Zen Orchestra provide us with their eponymous debut album, released 20th September, and available at https://www.zenorchestra.com/shop and their Bandcamp page https://zenorchestra.bandcamp.com/album/zen-orchestra

The band are Mark Barrett vocals; Steve Smith keyboards; Stewart Milner basses (who tragically passed away a couple of years ago, and Albert Rigoni stepped in to assist with the completion of the work); Steve Rix drums; and James Stephenson guitars. The album is described by them as a love letter to the dramatic and long form music that they grew up with, a rather lovely descriptor. It’s eclectic and took more than ten years to being realised from initial concept to release.

Before we start, let’s have a look at the album promo on YouTube embedded below.

So, seven pieces of music to discuss on a work which has been positively received, certainly in the Progzilla Radio community.

We open with Minds. The album track is seven and a half minutes long, but there is a shorter radio edit I have embedded below for you to enjoy. The opening minute serves as an instrumental overture before the volume of the guitars and synths hit you, so nice chugging riffs underneath. Barrett when he hits the chorus makes his mark very well, powerful, descriptive in a track which does take you back to those heady days of the early 1980’s when the yoof of British progressive rock were experimenting with powerful sounds and a definite post-punk attitude. Steve Smith has that critical ability to use a piano with strength, to amplify the noise below. A very good start to proceedings, catchy and heavy, the mid-song instrumental pure prog, the synths swirling and whirling above the thunderous foundations.

Faces follows. It is a fraction short of the epic length. It has some interesting contrasts in mood vocally, from delicate to raging, and the music follows this, heavy in parts, and in others veering to more traditional synth-led symphonic music and thence to a quieter, pastoral feel. It all sounds very good, for sure, especially the Hammond burst followed by some impressive guitar work. The final couple of minutes take on a distinctly harder, industrial feel.

Time starts with a nicely delicate vocal. Barrett clearly has the chops to deliver these changing moods. At his most delicate, he has the timbre of a Nicholls, but when he pumps up the volume and strength, he can rival a Jennings in the power stakes. Again, we have a peaceful, almost bucolic opening passage, but as we move along, the band veer between power rock and the barely noticeable. The mid-song guitar solo is impressive, and the track explodes into noise at this stage, some stunning keyboard work and the whole room is filled with sound.

Billionaires follows, not, it must be said, the most popular of folk amongst the so-called “working people” beloved of Sir Keir & Rachel, bless. They provoke all manner of emotions from us normal folk, usually anger, but also fascination. The track has a marching thump at its core, voices and synths distorted as it grows in strength, a sort of heavy electronica piece, if you will, before the band’s core sound reasserts itself.

Circles races along at blistering pace, with an impressive bass from Milner and drums from Rix, the synths creating the overlay above the heavy riffs below, punctuated by some crisp guitar notes. The mid-passage gives us a very good extended guitar solo, atmospheric, the drum below powerful.

Heartless opens with an atmospheric Hammond and ghostly guitar, choral voices accompanying. It does remind one of Pendragon’s works. This is a brooding track, the narrative not altogether firm, Barrett for the first time on the album perhaps struggling a tad to hit some of the higher notes. Once again, as matters move on, the pace picks up, and the voice is surrounded by sound, the Hammond nicely asserting itself, and I like the symphonic approach as we enter the final quarter of the song, the final minute bringing us a triumphant guitar break, Stephenson channelling his inner guitar god.

We close, appropriately enough, with Coda. This is essentially the overarching theme of the album noisily brought full circle.

Zen Orchestra can clearly play. Listening to this does take you back to those second wave of prog days, and I am aware that this might not be to everyone’s taste, but for those of you who still love their IQ, It Bites, Twelfth Night, et al, it is certainly one for you to check out. It wears its heart and influences on its sleeve, and that is not a bad thing. I would be interested to see how the project develops.