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Toronto, ON — Martin Springett has released a deeply personal digital-only album, Friendship – Remembering Wayne Kozak, a heartfelt tribute to his late friend and collaborator Wayne Kozak. The album brings together a rich collection of material that reflects both their creative partnership and a sense of emotional remembrance, with one of Kozak’s own paintings serving as the visual backdrop—perfectly reinforcing the themes of memory, friendship, and artistic legacy.
Described by Springett as a “legacy album,” the project honors not only Kozak’s musical contributions but also the wider community of artists who helped bring the recordings to life. Contributors include Kevin Laliberte and Norm Macpherson, who provided production across the album, while Thomas Kinzel adds piano to “Sliver Of Silver” and “Rain On The Rooftops,” and Morry Stearns contributes electric piano on “Strange Kingdom.” The album also features bassists Drew Birston, Peter Dowse, and Sean Drabitt, along with vocal performances by Denise Withnell on “For A Moment” and Howie Vickberg on “The Only Son.”
Further deepening its reflective tone, the late Robbie King appears through an arrangement of a poem by Rudyard Kipling. Springett has expressed both pride and gratitude for the project, noting that an alternate subtitle—The Art of the Solo—captures the album’s intimate and contemplative nature, as well as its role in preserving Kozak’s enduring artistic spirit. A wide range of contributors appear across the album’s tracks, including Kevin Laliberte and Norm Macpherson, who provided production work throughout the project. Thomas Kinzel delivers piano on “Sliver Of Silver” and On The Rooftops,” while Morry Stearns adds shimmering electric piano on “Strange Kingdom.”
The album also features three bassists, Drew Birston, Peter Dowse, and Sean Drabitt, alongside vocalist Denise Withnell on “For A Moment” and Howie Vickberg on “The Only Son.” The late Robbie King is also featured for his arrangement of Springett’s setting of a Rudyard Kipling poem.
Track-list
1. The Only Son 09:37
2. Warm Blood 03:18
3. Caves and Cathedrails 03:18
4. Thieves And Poets 02:39
5. Tears at the Matinee 04:37
6. For a Moment 04:52
7. I Dream U 05:33
8. Moon of Madness 06:30
9. Sliver of Silver 04:57
10. Rain on the Rooftops 02:16
11. Tricksters 06:34
12. Strange Kingdom 04:49
13. Friendship (For Wayne) 04:32
About Martin Springett
Martin is a Canadian musician and graphic artist best known as the creative force behind the progressive art rock project The Gardening Club. Renowned for his intricate guitar work and richly layered compositions, Springett blends elements of progressive rock, classical, and ambient music into a distinctive and atmospheric sound. Alongside his musical career, he has built a reputation as a talented illustrator and designer, contributing striking visual artwork that complements his recordings. His dual talents have made him a respected figure in both the music and visual arts
Martin Springett Online
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063298533637
MRR Artist profile Page: https://mrrmusic.com/project/a-gardening-club-project/
Bandcamp: https://thegardeningclub.bandcamp.com/
A few days ago London-via-East Yorkshire producer ashnymph, whose real name is Will Wiffen, released his debut EP Childhood and announced the track “47” as a single. It’s very good and trippy and weird, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it, therefore I must blog it. Childhood has a playful makeshift feel…
The post ashnymph – “47” appeared first on Stereogum.
Reviewed by Sam Jones
Frozen Soul by this point are no new act. There was a time you’d see them open a night as the first supporting band, now they’re headlining tours across the US and Europe. Formed in 2018 out of Texas, United States, Frozen Soul spearheaded the next generation of death metal alongside Undeath and Tomb Mold, turning heads with their debut 2019 Demo, Encased In Ice. As the world plunged into Covid-19 induced isolation Frozen Soul worked to release their first full length work, Crypt Of Ice, for 2021. Boasting a sound wondrously familiar to Bolt Thrower, Frozen Soul doubled down on their sound for their follow-up release, 2023’s Glacial Domination, a record that saw the band rise to the pedestal they currently retain today, a marked improvement. But with a May 8th release date pencilled in, we have their third record inbound: No Place Of Warmth. Once more released via Century Media Records, No Place Of Warmth sees the band retain the entire roster for the third album running, demonstrating a nicely stable lineup. I’ve only seen Frozen Soul go from strength to strength and I can’t wait to discover what No Place Of Warmth does for them.
Frozen Soul have presence. That’s immediately apparent as the opening track begins, for you can tell they’ve clocked onto how much bigger they’ve become in recent years. As their performance begins you can feel the sledgehammer glistening in the winter light as it’s freezing hammerface goes through your skull. The band have never shied away from creating soundscapes that plummet from great heights or like tank treads press grievous wounds upon the flesh, but No Place Of Warmth cranks that element to eleven with instrumentation weaponised and outlined. There is absolutely no escape from the band and whilst this record plays you are going to listen and you are going to feel every ounce of power Frozen Soul bring to bear. The guitars and bass and drums have been brought to the absolute precipice in line with the vocals, creating a suffocating environment where all else is snuffed out.
As established, Frozen Soul’s tempo is pretty set and given the response many have had regarding their songwriting they’re satisfied with receiving more like it. The tempo of their riffs, akin to the legendary Bolt Thrower, is this trudging, creeping force that is going to reach you no matter how far you run; however I felt this record did the best at varying the songwriting whereby that familiar tempo doesn’t grate on newcomers especially. Perhaps the drums will change up patterns, perhaps the vocals will alter the cadence, slow the delivery into some commanding, unapologetic stance, or maybe the band will throw in a rapid fire track like “Absolute Zero” with blast beats and enough bass to send the yeti to therapy. The years have shown Frozen Soul continuously tweak their songwriting, refining it, to the point throughout this record, they’re reached the apex of their sound’s potential.
The bass is simply monstrous; half the reason No Place Of Warmth is so gargantuan is because the bass tears through solid matter like scissors through silk. Not only does it permeate through every single moment the band are playing, providing that hideous foundational cushioning the band need for their songwriting to play against, but I love how I can actively hear the basslines performed even as the main riffs are played with blunt force tenacity. There are drops in bass across the record akin to Sanguisugabogg, Defeated Sanity and many such titans renowned for their bass. With that said it’s not so massive that it overshadows the rest of the band; it amplifies their individual performances, entwining everything into a single collective assault, funnelled and ready to hit you at full speed akin to a freight train.
One of the band’s greatest strengths has been their vocals, not merely by the delivery but the strength that’s going into that delivery. When one listens to frontman Chad Green one doesn’t just feel his performance, they’ll genuinely believe with every fibre each ounce of sweat that’s gone into every syllable uttered. Like reaching his arm through the cover art to seize your jugular for asphyxiation you know he’s not messing around with his performance. His performance is as dynamic and alterable as any instrumental piece, bringing that crushing, tank-tread aesthetic to vocals just as easily as the band do via riffs or drums. But you’ll find his performance will suddenly cease, change, and now he’s taken command of the pedestal and is driving all beneath and around him to his will. There are also tracks where his vocals will drop rapidly in lieu with the bass and guitars so the whole soundscape legitimately drops several levels, inducing goose flesh and a groaning for carnage.
In conclusion, this truly is Frozen Soul’s finest hour. No Place Of Warmth is the culmination of the band’s entire career, everything they’ve previously worked on and towards. Looking back on every track I realised there wasn’t one where the band fell short, there was something memorable with each one, something to remember them by. It’s why No Place Of Warmth is an Album Of The Year contender in my eyes; Frozen Soul have unlocked the potential I and so many have known they could attain, and should a future tour see these guys return to the shores of the UK I will be there. No question. For thirty-five minutes Frozen Soul lay you out to waste so completely you’ll be dragging your destroyed, shattered form back for more out of sheer adrenaline and power dished out. There’s a reason Frozen Soul have attained such renown so quickly and even the doubters will tune into this record and see their eyebrows rise. There are some guest slots and featured acts here too but it never feels to be a crutch for the band, merely bolstering their innate abilities. I loved this record. It’s a serious hitter.
The post Album Review: Frozen Soul – No Place Of Warmth appeared first on The Razor's Edge.
At The Gates, the definitive architects of the Gothenburg melodic death metal sound, have secured a historic milestone as their latest studio album, “The Ghost Of A Future Dead”, officially topped the Swedish album charts. Released via Century Media Records, the record marks the first time in the band’s thirty-plus year career that they have entered the main Swedish chart at No. 1, serving as a poignant and final tribute to legendary frontman Tomas Lindberg.
The arrival of “The Ghost Of A Future Dead” on April 24 has dominated the Swedish music landscape, claiming the top spot on the physical, vinyl, and hard rock charts simultaneously. While the achievement cements the band’s legacy at the summit of the Gothenburg scene, the victory is heavy with emotion following the tragic passing of Tomas Lindberg in September 2025. This record stands as a monumental final statement for a vocalist whose influence on the heavy metal genre is immeasurable.
The follow-up to 2021’s “The Nightmare of Being” was captured and mixed by the renowned Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden. Featuring a haunting visual aesthetic created by artist Robert Samsonowitz, the album delivers a 42-minute journey through the band’s signature clinical aggression and dark atmosphere.
For a band that has spent decades refining the “Gothenburg Sound,” this No. 1 debut is a career-defining moment. The commercial success in their home country reflects a massive outpouring of respect from the metal community, acknowledging the band’s persistence and the high caliber of songwriting present on this final outing with Lindberg.
In a transparent and moving interview on The Loaded Radio Podcast, bassist Jonas Björler detailed the grueling reality of Tomas Lindberg‘s fight against adenoid cystic carcinoma. The rare oral cancer, originally diagnosed in December 2023, led to extensive surgery and radiation. While there were initial signs of recovery, the cancer returned in early 2025.
Jonas is candid about the “unfathomable” grief and the logistical nightmare of moving forward. While the album title The Ghost Of A Future Dead suggests a sense of finality, the conversation on the show proves that the band’s impact is immortal, even if the lineup isn’t.
The situation took a definitive turn for the worse between mid-August and mid-September 2025. Despite the band’s hopes, the aggressive nature of the infections made further treatment impossible for the medical team in Gothenburg. By May 2025, an undisclosed “setback” had already placed the legendary singer into long-term care.
“The last month… the situation was really bad, because he had massive infections and stuff like that, so they couldn’t really treat it,” Jonas Björler explained. “So we kind of knew that it was going in the wrong direction, for sure.”
As the situation declined, the members of At The Gates—with the exception of UK-based drummer Adrian Erlandsson—gathered at the hospital to support their longtime friend. Jonas Björler described the experience as “really tough,” witnessing the physical toll the disease had taken on their collaborator.
The historic success of “The Ghost Of A Future Dead” ensures that Tomas Lindberg’s voice ends on a high note, sitting at the very top of the charts where his legacy will remain cemented in Swedish metal history forever.
Melodic death metal icons At The Gates have earned their first-ever No. 1 album in Sweden with “The Ghost Of A Future Dead”. The release is a historic but somber milestone, marking the final recordings of vocalist Tomas Lindberg, who passed away in September 2025 following a battle with a rare form of cancer.
The post At The Gates Claims First-Ever No. 1 In Sweden With ‘The Ghost Of A Future Dead’ appeared first on Loaded Radio.
by Geoff Bailie
Waiting for the new Yes album? Why not fill the time with … a new(ish) Yes album!
See below my thoughts on the expanded From A Page, along with some Q&A with Oliver Wakeman who not only plays on the album, but also produced it and has been the driving force behind it coming into existence:
From 2008 to 2011, Oliver Wakeman was keyboard player for the band that his father had been key in establishing. Initially joining for an anniversary tour that his dad had passed on with the Anderson/ Squire/ Howe/ White line up, Jon Anderson’s illness meant that band began to tour with singer Benoit David. After several years of incredibly well received touring, the band began word on a studio album. That process, which ended with the Fly From Here album, also saw Oliver replaced with Geoff Downes, mainly because of a decision by the band and producer Trevor Horn to reactivate the Drama outtake that became the title track which Downes had helped to write.
In 2019, the release of the From A Page EP the story of what happened with the making of that album started to be revealed. The five piece had done a lot of work with a significant writing contribution from Oliver, on songs which, for obvious reasons, did not end up on Fly From Here. The EP revisited those four tracks which Wakeman finished off, and, it’s fair to say that they were universally praised by the Yes community both on account of the quality of the tracks plus the added opportunity to hear the bass and vocals of the late Chris Squire. I reviewed that album in 2019 YES – From A Page (Album Review) and that looked like the end of the story. But not so…
The Prog Report (TPR): Tell us about the process of going back to this music, after the initial release – what prompted it or what was different this time around?
Oliver Wakeman (OW): “I was really happy with the way the original from a page 4 track release came out and then Mercury Studios bought the post 2000 Yes catalogue and from a page was included in that.
“I realised that one of the records that they had also purchased was Fly From Here (FFH) and that gave me the opportunity to speak to them and see if I could take the tracks from FFH (that I’d been originally involved in creating) and utilise modern technology to separate all the tracks and put the parts that I’d come up with originally back into the songs.
“Putting these parts back, the way that the songs were originally intended to be, was really exciting for me and that was essentially the driving force behind making it different. Also I really like the idea of making releases interesting for people so that they’re getting something new when they purchase it.”
As well as the original four tracks, the line up had also started work on much of what became Side 2 of FFH. So Oliver has taken the master-tapes featuring Howe, Squire, White and David, and restored / replayed his planned parts to The Man You Always Wanted Me To Be, Into The Storm and Hour of Need. With the addition of the Chris Squire song Aliens, these tracks now become an alternate universe 45 minute Yes album – and it’s amazing! The important point is that the work that’s been done now means we have a fully fledged, album length representation of the songs this line up created, and it’s a very worthy addition to the Yes catalogue.
To The Moment starts the album, as it did the EP and you can’t mistake who you’re listening to here. It’s a great track. I said in my original review that I always felt Benoit’s vocals on much of Fly From Here sounded like a replication of Trevor Horn, whereas here he very much has his own voice. The brilliant production means you can clearly hear Howe and Squire’s backing vocals, and there is a wonderful middle instrumental section featuring Wakeman’s church organ and then Moog tones in harmony with Howe’s guitar – a true YesSound!
TPR: Your keyboard additions to the tracks that eventually appeared in different versions are very focused in the more “organic” keyboard sounds – piano, Hammond, Moog etc. Was that the original plan when working on the tracks?
OW: “When I was working on the original tracks, I was working with my keyboard rig which was also built in a lovely studio in Beverly Hills. I had a Steinway grand piano, my Korg CX 3 organ, my Moog and some Korg keyboards with very good string sounds on. They don’t date music in the same way that they used to. In fact some modern keyboards from say 20 years ago, if you listen to certain songs you can date those keyboards by those sounds. However Moogs, Hammonds, pianos & strings have become pretty much day-to-day staple sounds and so they don’t immediately date music although they are sounds identified with Yes, which is why I thought they were appropriate.”
The Man You Always Wanted Me To Be sung by Squire is the first new version and it really benefits from the new production and added Oliver. Don’t get me wrong – I am a huge Trevor Horn fan including his productions. This version just has an extra something that makes a song I’ve enjoyed for years into something a bit different (part of why I also enjoyed FFH Return Trip). I will add … the Disc 2 demo of this Benoit singing to a more stripped back arrangement is really excellent. As much as I love Chris and especially his singing Benoit is amazing on the demo! Both versions are worthy!
The Turn of a Card is a beautifully executed classically inspired piece, that features Wakeman’s piano and David singing in a much lower register than we are used to. A track from outside of the recording sessions it certainly deserves its place here.
I’ll say it – Into The Storm is a Top 5 2000s Yessong for me. It may even be number 1. But when you add Oliver’s Moog, piano and Hammond into this, it takes the song to a new level! It’s just those classic in your fact traditional sounds that enhance this already great song. A headphone listen shows the intricacy of what’s been created here, musically and vocally. The “Armies of Angels” section is one of my favourite Yes moments, and Oliver’s keyboard parts, on piano and synth raise my enjoyment levels even higher. Just a brilliant track! (Fun point to note, the original, and this version, have a Fly From Here reprise in the outro, so there is a nod to that album in the mix!).
TPR: For the Chris Squire track, Aliens you achieved a “virtual” reunion featuring Chris, Alan and you. Tell us about how that came about.
OW: “I always enjoyed playing Aliens on the first tour I did with Yes in 2008. Steve didn’t want to play during Chris’ solo spot (which is where the piece was played) and so Chris asked me whether I would come up with a piano arrangement for it which I did. Live, Alan agreed to play on it and Benoit agreed to sing harmony. So we played it on the first tour and it went down very very well. However it never got considered for the record because Steve didn’t want to perform on it and so Chris then thought he would take it to his project with Steve Hackett.
“However when it came to doing From A page, I knew that I had spent so much time playing it on tour that it really felt like a Yes track. Also because that’s where it started off. Therefore I thought that it was probably an appropriate track to put on this record. I had the original Demo that Chris had sent to me and so by getting that demo and separating out his bass and vocals, I was able to rebuild the track the same way we did it live. And probably how we would’ve done it in the studio had we done it at the time.”
Hour of Need has a simpler production, and vocally is a nice duet between Benoit and Steve, with added Oliver touches of piano which is very sympathetic to the acoustic feel, and some Lucky Man-esq Moog sounds. Words On A Page is familiar from the original From A Page, and, like the original EP, disc 1 ends with The Gift of Love, the only co-write by all five members of this Yes line up. It’s a lighter track, rather than a heavy prog epic, but it’s hard to resist the combination of Benoit’s lead vocal and Chris singing the chorus. It is a great bookend to the album, with the reprise of To The Moment, and some great guitar and keyboard soloing. But wait, there’s more!
In some releases, the phrase “Bonus Disc” means – listen once and leave it in the case. However in this case, each of the seven tracks have merit being here, and as an album itself, it is a great listen. The majority of it are the demos from of the tracks but, for example, the Words On a Page demo has different guitar and piano parts from the main album version. It also features a version of the Steve Howe written Don’t Take No For An Answer, which only appeared on Fly From Here: Return Trip sung by Howe – so Benoit’s take on this brings a new angle. There is also the track Updraft which turned into the Armies of Angels section of Into The Storm, the product of Wakeman / White stage jams, and this alternate view of the track is really worthwhile. The mini box set comes with extensive notes from Oliver as well as art cards and a Roger Dean poster, so lots of thought has gone into making this a special release.
TPR: You’ve just finished a short UK tour playing some of this material live with your band. How did this go down with the audiences and have you plans to do any shows outside of the UK?
OW: “The tour with my own band going out to promote the From A Page re-release went down phenomenally well. We were really well received wherever we went. We had really good audiences and everybody seemed to be very very happy with the show that we put on.
“We really enjoyed it and we’re looking forward to going out later in the year. In November we’re playing some dates in England. We’re doing a show in Scotland then we head out to the Netherlands and then we head off to Germany. It’s gonna be great fun and our agent is currently looking at booking shows in March/April next year to continue the tour due to the success.”
In my experience “Great Lost Albums” very rarely live up to expectation. In this case, the expanded From A Page turns the original EP into a bona fide Yes album, worthy of the ears and attention of every Yesfan. Fans of Squire and White will be delighted to hear them, along with some great vocals from Chris. Kudos and thanks to Oliver for bringing us this music and keeping that spirit alive – go see him and his band live if you get the chance!
https://yesworld.com/2026/03/yes-from-a-page/
Tracklist:
CD1
To the Moment
The Man You Always Wanted Me to Be (Alternate Version)
From the Turn of a Card
Into the Storm (Alternate Version)
Aliens (Alternate Version)
Hour of Need (Alternate Version)
Words on a Page
The Gift of Love
CD2
Words on a Page (Demo)
The Man You Always Wanted Me To Be (Demo)
To The Moment (Demo)
The Gift of Love (Demo)
Don’t Take No for an Answer (Demo)
Updraft (Demo)
To The Moment (Single Mix)
The post Yes: From A Page-Expanded And Remastered Edition (Review and Q&A with Oliver Wakeman) appeared first on The Prog Report.