ doing its celestial thingy, the elongated guitar solo highlighting the melody even further.
The piano arrives elegantly adorned on “Sunsong”, a shimmering Wakeman-esque etude of the highest melodic order, a charming set up for the main theme to evolve into an open-air orchestral celebration of warmth and light, basking in the glow of caressing keyboard passages. When the next layer of mellotron, tubular bells and guitars duplicate the melodic theme once gain, its feels like surfing on rainbows, surrender time! The finale is so luminous, one needs sunglasses in order to listen properly.
Liquid sadness is bestowed in the most melancholic fashion possible on “Sea of Sorrows”, a forlorn piece of introspective recollection, where mournful piano and 12 string guitar combine to pull at the heartstrings with a melody so fine, it could make one cry. Washing away memories that need purification.
A return to the eloquent piano is always a stupendous idea, and “Beyond the Seventh Sun” fares perfectly with the soundtrack-like orchestral serenity, simply ravishing playing from Hewetson, adding some Taurus pedal low-end tremors for effect, the riveting piano never letting go. When Barry’s suave outer-galactic guitar scours the farthest expanses of the universe, the experience veers into respectful acceptance.
The near dozen minute grand finale “The Curse”, and in complete contrast to the preceding prettiness, we are all flung into a momentary torment of delirium, as if to confuse the mind between the merits of good and the ills of evil. The volleying synthesizers recall some of Keith Emerson’s finer torture sessions, where he performed treacherous surgery on the brain, tossing the salad into the bins. Tornado swirls, pandemonium detonations on the drum kit, churning organ eddies, and eerie gothic echoing cellos, this is Halloween music par excellence! No hint of relaxation here, it’s quite the nuclear experience, with dark ominous clouds hovering just above the earphones, pressing down hard on any resistance, chaotic explosions and distant fallout that does not bode well. A warning not to play with fire. Atomic fire.
A brilliant (oops) follow-up and much worthy of your attention.
4.5 Glowing neutrons