VELVET THUNDER

I do not surrender to hyperbole when I assert that Under Changing Skies is the finest piece of music The Emerald Dawn have yet committed to tape, and something which should go down as a genuine landmark in contemporary progressive rock. It’s that good.

For anyone who has remained unaware of them, The Emerald Dawn have been ploughing their singular furrow of moulding classic and timeless prog ingredients into a distinctive whole for some years now, and with this first part of a conceptual statement, they have certainly excelled themselves in turms of reach and ambition. Based down in the deepest South-West of England, the four-piece have been taking their own unique show out on the road to UK audiences in recent times, and finding it very well received – quite an accolade since their music is the very antithesis of ‘accessible’ or ‘catchy’, and generally requires a few listens to tease out the full impact of a piece. Even so, audiences, including those who are not intimately familiar with all of their work, have been responding with enthusiasm, which is a testament to the quality of the material.

On their last UK-wide trek, earlier this year, a track from this album was premiered in advance, and was clearly a harbinger of something exciting – even on that first, live, hearing of it. This album was announced at the time as a double, which I would take to assume that we will be seeing Volume Two released separately later – a good move I feel, as the 45 minutes or so here is just the right amount of weighty material to absorb in a single helping, and the second part should be a perfect second course once the first has been digested. So, what exactly have we here with this release?

Well, by contrast with the last few Emerald Dawn albums, which have followed a three track format, in this case we have four. But a very interesting element of this release is that, while there is a uniform conceptual theme tying the four pieces together (environmental issues and nature, loosely put), each one of them has a different and distinct style which sets it apart from the others. In this way, this is certainly the most diverse album the band have yet released. The opener, Dancing With The Spirit, is a sprightly and energetic opener with a touch of jazz fusion about it, evoking the feel of bands like Soft Machine or The Mahavishnu Orchestra. It’s entirely instrumental, and at just under six minutes, is also the shortest thing here. It’s also quite entrancingly infectious, and it’s hard to envisage a better opening for the album – though it does (perhaps intentionally) lull the listener into a false sense of security as regards the weight and sheer graviras of what is to come…

Next up, the 17-minute, four-part Under Changing Skies, is the track which the band unveiled at those UK tour dates over six months ago. It was a clear highlight of those performances, and augured well for the upcoming album. It’s better here. With occasional vocals focusing on global warming and the pollution of the air, it is nonetheless largely instrumental in nature, with the music alone left do do much of the conceptual heavy lifting – which it manages to do exceptionally well. Following an opening which is relatively serene, as it evokes the calm before a literal or metaphorical storm, one is left in no doubt of the sense of foreboding being produced, and it is no surprise when the musical dam bursts, leading us into a lengthy mid-section which twists and turns while maintaining an almost claustrophobic feel, oppressive, threatening and terrifying all at the same time. There is an intensity which builds and builds until the final section of the piece gives it full release, in a sense both of cathartic release and coruscating drama. A huge, rolling cacophony which supersedes the simple term ‘riff’ comes in and refuses to let go until it has steamrollered all before it in an orgy of destructive power. If this doesn’t paint a musical picture for you, then you might have been rendered deaf by the shock – it would be the only explanation. I do not surrender to hyperbole when I assert that this is the finest piece of music The Emerald Dawn have yet committed to tape, and something which should go down as a genuine landmark in contemporary progressive rock. It’s that good. And it leaves you exhausted, almost drained, and sorely in need of some light relief. You won’t get it…

The doom continues, albeit in a very different form, with the other lengthy piece here, While Oceans Die – all 14 minutes of it. Once again, vocals are sparse with the music being the master for a second time. On this occasion, however, the feel is much different, with the message about the pollution and destruction of the seas and oceans being delivered in a much more experimental way, with almost free-form composition at times evoking unease and a tangible feeling of discomfort in a wholly different way. Parts are more accessible – we’re not talking King Crimson with Moonchild or Providence here – but on the whole this is the piece which can be described as the most challenging listen. Whole swathes of this detour from what would be termed ‘rock’ at all, heading into areas more akin to avant-garde modern classical composition, but it always comes back again before the listener becomes entirely lost. It’s like a sort of mash-up of Van Der Graaf Generator, Tangerine Dream and Stockhausen, and just as uncompromising as that sounds. For me, it does its work extremely well, though I could see some having trouble digesting it if they are of faint heart!

There’s safer land ahead, however, with the closing And We’re Left Wondering Why being one of the simplest and most accessible songs the band have yet produced, with a base of acoustic guitar underpinning Tree Stewart’s excellent vocals – elsewhere on the album they are treated for dramatic effect from the sound of it, but here they are clear and natural, and carry the message of regret at the world we have done such damage to in a superb manner. It builds until it is carried by a full band arrangement, with a sax solo to round things off. Which leads me into my only small gripe here.

If there is one thing which I would change about the album personally, is that for my personal taste there is a little over-reliance on sax and not quite enough guitar from Ally Carter. The end sections of both of the final two tracks feature the sax as lead instrument, and both of them is a little too much for my ears – but then again, that is a personal preference, as the instrument has rarely been a favourite of mine in rock (although conversely I adore David Jackson in VDGG, so what do I know!) Others may well find the very skilfully played sax to be their own personal highlight, which is one of the great things about the music of The Emerald Dawn – it’s so intricately and meticulously arranged that if you don’t care for one bit, just hang tight as there’ll be a bit that you love along any minute.

Is this the best Emerald Dawn album to date? That’s a difficult one, as albums like In Time and particularly the magnificent To Touch The Sky are hard to beat. But I would certainly maintain is that it is the most ambitious, and the most compositionally multi-faceted, that the band have produced. And in When Skies Darken they have given us one of the finest pieces I have heard this year at the very least. Volume 2 is sounding intriguing already, and it is safe to say that if you have enjoyed any of the particular charms of The Emerald Dawn up to now, this cannot possibly disappoint you.