Here is a set of progressive rock albums of the year that have been released in the last months, in 8 successive reviews.
First of all, I come back to an album dating from June 2019 about the English from 'This Winter Machine' which had released a very good first studio recording 'The Man Who Never Was' in 2017 (see here), and released their 2nd album 'A Tower of Clocks' which is based on the story of an owl who stores all our feelings in the 'Clock Tower' to keep all this memory intact. So, we are embarked on this story with a first instrumental title 'Herald' (which is the name of the owl) which sets the scene with first a first atmospheric part that prepares the main theme beginner to the electric guitar and which is gaining momentum by accelerating the tempo with a first solo keyboard. With 'Flying', we are immersed in a beautiful melodic ballad and after the short instrumental 'Spiral', 'Symetry and Light' is the first progressive piece sung with several interlocking parts and breaks of tempos and intensities. We find the style of 'Flying' with 'Justified' with melodic lines reminiscent of those of Elton John 'but with a much more progressive approach, the second part containing a very nice guitar solo and' In Amber 'continues in this melodic and purified piano/voice style. The progressive components are then more present on the rest of the album, with, first of all, 'The Hunt' which starts in a worrisome atmosphere then which increases in intensity and accelerates the rhythm to fall back in the last 2 minutes and finish with a heady melody; 'Delta', which follows, alternate intense passages and others much quieter with the use of the piano to accompany the beautiful voice of 'Al Winter', then, 'When We Were Young' is a new ballad this time guitar / voice with a few keyboards the album ending with the longest composition of the album 'Carnivale' which begins in a hurdy-gurdy atmosphere and which consists of several parts taking up all the atmospheres of the album which ends in apotheosis in a very beautiful crescendo and finally falls on some piano notes. In summary, the British of 'This Winter Machine' released a quality album that mixes beautiful ballads with progressive constructions and 'A Tower of Clocks', although it is accessible, nevertheless requires several listenings to take full advantage of every nook...
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