It is always nice when an artist recommends this website to fellow creatives, and when that artist is Nick Magnus, it is incumbent upon me to treat the subjects with the utmost respect.
Flame Dream, whose website is at https://flamedreammusic.com/ were founded in Switzerland in the 1970’s, and disbanded in the mid-1980’s. They were a symphonic progressive band, releasing six albums back in the day, the last of which was 8 on 6 in 1986.
Well, they have returned, and I have been sent two CDs distributed via Empire Music – you can order these works via the website link provided above.
I will review both albums on this page.
The first is Out in the Dark, and this is a 2025 reissue of the album originally recorded in 1980 and released a year later. It was recorded at Patrick Moraz’s studio.
The lineup was Pit Furrer on drums & percussion; Roland Ruckstuhl piano & keyboards; Peter Wolf vocals, flute, sax, and percussion; and Urs Hochuli on bass and vocals. There was a special guest on guitar, Dale Hauskins.
There are five tracks on the album, including one of epic length. Let’s discuss and listen, but before we do, a word to recommend to you the digipack CD package provided by the act for these, which are seriously impressive.
The music, arrangements, and orchestration were by Ruckstuhl.
Full Moon starts us off, a poem written by Robert Graves (he of I Claudius fame). Now, it goes without saying (or should) that the words are beautiful. An excerpt:
“your phantom wore the moon’s cold mask
my phantom wore the same
forgetful of the feverish task
in hope of which they came
each image held the other’s eyes
and watched a grey distraction rise
to cloud the eager flame”.
Seriously, one of the joys of our progressive world is the ability to soak up culture in both the musical and lyrical interpretation of classic culture, something nigh on altogether lost to the modern-day obsession with low grade corporate pap.
I like the funk-infested opening instrumental passage, and then the voices enter the fray. It is pure classical progressive rock, elements of jazz fusion very much in there, as there was, for example with Yes, and I like the bright keyboard bursts especially. It is the sort of song that much of the punk & new wave yoof orientated journos would have despised and ridiculed at the time, but that is their loss. The sax contribution has more than a nice whiff of Supertramp to it. A solid proggy start.
Nocturnal Flight was written by Peter Wolf, and I must say that lyrically, it stands very serious comparison with the famous writers who inspired the rest of the album, a tale of autumnal migration. The keys which start us off are pure Banks, circa ATTW & Duke, so contemporaneous at the time this album was written. The vocals are drawn more from the Gabriel school of singing, and I like them, a touch of fragility which I have always been drawn to. There is a very strong bass melody, and the mellowness of this track is pleasing, before they expand it nicely into a symphonic rock piece, the guitar solos strong, the closing burst in particular. One for fans of the mellow side of progressive rock, for sure.
The title track is a poem by Edward Thomas, who died during WWI. There is a video for this, and it is embedded below. Incidentally, in the digipack, the photo of our lead vocalist does look uncannily like Mr Gabriel. They could almost be brothers. The word which comes to mind on this track is “pretty”, sometimes used to damn with faint praise, but not here. I like the interpretation of the words, the piano work is top notch, and the band are tight on this one, a throbbing bass at the heart of it, with a strong commercial sensibility in places. The flute part just before the four-minute mark is pure classic prog and introduces a mellotron before the band decide to jazz and rock out with some playful touches. The final minute with the sax and piano is lovely. Top prog. Enjoy.
Wintertime Nights is a poem by Victorian romanticism novelist, Thomas Hardy. It is the shortest track here, a little over four minutes. It takes its influence from earlier Genesis, whimsical in the manner of, say, Harold the Barrel, on Nursery Cryme, perhaps surprisingly given the cold and dark nature of the words. There is a strong performance on the synths here.
Strange Meeting is the epic track, split into three movements, and is a poem by the WWI poet, who hailed from my old hometown of Oswestry, Wilfred Owen. The middle section, Kaleidoscope, is bookended by parts one and two. We have over sixteen minutes of music on this one.
Part One is over nine minutes. The piano is pure Banks circa WAW, the vocal fragile, descriptive. There are some nice orchestral arrangements in this. The whole track is dedicated to the worldwide victims of repression, torture, and war, and the music strongly supports it. Owen would, I think, be very pleased with the result. The piece is a rollercoaster ride of classic prog, including some nice sax notes introducing a jazzier feel in parts, but the core sense here is of a symphonic band expanding their reach. The final words leading to the “LET US SLEEP NOW” are moving.
The middle section is an instrumental five and a half minutes in length, majestic synths, choral voices, the drums leading the charge beneath a strong sax principal, swirling keys amongst this giving the piece its name. Given a stronger mix, I think this could have been majestic. As it is, it is a very good listen. It leads into Part Two, a short conclusion, with grandiose synths, strong bassline, and solid drumming.
There are colleagues at Progzilla Radio who, no doubt, would respond with “oh, yes, I remember them”, musicologists with an incredible recall of artists and albums past. I must admit, I had not recalled Flame Dream before receiving the email from Peter Wolf in 2025, and I am glad he reached out. This album is not a mere curiosity. It is a fine work and it will certainly appeal strongly to those of you who like their prog symphonic and proud.
So, then, to the second CD, the brand new 2024 release, Silent Transition. Six tracks, four of them epic length, so a huge amount of ambition here.
The lineup is that of Out in the Dark, except for the guitarist, who is Bristol-based Alex Hutchings. The music and arrangements are again by Ruckstuhl, whilst Wolf is responsible for the lyrics, and the mixing duties are courtesy of Marco Jencarelli.
The digipack is another winner, with artwork bringing to life lyrical passages from the album.
On my Progzilla Radio show of 27th September, I played Out from the Sky, and this was well received by my listeners.
Before we discuss the album, let’s look at the video trailer for it embedded below. You will notice that the chaps are a tad greyer around the old temples! Nicely, they do seem to genuinely be enjoying this second lease of life in each other’s company.
We open with No Comfort Zone. Lyrically, good use of rhymes and evoking a scene of cold wasteland where only the hardiest can survive.
It is the first of the epic-length pieces. Immediately, you notice the difference modern recording and mixing techniques have brought to the band’s sound, after the initial noises, the drums and synths come crashing out of the speakers in a dystopian burst of electronica rock. The bass guitar work is very good, and the synths are bang up to date. Old influences, though, are still very present, and when the voice enters, the piano introduces a more classically reflective sound. There are some nice vocal layers on this, and Wolf’s lead voice sounds very much as it did over forty years ago, with that same sense of fragility, which as I noted above, I like. The drums on this really do crash out, Furrer putting in a real shift. There are some nice changes in textures and moods, and it all sounds strong instrumentally, the synth-led instrumental mid-passage a joy to listen to before we get that dystopian crash of the drums and voice with swirling noise leading us to the closing third which includes a strong guitar lead from Hutchings. A solid start to proceedings.
We have a video for the title track, embedded below for you to enjoy. It is interesting lyrically, an environmental tint to the words, again describing an icebound wasteland. We start off with some fine blues guitar riffs. Hutchings has added a lot to this band’s sound, his 12-string work (deliberately) evocative of prog of old, acoustic guitar having a nice classical tinge. The interaction with the synths is fine, and the rhythm section is strong, the bass melodies again prominent. I have seen and heard a couple of negative comments about the vocals on this especially. All I can say from my standpoint is I think he suits the music well, the chorus to me carrying nicely a delicate tune. We get a change just short of five minutes in with a darker hue, the organ taking over before Hutchings joins the fray with some dextrous fretwork, the lead guitar much more prominent here than on Out in the Dark. Again, though, music lovers will note Hochuli with some incredible bass melodies underpinning all that is good here, the piano introducing a jazz feel in the extended instrumental section. At times, I hear APP influences, and that is a strong recommendation to these ears. A contender for “epic of the year” come the year end, I really like this, a melodic feast.
Velvet Clouds follows talking lyrically of polar lights reflecting a blue lighthouse in the arctic tundra. It is the third epic on the bounce, with bells introducing us to the piece, ethereal keys abounding, a ghostly guitar sounding wonderful against them. There is a playful feel to this, especially the vocals when Wolf sings of the sense of magic flows, the Banks feel to the piano pleasing with the guitar bursts effective. A track in the strongest tradition of classical progressive rock, you will love the interplay between piano, bass, organ, and acoustic guitar mid-song, all driven along by a relentless drum riff and another fine electric guitar solo.
Out from the Sky is a mere 6:21! Storms, a void of darkness, raindrops whipping against a frozen face, struggling to stay alive and in touch with others in the face of the tempest. The start is very similar to some of the lovely openings produced by Jon & Vangelis, for a short time only before the piano aches with emotion above a gorgeous bass melody. This is perhaps the “wordiest” of the tracks here, and I love Wolf’s voice on it. As I said, I played this on my show recently, and I think this is a fine example of melodic, orchestral rock, the arrangements particularly strong, a Banks influence on the synths palpable. The video is embedded at the foot of this review, perfect for you to close this tome with.
Signal on the Shores is the sole instrumental on the album, the image on the digipack of vertical edifices in the foreground against a backdrop of storm battered waves, wild and raw. In the wordless humming, there is a funereal air. The spartan percussion is effective, and the synths lie in the background creating a ghostly soundscape rising above the sea, all the while the intensity building very nicely, the orchestration excellent, Hutchings dominating when he enters with a fine solo and a classic rock close recalling famous duals between Hammond and guitar. It is very good.
We close with Winding Paths, the longest track at over fourteen minutes. We are back into the icy air but seemingly trapped in some form of tundra puzzle to break out of. The opening synths and crashing drums exude menace, Hutchings adding to that with his dark notes. After this introduction, the vocals start, with a pulsating musical passage, the arrangements putting you directly in a concert hall, interspersed with some guitar bursts. The use of the Hammond duelling again with the guitar, the rhythm section crashing below, some more rumbling basslines, parping synths, pulsing orchestration, complex guitar riffs give us another extended passage recalling classic rock’s finest moments, and there is definitely more power in the mix here than on the reissue CD reviewed above. The closing orchestral segment is beautiful (and I wish they hadn’t ended it with those harsh sounds). It all keeps the listener fully engaged throughout.
This is a very good album, one I have been very happy becoming familiar with, and I am looking forward to the next stage of this band’s journey. They must have enjoyed making it, and there should be plenty more to look forward to from them. On that, I must say that Hutchings should absolutely be a part of that future. He is a real find for me, a true talent.
The album notes exude us to be “One World – One Voice”. Amen to that.
Recommended.