THE FINAL BREATH BEFORE NOVEMBER

Edison's Children burst into the progressive community's consciousness in 2011 with the incredible In The Last Waking Moments. I loved that album, so it was a no-brainer for me to pre-order this when I heard it was being planned.

It is, perhaps, fair to say that that incredible album's main selling point was the inclusion of all of Pete Trewavas' Marillion cohorts, until, that is, people actually listened to it and realised just what a good work it was in its own right.

Trewavas, of course, is also a member of Transatlantic, the exceptionally successful prog supergroup. I love Transatlantic, but, with Edison's Children, I believe that Trewavas excels even that venture, for the simple reason that, with Eric Blackwood, he has found a true musical soulmate, and the pair of them have taken their ideas to music without the confines of a "traditional" band, and the result is a second album which, whilst a natural musical and lyrical successor to its predecessor, takes it to an entirely different level.

The album starts eerily, with chilling Blackwood vocals on Final Breath. Does this signify an end, or merely an ethereal beginning? This moves into Light Years, a natural sequel to much of In The Last Waking Moments. A soul lost, searching, especially in the haunting The Fading, thus setting the scene for the main event, the Silhouette suite, which contains over an hour of epic prog.

The first segment of this introduces us to Henry Rogers (he of DeeExpus and Touchstone fame) on drums, who features in much of the suite, and a welcome addition to the fold he is, too.

For me, one of the great differences on this cd to the first album is the exquisite orchestral programming set by the two, although, as before, it is the guitar work which leads and shines. Para glider, synth, electric, bass, rhythm guitars and Oud blend together, combined with intelligent orchestration and drums, to create a landscape quite unique.

From the start, the whole piece screams atmospheric, creating a dystopian vision unlike any from any other act I know.

It is not, I feel, appropriate to interrogate every single piece of the suite, because it demands listening and appreciating as a whole, rather than as separate track listings.

Another interesting, and very welcome, feature of this work is the inclusion of album artist Wendy Pastore's haunting high vocals, and I, for one, would really like to hear more of her in future releases. The artwork itself, by the way, is stunning, to the point that, in my opinion, merely downloading a digital file would be a crime against art itself. It is utterly beautiful. On Where Were You, which features at its vocal heart a delicious Trweavas triple lead vocal and a plaintive Blackwood "chorus", Wendy creates such an atmosphere. With this, the background news anchor, interviewee, Eric's lead, and the atmospheric soundscapes, this is about the best space rock you will have heard since Floyd were at their peak. Until, that is, you come to Welcome to your Nightmares....

Talking of which, this album, as with the last, cannot be pigeonholed into any particular prog sub-genre.There is too much going on. Some have suggested calling it "Haunting Prog". For me, there is no need for an artificial label, it can merely be called.......Edison's Children. That is enough. Sure, on The Seventh Sign, there is a very knowing, and loving, nod to the bombastic sound of Genesis circa Wind & Wuthering (and Blackwood's lead guitar break on the final part, by the way, is up there with any Hackett effort of that time), alongside spacey, dreamy, heavy, and symphonic prog, but it refuses to be pigeonholed, and therein lies its genius. Take The Longing, which has a subdued, sad vocal passage to begin, but moves effortlessly into a full blown heavy prog track, with Blackwood, especially, cranking up the vocal pressure, and, then, we have The Morphlux, which, on first listen, is quirky, but is, in fact, rather scary. What is a Morphlux? I know not, but I do know that these spiritual entities take me back to those golden days of sitting behind the sofa when the scarier monsters on Doctor Who came on, and the music accompanies the nightmare vision perfectly. They come back for more helpings.....gulp.....

As with the first album, it is left to the listener's imagination to garner its meaning. The I Am Haunted section, especially, puts me in mind of a recurring dream/nightmare I have. At my local golf club, there is a stray dog who spends his day following players. He is no trouble whatsoever, but does get a little agitated as dusk approaches. My dream has deceased players teeing off to play in the dead of night, when all is silent in the beautiful Welsh countryside, and the dog follows them at night. When they have finished playing, they simply look confused, as if they know they should be elsewhere, before disappearing to return on the following dream. Strange, but true!

I Am Haunted is a pure heavy rock track, but even this pales into heavy insignificance when compared to What Did You Want, a Trewavas dominated track which blows so called prog metal bands into Kingdom come. Hard, pulsating, and damned heavy.

It all builds up to the finale of the final two pieces, especially Music For The End Credits Of An Existence (is this the end?). On the debut album, the services of Marillion were utilised as the album built up to The Awakening. On this, no such assistance is required, because the guitars, programming, and drums of three special musicians unite to create a glorious noise, layered with sound perfectly mixed by John Mitchell. On this, every single eclectic mix of progressive rock music is witnessed. At once symphonic, then heavy, then pastoral, but overall simply beautiful, this is an instrumental track to die for.

And, to close, The Clock Strikes November, with the final nightmare of our hero morphing into a Morphlux, and the promise of a further sequel to his nightmare of time and space.

I can't wait.

This is another amazing piece of work by two very special musicians, and their helpers both musically and at the mixing desk (take a bow Jakko Jaksyzk, John Mitchell, Robin Boult, and Mike Hunter), and I really cannot recommend it highly enough.

It is, by far and away, the album of 2013 (and don't forget it had an incredible BIg Big Train album competing), and gets the maximum rating we can award here on Prog Archives.

Indispensable, and an absolute must buy for all progressive rock fans. The future direction of quality prog rock is enclosed in this album, it is as simple as that.

Eh, I might be a bit out of step with most prog fans on this one, but by my reckoning this second Edison's Children effort is, whilst still never less than competent, somewhat less interesting than their debut. Yes, out of all the acts out there with a modernised Floydian sound they're probably one of the more engaging, but I feel that the album's centrepiece - Silhouette, a song clocking in at over 67 minutes - presents some fairly fundamental structural problems.

Pete Trewavas is no stranger to super-epics like this from his time in Transatlantic, of course, but I personally find such efforts to be extremely hit-and-miss - there's a real danger in trying to be "prog for prog's sake" and extending song durations simply for the sake of demonstrating prog credentials, regardless of whether the song demands to be strung out for that long. Each twist and turn and movement of the composition seems to stick around just long enough to get irritating, and I usually tune out before half an hour is up.

On top of that, once again lyrically and thematically the guys go right back to the "pining for a dead relationship" territory which they'd already regularly plumbed on the first album, and whilst the subject matter suits their melancholy tone at the same time a bit more variation would be nice, lest Edison's Children paint themselves into a corner as music for depressed divorcees.

It's difficult to know where to start when reviewing this utterly unique (at least in 2013) album from Edison's Children. Their sophomore album, "The Final Breath Before November", is both atmospheric and focused. It's eerie, yet strangely beautiful. It leaves a shadow over your mind, but somehow feels clear and clean, too.

Edison's Children wowed the prog community back in 2011 with a stunning debut album. Their sophomore effort, however, disappoints by no means. Their Floydian atmospheres mix perfectly with their efforts at eclecticism, both in instrument choice and structure. Honestly, I was quite impressed from beginning to end, even though this is a lengthy album, including a final multi-track song that is over an hour long. Is all of this a problem? No! It doesn't bring the album down at all.

This, my friends, is interesting music. I said earlier that it is quite atmospheric. Yes, much of the album is very mellow and drenched in personality and aura. It contains layers and layers of sound and melody that will send shivers down any prog fan's spine. However, the band knows how to structure an album expertly, too. After a few shorter, foundational tracks; the band delves right into their "epic" without any hesitation. It is grand. It is synthy. And it is elegant. Yes, that's the word. This album is elegant in a dark and channeled fashion.

This album features amazing guitars that are meaningful. That's one of the first impressions I had. The solos especially are incredibly well-composed and full of soul. However, my favorite part of this album is the presence of synth. This adds a delicious contrast to the classic vibe of the guitar with its fluid strength and its quirky, addictive tone. Solos abound, too, of which I'm a huge fan. "The Final Breath of November" also features one of my favorite drummers, Henry Rogers of Touchstone and DeeExpus. His mix of technicality, melodic support, and amazing fills is so very welcome on this album, and he serves as yet another layer of sound that stands out on its own. "Silence Can Be Deafening, Part II" is especially indicative of Rogers' skill as he opens the throttle wide at the end. Imagine this, melody + haunting atmosphere + expert drumming. It's a combination I really can't resist, and it's what you will experience along the journey that is this album.

The creepy themes are somewhat put on the backburner, honestly, as most of the album is instrumental. However, we do get ideas of metamorphosis and the like. It's almost scary, but more like intriguing and mysterious. This ingenious album readily deserves the praise it has gotten, and is definitely a keeper from 2013. Arcing, masterfully crafted, and proggy to its core; Edison's Children's "The Final Breath Before November" is a winner.

The powers of prog never fail to astound, as the Eric Blackwood and Peter Trewavas partnership originally appeared to be a one shot project but rave reviews and good sales have flipped the switch on a sophomore album which just may kick it up a further notch, as some once famous Cajun chef voiced. They have obviously concocted an incredible chemistry, soul mates who have both the eyes on the same prize. The formula remains the same with both tackling the lion's share of instruments and writing, where some melodies from the first album actually resurface, rather slickly but the biggest upgrade is clearly focused on the presence of my current enfant terrible of the drums , Henry Rogers of Deeexpus, Touchstone and Final Conflict fame. He is the modern version of Paul Thompson or Queen's Roger Taylor, no frilly sissy here, just a dead serious thumper who knows how to treat his kit with bold confidence and genial flair.

The material is perhaps denser and more linear, as if a soundtrack to some slick silver screen extravaganza, in fact the atmospherics here take on a massive role, not content to be mere decoration or lacy undergarment. Eric's hushed voice is aided and paralleled by some smart female adjuncts. "Final Breath" starts the ball rolling, a clever title that has more to do with segueing in the past, and not the completed backward principle so precious to some 'artistes'!

The 2 part "Light Years" is a variation on the previous album's mainstay title theme but Rogers' drums force the pace right from the get go. His style is meat and potatoes but with tons of flavor and solid textures. What happens then is simply a continuation on what worked so well on the debut, a tension-laden fragility borne from the widest orchestral berth, smooth, silky and yet somewhat ominous also.

The duo then dispenses with any further foreplay and get right down to the heavy panting with a colossal 13 part suite, entitled "Silhouette" that plants the Edison standard firmly on top of the prog hill, for all to witness and admire, while at the same time, giggling at the supposed neo label previously pinned to their chest. This suite reeks either space or symphonic, especially in lieu of the thick orchestrations that garnish each section, as if drenched in some philharmonic coating , highly evident on part 2 "welcome to your dreams", a dramatic podium for Rogers to show his mastery of percussive expertise. The 12 minute epic "where were you?" is dark, somber and desolate, the sweeping melancholia dripping from the pained voice, the synths ruffling in the wind, the beat unrelenting. This is pure trippy perfection. "The longing" owns a trembling voice, a swirling violin and a passionate, neo-romantic style that has as much an early Roxy Music vibe as possible, under the circumstances. Blackwood has a vocal that agonizes, plaintively suffering, elevating the angst to nearly unbearable levels. Quirkiness is needed to cut through the dried tears crackling on the cheeks and thus "the morphlux" shows its peculiar facade, almost oriental in its tonal qualities but boosted by a rash and gritty guitar , Rogers kicking this musical camel squarely in the butt (the man can drum , big time) . 'I am haunted' is a guitar driven interlude that has spooky synths blaring in the mist, propelled expertly by the percussives. This snippet is partnered by the rabid and angry "what did you want?", a mere oasis of buzz saw guitars grinding and insane synths howling. "The seventh sign" mellows things out, with sweeping melodies, airy guitars and synthesizers, the solo reminiscent of Steve Hackett's gliding style. Hushed voice effects, brooding bass, clanging symphonics and serene disposition make this a highlight piece. 'the second coming' has a minimalist approach to a previous theme, very Oriental again (oud), yalah! 'silence can be deafening part2 ' is another Rogers high point, a gorgeous melody wallowing in deep agony, misty, murky and sad. Then Henry opens up the jets and takes this haunting piece into interstellar overdrive! The final blowout occurs on the massive 'music for the end credits', a brilliant amalgam of a focused and determined duo of masters at work.

A definite masterpiece on par with the debut, except this one has way more superlative drumming, a further-seeking homogeneous feel and a clear sense of witnessing something special. That is not debatable! A must hear for the patient, avid and discerning audiophile, as it cannot be dissected, diced or sliced. It is a whole work of progressive art.

5 Autumn expirations

When I was playing this for the first time I could already imagine what had been written about it, and when I checked I found that I wasn't disappointed. Yes, many seem to be saying that this is one of the finest albums that one is likely to find anywhere on the planet, so it looks like I am in the minority again. This isn't a bad album, but neither is it a particularly good one. Unlike the debut, which featured the rest of Marillion as guests, here we are down to the core duo of Pete Trewavas (Marillion, Transatlantic) on bass, vocals, guitar, synth and programming and Eric Blackwood on vocals, guitar, synth and bass with Henry Rogers (DeeExpus, Touchstone) on drums and Wendy Farrell-Pastore on backing vocals.

I was supplied with this as a download to review, so I am not sure if this is the case with the CD, but there are only three songs, with 'Silhouette' coming in at 67 minutes long, and it isn't possible to play just parts of this as it hasn't been broken up (although the track listing does denote 12 sections). Now, I'm a proghead, and have no issue with long songs per se, but I don't believe that this is a long song. To me this in a number of songs that have been put together in such a way that they can have an 'epic', but there isn't enough inter-relation or repetition of refrains or key musical hooks to make one think that this is indeed one piece of music. And what's worse, is that for the most part it is just plain boring.

There are some truly magnificent sections on the album as a whole, which had me doubting my own comments, but there are others where I just wanted to turn the whole thing off and play something that was far more interesting. I kept thinking back to The Flower Kings, who have produced some albums where they really need an outside set of ears to cull the material and provide some judicious editing, and the same is very much the case here. Looking at the chart for 2013 on PA, before I post this, I can see that this is ranked at #13 so there are a great deal of people who think that this is incredible. I'm just not one of them.

A late release in 2013, it's taken me this long to get to listen to this album and now that I know it intimately I write my review and prepare to adjust all of my year-end rankings to make room for this masterpiece of prog ear candy.

1. "Final Breath" (4:04) opens with some ominous incidental noises and sustained notes before an old player piano and synth exchange supporting melody lines. Pulsing synth bass and other instruments slowly gather around until drums declare the song to be in the style of Pink Floyd, not a cinematic soundtrack. (8/10)

2. "Light Years" (7:33) opens with a strumming 12-string not unlike George Harrison's infamous "My Sweet Lord" before a somewhat cheesy upper register electric guitar melody line joins in--introducing and, later, mirroring the vocal melody line. Drawn out over minutes it becomes a little tedious. The second solo guitar line added at 3:25 is no better. The vocal could very well come from Fish--especially his more rock oriented solo stuff-even his album of the very same year, A Feast of Consequences. Nothing very special here, though the unusual 'second song' that begins at the 6:20 mark is a bit more original and a notch more interesting. (7/10)

3. "Silhouette" is an epic masterpiece. Thirteen to nineteen song threads woven together into one long story have an atmospheric quality that captivates the listener even through the heavier sections. The opening two sections ("i. Silence Can Be Deafening, Part 1" [6:47] and it's companion, "ii. Welcome to Your Nightmare" [3:16]) are so hypnotic, so comfortingly, beautifully engaging, as to lay the groundwork for the totality of the 67 minutes.

"iii. Where Were You?" (12:01) has such awesome, pleading and floating vocals over Floydian rhythm tracks with Dave Gilmour/Mirek Gil-like lead guitar play. Could anyone sing "It's in my head" with any more feeling and vulnerable power than Pete Trewavas? Awesome lead guitar play in "iv. The Loging [7:48].

"v. The Morphlux" [3:12] is interesting for it's departure from the flow and synth domination of the previous 30-minutes. Oud, acoustic guitar and hand drums lay down the base for the theatrical whispering Genesis-like Gabriel vocal. Once the rock instruments bash their way in the song rollicks along with a relentlessness that is just awesome! All-out vocals and Hackett- like guitar leads carry this song to prog heaven!

The sudden and complete switching of gears at the transition into "vi. I Am Haunted" [2:51] is interesting if a bit off-setting. Then, just as suddenly, we enter into a reprise of the opening themes with "vii. What Do You Want?" [2:04] only this one amped up with two channels of prig-heavenly lead guitars, which, then transitions rather (too) quickly into the atmospheric four-part "viii. The Seventh Sign [7:01], a very Pink Floyd Wall-era sounding song, complete with a Gilmour-rivaling solo. Suddenly we find ourselves back in the Morphlux theme with the disturbing effect of multiple vocals vying for our attention ("ix. The Second Coming of The Morphlux" [3:08]) before fading/floating us back into the awesomeness of the soundscape of Silence Can Be Deafening (Part 2) [5:13]--though a decidedly more echo-y and atmospheric version. This, however, allows the drum play to stand out much more--and awesome is that drum play as it builds and plays with Pete Trewavas' excellently layered synthesizer extravaganza and Eric's beautiful Mirek Gil-like guitar leads. By the time we flow into the exquisite nine-minute instrumental "Music for The End Credits of an Existence" we are wondering how much longer these guys can maintain this high level of inspiration, creativity, and emotional output. Incredible! The final 100 seconds of "The Clock Strikes November" teases us with a little ditty from The Morphlux themes in order to try to bring some closure to this amazing sonic journey. Perfect!

I cannot imagine someone not enjoying this song! Even my wife keeps chiming in to ask who's singing, who is this playing, what are they singing so beautifully about? I have even found myself pushing replay while working with this song in the background--and been curious enough to follow the lyrics through an entire listening. Is it a ghost story or a story about a lost part of life, an older identity, a past life, a look back into the past at an older version of one's self or another? It's no matter. It's gorgeous, composed, performed and sung with heartfelt emotion and excellent, excellent engineering and mixing. Kudos, Pete, Eric and helpers. Thank you for keeping beautiful progressive rock alive--ney, giving it a great booster shot of fresh life! I am ever so grateful!!

I thoroughly enjoyed the debut of this band so it was an easy choice to pick up their sophomore effort from late in 2013. I still feel "In The Last Waking Moments..." is their best, I prefer that heavier sound I suppose. This recording is very enjoyable though and I can't give this anything less than 4 stars. It's that melancholic vibe that permeates throughout this album that is the main draw for yours truly. There does seem to be a connection between the two recording, in fact a line from their debut from the song "Dusk" states "When will this November end" plus there are other lyrical connections. Yeah i'm probably way off(hehe).

"Final Breath" opens with atmosphere as picked guitar and melancholic synths cry out. A beat after 1 1/2 minutes as it picks up in tempo and becomes fuller. The vocals before 3 minutes are almost spoken and seem to echo. "Light Years" opens with static like something you'd hear when playing vinyl. Strummed guitar and more join in as it builds, vocals follow. This is a catchy upbeat track compared to the rest of the record. This does seem out of place until it changes completely after 6 minutes to a beautiful, melancholic vocal-led piece. Gorgeous! My favourite section right there.

Next we get the tour-de-force called "Silhoutte" and it's ridiculous length at over 67 minutes. A melancholic start with fragile vocals early on and I like the beat and atmosphere 2 minutes in. Such a feel-good section with a hint of sadness and reflection. Vocals stop as it winds down before 10 minutes then it changes as we get an electronic beat, drums and atmosphere. Spoken words 11 minutes in before the vocals arrive once again. Nice soaring guitar in the Gilmour style here, in fact the soundscape is very PINK FLOYD-like after 13 minutes. It eventually begins to wind down until we get a change after 22 minutes of intricate guitar only. Fragile vocals join in along with strings. It turns fuller before 25 1/2 minutes and guitar comes to the fore a minute later, nice prominant bass too.

A change 30 minutes in as we get vocals and intricate guitar only. It sounds like flute before 32 minutes then it turns much fuller.An interesting sound after 34 minutes that reminds me of those orchestral sounding keys by SATELLITE. It turns heavier 36 minutes in. Nice. A change after 38 minutes as that SATELLITE sound returns along with vocals. A beautiful section arrives after 42 minutes then we get another change after 45 minutes as dual vocals and acoustic guitar take over. Another change after 48 minutes as we get a beautiful and emotional section. Very atmospheric with vocals. Pleasant guitar after 51 minutes when the vocals stop, but the vocals will come and go. This drifting section continues until becoming more powerful 57 minutes in. A complete change after 65 1/2 minutes as dual vocals and acoustic guitar return to end the song and album.

Another winner from these two and while I didn't find it as engaging as the debut I can't help but be taken with their melancholic and atmospheric style.

In a dark, North American forest, infested with British bass players, live a people of creatures (could we call that a creatle?) called the Morphlux. Their leaders, Pete Trewavas and Eric Blackwood lead them into haunting you - preferably at night, and even more preferably in a very loud, melodic and muscially layered fashion. Once they get to you, you will never, ever be the same.....

What Morphlux are exactly, and why they are so scary is unclear to me, even after hearing the album The Final Breath Before November of Edison's Children a million times. What I do know, however, is that their leaders, or at least inventors, mentioned above have created a great musical spell around them, over a period of several years. Pete Trewavas, mainly known as bass player for Marillion and Transatlantic, and guitarist Eric Blackwood both are actually multi-instrumentalists. On this album, they take care of all guitars, keyboards, synths, v-oud and something called paraglider guitar.... on this album they are accompanied by Touchstone and DeeExpus drummer Henry Rogers, and on some tracks backing vocals (haunting backing vocals even!) are provided by Wendy Farrell- Pastore, who is also responsible for all the photography on the artwork for both albums of the band..

The albums 15 tracks actually are only three tracks, one of which is a 67-minute epic - Silhouette. The opening track, Final Breath, starts slowly and builds up to the point where keyboard and bass form a pulsing foundation for a flute, until the vocals come in. On this track, the voice of Eric Blackwood reminds me of David Bowie, one of the many vocal similaraties in his reach. On the second track Light Years, that changes, as Pete takes with a vocal sound that reminds me of some tracks on Fish' second album. This track is a somehow catchy tune, based around a repeating pattern, but switches into a more haunting piece at the end (a separate track called Light Years I. the fading). The lyrics of this one introduce Silhouette, the long epic that follows, and consists of 13 tracks on the CD. This epic contains too many different things to go past all the tracks, but after a few listens it becomes clear that at least musically, they form a consistent piece. Some themes return (The Morphlux, Second coming of the Morphlux, The Clock Strikes November) or simply flow over into each other (The Morphlux, I am Haunted). Also, all parts are composed and orchestrated in a similar fashion, making it blend together in a way that is sometimes symphonic, but often also psychedelic in a way that reminds of Pink Floyd, or Eloy. Key elements: the always melodic, but supporting bass of Pete Trewavas, melodic guitar solos by Eric Blackwood, a lot of synths and orchestration, and vocals that range in sound from David Bowie to Fish, but also Wayne Hussey (lead singer of The Mission, for example Eric's part of Where where You).

It's hard for me to describe everything on this album in detail, there's too much to hear to do that. That makes the album not easy to access, but for those into symphonic or psychedelic music, with a soft spot for the backgrounds of the two main members of Edison's Children, this is an adventure well recommended.