Damascus - 2024 - The Road To Damascus [The Complete Anthology]

(141:02; Roxx Records)

A while back I was contacted by Thomas McKeown, who had a new project called Undoubting Thomas and he was asking if I would be interested in reviewing it. I thoroughly enjoyed that album, and Tom and I started talking about the band he used to be in, Damascus. It transpired that this progressive band had released two EP’s (‘Damascus’ and ‘Demo ‘91’), three cassette albums (‘Will I Find You There?’, ‘Timeless’ and ‘Soon… The Doors Will Open’) and there was also an unreleased album called ‘The Turning Tide’, all of which had been compiled into one double CD set. Needless to say, I wanted to hear that as well, and this is what I am now listening to.

The line-up was Tom McKeown (lead & background vocals, keyboards, guitars), Cliff Zweibruck (bass, background vocals), Marc Reich (lead & background vocals, guitars) and David Coy (drums & percussion), and this set includes an interview with Tom, loads of background information, all lyrics, plenty of photos, images of fanzines, cover art etc, so anyone who has not previously come across them will be able to easily understand the backstory.

As one may have guessed from the band name, here we have a Christian outfit, which is somewhat unusual as while I have come across plenty of Christian rock acts, prog appeared to be a step too far for many back in the day. In the UK, Cliff Richard was probably the most well-known Christian singer, and while he referenced Larry Norman, it took some investigative work for me in the Eighties to discover bands like Stryper, Petra and Bloodgood. These days, Neal Morse is renowned for his Christian prog, but in the Eighties it was very hidden indeed, with Geoff Mann being the only person ever really acknowledged, and that only by those in the know. In the interview Tom states the press were not fans of what they were doing, as they were too Christian for some and too proggy for the Christians, and it is a common issue of falling between the cracks. That is a real shame as this collection is actually really very enjoyable indeed.

Yes, this is Christian music with a message, but I played this with a smile on my face even though it is many years since I have been religious, as the vocal harmonies are bright, the music joyous, the keyboards wonderfully dated, and the guitars just right. There is no doubt they were heavily influenced by Kerry Livgren and Kansas, but Styx also have their place in the mix, and this very American prog/melodic rock makes for a great listen. True, there are times when these sound exactly like what they are, recordings made by young musicians who were still finding their way with no external support, having to do everything on their own, and consequently it often feels more like the early 90’s cassette demos I used to hear so much, but it is still very enjoyable indeed for all that.

Kudos to Roxx Records for demonstrating just how to undertake a retrospective on a band unknown by many, and for also giving Tom the impetus to delve not only into the archives but also back into prog with his new project. Great singers, musicians and songs, this is a load of fun and anyone who enjoys this commercial style of progressive and American melodic rock will do well to seek it out. 

Kev Rowland, January 2026

Links:
https://roxxrecords.com/