Liverpool Sound and Vision 8.5/10
We mock what we don’t understand to our downfall, and whilst it is healthy, indeed critical in the time we live in, to seek the truth from the voices perpetrating to come from the other side, we must also be aware that there is a chance that the Seance will convey such information to which might be of benefit to us, that the presence in the room is here to deliver tidings of joy, happiness and a beat that has the toes tapping, as well as the ghostly knocks rapping on the table in harmony.
Ambition and drive keep us alive longer than the idea of towing the line and behaving to the point of dusty indolence, after all it doesn’t take a madman to understand that the more mountains there are to conquer, the more the urge to withstand the cold and icy grip from beyond the grave and pursue the beat that echoes your own heart in a place of desire.
Such a drive is sacrosanct to the members of Professor And The Madman, Alfie Agnew, Sean Elliott, Paul Gray and Rat Scabies, as they unveil the new album, Seance. They may be members of Rock’s established community, but combined they arguably have more to offer in the wake of the way the world is shaping itself up to be, more anger, a further display of energy of which is vital for the coming battle ahead.
What makes this new album so good, aside from the vitality the foursome bring to the proceedings, is the idea of the concept, the interlinking of the songs to form a natural story. A former staple of the Rock/Progressive genre, the concept has long been under threat as the pop filled music market relies on the instant catch, rather than the long and more fulfilling reel; and as each track reveals another glimpse of the nature of the ghosts unleashed, so to does the admiration for the four musicians become ever-increasingly demanding.
Across tracks such as All The Lonely Souls, Real Me, Time Machine, Two Tickets To The Afterlife, The Council Of Purgatory and Greetings From The Other Side, Professor And The Madman hold their heads high and without any sense of disillusion, proclaim the spirits satisfied, gratified and revelling in hope for what this musical exploration has achieved.
An album secure in its own groove and passion, one that understands the sheer complexity of the concept album, and which succeeds in making this particular Seance one of absolute fun and resolve.
Professor And The Madman release Seance on November 13th via Fullertone Records.
Ian D. Hall