Riffstone- Sanctuary Sky Progressive Voyages Review PV084

Riffstone – Sanctuary Sky Progressive Voyages Review PV084

Multi-instrumentalists Colin Powell and Dave Allen are the power duo behind the newly-created progressive manifesto known as Riffstone. And these days, they have been two busy bees, indeed. With one album already released in 2025…. The fantastic debut, ‘Richard III’ (a sprawling conceptual opus) one would not at all believe that the duo would be either capable nor desirous of another 2025 offering. After all, it is rare thing indeed for any progressive rock project to create a masterpiece as involved and well-performed as ‘Richard III’ and have anything left in the creative tank from which to craft even more auditory excellence within the same year.

But, as with the best and most practiced and ambitious music artists of our time, Powell and Allen have managed to weave another progressive gem for a late 2025 release…. ‘Sanctuary Sky’. With this new record, Riffstone takes a step away from the conceptual nature of writing they showcased with ‘Richard III’, and charts new territory to “embrace a more contemporary edge, while rooted in myth and fantasy.” The new record is best described by Riffstone themselves: “(it) weaves mysticism, atmosphere, and emotional depth across nine tracks. Suspended between dream and reality, it invites the listener into a world of ancient myths, sacred landscapes, inner reflection, and cosmic awakening.” Beautifully expressive words, indeed, and ones that set a lofty bar of expectation for Riffstone. A bar which, in my opinion, they succeed in reaching.

So…. Join me, won’t you? Let’s channel the Spirit of Danu, visit the sleeping city, meet the mystical faeries of Tylwyth Teg, and learn of the land beneath the waves as we allow Riffstone to guide us on this journey of sonic discovery.

‘Spirit of Danu’ – a beautiful, open, soaring song introduces the album. The song heralds the theme of the record; namely…. Dreamy progressive rock that will channel spirit and energy. Driving drums propel the synth backing and guitar-led melodies and when the vocals are introduced, they are subtle and understated, giving voice to the story of the song’s namesake and allowing the story to be the focus, rather than the vocal performance itself. Nothing overly flashy or bombastic…. Just subdued and restrained rock fare meant to evoke feeling. A great opener for the journey ahead.

‘Live Your Dreams Away’ – two gorgeous open chords open the next track…. A channeling of the 70’s synth-era of Yes, 1990’s and 2000’s-era Jadis and ‘Blolmjud’-era Moon Safari. This track is intentionally unsophisticated melodic beauty itself, and is a hallmark example of how such simplicity can be effective, catchy and progressive at the same time. An absolute favorite of mine.

‘The Sleeping City’ – synth, piano and voice begin the track, with pleasant vocals, before the synth-heavy prog rock kicks in full-force. This has an edge to it that reminds me (especially where the keys are concerned) of one of my all-time favorite bands…. The Tangent. The synth work here is just fantastic as its virtuosity propels the song forward.

‘Tylwyth Teg’ – tribal, primal beats greet us as one of the heaviest and most rocking intros on the record takes the stage. These beats then morph into a half-time feel with soaring vocal accompaniment and flourishes of guitar work, before we drop to a quiet section, hi-lighted by the sounds of harp and holding chords. This begins an alternation of heavy churn with soft, reflective moments in which are told of the faeries of Welsh folklore that are the song’s namesake. The track then outros with a repeating vocal refrain while we listen to some superb guitar soloing.

‘Through the Veil’ – a strange little number this one is. Very unique and original from a song-craft perspective…. This starts off quietly with synth and vocal, and at about the 1:50 mark, turns decidedly pop-driven, with an up-tempo beat that showcases dual synth and guitar parts that play marvelously in and around each other, before dropping back to the original quiet line. Such an interesting listen, this one is.

‘The Land Beneath the Waves’ – our dive into the sublimely different and exotic takes us to new depths in this next track, which does quite an adept job at concocting, in the listener’s heads, a world under ocean waves. There is a quality to the music that lends itself to an actual picture in your head; a true sense of “water” in the way the music is played and the effects put on the vocals. As all the best prog does, this song gives you a real almost tangible view of the subject it’s talking about. Lovely stuff, complete with sirens that wail their haunting ‘sirensong’ at times throughout the track.

‘Ten Whispers’ – as one would expect, this track starts with…. Whispers. One of the more simplistic (musically) and melodic (vocally) tracks in the record, this is an absolute joy to listen to.

‘Wizard of the Hills’ – another track that is melodic and atmospheric in the extreme. A lengthy “intro” begins with piano and classic guitar as they introduce to the magical mystique of the wizard’s world (Merlin, in case you were wondering) before electric guitar, drums and voice send us into those hills where he dwells. The story is told with minimal musical accompaniment initially, before some excellent early-Genesis style synth arrives to provide an excellent backing to the wizard’s story. Once again, the music is not flashy or complicated; it is supportive of the vocal narrative and does an excellent job at establishing the mood.

‘Sanctuary Sky’ – the title track, and the final track in our journey, is more of the simple beauty that has permeated this record. Very easy to listen to, it truly evokes the viewing of a beautiful sky at sunset (or sunrise, if you prefer). The chord progressions are atmospheric and spiritually-lifting. If Riffstone’s plan was to put the listener in a dream-like state, they have accomplished it. An excellent closer on an album drenched in ambiance and cosmic vibration.

‘Sanctuary Sky’ is another valuable progression in Riffstone’s development as one of the better duos on the modern progressive rock scene. It is most noticeable for one hallmark above all others…. It excels in its presentation of ethereal, melodic prog with a bent towards the mystical and dreamy. This is the album’s focus and goal. I cannot stress enough that the music on this record is not overly complex or technical. This is doubtless intentional, and if you’re looking for that loud, bombastic type of prog music, you will need to look elsewhere.

Rather, ‘Sanctuary Sky’ is designed…. Purposefully…. To openly and expansively evoke dream-like thought and express a touchingly emotive creation for the listeners; Powell and Allen the storytellers plying their trade through softer sound and meaningful verse. The hallmarks of synth from most all prog eras are here; Yes, Genesis and the like are given nods with great frequency. But Riffstone, craft-masters that they are, know enough to avoid derivation and instead place an emphasis on creating something unique to them and, in the end, quite original.

This record is a fantastic addition to the (rapidly) growing Riffstone discography, and is a must own for anyone who is a fan of psych-prog or softer neo-progressive fare with a focus on emotion, history and a sense of narrative in their subject matter. And given the dazzling rate at which this duo is creating phenomenal, timeless music, I have no doubt that we will be hearing from them once again in the very near future.

I, for one, will be ready and waiting.

To learn more about Riffstone,

Info here:

www.riffstone.bandcamp.com

Author Chris Clark