TDW - 2026 - Bane of the Talebearer OST

(177:24; Layered Reality Productions)

Back in the glory days of vinyl, buying a record was not just about the music it contained but what came with it. There would generally be wonderful artwork, possibly lyrics, maybe even a gatefold sleeve, but some artists took it even further. Being a keen Jethro Tull collector I revelled in the programme which came with ‘A Passion Play’ and the pop-up figures on the sleeve for ‘Stand Up’, but of course the highlight was the mighty ‘Thick As A Brick’. Not only was it musically their finest hour, but it also came inside a broadsheet newspaper which even included a review of the album itself! I spent many hours reading this, as I am sure many other fans did as well, but with the advent of CDs and digital downloads this style of presentation mostly disappeared. I thoroughly enjoyed the release of ‘Mad Martins’ by Gary Miller back in 2018 which brought a highly researched 100-page book to the table, and now we have Tom de Wit, who surely must have brought himself close to the edge of insanity with this project.

His last release was 2023 with Dreamwalker’s Inc. and the concept album ‘The First Tragedy of Klahera’ and it would have been easy for him to follow with more of the same, but instead he decided to immerse himself in a very different project indeed. Why not create an audio drama show on YouTube (season 1 is already released and season 2 is following later this year), record a soundtrack containing 73 tracks (virtually all instrumental, nearly 3 hours long), deliver an 80-page artbook containing the story which is released with it, plus a videogame (in development) which builds on the same? Tom provides lead vocals, backing vocals, rhythm guitars, percussion, keyboards and orchestral arrangements and his brought in others to help him achieve his vision, including guitarist  Lennert Kemper who has been working with him for more than a decade, plus others on harp, bass, drums, sax, flute, koto, violin, viola and cello as well as plenty of singers for the choir. The use of real instruments instead of keyboards has had a huge impact on music which for the most part is modern orchestral mixing in with prog metal.

Of course, while playing the album, one needs to be reading the incredible artbook which comes with it which explains the stories behind all the characters as well as providing artwork which depicts them all. There are art and descriptions accompanying every song, all 73 of them,  and then at the end of the book are photos and information about everyone involved. One completes it all, then starts to wonder what is next? A proper book is surely not out of the question, filling in all the missing pieces and providing the details we have not come across yet, and what about a full-length feature cartoon? 

Possibly the largest achievement with this album is that I thoroughly enjoyed playing it even without all of the visual cues which come with it, and that is quite something when it is 3 hours long, covers a multitude of musical styles but is often orchestral, with little in the way of vocals. It is a massive piece of work, and although the album has now been released there is still a lot more to come before this chapter is complete, and one can only wonder if Tom is still sane enough to travel this road again in the future or if he will take a very different path altogether. He has never been one to do what is expected of him and continues to surprise.

Available as a triple CD (or on USB, which is not something one sees often), this is actually an album deserving of a quadruple vinyl release, and it is a shame I cannot see that happening due to cost but there is no doubt this is a release which in many ways defies description yet is thoroughly enjoyable throughout and is definitely something to which I will often be returning. If you want the complete aural and visual adventure, then this is one to seek out.  

Kev Rowland, July 2026

Links:
https://tdwprog.com/
https://www.layered-reality.com