With his new album "The Presence", Bristol based progressive rocker Ian Bartlett has crafted a experimental prog experience that needs to be heard to be believed.
With just 5 tracks on the album, you would be forgiven for thinking that this is an EP, but with the 25 minute plus epic 4 part title track, this album clocks in at just over an hour, a mighty long EP eh?
This is a solo album in the truest sense of the word, Bartlett not only taking all writting credits, but adds all vocals, instruments and production to his name, all of which took place at his own studio, and all of which helps to add to the overall feel that this album creates, from the eerie Parallel Universe, to the evocativeness of instrumental Masochasm, to the sheer epic quality of The Presence.
Don't be put off by the fact that Bartlett has been working solo, grasp the fact, and hear the blood, sweat and tears, the pure passion and belief that he has poured into this album. The album itself is set to come with a Novella written by Bartlett's wife Sarah Xanxa talking of the concept behind the album, and while that isn't included with the copy that I have here, I'm looking forward to being able to read that, and to more firmly step inside the vision behind The Presence.
Bartlett attacks this album with out any visible boundaries, without concern for style or convention, and has turned out an album that gets better and better with each subsequent listen.
Track Listing: 1. Parallel Universe (You Better Think Twice)2. Masochasm3. The Twelfth Dream4. Go Down Slow5. The Presence a) The Ghost Of Aury b) Den Of Iniquity c) Awake d) Dreams Of The Soul/The Karmic Law
With just 5 tracks on the album, you would be forgiven for thinking that this is an EP, but with the 25 minute plus epic 4 part title track, this album clocks in at just over an hour, a mighty long EP eh?
This is a solo album in the truest sense of the word, Bartlett not only taking all writting credits, but adds all vocals, instruments and production to his name, all of which took place at his own studio, and all of which helps to add to the overall feel that this album creates, from the eerie Parallel Universe, to the evocativeness of instrumental Masochasm, to the sheer epic quality of The Presence.
Don't be put off by the fact that Bartlett has been working solo, grasp the fact, and hear the blood, sweat and tears, the pure passion and belief that he has poured into this album. The album itself is set to come with a Novella written by Bartlett's wife Sarah Xanxa talking of the concept behind the album, and while that isn't included with the copy that I have here, I'm looking forward to being able to read that, and to more firmly step inside the vision behind The Presence.
Bartlett attacks this album with out any visible boundaries, without concern for style or convention, and has turned out an album that gets better and better with each subsequent listen.
1. Parallel Universe (You Better Think Twice)2. Masochasm3. The Twelfth Dream4. Go Down Slow5. The Presence a) The Ghost Of Aury b) Den Of Iniquity c) Awake d) Dreams Of The Soul/The Karmic Law