Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
It is uncommon to find yourself that struck by beauty that for a while it is impossible to convey exactly what you have witnessed. The temptation to flourish on the immediate arguably detrimental to the truth of your feelings, and it must be avoided at all costs lest your own quality fade.
To take stock and find your words of praise is a finer act of truth, and so as Liverpool’s Neil Campbell comes once more to the fore, as he takes centre stage with his brand-new mini album, based on Willis George Emerson’s The Smoky God, what the listener will be struck by is the genius of it all, just how Progressive the intention and delivery are; that a classical backdrop can be so likened to the finest that even Progressive Rock can offer.
This is no mere statement of intention on behalf of Neil Campbell on The Smoky God, this is a place of humbling and crowning cool, and with fellow musician’s such as Viktor Norberg, Roger Gardiner, Marty Snape, Stephen Cole, and Jon Lawton adding even further depth to the quality of the piece, what must be conveyed is just how superb this mini album is; that your heart and soul will be forever thankful to have found your mind in synch with your emotions on the day of first listen.
To declare an album as perfect is too often find those willing to declare it otherwise, but as the cascading and burgeoning effect of the instrumental infects the listener’s belief, and tracks such as Franz Josef Land, Anthem Of The Giants, Returning, the album title track of The Smoky God, and the musical poetry of the opener Setting Sail, all combine, so the sheer elegance of the piece is revealed, embraced, and found to be in the same realm as for example that of an offering by the renowned Steve Hackett.
The Smoky God is an inspiring, fiercely stimulating, and above all moving record, a piece of music history that straddles both the Progressive nature of humanity, and one that understands the natural homage to a classical nurturing, outstanding in every way.
Ian D. Hall