EP review: POWER QUEST – Face The Raven
Twas a sad day when Power Quest called it a day back in 2013. Main man Steve Williams joined Eden’s Curse and now in 2016 he’s brought Power Quest back after leaving Eden’s Curse amicably. Joining him are guitarist Gavin Owen, drummer Rich Smith and bassist Paul Finnie from the last lineup and they are joined by new boys, guitarist Don Owen and vocalist Ashley Edison of Dendera.
The title track on this three song EP is a real barnstormer, from the opening screams from Ashley though to the soaring guitar solos this is classy stuff. Ashley is a perfect fit for the band as he has the power and range needed. The other new song on here is ‘Coming Home’, a classic fast paced PQ tune. The keys and guitar solos fit perfectly and this song is sure to become a live favourite.
A 2016 mix of ‘Blood Alliance’ closes the EP in style.
Power Quest are back and stronger than ever based on this EP, a must for all their fans. This will keep us tiding over until a full new studio album that is currently in the works and more live shows are planned for next year. The Quest is back and must go on… ****
Review by Jason Ritchie
We ask main man Steve Williams a few questions about the return of the band, the new EP and more…
Obvious one first, why have Power Quest reformed now?
Well that’s a good question and one with a couple of angles, one of which may not be that obvious.
Since 2014 I’ve been working at home in my day job and consequently not getting out anywhere near as much and I found myself really missing the social aspect of being in a band i.e. The regular rehearsals, few beers afterwards and all that good stuff. So in reality I needed to be back in that environment rather than working remotely so to speak.
I think I also realised that this band is in my DNA and it’s not something I could ignore for any longer. It was great that the majority of the band felt the same way. So here we are :-)
How did you hook-up with Ashley Edison? (Who is an excellent fit for the band)
I’ve known Ash for about 5 years now. Like so many people in the band and who have been in the band in the past, he was a PQ fan for many years before joining. He also lives in the same city as me which is a massive bonus and he is also savvy enough to be able to help me with a lot of the logistics involved in running the operation.
A real talent and a real hard worker is Ash and those two things will take him far in my opinion.
What were the highlights of your time in Eden’s Curse and any chance of a tour with them in the future, along with Dendera?
I don’t think you will ever see Dendera on the same bill as PQ and that’s mainly because I want him on top form and fully focussed on PQ when we are playing :-) To be fair he totally agrees on that front. I think it would be a big ask anyway. Same thing applies to other bands who PQ members are in…..we will never tour together.
I see no reason why there may not be an EC/PQ tour but I don’t think either of us have any plans in that direction in the foreseeable future. The bands are different beasts in a number of ways to be fair.
I guess the highlights of my tenure in EC would have been the SOS album, recording the live album in Glasgow and the tour we did in Europe with Freedom Call. Of course I know the FC guys well having toured with them in the past and it’s always a pleasure!
How did the recent comeback show go at the Underworld?
It was an amazing night! Biggest crowd we have ever had in London and we had fans travel from Japan,USA, Sweden, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Slovakia, Poland, Ireland, Scotland and even Yorkshire (hello Martin lol!) to see us. We had Alessio and Andrea join us from the original line up as well.
The new EP ‘Face The Raven’, has two new songs and the title track is a little different from past Power Quest music. What sort of direction is the new album taking? Can fans expect a few musical surprises?
The title track is the first song I’ve ever written totally on guitar for PQ so that probably explains the difference to a degree. I used to play a lot back in the day and I’ve been getting back into this year with the result that I’ve written a number of songs in that way.
I think the album will have a classic PQ vibe but with some heavy yet catchy moments and certainly an epic track or two as well.
As Power Quest’s back catalogue is spread across a few labels are there any plans to re-issue the albums at all?
A lot of people have been asking that question and it’s a bit of a minefield given our label history, most of which was not of our making. I’m very much focussed on the future rather than the past though so no plans in this area at all right now.
We will have to see what happens label wise as well. I’m certainly in no hurry to sign my life away but we will see what transpires over the next few months.
Message for you fans…
The return of the band had been quite a humbling experience for me as I was not expecting the incredible welcome back from our loyal fans who had never given up on me one day reigniting the PQ flame. I’ve said many times over the years that you can’t beat PQ fans for their loyalty and dedication. We may have not the most fans in the world but those we do have are worth their weight in gold, and I’d just like to say how much that genuinely means to me. Look forward to seeing you all sometime soon!
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.
Next session: Sunday 1 December
Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio
David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 3 November 2024.
UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 29 October 2024.
How to Listen Live?
Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)
Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”
Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.
More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com
Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024
ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)
Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)
PDF - you can delete unwanted sections