Where the story about the puppet king and his eventually escaped victim Hope ends, her story continues on the new album Empires must fall. Her new status as The Empress of Light also brings its challenges and problems and eventually she too has to give up her empire after a hard-fought war. It turns out that it is not easy, despite all good intentions, to satisfy everyone and that leads to resistance. As a voice from the resistance  says ; “I know I’m not the man I used to be, but I never meant to make myself the enemy” That, in short, is the story behind this concept album, but as always, my advice is to listen to the lyrics with an open mind. They show that Charlie Bramald is an excellent lyricist.

With Charlie they have an excellent singer on board and I dare say that the band has really taken a step forward with this second album, it all sounds more mature and technically there are lots of improvements too. In my review of Scissorgames I was quite critical of the two guitarists, Graham Garbett and Scott Owens, but now I have to say that I am a lot happier with their playing and especially the solos. This also applies to keyboardist Mark Hagan, because he conjures up very nice things from his keyboard arsenal. There are lots and lots of keys on the album. Then of course the rhythm tandem should not be left behind. Bassist Stuart McAuley and drummer Andy Milner play very passionately and dare to look for a bit more adventure and that benefits the band’s overall sound.

It was already clear that these men are not afraid of long songs and there are also a number of them on Empires must fall, interspersed with two shorter ones. We start at full speed with Keepers of the Light and I can already hear everyone say that it doesn't sound really innovative but who gives a damn when it sounds like this. I don't care as long as it sounds good and it does, it sometimes overwhelms you and the fact that there are two guitarists makes for quite a decent wall of sound every now and then. Where there is a danger that it all becomes too pompous, Ghost of the Machine ensures that they also provide the necessary quieter passages. We are presented with neo-prog with a solid undertone and sometimes they touch the boundaries of hard rock but it never becomes vulgar stomping and as soon as it threatens to get boring there is another passage with yet another rhythm. As we progress it gets even better and we hear that in tracks like Panopticon and Fall through Time, both more than eleven minutes long, where everything is even more finely attuned to each other. In the first there are some quite abrupt transitions, but that makes the whole thing exciting and in terms of melodies it is very solid. The guitar work is more shared than on the debut album, which allows Owens to come to the fore a bit more and that provides variety because both axe men sound quite different, both in terms of playing and sound. As soon as Hagan plays purely piano the intensity is raised and Bramald's voice comes out even better. The fairly short The One could already be heard as an advance single and this is a fairly straightforward song but still with some variation. A lot of powerful people who see themselves as “The One” have come to a fall. Let’s hope this still applies to the here and now. The other short(er) song The Days that never were, although at six minutes it is not really that short, is perfectly positioned and starts quietly with beautiful keyboard work but soon the tempo increases considerably and we can sway along with the undulating keys and the pumping rhythm. Charlie has a fairly high-pitched voice but can also vary so that it never gets tiring and that sometimes is a challenge with this energetic music.

Saving the best for last is a tried and tested strategy when it comes to closing albums and it works the same way with Empires must fall. After the War is a very strong song where everything we already heard comes along again but even better and a number of fine guitar solos make this song the best Ghost of the Machine has ever made. The Empress of Light loses out but is eventually forgiven for her good intentions and so the album ends with a somewhat uplifting message. The melody of the last minutes is really very beautiful.

Well, for those who know me will ask, is there nothing to complain about? Oh well, there's always something but I am very happy with this album. There might have been some more peaceful moments so that the dynamics would have been even greater, but let’s be happy with bands that are not ashamed to just make great neo-prog without worrying about whether a melody has been heard before. Yes, I also heard the bass line of Market Square Heroes by Marillion but who gives a fuck?

The beautiful cover makes the whole thing a product that you just want to hear and possibly want to own, especially when you realize that the album is recorded very well too. Definitely an album for my year list and hopefully yours too. Congrats guys!

A small remark has to be made about the distribution of the cd’s which was left in the hands of label Progrock.com Essentials. The album release was March 7^th and it was all planned so that on all continents the ordered cd’s would be delivered in time for the release. As I write this review on the 23^rd of March I still haven’t received my order. Luckily I saw this coming and ordered a copy at Just for Kicks in Germany and that one was here very quickly so I could write this review after listening to the album on a decent Headphone set-up as I always do. A small stain but sadly enough this happens more and more and that’s a shame because fans who buy the physical album should be treasured. Music is not for free and artists should be rewarded.

Music 85

Cover 95