The productive machine which is Riffstone continues to bulldoze its way through the prog conscious collective, and 1st May sees the release of album number three, Mythical Creatures, which you can get by visiting the Bandcamp page www.riffstone.bandcamp.com

We have ten pieces of music centring around wonders of human imagination, and I would, incidentally, thoroughly recommend the gorgeous digipack CD release with some stunning imagery created by Dave & Colin with some AI assistance. First off, let’s look at the video trailer.‍ ‍

So, we open with The Griffin, the creature which guarded the gold mines of The Scythian Empire, the head of an eagle atop the body of a lion. Those of you who love a crunching bass riff will lap this album up, the instrument used as a guide to our story from the off. The keys and effects are impressive, especially with the vocal soundscapes produced, the harmonies are wonderful, the guitar burst is excellent, and it is, simply, a modern progressive rock delight. The pair have released this prior to the album launch and it is, therefore, embedded below for you. There is a huge amount going on musically throughout the album, and this premieres that very nicely.

The Dragon follows, the lyrics an interesting commentary on our times, I believe, with the certain knowledge that power breeds contempt, greed wears a golden face, and us gullible or worn down (delete as appropriate) mortals bow and call it truth. The opening keys are taken directly from the Wakeman playbook of symphonic adventure; replete with the choral majesty one associates with it. This pair are unapologetic symphonic prog rock exponents and fans, and I, for one, am glad that this corner of our beloved genre is still being recorded in 2026. It is not merely the music, of course, but the use of lyrics to tell fantastical stories which resonate not only in legend, but in the modern day. It is not an easy thing to pull off, and Allen & Powell do it with aplomb. The melodies in the passage leading to the final vocal and synth burst are gorgeous.

The Phoenix, that creature arising in fire from the ashes of a deceased predecessor, from death coming a new horizon without fear of the past. The guitar following the opening choral voice is evocative, masterfully heralding the rising of the creature as described by the majestic electric guitar taking prominence, the bass rumbling with melodic intent beneath it. I just love the acoustic guitar duet which takes the lead entering the final passage of music, which closes with a massive heavy electric riff as the creature rises beyond death’s heavy claw. Superb.

The Hydra was a multi-headed serpentine monster guarding the entrance to the underworld, eventually slayed by Heracles. There is some very complex music in this, the guitar and bass in a cosmic interplay, the synths rising nicely, and the vocals when they enter are far deeper and higher in the mix than those in the preceding tracks, and the intensity of the guitar solos against Squire-inspired bass runs and the keys soaring above is memorable.

The Basilisk was a legendary reptile serpent king who if you looked into its eyes would render you dead, and the lyrics play with this joyfully, exhorting you not to look, not to stare, but, ultimately, you are caught in its gaze. The woodwind effects which open are sorcery itself, whirring around to entice you into the creature’s gaze, a la Kaa in The Jungle Book. Some of the guitar work on this takes me right back to Trespass and Nursery Cryme, the progressive era I fell in love with all those years ago, and the infusion of the Banks mellotron does absolutely nothing to dispel that wonderful nostalgia, with, naturally, the narrative telling its mythical story.

The Manticore was, of course, adopted by those titans of prog, ELP, with their leonine body, spiked venomous tail, and fierce face (who was who?). This one is just short of the epic-length and starts with the most delightful pastoral scene before bursting into a heavy pantheon of noise, and I find the lyrics interesting on this, with the representation of monster as self. There are some impressive synth effects on this alongside the mellotron vying with guitar for the listener’s attention, the track turning into a dramatis personae as the creature introduces itself, this passage quite gothic before the pastoral core reasserts itself.

Two wonderfully good-looking proggy chaps!

The Selkies were creatures who could morph between human and seal forms. The beautiful human form here is a predator luring the innocent victim into its lair. This is another track where the lover of the powerful, pulsating Rickenbacker will simply sit back and allow the sound to wash all over them. The exhortation for the poor victim to join the creatures is the finest in prog since Phil told the story of the temptress in The Lady Lies, and the guitar solo which follows is similarly quality.

The Chimera was a fire-breathing monster, a lion and goat head, and snake tail/head protruding from its massive frame. There is some gorgeous guitar work on this track, the instrument reaching huge heights, as do the vocals. The keys, though, do gain some prominence with some delicate and intricate notes amongst the powerful percussion, the final passage moving to a new level of interplay between voice and instruments, a true symphony of sound.

The penultimate piece is The Leviathan, the giant sea serpent referenced in more than one Biblical text, but here it seems to take, I think, a Gnostic hue, incorporating the souls of those materialistic souls too wedded to life’s pleasures to take part in God’s somewhat more mundane paradise. Let’s dispense with the competitive formalities and declare immediately that the bassline on this will win the “bass performance of 2026” award on the website – it is staggering, and a delight to immerse oneself in. There are, again, some beautiful melodies created in between the main lyrical passages on this song, the tunes dancing along the creature’s siren call across the oceans.

We close with The Unicorn, a creature which surely needs no introduction to the reader. There is a pleasing lightness from the off on this, the synths entering into a jig with the acoustic guitars, the voices then playing with the melody. Uplifting, and a suitable close to an always fascinating album.

You get 80 minutes of music on this, a set of songs which lovers of traditional symphonic and pastoral progressive rock should rightly fall in love with. Something like 50 years ago now, the gobbing yobbos declared that such music was dead. Well, they can stuff their Pistols and Subs – I’ll take this as the continuation of a form of music which allows for immersive separation from the horrors of this world.

Very highly recommended.