Come 2nd November, Pagan folk prog/rock outfit, Spriggan Mist, release their brand-new opus, The Glare. The band have been attracting a dedicated live following and are much admired in the modern progressive world. I hope to get to see them in the not-too-distant future.
It is released via Progrock.com Essentials, and here is the link to do so; https://essentials.progrock.com/product/spriggan-mist-the-glare/ You can also get the digital version from sprigganmist.bandcamp.com
The lineup for this one is Fay Brotherhood, lead vocals; Maxine Cilia, keytar, alto sax, and backing vocals; Baz Cilia bass; Neil Wighton electric guitar; and Ali Soueidan on drums.
So, an intro leading us into six full tracks to discuss and listen to. Let’s dive in.
The Gaze of the Dragon is said intro, and the arrangement, incidentally, is by Aaron Cilia. It’s full of mystery, Fay drawing the listener into the band’s world, and the orchestral backdrop is effective. A solid start.
This is followed by the single, Ianatores Teresteres (Doorkeepers Outside), and I played this on my Progzilla radio show this last Saturday; it drew a positive response from those who were with me in the chat room, sufficiently enticed to want to explore more of this album. The references to Janus are interesting, the old Roman god facing both ways, whose temple doors were shut in times of peace. The opening riffs remind one of Sabbath in their pomp, but, as much as I loved that lot, they didn’t have the unique voice of Brotherhood to regale the masses. What an addition to the band she has been. It all pushes along at a cracking old pace, with some distinctive commercial sensibilities in there, and they pull off the essential trick in my book of being able to change tempo and mood at a moment’s notice, because there is a lovely guitar led passage taking over, the bass rumbling below in an extended instrumental passage which sets the scene for the middle of an impressive song, the chants building up to the return of the harder riffs taking us to the close. It is embedded below for you to enjoy. A very clear contender for “single of 2025” award on this website.
Pieces of Glass references glass beauties made by a woman from the beautiful Welsh (former) county of Gwent (Chepstow where Winter & Summer’s End are held is in Monmouthshire, formerly subsumed in Gwent). The lyrics are fascinating, with the colour of your soul under her control. It runs at just under eight minutes, and Soueidan’s work on drums here stands out for me, but again, the change from a pagan, Celtic musical folk tale to outbursts of modern guitar rock at a flash is very impressive, and this combination is throughout, the “tick tock” vocals beguiling. I have often stated my passion for the folk-rock Tull period as being my favourite of that august band. Well, when you listen to this, you know that they have worthy modern successors in Spriggan Mist, with some lovely harmonies between Brotherhood & Cilia, a quite beautiful acoustic guitar and flute duet before the guitar returns to lead a charge to the denouement signified by that deep flute. Incredibly good, really.
Faery Wood follows, and there is one, incidentally, literally ten minutes’ walk from my home in The National Botanic Gardens of Wales, where, as per this song, you can walk upon a carpet of bluebells, but be careful when lying down there, because the eponymous keepers could call you and take you to another place forever. Songs such as this are to be treasured, keeping alive traditional stories handed down over centuries, and for which our modern, social media obsessed world, is so far removed, to our detriment. The opening acoustic guitar is expressive, and the vocals simply continue that now familiar path of accompanying you on your aural journey, your imagination allowed to be set loose, Maxine’s penny whistle making a pretty appearance, the bass melody gorgeous, and the intensity waxes and wanes again to perfect impact.
Crystal Cave is up next, which I think might reference an Arthurian Saga. There is a bright fresh feel to the opening, and again I really admire the bass fretwork, the whole rhythm section indeed pushing matters along very nicely, the high guitar notes providing a grand soundscape, Fay’s voice here at once grand, at once bewitching, priestly in its insistence. The instrumental passage, with the alto sax taking centre stage alongside a guitar riff is stunning, and worth the entrance price of this album alone, a fine example of how to use that instrument as a lead.
The penultimate track is The Cult. Protest & Glory Isambard! Nature’s true power restored, and readers of this review should, incidentally, check out Isambard the Mechanical Dragon, the predecessor album which is also available on the website https://www.sprigganmist.com/ The opening here is a classic rock romp, and the riffs beat so nicely throughout, the vocals leading a procession to a peaceful, chivalric future governed by honour, the guitar then rocking out.
We close with When Stars Collide, examining the impact of the “stars”, the horoscope, the influence of which is decried vociferously by modern science, but these are beliefs and considerations as old as humanity, so I try to take a bit more of a pragmatic view. The main riffs are quite new wave to these ears, another interesting contrast in an album which continually surprises. The keytar takes over with the “Scorpio you have a sting in your tail” chorus, the rhythm section booming beneath it. Two minutes out, it’s all change again, with the brightest of guitar, the ethereal voice soaring, introducing the smokiest sax lead you will hear this side of New Orleans, indeed more than a hint of Americana in this closing passage. What a fine way to close off an album, such a sweet surprise.
I saw a description of this band as “rather odd”, a direct quote, the other day on a YouTube channel review, but this was the usual clickbait from that channel, because the review itself was rather respectful. The band are not “odd”. They are unique, and there is a difference between the two. They are not a monochrome “pagan folk” outfit, they are an accomplished musical collective with a range of influences, not afraid to experiment, whilst always remaining true to their core roots on this earth. They are simply unlike anything you will have heard in 2025. That is a positive, in every sense of the word.
This album comes very highly recommended to you.