Flame Dream - Out in the Dark

Pressing: Switzerland
Year: 1981
Genre: prog
Packaging: digipack

Brand new cd put out by the band. 

OUT IN THE DARK is a 2025 reissue of their album originally recorded in 1980 and released a year later. It was recorded at Patrick Moraz's Aquarius studio in Geneva and was recorded and mixed by John Acock (known for his work recording and mixing the first six solo albums of Steve Hackett).

The lineup was Pit Furrer on drums & percussion; Roland Ruckstuhl piano & keyboards; Peter Wolf vocals, flute, sax, and percussion; and Urs Hochuli on bass and vocals. There was a special guest on guitar from L.A., Dale Hauskins.

There are five tracks on the album, including one of epic length. Let's discuss and listen, but before we do, a word to recommend to you the digipack CD package provided by the band for these re-issues, which are seriously impressive.

The music, arrangements, and orchestration were composed and written by Roland Ruckstuhl.

FULL MOON starts us off, a poem written by Robert Graves (he of I Claudius fame). Now, it goes without saying (or should) that the words are beautiful. An excerpt:

"your phantom wore the moon's cold mask

my phantom wore the same

forgetful of the feverish task

in hope of which they came

each image held the other's eyes

and watched a grey distraction rise

to cloud the eager flame".

I like the funk-infested opening instrumental passage, and then the voices enter the fray. It is pure classical progressive rock, elements of jazz fusion very much in there, as there was, for example with Yes, and I like the bright keyboard bursts especially. It is the sort of song that much of the punk & new wave yoof orientated journos would have despised and ridiculed at the time, but that is their loss. The sax contribution has more than a nice whiff of Supertramp to it. A solid proggy start.

NOCTURNAL FLIGHT was written by Peter Wolf, and I must say that lyrically, it stands very serious comparison with the famous writers who inspired the rest of the album, a tale of autumnal migration. The keys which start us off are pure Banks, circa ATTW & Duke, so contemporaneous at the time this album was written. The vocals are drawn more from the Gabriel school of singing, and I like them, a touch of fragility which I have always been drawn to. There is a very strong bass melody, and the mellowness of this track is pleasing, before they expand it nicely into a symphonic rock piece, the guitar solos strong, the closing burst in particular. One for fans of the mellow side of progressive rock, for sure.

The title track is a poem by Edward Thomas, who died during WWI. Incidentally, in the digipack, the photo of our lead vocalist does look uncannily like Mr Gabriel. They could almost be brothers. The word which comes to mind on this track is "pretty", sometimes used to damn with faint praise, but not here. I like the interpretation of the words, the piano work is top notch, and the band are tight on this one, a throbbing bass at the heart of it, with a strong commercial sensibility in places. The flute part just before the four-minute mark is pure classic prog and introduces a mellotron before the band decide to jazz and rock out with some playful touches. The final minute with the sax and piano is lovely. Top prog. Enjoy.

WINTERTIME NIGHTS is a poem by Victorian romanticism novelist, Thomas Hardy. It is the shortest track here, a little over four minutes. It takes its influence from earlier Genesis, whimsical in the manner of, say, Harold the Barrel, on Nursery Cryme, perhaps surprisingly given the cold and dark nature of the words. There is a strong performance on the synths here.

STRANGE MEETING is the epic track, split into three movements, and is a poem by the WWI poet, who hailed from my old hometown of Oswestry, Wilfred Owen. The middle section, KALEIDOSCOPE, is bookended by parts one and two. We have over sixteen minutes of music on this one.

Part One is over nine minutes. The piano is pure Banks circa WAW, the vocal fragile, descriptive. There are some nice orchestral arrangements in this. The whole track is dedicated to the worldwide victims of repression, torture, and war, and the music strongly supports it. Owen would, I think, be very pleased with the result. The piece is a rollercoaster ride of classic prog, including some nice sax notes introducing a jazzier feel in parts, but the core sense here is of a symphonic band expanding their reach. The final words leading to the "LET US SLEEP NOW" are moving.

The middle section is an instrumental five and a half minutes in length, majestic synths, choral voices, the drums leading the charge beneath a strong sax principal, swirling keys amongst this giving the piece its name. This is majestic, it is a very good listen. It leads into Part Two, a short conclusion, with grandiose synths, strong bassline, and solid drumming.

This album is not a mere curiosity. It is a fine work and it will certainly appeal strongly to those of you who like their prog symphonic and proud. Highly recommended.