CORVUS STONE

'Corvus Stone'. Wow. What a difficult album to review. Not only because of its sheer length (1 hour and 20 minutes), but because it can't really be labeled in any genre. Is it prog? Yes. Is it jazz? Yes. Pop? Check. Rock? Check. Blues? Also check.

While there isn't really a sense of continuity or a concept usually found on prog albums, one must ask oneself: Does it really matter? The music is flawless, cleverly arranged and marvelously executed. Is it all over the place? Perhaps, but that's the beauty of Corvus Stone: It is so eclectic that it can please even the toughest crowds.

I've been a hardcore Bunchakeze fan since its release in early 2011, and Colin Tench is a hard guy to keep up with: 5 known bands, and many others we may have never heard of. That's a lot of music to listen to, and when I first heard of the release of a new album from a whole new band, I just HAD to get it.

There seems to be some sort of obscure alchemy surrounding these guys. First, what impressed me is how LITTLE time they needed to make an 80 minutes album. And second, how can so much stuff be going on at the same time? But somehow they pull it off. Pasi Koivu's eclectic keyboards seem to compliment Petri Lindström's high-octane bass playing, and Colin Tench's sometimes furious, sometimes mellow guitar just perfectly.

Robert Wolff on drums and Blake Carpenter (you may remember him from Minstrel's Ghost) step up and put the icing on a very ambitious cake.

Must-be-listened tracks: 'Highway to Emptiness', 'Ice King', 'Corvus Stone', 'Pilgrim's, 'Iron Pillows', and of course, Corvus Stone's showstopper: 'Cinema'

Corvus Stone is definitely a band to keep an eye on. God knows what is next in their future, but one can only be sure that it is going to have a lot (and I mean A LOT) of Music.

I've had this rather nice album for a while now but perhaps held off reviewing it until the music had settled in my mind. Although classed as 'crossover' in general terms this is eclectic instrumental music played by a very talented bunch of musicians. The core line up is: - Pasi Koivu / keyboards - Colin Tench / guitars - Petri Lemmy Lindstr'm / bass, various instruments although 4 others also help out in various other departments.

In total there are 21 tracks and the 79 minutes is 'beefy' even by modern standards. You might reasonably expect some filler but to my ears there is none. Although mostly instrrumental there aren't any tracks that are filled with aimless soloing. There is a vision here and every single peice is a proper composition not something that has just been chucked out. You get a feeling of evolution throughout the album but also its a journey with many sights to take in along the way. Lots of influences are apparent but nothing sticks out a mile. Its pleasantly jazzy at times but the synths help to create atmosphere where necessary.The playing is snappy and energetic and most of all a sense of fun pervades the whole project.

A lot of people have remarked that this lacks a coherence and I can understand that view but debut albums are about discovery not about laying down a definite agenda. Perhaps not a masterpeice but this album is as enjoyable as anything I have heard in the last few years and there is probably more to come. A slam dunk 4 stars.

Once again we have a proof that music has not a particular nationality, it is a worldwide element that gathers us together and makes us fly and feel better. A new result of this premise is the band named Corvus Stone, led by Colin Tench, and complemented by some other great musicians from different parts of the world, who created and released in 2012 a self-titled album in which we can appreciate a carousel of sounds, musical genres and concepts. The album has 21 songs and a total time of 80 minutes (yes, a long one).

"The Curtain Rises" is the classic one-minute introductory track, an instrumental one that opens the gates to the musical realm of Corvus Stone. "October Sad Song" shows Tench's abilities with guitars, both acoustic first and later electric, while keyboards and drums make their work as a cool complement. The music is a strange mixture of prog rock with some soft blues hints, it is easy to dig and enjoy. "Highway to emptiness" is a shorter track which again shows the guitar tendency and a cool rhythm that will make you move your head.

The first song that features vocals is "Ice King" which has a different sound, here they implement some kind of scary sound, like a horror movie passage that at the same time brings some hope and future, hope you get me. "I'll leave it all behind" shows the other side of the face, here keyboards take the leadership and the mood becomes happy and joyful, in some way reminds me of Medeski, Martin & Wood. Here I have to say something, the album does not follow a line, it constantly changes so in moments one may perceive it is uneven.

This feeling happened to me in these last two songs that have nothing in common. "Corvus Stone" is one of the longest tracks, it is a rollercoaster of sounds, a salad of textures and nuances. Here I have to confess that in moments the music is lost in space, there are moments where my attention is lost as well because it did not catch me as I would love to, the first three minutes pass so fast and seems that nothing happened, later they begin to play with the sounds, to make pauses and let us know their coordination, but I must say that I expected more from this particular title-track, though I like the last minutes with piano, guitar and a somber sound, it is not that memorable.

"Moron Season" is a nice song, vocals return and the joyful sound appears again with keyboards as leader, with cool bass lines and drums, the humor element is present here, and they even make a brief tribute to Deep Purple here. "Horizon" is a short instrumental track that offers a new passage of rock, blues and prog. The "Intermission" is a 40-second acoustic guitar track, nothing more. And then all of a sudden "Moustaches in Massachusetts" begins, here I am not sure if the production wasn't the best, but when the Intermission begins we can hear a cut and later Moustaches starts. Returning to the song, it is again an instrumental track where keyboards and guitars share leadership, both create cool passages while drums and bass accompany them.

In "Pilgrims" we can appreciate that Corvus Stone likes to be different in every single track, they do not repeat themselves which is a good point, however, there are moments where changes sound forced, in this song we can listen to several forced changes in my opinion, though it is a good track overall. The humor returns with "JussiPussi", it is undeniable they wanted to include the humor in their music, so one can easily enjoy it, I assume. "Iron Pillows" is another carousel of prog rock, with nice colours implemented by keyboards. "After Solstice" is one of my favorite tracks here, I love the cadence of the guitar, it is put in the right moment in the right place, also, keyboards are the best couple here, while drums and bass produce a great complement.

"The Rusty Wolff Attacks" is a drum solo, cool. And it opens the gates to "Lost and Found" which has some kind of funeral drums, accompanied by keys as background and then soft vocals and acoustic guitar, this is another fine composition. "Scary Movie" has some hints of what the title suggest, it is actually one of the most fresh and original tracks of this album, I love the constant drums, the background keys and the raw guitars that appear all of a sudden.

The longest song is "Cinema", the only one that passes the ten-minute mark. Contrary to the other long song, this one does have a nice structure, an appealing sound that catches the listener's attention, I like how it is involving me little by little until I am practically inside the music, with images transmitted in my mind. The bass lines are a great guide. The passage that begins after the fifth minute is beautiful, relaxing, mindblowing, with excellent instrumentation and a delicious sound in general, this might be my favorite passage of the whole album, with exquisite acoustic guitar and a great keyboard background.

The last part of the album is composed by three short songs. First "You're so Wrong" which is a soft rock track, with nice vocals that remind me of some US rock/blues bands from the 70s. Next is an instrumental version of "Ice King", which sounds nice. And the album finishes with "Ten Inch Lisa" which is just a 30-second track of nice acoustic guitar.

Well, I liked this Corvus Stone album, the project is ambitious and with a bright future, but I would like to make a couple of suggestions, the first, that the album is really long, so there are moments where I felt tired and lost interest, and second, those forced changes and uneven passages, it is my appreciation of course, but I feel these two thing damaged a little bit my experience, this is why I will rate the album with 3 stars.

Enjoy it! Thanks Colin for the introduction, congrats for the album, it is a very good one.

Only now and then does a new CD live up to expectations. You get the pre-release hype and a few teasers that build you up for the big letdown. However, I had high hopes when I got my Corvus Stone in the mail. Having already heard a couple of the tunes and being familiar with other work of the musicians, it was with great anticipation that I popped in the disc and sat down to give a listen. Seventy some exhilarating minutes later, I broke from my trance to start it from the beginning, anxious to discover just why I had enjoyed it so much. I heard fresh sounds that felt familiar. There was dissonance and sweetness, frenzy and calm - a give and take between the instruments like a conversation between friends that is respectful, but open to all ideas expounding on similar points. Where many collaborative efforts can sound a bit disjointed, Corvus Stone draws strength from the freedom each musician has to create and the inspiration that individuals from different countries brings to the group. Pasi Koivu's (Finland) compositions are anything but typical, but when he plays them, the keyboards so smoothly and artfully draw imaginative dreams right through his frisky fingers. Colin Tench (Sweden) joins the discussion with an array of guitars that speak with the tongues of many. Each sound is played with just the right touch, at just the right time, for just the right length - a impressive combination of superb technique and translatable feeling. The smart, full bass lines by Petri Lemmy Lindstrom( Finland) keep the songs honest and cohesive. They dance among the keys and guitars filling intended gaps and punctuating phrases in a way that warms the ears. He plays with great contrast in structure and free form. The to and fro, lively or serene, is driven and cradled by the expert drumming of Robert Wolff (USA), who contributes some sassy punch with a snazzy drum solo. Guest appearances by Blake Carpenter (Minstrel's Ghost) on Ice King and You're So Wrong, Stef Flaming (Murky Red) on Jussi Pussi, John Culley (Black Widow) and Vic Tassone (Unified Past) on You're So Wrong, are delightful additions that provide well placed changes of pace. You should buy Corvus Stone because your ears will thank you for the sensational experience produced by such an assortment of genius captured so well and mixed to perfection. The stunning cover and sleeve work by artist extraordinaire, Sonia Mota, is, by itself, worth the purchase. You should put this CD in the lifetime of listening section of your collection. You will want to listen to it over and over again in order to catch all the little extras that are a mark of "the music first" musicians who refuse to settle for less. Rating? How many stars you got? Seriously. It is that good!

Corvus Stone, a musical concept that stems from the meeting of three talented musicians in three different countries. The current musical project is very hard to review due to its length (1h20 mn !) and its variety of musical genres (southern rock, pop, jazz-funk, psychedelic pop, ethnic music, ambient...). The following review will be performed on a track by track basis. The album starts off in a middle-eastern mood with zither, acoustic guitar and percussions. It follows with two upbeat tracks with echoes of southern rock and very fine melodies thanks to tasty piano and keyboards. "Ice King" is a laidback tune with nice theremin layers. It is here performed with vocals, but is repeated in an instrumental version towards the end of the album. Next track is more surprising, "moron season" is indeed in a jazz-funk tone, excellent B3 hammond playing and you really have the impression that you are back in the golden era of Blaxploitation. The title track is intriguing with vintage keyboards hailing to the electronic experimentations of Czeslaw Niemen in the mid-seventies with Aerolit, some meditative guitars conclude the track. Next is a track that starts off like a mellow tune with distant vocals, but soon evolves towards another jazz-funk tune with more daring vocals alternating between right and left side of speakers. B3 Hammond on fire with southern rock style guitar in this track ! Also, one will notice a wink to Deep Purple with a short solo from "smoke on the water". "Horizon" is a cheerful track with various keyboard sounds, among which one like vibraphone played on bells. Once more, southern rock is not far in the guitar solos. An acoustic guitar interlude follows with "intermission", and is soon followed by a psychedelic-pop tune with a play on words in the title. Keyboard/guitar interplay provides this time again great results. "Pilgrims" has a laidback ambient introduction and develops into a dynamic instrumental piece full of great moments showcasing B3 Hammond virtuosity and southern rock riffings. "Jussi Pussi" is an experimental track, avant-garde rock interspersed with circus music. It could be regarded as a transition between the first part of the album and the second part. This second part begins with my favourite track on this otherwise fabulous album, "Iron pillows", very lush arrangements, aerial guitar and once more very tasty keyboards / organ. A real delight for the ears and a good lesson of instrumental progressive rock. "After solstice" has its main theme sounding like a progressive rock version of Shadows, Colin Tench in the shoes of Hank Marvin ! It is followed by a drum solo (Wolff is the name of the drummer, hence the title of the track), highlighting the skills of the drummer, akin to the ones of Marco Minnemann or Simon Phillips ! This drumming is a good introduction to the next track, with its bolero "colors". Afterwards, "Scary movie", as suggested by its title, has a more haunting and intriguing atmosphere. A wink to Led Zeppelin can be witnessed in a short solo from a song that I unfortunately don't recall the title. "Cinema" is the next track, a long song, following in the same line as "scary movie" when it comes to the haunting atmosphere, thanks to the harpsichord-like introduction. The, soon the musicians wander in gypsy jazz and ambient-jazz-world territories. A touch of southern rock can be heard in electric guitar solos and warm kayboard layers arrive towards the end of the tune together with Vai-esque guitar solos. "You're so wrong" is a nice pop tune with Randy Newman-like vocals, and guitar by Black Widows guitarist ! The instrumental version of previously mentioned "Ice King" follows and the album is concluded in an acoustic mood with "10 inch Lisa". The guitar is versatile all along the album, with influences ranging from southern rock to Frank Zappa and alumni Steve Vai through Steve Morse and David Gilmour for the aerial solos. This album is also a must-have for any keyboard lover, as the range of sounds is very wide. Virtuosity is combined with melody and makes for a very enjoyable album, you even crave for more after 80 mn ! A few words about the artwork, as Sonia Mota, the lovely person who created the front cover and the inner images, is part of the band. The front cover with the crow holding a camembert in its beak and the predominance of red and black colors may have a link with french literature (respectively La Fontaine and Stendhal). Also, similarly to Iron Maiden's 'somewhere in time', some song titles are associated with the artwork (the signs with titles 3, 4, 8, 10, 11 / the cinema theater with titles 17 & 18). However, there seems to be a contrast between the overall dark cover (a crow, a celtic cross, the ruins of a church, dusk) and the music (you could expect a stoner/doom band). The signs on the pole pointing towards various directions and the contrast between the modern cinema theater and the ruins are a good illustration of the band's versatility. In a nutshell, a very good discovery, that I owe to the illustrator of the pictures, the talented Sonia Mota, who deserved to be thanked 5 times (!) in the liner notes. An album that easily deserves 5 stars. Open-minded people will find a lot to appreciate in this music played with heart. The musicians played what they like, and we like what they play.

I will admit that I understand why some here are not impressed with this album. Many of the tracks sound more like rough outlines for jamming than actual finished compositions. But the jamming is outstanding. Colin Tench is a chameleon of the guitar. He glides easily through any stile, from southern rock, psychedelic whirls, light avant-garde, and even some full fledged prog. Pasi Koivu plays some mean keyboard. When he hits the Hammond he recreates the classic 60's and 70's sound and updates it with ferocious licks. And bassist Petri Lemmy Lindström is a joy to this bassman's ears.

Compositionally the band is all over the map, which to me is not at all a bad thing. Koivu is responsible for the majority of the pieces, and seems comfortable working in a number of styles. Highway To Emptiness and Moron Season strongly remind me of Phil Manzanera's 801. October Sad Song and You're So Wrong bring Traffic to mind. The self titled Corvus Stone begins like an homage to Frank Zappa's Black Napkins, but evolves into a unZappa-like electro space jam.

The best tracks, to me, are the more experimental pieces. On Pilgrims, Tench has a sound similar to David Torn, which is appropriate as the piece leads into JussiPussi, which in a slight way sounds like something John Zorn (with whom Torn sometimes plays) might have written. The progginess peaks with a suite of tracks that begins with an unnecessary drum solo (TheRusty Wolff Attack) that moves into a Floydian piece (Lost And Found, where Koivu's synths imitate Richard Wright at his best), and then into Scary Movie, which at times seems to be quoting King Crimson's Deception Of The Thrush (as well as a brief passage from Fleetwod Mac/Peter Green's Oh Yeah) and the wonderful Cinema.

So don't take the appearance of simplicity of the album as a flaw. The musicians are so good here that they raise the album to near masterpiece levels. I highly recommend it for the soundtrack of a long drive (that's how I learned to appreciate it).

I have had the download of this album for some time and now have the actual CD. I can't believe that this is a debut of anyone. I see that the members are involved in many other bands at the same time but nobody well known. I have been worn out reading reviews and so will just say what is important to me. I have had more fun with this than anything I have heard since Liquid Tension experiment appeared. The difference is just that this is not a virtuoso workout. It is music that stands out from the crowd and very accessible. That is not an easy trick. If it was, many others would be doing it. The contrast between Curtains and October sad song was all I needed to hear to know this would be good. The first 2 tracks! By the time I got to Corvus Stone, I was hooked completely. I hope there is more coming from these guys. I always hoped there would be more from Laurent Simonnet(CHANCE) but that never happened!

Let's start with what somebody consider to be a defect of this album: it's various. It has a song format, no concept and the sequence of the various tracks seems quite randomic. I don't think it's a thing bad enough to make my rating decrease.

The first thing that I've noticed is the sound of the second and the third track. With the headphones on and with a volume high enough they acquire a "live" sound. Listening to them makes me think to what we were used to call happenings at the end of the 60s, and effectively I hear a link to the Californian psychedelia.

But with the 4th track, "Ice King", everything suddenly changes. There's still some psychedelia but the atmosphere is totally different. The middle-eastern mood reminds to the early Floyd (and to Rick Wright) as well as to the Camel of Mirage.

Back on stage with the excellent "I'll Leave It Behind". A track that I think would work very well live, based mainly on keyboards with excellent efforts of guitar, bass and drums. It's an instrumental which I find very close to Niacin, and this is an indicator of how skilled the band members are.

The title track has a Gilmourish start, but the keyboards sound like Wright or Vangelis are behind. This is probably the proggiest track of the album and another which I can imagine played on stage, even when in the second part it slows down and becomes quite ambient.

"Moron Season" is, if I'm not wrong, the first track with lyrics. A very nice melodic song, initially, which after one minute becomes something totally different, with the instrumental part reminding me to Niacin or to Ozric Tentacles and the singing in heavy prog style. Nice idea the few famous chord from Smoke on the Water in the final.

"Horizon" sounds very west coast for less than two minutes and is followed by a short interlude of acoustic guitar, then it comes a funky track in Santana style, just to become floydian again with the following track, but with a touch of acid blues in the intro. Then a rock canon comes in. "Pilgrims" has so many changes that can be considered a minisuite.

"JussiPussi" was maybe an attempt of avantgarde track in the composer's intention but results to be the weakest track of the album. Weak but not awful.

"Iron Pillows" begins in a similar way but it turns soon into a psych-blues. Really not bad for who likes psychedelia. "After Solstice" is not very different (impressive guitar, anyway).

Speaking of live sound, the stage is where a drum solo results more appropriate. Especially if followed by two minutes of symphonic prog of Crimsonian (Lake) memory. What follows is dark and reminds me to something I can't define. The guitar rocks but the base is undefinable. An interesting track which has maybe a little Hendrixian taste.

After "Scary Movie", "Cinema" is appropriate. The longest album's track has a country-rock flavor but can make me think to Procol Harum, too. A very good old-fashioned ballad.

To close the album another version of The Ice King is completed by a short coda: Ten Inch Lisa, which is made of 30 lovely seconds of classical and 12 strings guitar.

This sudden closure contributes in making me think that the track sequence could have been better. However this album contains a lot of good things and its being so disontinuous and various can be a plus instead of a handicap. Grab your copy and enjoy it.

Headphones on, please.

The buzz.

If one record made noise and rose a debate, it's that one. Some liked it a lot, some didn't understood what it was about. Thanks to Facebook, this trio collected material and served to us an all-you-can-eat buffet of varied taste. Is it coherent?

No. Not really. But that's what makes it enticing! The styles are varied, going from Joe Satriani / Steve Vai to the Flower Kings, to ELP to themes of video games (like Final Fantasy IV); at least to me it sounded like that! Some songs would need more tweaking or could be more catchy, but so did Balletto di Bronzo right? You don't need an immediate opinion on everything, sometimes you have to take your time. And some records like Balletto di Bronzo are gems to some and trials to others.

I didn't heard such a flea market of sounds ever, but it's the whole point of a virtual band. The spontaneity, the unpredictable twists and turns, the lovable short melodies in almost every song and yes, the annoying ones (JussiPussi).

It's a record to savor at small sips, track by track. 3 differents guys from 3 different countries who don't know each other, who won't cooperate face to face, we understand it could've been a disaster, but against all odds, it gelled!

Weird and haunting. A test.

Certainly one of the more high profile albums of the year, the debut album from Corvus Stone is an extremely impressive mix of colourful instrumental workouts, charming vocal pieces and a multitude of styles all thrown in the progressive rock blender. Comprised of members from Minstrels Ghost, BunChakeze, and numerous other progressive projects, the album frequently displays the skills and imagination of a talented bunch of musicians over a sprawling 79 minute musical landscape with so many twists and turns that's it sure to leave some listeners exhausted! Plenty of vintage synths, epic guitar solos, hazy psychedelia, spacey adventures and a bridging of 70's prog excess with modern production qualities.

Focusing on the instrumental pieces first `The Curtain Rises' sounds like the introduction to a grand and sweeping proggy western movie, then `October Sad Song' floats through on a cloud of Rick Wright/`Dark Side'-styled synths/piano and extended bluesy electric guitar soloing - really lovely piece, I truly dig that bass soloing at about the 2:45 minute mark too! Crunchy stomping hard rock and quirky synth interplay on the driving and upbeat `Highway To Nowhere' that reminds me a lot of the recent Carpe Nota album - no bad thing that. Shame about the abrupt ending though, it could have just gone on and on! `I'll Leave It All Behind' is a frantic and energetic 70's Hammond/guitar run with some very positive themes and melodies.

`Horizon' is a sunny and commercial 70's sounding AOR rocker, while `Intermission/Moustaches' starts as an atmospheric acoustic piece before flying into wailing Santana-band guitar fire urgency. The terrific `Pilgrims' runs through a wide range of 70's vintage prog rock workouts along the lines of Genesis and ELP, and `Jussipussi' (ahem!) is a comical maddening psychedelic showtune/cartoon soundtrack that highlights the band's sense of humour. `After Solstice' is a grand and melodic romantic prog run in true Camel style, `Rusty Wolf Attack' a nicely placed drum solo, `Scary Movie' a wild heavy grinder with some sleazy strutting and brooding atmospherics. `The Ice King (instrumental)' has lovely floating eeriness, while the albums wraps on a lovely but brief Spanish guitar number.

As for the vocal pieces, `The Ice King' is an immersive and mysterious synth/guitar piece along the lines of Ayreon, and I loved the reflective intro to `Moron Season' with charmingly accented vocals, before it diverts into a quirky and ragged fuzzy rocker - reminds me a little of Scandinavian band Five Fifteen! `Lost and Found' is a haunting romantic prog piece in the tradition of the Alan Parsons Project that could have been developed even further, such is a quality of the vocals and melody. `You're So Wrong' reminds me a lot of Floyd's hazy `Fat Old Sun' with the gentle acoustic guitar, piano and warm humming synths. I'm not sure which member sings what, but the vocals are all superb in each of these tracks. Plenty of prog albums have been crippled by inadequate vocals, so that's certainly not the case here.

Special mention must go to the band's self titled track, `Corvus Stone'. They slow things down for a drifting and ambient intro with warm synth backgrounds before raccous ELP organ, swirling electronics and middle eastern-themed electric guitars that weave around the piece. Many parts of it are probably a better example of Ozric Tentacles inspired music than that actual band has managed in recent years (as much as I still love them). Lovely piano and violin during the somber change of direction in the finale. Other extended instrumental workouts like the shifting tempos and swirling electronics of `Iron Pillows', and the ambitious soundtrack-like `Cinema' with it's sprightly acoustic runs, shimmering synths and Old West ambience are also worthy of particular praise.

OK, so it's far too long, and the endless changes in direction and styles can be a little jarring and disorientating, but I'm pretty quick to defend this due to the sheer variety and musical talent of the band members. I should mention that although containing too many tracks, not one of these pieces is actually bad! I personally would have preferred it be entirely instrumental rather than having the odd vocal piece that comes comes out of nowhere thrown in, perhaps it might have been better released as two separate albums, one for vocal pieces and one fully instrumental? I love drifting away on a musical instrumental journey, but don't like that abruptly halted by some sudden misplaced vocals/lyrics.

But the reason I enjoy the album so much is that most of it is simply just FUN! There's a real sense of joy in the playing, and plenty of little humorous fragments worked into the arrangements. This is an album that I've constantly kept in the car and, if I'm feeling a little uninspired or flat, listening to it makes me smile and really raises my spirits! The vibrant and colourful cover artwork from Sonia Mota could not be more eye-catching, and it perfectly captures the colours of the music. Double gatefold this baby on vinyl LP now, Corvus fellas!

2012 turned out to be a another fine year for progressive rock, and this album was certainly one of the more attention grabbing releases. It sets the bar high for a debut album (the beautiful production really gives it a kick too), and it shows a band with so much potential and talent that should be very proud of what they've achieved here. So perhaps a little more cohesion and not so much quantity, and we'll be on to even more of a winner. As it is, though, `Corvus Stone' stands as a supremely enjoyable and inventive release, and makes the band one to watch for the future.

An easy four stars!