Review of Space – 9/12/06

New Horizons Music is an English record company set up to promote the products of the band Protos as well as solo projects by the band's members. Thus, Space is one way, albeit not an exclusive one, of learning about a small piece of the history of prog. The twelve songs presented are divided into Protos material (both in the studio and live) and solo pieces by the keyboard player Rory Ridley-Duff. The style here takes us on a musical journey, an incredibly apt mixture that is well infused with the history of prog rock.

The pieces move between the territory set by Mike Oldfield, Vangelis and electronic prog (from 1970 to 1980). They are the product of high quality songwriting and supported by solid musical technique. This collection really is a surprise to me as it opens the doors into a world where symphonically tinged prog rock lives in eternal splendour, it's beauty and magnificence never fading away. The only criticism that might be levelled is that the disk is sold in a cardboard envelope and the cover is rather plain, not up to standard of the CD itself. I'd say though that the collector can easily ignore this and enjoy this heady, well-packed expression of devoted prog rock by descendents of the masters of the genre, but also darting ahead towards new and stimulating territories. This is a collection designed to help you discover Protos' magic as well as Rory Ridley-Duff's clever solo outings.