Riffstone | Mythical Creatures.

Riffstone to all intense and purposes are Dave Allen (Spirergy) and Colin Powell (A Multitude Of One/Nova Cascade) two independent artists who are both multi-instrumentalists. Mythical Creatures is the third album the duo have released under the guise of Riffstone and in some ways their most adventurous. Having recently reviewed Wirral based musician Dave Allen’s Spirergy album Wherever Forever I was keen to hear for the first time his collaboration with another fine musician Salford’s very own Colin Powell. Having not heard Riffstone’s previous releases Richard III and Sanctuary Sky of which I was unaware of until recently, I became intrigued as to how the two musicians would sound like collectively. Mythical Creatures is a collection of songs inspired by the many creatures which often appear in mythology and in turn books, movies and sometimes in our own minds eye. Fear not if you haven’t heard of any of the creatures included in the ten songs here, a description of their individual significance and traits are described in the elaborate booklet included with the CD and in PDF format with the download versions of the album. Be prepared for lots of time signature changes, atmosphere and sometimes lengthy instrumental passages. Being as I am a huge fan of of old movies like Jason And The Argonauts and their likes I was intrigued as to what such creatures were, though I suspect that my observations run a little deeper than Hollywood.

The Griffin for example represents an integrated strength and it got me to thinking about the many times the moniker has been applied. Engines, powerful amplifiers and indeed rock bands. As a consequence this song gets off to a lively start with a good solid beat. The focus here and throughout Mythical Creatures is very much on the story telling aspect of each creature of which there are ten in all. This particular song and elsewhere throughout the album is very much influenced by Yes. This becomes evident by the growling bass and Dave Allen’s voice reaching the high registers.

Powerful synthesiser backed by a bold organ and chorale voices herald the arrival of The Dragon. Representing ambition and fire this song has everything the Prog lover holds dear. Heavy on Moog sounds with a little bombast thrown in for good measure. Drums however, become a little mechanical at times though fail to detract the listener from the great musical elements within. All of the songs are well sequenced and a good sense of flow is evident throughout.

A keyboard enriched aria begins the tale of the next creature The Phoenix. This is a song that builds in pace rather nicely with acoustic guitar and solid bass playing. Dave Allen’s voice once again a great orator of the given subject. Great vocal harmonies too with the acoustic guitar encased within the song. I did feel that the composition leans towards the Mike Oldfield school and with some grand electric guitar soloing too.

I feel I was starting to get just what Riffstone are all about as a collaboration having heard both musicians work individually. Their cohesion became very clear with The Hydra. Colin Powell’s voice here a little more sinister than the vocal delivery on previous songs due to the heavy distortion. With emphasis on the fact that The Hydra represents recurring internal conflict it came as no surprise that guitars are the strong part of the song and I suspect that Colin Powell adds weight and gravitas to the proceedings.

On the other hand a much softer approach was taken during The Basilisk. A creature representing Paralysing awareness. Drums and percussion were much slower and the Hammond organ gave a more traditional element to the overall keyboards sound. The song flowed nicely into The Manticore. A breezy and upbeat description of a fearful creature denoted by powerful keyboard backing and orchestration. I enjoyed the electronics used during this song making it a little different from the songs I’d heard so far. The sound added a little excitement integrating well into the overall picture. Vocals were delivered in a narrative fashion with some heavy treatment on the more aggressive parts of the song. I thought the Mellotron and acoustic guitar inflections were a nice touch towards the conclusion of the song.

The Selkies are a creature I had never heard of before listening to this album so fasination and intrigue started creeping in. This is where the beautifully illustrated booklet comes into its own. Swift piano and guitar sets off at a pace from the get go with some great Chris Squire-like bass once again courtesy of Dave Allen. Yet another song that I think that Yes fans will warm to instantly. A huge chorale backdrop adding scale and depth. Lyrically I would advise listeners to refer to the booklet to enhance the understanding behind this particular breed of mythical creatures. There is some fabulous lead synthesiser playing underpinned by the growling bass guitar. I found it very difficult to credit either musician here such are the closeness of the musical collaboration and the shear talent within.

A song that perhaps holds the most majesty is The Chimera. Once again demonstrating great scale and depth and without doubt the stand out song of the album for this writer. I was however, just a little concerned that Dave Allen’s voice would run out of steam as he was achieving some high registers in an almost John Anderson style. Impressive stuff. He nailed it!

In stark contrast, The Leviathan Begins a lot slower and in a lower key. Bass guitar once again standing proud in the mix. The Leviathan represents the subconscious vastness which is certainly my understanding of the term. In doing so there is a slight reconfiguration with Colin Powell taking over singing duties moving the song into a slightly heavier mode. This was no bad thing and was achieved in a most pleasing manner. In addition, so as to assert full prog credentials, there are some gratifying subsonic tones creeping in at just over the three minute mark.

All pretty serious stuff and done in a very methodical way. After all, such mythical creatures represent so many things to so many people whether it be dark or light. So with that said it is fitting to end on a lighter note. This comes in the form of The Unicorn. Representing a restored wholeness in the form of ribbon clad horses with a single horn protruding from the centre of its skull. With both Colin Powell and Dave Allen performing some great harmonies, acoustic guitar and Rick Wakeman style Mini Moog, there is more than a nod and a wink to Yes again as befits the whimsical nature of a unicorn.

In conclusion, a pleasant musical journey with a most interesting subject. As a package complete with great artwork and elaborate text I would strongly recommend that you check out Mythical Creatures. It does possess a slight quirkiness that many will find enchanting and I for one have ordered the CD. Technically and musically the album represents the best of the genre. Caveats? Well, only one. At times there are moments where the use of drum software becomes just a little robotic. That said, it does not detract from the music as a whole and a minor observation. Mythical Creatures not only adds to Riffstone’s canon, I believe that on further investigation of their previous work that they are heading upwards and onwards. This duo have a winner on their hands.