The Future Kings of England The Fate of Old Mother Orvis
CD
Backwater Records OLKCD016
From Aural Innovations #38 (Jan 2008)
With The Fate of Old Mother Orvis, The Future Kings of England take their place
alongside Porcupine Tree as one of the U.K.’s finest practitioners of
neo-progressive psychedelic rock. Though one can hear clear echoes of Pink Floyd,
King Crimson, Nektar and other progressive pioneers from those long vanished
halcyon days, The Future Kings of England have undeniably fashioned a sound
all their own on The Fate of Old Mother Orvis. The breathtaking “Mustard
Men” shifts between striking contrasts of elegant melodicism and crushing
power rock to produce a masterful epic whose majestic sweep of guitar and mellotron
transfixes the listener. The descending/ascending scale guitar arpeggios that
provide the song’s denouement are simply cathartic. The same interplay
of forces between Ian Fitch’s guitar and Steve Mann’s keyboards
infuse “Dunwich” with a grand atmospheric quality that is equally
symphonic and rocking. Both pieces display the group’s deft understanding
of the use of space and dynamics within a compositional framework. The lovely
pastoral “Children of the Crown” evokes the group’s fondness
for fusing the ancient folk tradition of Albion with the hi-tech modernity of
progressive rock in the third millennium, a fusion highlighted by the group’s
superlative use of such traditional instruments as banjo, autoharp and dulcimer.
Darkening their sonic palette for the title track, the group explores the gothic
ambiance provided by the legends and landscapes of their native Suffolk. The
quasi-folk elements of this piece meld wonderfully with the psychedelic wail
of Fitch’s soaring guitar (here, a direct descendant of similar excursions
taken by Steve Hillage on Fish Rising) and Mann’s subtle yet essential
synth colorations. At an impressive and lengthy 18:11, “The Fate of Old
Mother Orvis” moves through a variety of moods and impressions that qualify
it as a legitimate classic of early 21st century progressive rock. To say The
Fate of Old Mother Orvis is highly recommended is to understate the matter considerable.
In a decade hence, aficionados of progressive rock may well be referencing The
Fate of Old Mother Orvis in the same breath with In the Court of the Crimson
King, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Angels Egg and Meddle.
Check out the band web site at: http://www.futurekingsofengland.com
Reviewed by Charles Van de Kree