Aethellis - Northumbria

Aethellis has the soaring majesty of classic symphonic rock and incorporates a contemporary rhythmic feel along with asymmetrical meters and polytriad harmonies. And the occasionally catchy hook! There are virtuoso synth leads along side funky guitar and punchy bass and drums. Rich choral harmonies abound as well. The new album, Aethellis: Northumbria (catalog no. MRR 13002) again features Ellsworth (keyboards / vocals / guitar) along with Mark Van Natta (guitars / vocals), Erik Marks (bass), Chris Marks (guitar), Joseph Dwyer (sax) and Mike Harrington (drums). There are soaring vocal harmonies mixed with dissonant chordal structures, pyrotechnical leads and a funky contemporary feel. 'On 'Northumbria' Aethellis has captured the very essence of the original prog/rock pioneers who soldiered on to help shape the changing face of progressive rock as it edged into the 80s', as well as the many neo-progressive artists who emerged from their shadow like Arena, IQ, Marillion, Pendragon, Jadis, Grey Lady Down, Galahad, and Pallas. The album is highly recommended to fans to symphonic rock, neo-progressive, and fusion. And anyone with a healthy respect for keyboard driven prog/rock.' - ProgNaut.com 'Northumbria is feeling, finesse, hard work, dedication and effort. It's an album with a soul that transcends time, is an intelligent, optimistic work ...' - Descubre la Caja de Pandora, July 2012 issue '...there are moments like 'Dire Need' which wouldn't sound out of place on an Asia album right down to the Wetton-like vocals. Ellsworth's undoubted talent is clear from tracks like 'The Peace Path' with it's bouncy and sunny jazz/funk-meets-Yes vibe, and 'Sounds Good,' which could sit next to any of Brand X's more commerical-minded offerings.' - Gary Mackenzie for Prog Magazine, issue #47 (July 2014) 'Want to say to all of Aethellis your album is a 10/10 top on the pile piece of work!' - Honey For Your Ears (UK Internet Radio) 'While the name and cover art give the impression that this will be another pastoral affair, the album is actually much more eclectic, in the way prog should be! If I had to describe the album overall, it's what Rick Wakeman should have been doing in the 1980s, but wasn't. There's old school Rick Wakeman-like, proggy keyboards, but that's mixing with a 1980s Genesis sound ("The Penal Colony" steers rather close to "Turn It On Again") and also more modern elements ("The Awakening" reminds me of Ken Ramm's Euphoria).' - Blogdegezou - a blog about Yes and prog rock in general 'Ellsworth is a classically trained American keyboardist who also plays electric guitar, and he has an amazing voice! Commanding synthesizers, organ and piano with equally proportioned finesse; Ellsworth is not a bad guitarist either. His smooth, higher register vocal tones are definitely like Chris Rainbow, but add just a strain of John Wetton as well, and you've pretty much got it. Just like Chris Rainbow, Ells excels when it comes to multi-tracking his own voice, creating fabulous vocal harmonies for his melodic, memorable songs. His keyboard work is also top class, touching on the styles of names such as: Rod Argent, Keith Emerson, Geoff Downes and Tony Banks at times.' - Dave Shoesmith, CD Services. 'The new release from Aethellis, this one seems to stretch out a bit further than the previous set did. It's still all progressive rock, but there are a lot of variants on that general musical theme here. This is a great disc. Those that liked the first one should like this one, perhaps more so. It would also make an excellent introduction to a killer modern progressive rock act. ' - Gary Hill, Music Street Journal 'Tagged a Neo Prog, in my opinion Aethellis style is eighties proggy AOR, with diverse influences ranging from Camel, ELP, Genesis and Tony Banks solo albums, but also a strong Pomp feel in the vein of Shooting Star, Saga, Asia and The Alan Parsons Project. Ellsworth Hall is an amazing multi-instrumentalist and a good vocalist. As singer, he can be compared to the likes of Greg Lake, Steve Hackett and why not, John Wetton.' - Zero Day Rock.