THE DISTURBANCE FIELDS

Edison's Children is a well-known Neo-prog band formed by the duo of Pete Trewavas (from Marillion and Transatlantic) and Eric Blackwood (Sunblister and Blackwood & Foti). These two multi-instrumentalists have been the main core of the band since it's beginning. They have always recruited other individuals as needed for each album they have released.

"The Disturbance Fields" was released in July of 2019 and the album features one 68 minute epic song called "Washed Away" divided up into 14 tracks, each individually titled. The line up consists of founders Trewavas on bass, lead and rhythm guitars, lead vocals and v-flute; and Blackwood on lead and rhythm guitars, bass, lead vocals, v-flute, and orchestration. Three other artists were recruited to help out on this album. Rick Armstrong, the son of Neil Armstrong (yes, the astronaut), helps with lead and rhtyrhm guitars and bass on some of the tracks. Henry Rogers (Touchstone and DeeExpus) plays drums on most of the tracks. Lisa Wetton, the wife of the late John Wetton, plays drums on 3 of the tracks. The album deals with the wrath of nature and how it reacts to the way humans mistreat the oceans and rainforests and the overdevelopment of certain areas of the earth. It doesn't deal with any single type of natural disaster, but all of them especially in light of all of the occurrences of hurricanes, earthquakes and the likes in the past few years.

The music starts simple and pensive with "Captain's Ledger" which consists mostly of acoustic guitars and vocals. "A Random Occurrence" builds upon this by adding drums, and synth to the acoustic sound, but as things intensify, the rhythm remains the same. There is an instrumental build up and then vocals return, more passionate and dynamic this time. Things continue to build as the track continues with some nice synth passage, the rhythm remains in a 3 / 4 meter, a flowing feeling that imitates wave movement. Things go quite soft at the last part of the track, with pensive keys. "Asphyxiation" turns suddenly dark with some cool effects that combine percussion and guitar all chopped up. This along with the bass support the vocals that come in, both sung and whispered and again intensity build from this, but with much more darkness involved. The rhythm is more driven now, but the same meter as before persists, and things seem more tumultuous, like the waves on a choppy, wind-blown ocean. Heavy guitars take over at the last part of this section. A short section called "Captain's Refrain" ties up these first tracks.

"The Approaching Front" changes the meter to a more standard 4 / 4 rhythm and the track feels a bit more straitforward with a reserved heaviness and an excellent and pronounced bass line. The vocals follow a melody which is somewhat repetitive, possibly allowing for a single to be pulled off of the album. It is a good song with a nice build that ends up stirring up your heart as it reaches a nice instrumental climax. "Indigenous" calms things down again and spoken words from some processed, evil sounding vocals begin. The lyrics suggest it is spoken by a tribal representative. The music is quite solid in this track, again driving things to a nice, emotional climax. There is a lot of anger in this track, and rightfully so.

"The Surge" begins with a great hook and a driving beat creating a catchy rock song. The edge it taken off of it a bit when the smooth sound of synths come in, but comes back a little while later before the vocals start again. The same pattern repeats, but the music is instantly accessible and, right from the first listen, is infectious. After the third iteration, at the half way point, the rest of the track retains a smoother feel featuring some emotional guitar work to finish off this 8+ minute track. "A Cold Gray Morning" goes for a smooth jazz fusion feel and a laid back groove mostly established by strummed guitars. Added synths add an expansive feel on the 2nd verse. The accessibility of the music does not lessen the excellent quality of the sound and the musicianship on the album. "Into the Dead Calm" begins with simple acoustic guitar and vocals with a slow melody. They try for a feeling of vulnerability here, however, it sounds a little forced and intentional to be authentic. Fortunately, it's the only weak track so far. Unfortunately, however, this 5 minute track doesn't change through its full duration.

"The Tempest" brings back in the feeling of unease, and it also speeds up the tempo again, but leaves you with a feeling that there is impending trouble on the horizon. The central idea of the album is all expressed in the lyrics of this track. The track is vocally heavy, but there are still plenty of short instrumental interludes separating the stanzas and most of that is done by guitar. "A Random Disturbance" continues to move in the darker direction with a repeating synth riff and a feeling of unease being reflected in the timbre of the vocal. The guitar comes in again stirring things up with another great solo.

"The Confluence" is the longest subsection of the album at over 10 minutes. This subsection has its own subsections as it moves through various moods. The lyrics in this track follow a fisherman who is down on his luck. The protagonist waits for a lucky break that never happens and sails out to sea to try his luck at getting a catch of his lifetime only lose his life at sea. The track again tries for the vulnerability at the beginning, but this track features a lot more dynamics and utilizes all of their instrumentation, so moves through some more variant passages. The ending moral is a timely one: "The sea gives up what she will, so go and catch your fill, but be prepared to her debt; sometimes with her strife?.sometimes with your life". After this declaration, there is a great synth solo and later guitar solo against a heavy and driving background.

"Resurgence" is the only instrumental on the album, but even then there are some vocals in there. An anthem-style guitar melody gets improvised treatment as it plays against a moderate beat. Some of the theme from the album return during this track, tying it all together. The final track is "Epitaph" and it ends the album pensively with a message that doesn't leave much hope in the end, the words of a dying man.

This is an excellent album and is done quite well, even if it doesn't have a lot of complex melodies or passages. However, like I said previously, just because it is not complex doesn't mean that it isn't any good. Quite the contrary, its accessibility is a strong trait, but there is still enough here to make it all progressive enough, especially in the Neo-prog style. I admit that I consider the first half of the album the strongest as things tend to sag a bit on the 2nd half, the main problem being the attempts at what seems to be forced vulnerability. But this is easy to get around especially with the subject matter, and the strong first half of the album. This is definitely one of the stronger releases this month, but with the weaker last half, it doesn't quite make it to masterpiece status. But it is a strong 4 star album nevertheless.

Quite a step down from previous efforts such as 2011's In the Last Waking Moments and their masterpiece, 2013's Last Breath Before November, the music here feels like a hodge-podge--a bunch of old demo or unfinished tracks that have been attempted to shape, "finish," and polish and yet fail miserably on all counts. While I appreciate the effort, Pete Trewavas' effort to continue (or finish) the work he and Eric Blackwood started, I think it may have been better to have left well enough be. At the same time, I wish to point people back to their amazing contributions to Prog Valhalla in the above-mentioned sonic and emotional gems. Skip The Disturbance Fields and go back to bathe in the glorious beauty of their previous albums--you will not be sorry.

As one of the original "Children of Edison", it was a no-brainer that I would pre-order the new work when the campaign was announced earlier this year. Indeed, I am a massive fan, so I would suppose that there would be an expectation that the collaborator who introduced the band to this site with an accompanying interview for the debut album, In The Last Waking Moments, and a five star review, might be somewhat given to wax lyrical about any new release.

Guilty as charged, m'lud. However, to begin this review, I think it is important to reflect on the words of one of the main protagonists, one Pete Trewavas of Marillion fame. In a video to accompany the pre-launch of this work, Pete made reference to a glowing career, which includes fine collaborations such as Transatlantic and Kino, and stated that the works he had composed and realised with Eric Blackwood in Edison's Children were amongst the finest in his career. He is absolutely spot on, because what we have here is something of wonder, a fine album which demands to be heard as a whole; you know, a throwback to the days when we purchased, listened to, and treasured a work as an entire piece, rather than a mere picking point for a small number of songs on a digital playlist.

If one ignores the "keep us going" patchwork that was Somewhere Between Here And There, The Disturbance Fields is the third original release by this fine ensemble.

There are some major changes to report before considering the work itself. Alongside Blackwood and Trewavas, the act now boasts the full time services of Rick Armstrong (son of Neil) on guitars (this owing to Eric's recent health issues) and Henry Rogers (best known for his work with Touchstone and DeeExpus) on drums. There is also a very welcome drum guest spot by Lisa Wetton, the widow of the late great John, and damned fine she is too.

As a result, this album has the real feel of a band, rather than the previous mighty fine collaboration. The album was produced by the band, and mixed by John Mitchell of Marillion fame. It sounds fantastic from the first waves to the last soundscapes. Lush, wholesome, and a joy to listen to, it contains everything that is wonderful about them, the ability to marry differing moods in the turn of a bar.

Edison's Children describe themselves as playing "hauntingly epic rock", and certainly the first two albums gave themselves much to debate about the meaning inherent within space and horror themes. This one, though, is, if anything, far more haunting and horrific in its theme, because it is entirely based around the power of Mother Earth herself, with the tempest that Pete and Eric suffered whilst recording previous works. Nature can be terrifying in its majesty and power, but also, even in the wildest moments, quite exquisitely beautifully terrifying, and this work takes that and provides these moods to the listener in spades.

The album is a complete suite entitled Washed Away. Fourteen movements, with sub parts therein. An album demanding to be considered as a entire work.

We begin with the calm of The Captain's Ledger, the serenity of the sea, but with the inherent loneliness of the old sea dog, although there is in the lyrics more than a passing reference to the unknown fate of the hero of albums past. There are some staggering passages of orchestration in this album, and they begin to rear up in the second track, providing us with the premonition of nature's fury to come. Thus is the scene set. The sound here, as throughout, is wholly symphonic and lush.

Throughout, the album is awash with sound effects, thundering rhythm, and a narrative which codifies the impact of nature's fury on individual lives and our precious planet, which, be in no doubt, is in peril. Many of us are, literally, in danger of being washed away. Indeed, the menace of swirling guitars, throbbing bass, and crashing drums accompanying the warning inherent within Indigenous exemplify this perfectly.

When Trewavas was introducing this work in the video, he played The Surge, a track which really deserves a huge amount of radio AirPlay, with its ridiculously catchy main theme, strong vocal performance of his, and bursts of gorgeous power. A single in the making? Any fan of Marillion will recognise this, the ability to marry messages, themes, power, and beauty into one seamless, and, yes, commercial, whole. Armstrong's guitar solo is really quite lovely here.

You are lulled into a wee bit of a false sense of security again Into The Dead Calm, a lonely narrative setting out into the sea. The Tempest then builds the scene vocally, with some lilting and screaming guitars. What follows is the promised wrath of nature, her revenge. I have heard much of these passages described as Floydian. Yes, in parts I suppose, but I prefer Edisonian, because this lot are unique. A Random Disturbance brings back the orchestral keys to such a menacing effect, on the face of it a simple loop, but a damned sight more than that when set against all else, especially some incredible guitar work at the denouement, and leads us nicely into the longest, at ten minutes plus, passage, The Confluence, the centrepiece of the album, formed of five mini-suites.

The band have had some heavy moments in previous works, but, by God, this one tops them all. If any band have ever managed to better this description of man sometimes meeting his match, and losing his life, as he confronts the disturbance fields, in such a huge storm of music, then I would like to hear it. When The Beast is revealed in Resurgence, it is, paradoxically, a passage of musical beauty, Armstrong's textures quite lovely set against more lilting keys, pacy rhythm ( Wetton compliments Trewavas wonderfully here), and Eric's haunting voice, before it falls back to that wonderful loop we heard previously, and we enter The Epitaph, where everything that ever was is washed away, closing our theme perfectly and fading with chilling effect.

This is a wonderful piece. This is my album of 2019. What is more, we are promised future albums already written. I cannot wait.

So, to return to the start of this review; yes, I am a fan; yes, my name does appear on the cd credits. You know what? Damned proud of it I am too. Eric and Pete, with their wonderful band, have created something truly special in this album. It might also, hopefully, get you to engage in a serious conversation, and reflect, as it has with I, about the true horror which confronts us in the world in the here and now.

Five stars. About as perfect as modern progressive rock gets. Forget to buy it at your peril. Oh, and Wendy's artwork is worth the entrance price alone -totally lush.

The 7 year long wait for the release of a new epic by Edison's Children was perhaps the most long awaited and anticipated album for the fans of the Neo-prog / Epic Prog outfit who have taken the time to know this band enough to become "infected" by them. The Marillion / Transatlantic side project of Pete Trewavas teaming up with the son of the First Man on the Moon, Neil Armstrong's offspring "Rick Armstrong" and of course our famed man in the black hat, Eric Blackwood to return with their new epic "The Disturbance Fields" with Henry Rogers (Mostly Autumn / Touchstone) and Lisa Wetton (wife of the late John Wetton) would sound like an absolute "dream team" of wild and imaginative possibilities. Finally it has arrived and this time in a Double-LP 180g Vinyl edition complete with gatefold and a 16 page booklet that reminded me of the day I first bought Pink Floyd "The Wall" at Sam Goody's and was lost for nearly a year in the rants and ravings of Roger Waters.

The 16 page booklet that comes with the Gatefold LP (20 page booklet with the CD) provide vivid and disturbingly beautiful images (and lyrics) by the great album cover artist Wendy Darling (a stage name bestowed to her by the legendary Marillion lead vocalist Steve Hogarth himself). "The Disturbance Fields" was re-mastered for Vinyl (and again for CD) by Andy VanDette who mastered Rush's entire back catalog, Tool, many of Porcupine Tree's albums, and has been involved with the mastering of everything from Paul McCartney to Nirvana to Metallica to Smashing Pumpkins. Andy VanDette is who the "reigning king of all re-mastering, Steve Wilson" goes to, to have his own music re-mastered. Off the bat as much as I loved the CD, the new "Super hi-fi" Double-LP in 180g Vinyl takes the sonic intensity (especially the bass) to another completely exceptional level.

After such a long wait and a "Longing" for the new album (as one of their best compositions is known as), we tend to become so excited that nothing will ever actually live up to the expectations. Edison's Children has not only met those exceeding expectations but have creating something so truly remarkable that I am in absolute awe of "The Disturbance Fields" and I know I am not alone in this as Prog Magazine bestowed one of the best reviews that I have ever seen the publication give any band from any genre of Progressive Rock. Lazland's recent review on prog archives was exciting to read as finally I see someone else who also truly understands Edison's Children the way I and the rest of "the Children of Edison" do.

I think perhaps the reason this band continues to play under the radar is because they are not here to show off Prog technique regardless of melody. If you're here for endless noodling in 13/16 time, don't bother, this just isn't for you. Nor if you're here for the more pop sounds of Prog like 80's Rush will these songs grab you the first time you listen to this album, perhaps not even the second time. By the 4th listen however you will be utterly "infected", unable to get these somewhat complex but extraordinarily memorable hooks and melody's out of your head.

The son of the 1st Man on the Moon, Rick Armstrong could be with perhaps any band in the world if he really wanted to. He chose Edison's Children because he felt that the actual "writing" of Edison's Children was as good as anything he had ever heard in his life so I share my sentiments for this band with the son of the most respected man perhaps that ever walked this planet (or any other). This band also has fought against the return of the "record company machine" and wished to remain on their own not giving into the temptation to join one of the big 3 prog labels just to get the recognition they have always deserved. I believe this has hurt them as much of the festival and awards circuit is geared towards those who have done so.

For those of us however who have are willing to invest the time to get just a little bit used to the songs by listening more than one or two quick run through's while working on their laptops may suddenly find the sneaky mischievous melodies begin to take hold and suddenly come alive. Edison's Children could be the band that you've been waiting for since Porcupine Tree was no longer Porcupine Tree, or since Pink Floyd was no longer Pink Floyd. For me this has certainly bridged that gap and in some ways I find this even more profoundly interesting as the concepts aren't constant ramblings about British political issues. Every concept album goes in a bizarre strange journey that leaves you somewhere else; somewhere perhaps "between here and there".

Eric Blackwood's vocals I think gets lost on most who listen for the first time to Edison's Children. There is an absolute passion in his voice where you feel the angst as he and his world are being ripped apart. What is it about his vocal that some find so intense that we either are driven to it or driven from it?

I don't think enough of the audience realize that this isn't "vocal angst without a reason" and there is nothing contrived about his delivery. Of all the amazing musicians I have ever personally had the honor to meet, no one has had the life this man has. Eric Blackwood is the truest among survivors and luckily I know a lot about what Eric has experienced through my brief acquaintances with members of Marillion and their crew who seem to love him quite madly and opened up to me over the decades about some of what he's been through.

The events in this album unfold as he himself goes through his own personal history in riding out a tornado that totaled his car while he was at the wheel; a nor'easter which left his plane too battered by turbulence to land, flying out of control for hours and hours in a most stormy of skies free falling while the ground got closer and closer, nearly crashing to earth several times while a fatality sat there flailing about to the horror of everyone around them. With the entire plane (and pilot) quite certain they were going to perish the nearly doomed flight finally broke through the storm and managed to come somewhat safely to back to earth after 4 1/2 hours of non-stop terror. Several dozens passengers were taken to the local mental institution and Blackwood re-captures the nightmarish event over and over in these lyrics and throughout other Edison's Children albums. It is something you can tell still very much haunts him today.

With another near death experience at sea where he and his brother were lost without power in 8 meter waves, Blackwood seemed to somehow survive all that mother nature could throw at him coming through it all with nary a scratch. That was until he began working as a Hollywood on-set Special FX technician. A massive storm developed while shooting a scene for the actor better known as "Tony Soprano" that led to mother nature finally doing what she had tried to do for so long and could never quite complete. Eric Blackwood's arm was nearly severed from his shoulder from the inside out. Several surgeries that attempted to re-attach all the parts back together to his neck proved unsuccessful and left him in permanent pain and unable to regain any consistent function. A bite from a spider (or tick? I heard it was a spider but stories differ depending on who you talk to) then left Eric suffering from a permanently debilitating battle with Lyme disease that has seen him tethered to an IV for a full year of his life and in and out of a wheelchair for the last 7 years. All of these events have left a permanent mark in his vocal that has many a story to tell. That angst or passionate darkness in his delivery isn't in any way "contrived" as a reviewer once stated. It's the mark of someone who has somehow managed to endure and continues to struggle to do so every day of his life. Listen to the vocal again with all this in mind, and you may truly appreciate a man who is singing his heart out from what little is left of himself.

The album begins quite peacefully with some gulls and children playing along the beach, "oblivious to the apocalyptic storm about to descend upon them" (EC liner notes). An old captain retells his life with a simple guitar and vocal melody before an Alan Parson's Project like symphonic melody begins playing. With that Henry Rogers introduces the first piece of music "A Random Occurrence" with some intense and powerful drums that kick this album into gear and with a melody that seems reminiscent of Eric Woolfson and would be quite appropriate on any Alan Parsons release. The song builds and builds with more and more instrumentation before hitting a peak only to build even more from there and reach yet another peak. You know right from here you're in for something special and you best hold on tight because this is going to be quite a ride. (Edison's Children incidentally played with Alan Parsons at NASA's 50th anniversary for Rick's dad... Apollo 11 and Neil Armstrong landing on the moon in July of 2019. You can tell much of this is influenced by Alan Parsons and no doubt it must have been special for the two groups to come together for such a historic concert).

Whereas Edison's Children was obviously heavily influenced by Pink Floyd in their previous music, there is a strong sense of Maynard Keenan in many songs on this album... especially the dark and brooding Asphyxiation which comes next and features a dark and nearly evil bass and drum intimacy (Henry Rogers) much like A Perfect Circle's "The Package" before exploding in a mass of Rick Armstrong's and Pete Trewavas' guitar driven madness. Blackwood's whispering from the abyssal depth's into Trewavas' ear as he tries to break the surface and get that desperate gasp of air, trying all the while to break his spirit and will to live and give up his body and soul to the demon of the deep sea. This is new ground for Edison's Children and one of many times they will go someplace quite different on this LP yet maintain that thing that makes this band so distinct and unique.

The Approaching Front then prepares you with a steady bass driven hook over Rick Armstrong's power guitar work. Another song that starts off quite simply before growing like a storm at sea into what seems like a wall of 7 or 8 guitars playing against the bass driven hook with Pete Trewavas "screaming from the mountaintops" to do whatever necessary to save your lives before the Native American based "Indigenous" hits you in the face with such a massive wall of raw guitars that I dare say that Opeth would be impressed. A dark presence of perhaps an Inuit or Native American Indian chief prophecies the end of the world. "When the darkness falls, Your blood will fill the grass" reminds one of the dark entity that Dave Matthews conjures up in "Don't Drink The Water". While I'm not a DMB fan, I can appreciate the intensity that he brought up in that song and I haven't quite heard anything come close until Indigenous itself conjured up that raw intense power in a way that may easily supersede anything that has come before.

There are a few tranquil and quite beautiful moments in this album as well as A Cold Gray Morning... the first song that Pete and Eric ever wrote together has the vibe of an old 70's ballad but in the best of ways... (less Barry Manilow more Harry Nilsson meets Bread). There is a vibe here between Pete and Eric and you feel the wonderful sense of friendship that exists between the two that has led to this incredible collaboration of over a decade. Into The Dead Calm meanwhile is a chilling intimate piece of Pete Trewavas fingerpicking (similar perhaps to Marillion's Going Under) over some very soft strings as Eric Blackwood's intense vocal melody finally explains to us what this captain of the sea has lost to Mother Nature and why he's willing to lose himself now in these "last waking moments" of his life. You can hear a bit of Blackwood and what he's experienced as the lights dim and you hear this story unfold and our "Captain" looks back at a life of both beauty and darkness and is finally ready to face his demons head on.

While these are intensely beautifully dark pieces of music, there are two singles on this album that come in at just the right time to revive it all and bring us to a place of sheer excitement. The Rolling Stones like "The Surge" which again is nothing like Edison's Children has ever done before featuring a great vocal by Pete Trewavas who has gotten much better himself as a lead man, is as instantly infectious as anything since Edison's Children's Top 30 FM hit "A Million Miles Away (I Wish I Had A Time Machine)". The song features a great groove with the bizarre rhythm section of Lisa Wetton on drums and Rick Armstrong on bass to help give this song a rather unique sound and swing. The strongest AOR song however may be the nearly arena rock sounding "The Tempest" which Rick Armstrong has hailed as the prog song he expects will be heard "round the world" (* EC Liner notes). I certainly hope so as this band deserves to be up there with any of the top bands in prog today including their own parent band Marillion.

A revival of the Alan Parsons like "A Random Disturbance" now with an electrifying guitar joining the orchestration to take it to yet another peak before the 11 minute long "The Confluence" which takes the recurring theme of A Random Occurrence/Disturbance and puts it over a Genesis "In the Cage" off beat intensity with ebbs and flows like the bands of a hurricane; raw and overpowering and then breaking into a silence just long enough to bring us a false sense of peace before the terror begins again.

The "whirlpool of the album" where all the songs jumble together before breaking into a beautiful melodic 4 harmony guitar "Resurgence" lead that builds and builds until it quite literally explodes; it is just magnificent as 4 guitars play off each other so perfectly and it all comes together in an unforgettable moment of release. Blackwood and Trewavas and Armstrong write some of the greatest back and forth melodic guitar passages I have ever heard and sound as if Rothery and Gilmour were going up against each other trading guitar passages back and forth. Lisa Wetton and Rick Armstrong return as the rhythm section here to give this final guitar driven instrumental a different feel than Henry Rogers' "Portnoy like" drum sequences.

Finally the album leaves us with that familiar tone we've heard before ... the dark menacing bass notes echoing over and over again. As the captain and his fishing vessel have capsized under a 35 meter-100 foot wave, we now realize that that re-occurring bass echo throughout "The Disturbance Fields" has been the rescue team's failed attempt to use sonar to find the ship any possible survivors. The final words of the captain are laid over this piece appropriately entitled "Epitaph" with some amazing sonic FX by Trewavas and we actually hear the metal creaking of the ship as it descends deeper and succumbs to the pressure. The abyssal demon of Asphyxiation has indeed won the battle and taken the soul of our captain and his crew.

The Disturbance Fields is as close to perfect of an album as I've ever heard myself and I am in awe of it. I put this up to any classic that has come before it by anyone. If you don't agree just give it 3 or 4 more listens (and actually "listen". Shut off the laptop, stop searching the web, turn down the lights and light a candle and just listen). I have a feeling that after understanding the passion and history that went into this album and the reasons for the vivid darkness behind Eric Blackwood's vocal performance who is attempting to let us into his somewhat nightmarish and yet amazing life (which makes his voice all the more uniquely beautiful), Edison's Children becomes all the more accessible and opens you up to something completely genuine. Allowing the melodies to truly infect your brain the music and the intensity will emerge to you the way it was meant to, slowly and quite permanently. I hope you too will become infected by Trewavas, Blackwood and Armstrong and become one of the very passionate members of this group of a few thousand of us who stand defiantly proud (as if we know some secret that only a few people in this world know about) as those who are the "Children of Edison".

Its been quite awhile since an album grabbed me like The Disturbance Fields does and it is a bit of a miracle that it exits at all. Co founder and guitarist extraordinaire Eric Blackwood was horribly injured in a work related accident (he's a movies special-fx guy) that resulted in one of his arms being nearly severed at the shoulder. As far as I know, Blackwood is permanently disabled from the injury.

Luckily, he and co Edison's Children founding member Pete Trewavas (of Marillion fame) recorded hundreds of hours of music some 6 or 7 years back. With the help of ace guitarist Rick Armstrong (his father was Neil of walking on the moon fame) they stitched together songs with a common theme and came up with this spectacular 67 minute concept album. The album is one full length song in suites that centers on the sad adventures of a sea captain who relates the tales of every weather related disaster that good old mother nature threw at him, including a train wreck while on land.

This multi suite song, titled "Washed Away", starts with the spoken word and acoustic strummed "Captain's Ledger" that sets the tone for the misery to follow with mini sections supported by heavy synth drones and atmospheric effects before ominous screaming but ultra melodic synths, bass and heavy drums kick in for "A Random Occurrence" before segueing into the Trewavas sung section titled "Asphyxiation", a song that's about the chilling effects of drowning and suffocation. All is slow paced and is a build up until we get to the section tilted "The Approaching Front " which segues into"Indigenous" that introduce heavy guitar textures and tribal like drumming into the dense eerie sound mix. This is all good but starts to feel like the album might become symphonic/neo-prog by the numbers until the following section, titled "The Surge", suddenly kicks in with an unexpected change of gears. A heavy John Bonham like plodding drum rhythm (courtesy of the late John Wetton's wife Lisa) is quickly accompanied by heavy riff-rock style guitars with an almost Ozzy Osborne(!) like vocal delivery from Trewavas.

Just when I thought that the band had gone completely hard core, the verses end and the song's chorus is taken up instrumentally by majestic symphonic styled guitars and synths that go straight into the ethereal. It was totally unexpected and I couldn't wait to hear it again. The riff heavy guitars and vocals on the verses do once again morph into symphonic guitar and keyboard interplay which is reprised at the song's coda. The magnificent coda features dueling stratospheric guitar histrionics that climb higher and higher as if the players are trying to make the guitar notes reach to Heaven itself. The song briefly morphs back into it's heavy drums, bass and riff rock guitars before stopping abruptly thus ending the song. This is heady stuff followed by a couple of AOR-like songs, the breezy and sublime "A Cold Grey Morning" and the catchy guitar driven "The Tempest". Both have a ring of The Alan Parson's Project running through them and are absolutely infectious. These two songs, along with "The Surge", could have been top 10 radio hits if they had been released as singles back in the 70s and 80s. Both songs surround the quiet and spooky "Into The Dead Calm", another soft finger picked acoustic guitar lament sung by Blackwood with only mesmerizing atmospheric keyboards from Trewavas as accompaniment.

These songs are followed up by more heavy atmospheric guitar, keyboard and vocal sections before the album's penultimate song "Resurgence" arrives to usher in an instrumental reprise of the exquisite coda from "The Surge", this time with an virtual army of symphonic guitars all trying to race each other to Nirvana. The sea captain's brief spoken narration ends these chilling proceedings with helicopter sounds panning left to right before before fading away and ending the album. (A clue to the next album? Trewavas has said that there's more to come.)

For fans of Floyd, Marillion and early as well as later Porcupine Tree, this album is an absolute must have. Not only for it's unique and magical qualities but for the fact that this stellar music, while inspired by those artists and others, is completely its own in both class and style. Don't miss this. 5 stars.

Edison's Children - The Disturbance Fields

Edison's Children is the side-project of Marillion bass player Pete Trewavas (who sings and plays many instruments) and Eric Blackwood (who also sings and plays even more instruments). They are also joined by Rick Armstrong (son of Neil Armstrong) on guitar and bass. Henry Rogers (Touchstone & DeeExpus) and Lisa Wetton (wife of the late John Wetton) who both play drums. This is the band's fourth album. There are fourteen tracks on the album, but it is only one song with all the sections segueing into each other and has a running time of sixty-seven minutes. As with all the other concept albums I have reviewed, I shall be focusing on the music rather the lyrics.

The following quote from the band's Bandcamp page explains the meaning of the album's title and story of the album ' 'The Disturbance Fields are the physical manifestations that mother nature's fury can take against humans due to our mistreatment of the oceans, rainforests and overdevelopment of urban landmasses. This has resulted in dramatic climatic changes in the temperatures of the earth and the sea and is the cause of far stronger and more violent storms and destructive natural events.'

The three minute 'Captain's Ledger' opens the album with the sound of the sea. The section is made of acoustic guitar and Eric's voice. It has a wonderful pastoral feel to it.

'A Random Occurrence' continues the pastoral feel but brings in the drums and synths. There are also some bass pedals in there too. I love the main synth riff. A simple arpeggio but one that fits the section perfectly.

'Asphyxiation' is built around a bass riff and drums, but the guitars come in about half-through. This is the first song that Pete sings on.

'Captain's Refrain' is less than a minute long. It has no drums but features pinched harmonics played on guitar with a little bit of delay with Eric singing.

'The Approaching Front' features some superb fretless bass playing from Pete and some downtempo but powerful drumming in its three and a half minutes.

'Indigenous' has a very dark features very little vocals but instead is a spoken word section. It has an African vibe but some a few hints of electric guitar now and then before the drums kick in in and the sections gets heavy and almost brutal in its sound.

'The Surge' is an eight-minute hard rocker and is one of only three song sections that Lisa plays drums on playing a very hypnotic rhythm. A fantastic section with a lovely guitar solo and what may well be some slide guitar in there too. It is probably my favourite on the album.

'A Cold Gray Morning' is the second of sections that Lisa plays on. It is lighter in vibe to 'The Surge' and features acoustic guitar instead of distorted guitar. There are also some wonderful synth pads which make me think of The Cure.

Five minute 'Into The Dead Calm' features some lovely fingerpicking arpeggio on acoustic guitar accompanied by just Eric's voice but there are some low octave pads and strings sounds that appear now and then. A lovely chilled out section and another highlight of the album.

'The Tempest' was released as a free download before the album was released and is one of the faster sections. There are some lead guitar parts in this that also remind me of The Cure also rhythm guitar treated with a little bit of delay. Another of the highlights of the album.

'A Random Disturbance' is built around the same synth riff as 'A Random Occurrence' and could be considered a sister section but has a darker vibe to the music.

'The Confluence' is the longest section at ten minutes long. There are some passages of acoustic guitar that link together with some simple arpeggiated lead guitar mixed in with some flute and bass pedals played over a sixteen-note hi-hat rhythm. There are also some heavy riffs and some very powerful drumming. An epic section, indeed.

'Resurgence' is the third and final song that Lisa plays drums on. Built around two soaring guitar solo. There are also some vocals at the beginning, but it is mostly instrumental. The last minute is almost a reprise of 'The Surge'

Album closer 'Epitaph' is musically identical to 'Captain's Refrain'. This section is slightly longer and closes the album with some very unusual sound effects on the synthesizer. Has mother nature won?

Edison's Children have a unique style of songwriting. The songs can feel quite gloomy and ethereal with a hint of Goth and The Disturbance Fields is no different. I can hear influences from Marillion (obviously) and Genesis, The Beatles, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd and The Cure. Lisa plays with a lot of passion on her three sections and both drummers are essential to the EC sound on the album and complement each other with Henry playing a lot heavier than Lisa does. The only problem I find is that it is difficult to know who is playing which guitar or bass part, but this is a minor gripe as the musicianship on the whole album is wonderful. Another highly recommended album from what is already a very strong year for new releases in progressive rock.