Big Big Train - A Flare On The Lens Live (InsideOut Music)
Recorded over two nights at London's Cadogan Hall, in the midst of their longest tour ever, British prog rock icons Big Big Train have committed full show from the second of their two nights alongside seven songs which were played only on the first night.
Available on CD/LP/Blu-Ray as A Flare On The Lense. A concert film that has all the bells and whistles, a carefully selected tracklist that sees A Boy In Darkness from English Electric performed for the first time live. It's a brilliant song that works so well on stage, dramatic and bold it's a obvious tribute to the writing of former BBT singer David Longdon who tragically passed away in 2021.
The whole record is a celebration of Big Big Train and shows why they are so revered in the prog world, the second disc especially comprising an Acoustic Medley, with two BBT classics; the epic East Coast Racer and brilliant Victorian Brickwork, showcasing how they infuse their music with the traditional English folk traditions, the use of fiddle/flute and brass, evoking everything from Canterbury troubadours to Northern Colliery bands.
There are classics like closer Judas Unrepentant, Curator Of Butterflies and new tracks like Oblivion and Love Is The Light, on which frontman Alberto Bravin made his recorded debut, here he handles all of the music brilliantly, singing with a familiarity but also his own way of presenting these songs.
Amongst their own songs, there are chances for the band members to show off; Apollo the fantastic instrumental driven by band founder Gregory Spawton's bass or Drums And Brass which is a showcase for Nick D'Virgilio's superior drumming. This track features a rhythm from a well known prog song but it's really bugging me that I can't remember which one (answers on a postcard please).
A Flare On The Lens Live is a fantastic live showcase from one of the UK's most important prog bands. Essential. 10/10
Firtan - Ethos (AOP Records)
Featuring guest performances from J.J. (Harakiri for the Sky, Karg) and L.G. (Ellende), Ethos is the newest album from German extreme metal band Firtan. Those guest should be an indicator about what you should expect if, like me, you have never heard the band before. Emerging from the raw black metal sound, Firtan have layered their style now to bring a sense of the atmospheric and the progressive to the black metal style.
Ethos is their fourth full length and comes as the culmination of the evolution they have been on since their debut, it's an existential album which brings melancholy and abstract ambivalence, the more melodic dissonance of their lyrics is put against blasts of black metal aggression from the double kick drums and tremolo picking, slowing down to a weighty chug when they need too and utilising the violin/piano of Klara Bachmair for additional melodies on tracks such as Arkanum and the closing Wenn Sich Mir Einst Alle Ringe Schließen.
Firtan play serious music, it's hard hitting and thought provoking, but violent and vicious, C.S and Phillip Thienger's guitars furiously assault the ears with counter pointed riffs and leads, Thienger's vocals savage. The engine room of Oliver König (bass) and David Kempf (drums) unleash a battery on tracks such as Contra Vermes where the synths weave their way into the middle section, as they bring acoustics in the middle of the cathartic Komm Herbei, Schwarze Nacht.
Firtan impress with their fourth album, anyone that likes a bit more introspection and exploring with their extreme metal will want to pick up Ethos. 8/10
Find Me - Nightbound (Frontiers Music SRL)
The musical alliance between Robbie LaBlanc (vocals) and Daniel Flores (keys/drums) returns with their fifth album. Featuring a collection of songwriters including Jim Peterik.
Its another collaboration project spearheaded by the Frontiers label boss, but one that has been very fruitful, the songwriter's giving LaBlanc the words to sing with his brilliant voice while Flores' production and arrangements are performed with slickness by Danny, Andi Kravljaca (guitars), Jonny Trobro (bass), Rolf Pilotti (piano/organ) and Fernando Brito (percussion).
This is AOR as slick as it gets, I See You In Everyone an anthemic semi ballad, while Can't Wait Here Anymore shimmers with the glint of the Sunset Strip. There's an ideal mixture of ballads and rockers as songs such as Distant Lovers, Speechless, Walk Through The Fire and Savage Blue all make sure that Find Me stands out in the AOR/Frontiers collection as one of the more success projects. 8/10
Gargantura - Primary Pulse (Self Released)
French heavies Gargantura, not to be associated with French band Gargantua, are a progressive death metal band with nods to groove and a melodic streak. Influenced by Gojira (Torment), Lamb Of God and others on that sort of heavy groove driven sound Primary Pulse is a three track EP which looks to announce Garagantura's sound.
Their sound is pretty generic if I'm honest, for fans of bands such as Trivium (Behind The Beyond), they will certainly appeal to anyone that likes that wave of melodic metalcore that was so popular around 10 years ago. It's a Primary Pulse with a few progressive shifts, but for me Gargantura will have to add a bit more variation to really land more than they do now. 6/10
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