Issue 2025-047

The Book Of Moons — Strange & Wylde Majick

Thomas Otten

Strange & Wylde Majick is the debut album of Norfolk-based duo Tim Lane (guitars, bass, keyboards), and Leighton Melville (vocals), with guest musician Tim Dew (drums). Whilst the two musicians already met in 2001, it took them until 2024 to release an album, although they had been playing together in the alt-folk outfit The Punch House Band for years. The Book Of Moons, a band name which was taken from a 17th century Bedlam ballad, thus seems to be an alternative- or a parallel-running (band) project.

The duo has since their starting days shared a penchant for occult matters and that has resulted in the songs, in terms of their lyrics, to be inspired by the fantasy writing of Edgar Allen Poe and HP Lovecraft, amongst others. Unfortunately, I did not find the lyrics anywhere, so I must rely on the info given in the press clipping of the release (and on what I understood whilst listening). Apparently, the songs, which are to be understood as individual short stories, centre around topics such as strange creatures, a world of ghosts and vampires, ancient magic, forbidden love and 'those things in which mere mortals should never dabble'.

What mere mortal prog fans definitely should dabble in is listening to The Book Of Moons' music, which, to my ears, is not as gloomy, dramatic, and haunting as its lyrics suggest. I would not go as far as characterising it as upbeat, but it is accessible, with catchy melodies. On their Facebook-page, the band describes themselves as 'gothic rock band with progressive and folk influences'. Not being overly familiar with gothic, listening to the music I said to myself: if gothic sounds that much like progressive rock, I should give that musical style a much closer consideration going forward.

For me, it rather is the other way round: The Book Of Moons are a 70ties influenced progressive rock band with gothic and folk-rock elements and touches of psychedelic rock. This combination provides for their music to sound varied, inventive and individual, but also to be difficult to pigeonhole, something which I consider as a positive aspect. The list of "for fans of (FFO)" band names is not infinite, with none of them being distinctively comparable to the full extent. There are mild reminiscences of the heavy, psychedelic rock of Atomic Rooster, shades of early Yes, and Gentle Giant, the rhythms of (a fluteless) Jethro Tull, (prog) folk elements of Fruup, Curved Air, and Horselips. The final epic track The Harlequin Rides is pure prog to my ears and reminds me Scadinavian prog bands such as Magic Pie, Brighteye Brison, and King Of Sweden.

What I like about The Book Of Moons' music is its variedness. None of the 6 songs with an appetite-wetting, LP-friendly overall time sound alike. The album starts punchy and dynamic with the guitar-driven I Burn, a murder-ballad, the guitar playing on which reminds me of Steve Howe. The title track, an 'anthem to the magic of imagination', shows folky elements in the beginning, before quickly developing into a 70ies-influenced progressive rock song with breaks, twists and turns, a strong presence of keyboards and a slightly psychedelic feel.

The ballad People Of The Mountain, with its catchy refrain, is the most melodic song on the album for me. Those 'people' are mentioned in HP Lovecraft's novels on various occasions, evoking an immemorial menace hiding in the landscape. I find it remarkable that, despite its lyrics and this background, this menace is not reflected (at least not for my ears) in the timid and folky sounding music with beautiful guitar playing, a bit similar to Neil Young. Instead, I hear a certain sadness in it.

That provides for a nice contrast with the following track Shadow Song with a clear progressive folk (with an emphasis on 'progressive') arrangement, catchy and melodic vocals, virtuoso keyboards and guitar soloing with Celtic-rock character. (Come To Me) In The Cold Small Hours, 'a ghostly ballad that serenades a dead lover', probably is the most dramatic song on the album, highlighting Leighton's singing capabilities. The closing epic The Harlequin Rides progwise continues where Strange & Wylde Majick, and Shadow Song have started, displaying the full range of classic prog elements such as changes of tempi and mood, expressive and varied vocals, strong keyboards and melodic soloing. Strong ending of an overall strong album.

I very much liked listening to this release. It is varied, inventive, not unduly complex but demanding enough to keep the listener focused throughout the entire album. Melodies are catchy, vocals expressive, keyboards and guitars share their duties in a well-balanced way. Recommended to fans of inventive, original prog with folky elements, a gothic background and some psychedelic touches. I very much look forward to the successor, folks from The Book Of Moons!

Jakko M. Jakszyk — Son of Glen

Héctor Gómez

It's interesting to think how someone like Jakko M. Jakszyk was a somewhat quiet presence in the prog world for quite a long time, even though he'd lent his multiple talents to the likes of Level 42, Dave Stewart or The Tangent to name but a few. That (I guess) changed when he officially became a member of King Crimson in 2013. Prior to his involvement in the Mighty Crim, he'd served time in the 21st Century Schizoid Man as well as joined forces with some of his (soon to be) bandmates to conceive 2011's A Scarcity of Miracles in 2011.

It is with that album, as well as with some of his previous work (check 2020's Secrets & Lies), that Son of Glen shares most of its DNA, albeit in an even more somber, melancholy fashion than ever before. In this regard, Ode to Ballina, the short opening instrumental (reprised later in the , sets the tone perfectly. It's all calm and evocative, beautiful yet poignant. In fact, these epithets could apply to pretty much the whole album, a journey through nostalgia and longing which are adeptly encapsulated in pieces such as Somewhere Between Then & Now or How Did I Let You Get So Old?, all mood and texture.

Jakszyk showcases his prowess with both acoustic and electric guitars as well as his lyrical singing, with layers of keyboards (plenty of mellotron here) and programmed rhythms providing a dense soundscape which is occasionally adorned with cello and whistle embellishments. Sure, it all sounds "exquisite", for lack of a better word, and every sound is in its right place, but at the same time the material found here never seems to take off and sits comfortably in the lap of some sort of languor. I believe a bit more intensity, light and shade would have elevated the final product.

Perhaps real drumming would have added extra punch and drive to the final product, although when drummers eventually show up it's pure "drum royalty", as none other than Ian Mosley, Zoltan Csörsz and Gavin Harrison add their touch to some of the tracks, closing epic (and best song all round) Son of Glen in particular, with its (slightly) proggy dynamics and lyrical drama.

If you like "pretty", melancholy music with impeccable playing and crystal clear production, à la David Gilmour's last few solo albums, this should certainly please your ears, but wild prog this is not.

The Samurai Of Prog — Omnibus 4 - The Bernard & Pörsti Sessions

Jan Buddenberg

When around 2020 Steve Unruh's commitments no longer allowed him to keep up pace with The Samurai of Prog releases, Marco Bernard and Kimmo Pörsti decided to start their own 'Bernard & Pörsti' side project. Publicly marketed and frequently thought of as TSoP albums, an easy mistake to make when one considers the captivating progressive storytelling similarities between the various TSoP related albums.

With Bernard & Pörsti now forging ahead as The Samurai Of Prog after Unruh's final full-member appearance on the excellent The Man In The Iron Mask, it is Omnibus 4 - The Bernard & Pörsti Sessions that offers the perfect closure of this short-lived project alias.

Completed as always in appeal by marvellous detailed artwork from Ed Unitsky, Omnibus 4 offers the three sold-out albums mentioned above. All of them again neatly packaged in individual miniature-sized vinyl-fold out format. Five bonus tracks have been added that all together expands play with 38 minutes of delightfully adventurous symphonic prog.

In order to keep it brief, also in light of reviews already featured on DPRP for Gulliver and Robinson Crusoe, I will focus attention towards the various bonus tracks on offer like I did for Omnibus 3. Although I will take some additional time out for the outstanding La Tierra which, for reasons unknown to me, has not been featured on DPRP so far.

Starting off, Gulliver narrates the popular tale of Gulliver as told in Jonathan Swift's satirical novel Gulliver's Travels. This involves the extraordinary Alessandro Di Benedetti-penned Ordinary Man. The soothing music style envisions Inner Prospekt's Unusual Moments, strengthened by the song's refined jazzy piano arrangements and the grand Genesis synth flows. It grows into a thing of exceptional beauty thanks to the highly expressive, moving voice of Michael Trew (Moon Letters) whose range in emotional deliveries seems to grow by the minute.

The second Di Benedetti song is Winter Day, the first Robinson Crusoe bonus. Participations by Giovanni Mazzotti (flute) and Massimo Sposaro (acoustic guitar) and in full analogy to its Unusual Moments counterpart expresses genuine feelings of affection and security, now successfully personified by vocalisations from Daniel Fäldt.

Lost Soul by Mario de Siena (keyboards) follows this with vibrant jazz, delicate Pat Metheny pickings (Rafael Pacha), and a swirling dynamo of meticulously arranged Canterbury interplay, highlighted by saxophone and violin by Unruh. Three Castles On The Highlands, composed by Mario Bianchi and Massimo Sposaro, finalises proceedings on an enchanting high with folk melodies and peaceful symphonies, in recollection of Neuschwanstein and Camel.

The fifth bonus track, Fuego is a wonderful concise melody-laden symphonic composition written by guitarist Rafael Pacha and sung with beautiful angelic grace by Ariane Valdivié.

This rounds off Omnibus 4's hidden gem La Tierra. Entirely sung in Spanish and inspired by Jaime Rosas' 30-minute title song, it is somewhat unfortunate the included booklet omits lyrics and insights towards the album's overall concept. In a nutshell, ir addresses themes like Artificial Intelligence, space travel/survival, and humanities catastrophic evolutionary relationship with our precious Mother Earth. This omission is greatly redeemed by the magnificent music entrusted to La Tierra.

Including many usual suspects (a.o. Pacha, Di Benedetti, Ruben Ãlvarez, Marc Papeghin, and David Myers who again excels on the grand piano in Canción Desde La Caravana), and special guests like John Hackett (flute), Steve Unruh (violin) and José Manuel Medina (Last Knight, Mandalaband) this album instantly lifts off to great heights with Vuelo Segrado. A sublime opening statement written by Eduardo G. Saleña that recalls Kansas and Genesis with its wonderful orchestral arrangements, featuring the astonishingly beautiful vocals of Valdivié.

Voz De Estrella Que Muere and Ansia De Soñar preserve this level of exquisiteness with elements of folk and delicious violin, evoking memories of Outer Limits. The excellent guitar (Pablo Robotti) and keyboards remind me of E.L.P. and Jethro Tull.

These outstanding songs are, however, no match for the epic symphonic splendour of impressive showstopper La Tierra.

This pinnacle masterpiece starts off peacefully with piano until Bernard's driving Shuker bass and rhythmic propulsions by Pörsti set the song firmly in motion for an exciting flight of synth-driven E.L.P. prog that also reflects Nuova Era. It thrives on masterful performances with outstanding arrangements, divine harmonies and Jamie Scalpello's passionately performed vocals.

Soaring ever higher in appeal, it shares impressions of Eloy, complemented by scorching guitar (Rodrigo Godoy) and sax melodies by Marek Arnold. It gradually changes into subsequent views of Pink Floyd and Argent thanks to Rosas' richly flowing synth and virtuoso vintage keys. Last part Adios A La Tierra concludes the stunning musical spectacle with funky bass and a huge number of tightly arranged melodies.

After all this exceptional beauty, my advice, especially if you're still missing La Tierra or any of the other albums in this fantastic package, is to quickly secure a copy of the limited Omnibus 4 which is available at a very affordable price. The wonderful compositions provide endless hours of captivating progressive storytelling. Of course it comes highly recommended for dedicated followers of everything Samurai of Prog related and those in favour of progressive/symphonic rock in general.

Sargassus — Vitruvian Rays

Calum Gibson

Ahh Finland, how I love the music you bring to the world. I've talked before about my love for the metal that emerges from the Nordic areas, so I won't tarry on it here. Here we have Sargassus, a prog and black metal band formed 13 years ago back in 2012. Despite over a decade under their belt, the group released nothing until their EP The Giant in 2020, what followed was another two EPs and several singles before their debut album arrived this year in 2025.

Right off the bat, Spirit of Gravity lands with a literal roar. Blast beats, tremolos and guttural growls assault you from all angles. What follows through the rest of the album is a nice mix of this harsh tonality and aural battering, but also some moodier and clean passages that built on a sense of darkness and tension.

There is a lot of mixing between the harsh levels of furious guitars, brutal drumming and throaty growls and the softer, yet no less intense, quiet sections accompanied by almost ritualistic chanting and clean guitar work.

The album doesn't do anything that isn't a reinterpretation of the styles championed by other melodeath bands who grew up with prog. But they do showcase a talent for quality songwriting and musicianship. There is a lot of emotion in the music, accentuated by the clean sections that are accompanied by harsh vocal work. Some elements of groups like Insomnium and Amorphis are present as well in the structure and chord progressions as well.

I enjoyed this one. For a debut album it is a solid release. Maybe not a classic at the end of the day, but it is certainly pointing the band in a direction that could lead them to be a great of the genre.

If one were to ask, I'd suggest if you're a fan of Be'lakor, Borknagar and In Mourning then you should investigate these guys.

Judge Smith — The Overstayer

Mark Hughes

A digital EP from Van der Graaf Generator co-founder Judge Smith with help from another ex-VdGG member saxophone player extraordinaire David Jackson (although they were never in the band simultaneously), Jackson's wonderfully voiced daughter Dorie and pipe organist Robert Pettigrew.

The "songstory" tells the tale of a foreign woman who was working as a teacher in an unspecified country plagued by corruption and impoverishment. She obtains a temporary visa to visit the UK with no intention of returning and effectively becomes an illegal immigrant - an overstayer. The tale is a somewhat inflammatory topic in the current political climate but Smith manages to avoid siding with either side of the debate and instead provides a rather humanistic tale of the plight of many in the world today.

The musical setting of pipe organ and saxophone harks back to the formative days of VdGG, although is rather smoother going than the more acerbic and manic Hammill compositions. The contrast between Dorie's delightful vocals of the overstayer and the rather more, shall we say nuanced, voice of Smith as the narrator could hint at showing a greater sympathy to the overstayer (after all there will be very few, if any, listeners who would rather listen to Smith in favour of Jackson!) but that is undoubtedly reading far too much into things.

Although nothing mind-blowing, the EP is listenable, well written and does feature some very good playing from Pettigrew and, in particular, Jaxonsax. Worth twenty minutes of anyone's listening time.

Yonglee and the Doltang — Invisible Worker

Owen Davies

Well, that was interesting? What shall I write?

Is it possible to capture some of the essence of this release in a few sentences?

Without a doubt Invisible Worker is discordantly ugly and triumphantly progressive.

Did I like it? I am not sure! Did it keep me engaged? It certainly did.

There is so much going on! There are so many different rhythmic components to appreciate and so many different piano paths to follow. When crunchy riffs, surging guitar solos and squally synths are added to this blend it is little wonder that there were times when I was frustrated, perplexed, and excited in equal measures.

Led by pianist and composer Yonglee, the band fuses contemporary jazz, progressive rock, and electronic experimentation into something that frequently defies description. However, the album might be described, one thing is certain though; the tunes are pungently coated with melody and tinged with dissonance. Consequently, some pieces on the album were somewhat inaccessible and other compositions only began to reveal their direction and qualities after repeated plays.

Disappointingly, the album begins with an impenetrable and unfathomable series of electronic effects. Thankfully, the other tunes do not follow this format.

Pay Day spins in all directions and points towards a day of reward. On first hearing, it appeared to be devoid of structure, but after several plays, I began to understand its circular form and clever use of a recurring earthy raw rock riff. Eventually, the riff became familiar and memorable. It was skillfully deployed as a hook and as a means of connecting the tunes many seemingly unconnected and disparate parts.

The rest of the album is somewhat easier to digest. Nevertheless, bouts of chaotic dissonance frequently lurked in the shadows even during the album's most melodic tunes or interludes.

Do Plastic Bags Dream About Sunset is a fine example of Yonglee's strange mix of discord and harmony. It combines unusual key based tones coated with an out-of-tune ambience that is garnished with excellent instrumental passages. These builds flow, crescendo and recede in an intricate current full of mysterious surges and swells. Enjoyably, the tune also has a well-constructed smile inducing guitar motif. This is combined with fluent piano parts and an impressive bass spotlight that will have low-end aficionados twitching a thumb in appreciation.

On occasions, Do Plastic Bags Dream About Sunset reminded me of something Gilgamesh might have created. It's a fine tune. Some might argue, It's even quite an exciting piece. Do Plastic Bags Dream About Sunset begins a three-track sequence of tunes that is arguably the albums most accessible segment.

Dopamine Rush is probably my favourite piece on the album. It certainly contains some accessible elements and stimulating off-piste moments. It features scat vocals and several exciting rhythmic changes. These were so enjoyable that I was reminded of the exhilarating style of Norma Winstone in her prime.

The compositions stop start rhythms; complex piano embellishments and fluidly constructed solo piano segments are all quite outstanding. However, it is an ensemble that this piece really shines. I just loved the way the distinctive components of the tune combine and gel. The whispered disembodied voices and the abrupt ending also worked particularly well.

March of the Invisibles is probably the most striking tune on the album. It is certainly the most beautiful. The introductory section has a Gilgamesh air. There is so much space created by the players that its gently evolving melody is enchanting. However, although much of the tune is a vehicle for the outstanding piano work of Yonglee, the guitar parts are equally impressive. The six string is cocked and loaded and burst into prominence like a ripe nut that is patterned and split by tension and sinewy distortion.

In fact, although often understated, the guitar work is an enjoyable highlight of the album.

Chit Kong has some delightful interplay between the guitar and piano. I liked the choice of guitar tones used. The expressive controlled distortion was reminiscent of Phil Miller and the flowing bendy style conjured thoughts of Allan Holdswoth.

There were times when the mix of styles did not quite gel. Drops was a tad directionless and its pulsing free jazz leanings were quite difficult to fully appreciate. It was both perplexing and frustrating in equal measures.

I enjoyed many aspects of Shell. The bass dominated rhythmic chaos that began the tune reminded me somewhat of Back Door. Later the piano accompaniment and crunchy guitar line evoked thoughts of 70's King Crimson.

In Shell the dominant guitar riff full of menace, intrigue and rhythm is quite enthralling. However, whilst the guitar takes a flowing prominent role, it is what is occurring in the background that is perhaps the most interesting aspect of this piece. There are several interesting piano and keyboard interactions, and the rhythm section is consistently busily exploring a whole range of possibilities.

Well, Invisible Worker is certainly an interesting album. I hope I have managed to identify some of its key ingredients about it. Whether I have captured the essence of this release is up to readers to decide.

I urge anybody who enjoys progressive music to check it out.

Maybe you will be frustrated, perplexed, or perhaps even a little bit excited by its intriguing mix. I know I was!