If I am not mistaken, the British progressive act Also Eden was founded in 2005. The band was initially formed as a recording project in 2005 by Huw Lloyd-Jones (vocals) and Ian Hodson (keyboards/vocals). Later on when guitarist Simon Rogers joined them, the actual band was probably formed. Several musicians helped them out on the rhythm section. Their first two albums About Time (2006, see review) and It's Kind Of You To Ask (2008, see review) are true masterpieces for me. Unfortunately after those two releases Jones parted ways with the band and was replaced by Rich Harding on lead vocals. With him the band released another two excellent albums and EP. However the EP Differences As Light (2010, see review) and following albums Think Of The Children ! (2011, see review) and [REDACTED] (2013, see review) never reached the musical level of its two predecessors. After a few more concerts in 2015, things became quite quiet around the group. There were no real signs of life until roughly after the pandemic in 2022. Concerts resumed with the almost original line up from their first two studio albums, including the Northern Prog Festival (see review). Meanwhile, new material was being written and recorded. All of this resulted in a fantastic comeback with the release of three EPs. The first of these is titled Holy Books And Credit Cards 1: Promises and has since been released. As you might have noticed, this new EP is the first new music from the band since the earlier mentioned 2013 album[REDACTED]. And it is the first to feature founding member Huw Lloyd-Jones (vocals) since It's Kind Of You To Ask in 2009. Long time members Simon Rogers (guitars) and Graham Lane (bass) are joined by another returning founder, Ian Hodson (keyboards) and 'new boy' Guy Monk (drums and percussion). This was also the line up that gave a concert in the Netherlands at 't Blok in Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel November 10, 2024 (see review). During this Progfrog concert they already had a preview of two new compositions. The band wrote on their website that the songs on Holy Books And Credit Cards 1: Promises are recognisably Also Eden but take the band in some new musical directions as well. Which I totally agree. They also wrote that the music draws from many genres. Influences are included from rock, prog, metal, jazz and folk. Which I also in a way agree with. The band also says that they combine those elements to create something new and genuinely different. Which is true as well. And I couldn't agree more that this makes Also Eden sound like no one else. Something which you can't say about every band unfortunately. To explain this all a little better I will go through all of the songs on this excellent new EP one by one. Promises - The opening track starts as a more heavy and straight forward up tempo piece of music. Occasionally the pace gets slower and the progressive rock roots come to the surface. Included are delicate keyboard parts and strong lead vocals. A strong opener by all means! A Painter's Hands - Beautiful acoustic guitar parts starts this strong tune. Again strong vocals can be enjoyed next to beautiful keyboard parts. The guitar solo that you hear is just breathtaking. All in all a great mellow atmospheric prog tune if I may say so! Scented Candle Corridors - Already done during the earlier mentioned Progfrog concert. It is the longest composition on this EP and probably the musical highlight on this release. This is pure prog what you can enjoy on this track! Excellent guitar and keyboard parts next to again some outstanding vocal parts. Bringing me back to old days of the band when they released first two studio albums. Albums on which you can hear the influences of the seventies prog acts such as Genesis. But also the eighties neo prog of acts such as Pallas, Pendragon, IQ and Marillion. This is how many of us probably would like to hear the band again. Promises (acoustic) - This is an extra bonus track. This an acoustic version of the opening tune. It shows that this compositions also stands out as an acoustic version compared to the more heavy and straight forward version. Sometimes an acoustic guitar and a human voice are just enough to keep you focused on the music until the final notes are played! And so the first of this trilogy shows that the future for this excellent band looks once again very bright. There is nothing to complain about this release. The four tunes on Holy Books And Credit Cards 1: Promises sound great and the CD is housed in a gatefold card sleeve with a 4-page lyric sheet. So you can sing-a-long as well. So welcome back Also Eden. You did it with a BANG!!! All we can do now is waiting patiently for the next two EPs to follow this excellent first new release in 13 years. The next chapters of this multi-part body of work are already announced. The two further EPs will follow soon, with the second being released in May/June 2026. The trilogy will be completed with the third release in the Autumn of 2026. But for now I will play Promises again and again and again! **** Henri Strik (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
