THIS DARK EARTH

This Seattle Washington collective began their story with the 2019 "Until They Feel the Sun" album, an excellent debut that was followed up by the equally interesting "Thank you from the Future" in 2022. The veteran crew has remained solidly stable, composed of vocalist Michael Trew, guitarist Dave Webb, John Allday on keyboards, Mike Murphy and Kelly Mynes on bass and drum kit respectively. I am the proud owner of all three, though this will be the first review. It should not come as a surprise to any music fan, but Seattle certainly has a rather legendary musical heritage from Jimi Hendrix, via Heart to all the obvious grunge groups. There must be something in the air, or in Seattle's case in the rainwater. The psychedelic tendency probably stems from the turbulent weather that stretch of land is famous for. One of the main characteristics of Moon Letters is their insistence on originality, though obviously wearing storied influences on their sleeves. They also possess that wonderful prog ability to transition on a dime into sonic variations that defy the laws of gravity, infuse vocal harmonies at the most opportune moment (generally, smack in the middle of a storm) and sprinkle occasional doses of rawness, technical groove, snippet soloing , Zappa- esque controlled insanity as well as various implements around the kitchen sink. Prepare yourself for the unexpected yet very attractive!

This is expertly described on the eventually tumultuous "Energy of the Heart", an opening piece that navigates the various corridors of experimentation, emitting some lighter tangents and then, others more cavernous and harrowing. The quintet has no qualms of showing their mettle but just like with Uncle Frank, it's all about precise teamwork (like the Mariners, Seahawks, Kraken and Supersonics), no one hogging the spotlight, tight like a lid of marmalade. Trew can scream, Webb tortures his fretboard with splintering riffs, Allday doing his octopus thingy, and the rhythmic duo in a tandem turbocharged frenzy. Halfway through, the shift occurs towards a more Gong-like atmosphere, sweeping towards distant stars, waving to the long gone 'pot head pixies', in restrained admiration. On "Silver Dream", the shade becomes vastly different than on the previous piece, a somewhat pastoral sheen, with a more melodic concentration from Webb's slithering leads , the rolling bass fluttering along, wooing synths ululating and a flower-power vocal that reeks sunshine and beads. The pace gradually picks up steam and then gets catapulted momentarily into profound melancholia, a dejected piano accentuating the sorrow, before returning into the previous maelstrom. Through in a clamoring trumpet blast from Allday and Murphy's shepherding bass furrow, the guitar rasping furiously and tingling when exhausted, choir strings adding a touch of symphonics.

'Full speed ahead' bellowed the captain on "Island of Magic Mirrors", a castaway hymn for the Wilsons of this world, with an endless series of sharp reflections, at times blurred by haste, bullied by ramshackle gusto and then comforted by synthesized panacea. The track raises the urgency to unprecedented levels.

After a brief and much-needed rest period on the delicate and brief "Lonely Moon", the band decides to dive bomb screeching into the deepest abyss of angst and insanity, displaying a technical prowess that will require finding one's jaw on the carpeted floor. "In the Catacombs" is nothing short of a blitzkrieg onslaught on the senses, a raging, fulminating bulldozer that shows no mercy and offers no penitence for its actions.

Capping off this entertaining album, the marathon arrives in the form of a 17 minute+ extravaganza that, like most quality epics, integrates all the intrinsic characteristics that make up the mind set of this collective. "Dawn of the Winterbird" is a tectonic plate shift that will test anyone's balance, so it is recommended to sit comfortably and hopefully numb, and embrace the sounds, like one would visiting the gorgeous state's coastline. To say that the arrangement seeks to take one on a mesmerizing voyage is quite the understatement, as the variations are expertly fused together, introducing from the get-go a drop-dead gorgeous melody, with Trew and the backing vocal bench hitting all the pleasure nodes. Webb adds an intricately woven sizzle just to illuminate the sunrise appearing on the horizon. The unexpected somber retreat into a sorrowful stupor is heartbreaking and majestic, skillfully rebooting the celestial melody espoused previously, 'I would never try to hurt you?' and its warm continuance, the fluid electric guitar embracing the transcendence and in complete harmony with the divine vocal expression. Elegance in the shape of a brief piano etude that serves to ultimately enhance the power and the culminating effect of all the passion displayed! This is a masterful composition that deserves a podium finish on the altar of 2025 prog epics and alone is worth the expense to hunt down and treasure this release.

To paraphrase my great grandmother's idol Barry Manilow: 'Looks like you made it'! LOL . A wonderfully conceived and performed musical adventure, certainly worthy of immediate consideration among the other lunar modules in 2025 orbit, around this dark Earth.

4.5 Tired planets

Letters to the moon

Seattle's progressive scene is well known for its high level bands like Wah Wah, Exit Wound, Spacebag, Panther Attack!, Bone Cave Ballet, and The Autumn Electric. Though not as famous as the city's grunge scene, these bands are highly regarded in progressive circles.

Remember Echolyn when they were good more experimental, before going bourgeois? Well, this band is somewhat similar to that version of Echolyn. They're also quite original, with an eclectic style that ranges from Gentle Giant to Fates Warning and Dream Theater but with a vintage flavor, all in a single song. That's how wide a spectrum this great band can reach.

Moon Letters presents its third full-length after its 2019 debut Until They Feel the Sun and 2022's Thank You for the Future. Now Dark Earth is the latest work from this great band, and it's their darkest to date? yet also their most complex, with outstanding instrumental passages and moments of heightened virtuosity. The band works incredibly well together here; they sound tighter and more mature. The album is tremendously entertaining and well executed. The truth is, I had a great time listening to it. 4.5 out of 5.

This week I'll be reviewing the third and latest a;bum by Seattle based proggers, Moon Letters, titled "This Dark Earth". The band was formed by members of various other Seattle area prog Bands in 2019, and they released their first album that same year, called " Until They Feel the Sun". They followed it up in 2022 with "Thank You from the Future". The band is made up of the following members:

- John Allday / keyboards, vocals, trumpet - Mike Murphy / bass, vocals - Kelly Mynes / drums, percussion - Michael Trew / lead vocals, flute, congas - Dave Webb / guitars, percussion

I have heard a few songs frome their first two albums that I liked, but I have heard none of this one, so as usual, this is a cold listen.

Disclosure: This review was requested by Anne-Claire of Bad Dog promotions, which I have had a loose association with since March 2025, but as always, I "call it like I hear it" and receive no compensation for the review.

Lets's get listening!

Track 1 - Energy of the Heart

We begin with a snare fill that brings the band in on a moderate tempo. But at around 35 seconds in the temp increases dramatically. With an intricate run from the musicians. The vocals join at around the one minute mark, with 2 parts. The rhythm guitar plays a bit of Randy Rhoads style at times. It's heavy bit not really metal. At around 2:40, there is a funky bass groove from Mike Murphy, and then some really cool analog synth sounds that come straight from the disco era. The band is super tightr in that instrumental section. The vocals resume afterwards As per the title, this is a very high energy tune! At 3:30 the tempo slows down and there is a trippy guitar break leading to a terrific vocal harmony section. The guitar and then the synths take the spotlight next. This leads us to a peaceful ending. Fun opening track with a quirky, unique vibe.

Track 2 - Silver Dream

This begins with the band playing tightly together on a riff reminiscent of the Flower Kings. We go into a 6-8 vibe, but it feels like we occasionally skip a beat. At 1:20 it goes into a few measures of odd meter. This feels a bit like an early rock ballad but through a kaleidoscope. At a little after 3 minutes Dave Webb gives us some rapid right hand tapping. Following that, only Michael Trew's vocals and John Allday's piano continue. A freaky keyboard riff takes us to a heavier section with almost Black Sabbath vibes. The tempo double times, then we have a trumpet solo! Up next the guitar and keys trade licks. This is a fun track with many twists and turns. I believe we have a mellotron choir are we reach the ending accompanying the guitar. Cool track!

Track 3 - Island of Magic Mirrors

The vocals on this one kick right off with the band at a rapid tempo. Great harmonies over odd meter changes. At around 1 minute the tempo slows down for some spacy guitar. A quirky bass riff brings the tempo back up. I keep using the word quirky, as I can't think of a better word to describe what I am hearing, but I mean it as a complement! We have a fun wah-wah solo at around 2 minutes, with lots of interesting sounds accompnying. Murphy and Mynes are a tight rhythm section holding all of the musical mayhem together. This one gives me some Zappa vibes at times! I love the line "My wings are melting as I see your face!" Man, I don't know what kind of synths Allday uses, but they sound straight out of the 70s! (again, a complement.) The closing riffs ended the song on an exciting note! Loving this album so far.

Track 4 - Lonely Moon

This is a very short track at 2:10. We have acoustic guitar for the first time, accompanied by the bass. Some keys follow soon after. This appears to be a briefe acoustic interlude. There are significant contributions from the bass, though. Nice peaceful track!

Track 5 - In the Catacombs

Harmony vocals and lead guitar kick-off the festivities here. The guitar riff follows with an almost hair metal groove. There are lots of rhythmic twists and turns, then?DOUBLETIME! There is a lot of complex instrumental interplay going on here. Rapid-fire rund pop in between vocal phrases. There is a bit of 7-8 as we cross the 2-minute mark. After it drops to nearly nothing, Trew has a mighty scream over some extremely precision playing. This may only be a 4 and a half minute song, but damn, too many shifts to describe here. WOW! Very impressive.

Track 6 - Dawn of the Winterbird

And here we have the 17:18 closing epic. This one begins with a somewhat tropical groove, Each of the opening verses ends with sustained vocal harmonies while the beat is kind of "suspended". After 2 verses, we go into 5-4 then 7-8. The 7-8 is a modified Bolero beat to my ears. The beat straightens out to 4-4 at around 3:15. Next there is a mellow section with keys accompanying the vocals (possibly mellotron). After a pause of a few seconds, a new section begins with clean guitar in an almost "Little Wing" feel at first, then the rhythm section kiosks in. Just before 6 minutes, the guitars get heavier sounding, and we get a half-time feel. This has a nice groove here at around 6:30. The intensity kicks up by the 8 minute mark. Nice guitar fills here. At around 8:50 the sound gets much bigger. Then about 9:25 there is another pause and the music gets more mellow. We start getting heavier again after the 10 minute point. The vocals return at 11 minutes with a mellow-phasey guitar part accompanying. Nice piano at 12 minutes. Then we rock out by 12:30. Cool instrumental interplay around 13:30. Nice long, sustained vocal note around 14:35. I believe we are building toward a big finish at around 15:50. Yep, intensity building around 16:30, then it eases off around 17:00 as we round out this nice epic. Well done!

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

A very strong album from Moon Letters, indeed. I need to check out the first two albums more thoroughly. They have a lot of eclectic influences. These's some psychedelia, some "golden-era" classic prog, some 70s cheese (in a fun way), and even 80's hair-metal in some of Dave Webb's guitar stylings. They bring it all together into their own unique style. Allof the musicians and vocalists are strong. I truly enjoyed that. Not quite instant classic level, but very good; a fun listen. I'll give it a 4.25 out of 5 stars. I have a feeling Moon Letters will continue grow and evolve as a band!

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Thanks! Prog On!

clicked 4, but a little better at 4.25