Rock Company [Release date 18.09.19]

Forest Field are the brainchild of Peter Cox, who plays all the instruments, songwriting and production, with Phil Vincent on vocals and guitarist Vince O’Regan guests on two songs.

‘Seasons’ is a concept piece, based not surprisingly given the title, on the seasons and how they keep on despite all the changes in the world. It is a mix of styles, one minute heavy metal riffing on ‘Into The Lion’s Den’ (one of the two songs featuring Vince O’Regan) and then the gentle, Beatles like refrains of ‘Rain In May’.

‘Change The World’ and ‘Eyewitness’ both feature plenty of keys, plus both have catchy choruses. Peter Cox manages to successfully meld a catchy melody with enough time/musical changes to entice in the prog fans.

The album also features three instrumentals and a chance for Peter Cox to flex his musical muscles. Of course Phil Vincent puts in a suitably fine vocal performance throughout the album. He really is a non-stop recording whirling dervish as there is a D’Ercole album out around the same time as this release.

Forest Field are progressing nicely with their own brand of melodic prog rock. The most rounded and enjoyable to date by them. ***1/2

Review by Jason Ritchie

Phil Vincent answered a few questions about the Forest Field album, his solo work and the other musical projects he is involved in…

How do you manage to keep producing so much music and to such a good standard, year in year out?

I don’t know. :) It’s a stream of consciousness and I have a lot to say. hahahaha

Forest Field is a more progressive band. How much input do you have in the writing with Pete Cox and do you need to alter your singing style at all?

Pete writes everything but I edit the lyrics, since English isn’t Pete’s first language. I put the words into lyrical format with a rhyming scheme. It’s not easy singing someone else’s lyrics so I do find it a little daunting. Any singer has to believe in the words or the song won’t sound honest in the end.

It was good to see Legion back again. Are you planning any further releases under the Legion name?

Thank you. It’s great to be writing with Vince again. And yes. we are working on a follow-up to “Rising”now. It will be out early next year.

With Vince O’Regan recording his guitar parts in another country, how easy/difficult is it to mix the guitars with the rest of the music? Do you prefer albums where the musicians all record together at the same studio or does cost simply rule this out?

Legion has NEVER recorded in the same room so it is the nature of the beast sending files back and forth. I don’t think there is an audible difference, with technology being so advanced. It’s not difficult at all mixing the music together. We(Vince and I) are very proficient at this and we have 9 albums of proof to show for it.

For someone new to the music of Phil Vincent, what three albums would you recommend they start with and why?

“Face It” from 2012. A double album.I love the songs on that album. “Pleasure and Pain” from 2008. Ditto. And “XX” from 2018. Everything came together on this one. My drumming seemed to be more rhythmic on this, probably because I used a different kit and the recording was so seamless.

Does the switch to streaming mean your music gets more or less exposure? The revenues from streaming are very low unless you are a major name/established artist. Is there still enough CD/download sales to make it viable to keep making music?

The revenue is very low but the exposure is massive so the advantage/disadvantage cancel out. If we didn’t have the internet or streaming capabilities, no one would have heard of me. It’s only because I have the option to release my songs without a major record label that it is getting heard. Rock Company is a label that has been very good for me. They understand the profits will take awhile to generate and they’re patient….and HONEST!!! THAT is something very hard to find today.

What have you got planned musically for 2020 and beyond?

Another Legion album in early 2020. I just finished a new solo album, as yet untitled. I think Paul Sabu and I will do a new Cranston CD in 2020 also. Of course I will releasing new Tragik and D’Ercole albums too. That’s a given. :)

Anything else to add…

Thank you Jason for the allowing me the opportunity to discuss my music and music in general. Get Ready to Rock does a GREAT service to the music “industry” by allowing people to find out about so many different types of artists. Keep up the great work. Please go to http://philvincent.com and http://www.philvincentbands.com to check out all my music. Hope you like it.

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)