IN THE LAST WAKING MOMENTS...

This is one of the most listenable efforts I have heard in a while. The central piece "Fracture" is catchy and runs throughout the album, weaving through many of the tracks. I think that Marillion could steal some of the energy found here to give them back some of their edge for their next release, hopefully next year. This is the sort of music you could play at a barbeque and not be in danger of folks questioning your old "anorak" prog head qualities. It falls short of top marks due to the opening track Dusk which I like but in small quantities and "A million miles away" which I find dull. Overall, it is a 4.5 and should be listened to by more of you out there.

In the Last Waking Moments is a collaboration between Eric Blackwood, formerly of metal band Crimson Steele and collaborator with other major rock artists such as Al Pitrelli, and Pete Trewavas, bassist with Marillion since the band's inception, and also a founding member of prog supergroup, Transatlantic.

The project first came to my attention on the site's forum, where it was trailed as a project which featured as guest artists all members of Marillion, a first for all the band to be included on a non Marillion album. Given the enduring popularity of this incredible band, this is, of course, a massive plus in terms of potential commercial success. What, though, does need to be made abundantly clear at the start of this review is that this is absolutely not a Marillion album. Such a description would not only be grossly unfair to Blackwood, a huge driving force on the creation of the work, but would also be utterly wide of the mark in terms of its sound and direction.

Indeed, when you listen to Dusk, the album's opener, there are clear similarities with Lunatic Soul's first two sublime, and very dark, pieces of work, and such themes reoccur throughout the album. Elsewhere, Blackwood's experience of, and Trewavas' love of, what I still refer to as classic rock in the mould of Rainbow, Dio, and Sabbath shine through. Add to that influences such as Gentle Giant, Pink Floyd, PFM, and some of the modern, harder sounding neo prog, and what you have is something that is unutterably unique, and, clearly deliberately, designed to appeal to as wide a range of rock (not just prog) fans as possible.

The vast majority of the instruments and vocals are handled by the duo themselves. It is a testament to the skill of these musicians that you are blown away by the bass playing of Blackwood on the opener, and then by the power guitars superbly handled by Trewavas on Fracture. Most of the lead vocals are handled brilliantly by Blackwood, but, on Outerspaced, a track which literally bursts out of the speakers with riffs that would make Tool and Opeth blush with envy, you are staggered to see that it is Trewavas screaming at you.

Of course, we have always known of his wonderful backing vocals and harmonies on Marillion & Transatlantic albums and live shows, but here, he is given free range to move right to the foreground, and sounds as if he has done it all of his life. As for Blackwood, his voice is simply remarkable. The subtle and delicate voices on In The First Waking Moments are lovely, and these move together seamlessly into a thoughtful, more commercial sounding, vocal on A Million Miles Away, backed by some remarkable harmonies of Trewavas and outstanding blues and rhythm guitars. That this song is then able to seamlessly move into the altogether darker, and industrial, Fallout (Of the 2nd Kind) shows just how well this work has been put together. A decent set of speakers also bring out the incredible synths and strings programming that set a lovely symphonic backdrop to the riffs at the fore.

A further example of the vastly varying styles on the album are when the madness of Outerspaced, featuring an intergalactic pissup amongst the pummelling riffs, ends suddenly and you are transported into the ethereal beauty of Spiraling, a track which features my favourite guitarist, Steve Rothery, on lead guitar. The track tells its story of drifting in space wonderfully. Blackwood's vocals are pitched perfectly, and Rothery is, as ever, excellent, providing one of his trademark solos. However, it is, again, a mark of the dominance of the duo that, to these ears, the highlight is the exquisite acoustic guitar lead by Trewavas backing Blackwood's vocals. This track is a real highlight.

From this, we are transported to The "Other" Other Dimension. In my interview with the band, they suggested in this track a homage to Gentle Giant's "In A Glass House", an album which I put on this morning for the first time in a long while to prepare this review. Well, it is. Think of that classic album on a touch of speed, and you are getting somewhere near the mark. The whole track is deeply dark and disturbing, with the main theme from Spiraling interspersed amongst Mark Kelly's superb keyboard work, a thundering bassline, and swirling guitars all vying for your attention with the voices of the doctors performing a weird and wonderful operation on the subject. This itself then moves into a slice of eastern promise on Across The Plains, featuring Trewavas on a VG Sitar and a gentle riff.

The themes of the opening tracks are reprised on the title track. Blackwood's vocals are, again, lovely, and the duo are accompanied here by a guest appearance by Robin Boult (who has played guitar for Fish), who provides an accomplished and haunting electric guitar solo set against some wonderful acoustic work and strings and programming.

The intensity heard on Outerspaced returns with a vengeance on Lifeline, featuring, again, some very heavy riffs. The duo share vocal duties, with Blackwood providing the subject's lead, and Trewavas the voice of the mysterious "others". The bass riff is, again, thundering, whilst Blackwood's lead guitar echoes and blasts in equally effective measures. We then have what can only be described as a heavy rock fan's dream track. Fallout (of the 3rd Kind) fairly rips along, and brings with it a wall of sound that simply has to be played on a surround sound system to get the full benefit. I don't think I have ever heard Trewavas this intense on bass guitar, and the pair of them bring such a huge sound on lead guitars that you simply give up at this stage, and merely sit down in sheer wonder and gawp at the sound it produces. What you also notice is just how good Blackwood is at raising the intensity of his voice to match proceedings.

Then we have the epic track of the album. The Awakening (Slow Burn) is not only a highlight of the album, it is a highlight of 2011, full stop. Clocking in at just short of sixteen minutes long, it is, perhaps, the most recognisably "proggy" track on the work. It incorporates at the start more of the instrumental themes first heard in the openers, with some mournfully sad vocals and lovely acoustic guitar work, held together perfectly by lilting and lifting strings, keyboards, with, at its heart, that magnificent rhythm section of Trewavas on bass and the excellent Ian Mosley on drums. This intensity slows to a standstill a third of the way through, with bass and acoustic guitar providing a gentle riff, before Blackwood delights us with a haunting lead guitar sequence accompanying understated and ethereal vocals (it is in this passage where the duo, in my opinion, come closest to the sound of latter period Marillion on this album). Trewavas then takes over the lead duties with an incredible acoustic guitar solo, before Blackwood steps in again to accompany this, with the track leading us in effortlessly to its denouement. And what a close it is. Grandiose, huge in scope and sound, with an array of guitars, strings, synths, drums and effects joining together with a choir featuring Steve Hogarth, the duo, and Mandy Delly in a choir announcing "The Awakening Hour". I have listened to this album many times prior to writing this review, and each time this passage leaves me virtually breathless with its intensity. My interview gives us an idea of how an initially "Trick of the Tail" type track of six minutes morphed into something this long. Staggeringly good, and a must for all prog fans to hear at least once in their lives.

The album closes with our final Fallout (of the 4th Kind), a gentle and kind comedown after the intensity of what laid before it, and it is clearly designed to tell us the end of our hero's story.

Of which?..This is a concept album. There are some concept albums where it is relatively straightforward to guess the intent of the author and the story he/she was trying to put across. One such example, I suppose, is Marillion's Brave. We all know that Steve Hogarth heard the story of a young girl throwing herself off the Bristol Suspension Bridge, and wrote a fine concept behind the lies, abuse, and emotions that led up to that fateful moment.

There are others, and The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway comes to mind specifically for me, where the story itself is somewhat less clear. You know there is a concept there but it leaves you as the listener/reader with a huge amount of scope with which to actually work out precisely what is the true meaning. Ask 100 people, and at least 80 of them will give you a different answer. In other words, the meaning is left to you, and its meaning is personal to you.

So it is with In The Last Waking Moments. I have seen some people describe it as the story of an alien abduction incident (a la The X Files), others as it describing an extreme psychotic moment. For what it is worth, my own personal take on the meaning of this story is one of a, yes, extreme moment, but I interpret it as describing those moments prior to death and moving onto the "other side"?our last waking moments, which can seem to be almost eternal to a mind on the threshold of death, before the transformation into?what? Where? How?

Anyway, my meditations aside, there is one reality that cannot be put aside. This is an extremely important and excellent piece of work. There are some magnificent guest performances by members of my favourite band and Robin Boult, whilst Mike Hunter has done a fantastic job of finalising the knob twirling duties. However, and it is a very important point to make, this remains at its forefront a vision and execution by two exceptional talents, one of whom I am very intimate with musically, and the other with whom I very much hope to be as time progresses.

This album is virtually flawless in its execution. I have, in the past twelve months, only awarded five star reviews to two albums, namely Introitus (Elements), and Pendragon (Passion). This album is at least the equal of these fine works, and deserves the support of all reading this review. If you can, get the CD version, because I should mention here the wonderful photography & artwork created by Wendy Farrell-Pastore.

In The Last Waking Moments is a true masterpiece, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Five stars for a masterpiece of modern progressive rock.

Does it get any better than this? A truly masterful album bridging all types of progressive rock together behind Pete Trewavas of Marillion and Eric Blackwood with the entire cast of Marillion joining in as well. This is truly a great piece of work and should be under everyone's considerations for album of the year.

I do warn everyone that this is the perfect example of a grower... you do need to listen this quite a few times before you get it, but when you do... it may just become one of your favorite records ever. I have to agree with Lazland of Prog Archives that it is a masterpiece of modern rock in terms of where progressive music is going. It may be the trend setter for others to follow.

If you are not a fan of Marillion or Transatlantic, I urge you to give this a few tries. This has a much harder edge than Pete's other projects and while it has the songwriting quality of Marillion... it also has a very different and uniquely haunting vibe. You can see a lot of influences in here but there is a very strong sense of Animals era Pink Floyd, Trick of The Tail era Genesis and A Perfect Circle in terms of a harder edge with some very dark and foreboding passages.

A five star masterpiece as Lazland of Prog Archives has said.

So promising, yet in the end so disappointing. It couldn't be more different (complete opposite I would say) of what my dear colleague (who I highly regard), lazland, think. My story was very similar to the one of OneLiner, one of the previous reviewers - I was highly anticipating this release (on a strength of names involved alone), but was so disappointed that the result impression is even worse because of so high anticipation. But nevertheless, to put it frankly, this album is so boring. Repetition all over the place, quite dark rock at times (which is not bad thing, as long as it done right), hypnotic rhythms are OK, but the best working song is Across the Plains, which is unfortunately one of the shortest songs here.

But the funniest thing is that AtP song is just a beginning of "second side" (I suppose we can call it like that), which is actually quite a good bunch of tunes. Pity that many listeners won't feel convinced or compelled enough to fare that long to bear with terrible first part (NIN like Outerspaced too, but there is one good song - atmospheric Spiralling).

But I cannot bear myself to be that harsh, because second part quite counterweights the terrible first one. 3(+)

Within my current heavy jazz-rock phase, I still decided to go out and purchase some other symphonic and even electronic material, with the purpose of maintaining diverse levels of interest and reflection. I like a well stocked kitchen and prog should the one genre to easily be able to accommodate my various desires. Lately, the catch has been remarkable as 2011 and even the early glimpses of 2012 clearly show. Between getting the sophomore IO Earth album and a prog-folk newbie called Fauns (not Faun) that titillated my ebullient senses, I took the luscious risk of ordering a controversial debut album from Edison's Children, a collab effort between Eric Blackwood and Marillion/Transatalantic's Pete Trewavas . Some PA stalwarts have essentially voiced strong criticism while others salivate like a starving Rottweiler at the sheer scope of genius displayed here. My ultra-rebellious nature enjoys such ambivalence and potential for debate. Truth is why shouldn't I express my opinion via a review without falling into the 'praise line' and state how I perceive this recording? It's a strange piece of music that is quite obvious from the get-go, requiring multiple revisits and a routine of reevaluating the inner sonic nodes to fit the new mold. Truth is, this is a studio manufactured series of mood pieces, 2 artists sitting in their aural canvas and daubing Monet like details to the overall mosaic soundscape. Therefore, we have tracks that are unsuccessful and at times even irritating, the screeching Trewavas vocals are painful on the otherwise brutal 'Outspaced' , 'A Million Miles Away' has again Eric singing in a voice style that I particularly do not enjoy, a thin raspy voice that would have exploded the arrangement with splendor had they opted for a fabulous vocalist, male or even better, female.

There is a lot to grasp here, the opener 'Dusk' flashing a moody surrealism, pushed along by a frenetic pounding, setting a definite tone to follow, more melodic than Mariusz Duda's Lunatic Soul (yes, lazland!!!!!!) but somehow in the same vein of dreamy and catchy atmospherics. 'Fracture' is like the proper segue, a slow blooming evolution of imminent doom, actually very heavy in a foreboding way, replete with agonizing rhythm guitar bulldozers and a nasty tinge all around. This is where I start to see the light (Edison, remember?) as this is really 'Fallout of the First Kind' and it reeks of Watersian rage and fury and very correctly in my opinion, hints at Led Zep's "Kashmir" , obvious in the chorus and the dense orchestrations!

More on the winning side, the exotic cosmic deliverance of 'Fallout of the 2nd Kind', with its heavy synth and hard rock barrage is pure bliss. The vocals here work a bit like Mark Hollis of Talk Talk fame, emotive yet somehow hushed. Fantastic stuff. 'Spiraling' is a pure jewel, a scintillating slice of atmospheric wisps, the vocals Floydian and the mood voluptuous. Legend Steve Rothery delivers a sublime solo that consecrates his fame once again. 'The Other Dimension' is a somewhat demented pastiche , marked by counterpoint vocals, loopy piano, fuzzy guitar ravings, spunky bass and lewd drumming, all laced with various effects, voice and otherwise. Cool stuff!

The short and sweet 'Across the Plains' is all Pete Trewavas , a stunning electronic piece with emotive programming and synthesized sitar. The album title track 'In the Last waking Moments' is another high watermark, casting Fish's Robin Boult on grinding lead guitar and some orchestrated synths in the background. But it's the song that shudders and expands, keeping the attention on the evolution of the arrangement, gorgeous acoustic guitar chaperoning it along. Boult's second solo really sizzles nicely.

'Lifeline' returns to heavy rock mold but way more fruitfully this time , a devastating bass wields its bullying weight around (that should be no surprise) , coming across like some Hawkwind hybrid but with a weirder vocalist.

'Fallout of the 3rd Kind' is like some announcer stating' we now rejoin our regularly scheduled broadcast' as it continues on the previous megalo-maniacal screeching path to oblivion, hot and heavy, where everything works: the pummeling bass, Eric's sensational lead guitar and, I admit grudgingly, intense vocals. It's a joyride, with loads of colossal symphonics urging the eruption along.

The progressive core of this opus is the epic 15 minute 'The Awakening' , a track that seeks and succeeds in encompassing what this album is about and the likely continued collaboration between Blackwood and Trewavas that can be expected. Expansive, breathless and ethereal, the music evolves at its own leisurely pace, unshackled by demand or expectations, free to roam and conquer new sonic lands like some bygone Roman Empire army. We prog fans like the longer tracks because the urgency is more subtle and diverse than some hard ass 3 minute ditty. This is a stunner as our venerated lazland boldly but correctly stated. The final 'fallout' is the gentlest breeze ever and makes you shudder at the prospect of our future.

Certainly deeper in prog content than current Marillion, the tepid Kino or the fussy Transatlantic, there is enough here to warrant and desire a future release. Especially if the lads can swallow their pride and get Steve Hoggarth to sing on their songs (here on choir duty only) . The 70 minute long disc has about 10 minutes worth of dross but that means that there is an hour of great music and that's good enough for me. As usual, I find myself in the middle of this strenuous debate but logic persists in making the decision a positive one. But all the points are well taken. This is a grower than needs alot of affectionate dates. After all, who knows when the last waking moments will arrive? And then, all will be gone, even from any planetary memory.

4 seedy rhizomes

Not often moved enough to want to review albums but this one truly has hit a high bar with me that I have not felt since the first time I heard the album Brave by Marillion in it's entirety.

We all know who Pete Trewavas (Marillion / Transatlantic) and Eric Blackwood are - but if you want to know more then go find their website and read the extensive bio information (plus play the video, but more importantly buy the album!) .... www.edisonschildren.com

So my take on the album (I'm not a pro reviewer, and do not have as wide a collection of source music or bands to pick on, so will just say what I see)

Overall...... i didn't get it at all the first time I listened to it. I had tried it in bits and pieces and really could not fathom the thing. But then.....I sat in the dark one night, cranked it up load, and sent myself on the ride that changed my whole world of understanding this album. it is a masterpiece than needs end to end playing and appreciation. Like Brave by Marillion or The Whirlwind by Transatlantic, you cannot get the hook and you do not do it justice unless you invest the time to focus on it and let it transport you to where ever you will go. Once you do that - then you will find yourself owning a real good player, worthy of the Prog Archives ranking as one of the best three albums of 2011, and something that you will come back to again and again and again.

The 20 pages of artwork are beautiful in the cd (I really like to own real items rather than downloads) and it can be bought directly from their site or from Racket Records on Marillion's site. (It's available elsewhere as well, but I refuse to buy things on sites where a majority of the money taken goes to fat ass corporations instead of the actual artists who have worked hard to make their work available in the first place)

Dusk.....The incredible intro piece - very spine tingling and moody complete with the vocals of a man sounding haggared and worn from his ordeal of what he believes is happening to him. The bongo's intro is very different, and the single guitar that slices into its rhythm makes me shiver when it comes in. It is very emotive, and I was surprised to find that Pete is not even playing bass on the first track - gotta love it when these guys mess with your expectations like that! It sets the tone for the album very well indeed.

Fracture (Fallout of the 1st kind) - Brings us crashing and burning into the reality of the protagonist of the album complete with thundering vocals and lead guitars and includes audio recording from actual air traffic control/pilot discussion regarding something that should not be there (This is used twice very effectively in the album - one of them is from a shuttle landing that was buzzed by a UFO! Funny how these things fail to make the news but are just out there if you know where to go find them)

In the first waking moments - gives us a reoccurring theme for the album - simple single guitar and a beautiful vocal.

A Million Miles Away - Why is this not being played on every radio station? Love love love love love

Fallout of the 2nd kind - Good solid rock, great vocals, excellent loud!!

Outerspaced - I wonder if the guys were spaced out when they did this bit. It took a few listens before I got into this track, but it does get to you in time. Hard to believe that little Pete of Marillion is screaming like a banshee. The axes really do rock this track too. Like I said - took me a while but I love it now.

Spiralling - soulful, mystical, spiritual and one of the best Steve Rothery solos I have ever head. 'Nuff said

The Other Other Dimension - Alien doctors doing experiments while Mark Kelley goes nuts with synths. Nuff said again.

Across the plains - Too short. A beautiful, simple composition. Great work on synthesized guitar.

In The Last Waking Moments - Great guest guitar work from Robin Boult (of Fish fame) and the whole piece builds and builds in momentum all the way to the finish line.

Lifeline - Thundering from end to end

Fallout of the 3rd kind - brings us back to that central theme once more, and kicks ass with its guitar work leading into the album's epic piece....

The Awakening - 15 and a half minutes of prog genius - contains it all, incredible music, spooky alien noises in the background, pilot/ground control recording, a ball busting beautiful acoustic solo by Pete, the Slow Burn in the middle, the breakdown of the protagonist of the story, a choir of voices including Steve Hogarth, and the ever excellent mastery of Ian Mosley taking the whole album higher and higher until it reaches its absolutely amazing crescendo.

Fallout of the 4th kind - what good is a scary thought provoking story unless it leaves you with a spine tingling ending? Scares the bejeebers out of me every time I listen to it.

I cannot say enough good things about this. All I would suggest is that people who have thought about it and have put it on their to-do list or have it as a possibly/maybe - then just go out there and buy it now. Turn the lights off, grab a drink, sit in the dark, turn it up load, and tell me that you are not moved and amazed and have goosebumps when it finishes.

Thank you for your time :)

As a long time prog listener, I have heard the good stuff. King Crimson, Yes, Rush, ELP. I love it all. Once in a while a band comes along that catches my ear as if to say, hey, there is something here. There is more than meets the eye. Some bands I admit, took a while to "get it". ( King Crimson ) There is something deeper and more meaningful in the prog music lovers music. It might take one or two listens, but its there. This is artistic freedom at its finest. No cookie cutter music here. Eric Blackwood and Pete Trewavas and an idea and they ran with it. I for one see it. I get it. This music jumped out at me on about the third spin. I thought, man, thats it. Thats the stuff progressive music should be made of. Thats the stuff we need more of. My take on this record is that it is a masterpiece and I look forward to more from this camp of fine musicians.

I really love this sublime collaberating of two good musicians... Pete Trewavas (from Marillion) and Eric Blackwood. I Never had thought that Pete had acualy a Nice singing voice aswell. I 'only' Know him as a very very good Bass player, Now He Sings, Play Bass, Plays Guitar, Plays Drums AND plays Keys...!! Eric does the minor part in Singing, but when he does it is Haunting...! He plays bass and guitar aswell. There are some guiest musicians aswell.. All the members of marillion... This Music brings me in another Dimension.... It is spine chilling and amazing good. Hauning and lovely. Funny and Funky. Depths and breths of good music. A pleasure to listen to.

This is one of the best album I have heard in a long time. Being a huge Marillion fan, I was very curious to hear this Pete Trewavas and Eric Blackwood collaboration. As soon as I heard the bongos at the beginning of Dusk, I knew I was in for something unique. The re-occuring melody that keeps coming back throughout the album is really hooking you. But I have to say that the epic The Awakening is just mind blowing...I remember sitting there with headphones, listening attentively and realized tears were rolling down my cheeks...and no, it is not because my favorite singer is part of the choir but really because of the deep lyrics glued with the spine tingling music that had just got under my skin....I recommend this album to every open minded prog fans around the globe although I have read that some listeners only gave it one chance....let it grow on you and I guarantee you will love it!

As a huge Marillion fan, and a fan of their solo work as well, I awaited with great anticipation the release of Edison's Children "In The Last Waking Moments". It was truly worth the wait!!! How rich the sounds are and, as someone said, I too love Pete's vocals, which I appreciate on Marillion's songs as backup, but really seem to be on display here with great success. The music took me away on a journey of the mind and soul that has caused me to keep it in constant CD rotation on my player. I especially love to listen to it in the dark, with my eyes closed and some incense burning. Others might speak of technique, style, etc, but to me music is all about emotion and does it stir something in me.

Some people may buy this thinking that you will get a Marillion experience, which is mind/soul blowing in its own right. But to purchase it for that reason will not allow you to fully enjoy a completely different vibe.

Listen with your ears and soul open............ Edison's Children's "In The Last Waking Moments" is/was so worth the wait!

Man I never dreamed after my first few listenes that i'd be giving this 4 stars. The sound here is fairly samey, at least it has this melancholic mood throughout with a similar flavour instrumentally. And at 70 minutes it's of course too long but man this has grown on me. Pete Trewavas (MARILLION) and Eric Blackwood (CRIMSON) are the creators and performers with all of MARILLION helping out and a couple of other guests. They pretty much do this all themselves though. The vocals aren't anything to write home about but they both sing and I like them. One sounds a little like Bryan Ferry to my ears. I like the way tszirmay describes this as being a strange piece of music that is a series of studio manufactured mood pieces.

"Dusk" is a good way to describe the mood of this whole recording, but it's also the title of track one. Percussion is joined by acoustic guitar then reserved vocals before 2 minutes. It picks up 3 minutes in then we get some electric guitar before 5 minutes that solos tastefully overtop. It blends into "Fracture" a two part piece divided into "Fallout (Of The First Kind) and "The Last Refrain". It starts to pick up early then vocals come in at 1/2 minutes. It turns heavier. Nice. Vocals are Ferry-like 3 1/2 minutes in. "In The First Waking Moments" is a short piece with gentle guitar and reserved vocals. "A Million Miles Away" is maybe my favourite track on here. Strummed guitar to start as it builds some as laid back vocals join in. Just a cool sounding tune. A heartbeat and atmosphere late as it blends into "Fallout (Of The 2nd Kind)". Spoken word samples come in then we get music that builds followed by vocals after 1 1/2 minutes. Again Ferry-like. Reserved vocals a minute later as these vocals trade off as it were. "Outerspaced" kicks in heavily with huge bass lines and passionate vocals. "Spiraling" has a beat with a warm atmosphere. Reserved vocals join in. Laid back electric guitar before 3 minutes then it ends with noise after 4 1/2 minutes.

"The "Other" Other Dimension" is bass and drum led early then the vocals come in after 1 1/2 minutes but they're brief. A change in sound before 3 minutes but this also is brief. A crazy tune man. "Across The Plains" has a repetitive beat, atmosphere and more. "In The Last Waking Moments..." opens with gentle guitar as a beat joins in then vocals around a minute. It's fuller a minute later. Catchy stuff. Heavy guitar after 5 minutes as the intensity increases. "Lifeline" has a heavy intro as massive bass lines come in then vocals after a minute. It's still heavy. "Fallout (Of The 3rd Kind)" is mellow with fragile vocals until it kicks in heavily before a minute. Ferry-like vocals also join in. "The Awakening" is the 15 1/2 minute tour de force. Under this title they have written "Slowburn" which is a good way to describe this track. This is laid back with a beat but it's heavy. Samples of a conversation come in. Vocals replace the conversation. This all fades out before 4 1/2 minutes as the song sort of drifts along with vocals. It's fuller before 8 minutes without vocals but it's still dreamy. Vocals are back after 11 1/2 minutes for 2 minutes. "Fallout (Of The 4th Kind)" ends it with a short acoustic guitar and reserved vocal piece.

This is an album that has gone from being so-so in my mind to "i can't wait to spin it again". And if you don't believe in Hobbits look at the two guys on the back cover. A rare picture of two of them in the fog. Oops ! Wait a minute, that's Pete and Eric!

Edison's Children is a side project by Pete Trewavas of Marillion fame and Eric Blackwood, and this debut album of theirs features guest appearances by every single other current member of Marillion. But that doesn't mean this is a Marillion album under another name, not by any means. Trewavas and Blackwood very much collaborate as equals here, and the musical direction they've chosen presents a spacey, dark, Pink Floyd-influenced version of progressive rock which is distinctly different from anything Marillion have done. Offering up a mixture of moody soundscapes and more polished songs - the best of the latter being the charming A Million Miles Away (I Wish I Had a Time Machine) - Edison's Children present a polished debut that unfortunately doesn't quite pass the test of time for me when, the soundscapes feeling increasingly empty (and not in a deliberately minimalistic and sparse way) and devoid of interesting texture as time goes by.

This experimental collaboration of MARILLION roadie Eric Blackwood and PETE TREWAVAS has produced some absolutely gorgeous atmospheric The Wall-era PINK FLOYD-like Crossover prog. Great keyboard work fills every song and some pretty darn good guitar playing and singing, too. There is some kind of thread of repeated themes and sounds throughout the album. Overall the album has a kind of ART OF NOISE plays with PINK FLOYD and Hogarth- era MARILLION, with a more soulful IAN ANDERSON performing the vocalese. This is an album full of very catchy, engaging sounds, hooks, chords and lyrics and amazing production value.

Album highpoints: the gorgeous #5, "A Million Miles Away (I Wish I Had a Time Machine) (5:01) (8/10), the vocal on #6, "Outerspaced" (3:14) (8/10); the gorgeous #7, "Spiraling" (5:01) (10/10); the all-out rockin' #11 "Lifeline" (3:17) (8/10), and the regirgitative #12 "Fallout (of the 3rd Kind)" (4:01) (9/10).

4.5 stars, marked down for not really being very innovative or ground-breaking--for playing what is really very familiar, albeit, gorgeous, music.

As with Druckfarben I was sent this to review as a digital copy, so hadn't seen the booklet when I started listening to it. Also, I hadn't undertaken any research so didn't know who was involved and was treating this as a totally new band. It was only afterwards that I realised that this was a joint project of Pete Trewavas (Marillion) and Eric Blackwood (Crimson) who then brought in various friends and guests (including the rest of Marillion, which is the first time they have all appeared on an album which doesn't have their name on the front). I was pleased that I had no idea who was involved as it means that my view of the album is untainted, and this atmospheric spacey Floyd-type prog is right up my street.

There are times when the drums are just too basic for my taste, but that is really just a minor knock against what is a very fine album. Both Pete and Eric provide lead vocals, and while they may not be standout singers they suit the music just fine and it really works. The production is top quality, and this is an album that definitely benefits from being played at night, looking out at the stars with a glass of fine malt at hand. If I had the choice of playing this or the latest Marillion album then this wins hands down every time. www.edisonschildren.com

The one thing that Edison's Children excels at, better than any other band, is mood. The atmosphere they create is amazing, and this album is proof of their skill in creating it and their skill as a prog band musically.

The songs range from slow paced ghostly love songs to reality shattering insanity. The concept is about a man losing his grip with reality as extraterrestrial forces toy with his mind. The music conveys the story and mood brilliantly as songs jump from the crazy to the mellow. It is dark, sinister, distorted, crazy, emotional, mellow, and reality bending.

I think the best way to describe Edison's Children is escapism. Put on some headphones and enjoy the ride. EC is one of the most original bands out there. In The Last Waking Moments is an entirely new experience. The emotional and musical spectrum they cover is hard to put into words and I hope I was able to do it justice with this review. This is a band no prog fan should pass up.

Pete Trewavas had never been the leading figure in any of the groups he was involved.All these until 2006, when he met with American singer, musician and technician Eric Blackwood and the first thoughts for a duo project sprung in their minds.Trewavas' heavy schedule with Marillion and Transatlantic made the union pretty hard, but in 2009 the first seeds of Edison's Children were set with the creation of their first songs.The growing idea of this project became a fact in the process, as Trewavas and Blackwood recorded Edison's Children's first album in three different periods betwen the obligations of the first with his two supergroups.All Marillion members appear in this album along with Fish'es guitarist Robin Boult and DeeExpus' Andy Ditchfield also on guitars.Both Trewavas and Blackwood handle guitars, bass, keyboars, effects and vocal part in this debut.''In the last waking moments...'' was released in 2011 on Random Disturbance Records.

I was really sceptic about what Trewavas could come up with as a band's leader, but fortunately Edison's Children's is beyond my personal expectations.The album is a fresh and modern proposal of PINK FLOYD-ian Progressive Rock with heavier overtones, where the music passes from dark, ambiental soundscapes to melodic lines and powerful guitar sessions.The experience of the two musicians have resulted a work full of different colors and soundscapes, which intentionally fails regarding its technical level, but wins easily a prize among the most emotional releases of the year.Beautiful guitar themes, cinematic keyboard explorations and excellent singing lines offer a work of delicacy, inner power and rare atmospheres, which alternates between all levels of energy.The songwriting shines through with Trewavas and Blackwood making clever use of sound effects to deliver impressive, floating and deeply atmospheric textures, while the groovier parts are really fascinating, often combined with sensitive, lyrical moments.While instrumentally not very flexible, ''In the last waking moments...'' carries this rare touch that makes the music very memorable and attractive.PORCUPINE TREE are another good reference point due to the more mascular passages, the strong use of vocal distortions and the fair doses of modern equipment in the classic instrumentation.

Very good debut and a surprise by Trewavas, who appears here as a great composer, singer and leading man next to a very talented Eric Blackwood.Strongly recommended, especially to anyone into the likes of fresh-sounding, modern Progressive Rock in the vein of PORCUPINE TREE and RIVERSIDE...3.5 stars.

The first Edison's Children album In The Last Waking Moments ranges from radio-friendly AOR to more experimental, extended proggy tracks and even some post-rock moments. Both musically and lyrically the album is emotionally charged - songs of regret, reflection and trepidation. The album is infused with a gentle melancholy. As you would expect, the musicianship is high quality - these guys know how to construct a rock song, but the album never feels forced or contrived. The stand-out track for me is the radio hit A Million Miles Away ("the sky was so brilliant blue/And I was lost in the sunshine of you"), with the title track and The Awakening being other highlights. Highly recommended.

Due to my excitement over Edison's Children's newest album The Disturbance Fields, I decided to take a listen again to the duo's first recorded work In The Last Waking Moments. This album is very much an experimental effort where Pete Trewavas and Eric Blackwood were seeing how they clicked musically in a trial and error effort. Generally, the music is quite slow paced, somber and very atmospheric, reminding me of contemporary Marillion and early Porcupine Tree with a bevy of "Floydian" sound effects thrown in for good measure. There is none of the guitar pyrotechnics found the group's two following albums or the incredible keyboard work that would come later by Trewavas. Pete does branch out on guitar but his thundering bass playing is always present and is a cornerstone to each song, just as it is in Marillion.

Two songs that break the atmospheric soup are the loud manic rocker "Fallout (of the second kind)", that seems out of place on the album with it's heavy synths and guitars, as well as the guitar heavy "Lifeline". Heavier song structures that the duo would expand upon on later albums. The 15 minute "The Awakening" is a the album's prog centerpiece, and frankly, it was the type of song that the duo was more than capable of pulling off and that I had really been expecting. Unfortunately, it's too little too late. Of the slower paced atmospheric songs, that I mentioned earlier, the sublime "A Million Miles Away (I wish I had a time machine), "Dusk" and "Spiraling" work the best.

Aside from two songs that feature Marillion drummer Ian Mosley, the rest of the songs feature programmed drums and percussion that make the songs sound very mechanical and demo-ish, I'm afraid. Real drummers, thankfully, would be employed on later albums. Luckily, the duo would combine all of the musical elements they created on In The Last Waking Moments to create epic haunting prog on their next album. But for now, In The Last Waking Moments remains both a trial run through and a blue print for their great music to follow.