Mostly Autumn: Box Of Tears

Studio concept brought to life.

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A live recording of the band’s acclaimed 2014 album Dressed In Voices, at first it’s hard to understand why they’ve put this out so soon after the original. On hearing the way the music has been developed, however, it all makes sense.

As Dressed In Voices is conceptual, the songs are performed in sequence, with no breaks for banter; even the applause seems intrusive. But the way in which guitarist Bryan Josh and vocalist Olivia Sparnenn-Josh immerse themselves in the music adds a frisson to the overall impact.

What is missing are the visuals, which were a crucial part of the performance on stage. But that’s a minor quibble. The way in which the band have allowed the album to mature means this is actually better than the studio sessions. Among the best prog albums of the past decade.

Classic Rock 214: New albums M-Z

Malcolm Dome
Malcolm Dome

Malcolm Dome had an illustrious and celebrated career which stretched back to working for Record Mirror magazine in the late 70s and Metal Fury in the early 80s before joining Kerrang! at its launch in 1981. His first book, Encyclopedia Metallica, published in 1981, may have been the inspiration for the name of a certain band formed that same year. Dome is also credited with inventing the term "thrash metal" while writing about the Anthrax song Metal Thrashing Mad in 1984. With the launch of Classic Rock magazine in 1998 he became involved with that title, sister magazine Metal Hammer, and was a contributor to Prog magazine since its inception in 2009. He died in 2021.