MIDNIGHT SUN

Also Eden man unveils his theatre of dreams.

This particular Midnight Sun is the new outfit from Also Eden’s frontman Huw Lloyd-Jones, rather than the 90s metal band from Sweden, although coincidentally the Brits’ debut album leans strongly towards the metal side of prog. The sound tends to be dominated by the guitars of Andy Gelband, Ben Swanwick and Tom Ennis, and the guitarists tick all the right prog metal boxes, with palm muted riffs, pinched harmonics, and shredding solos galore. Sheherezade goes for a Kashmir vibe with its chugging riff, although the drum sound is too thin, both here and throughout the album, to

really deliver the impact that the track requires. Chris Habicht and Sam Slater are listed for the drumming in the notes, and there’s some good playing on that front, with an explosively fast double kick break in Control, but the mix doesn’t really do them justice. Lloyd-Jones has a similar operatic style to Bruce Dickinson and James LaBrie, although tonally he has his own distinct sound. Clouds is a standout, but Early Warning has perhaps the most ambitious structure of the album’s six songs, incorporating orchestral piano passages, a strong chorus hook, and some heavy riffing.