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Review:
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Dave Bainbridge released the meticulous "Veil of Gossamer"
back in 2005 and that album has remained a perennial favorite,
sliding into my top 20 all-time, sitting among the giants
of the glory days as well as a few recent monuments to prog's
everlasting genius. Nine long years have passed, focused
on discovering many wonderful albums from a myriad of distant
masters but always hoping that one day, this tremendously
talented leader of legendary Celtic prog band Iona would
deliver another palpitating release that would bowl me over
like Veil did. Being a big fan of Iona, I was deeply dismayed
in 2011 by their last album, "Another Realm" a 2cd affair
that had little teeth, even less adventure and had literally
forced me to write a negative review, an abhorrent perspective
in my line of pleasure.
So I was somewhat anxious about "Celestial Fire" and
its impact on my adulation for this gifted man. Yes, I read
that it was going to be over an hour of music, with fabulous
guests such as Threshold's Damian Wilson (a recent discovery
for me) , muscular bassist Randy George of Neal Morse and
Alan White fame, as well as stellar Dutch drummer Colin
Leijenaar (also from Morse and Jordan Rudess). Obviously
Iona colleagues past and present like David Fitzgerald,
Troy Donockley, Frank van Essen, Martin Nolan and Joanna
Hogg all helped their crafty maestro. I am proud to announce
that the wait was definitely worth it, as Dave proposes
nearly 75 minutes of splendid contemporary progressive rock
music. Bainbridge is not only a tremendous acoustic and
electric guitar player but his keyboard work is just as
overpoweringly awesome.***
After a typical Celtic ethereal introduction on the
spirited "Heavenfield", the title track comes in as quite
a shock to the system, and many of you prog fans will not
believe your ears as Bainbridge opts for a quasi-classic
Yes sound, orchestral Wakeman-esque keyboard splurges, bold
and trebly bass and complex polyrhythmic splendor, with
male vocals that would make Jon Anderson blush. Toss in
some delightful female backing and choir vocals and the
deal is done. Yes has not sounded this fresh and explosive
since the 70s! Dave was certainly "going for the one", delivering
a masterful homage to the Tormato boys of yore. Even his
guitar playing hearkens back to the Howe glory days. My
goodness!***
This same audacity is continued on the volcanic "See
What I see" , giving Damian Wilson the front of the stage
to really show off his lungs as Colin thumps mightily, crowned
by a rampaging bass and those massed choir voices that we
all know and love. Compare this to the recent soporific
Yes recording and you wonder what many of us knew long ago,
Yes has been out-Yessed by a vast group of musicians who
simply have taken the legacy further. Hello Flower Kings,
Simon Says, Wobbler, Moth Vellum, Perfect Beings etc?***
Let us be reminded that Iona is squarely in the prog-folk
sub-genre, so a lovely pastoral deviation is entirely to
be expected. The delicate beauty of "The First Autumn" suggest
aromas that rural/magical aura that invites reverie and
introspection, led by Yvonne Lyon's magical voice that hints
at classic Enya, but with way more edge than the celebrated
new age artist from Eire. The string support colors the
fragile theme with dense classicism and an entirely lovely
intermezzo.***
The epic 10 minute+ "For Such a Time as This" looks
back to Dave's previous album, his mighty guitar up-front
twirling amid the glorious piano work while being pursued
by a colossally effective George/Leijenaar rhythm section,
alternating between serene and explosive (though far from
the Yes sound expressed earlier). Violinist Todd Reynolds
and cellist Corinne Frost give the arrangement immense depth
and variation. Then Dave handles the acoustic guitar in
perfect fashion, playing it in parallel with some slide
guitar in the background, a Jan Akkerman-like moment one
should not skip over. This segues into one of Bainbridge's
patented soaring electric leads, a trait that he simply
owns in spades, scratching the stratosphere with a flurry
of sizzling notes, lush with emotion and feeling. The drum
work is jaw-dropping, George popping his fat strings mercilessly
in unison, it's enough to make any prog fan drool. The speed,
the precision and the emotion are unfathomable, nearly unbearable!
This is a classic piece and a jewel of a track that defines
the artist perfectly.***
"Innocence Found" proves once again that Celtic propensity
of emotional readings of simple folk songs and elevating
them to celestial heights, as vocalists Julia Malyasova,
Sally Minnear, Debbie and Evie Bainbridge weave a convincing
tale, spurred by a delirious violin, delicate piano phrasings,
lovely tin whistles and flutes and a heavenly guitar. This
is veering near Mike Oldfield territory, something that
occurs with this artist ever since Mike released his much
debated Voyager record (an album I happen to adore), a certain
Iona parallel that is impossible to negate. Fact is, this
is achingly beautiful music, period.***
Another epic piece "Love Remains" and its intense 13
minutes reignite the bold progressive symphonics, with Dave's
majestic piano now taking the lead, speeding like a midnight
train to nowhere. Damian gently builds up the flames of
passion, as the fizzling synths kick in with near delirious
fervor, propelling this massive piece into impossibly complex
twists and turns, shifts and feints, the drums in particular
doing some serious mental damage. I am reminded of Roine
Stolt's The Flower Kings brand of colossal exuberance, this
is certainly on par with what the Swedish band has best
to offer. Dave's electric axe solo alternates between long
sustained notes and blistering Mach 5 licks that will leave
your jaw in the proverbial gutter.***
As if to drive home that message, the majestic "In
the Moment" relies on another quarter of an hour to unleash
some more sonic magic, acoustic ripples that soothe soul,
close to bucolic British folk and all its trappings until
the theme blooms into another prog juggernaut, bass and
drums pummeling ahead, then suddenly retreating back into
a sun-drenched rainbow of beautiful voices with orchestral
backing, 'no space between' sings the choir, as Damian shows
off his softer side. In an album bursting with mystical
highlights, this track just takes you into another world,
a massive expanse where artist and fan coalesce into one.
Colossal, imperial, spacious, ethereal, grandiose all words
that define what the ears and brain absorb, this is what
music should mean to any audiophile. When the smoking organ,
the relentless bass and the steam-roller drum assault kicks
in, one can only surrender to the magic. Wilson wails in
the background and the moment is reached! The afterglow
violin flutters in the ether, reminding one of the eargasm
that just tremored, the quaking now only occasional, the
gentle rest not far away.***
"Heavenfield "gets a brief reprise before the final
cut "On the Edge of Glory" brings the curtain down an a
thrilling musical adventure, dual tin whistles (Nolan and
Fitzgerald) vie for the center stage, percussive shivers
and vocal shimmers follow in reverent style, a perfect finale.***
Needless to say, this is a killer album, a 2014 masterpiece
that begs to be heard, admired and adulated. Fans of the
afore-mentioned bands should hunt this one down and relish
the music within.***
5 cosmic fervours***
(Thomas
Szirmay)
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