Mythical Creatures is already the third concept album by the British progressive rock act Riffstone after releasing Richard III (see review) and Sanctuary Sky (see review) both in 2025. This musical project, which is a collaboration between multi-instrumentalists Dave Allen (Spirergy) and Colin Powell (A Multitude Of One and Nova Cascade), is in one big flow at the moment. Both gentlemen are full of ideas at the moment. Not only with this musical project but also with their own projects for which they deliver albums on a regular basis. Still they have time to record an album together which is clocking in at just over 80 minutes. As usual, for this album they have also chosen a theme around which they have hung their written songs. This time around the album is structured as a cohesive emotional and psychological journey where ten legendary beasts are treated as inner archetypes rather than simple fantasy monsters. On Mythical Creatures, the gentlemen do everything themselves again, as usual. They provide the melodic and rhythm parts and provide most songs with beautiful solos performed on guitars and keyboards. So, it is once again pure enjoyment to hear what the gentlemen serve up to us this time. Eighty minutes of music is, of course, a lot to listen to, and therefore it is difficult to distinguish between the ten featured tracks. Everything sounds equally strong, and don't think for a moment that there are fillers on the album or songs that are less engaging, because that is really not the case. Of course, some songs stand out, but that is mainly a matter of personal musical taste. Nevertheless, I would like to highlight a few tracks. First, The Phoenix, mainly because there are some amazing guitar parts to enjoy here. The next one to be highlighted is The Hydra, because the synthesizer solo here reminds me of Tony Banks (Genesis) during the time of And Then There Were Three. Next are the two songs with great Mellotron parts, as well as beautiful guitar work and brilliant synthesizer parts. I am referring to the songs The Manticore and The Selkies. The latter also features strong bass lines. But The Chimera is also a great song that should not go unmentioned. It features impressive Mellotron parts, but also excellent melodic parts performed on the keyboards and guitars. Yes, it is a real treat during this very fine song. There are also great songs to be heard towards the end of the album. What about The Leviathan, with strong bass lines once again, or the closer, The Unicorn? This ensures that the album is concluded on a good note. A song that comes across as cheerful because it is, of course, a very friendly creature that does no harm to anyone. It is also a song that is perfect for singing along to. We also hear the Tony Banks-esque synthesizer solo here again, which, together with the contribution on the Mellotron, provides the progressive rock element. As you can read, there is nothing to complain about regarding this third Riffstone album. Their Genesis and Steve Hackett-esque music continues to captivate from start to finish. In doing so, they ensure once again that Great Britain is firmly back on the progressive rock map. So I can only give a thumbs up to indicate that it has been done brilliantly once again by Messrs. Powell and Allen. **** Henri Strik (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
