Label: Inside Out
Release Date: 2nd of February 2015 (Europe) and the 24th of February (North America).
Genre: Guitar orientated instrumental
Line up:
Steve Rothery – Guitars & Keyboards
Dave Foster – Guitars
Yatim Halimi – Bass
Leon Parr – Drums
Riccardo Romano – Keyboards
Track Listing:
1.o Morpheus 07:55
2.0 Kendris 06:09
3.0 Old Man of the Sea 11:42
4.0 White Pass 07:51
5.0 Yesterday’s Hero 07:21
6.0 Summer’s End 08:47
7.0 The Ghosts of Pripyat 05:32
Steve Rothery is better known for being the original guitarist & longest continuous member of the British prog rock band Marillion.
The Ghosts of Pripyat has taken a few years to come to fruition and is his debut solo album. He was originally approached back in 1985 whilst recording Marillions’ Misplaced Childhood album and then again in 1994 whilst recording Brave (also by Marillion).
Finally completed in 2014, crowdfunded by Kickstarter and boasting guest artists like Steve Wilson of Porcupine Tree & Steve Hackett of Genesis you would assume that judging by the appearance of such musical legends, This should be an album of true greatness, and it doesn’t disappoint
From start to finish the album truly is an assault on all the emotional senses music has to offer & will conjure up so many different images in the listeners minds eye. It’s not a work of art that can be broken down and described track by track as there are no singles on it. There’s nothing commercial about this album. All that can be said I that it really deserves to be heard by a very wide audience. If the myth and the legend of John Peel was still with us he would most certainly dedicate the best part of his show to this album. The same as he did with Tubular Bells.
Speaking of Tubular Bells, Steve Rothery really should be considered as an important musician the same as Mike Oldfield and Rothery has produced an album that deserves to be a classic.
The whole album is full of sweeping movement. From the haunting opening of Morpheus to the closing bars of the title track The Ghosts of Pripyat. The record is an absolute masterpiece of epic proportions.
The pinnacle of the album for me is the EPIC Old Man of the Sea. The longest track on the album but also the most evocative. Full of warm tones & inspired understated fretwork wizardry that will take you on a musical journey.
This album will blow you away like you’re walking through an active minefield with a broken metal detector.
It’s truly a beautiful recording and like Pink Floyds’ Darkside of the Moon, this should be listened to on headphones so you have NO distractions whatsoever just to make sure the whole vibe of the music is burned into your subconscious. It’s one of those rare recordings that you will be envious of people who are listening to it for the first time.
If you’re an avid listener of Dave Gilmour (Pink Floyd), Andrew Latimer (Camel) or Jeff Beck then you really won’t be disappointed.
An essential purchase for those who not only collect Marillion & related albums, but for those who are a fan of instrumental albums in general.
Written by MGM
Rating MGM 10/10
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