CASTANARC - SEA OF BROKEN VOWS (2021 STUDIO ALBUM/6-P DIGIPAK)
Product Format: CD
** Regular Stock Item **Price: £10.83 (exc)
£12.99 (inc)
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2021 studio album from an amazing Prog band that first emerged in the early 80’s, topping off a string of back-catalogue albums re-issued in recent times!
Originating in the early 80’s, CASTANARC are an incredibly melodic U.K. based Symphonic Neo-Prog band that up until 2021, when their comeback album ‘Sea Of Broken Vows’ was released, had only made four other original albums in all that time, plus a compilation CD of rarities released in 2020.
Through the years they have stayed relatively obscure, yet remained consistently strong musically, delivering their own addictive take on mainstream modern Prog. Their sound is of a song-based nature, with their earlier years often described as containing glimpses of GENESIS and YES. They produce a more keyboard-oriented, less guitar-dominant sound than say MARILLION, tending to lean more towards the melodic keyboard sophistication of SAGA.
CASTANARC have also been compared quality-wise to fellow 80’s debutants such as PALLAS or PENDRAGON and their highly enjoyable debut album ‘Journey To The East’ is considered to be a bit real cult Prog classic!
For the later releases you need to have to have an ear for a good hook, because like some others who arrived on the scene during the same time period, their music is perfect for fans who are up for blending a set of good strong songs with classy instrumental breaks, as opposed to those that deliver just total instrumental flamboyance.
There wasn't really a concept for 2021’s ‘Sea Of Broken Vows’, but if there's a theme that runs through it, then it's probably "hope". The ideas for the songs had been around for a couple of years, they just needed writing!
“We started talking about it shortly after the release of ‘Water From The Well’ in February 2019 and sketched out some rough ideas. Recording began in earnest in November 2019 on the song ‘Lost Tears’. As a producer, I was very busy on other projects, so it was February 2020 before we had the main song structure finalised... and then we were locked down, so work had to continue remotely with production meetings few and far between. The lockdown did however mean that Holiday & Powell had time and energy to continue writing, whilst I organised the recording sessions for the other players, some of whom came to the studio and some who recorded their parts elsewhere then sent them to me. Not the ideal way to work but this record would never have been made without this approach.
As the lockdown eased I was able to work more closely with the band and particularly Mark Holiday to record his vocals. The end result is eleven brand new songs all bearing the unmistakeable hallmark of CASTANARC” – John Spence 2021.
The line-up for ‘Sea Of Broken Vows’ is: Mark Holiday (vocals), David Powell (keyboards / backing vocals), Neil Duty (guitar), Pat Mount (guitar), Pete Robinson (bass), Charlie Morgan (drums), John Spence (guitar & percussion), Angela Gordon (flute / low whistle) and Steve Beighton (saxaphone).
‘Sea Of Broken Vows’ is a Factory Pressed CD in a Digi-Pak and it is released on 21st June 2021.
Also available by CASTANARC …
BURNT OFFERINGS (1999 Album Re-Issue / Factory Pressed CDR) CD – Stock # 906276
JOURNEY TO THE EAST (1980’s Classic Re-Issue / Factory Pressed CDR) CD – Stock # 898697
LITTLE GODS (2020 Re-Issue / Factory Pressed CDR) CD – Stock # 898698
RUDE POLITICS (2020 Re-Issue / Factory Pressed CDR) CD – Stock # 898696
WATER FROM THE WELL (2020 Album Of Band Rarities / Factory Pressed CDR) CD – Stock # 2202173
CASTANARC: SEA OF BROKEN DREAMS Track List:
01. A Song Rings Out (4:54)
02. Lost Tears (4:55)
03. Full Circle (4:53)
04. The Ascent Of Man (4:41)
05. In This World (4:48)
06. Walking With Angels (4:14)
07. Out Of Time (3:34)
08. The Waking Of The Earth (4:47)
09. Light The Fire (4:58)
10. The Sea Of Broken Vows (3:00)
11. For The Want Of A Nail (5:58)
TPT - 50:42