DOMINIC SANDERSON

Word is getting out: there are a lot of young artists emerging into the Prog Scene and this young man, Dominic Sanderson, is a force to be reckoned with! Dominic is reportedly a resident of the West Yorkshire town of Wakefield, outside which Yorkist progenitor and next-in-line to the throne, Richard of York (father of the soon-to-be Edward IV), met with his demise in 1460 during a skirmish outside Sandal Magna castle when he and his small band were confronted by Margaret of Anjou's Lancastrian forces during the Wars of the Roses. The reverberations of this battle are being felt to this day, as evidenced by this album of powerful progressive rock music.

1. "I Don't Think I Can Get over This After All" (3:44) beautiful "little" Steven Wilson-like opener has some wonderful elements in its rather simplistic construction. (9/10)

2. "The Twisted Hand of Fate" (5:08) an instrumental that opens with a multi-track Crimsonian "Discipline"-like weave before abrasive rock guitars and syncopated drum pattern rocket in. Chunky bass guitar leads up front and center in the second pass through the "Discipline" weave--even when radio-treated British male whispers his prophetic warning. But then the band switches into a SABBATH/VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR motif with a flourish of some GENTLE GIANT-like vocals before settling into a heavier STEVEN WILSON-like . Nice drumming from Jacob Hackett but Tristan Apperley's malevolent bass is the real show-stealer. Like the VDGG finish, too. (8.875/10)

3. "This Night and the Wounds It Will Bring" (4:42) more fresh-sounding PINK FLOYD/1990s PORCUPINE TREE-like music that comes across as more like THE PINEAPPLE THIEF the longer the song goes. Excellent guitar solo over some very prog symphonic stuff for the final 90 seconds. (8.875/10)

4. "Is There Calm Amongst This Chaos?" (6:11) here's the song on which the ÂNGLAGÅRD influence comes shining through--the first 1:25, that is. Well done but it leaves me asking how much more Änglagård do we need? The second motif is not far off of some of the Swedish band's mellow motifs with its Mellotron-drenched support and delicate cymbal and flute play. I think what I like most about this song are the unexpected and unconventional chord progressions. Then there is that wonderful DAAL-like fourth minute that, following the Italian band's roots, turns heavy RPI over the next minute. At 5:10 Dominic's Damon Waitkus-like treated vocal provides a little respite from the forceful music--but only briefly, as the song ends with a true Änglagard/DAAL finale. (8.875/10)

5. "An Empty Room" (3:14) an impressive acoustic guitar solo in the vein of guitar-master ANTHONY PHILLIPS is only touched by piano and Mellotron in the final 45 seconds. (9/10)

6. "A False Sense of Promise" (4:51) what opens feeling like a continuation of the previous song becomes more of a liturginous choral piece with multiple vocals chanting their lyrics over some very simple, ephemeral instrumental accompaniment. Quite reminiscent of the more pastoral ADVENT approach to Gentle Giant. (9/10)

7. "Like Shards of Glass Falling Through My Fingers" (19:51) again ADVENT or MOON SAFARI are the bands that come to mind as I listen to the church-organ-drenched opening three minutes of this majestic, church-like sound. Even when it moves into bombastic organ-dominated prog there remains a church feel to it. During the middle ten minutes I hear elements that remind me of RICHARD WRIGHT VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR, NEKTAR, CHRIS SQUIRE, DAIMON WAIKUS, the breathy vocals I've heard a lot in KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD songs over the past decade, early YES, and PINK FLOYD, but most of all I hear the influence of STEVEN WILSON. Starting at 12-minute mark we move into heavier motif that reminds me very much of both ÂNGLAGÅRD and DAAL (to continue a pattern)Then, after the thunder storm interlude, we go to a lighter motif that reminds me of totally of ANTHONY PHILLIPS' "Sleepfall: The Geese Fly West" that eventually builds with electric guitar solo culminating in a powerful finale, that is, to my ears, all ROYE ALBRIGHTON. (Cue "Always" from Roy's Christian-era Nektar revival period album, Evolution.) Brilliant epic construct--very refreshing and unique if, at times, somewhat derivative. (36/40)

Total Time 47:41

Yes, I can corroborate: There's a new progster on the scene and his name is Dominic Sanderson! The man has all the chops, all the compositional genius to be a real force in Prog World. I only hope his esteemed presence is not mirrored by the title of his debut album!

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece collection of refreshing progressive rock songs, all intricately constructed and performed using great sound engineering. This young man will be a force to be reckoned with for a long time (should he choose to stay in the domain).

For the last three years, my album of the year has been a debut record (Moura's self-titled in 2020, Papangu's Holoceno in 2021, and The Mighty Orchid King's Mycelium Music Vol. 1 in 2022). It's a bit of a strange coincidence. So far this year, I've found some good debut records, but none are quite in that top echelon to vie for the top spot on my year-end list.

Dominic Sanderson's new album, Impermanence, isn't technically a debut, but it is his first full-length release. (Prior to this, he released an EP in 2020.) This record is an impressive collection of some of the darker sounds of classic prog, synthesized into something modern and exciting.

The album opens with "I Don't Think I Can Get Over This After All", a downbeat acoustic track. Flute, piano, and Mellotron add a haunting atmosphere, and this recalls some of Porcupine Tree's stronger acoustic songs. The song gains momentum near its end, propelled by violin, wordless vocals, and rolling percussion.

"The Twisted Hand of Fate" follows. Anxious, palm-muted guitars build a tense atmosphere in the opening moments. After a brief, semi-metallic eruption, things scale back to a quiet  nervousness. I love how forward the weird, jazzy bassline is, and the creepy flourishes of electric piano and flute. The song's final two minutes are bigger and bolder, prominently featuring a searing Gilmourian guitar solo. In the mix, too, are jagged, King Crimson-inspired riffs and low, growling saxophones.

Acoustic guitars and gentle vocals return on "This Night and the Wounds It Will Bring". There's a sense of foreboding and vulnerability to this cut. Sanderson clearly demonstrates his ability to cultivate striking atmospheres here, with the many layers of guitar, Mellotron, and synthesizer that swell and fade away.

Oddball choir Mellotron and a dizzy guitar line kick off "Is There Calm Amongst This Chaos?" with a bang. This storming introduction resolves into something quiet and sweet, though. It's a bit jarring, but it works well. It eventually returns to a churning, metallic guitar riff, but with a piercing flute overhead. The final couple minutes of this song feature an array of musical ideas which cycle in and out, all of which add to the overall sense of doom on this record.

After the pummeling outro of the preceding cut, "An Empty Room" is a nice bit of breathing space. It's a (mostly) solo acoustic guitar piece that fits into the flow of Impermanence very well. It reminds me of some of Opeth's quieter moments.

"A False Sense of Promise" flows directly out of "An Empty Room". Its opening minute focuses primarily on acoustic guitar and piano, but it gradually becomes more and more lush, with the addition of Mellotron flutes. When Sanderson's voice eventually enters, it's gentle and multi-layered, giving this whole passage a light, floating feeling.

Impermanence ends on the twenty-minute "Like Shards of Glass Falling Through My Fingers". Its opening passage focuses on Sanderson's vocal arrangements, first a cappella, and then backed by a huge-sounding organ, giving this section a nearly hymnal quality. Finally, around three minutes in, a biting guitar line takes the lead. Supported by both organ and Mellotron, this passage is also intercut with jazzy riffage.

The dynamic contrasts continue when Sanderson's hushed vocals appear with a haunting, minimalist backing. Dashes of flute are deployed smartly and call to mind King Crimson's first two albums. As well, some of his melodies remind me of material off Grace for Drowning. Despite these clear influences, Sanderson's music is firmly his own; this is not a derivative work.

Walls of Mellotron and crashing drums explode to support a piercing, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez-inspired guitar solo, and this crescendo is followed by more heavy instrumentals in a relatively classic prog vein.

As this suite enters its final movement, there's a sense of hope to the music. Warm and gentle synth loops eventually lead to a grandiose guitar solo that would have fit in marvelously on The Division Bell. It borders on being too sappy, but it manages to avoid crossing that line. After such a grim-sounding record, this is a rather nice way to wrap things up.

Impermanence is a great record that blends many of the sounds of progressive rock's heavier acts, like Porcupine Tree, King Crimson, and VdGG. Every song on this album is a strong composition, and they work even better as a unified whole.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2023/07/12/album-review-dominic-sanderson-impermanence/

English newbie progger DOMINIC SANDERSON is a fine example of a younger crowd of a new generation finding great inspiration in the prog legacies of the past not to mention some of the newer kids on the block. While prog artists are a dime a dozen these days with many excellent albums coming out monthly, it's always a pleasant surprise to hear a twenty-something musician release something so haunting and captivating, something that echoes the past while sounding perfectly grounded in the contemporary world of high tech production and interesting deviations from the established paradigms.

IMPERMANENCE is SANDERSON's debut release and like the title implies features an eclectic array of sounds and styles to back it up. While clearly steeped in the prog 70s retro scene, SANDERSON has borrowed many tones and textures from bands like Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Yes, Marillion along with the newer retro players in the form of Anglagard, Antekdoten and Porcupine Tree only there's no accusing him of being a carbon copy of any of the aforementioned prog bigwigs but rather SANDERSON displays a firm command of tackling this visionary fusion into a bonafide cauldron of 21st century prog splendor.

The album is a journey through many shapeshifting moods and head spaces. "I Don't Think I Can Get Over This After All" starts it all in a folk inspired melancholy which mistakenly leads one to believe that the album is going to be a total mellow slow burner but in no time the darkness descends with a lugubrious piano run and fluttering flutes with totally different melodic counterpoints overshadowing the primary vocal hooks. It's at this point where it's obvious Steven Wilson and his Porcupine Tree projects were a key player in the inspiration department but wait! There's more!

While the opening track was somewhat of a tone setter, "The Twisted Hand of Fate" makes it clear that SANDERSON is no one trick pony and immediately morphs into a more guitar based King Crimson "Red" era style only just a smidge shy of an energetic display that would qualify as prog metal. The nebulous twists and turns of quite and louder passages with nice contrapuntal excesses gets my interest immediately despite a rather sleepy intro track. "This Night and the Wounds It Will Bring" seems to take us into a sort of early Wobbler sound as it meanders around in a spaced out Pink Floyd rock sound only with extra helpings of symphonic keyboard heft. "Is There Calm Amongst This Chaos?" picks up the speed big time with some extra chunky riffs that at this pint clearly do reach the thundering bravado of fully fueled prog metal only laced with brutal prog time signature punches but cedes to a mellower downer sound.

"An Empty Room" is basically an orchestrated classical guitar piece followed by " A False Sense of Promise" which is really nothing more than a continuation. Here we get more Floydian references in Porcupine Tree mode which sustain the entire near five minutes of playing time. The best of the album is saved for last with the closing near 20-minute sprawler "Like Shards of Glass Falling Through My Fingers" which borrows heavily from the classic Yes area only tinged with jazz-chord excursions, mopey vocal performances and proggier than thous excesses which in my case is a true plus. The beauty of this grand finale is the nice controlled meandering through all ki nds of familiar prog turf only on SANDERSON's own terms.

Excellent beginning however if i had to complain about something it would be that there is way too much mellow spaced out time and not enough rocking parts for my own tastes but if you accept the album on its own terms then there is no doubt that this debut was a work of passion as there are really no bad moments on this album however like many modern prog acts perhaps a bit too much time spent worshipping the past rather than on innovative modern interpretations. Still a solid 4 stars.

first full length album release from Dominic,with assistance from some very fine musicians.Obvious influences are King Crimson Red-Era,Steven Wilson,and the album is steeped in 70s classic Progressive Rock. Track 1 has acoustic guitar and some lovely flute playing with violins -a great introduction to the album. Track 2 is one of my top 3.It has a KC beginning with guitars and bass.The music erupts at 2:54 with wonderful guitar at 3:40.I love the sax backdrop near the end. Track 3 is more pastoral and reminds me in part of cadence and cascade -more vocals on this one Track 4 is the second of my top 3.I detect more Anglagard in this track.The mellotron arrives after a minute,flutes at 2:30 are great,and the music erupts at 3:27 into a great finale.Fantastic! Track 5 is more acoustic with a lovely mellotron backdrop at 2:45 to end the piece Track 6 can almost be a continuation of the previous track.Vocals enter at 1:40 and I detect some great Gilmour- esque guitar from Dominic which I really enjoy. Track 7 is the magnum opus,clocking in at nearly 20 minutes.It doesn't feel like 20 minutes -indeed could be longer! - because there is so much going on.Vocals enter at 1:29 when mellotron strings announce themselves ominously.Guitar comes in at 3:18 and we are really in KC Red territory.Vocals at 5:30 ,a great chorus at 6:18.The mellotron at 11:43 is superb and the track builds with the band in full throw.brilliant ! This is my track of the Year,and brings back memories of King Crimson and Yes in their pomp. I cannot recommend this album highly enough and I'd love to see this band live.