Dave Hilborne (Nova Cascade) Progressive Voyages Review PV034

Echoes From an Empty Chair – Dave Hilborne

Progressive Voyages Review PV034

In early 2025, those of us who knew of Dave Hilborne’s masterful progressive band Nova Cascade were all well aware that the April release of the album ‘Box Man’ was going to be the band’s curtain call.  And, while we were disheartened by that prospect, none could have predicted the extreme wave of sadness that would crash over us and drown us in sorrow when we learned of Hilborne’s sudden, untimely and utterly tragic passing shortly thereafter.   The loss shocked his fans and devotees of his work, left a hole in the hearts of those who knew him, devastated those who loved and cared about him, and left a dark and soulless chasm in the progressive rock world where his voice had been. 

So when, this mid-summer, the prog world got word from Hilborne’s sister Louise that she was planning a posthumous release of some of Dave’s earliest and heretofore unreleased work, all of which was produced and recorded in the late 80’s and early 90’s, THIS fan was ecstatic.    After all, I am always keen, with artists I love, respect and admire, to see and hear “where they came from”…. To experience what it was that they were doing before they developed the sound that defined their eventual legacy.   Louise has assured me that this is one of the key reasons for the release of this material.  

For those who are Nova Cascade fans, yes… in some tracks (there are 18 of them, after all…. Lovingly remastered by James Parrett) you will see (and hear) glimpses of the earliest traces of Nova Cascade…. But what you’re really going to hear, and what is MOST important in this album’s release, is something far more precious: Dave in a raw element unlike you’ve ever really heard him; experimenting…. Trying different vocal styles and traversing various musical avenues in search of who he wanted to be as an artist.   Some ideas, you will doubtless hear, led to dead ends as far as where he wanted to go.  Others planted the earliest seeds of the tree that grew into the Nova Cascade ‘mighty oak’ we all loved and still cherish to this day (thank you, Louise, for that perfect metaphor).  It is a journey built upon years of love for, and devotion to, Dave’s passion for music. 

So…. Join me, won’t you?  Let us all take a trip in our “Wayback Machine” to a time they called the 80’s (and 90’s!), take a track-by-track trip, and explore the development of the musical mind of one of God’s greatest gifts to the progressive rock genre.  

‘Invictus’ – ethereal, atmospheric chords begin the journey with some spoken lines from the Williams Henley poem that gave the song its name.    When the vocals begin, they do so over very subtle synthesizer chord changes.   The vocals are mid-range here, and there are no guitars…. This is a piece accomplished with synths, drums and voice.   The mood is dark and contemplative.  The piece shifts into a rock tempo midway through, the beat is consistent and the vocals play well over it.  A solid way to begin the record. 

‘Desperate Veil’ – the sustained chord work from the synths here is very emotional and evocative; the voice again playing well over the repeating anthemic refrains.  It has been said that Hilborne’s voice is an acquired taste.   Well, I have acquired it.  I love the raw and powerful passion with which he belts his vocal lines.  Musically we are still in the 80’s synth-pop realm…. Hilborne feeling out the genre. 

‘False Faces’ – a simple drum march rhythm with a beautiful vocal sustain repeating over it brings track 3 to life.   We then lose the march, and the vocal line sings in loneliness over simple choral-style notes.   While 80’s synth sounds still show themselves, the song-writing here is less pop and moving toward the realm of progressive; a slow build that relies on mood to lift the listener.   One of my favorite tracks on the record. 

‘Darkest Days’ – a strange, interesting and oddly-constructed song, beginning with very little other than voice and never really adding much more than that, this track is very good at pulling one’s emotional strings.  And once again, I must point out Hilborne’s performance vocally…. It DRIPS with emotion and feeling.   He MEANS every word he is singing, and it can be felt by the attentive listener. 

‘Vital Signs’ – we return to a very 80’s style pop-rock vibe with this track, which features sister Louise as a guest vocalist (she appears, I believe, several times throughout on a number of the tracks).   This is straight-ahead pop-rock, with an excellent emotive bridge that gives it some depth. 

‘A Year For a Day’ – the song ‘Madrigal’ from Rush’s ‘A Farewell to Kings’ is written all over this track, which uses a high-pitched whistle synth sound as the song’s chief melody.  Throw in the feel of older to mid-career Genesis, and you’re close to what is on offer here.  Very clearly flirting with the prog-realm, musically, and another of my favorite songs on the record (even though there are no drums at all throughout). 

‘Finely Tuned Guitar’ – a song about a guitar…. Without a single guitar note that I can hear; there just has to be a tongue-in-cheek joke here on some level.   Beautifully played with keys and simple but effective drums…. And a higher register from Hilborne vocally.   One of the better choruses on the album, and the entire track is filled with atmosphere as we see the sense of prog continuing to build.  

‘Mental Space’ – the prog sense fades a bit here as we get a little heavier and into the straight/pop-rock realm.  Hilborne is a little rougher and more raw here…. An experimentation in singing style.   Keys and orchestral style sounds dominate throughout.   Very obviously still influenced by 80’s pop-rock and synth wave bands on this track.

‘Carpe Diem’ – more subtle synths and (at last!) some guitar here, and Hilborne’s voice seems to be finding its way…. His style of singing vibes well with these softer, more ballad-style tracks.  We are starting to see a bigger variance of sounds…. More instruments, like horn, guitar, and mallet instruments.   All part of the growth of Hilborne, who is starting to uncover the identity of what he’s searching for.  One of shorter tracks, but still a lot on offer in that few minutes.

‘Dissolve’ – another shorter track; this one returns to the ambient, atmospheric trope, with simple synths and keys playing while Hilborne sings soulfully.   Not a lot to this one, other than its beauty, which it has in abundance.

‘Nostalgia’ – an orchestral, semi-symphonic intro gives way to more synths (it is obvious that in early years Hilborne relied very heavily on synths, keys and programming…. After all, that is what he primarily played).   A GORGEOUS middle section, vocally-speaking, gives weight to the synth backbone.  This reminds me of something you’d find on a Peter Gabriel record…. And it’s marvelous. 

‘Perfect World’ – another rock track that is synth and piano heavy, and relies on the vocal line to carry the song’s theme.  “They can’t all be Zingers”, and this one is one of the (very few) tracks that, while not at all bad, does not really stand out in any way.   Definitely an experiment in trying different sounds and feels. 

‘I Bleed’ – from one of the weakest tracks straight to one of the strongest: we get a really strange, cool and unexpected shift in tone and style here, as Hilborne gives us some poppier fare that almost hints at a folkish-style prog.   It’s absolutely lovely, and in addition to the guitar and drum beats taking center stage, we get (even if they’re synth-driven) violin/string sounds to carry the song’s melodies.   We also get a lot of varied vocal performances here, which is quite refreshing and works well.  This is a song where I can see that Hilborne was getting “on the track”, as it were, to what he would become in and to the prog world, and it is another of my favorites on the record.

‘Threshold’ -  a laid back, soft rock affair, once again driven by Dave’s vocal line and accompanying background vocals, with minimalistic music here.   A decent track as evidence of his experimentation with his voice, with voice layering and with different rock styles. 

‘Wrapped in Silver’ – a subtle acoustic guitar line gives way to Dave’s voice, and again we have some background, layered vocals present.  It’s obvious that he was interested here in working with how he could blend his voice and other background voices to be effective in creating atmosphere.  This song is heavy on melancholy.  It kicks up the pace a bit musically toward the end of the track.

‘Some Birds are Never Caged’ – one of the most beautiful and heartfelt tracks on the record….. if a song could bleed atmosphere and emotion, this one would.  It’s just Dave’s voice and the piano.  And it works so well.   Tear-inducing.  And it slides seamlessly right into….

‘Halo’ – this is really a continuation of sorts of the previous track.   The same “voice over an atmospheric synth” as has been present on most of the record.  But here, the absence of any other instrumentation serves to focus the listener on the voice and its interplay with the atmosphere.   Just gorgeous as it slowly fades away in waves of melodic synth, and another record hi-light. 

‘The Last Wave’ – here we are, at the end of the record, and the aptly titled track, which, like the previous two, relies heavily on a dearth of musical instrumentation, and instead use simplicity and mood to establish the song’s anthem.  You could almost, I daresay, view these last three songs as a trilogy of sorts; a final goodbye to us wrought from Dave’s unique and exquisite passion.

In the deepest reaches of his soul, Dave Hilborne doubtless knew that his skill and strength lay in the progressive rock world.   I have been reliably informed, after all, that the songs ‘Box Man’ and ‘Sentry’ were both composed in 1990…. At the very same time as all of the material that comprises this disc.   But, as ‘Echoes From an Empty Chair’ so aptly illustrates, Dave’s vision was broad and all-encompassing, and it is my considered opinion that he wanted to explore many genres to allow for maximum growth as a well-rounded musician and to give creative vent to his earliest influences.   Who among us, after all, was not influenced heavily by the music of the times in which we grew up as impressionable young persons?  (I know that I was!).

Though this record can really be seen in some ways as a “prog-adjacent” release, it is still a vital statement made to, and for the benefit of, the progressive rock world.  Rarely are we gifted with so deep a dive into the earliest works of those who became progressive rock staples as we are with this record.   The loving and thoughtful care and energy put into this project by people like his sister Louise and long-time friend and collaborator Charlie Bramald is worthy of our attention and our ears.   While we would never “owe it” to Hilborne to listen to this, we should be ever grateful for its existence, and considered very fortunate to have it presented to us.

The only real “downside” to this album, from a music review perspective, is that it is very largely synth-driven, without a lot of musical variance apart from what Hilborne was able to do to vary the synth sounds.   But this is to be expected; these are “early years” recordings, and money and access to studio time and space and those varied instruments (and the quality musicians to play them) were doubtless in short supply and likely out of reach for a new musician trying to find his way.  In that light, this gives, ultimately, credence and validation to the true purpose of the record…. This is a retrospective; it is meant to open the window to view the earliest recorded time of musical growth in Hilborne’s life.  These “flaws” are not really that at all… they are true and honest snapshots of who Dave Hilborne was and the vast (and successful) musical journey he undertook.  

In that stead, this collection of work is both priceless and essential for any devoted fan of Hilborne’s musical vision and work, and all of his fans should be honored to have these earliest sketches to showcase what the journey of a musician from learner to master looks like.  Because of the substance of this record, and because he grew from these musings to become the genius behind Nova Cascade, Dave Hilborne’s voice will never be silenced and the chair will never really be empty; his work will live on to touch the hearts and souls of generations of musicians and progressive rock fans for countless years to come. 

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