The John Irvine Band – The Machinery of the Heavens (Head in the Door Records, 2020)
The Machinery of the Heavens is a fantastic instrumental progressive jazz-rock album from The John Irvine Band. The group is led by Edinburgh-based guitarist and composer John Irvine.
John Irvine and his friends deliver a deeply satisfying combination of jazz-rock and progressive rock. The music has melodic and harmonic structure which makes it more appealing. It is edgy electric fusion of the highest order highlighting the sounds of the skillful electric guitars and synths.
Irvine’s music has influences from some of the great British fusionists like National Health, Alan Holdsworth and Bill Bruford as well as American artists like Robben Ford and Joe Satriani. There is also a progressive rock vibe in some pieces like “(Across) Lunar Fields,” as well as transfixing electronics in “The Machinery of the Heavens.”
The production is top notch. John Irvine does an outstanding job on the guitar, keyboards, and bass. His collaborator on this album is Rich Kass on drums.
Thanks for the kind words, Angel! All best, John