The Emerald Dawn- The Lan The sea The Air Volume One - Progressive Voyages Review PV057
The Emerald Dawn – The Land, The Sea The Air Volume 1 – Progressive Voyages Review PV057
This latest album from The Emerald Dawn is the first part of a 2-part epic set that is to be told over 2 cds of 4 vinyl Lps. It is a lengthy and as yet incomplete work, the second part of The land The sea The Air is scheduled to come out in 2026.
Volume 1 consists of 4 tracks, 2 shorter and 2 epic length ones these being Under Changing Skies and Whole Oceans Die, the shorter tracks are Dancing With The Spirit along with And We're Left Wondering Why? Together these 4 songs show the ongoing development and the continuing evolution of The Emerald Dawn as their trajectory continues to ascend further, with impressive releases and their continued confidence In their live shows.
The album begins with Dancing With The Spirits, which is the shortest Emerald Dawn track to date coming in at a mere 5 minutes and 50 seconds, whilst short by their standards it packs a lot into its shorter running time and embraces Jazz Fusion for want of a better term. It opens with a drum beat then rippling keyboards before a solid bass line is played I really like the keyboards on this track they sound warm and wonderful. The track moves into a more open and airy sound before Alan Carters saxophone solo takes place.
All underpinned by the strong bass line of David Greenaway and the powerful drums of Thomas Idris Jackson and the keyboards of Tree Stewart. After this comes Alan’s soaring guitar takes flight before the rippling keyboard motif returns and a series of false endings before finally drawing to a close. A really great track with lots of imaginative sections to its brief duration, a stunning opener by any standard.
Next is Under Changing Skies the first of the longer tracks. This one opens with a long keyboard passage drums and bass and Tree’s evocative flute melodies. After this she begins singing the first verse of the song, then follows a strong and rather dynamic section of interactions between Tom’s drums David’s Bass Tree’s synths and Alan’s guitar with some strong organ parts from Alan.
This all sounds excellent with the interactions strong and powerful. Then follows a section with Tree using a Hand Sonic drum pad most effectively as it adds an additional layer of percussion to the sound palette, the second verse follows after. This song is about how we are destroying the world for the next generation, it is a powerful and impassioned plea for change whilst we still can.
With a suitably emotive vocal from Tree, We are also challenged not to ignore the issue or look away as other have done by doing so we can show that we are better than they were. After this comes a guitar break and more keyboards to compliment the sound before a further guitar solo from Alan. This one really goes for it in this track he blazes like a scythe through a cornfield simply astounding music here as the song returns to a quieter section and ultimately its conclusion. It is a very strong piece with lots happening during it’s near 17-minute duration.
Next is the albums second epic While Oceans Die which runs for just shy of 14 minutes. This one starts with a keyboard wash and Saxophone from Alan there are some gentle fretless bass runs from David Greenaway here before Tree’s heartfelt vocal commences. The song is about taking more than our share of the oceans provisions and the damage that those actions cause as a result of our greed. There is a great guitar solo at the 2.50-mark that is very expressive in nature itself is quite a lengthy solo lasting for almost 2 minutes before the vocals recommence once again. The song continues to speak of how we are polluting the seas and how everyone will suffer as a result. The music takes a turn by becoming menacing, dark and intense sounding. This is not easy listening by any standards, it does make for an impactful track with its juxtaposition of darkness and light. A moody mournful saxophone solo follows from Alan as the song draws to its conclusion as Tree utters the songs final line “Inside those oceans of sorrow” very evocative stuff.
The albums last song is the shorter And We’re Left Wondering Why? This one starts with Tree’s acoustic guitar she is joined by a sympathetic fretless bass from David which sounds great. This expands with the addition of Alan’s supportive keyboards after which Thomas’s drums kick into action. Live this track is supported by some fabulous visuals of aircraft and flight images, here it exists without those images to assist your imagination. The song then moves into a calmer section of drums and Hand Sonic Percussion as Alan’s Clarinet takes flight as the pace of the track speeds up significantly so that it is almost a race to the finishing line of the track. The track is very strong especially in the final section where the clarinet solo occurs. It is sheer joy to hear this group playing at this level of fluidity.
The album is definitely a strong one that will all come together when the second part of the concept is fully revealed next year. I can barely wait to hear how this all concludes.
So different in style to last years Out Of Time album, with different sounds but certainly a positive step forward for The Emerald Dawn.
Fans of Symphonic Progressive Rock music will find some excellent songs and strong musical passages and performances in this fine album.
Info here: www.theemeralddawn.bandcamp.com
Author John Wenlock-Smith