THE UNQUIET SKY

* Please note - this review is based on the pre-order CD sold directly from the band, one month before the worldwide general release *

Clive Nolan and his Neo-hard rocking companions return for the eighth Arena album in twenty years, `The Unquiet Sky', taking inspiration from (without being a direct interpretation of) M.R James' short story `Casting the Runes'. It's easy to see why the ghostly tale of supernatural intrigue and occult mystery from 1911 would appeal to Mr Nolan, and the album reveals plenty of the sleek and heavy symphonic rock with poetic lyrics that the British band is known for. The previous disc `The Seventh Degree of Separation' was a divisive and somewhat controversial release for a new line-up of the group that now included vocalist Paul Manzi, a transitional album that saw them adopting a more streamlined hard rock/metal sound. But long-time fans of the group will be pleased to know that, while there are still similarities to that previous album here and there, the much-loved symphonic atmospheres the band was known for are given more focus again, meaning a better balance of these two qualities together to create a truly sublime Arena work.

Some of the twelve tracks on offer still retain a hard-rock flavour, but everything an Arena fan could hope to discover is all present and accounted for here. After a more low-key performance on the previous album, virtuoso keyboardist/composer Clive Nolan is center stage again over the entire disc. Not only are his exquisite synths constant and upfront, but the artist has also implemented plenty of theatrical and orchestral symphonic textures into the group this time around, his recent work with the `Alchemy' musical being obvious right from the start, and these theatrical flourishes are a perfect fit for the group. Vocalist Manzi made a promising and reliable debut as singer for the group on `...Separation', but here he lifts his game considerably and offers endless more vocal variety. Better worked into the group, he is equally at home with heartfelt ballads, theatre flair and chest-beating rockers, and he has really become a perfect frontman for the band. Kylan Amos from Nolan's own `Alchemy' production replaces bass player and IQ member John Jowitt and makes an impressive debut here, ex-Marillion drummer perfectly drives the music forwards and It Bites/Kino/Lonely Robot guitarist John Mitchell delivers his usual tasteful and commanding guitar flair.

Of several of the highlights, listen out for the gleefully wicked and wondrous orchestral pomp that opens the album that could easily be an outtake from Mr Nolan's `Alchemy' show, the infernal and overwhelming church organ intimidation of `The Demon Strikes' and especially the shimmering dark reggae (yes, really!) chimes and sleek electronics of the thrashing `No Chance Encounter', where Kylan's bass really glides. `The Bishop of Lufford' perfectly mixes ghostly gothic mystery with soaring symphonic prog and muscular hard rock (and wait for that hair-tearing heavy finale!). `Oblivious to the Night' is a fragile little piano interlude with whimsical synths and a thoughtful vocal, `Markings on a Parchment' is an eerie dream-like introspective instrumental, and Mitchell's extended guitar solo in the classy title track even brings to mind Nolan's other band Pendragon.

Cascading classical piano spirals with snarling brooding guitars in `What Happened Before', and Clive delivers an overload of delirious synth soloing goodness on both `Time is Running Out' and `Returning the Curse' in the best Nolan tradition that his fans always love to hear! `Unexpected Dawn' is a strong ballad with warm Hammond organ and soothing acoustic guitar, and the ambitious seven minute closer `Traveller Beware' finds time for plenty of ghostly gothic tension, punchy plodding heavy riffs, creeping piano and a stirring repeated chorus with a dark lyric.

But special mention has to go to glorious power balled entitled `How Did It Come To This?'. It's a glorious emotional tune with a sombre piano melody, delicate orchestration and dreamy lyrics, carried by a perfectly controlled yet soaring vocal from Manzi. A restrained unfolding guitar solo from Mitchell in the middle ensures it may be one of the truly most heartfelt pieces ever to appear on an Arena album, and it's certainly one of their most purely romantic musical statements to date.

Along with typically fascinating and surreal proggy cover artwork and a lavish CD booklet (but what a shame there doesn't seem to be a vinyl version in the works so far), `The Unquiet Sky' is one of the most lavish, sophisticated and varied Arena albums to date, and certainly one of their most endlessly melodic. It's a fine return to form for the Neo prog institution, and it really shows what this latest line-up is capable of, so hopefully even more impressive music is to come from the mighty Arena!

Four stars.

The album concept is from a short horror story by Mr. James called "Casting the Runes". The atmosphere of this film is illustrated in the opening song. If the last Arena's album didn't convince all critics, this one could bring back some of those who didn't like the direct approach of this last album. This new album is not radically different from the others, but you can hear how much Clive Nolan's work on keyboards and piano has succeed to create some new sounds which give to the music a more atmospheric sound. You just have to listen to the track "Returning the Curse" to hear some nice atmospheric sounds from the keys that could find similarity with the band IQ. Also on this song, it's easy to get hooked on the chorus : "You look at me, but you failed to see me". Usually I am not the biggest fan of ballads, but here, the two ballads "How did it come to this" and "Oblivious to the Night" have enough quality to keep my attention throughout the album. The confident voice of Paul Manzi must help me enjoy those songs, but also the nice melody. There is also some semi-ballad type of songs that are not as captivating as most of the songs, but we get enough strong compositions to make for it. I was under the impression on the last song of the album "Traveller Beware", the way the song was building up, that it was going to be a epic like they did in the past, but this time the band keep their songs not too long. I don't want to finish this review without talking about the but the guitar work of John Mitchell who's sensible touch is tangible through this album .

After the rather weak and very disappointing 7th Degree of Separation, Arena (or more specific leader Clive Nolan) seems to realize that that record was not up to their fans expectations and quickly released (for Arena´s standards) The Unquiet Sky. And I must say they really did an excellent job. This new CD has everything you should expect from this great group and was lacking from the previous album: a dark concept, terrific melodies, intelligent and tasteful arrangements, symphonic keyboards and heavy guitar interplay and a very fine singer. That last aspect surprised me the most. I was not really bought by new vocalist Paul Manzi on 7th Degree... Technically he was great, but his delivering up to then was too nice and soft for Arena´s themes. Here he seems to understand how to deliver the dramatic lyrics with passion and menace that makes his vocal lines much more convincing.

Instrumentally the album is also much more varied and interesting, helped by the renewed, inspired songwriting (based around the M.R James' short horror story `Casting the Runes'). Nolan´s elegant keyboards lines are back on the forefront along with the emotional, creative guitar solos of John Mitchell. Bassist John Jowitt has left the ship again, but you´ll hardly notice it for newcomer Kylan Amos has a similar style of playing and does a fine job throughout the whole CD. As usual the Mick Pointer´s drumming is fantastic. Production is also top notch, balancing vocals and instruments in a much better way than on 7th Degree... (where the vocals were too loud). There are no real lows on this album, the flowing of the tracks is very smooth and pleasant, making it one of Arena´s best works in a long time. I always listen to The Unquiet Sky form start to finish with the same pleasure and that tells it all.

Conclusion: if you´re thinking Arena was going downhill after 7th Degree Of Separation, think it over. They came back with an album that is as strong as anything they have released before that CD. I wish other bands could come back after a dud with such powerful and inspired follow up!

Rating: 4,5 stars. Highly recommended!

Arena - The unquiet sky (2015)

After the mediocre ´Pepper´s ghost´ and the somewhat flat progressive metal album ´The seventh degree of seperation´ (with new vocalist Paul Manzi), Arena returns with a classic neoprogressive record that can live up to the 'Visitor', 'Immortal?' and 'Contagion' era of their career.

Most songs are either dark progressive tracks or emotional ballads. All songs have a part that really sticks and some instrumental passages remind me of the best of what my all-time favorite Contagion had to offer. Moreover, vocalist Paul Manzi now seems to add to the Arena-style, instead of diminishing it like on their previous effort 'Seventh degree of seperation' - though I would still prefer Rob Sowden any day.

The opener 'The demon strikes' sets the atmosphere that is actually quite dark. 'How did it come to this?' and 'Unexpected dawn' are both good examples of how a symphonic ballad can work really fine. On the last track 'Traveller beware' Arena gives an almost eight minute long treat of their extended progressive rock songwriting, perhaps a bit like 'The butterfly man'. My favorite part of the album is the string of songs that starts with the atmospheric 'Markings on a parchment' (with a nice bass lead), continues with the exciting dark piano parts of 'What happened before' and the classic Arena 'Time runs out'.

The production of the album is fine, with especially the bass guitar well in the mix and impressive symphonic sounds. I am always amazed by the guitar-playing of John Mitchell and his leads sound really well on this album, though I must admit I sometimes get the feeling 'I got to know his list of tricks'. The vocals are a often dubbed and a more natural vocal sound would not have hurt, though I know it is a part of the genre.

Conclusion. A much appriciated return to form from my first progressive rock love. Had it been a bit more inventive I could have given it five stars, but it will have to do with four. Recommended to listeners of the neo-prog and symphonic prog genres, and perhaps to those who like their prog with a dark atmosphere.

Perhaps this record deserves a bit more anticipation around here?

The Unquiet Sky is a welcome return to form by Clive Nolan and Mick Pointer's pomp prog vehicle, Arena, and it certainly is a huge improvement on Seventh Degree of Separation, an album generally regarded as being a massive disappointment.

The key, really, is a return to what the band do well. Take a story, preferably, as in this case, one revolving around the supernatural and ghostly world, add layer upon layer of huge sounds, until an atmospheric masterpiece is created. Simple, eh?

I have to say that one of the pleasures of this album is just how much of a great performance Paul Manzi puts in. Massive vocals, atmospheric, and reflecting the quality of the material he works with. I was not overly impressed on the last album, and this, I have to say, really sounds as if it was the material, rather than the bloke himself to blame. Manzi is very well suited to the overblown post-neo pomp of Arena, rather than the ill advised crashing metal he was on previously.

John Mitchell is as good as he has ever sounded, meaning we are treated to some fantastic licks. Clive Nolan has, especially, returned to that layered sound. His effects on the title track (think the prog version of Enya) are a joy to listen to, whilst the rhythm section of Amos and Pointer are extremely efficient in keeping matters moving along nicely.

This album is, for me, in the top five prog releases of 2015, and it has been played many times now, and, if anything, gets more enjoyable with each listen. Beholding such a return to form has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the year musically.

This is up there with the best of Arena, and gets an easy four stars, in reality four and a half, if we had such a rating. An excellent addition to any prog collection, and those unfamiliar with the band's work, or this type of bombastic prog, could do a lot worst that starting here. Hugely enjoyable.

Neo-prog standouts Arena return with their powerful blend of hard hitting, pomp-filled, highly melodic, and well performed rock with The Unquiet Sky, a concept album that, despite seeming to check every item on the "Prog Rock" checklist, comes across as a bland and ultimately unmemorable experience.

I decided to pick up this album after revisiting the band's excellent catalog (including Contagion, probably my favorite album in the neo-prog sub-genre here on the Archives). I was happy to hear the band roar to life within the first two minutes, smashing out a heavy blast of guitar and walls of keyboards in the great introductory track, "The Demon Strikes." One thing that can never be taken away from Arena is the band's excellent musicianship; they're simply great at creating this style of music, and know how to put the pieces together to make for outstanding instrumental moments. Paul Manzi, who returns to handle vocal duties, is serviceable, fitting in well with the tone established by the band's preceding vocalists. Personally, I prefer Sowden, who has stronger timbre and phrasing, but Manzi can belt out passionately and has a powerful sustain.

My issue is mostly in the songwriting and overall feel of the album. It's not because The Unquiet Sky is basically a by-the-books prog-rock concept album; we can easily forgive this because there are so many great examples out there that are, when you get down to it, derivative. It's more a malaise of mid-tempo blandness which pervades the majority of the album's running time. The highs aren't high enough; ballads not subtle enough; up tempo moments not exciting enough... you get the picture. I can totally groove to a single track or two on this album, but when taken as a single listen I am totally bored by the end. The music doesn't capture me, and the story doesn't inspire me; in fact, the lyrics are encumbered by their sheer number and need to tell a story, often literally, rather than through creative rhymes or poetic verse.

So sort of a mixed bag in the end. You won't regret listening to The Unquiet Sky, but it won't get nearly as much play as other albums in the genre. Fans should definitely check it out, but others should stick to the group's more diverse and exciting library.

Songwriting: 2 - Instrumental Performances: 4 - Lyrics/Vocals: 3 - Style/Emotion/Replay: 2

After the boring, uninspired and dry The Seventh Degree of Separation, Arena came back four years later with The Unquiet Sky!!!

And despite the scheme of the album is similar, having a long list of short songs unlike the band's classic albums, this time Arena tried to retrieve a bit their classic sound but without achieving this task completely. The album is heavy, dark and more guitar oriented in comparison to previous works, much in the vein of The Seventh Degree of Separation, but this time the songwriting is better and there is also more place to pure neo-prog elements in songs like Returning the Curse.

Sadly, Paul Manzi is still not the adequate singer for this band in my opinion. He uses a tone which is not so high pitched this time, but his style is too heavy metal oriented, and he lacks the dramatism and great interpretation of the lyrics that the other Arena singers like Paul Wrightson or the very missed Rob Sowden had.

Nevertheless, we must see the bright side of life, so let's say that The Unquiet Sky was still an improvement!

Best Tracks: The Bishop of Lufford (dramatic and powerful), Time Runs Out (simple, but effective), Returning the Curse (the most neo-prog song and where Clive Nolan shines the most) and Unexpected Dawn (and unexpectedly good acoustic track)

Conclusion: The Unquiet Sky was not the comeback album that the Arena fans were waiting for. It's too repetitive, with too many insipid guitar riffs and it lacks the dramatism and great keyboards of older albums. And Paul Manzi is not the adequate singer for this music, despite having a very good voice.

But like I said, the album was at least better than The Seventh Degree of Separation being an enjoyable experience in general terms, giving us a glimpse of hope for the future of this once great neo-prog band.

My rating: ***

After the six year gap between 2005's "Pepper Ghost" and the 2011 return with "The Seventh Degree Of Separation," ARENA debuted a new lead vocalist in the form of Paul Manzi after the departure of long time frontman Rob Sowden. Also rejoining the cast was bassist Jon Jowitt who had left the band way back after 1998's "The Visitor." While ARENA enjoyed a brief period of stability around the turn of the millennium, the band's eighth album THE UNQUIET SKY found yet another lineup change. While band founders Clive Nolan (keyboards) and Mick Pointer (drums) were still at the helm directing the band's every move as well as long time guitarist John Mitchell, THE UNQUIET SKY found yet another bassist with Kylan Amos after Jon Jowitt left the band once again. While the band didn't take six years to release a new album, they were in no hurry either and THE UNQUIET SKY wouldn't emerge for a full four years after the predecessor.

THE UNQUIET SKY pretty much continues the exact format as "The Seventh Degree Of Separation" which found the band ramping up the heavy rock aspects to make the updated version of the band with Manzi as the vocalist a louder more rockin' affair. The album starts off with an elaborate cinematic soundtrack type of intro which gives a clue to the inspiration behind the album's content. While the overall themes are multifaceted, the story is based on a short horror story by M.R. James titled "Casting The Runes" and the 1957 film version titled "Night Of The Demon." The timeline is in the Victorian times and the album also nods to the rock operas "She" and "Alchemy" due to Manzi's involvement in the latter. ARENA performs in the usual theatrical and moody manner that they always have with Clive Nolan's eerie keyboard touches haunting every cadence and providing the atmospheric generator as the canvas on which to paint the melodies and rhythmic drives of the heavy guitar, bass and drums.

Overall it's really hard to distinguish THE UNQUIET SKY from "The Seventh Degree Of Separation" as the album seems to carbon copy every aspect and the band had fallen into a comfort zone with little desire to expand beyond the previous album's newly established harder edge rock tracks. Once again ARENA implements a series of shorter tracks that emphasize strong melodic hooks that constitute simpler constructs although with just enough progressive mojo to keep it from being booted out of the progressive rock club. If random tracks from this one were mixed with the previous album and shuffled together it would be virtually impossible to distinguish which belonged on which album therefore THE UNQUIET SKY fails to distinguish itself in any significant way save the rare overtly cinematic touches such as the introductory track. While the band perfectly checks off all the boxes that make ARENA the band they are, what's missing here is some sort of interesting deviation from the status quo.

To my ears this album sounds like one of those bonus albums that was tacked on to deluxe packages, a trait that has become more common especially in prog circles like IQ and other neo-prog bands. An album that is perfectly listenable and basically gives the fans a double dose of what a particular album dishes out. If this had been released the following year after "The Seventh Degree Of Separation" and marketed as a sort of "Part 2" then this might have been more acceptable but after a four year absence in which to craft something more stellar, THE UNQUIET SKY does fail at wowing the aural sensibilities. Nevertheless there is nothing bad at all about this album. It effortlessly cranks out twelve well-crafted tracks that weave pleasant melodies, dynamic outbursts of heavy rock alternating with piano led slower moments and the expected storyline that revolves some melodramaticism excavated from long ago. Unfortunately despite all the exact same traits as its predecessor, everything seems a little watered down and showcases ARENA in a slow but sure decline.

Review Nº 455

Arena was formed in 1994 by Mick Pointer, the former drummer of Marillion, and Clive Nolan, the former keyboardist of Pendragon. With nearly as many line up changes, Arena was one of the dominant neo-prog groups of the 90's. Arena is a supergroup of sorts and has featured all over the years former members of Marillion, Pendragon, IQ, and Shadowland.

Their debut album 'Songs From The Lions Cage' was a strong neo-prog debut with aggressive playing that brought comparisons to Fish-era Marillion and contained lengthy tracks with long guitar and synth solos. It was followed by 'Pride', which built upon the sound the band had begun on their first album. Their third album 'The Visitor' is a concept album that found the band shortening their songs. Their fourth and fifth albums, 'Immortal?' and 'Contagion', were a move into a darker and heavier direction for Arena. Their sixth album 'Pepper's Ghost' is a dark and beautiful album with seven strange stories. Their seventh and eighth albums, 'The Seventh Degree Of Separation' and 'The Unquiet Sky', show a new change in Arena with more short tracks and is closer to prog metal, mainly due to the vocals.

'The Unquiet Sky' is based on a fantastic short story by M.R. James whose story takes place in 1911. The line up on 'The Unquiet Sky' is Paul Manzi (vocals), John Mitchell (backing vocals and guitars), Clive Nolan (backing vocals and keyboards), Kylan Amos (bass) and Mick Pointer (drums).

The first track 'The Demon Strikes' is a classical very recognisable Arena's opening. It has the classic rhythm of the band with great guitars, nice keyboards and dramatic vocals, creating the atmosphere that will follow throughout the album. The second track 'How Did It Come To This?' is an intense powerful ballad. It has great vocals, one of the rare guitar solos in the middle and a beautiful background piano and arrangements. This is one of the most emotional songs on the album. The third track 'The Bishop Of Lufford' is one of the highlights on the album. It's atmospheric with many breaks and harder passages. It features a bombastic intro, followed by some breath taking guitar solos and excellent orchestral passages. The forth track 'Oblivious To The Night' is a short track mastered by typewriter strums and piano, plus tender vocals by Manzi. This is almost a quiet interlude between the previous and the following track. The fifth track 'No Chance Encounter' is a dark bombastic number with a good, melodic guitar solo and various sound samples with the darkness and the hardest sounds mixed in different rhythms. It also shows that Arena has harmonious choruses. The sixth track 'Markings On A Parchment' is an instrumental mainly produced by acoustic guitar sounds. It's a kind of a short essay where a little more pace is taken out, before you put a little more steam into the flowing title track. The seventh track is the title track 'The Unquiet Sky'. It begins slowly and calmly and builds up melodically in a typical Arena's style. It's a great theme with leisurely pace, perfect vocal performance, a great chorus and nice guitar work that appears facing the masterful keyboard work of Nolan. The eighth track 'What Happened Before', the piano is the common thread of the work, which is really great, but that disappears in the last part, in which the instruments burst in unison. It's a cinematic reminiscent of the epic instrumental finale. The ninth track 'Time Runs Out' is the rocker of the album. Here, Nolan can presents his repertoire more clearly with synths at the beginning and Mellotron sounding in between. Sometimes the vocals sound dramatically distorted. The tenth track 'Returning The Curse' remains in the style of the previous songs, but it's also here where Nolan's musical skills shine the most, since it incorporates a fantastic keyboard work in the best typical neo-prog style. The eleventh track 'Unexpected Dawn' is a strong ballad with a cheerful warm Hammond organ work and a relaxing acoustic guitar work too. It offers a more optimistic tone, as can be seen in the title itself or in the lyrics. The twelfth track 'Traveller Beware' is the lengthiest track on the album with staccato rhythms, marching sounds, quite straight prog sections and breaks that work towards the bombastic finale. It shows the aspects that makes of Arena such a special band, theatrics, changes of pace and powerful melodies.

Conclusion: With 'The Unquiet Sky', Arena rediscovers the path of a progressive accessible to the greatest number carried by the melodies, demonstrating with class that it's possible to produce titles with short durations without sinking into monotony. It's true that we will not find here a big originality, but the hearing happiness can also be satisfied with melodies and harmonies which catch the ear. In short, it brings us many things that are good in Arena's sound. It took some time to me to discover how rich it is, musically speaking. 'The Unquiet Sky' shows that the band is still on the rise and their creation still becomes better over time. For me, this album is a step up in comparison to its predecessor. Not as good as my favourite albums 'The Visitor' and 'Contagion', but a must have for every Arena's fan and other proggers. It's recommended for fans of the British prog rock music in the vein of Marillion, Pendragon and IQ.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

A concept album based on the classic M.R. James ghost story Casting the Runes, Arena's The Unquiet Sky might have a uniquely terrible album cover - seriously, it looks like something out of that era in the 2000s when bands kept trying to do CGI album covers but cheaped out on the rendering - but it's a rather grand little album, perhaps the group's best outing since Contagion or The Visitor. It's certainly prioritising the theatrical over the experimental, but there's always been a strand of prog that's done that - especially in the neo-prog subgenre - and it's certainly a stirringly emotive set of tunes which lean a bit harder into the heavier side of the band's sound.