ASCENSION OF KINGS by Nth Ascension
(Sonic Vista Music)
Wow! Nth Ascension, in terms of talent, is an embarrassment of riches. The amount of creativity, musicianship and energy bursting out of their debut release, 'Ascension Of Kings' is simply astounding! Nth Ascension is made up of, Alan ‘Spud’ Taylor on Vocals, Martin Walker on Guitars, Gavin Walker on Bass Guitar, current keyboardist with AOR legends TEN, Darrel Treece Birch and Craig Walker on Drums and Percussion. Being a casual fan of Dream Theater, an admirer of Riverside and indifferent to Marillion, I didn't want to set my expectations too high for this album to only be disappointed in the end. If anything, I expected another decent Progressive Rock album. It turned out, obviously, to be completely different! Oh my gosh! 'Ascension Of Kings' captures everything that is great about progressive rock and deftly blends it with a liberal infusion of modern rock sensibilities. The compostions, musically, are stunningly beautiful. From the epic, "Fourth Kingdom" that opens the album in grand fashion. Hitting your senses from all angles pushing them to overload with tracks like, "Return Of The King", the majestic grace of, "Overture (Clanaan Part One)", the instrumental "Seventh Rider (Clanaan Part Three) and "Strange Dreams", a track that combines the AOR and Prog Rock genres to perfection. 'Ascension Of Kings
moves the progressive rock genre forward while staying true to its roots, unlike so many recent prog rock albums that seem to be purely retro. Nothing on, 'Ascension Of Kings' sounds forced or pretentious. Not a moment is wasted, and every bit flows beautifully and effortlessly into the next. These five supremely talented musicians clearly brought out the best in each other during the making of this recording. Craig Walker is an amazing a truly multi-dimensional drummer capable of doing just about anything. Gavin Walker is a solid, creative bassist, Martin Walker is solid on guitar and Darrel Treece Birch has some great chops that mostly avoid the Wakeman/Emerson imitation trap that so many prog keyboardists fall into. Overall, 'Ascension Of Kings' is a marvellous, beautiful progressive rock album. The lyrics and melodies are just fantastic. If you like prog rock, Nth Ascension will take your senses to a new level/dimension, a new and modern perspective of a classic style. - Highly Recommended
Tony @ The Dedicated Rocker Society/All Access Magazine
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