Issue 2026-009

Cervello — Chaire & Live at Pomigliano d'Arco 1973

Jerry van Kooten

In 1973, Italian band Cervello (Brain) released their first and for a long time only album, Melos. A rather unique album for its mixture of an RPI sound with slightly more jazzy arrangements and leading roles for flute and brass instead of the more common organ and Mellotron. Surprisingly, a reunion in 2017 brought the wonderful live album Live In Tokyo.

At the end of last year, we were surprised once more by the album now under review.

Chaire is a 35-minute suite that was, as the limited info says, written between 1974 and 1983. A brief description mentions that the voice of Gianluigi Di Franco (who died in 2005) has been taken from older recordings. This means several parts must have been recorded at the time, but I did not get enough information on how much of the music has been re-recorded or whether other parts have been used as well.

The cover looks very much generated using AI, and the 2LP version has a different cover but has all the signs of being AI as well. But let me get on to the most important thing here.

The music has many of the characteristics of the debut album, which is not surprising having three of the five original members, four if you count Di Franco's voice. The overall sound is like an Italian version of a combination of Alquin, Ekseption, and Solution, and I have no idea how I came up with three Dutch bands there. Although sometimes called overly complex or trying to mimic Mahavishnu Orchestra, I don't agree. Yes, there are some busier arrangements reminding of them, but those also touch on Gentle Giant, and although an influence I don't hear copying. And to be honest, Cervello do play with that Italian emotional layer. Besides some jazzy outbursts and (to a more blues-based listener) dissonants, the arrangements are what you would expect from a classic RPI band.

Their approach to instrumentation in a keyboard-driven world makes them stand out. But the compositions themselves and the level of playing are not to be underestimated — not on their debut album and not on this one. Chaire is of the same level, as if there is not half a century between the two.

Flute and sax take a larger role than on most of the album in my collection and does not hinder musical enjoyment in any way. If you're used to the sound of those, you're going to have a wonderful time. If you like Melos then this is not just recommended but compulsory listening. The production is excellent and you won't hear anything about the vocals being old recordings.

The 35-minute suite is complemented with a 27-minute live recording from 1973. The provided info is again not enough to know whether this was the complete recording or giving me any other info at all. The sound quality is very good, but the difference is very clear if you just listened to Chaire. The 2LP release makes sense because of the time, but although it would fit on a single CD, having a 2CD to split Chaire from the live recording makes a lot of sense. I'd buy a single LP of Chaire.

Most instruments are clear in the mix. The limitations of having an old tape becomes clear in tape hiss, and the recording limits might have been a problem on some parts. But the fact we get this in the offered quality is pretty amazing, not to mention (although I am mentioning it now) the level of playing of the complex parts. Some longer improvisations, and the magic when the flute and guitar alternate melodies makes you forget the sound quality. It makes clear that the studio album was not full of tricks and the band was fully capable of reproducing their sound live. A rare document of a unique band.

John Irvine Band — Take Me To Your Leader

Mark Hughes

For their ninth album, the John Irvine Band has expanded to a quartet, although possibly not in a way followers of the group may have expected. Mainstays John Irvine (guitars, keyboards, bass) and Andrew Scott (drums) maintain the musical input but are joined by Gordon Robertson (vocals) and Emma Jean (backing vocals) which obviously provide a fundamental shift from the all instrumental approach of previous albums. If you have any concerns that the addition of vocals will fundamentally change the hi-tech, synth and guitar jazz infused rock then do not fear, the musical characteristics that have styled previous JIB releases are all present.

Irvine himself describes the album as "progressive pop" and there are definitely greater nods to commercialism than on previous releases, with lots of soaring choruses and songs that can lodge themselves into the listeners brain that they find themselves humming the tunes to themselves after only a couple of listens, and if I am anything to go by, trying to remember what the song is! This is no more evident than on A.G.I. (Artificial General Intelligence) which in a parallel dimension would be a strong contender for being a major hit. If this worries you, then let me say that it one of the best tracks on the album with plenty of progressive aspects to keep one listening and even an odd key change that reminds me of the weird bit in the IQ song Wrong Side Of Weird!

Robertson has a fine voice and has a strong presence throughout. Irvine has done a great job in adapting his writing style to provide space for the vocals without compromising his established musical style. The backing vocals of Emma Jean are also excellent and her additions provide some of the vocal highlights for me which is one way of saying I think she could have been used more and have a greater presence. For example, in Siddhartha I think a more dual lead vocal approach in some sections would have raised the song to another level.

One of the musical cues for the album was none-other than the Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes group Buggles, no harm there given their fondness for progressive rock and, particularly where Downes is concerned, a genre in which he has made a career out of. The song that, to me, falls closest to Buggles territory is One Small Step, not that it would necessarily have fitted comfortably on either of that group's albums, just that one can hear the influence if one listens carefully. Another great track is Man In The Moon where Robertson comes into his own.

For some bizarre reason Assembly Line reminds me of The Buzzcocks if that band had replaced their guitars with synths. An upbeat number that I would describe as new wave power pop that says all it needs to say in under four minutes. Irvine's fascination with space and aliens is represented by the title track Take Me To Your Leader, although as with his starship trilogy it is the humans, or in this case a sole human, that ends up on the losing end. The finale is, lyrically, rather comical so make sure you read the lyrics!

I was somewhat unsure how a John Irvine Band album with vocals would pan out and it took me a few listens to get into what was on offer. But I am glad to admit that any initial reservations have completely disipated and the album sits alongside the other JIB albums as an equal. I hope that Irvine continues with Robertson and Emma Jean as I think they can really expand on what is delivered here. Only one very small irk, the grammatical redundancy of the line 'that's where the feeling starts to start'. As once having had a career as a professional writer it niggles! Pedantry aside this is a very good album indeed!

Duo Review

Moron Police — Pachinko

Andy Read

It wasn't until their third album that myself and many others in the progressive rock community fell into adoration with Norway's Moron Police.

These dimwit detectives had first appeared in 2012. Still safety wrapped in their teens, their debut album, The Propaganda Machine, can politely be filed under "experimental". It did however provide a platform for the more widely admired Defenders of the Small Yard. That album drew a favourable verdict from DPRP back in 2016 for its fun-filled blend of metal, avant-prog and disco.

For their third album, the band shed their remaining metal stylings and focused on a prog-pop sound that borrowed regular snippets from the pick-n-mix counter of musical influences. A Boat On The Sea was a 10 out of 10, Album Of The Year effort. In my review I branded it as "one of the best modern pop-prog albums you will ever get the chance to hear!"

I spun it again last week. And I stand by that statement.

The Stranger And The Hightide followed two years later. It was only a four-track EP of songs that didn't fit onto A Boat On The Sea. A bit of a stop-gap. It has taken another four years, but having had a bit of time to let its 14 tracks sink into my musical mind, I can safely say that album number four has been well worth the long wait.

Once again I am imagining a blend of the compact pop-prog of A.C.T., a less-flowerly Flower Kings, a less rocky Von Hertzen Brothers, and the harmonies of Moon Safari. Much more to the fore this time around is the jazz-prog craziness of Thankyou Scientist. Pure joy is imbued with every note. No album has put as big a smile on my face as this one, since A Boat On The Sea.

The songs are compact, yet packed with variety and some superlative-spitting musical gymnastics; all fuelled by massive, hook-wielding choruses. Most of the songs flow seamlessly into one another, giving a sense of one continuous stream of prog-rock joy.

Add to all of this, another beautiful (nay stunning) album cover and another sparkling production. There is a concept storyline trying it all together, if that's your thing.

This album is rightly appearing in many people's Album Of The Year lists, and has established Moron Police as one of the most accomplished and inventive progressive rock bands of the current era.

And if you don't believe me, then trust the record buying public. Initially only available as a digital album, the band launched a kickstarter to produce it on CD and vinyl. It exceeded its funding target by five times. If you are a bit late to the MoPo Party then I'd suggest you get over to their Bandcamp page before they are all gone.

The New Grove Project — Epiqurium

Jan Buddenberg

The New Grove Project have quite a history to them. From a prog-perspective possibly a rather interesting one at that for many. So let me start with a short chronicle of their past achievements.

For this we go back to 1983. The year that Per Sundbom and Ingemar Hjertqvist team up and record several demos for an upcoming album. Eventually released in limited quantity as The Demo's in 1994, it takes another three years for these recordings to be properly released (partially) as Fool's Journey in 1997. This with the instrumental support of André Schornoz (bass), Jode Leigh (ex-England, drums), and Roine Stolt (guitar) of Kaipa / Kaipa di Capo and The Flower Kings.

Several years pass by before a return is made in 2005 with Brill . A crowd dividing effort, if one is to believe the various reviews written at the time, that no longer involves the participation of Stolt and Sundbom. Their positions now filled in by vocalist John Bo Bollenberg (the recently passed away Belgian music journalist who also wrote for Io Pages), Pär Lindh (Pär Lindh Project) and various other musicians. It then took nearly two decades for the project's third "prog-pop" album, Assorted Affections , to appear in 2024. Once again, with a completely revised line-up, introducing, alongside core members Hjertqvist and Schornoz, several newcomers and Robert Webb (ex-England) on keyboards. Followed finally with the beautifully illustrated 2025 release of Epiqurium.

The historical summary doesn't quite end there, as Epiqurium is based on a recording originally made around the turn of the century by Per Sundbom . This version, deemed too good to forget by his wingman Hjertqvist, was handed over to the aforementioned Robert Webb (keyboards, Orchestral Synthesis, and Webbotron) sometime in 2023, who then agreed to reinterpret the instrumental piece. Impressed with the developments, Producers Sundbom and Hjertqvist soon decided to also involve bassist Schornoz, with quick following invitations to guitarist Timo Vuoppola (Fouette) and former Änglagård drummer/percussionist Mattias Olsson.

The result of their collaborative efforts is The New Grove Project's most progressive and symphonic album to date. As it turns out a rather fine one at that.

With basic melodies and musical structures carefully preserved, Epiqurium 1 quietly opens the album with catchy keyboard melodies and elegant guitar, which evoke memories of Protos and Samurai of Prog. The highly adventurous track starts to meander through frequently twisting and turning melodies, making it feel as if you're being guided through several challenging Mario levels of varying difficulty. It slows down temporarily for a classical symphonic passage with beautifully flowing jazzy guitar work resembling that of Rafael Pacha, followed by a cheerful tune driven by groovy bass. After a beautiful symbiosis of alternating 70s and 80s keyboard melodies, it takes one on a spectacular Santana journey highlighted by percussion and complementary free-form jazz guitar.

Epiqurium 2 next brings 80s Asia with Saga synths before spirited acoustic guitar and flute melodies combined with solid guitar riffs and classical influences take over the flow with impressions of Soniq Theatre and Rafael Pacha. Epiqurium 3 follows with a wonderful spectacle of sophisticated melodies. Cheerful at its finest with spirited Gentle Giant control, the frequent style and atmospheric variations keeps listeners fully engaged. This time with Argent-like rock organ. Sometimes it pleasantly retrieves Grobschnitt memories.

This never-ending story of musical treats and ideas is elaborated upon in Epiqurium 4 with a colourful collage of vintage Colosseum / E.L.P.. Epiqurium 5 leapfrogs into The Weever Sands territory, while Epiqurium 6 has Webb's vintage organ play in the finest Hermetic Science and Ekseption tradition. The conclusion of Epiqurium 7 initially adds an even higher note of suspense and drama to this. Its synth-driven style evokes Solaris at the time of Nostradamus.

Needless to say now that the fun ride is over, this upgraded version of Epiqurium will deeply please fans of 70s symphonic prog and those in favour of Karfagen, Camel, The Flower Kings, The Worm Ouroboros, The Guildmaster, and Sebastian Hardie, who all also came to mind during the many hours of listening to this magnum opus.

After a long absence, Per Sundbom has resumed composing and plans to release new material this year. Either under his own name or The New Grove Project's next album. Whichever outlet he chooses, I sincerely hope he will invite back the artists who made this highly recommended version of Epiqurium so thoroughly enjoyable.

Orbis De Ignis — Ancestral Strides

Calum Gibson

Finland is home to many a dark and heavy band, all showcasing the finest in (as Swallow the Sun put it) “gloom, beauty and despair”. As it so happens, the drummer (Pasa Pasanen) for Orbis De Ignis is a Swallow the Sun alumni, having been with them from 2000 to 2009 (on my favourite albums). So, without further ado, lets dive into this latest example in the form of Orbis De Ignis' debut album Ancestral Strides.

Initial impressions are good as we are driven forward by progressive tendencies, intricate drum patterns and interesting riffs. The main thing that strikes me is that sound wise, there is a lot of similarity with Green Carnation, which is a good thing considering I am a fan.

The music flows between prog driven metal passages and slower paced sections of heavy melancholy, accompanied by Markus Pirkkalainen's soaring vocals. Dark atmospheres are present through the album, accompanied by delicate patterns of leads and solemn textures, all backed up by a foundation of gothic and doom sensibilities.

As a debut album, it sets a high bar for the group to reach next time. There is an incredible level of song writing and musical ability from every member with the sum of the parts creating this near hour long chunk of gloom driven metal. It never strays too far into the more death/doom styles of many contemporaries, but instead uses that influence to emphasise the occasional section before the more melodic and proggy side comes back in.

Any fans of Green Carnation, Swallow the Sun, Opeth or Amorphis will likely enjoy this. I know I do.

Sigilu — Beta

Sergey Nikulichev

Spanish psychedelic quartet Sigilu debuted in 2017 with release of Singularidad o barbarie, mixing psychedelia, stoner rock and folk music, in the format of power trio plus violin, to a favorable but narrow critical acclaim. Losing the violin somewhere on the road to success, the band as of 2025 exists as a trio, and the second release saw the music change to heavier, more aggressive and fuzzy sound, with folk elements and acoustics almost gone.

What really makes Beta prog is a ceaseless feast of unexpected twists and turns of composition – something you had surely experienced while listening to classics like Close To The Edge or Larks Tongues in Aspic. Directions, where compositions lead you, are unpredictable at most times. On the downside, as the album cover hints, the musical tools used by the band are minimalistic, and one is not to expect a versatility feast of multiple instruments and symphonic grandiosity. All the grandiosity available is that of a mining truck on a quarry site, with the same stubborn intensity.

The opener Neuropa presents the new sound of Sigilu in the most persuasive way. Vocoder vocals kick in, guitar pedalboard delivers something on the border between psychedelic smoke and industrial cyberpunk, bluesy phrasing in vocal and lead lines reminds of Led Zeppelin and Kyuss, shifts between dramatic, aggressive and relaxed delivery flow naturally — all this sounds fresh and persuasive, arguably making Neuropa the best song on the album.

On the contrary Gracias y Perdon wants to be many things at once, but doesn't succeed. The mood swings are too abrupt and eventually lead the song nowhere. Same can be said about the subsequent stoner feast Sagitario A*, although I loved the dynamic part on 03:00 with palm muted staccato picking and the groove part. Tribu Virtual is the first worthy successor to Neuropa sharing the same formula with the opener, albeit smoothened up and with apparent influence of alternative metal.

Senal|Ruido nods respectfully to King Crimson circa Thrak and Vroom times, via thick riffs and complex arpeggio parts. This is also the first but not the last track on Beta which sounds painfully overcompressed to me, while the following Lloviembre makes it as another good track, with clean / crunchy guitars, allowing more air into a rather claustrophobic atmosphere of the record. The remaining tracks continue the same thread, rounding up the array of ideas on the record.

The material on Beta, while above average in quality, is still uneven, as for me. But what is more important, all the good and the bad here come from the intention to make something fresh and out-of-the-box. By both luck and effort, the Spanish trio got what many modern bands strive fruitlessly for: their own distinct, distinguishable sound in an overcrowded stoner / psychedelic scene. Fans of bluesy stoner-meets-grunge (i.e., Baroness, Mastodon and the likes) should not miss this record, as well as those who are not opposed to the idea of mixing 90-ies King Crimson with the sound of Skinny Puppy.