Apostle "Sky Above Me"

Greetings fellow progheads!  Welcome as always to the Concert Closet.   This week the search for all things prog turns up the heat as we venture across the pond for a visit with our friends at Progressive Gears Records.  One of the bands in the Progressive stable, Apostle, recently released their "debut" EP, "Sky Above Me."  PGR has a lot of stellar bands in their stable so let's check out what I hope will be another fine performance...

The album opens with a song called "Reaper" and the imagery the music evokes is quite fitting.  The guitars sit heavy on top while keyboards move in and out, beefy at times before then letting up...and the chase is on.  The song puts hands around your throat but doesn't give that fatal squeeze--although there are finger marks from the tight grip.  Top notes of Marillion are scattered throughout as the canvas fills with bright primal colors outlined in darkness...

Next song to be hit by laser is "Last Goodbye."  an unexpectedly poignant piano gently pulls back the curtain on gentle lyrics.  A son paying tribute to his mother is usually a heartfelt moment and Apostle drives the point home with guitar that hits hard at just the right moments.  An unexpected flash of vulnerability from a band that seems to prefer the more boisterous section of the prog garden...

Liner Notes...Apostle hails from Yorkshire, England and the current line-up is comprised of Ryan Hanson on vocals, Chris Allen on keyboards, Richard Lidster on guitar, Shaun Ellis on bass, and Marcus Murray on drums.  Starting out as Apostles of Chaos, the band took a brief hiatus in 2019 to determine the next steps in their journey.

Drawing from classic rock, prog, metal, and other genres under the rock 'n' roll umbrella, Apostle adopted their new name and dove headlong into the growth and inner reflection needed to distinguish and claim their own identity. With this release Apostle makes an absolute statement about who they are and justify the battle to claim their own acreage in the prog  garden.

Learn more about Apostle and purchase their music at their website Apostle and the home of their label PGR.  You can also find them at bandcamp and on facebook.  For those so inclined, you can follow the band on Twitter @AOC_Bandpage_UK.

My final play for review this week is "The Fire Within."  The tempo is turned up on this cut as the guys feed off each other's energy.  Hints of Deep Purple and a dash of Magnum flow through the headphones as the canvas runs with colors bright; painted with heavy strokes.

The song I bring to you as a taster from this EP buffet is "Reaper;" to whet your appetite and prepare you for a full serving from the band.  Apostle taps their inner hard rock DNA and fills your head with wild imagery and an ominous darkness that is pierced straight through with a bright light--just when you think the fateful blow is about to strike...

                   

So fellow progheads, a little high energy metal from the prog garden this week to get your adrenaline going.  However; Apostle hasn't painted themselves into a corner by being "just" a metal band; they have other arrows in their quiver.  Deep lyrics, heavy guitar, gentle piano, hard hitting drums...and
all of it comes together nicely on this five song EP.

The search for all thing prog forges onward as the journey continues...until next time...

Hats Off Gentlemen It's Adequate "Nostalgia for Infinity"

Welcome back once again fellow progheads!  Summer is heating up and the prog garden is overflowing with great music.  This week should prove to be quite the adventure as I return once again to a band that has become one of my favorite newer entries to the prog garden.  I have been a fan of Hats Off Gentlemen It's Adequate since I first discovered them in 2016.  Led by Malcolm Galloway, Hats Off Gentlemen have been reinventing themselves with every release...so let's find out who they are now...

The album opens with "Century Rain."  As expected with Hats Off Gentlemen, the first sounds to permeate the headphones are understated yet extremely captivating.  The song melts over your ears like icing on a warm danish, running through your auditory canals and filling your being with a sense of ease.  Hats Off Gentlemen has mastered the fine art of squeezing the most from the least; there is so  much going on in this tune with only three people contributing to the final product.  The flute is mesmerizing as it floats over the the entire piece...

Perusing the playlist I discover a song with a most intriguing name; "Nanobotomas."  Malcolm follows in the footsteps of Alan Parsons with his ability to construct a concept album.  The theme here is the delicate structure of civilization viewed through several different lenses.  Here we are struck by the imagery of the human body being overtaken by nanobots...self destruction from within.  Top notes of Porcupine Tree and the ominous moods of Pink Floyd skitter through this song.  Let this one play on a loop a few times while you sink into it...or perhaps it is sinking into you...

Liner Notes...Hats Off Gentlemen It's Adequate remains as always Malcolm Galloway on vocals and Mark Gatland on bass and Chapman stick.  Both play guitars, keyboards, and synthesizers, and  Kathryn Thomas plays flute and contributes vocals.

I have listened to this band from the beginning; their growth--both musically and lyrically--is impressive and refreshing.  There are few bands that bring so much to every song using so little--and that is an underappreciated accomplishment.  Each note, lyric, sound, and even silence is deliberate and thought out.  Hats Off Gentlemen give Steely Dan a run for their money in this regard...even the album artwork is stunning and thought-provoking...

You can learn more about Hats Off Gentlemen at their website HatsOffGentlemen and bandcamp.
There is also Twitter  @itsadequate to learn the latest and keep up with the band's goings on.

Finally this week I listened to the title cut, "Nostalgia for Infinity."  The soft guitar opening streams gently through the headphones, setting the listener up for a journey across the prog garden as smooth and dreamy as it is surreal and introspective.  Kathryn's flute is hypnotic and rides across the top of the song like a siren, calling you deeper into a dream.  Malcolm breaks through the veil with strong lyrics reinforced with steady percussion and guitar work.  Once again Hat Off Gentlemen approaches the prog garden from a different vantage point, much the way Brian Eno was so adept at doing in his early influential years...

In the spirit of social distancing, my listening choice this week is a lock down version of "Century Rain."  The bass line really shines through here, and of course Kathryn's flute mastery is simply beautiful.  I'm not surprised Hats Off Gentlemen posted a "pandemic" version of this song; they have been extremely involved in so many social issues since their inception.  Sit six feet away from your neighbor and enjoy...


                    

So fellow progheads another week falls though the hourglass.  Hats Off Gentlemen It's Adequate took us on a very insightful journey across the prog garden this week.  Their music is inspiring, thought-provoking, introspective, and a pleasure to listen to.  Delving into a concept leaving no stone unturned and no vantage point unobserved, the music  engulfs your mind, body, and spirit...and that is why the prog garden is so rich.

Yet travel on I must as the search for all things prog continues...until next time...