Woodcut is Big Big Train's sixteenth studio album, and this new album also contains sixteen tracks; furthermore, Woodcut is a concept album and after lots of intense listening I can only conclude that Woodcut is a prog rock masterpiece indeed. Big Big Train's previous studio album, The Likes Of Us (2024, see review) was great and their live album Are We Nearly There Yet (2025, see review) was magical, but Woodcut is their finest record to date fir sure! Woodcut starts with the gentle sophisticated prelude called Inkwell Black, featuring cello, violin and clarinet, followed by one of the highlights of this album called The Artist; a superb, typical BBT track that sets the tone- I know it is a cliché - for the rest of the album. Every track on this album grabs your attention, be it the instrumental Cut And Run (complex prog rock with thunderous riffs), the very diverse Albion Press (beautiful vocal harmonies), the intricate Counting Stars (featuring a sensational guitar solo), the energetic Warp And Weft (Black Sabbath-like riffs), the acoustic Chimaera (melodic with heartfelt vocals) or the mysterious The Sharpest Blade (vocals by Clare Lindley). Other beautiful songs are Arcadia (enchanting violin melody), Dead Point (very proggy indeed) and Last Stand, the latter being the perfect ending to an almost perfect album. Try it and you will like it for sure as Woodcut is definitely a 100% contender for album of the year 2026! Listening tip; Albion Press. ****+ Martien Koolen (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
