THE ANTECHAMBER OF BEING (PART 1)

Being a member and composer of Citizen Cain, Stuart Bell release his first solo album playing all the instruments and sharing the vocals duties with 4 others singers such as Simone Rossetti and Arjen Lucassen. The addition of those vocals makes this Cd a Rock Opera. The concept is dark in nature and explore the mind of a lucid dreamer facing the reality and the world of dreams. The music contains some new soundscapes with heavier guitars, but the main attraction is like in Citizen Cain the keyboards and piano showing the numerous rhythm changes in the music. The keyboards are quiete busy, heavy and furious at times starting with the first song "Decoherence", which is the highlight track of the Cd. "The Breach" is a interlude with a strange intro, a hunting voice and a overall strange atmosphere. In the song"The Antechamber of Being", Stuart Bell gives his symphonic music a bit of a hard rock sound and the use of almost metallish vocals makes the song heavier. The song structures here is not obvious with many tempo changes, we could ask ourself where the melody is heading. It's a Cd that is maybe a bit too long to keep the listener focus. The second part has not the same songwriting quality of the first but you can still enjoy the overall intriguing atmosphere especially if you enjoy bands like Citizen Cain, The Watch and Ayeron. 3.7 stars

Scottish composer and musician Stewart BELL is first and foremost known as a key member of progressive rock band Citizen Cain (also known as Xitizen Cain), initially handling the keyboard duties but over the years also catering for the drums for their albums. "The Antechamber of Being Part 1" is his first solo album, self-released in 2014.

If you are the kind of person that enjoys an ambitious, epic conceptual album and have a general fondness for both neo-progressive and classic symphonic art-rock, Stewart Bell's first solo album is one that is worth giving a closer inspection. Especially if you have a soft spot for creations of this kind that hone in on darker moods and atmospheres, and incorporate some metal-oriented details here and there to further strengthen and emphasize that aspect of the material explored.