Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Mute Gods, The
Label: Inside Out Records
Release: 2016
Length: 59:49
Rating: 4.5/5
Nick Beggs, Marco Minnemann and Roger King: not exactly a household-name trio, but all the more brilliant for it, three grandmasters of music who decided in 2015 to join forces in a new progressive rock supergroup, The Mute Gods, which by all signs has a bright future ahead of it. The band came about at the initiative of Thomas Weber, boss of the well-known German label InsideOut, who suggested that Beggs team up with two regular collaborators he’d gotten to know as members of Steve Hackett’s and Steven Wilson’s backing bands. Nick jumped on the rare opportunity right away, after finishing his concert tours with those two prog greats and his work with Lifesigns and the Lonely Robot project (the project of Arena guitarist John Mitchell). The bass, Chapman Stick and vocal veteran first invited drumming all-rounder Minnemann, who he’d shared the stage with in Steven Wilson’s band, and then keyboard wizard King, whom he knew well from his years plucking strings for Steve Hackett. Beggs, who first rose to fame as a member of the new wave/art pop attraction Kajagoogoo before becoming one of the most sought-after Chapman Stick players/bassists around, finally got the chance, after a long time, to step up to the main microphone again and make use of his far too often “forgotten” singing talent.
Nick is (still) an outstanding singer, and plenty of people reckon he was even better than Limahl in the role of Kajagoogoo frontman. There’s really no point in constantly pointing out Minnemann’s drumming talent, or his musical talent in general; Marco simply comes from “another planet” when it comes to his instrumental and compositional range, so it’s no wonder he’s currently the busiest and most in-demand drummer on this planet. Roger King, who has the cult Genesis keyboardist Tony Banks pretty much “in his pinky finger,” added his recognizable symphonic prog rock stamp to individual parts of The Mute Gods debut. All three instrumental all-rounders neatly split the guitar duties in the studio, while King was the one who took care of the excellent production.
The Mute Gods’ debut, »Do Nothing Till You Hear Fro Me«, is a highly interesting stylistic hodgepodge containing elements of symphonic prog, synth pop, prog metal and jazz fusion, in other words the genres that have defined Beggs’ songwriting output so far. The influences of the various artists the blond-haired virtuoso has earned his living with over an extremely eventful career are simply unmistakable throughout the album. Most of the tracks are dominated by melodic arrangements with lovely choruses, while the brilliant trio occasionally “loses the plot” and throws themselves into fusion-style improvising with incredible fire. Of course, this wouldn’t be a proper prog rock party if a few old acquaintances hadn’t been invited along as special guests, among whom keyboardist Adam Holzman (Steven Wilson) and drumming champions Nick D’Virgilio (Big Big Train, ex-Spock’s Beard) and Gary O’Toole (Steve Hackett) stand out. Most of Beggs’ lyrics on the album are full of dystopian messages and a sarcastic look at a crumbling modern society.
The opening and title track, which kicks off with the piercing sounds of a mini Moog, was inspired by the famous speech by former U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower, warning that the U.S. is increasingly being controlled by the military-industrial complex, which sadly proved to be more than true and over the years took on chilling dimensions. The track is marked by lavish harmonies between guitar and keyboards, layered over complex bass lines and piercing drum fills, which eventually make room for a hypnotic chorus. The latter will have the listener “swallowed whole” in an instant. This excellent opener is followed by »Praying to a Mute God«, which sounds like a blend of all the bands the virtuoso trio has played in, meaning there’s no shortage of complex time changes, crazy improvisations and gorgeous symphonic arrangements, all crowned with a melodic chorus. The still-life ballad »Nightschool For Idiots« has a slight new wave flavor that blends remarkably well with Beggs’ voice, which makes it the closest thing on the album to how Kajagoogoo might sound today. The dark »Feed the Troll«, in which Nick lets rip in the lyrics at “trolls,” meaning people with too much time on their hands who hang around online forums all day writing insulting comments and spreading hate speech, is an art rock treat that will remind many of Saga stylistically. »Your Dark Ideas« is another, darker and more ambient creation with a slight prog metal aftertaste, thanks to raw guitar passages, grooving bass lines and furious drum acrobatics, while the vocal harmonies sound almost post-apocalyptic.
The positive »Last Man On Earth«, built on a hypnotic central melody, provides a lovely contrast, while the punchy instrumental »In The Cross-Hairs« features sharpened, almost metal guitar riffs and complex variations. The melodramatic »Strange Relationship« sounds like a track that missed the cut at the last minute for Steven Wilson’s studio masterpiece »Hand.Cannot.Erase«. Stylistically it’s completely in the vein of that album, and it’s easy to imagine Wilson on lead vocals instead of Beggs. »Swimming Horses«, one of the album’s highlights, features lavish symphonic arrangements, neighing bass lines and melancholic guitar passages, while Beggs, backed by a subtle piano melody, takes a vocal approach that’s rather unusual for him.
»Mavro Capelo« has a slow intro, and then after the first transition a veritable instrumental cataclysm kicks in, one that will please all fans of Steven Wilson, as well as Porcupine Tree and King Crimson. The closing piece, the beautiful ballad »Father Daughter«, which, besides Steven Wilson, would surely get the nod from the legendary Peter Gabriel too given its pulse and message (a father’s apology to his daughter), is packed with a nostalgic mood thanks to subtle keyboard textures and a gentle central melody, tied together by a highly convincing combination of Beggs’ vocals and guest singer Lula Beggs. Lula, as her surname and the song title already suggest, is Nick’s daughter and a promising young musician who has already drawn attention more than once. Nick and Lula have managed to create one of the most beautiful musical “dialogues” between a father and daughter.
It was kind of to be expected that the virtuoso trio that makes up The Mute Gods would turn their debut into one of the main contenders for the best prog/art rock album of 2016. With »Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me«, Nick, Marco and Roger have proven once again that even when they’re not playing for other artists, they’re the real “local heroes” when it comes to blending some of the most interesting elements of progressive rock, pop and fusion into a very tasty and refreshing mix. Nick did achieve his biggest commercial successes in the eighties as a member of a pop attraction, but at heart he’s always been a prog guy, and it seems it’s only in the last few years that he’s truly opened up his experimental “valve,” which he hadn’t managed to fully release before. As a member of the Mute Gods he’s now finally found the right prog rock company to realize plenty more experimentally tinged songwriting ideas with. Finally, it’s worth mentioning that the virtuoso trio dedicated the album to the late Yes legend Chris Squire, which was a truly lovely gesture on their part.
Lineup
Nick Beggs – vocals, bass guitar, Chapman Stick, guitar, keyboards, programming
Roger King – keyboards, guitar, programming, backing vocals, additional voices
Marco Minnemann – drums, percussion, guitar, piano
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Glenn Kelly – ethnic voice recording
Adel Ekladios – Arabic voice
Kevin Tang – Mandarin voice
Ricky Wilde – backing vocals, keyboards, programming, guitar
Frank van Bogaert – backing vocals, keyboards
Gary O’Toole – drums
Nick D’Virgilio – drums, guitar, keyboards
Rob Reed – keyboards, guitar
Adam Holzman – keyboards, programming
Lula Beggs – vocals, backing vocals, FX
Production
Roger King
Track list
1. Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me (7:45)
2. Praying to a Mute God (5:06)
3. Night School for Idiots (6:00)
4. Feed the Troll (4:55)
5. Your Dark Ideas (4:41)
6. Last Man On Earth (bonus track) (5:30)
7. In the Cross-Hairs (3:18)
8. Strange Relationship (6:10)
9. Swimming Horses (7:05)
10. Marvro Capelo (bonus track) (5:10)
11. Father Daughter (4:09)
