Undoubting Thomas - 2025 - In The Process Of...

(62:00; Roxx Records)






















I don’t think I will ever get fed up of being contacted by musicians who have been told to get in touch with me by another musician, and that is the case here when Jef Bek told Thomas McKeown to send me his debut release. Here Thomas provides lead and backup vocals, guitar, bass, piano, organ, synth and percussion and he is joined by Patrick Culligan (drums), Heather Humphrey (choir vocals) and Gary Jacklin (violin and viola). Apparently, Thomas used to be in a progressive rock band called Damascus, and he says this is a return to his progressive roots, and it seems to me that he has been listening to a great deal of Neal Morse, as well as some of Neal’s influences (particularly Kansas).

Somehow this album has passed PA by as he is not listed there (I’m doing something about that) which shows just how hard it can be for quality music to get to the right areas, even in the small world which is progdom, as this is a delight from beginning to end. It never sounds like a solo album, but as if this is a full band with a bassist who provides underlying melody which pins it together, two keyboard players mixing it up with synth, organ and piano, a guitarist who can gently riff, pick or provide emphasis while the vocals are melodic and very pleasant indeed. I am not sure how many times I have played this already, but each time I find more in the arrangements and harmonies, while the hooks are absolute killer. It is a prog album which is meant to be enjoyed as opposed to endured, mixing the symphonic with crossover tendencies, using piano to cut through the layers and classic Hammond sounds to provide the gravitas.

There are only a few longer songs on the album, but the nine songs are more than an hour in total, so there is plenty of time to sit back and relax. It feels very Seventies at times, Nineties at others, but with a modern melodic sensibility without ever losing any of its passion and gritty reality. Fans of solid American-style progressive rock need to hear this, so check it out on Bandcamp. I can’t wait for the next one. 

Kev Rowland, December 2025

Links:
https://undoubtingthomas.com/
https://roxxrecords.com/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tonnen von Hall - 2025 - Ein Abdruck vom Messer im Herzen

Image
(61:45; Iapetus [Unsung Records] ) Track list: 1. Erdmantel 4:05 2. Vorhalle 0:40 3. Antlitz 4:12 4. Stahlhalle 1:01 5. Kraken 5:02 6. Mitralsaal 0:55 7. Kanister 5:56 8. Sockelwald 0:49 9. Kaiserlicht 5:46 10. Schacht 0:43 11. Zivilisationsfolie 4:27 12. Nebelgarten 0:58 13. Donnermesser 6:41 14. Blutrille 1:01 15. Rauschmitte 5:22 16. Klingensaal 0:50 17. Endgegner 3:39 18. Ätzung 0:41 19. Thronfolge 3:09 20. Ein Abdruck vom Messer im Herzen 4:55 21. Herzkammer 0:53 Line-up: Markus Reuter - guitars, loops, sounds Alexander Paul Dowerk - guitars Asaf Sirkis - drums, percussion, vocals Prolusion. Germany based band Tonnen Von Hall was established back in 2022 or thereabouts, and the threesome consisting of Marks Reuter, Alexander Paul Dowerk and Asaf Sirkis has been developing the style and sound of this new formation ever since. The results of that process first came to light on an EP released towards the end of 2024. A few months later the band have now released their debut album ...
Read more

Thirteen of Everything - 2023 - Time and Other Delusions

Image
(68:22; Basement Avatar Records) Track list: 1. Timeline 8:57 2. Alternate Life 12:02 3. Where the Time Goes 5:32 4. The Penultimate Flight of Armando the Pigeon 7:11 5. The King of Istanbul 10:35 6. Warmth and Darkness 7:32 7. Count All the Days 16.33 Line-up: Brett Cosby - guitars Mick Peters - Chapman stick, bass, pedals, vocals Ted Thomas - drums, percussion, vocals Bob Villwock - keyboards with: Thad Miller - keyboards Prolusion. US band Thirteen of Everything has been a going concern for a bit over 20 years, releasing their initial demo back in 2002 with official albums following in 2005 and 2019 respectively. Following what has been a brief pause between albums for this band they are now preparing to launch their third studio album "Time and Other Delusions", which will be released on US label Basement Avatar Records. Analysis. In terms of the different variations one can find in the progressive rock universe, Thirteen of Everything resides safely inside the symphonic ...
Read more

Deaton Lemay Project - 2022 - The Fifth Element

Image
(63:04; Deaton Lemay Project) Track list: 1. The Great Awakening 5:32 2. A Different Place in Time 7:24 3. Dragonfly 3:35 4. The Nightmare 4:28 5. Exordium 6:24 - Elements of Life Suite 6. Overture 4:43 7. Fire 6:10 8. Water 6:11 9. Air 4:19 10. Earth 6:53 11. Music 7:25 Line-up: Roby Deaton - keyboards, guitars, vocals Craig LeMay - drums, percussion with: Hadi Kiani - vocals Ehsan Imani - guitars Josh Mark Raj - guitars John Haddad - bass Charles Berthoud - bass Liza Evans - violin Prolusion. US band DEATON LEMAY PROJECT started out officially back in 2018, following a 25 year long period of gestation. They released their debut album "Day After Yesterday" in 2019, and following what I suspect has been a rather busy planning and recording period during the years of the pandemic the creative twosome of Deaton and Lemay are back with their second album "The Fifth Element" at the start of 2022. Analysis. While the fifth element apparently used to be defined as aether ...
Read more