DARREL TREECE-BIRCH - NO MORE TIME (2016) UK

Simple! To simply put it, simple but effective! it's so ... simple and pure that it feels like it walks with you, it's part of you and you feel confort in it. Wow, i'm amazed!
The task of composing, or to simply put it, to create, is fabulous. When inspiration comes, it's a frantic world, we just fly over the world, and Darrel must be on the verge of gaining is own wings.
Who's Darrel Treece-Birch!? Darrel is a Fleetwood (Blackpool) born, a sailor. And today he rides the waves with the multi-million seller TEN, playing keyboards; and as a side project he has a prog band called NTH Ascension. Now that you have directions let's keep talking about this new solo project by Gary Hughes' wingman. Intimist? No. Keyboard Driven? No. Sometimes we find our days white, sometimes blue, and today is green. Greener was Darrel's inspiration for this record. "No more time" is the slap in the face, the end of the line for our abuse to mother earth. Melodic prog music, very ambient and space age in several themes, but most of all, guitar driven. There are here a few vocalized themes with an effective message to us all, so please pay attention to them.
I have a few cuts that became a must in my day's journey. Earthbound is an ELP kind of overture that sets the guidance for the rest of the record. This is not a nostalgic record, is simply the way it should be, and if this feels to you otherwise, just remember who you were, what you are to find out what you'll be, and then you'll feel it too. allthough being a classic rock orientated album, this is a simple way of showing that the prog classic rock didn't died or went belly down by the new tendencies, it really means that the highlights of the 70's and 80's have someone to carry the heritage.
The next highlight is "Requiem Pro Caris (for the ones i most care about)". Those strings sound like arrows, they really pierce. a real cry of love. "Freedom Paradigm" goes among the sounds that i enjoy most, it's guitar driven, heavy meaning and goes along the guitar heroes like Vinnie Moore, Tony Macalpine, Satriani and many more,... a stellar cut! It starts with a arabian strong melody, inmediately giving us the paradigm, that feel of slavery in egypt building the pyramids, great theme and great guitar work.
There are 15 pieces of real quality music for you to discover. when i first heard them, one of my first conclusions was that some of this tracks could very well be the soundtrack for a movie, a bbc wild life program, something. Earthbound could have been the overture for the para-olympic games, such is the strengh that the theme brings, a force of life, that runs in those athletes that with their incapacities they have the will and the power to do it, and they do it better than the most of us, without any inhability. You'll figure it out too. Also this conclusions only reinforce the idea of the higher quality of this work. A must have not only for prog people but for the good music connainseurs. Darrell is quickly becoming a reference in the music world, as a composer he is very much a complete writer. here's a name to follow very closely.
A mandatory album!
by McLeod (ROCKS NATION)

NTH ASCENSION - IN FINE INITIUM (2016) UK

Ambitious! Very ambitious this tipically british sound brought to us by the guild of NTH Ascension. this is their third release in five years. Working between other projects that can only mean that they are very serious about it, and that, also means commitment and also an assurance of an excellent quality final product. "In Fine Initium" is a monster record! "You might say, this guy is crazy! how much did he get for saying this things?" -My friends, when we no longer have Genesis, Pink Floyd, and some others are saying farewell like Yes; having in our hands an opus like this, is not to be taken lightly, in fact it's a question of life and it's perpetual existence, one goes, another borns from their genes and prospers until,... you know, In Fine Initium. But to simply put it, someone has to progress, right? nice one!      
I could say that Roger Waters stroles in here, like wise Arena or John Wetton's vision of Asia, Fish, but i believe that this is not fair comparing this musical project with their influences - if you take the time to read my first review for this project; (by the way, originally posted on roxx2download blog, roxx2metal); that will take a load out of me trying to repeat myself, nevertheless, i have to repeat something ...-
Hailing from Blackpool, Darrel Treece-Birch, aka wingman for the most notable Gary Hughes in the band TEN, is the light of this musical cuts; then there is the Walker family that takes the boat safely to the light; and finally, Alan Taylor the voice beyond the light that guides you through this space endeavour. This very experienced musicians; that in my respectful way, i don't believe should deserve comparisons; have studied and learned their lesson well, and are now ready to take the reigns and progress from where others have stopped.
Given this, lets talk about the music. Almost 70 minutes of things to say in form of music divided in seven parts, may appear to you as excessive, but if you are a real connainseur of prog music, that may come to you as a bit short. heavier than their last work, comes also with lots of classic\blues rock flavours, just listen to the instrumental "so that was apocalypse" and you'll feel like you're in the 70's. By the way, two exceptional instrumental tracks in this record. This one is not a conceptual recording, but there are three songs that follow another three from their last record "ascension of kings", that all together combine a story called the "Clannan chronicles", that goes in the likes of LOTR or Narnia, courtesy of Darrel. So, a reason more for get you in the mood to take this record and give it a good run. In Fine Initium, latin for beginning from the end, is a nice way to put things, has i've been explaining, picking up where others left is a nice analogy, although the band meant something else related to the ideas they offer us in this new record and wich i deaffy you to revealed them. Darrel as established himself as a new leader working the black and white keypads. JM Jarre, Tony Banks, Rick Wakeman have in him a great follower, a flag bearer. In truth, listening to this new tracks i feel that he is on a verge of exploding with so much inspiration. He wants to give us all at once, but as an experienced musician he knows how to measure just the amount of sweet we need. but NTH Ascencion isn't just Darrel, there is a top class guitar player, Martin Walker, that delivers far and beyond. Sons to Martin, the rythmic section Gavin and Craig Walker are a real force of life. I really found in Gavin's work a secret, the bass was so well played that unnoticed, it takes the lead of the spaceship like it was the hand of the universe guiding it to other parallel universes, it really pounds. And Alan Taylor that belongs to a class of vocal expressionists like Roger Chapman, Fish or Bernie Shaw, delivers a fearful but yet daring approach to the full circle that is beggining from the end and the end of the beggining (no, it's not Status Quo, eheheh); it's really what "in fine initium" means.
The first track of this record says it all, starts with an classic rock overture, and then develops to various states of mind, driving around lots of landscapes and space dimensions in a very elegant and melodic way.
Prog music is the ultimate expression of our minds, it can reach the psychadelic state without corrupt
our integrity with stimulants and chemical formulas, because our body is perfect enough to stimulate itself in a pure way without any external help, like this In Fine Initium, remarkably pure. I'm more of a heart and soul follower, but when i come across of something of this caliber, it's like that movie TRON, i just pass to the other side in a flash.
I'm going to end this text the way i started, but with a progressive idea- this is no longer a project for fun or to stay within doors. It's very ambitious and perhaps a major producer to make this brilliant compositions rise to a stellar condition is in order, maybe to start it's own ... big bang. wouldn't you agree?
Congratulations are in order, a 10 out of 10! But unfortunately for most of you, you'll only have the chance to confirm all of this presumably in october 14, 2016; the annouced releasing date. Until then you have NTH Ascension earlier releases to familiarized yourself to this superb prog band.
By McLeod! (ROCKS NATION)