Ireland's not well know for being a hotbed of progressive rock, and Dead Heroes Club, from Derry, reckon that they're the only ones, and I'm in no position to argue!
A Time Of Shadow is the bands second album, originally independently released last year, but they've since been signed by ProgRock Records in the US, so it should be a lot easier to get hold of.
The whole feel of this is classic prog rock, from the Tolkienesque cover to the songs themselves; long in title and long in length!
The album opens up in fine progging style with Theatre Of The Absurd, which, at 9 minutes and 13 seconds is only the fourth longest track on offer! Prog rocks! And it's a good taster for when the band have in store. Undoubtable prog leanings, over a track reminiscent of Jump in their mellower moments. Indeed, singer Liam Campbell's voice is a cross between Peter Gabriel and Fish with a touch of the John Dexter Jones' thrown in for good measure. The second track is the equally as long Stranger In The Looking Glass, opening up in a wonderful Pink Floyd mode, with Gerry McGerigal's guitar work very much in the David Gilmour style, before breaking into early, bouncy Marillion bass-driven thing delivered by Wilson Graham
The shorter and rockier The Centre Cannot Hold follows on, injecting some urgency into the album, but this gives way to A Gathering Of Crows, with it's sampled intro of hate and overtly proggy keyboard riff courtesy of Chris Norby. We played this song on Proggy Style 61 back in July, so you should be familiar with this track, with its powerful lyrics decrying religious fanaticsm on all sides. Eleven and a half minutes of prog pomposity for us all to enjoy!
The emotional The Sleepers Are Waiting comes next; dedicated, as the album is, to a friend of the band who passed away. It's another exceptional track that highlights the bands versatility. Final track, A Time Of Shadow rounded off this weeks Proggy Style Radio Show. It's a prog rock epic in every sense of the word. Fifteen minutes long, slowly building up, a classic way to end the album.
This is an excellent album, one that any fan of proper prog will enjoy, time after time.
Dead Heroes Club make their English début this Saturday, 30th January, at The Peel in London. Make sure that you don't miss them!
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Comment by Al Holness on 2010-04-10 13:30:53 Nice album, full of great prog hooks
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Comment by Classic on 2010-02-19 21:24:12 Great review of a great album by a great band. They certainly showed their versitality at the Peel club and the Peel club showed them great hospatility. :)
Comment by
on 2010-02-23 17:38:22 Cheers for the glowing review guys. We really need to get a few bad ones to deflate the egos lol. As Classic said our trip to The Peel was a fantastic experience and one we hope to repeat. All hail Mick Lloyd!! Gerry DHC.
Comment by el_sav on 2010-02-25 20:51:13 great album, are you going to take as long to get the next one out!
joke
Sav
Comment by Andy /
on 2010-02-27 21:42:49 Love both DHC albums though 'a time of shadows' is easily my fave of the 2. Haven't heard a prog album as good as this since Misplaced Childhood i'm cut up that i missed them in london recently. didn't hear about it till after, I would've def made the trip. any other dhc shows coming up?
