BMH Audio [Release date: 03.11.23]
‘Terra Nova’ is a British prog rock band Hekz’s first release for 5 years and is a concept album that deals with overcoming different elements of the psyche to realize our potential and become who we are meant to be.
To that end they have cut a subjective, complex and musically restless album kept on track by an evolving story.
They lay out a mission statement in the opening title track: “Do you feel so out of place, On a path you cannot trace, Like a person who fell out of time?
Out of step and out of sync, What you see and how you think, Are you living on a fragile line?”
They further expand on this with: “Gotta find where you belong, Fly your flag and sing your song, It’s a journey and the map is in your hands.”
And they finally restate the core idea in the closing coda of ‘Terra Nova 11’: “They say that life is not a destination, It’s the steps you take, The road you choose and how you make your way.”
Terra Nova’ is based on an evolving concept that gives bass playing vocalist, songwriter and keyboardist Matt Young all the ammunition he needs for an adventurous album.
The prog metal band gathers its inspiration from the seemingly contrary impulses of musical spontaneity and remote recording, while the album fleshes out its conceptual nature with a structural narrative brought to life by power chords, feverish rhythms, undulating melodies, fiery solos and resolving hooks.
The thunderous opening title track acts as a musical calling card, with harmony guitars, ebullient percussive phrasing, Rush style propulsive bass lines and enough room for Irina Markevich’s extra layer of violin.
But it’s Matt Young’s songwriting that is the bedrock of the project. His noir filled lyrics fit complex musical changes and breathless arrangements which never linger too long, but always deliver enough to keep the listener interested.
He’s big on dynamics, as on the lumbering ‘Sabotage’, full of vocal and musical ‘call and response’ moments, and 70’s Tull style Staccato stops and starts.
And aside from a few overblown moments, particularly on the 25 minute suite ‘The Silent Man’, the reason the project works so well is his attention to detail.
For example, on the heavier ‘Sabotage’, he evokes a lyrical sense of doubt through his use of prosody: “There’s something in me and it won’t come out, I’m full of fear and I’m full of doubt, Every time I try to push it down, It’s like a flood and I’m gonna drown.”
On the other hand, there are moments when the near 90 minutes of music cries out for more than few drops-downs and dynamic subtleties.
And yet on balance, the organic nature of the album wins out.
‘Horizons’ for example, is a frenetic track which never stays in a groove for more than a few seconds before new sonic elements rise and fade to perfectly fit lyrical meaning, especially won the line: “Don’t stop me now, I’m running free, You can’t hold me back today. Hands at the helm, I’m on the tide, Horizon’s calling me away, Time on my side, World at my feet, I’ve got my life in my hands.”
On the outstanding “Mayday” he sings; “You hit me like a cannonball, No warning, I could lose it all, I didn’t feel the changing wind. Complacency. A careless sin.”
Happily, there’s no complacency here, as the band fulfils its potential on a breathtaking track full of intense band interplay held together by the expansive phrasing of drummer Moyano El Buffalo.
‘Terra Nova’ is an album with so much going on that each track rewards the listerner with different options, even when you step outside the chronological musical journey.
And if ‘The Tower’ is a dirgy piece, it does its job in evoking the feeling of being trapped, before a revelatory hard rocking moment when Young sings over some choral bv’s
The following ‘Lifeline’ acts as a counterweight, with a musically rewarding hook ushered in by a big hair metal style woosh. Such is the feeling of a cathartic release that that the combination of falsetto vocal, keys and Mark Bogert’s double line guitar shred – he is a big presence on the album – sounds as if they are trying to over egg the cake.
You could argue that is also the case on the heavier ‘I Am The Thrall’, as the rampant need for musical expression seems to hamper the track’s coherence. The moog solo and thunderous drums also asks much of Young’s vocals.
Then again, a rich cake deserves the best ingredients, and this is a band bursting with proggy vitality.
Everything builds neatly into the pivotal 25 minute suite of ‘The Silent Man’, which though musically exciting, provides the moment when an outside producer could have applied a judicious snip.
The mesh of synths, spiralling guitars, percussion, big chords, flinty dynamics and even a delightfully playful trumpet solo seem to emphasize a “kitchen, sink and all” approach.
The band doesn’t so much resolve the extended piece, as bash it out with a cod-operatic finish to shine a light on a more optimistic narrative: “But if you believe you can be broken, Believe you can be fixed.”
The lyrical coda of ‘Terra Nova11′ gives the band the opportunity stretch out on a dreamy contemplative section which vocally evokes early Yes, complete with an acapella outro.
With 11 songs, 89 minute of music and five years in the making, ‘Terra Nova’ proudly stands outside of the world of digital download immediacy and takes you on a journey that demands the kind of focus and patience that will surely lead to many repeat plays. ****
Review by Pete Feenstra
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.
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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 2 April 2024.
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Power Plays w/c 15 April 2024
ENMY The Ledge (FiXT)
KAROBELA Get Hard (indie)
KATH & THE KICKS Neptune (indie)
THE BEE TELLERS River Poem (Black Sand Records)
LAUREN FREEBIRD Like A Bomb (indie)
Featured Albums w/c 15 April 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023
14:00-16:00 KATARINA PEJAK – Pearls On A String (Ruf Records)
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