Issue 2026-022
Ash Wing — Ash Wing
Greg Cummins
This latest album from Ash Wing appealed to me as yet another relatively unknown band from the UK that I expected would be another winner. The band consists of Sian Elson (vocals), Martin Rosser (guitar, vocals), Allen McCarthy (bass, vocals), Allan Mason-Jones (drums and percussion). They are assisted by Peter Jones (sax / flute), Rob Reed (keys / mixing) and Kevin Dawson (keys / vocoder). While I have come across some of the musicians' names previously, it was mostly through the work they did for Magenta that helped make the connection.
This album is a dense thicket of pastoral prog. It eschews the digital "sheen" of modern metal-prog in favour of organic timbral warmth. The record concentrates heavily on complex structures and a penchant for polyphonic density that feels remarkably reminiscent of the Wind And Wuthering era. Think grey skies over a Sussex field. Indeed, (quoting from the album's overview details supplied to me), the album draws inspiration from the buildings that have stood for centuries, mostly churches, as they carry a weight of permanence and represent a silent witness to the passing of generations and the countless lives that have moved through their doors.
The musicianship here is, frankly, the star of the show. The arrangements aren't just "complex" for the sake of it; they are meticulously layered. The use of asymmetric meters is handled with such fluidity that it never feels jarring. While I suspect some modern sampling is at play, the keyboard washes emulate that classic Mellotron M400 sound perfectly, creating a "wall of ghosts" that anchors the more frantic flute and saxophone sections. The mid-section of "It's All Change" is a standout. The fretted bass work provides a wandering, melodic counterpoint to the guitar, creating a dual-lead harmony that is pure 1974-era Gentle Giant.
Now, to the point of contention. Sian Elson is an objectively skilled vocalist, but her performance is a classic case of "more is less."
She possesses a piercing soprano timbre that mimics the early-80s Kate Bush "Banshee" wail. The issue isn't the talent; it's the frequency of the glissando. Just as you settle into a lush, pastoral flute passage, she hits a high-register vibrato that doesn't just cut through the mix—it practically severs it. It's an over-theatrical delivery that occasionally lacks the dynamic restraint the music deserves. At times, the vocals feel like they are competing against the instruments for oxygen rather than sitting inside the arrangement. This, of course, is purely my own personal opinion about her voice. Other reviews have praised her work as being of the highest order, but sadly, for my ears at least, I just find her voice to be less appealing compared to that wailing wuthering waif from Wickham.
The musicality of the album scores really well as its incredible use of counterpoint and woodwind integration help lift this well above other contemporary offerings. The atmosphere also captures that "English Gothic" gloom rather well. This is a solidly presented album by every instrumentation metric you can think of but comes with a small caveat regarding the vocals. Your mileage may differ.
Connection Theory — Entropy
Ignacio Bernaola
I didn't know Connection Theory before Entropy even though we have already reviewed their two previous albums, the EP Connection Theory and In Plain Sight. I missed these ones, so to be fair to myself, I decided not to listen to those earlier releases and approached Entropy as a fresh listener.
It left a genuinely positive impression overall. It's a very personal project rather than a traditional band setup. Duncan works outside music as a programmer and analyst, and considering this was built over roughly three years alongside a normal job, the fact that this record exists at all already says a lot about his commitment. I have to trust what Duncan is telling us in the press note: "compared to earlier work, there's a noticeable shift here — less emphasis on woodwinds and more focus on the core dialogue between piano and guitar." I will check this, ince I finish this review...
That combination is really the backbone of the record, and it gives the whole thing a direct prog rock identity. At its best, it sits somewhere around the atmospheric side of Porcupine Tree or Riverside, without trying to copy anyone, and less dramatic.
What stands out most is the writing. There are good ideas here, and more importantly, they are developed with patience. The longer tracks breathe properly and don't feel rushed. The saxophone is another strong point as it adds character and a slightly different colour to the overall sound. I think it could have been used even more because whenever it appears, it lifts the music and gives it a more distinctive identity. Also because I love hearing some saxophone everywhere.
Vocals are shared mainly between Carolina Padron, with Denisse Ferrara appearing on one track. They do their job well and fit the atmosphere of the album. At times, I found myself thinking that a bit more variation or rawness could have pushed certain sections further emotionally.
The production is probably the main area where a bit more impact would have helped. Everything is clear and well separated, but the sound doesn't always hit with the punch that the compositions seem to aim for. It might be down to programmed drums or simply the limits of a self-produced setup, but a bit more power and dynamics would make some passages feel more intense.
That said, it never becomes a distraction, and the musical ideas remain strong enough to carry it. And that's really the key point with Entropy: this is a project built with limited resources but real ambition. It's not a perfect album, but it doesn't need to be. What matters more is that there is something here worth developing. For a project like this there is more than enough to be encouraged by. I'll definitely be interested to hear where Connection Theory goes next.
The Flower Kings — Live In Stockholm 2025
Edwin Roosjen
The Flower Kings are a band that need no introduction. This progressive rock band from Sweden released their latest studio album Love in 2025, their seventeenth studio album. I would even say eighteenth because I count Roine's solo album The Flower King as the very first album. Live In Stockholm 2025 features one song from that album: The Dream. But mostly, this new live album Live In Stockholm 2025 is a celebration of the latest album, Love.
It captures the opening show of the tour in Stockholm. The band instantly deliver, and this recording shows just that. In the information is mentioned that the audio tracking is taken directly from the PA board. The result is a great-sounding live album, with a good sound quality.
Opener We Claim The Moon immediately shows what the band is all about. The song is also opening the Love album and has a high-pace and upbeat tempo. The music slows down on How Can You Leave Us Now, this song really comes out very nicely live. The sharp guitar solos by Roine sound truly great. Considerations brings more energy. This one is really rocking with the raw voice of Hasse Fröberg.
Live, the band sometimes play a shortened version of very, very, very lengthy songs, but more often do they stretch a song with some extra solos. For some reason Considerations is about four minutes shorter than the studio. I guess they consider it a very, very lengthy song.
Thankfully, The Elder is stretched to over twelve minutes. A lot is happening here. It's a lengthy composition with many keyboard melodies and solos for keyboard player Lalle Larsson. Since Love, Lalle Larsson is the official keyboard player, and this new live album features many great passages by the latest member of The Flower Kings family. Lalle is even offered a solo spot on the album with a nice piano piece called Desolate.
The only other song from the back catalogue is Last Minute On Earth from the album Rainmaker. Even though this song is over twenty-five years old, it nicely fits in with the rest of the material. And more greatness on keyboard by Lalle Larsson. The Dream closes the album in a stretched version. The studio version is just a short song, now it is an impressive closing track.
Live In Stockholm 2025 captures The Flower Kings perfectly. Solid recording with a band that sounds raw yet still sophisticated enough to capture the complex sound. The live versions of the songs from the Love album serve that album very well. Mister Stolt did it again and yet another very fine release is added to their catalogue.
Duo Review
Green Carnation — A Dark Poem, Part II: Sanguis
Andy Read
Less than a year after its first instalment, Norwegian doomsters Green Carnation return with the second chapter of their Dark Poem trilogy.
Part I: The Shores of Melancholia was heavy on the lugubriosity and had several standout musical moments, but for me, it very much stood as a standalone listen. Part II: Sanguis has slightly more of a concept feel to it, thanks to a storyline that centres on the musings of life and death of Stein Roger Sordal, the band's bassist and primary lyricist.
“The second part of the trilogy holds some of the most personal lyrics that I've ever written,” says Stein. “The lyrics are so personal that I had to go many rounds with myself over whether to tone them down. In the end, I chose to keep them as honest as possible”.
That is certainly the case with the opening title track, where singer Kjetil Nordhus sends a shiver into the listener's mind with the fiery lines of: “Father was boiling, mother was crying / The children left scared in their beds”.
As a piece of music, this track stands among the best that the band has created. The opening organ riff is magnificent, the melody is easy to absorb, and the transition to raspy growls is seemless; as is the incorporation of a second doomy theme in the final third.
“It paints a pretty grim picture of my childhood”, Sordal says. “I do have great memories from that time, but parts were very dark. I had some tough issues with my father, but I now know that he had it worse. I didn't think about that when I was younger, but as I've gotten older, I've learned that there is usually more to the story."
Part II introduces more peaks and valleys into the musical backdrop than the opening part of the story. From the intense title track, we shift straight into a stripped-down ballad, where Sordal takes over the vocal delivery in a convincing manner. Usually the ballad is placed in the middle or the end, but the early placing here really enhances its impact.
We then go straight back to high intensity with the compelling Sweet To The Point Of Bitter. Some truly monumental riffing contracts with the bright chorus. The song tends towards the theatrical in places. It is definitely telling a story. This is my favourite song here.
The melody-focused I Am Time is more concise and treads the sort of ground that the band toyed with on Blessing In Disguise. From its ominously-delicate beginning, Fire in Ice is another strong piece of song-writing. It doesn't build the intensity as much as I expected, and brings in some rather proggy details towards the end.
It's a short album. Just 37 minutes, so we quickly arrive at the second bleeding-heart ballad. This time Nordhus delivers the outpourings. It's a well-crafted piece that begins with voice and piano, before transitioning into voice and acoustic guitar, but with the same refrain. As on Part I, the flute is used effectively here.
So, we are past the halfway mark, and the picture is becoming clearer. It is the overarching lyrical narrative around thoughts on life and death which seems to be the binding concept behind the Dark Poem trilogy. While Sordal's recollections tie most of the tracks together here, again I find that this album can be equally enjoyed as a standalone piece. I await with interest to see how Part III will complete the saga.
promo photo by Lars Gunnar Liestøl
Calum Gibson
September 2025 saw the release of A Dark Poem, Part I by Green Carnation, an album I thoroughly enjoyed. And now, a mere 7 months later we have the second part in the tale in the form of their eighth album: A Dark Poem Part II: Sanguis. An interesting note about the band is that it is both the predecessor, and another form of In The Woods..., with two current and two former members being shared between the two bands.
From the first few minutes, the album is already making a space for it on my end-of-year list. Sanquis is a superb opener, keeping a broad range of dynamics to the sound – with keys, soaring choruses and harsh backing vocals aplenty, giving similar vibes to some of the recent work by fellow countrymen Borknagar.
In contrast to the gothic prog style of Sanquis, Loneliness Untold, Loneliness Unfold is a minimalistic lamentation, focusing on a melancholic atmosphere with soft clean sound, while Stein Roger Sordal showcases his superb talent for forlorn vocal work. The full band come back in for the end of side 1 in Sweet To The Point Of Bitter. With a structure and chorus that grips and hooks you in, it feels like a halfway point in delivery — setting a scene for the conclusion with its brooding and conspiratorial sound.
Side two begins with I Am Time, another story-driven narrative that has an abundance of layers to the sound. Written as the personification of time, Kjetil Nordhus injects the lyrics and sorrowful nature with power and emotion while the rest of the group push it forwards with solid rhythm work.
Fire in Ice brings us a step closer to the end with another raw number. Showcasing the contrast of the name, we are treated to riffs both heavy and soothing, with repeating leads throughout to keep you rooted in the song. Which is handy as it is easy to drift off and lose yourself in this one. Finally, and sadly, we come to Lunar Tale to round off this near 40 minutes of aural bliss. Another calming, sorrowful ballad that evokes a sense of loss and ending. It is very fitting for the final track.
Having thoroughly enjoyed this album, it does bring about despair as now I have to wait for the conclusion of the trilogy. While A Dark Poem, Part I was a stand-out of 2025, I do feel it has been topped by Part II, and so I will sit back and await Part III eagerly.
As before, I would recommend this to any fans of Anathema, Katonia, Leprous, Pain of Salvation or similar gothic and melancholic prog.
Sound Of Smoke — Mirage
Jerry Kranitz
Sound Of Smoke are a vocals, flute, keyboards, synthesizers, electric and acoustic guitars, bass and drums quartet from Germany. Mirage is their fourth album and my introduction to the band.
My general description of the music is a psychedelic rock band who incorporate multiple influences. Dancing Like Smoke opens the set, weaving dreamy psychedelia with blues and stoner intensity. Röntgenstrahlen is next and surprised me with its robotic groove that somewhat recalls 1980s Neue Deutsche Welle bands. And it gets weirder because it's also got psychedelic guitar fills and heavier rock plus light electronic effects. It seems strange describing it, yet this is one of my favorite songs of the set. Endless Night surprised me again, opening with spacey keys before launching into a rocking tribal groove with a Middle Eastern feel but also powerhouse sci-fi rock. Another favorite.
Sound Of Smoke explore even more different realms on Fats Morgana, which has a fuzzed surf rock vibe but also an eerily trippy atmosphere. New Direction builds on the surf rock influence but is more like a 1960s spaghetti western soundtrack. Wicked Games has a soulful feel. Lush features more surf and fuzz and has a strong 1960s psych-rocking sound. San Junipero goes in yet another direction, alternating between sludgy stoner riffage and psychedelic country. And Zweierlie is the most straightforward rocker of the set. Most of it that is. After about five minutes there's a brief silence, and then we experience floating space electronica for the last minute of the album.
In summary, I don't know quite what to make of Sound Of Smoke. The music includes influences that seem like odd bedfellows but produces interesting results, despite being a bit uneven throughout Mirage's nine songs. No analogies come to mind, and I'm not sure who to recommend them to other than a general psych rock audience. Isabelle is a decent singer, though her ability to project the power and passion this music would benefit from varies from song to song. I think I counted two songs sung in German and the rest in English. As a side note, I don't speak German, but I've always loved the way it sounds and the cadence of its delivery when spoken or sung.
Dan Swanö — Moontower
Calum Gibson
Dan Swanö is something of a household name within extreme metal, having been a member of, album guest, or producer for 378 bands at time of writing (according to RateYourMusic). These range from Katatonia, Opeth to Pain of Salvation and Omnium Gatherum and many more. Being a vastly talented multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, and with an incredible amount of experience and time in the music industry, Moontowers is his first, and only, solo album. Having been released back in 1999, it has been remastered and once more released to the world.
Right off the bat, it has all the hallmarks of 90s Swedish death metal. Synths are featured heavily, along with deep, harsh-growled vocals and a smattering of gothic cleans. Swanö showcases his superb talent throughout, completing every aspect of the album (except for photography and mastering done by Anders Storm and Peter In De Betou respectively) himself. Grooving riffs, solid rhythm works, and intricate patterns are found throughout every track.
Touches of prog can be found everywhere, from the overall sound and atmospheres to the structures and patterns in the riffs. But this is unsurprising given Swanö's well-documented love for bands like Rush, Genesis and Yes, although it shines here through a style more closely resembling Opeth, if they stuck to 4 to 6-minute songs.
Encounterparts is one of the standouts (although in truth, every track is) as one of the best instrumentals I have heard. Full of odd time signatures, jagged drumming, and twisting guitarwork. In Empty Places, the closing number is interesting too, with a sound akin to Dream Theater, but death metal.
It is a fantastic album, and a wonderful slice of the proggier side of melodic death metal. Nothing too overblown and complicated, but nor is it simplistic and minimal. It hits all the right notes (literally and metaphorically) to create a genuinely enjoyable, solid piece of work. Sure, it may not be “new” (even in '99), but that doesn't mean there are no areas of uniqueness.