If one were to approach an academic to provide the definition of the word prolific, one should not be too surprised if said boffin responded by name checking Colin Powell in his musical garb of A Multitude of One. This is the project’s third album in a year, and the second in 2025, The Book of Enoch being the follow up to the wonderful A Templar’s Tale, which you can read about by clicking on the button below. Also, we should not forget that Colin appeared on the Nova Cascade swansong, Box Man.

The Book itself is an ancient Jewish apocryphal text ascribed to the patriarch, Enoch, who was the father of Methuselah and great grandfather of Noah. It is not regarded as canon by the bulk of Jewish traditions, or Christian churches, but it is most certainly interesting, dealing with demons, fallen angels, and prophesying the reign of the messiah (there is a direct lineage from Enoch through to early Christian texts with Jesus referring to himself as the “son of man”).

You can obtain a copy of this by going to the Bandcamp page at https://amultitudeofone.bandcamp.com/album/the-book-of-enoch

So, lots of narrative and textual music to discuss, and as with most conceptual albums of this type, a listen through from start to finish is required. Powell is an expert at creating atmosphere and the crucial prog artist trick of ensuring that a story contains drama the listener can immerse themselves in.

The 10 Weeks Prophecy refers to the period from Enoch’s time on earth through to the righteous judgement aftermath when the powers of heaven shine forever (the Judeo-Christian tradition is ultimately one of hope, when having survived bad times and people, those who “fear” God will be saved and bask in His eternal light). Immediately, the narration strikes you as warm, the piano dramatic and synths creating a high soundscape, the story true to the texts. A couple of minutes in, the guitar burst completes the atmosphere, the chants pitch perfect before the main guitar solo cries from the speakers. A wonderful start to proceedings.

The Watchers Descent (The Fall of the Angels) refers to the fallen, driven from the sight of God, whose leader was not Satan, as might be imagined, but Azazel. The organ and the darker narration bring a sense of the disaster that befell them, but also the downfall of the women whose chastity they broke. When Powell sings, his is an emotional voice, but, in the main, this is a rock opera crafted with spoken word, the synths driving the story.

The Lament of the Nephilim (The Giants Fate), the offspring of the fallen angels and human women who were destroyed in Noah’s Flood. It opens with a menacing drum roll and synths presaging the arrival of the spawn, their violence dooming them, swept away by God’s wrath with the rest of the wicked. This is a prog rock song incorporating so much in its five minutes. More rock opera, symphonic choral, electronica incorporating Vangelis influences as it progresses, the use of the piano as a lead instrument, heavier prog exemplified by the drums and the storms effects. A lot packed in here; this is deceptively catchy.

The Great Deluge (The Cleansing Flood) is said event where God essentially grew fed up with the lot of us and decided to start all over again. What He makes of us in 2025 is something I will leave to those of a stronger theological bent than I. The organ again portents the terrible torrent, but the great surprise is the smoky sax wondering through the flash flood.

The Hidden Stars (Secrets of the Cosmos) are stars which transgressed God’s commands and are bound forever out of sight. Enoch regarded the wandering stars (planets) as living entities, and he was carried into the heavens to witness them. This track is one which strongly highlights Colin’s vocal talents and provides for a backdrop of some power, the guitar lead prominent, the rhythm of the drums pushing the track at pace. I think of this as a sort of modern-day psalm. Psalms were poems and narrations sung by an individual or group in ancient Judea, and this has that feel to it.

Enoch’s Flight (Visions of the Heavens) describes his ascent to heaven, and there is a pleasing sense of wonder to the opening narration and synths, a wall of sound before this is continued with more of that piano, which Powell really does utilise to huge impact throughout this album, to the extent I would compare this to any of the classic keyboardists back in the day. In its composition, this does have the feel of Genesis as they went through their mid-1970’s expansive prog stage, that sense strongly supported by a classic guitar solo moving into the final passage.

Son of Man (The Coming Judgement) is essentially the promise that the wicked will face a final judgement, and the Christian Patriarchs were convinced that Jesus was the embodiment of this prophecy. I played this on my radio show a couple of weeks ago. You will note the court martial sense at the start, before the synths build the increased activity, the guitar riffs suitably grand before we enter a very playful passage of music, the saviour announcing himself with light, the guitar taking centre stage in the majesty of what we hope to achieve in eternity, some of the fusion above and below joyous. One of my favourite tracks of 2025, this.

The Last Kingdom (After the Judgement) is the Messianic Kingdom, and again, was hugely influential in early Christian interpretation of our fate if we were amongst the righteous bathing in the sight of God. The sung narration is simple, calm, inviting us to bask in the restoration of light, the synths and piano evocative, a beautiful bass melody propping it all up, the guitar solo taking us to the Promised Land, the throne at the end our destiny.

We close with Enoch (The Wanderer Beyond Time). This is over eight minutes long, and a suitable mini epic to close our journey, rounding up the main themes very nicely, the wanderer beyond time reestablished in our consciousness. The bass pulses with intent on this in tandem with the insistent piano, the synths creating a wall of sound. The mid-passage spoken passage through the endless veil of light leading into the synth solo is a thing of beauty.

Colin is on a huge creative roll, and this is one of those albums where the more you listen and bury yourself within it, the greater the reward. In terms of the subject matter, the easy thing to do would be to create a story around a Jesus, Peter, or Paul. Ask most people in Britain who Enoch was, you might be lucky to hear a few who remember or heard of Powell, but this figure? Very brave and very highly recommended.