Before The Rain

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Regular: £17.99

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Cat No: TBRED9105

Release Date: 02 April 2021

Label: Thoroughbred Music

Packaging Type: Digipak

No of Units: 1

Barcode: 5065001319129

Genres: Rock Progressive Rock

Description
Ben first made an impression at the 2008 'Guitar Idol' contest run via the Internet and attracting aspiring guitar heroes from all over the world. He won the 'Most Promising Guitarist' award.

Ben came to the attention of Paul Logue, a Scottish musician who was enjoying some success with his band Eden's Curse. He recommended Ben to Steve Williams, the main man of the well-established power metal band Power Quest, who was looking for replacement guitarists.

Although not well documented, and not producing any recorded material, this period of Power Quest saw the band play a couple of UK tours, one supporting Michael Schenker and on another, Tarja Turunen (ex-Nightwish).

Ben's next project was Code Of Silence, designed as a vehicle for his guitar skills but drawing in a number of talented musicians including vocalist Gus Monsanto who had played on albums by the French progressive metal band Adagio and Revolution Renaissance.

The single version of 'Dark Skies Over Babylon' was edited by the Italian producer Alessandro Del Vecchio but by the time of scheduled release Code Of Silence had disbanded. This was largely due to economics and logistics: the singer Gus lived in Brazil.

Also featured on this song is Joanna Ruiz, a well-known voice artist who has worked on TV series such as 'Fireman Sam' and 'Dennis And Gnasher: Unleashed!'. There aren't many examples of her singing work and even less with a progressive metal rock band!

Of the song, Dark Skies Over Babylon, Ben says "It fitted the context of the original band album but can be enjoyed as a conventional romantic encounter. There were several versions, one of which made more use of Joanna Ruiz's vocals which added to this aspect. It then becomes a tale of a relationship under strain, a severance, but with the main protagonist asking his partner to have faith in him if he could better understand their situation."

Ben said at the time: "In truth after that project I lost some interest in the music business realising that it was unlikely to provide a stable income and that - going forward - it would always have to be combined with a "proper job"."

But now Ben is back - you cannot keep a great guitarist down! He's put together a great collection of music reflecting his work with Code of Silence, prog trio 25 Yard Screamer, and Chasing The Monsoon along with his own compositions to create a masterpiece of musicianship that is 'Before The Rain'. Dark Skies Over Babylon is the first single from that upcoming album due for release Spring 2021.

Amongst Ben's influences, he is a great fan of Dream Theater and John Petrucci, but he has also been inspired by John Norum (Europe), Neal Schon and Andy Timmons. Whilst incorporating heavy metal grooves his style encompasses jazz, funk and even a pop sensibility. The emphasis is always on strong melodies and engaging the listener with unexpected twists and turns.

The forthcoming album features hard rock, progressive and metal influences.
Tracklisting