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...