Môr – Tomorrow’s Relics | Progressive Rock Central.com

Môr, the multi-national progressive rock band is back with a new album, Tomorrow’s Relics, which was independently released on December 5, of this year.

Môr, is formed by members Peter Rand, who prepares music development, and plays keyboards, and guitars; Chris Matthews, who also is involved with music composition, but also plays guitars, and does engineering, and mastering; Ramlee Oak, who writes the lyrics, sings vocals, plays drums, bass; and keyboards; and Alex Fadista, who also plays guitars.

Môr also invited some special guest to perform on Tomorrow’s Relics, including:
Chris Bouchard, on drums on the track, “The Nine.” And, Sven-Martin Keil, who played saxophones on the title track, “Tomorrow’s Relics.”

I reviewed their critically acclaimed album from 2023, The Wisdom of Simple Things, and enjoyed that album entirely. I also interviewed the band in 2023.

Tomorrow’s Relics cover was taken some time ago at New Brighton on the Wirral. It is an image of the “Three Statues,” which had been vandalized.

The concept of Tomorrow’s Relics involves, (from the band’s PRrelease), “We occupy both space and time and, assuming the physical cosmos is infinite, perhaps time as well. And it never started and it will never end. According to ancient Hindu belief, time is both eternal and cyclical, not linear. The Tibetan Kalachakra (wheel of time) represents, among other things, this cycle that plays out on a time scale that dwarfs any practical relationship with an average human life. The rise and fall of human civilizations, indeed, the entirety of human history, is but a single grain of sand on the Kalachakra. As if that were not confronting enough, we’re beginning to realize that we have a very incomplete picture of our ancient past. It was only 30 years ago that excavations started at Göbekli Tepe in Türkiye, revealing a vast site of previously unknown monolithic architecture – erected, and then deliberately buried, more than 11,000 years ago. Our relationship with time is both tenuous and transient. With that as the backdrop, MÔR offer you Tomorrow’s Relics.”

“Timeslip,” opens the album with cool keyboards and drums. Then, Ramlee Oak sings the first lyrics with banging drums, bass, and choreographed spacey keyboards contributing to the sound. Ramlee sings a song that discusses the passing through seasons and time, for this mostly instrumental track. Off to a great progressive rock start. Later electric guitar is added to enhance the soundscape. But the cool spacey keyboards rule here.

“The Nine,” is the longest track on the album at over 8 minutes. The electric guitar melody that opens this song is one of the best on the album. Ramlee Oak sings about the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, from Greek mythology. These goddesses personify the arts and sciences, inspiring creativity in literature, music, and other fields in ancient Greece. This song is a warm melody surrounding the daughters’ stories.

“Thirty-Six Barrels,” is a song about the famous ‘Gunpowder Plot of 1605.’ Which was a failed English Catholic conspiracy to blow up Parliament and assassinate King James I by hiding 36 barrels of gunpowder beneath the House of Lords. Guy Fawkes was famously caught guarding them on November 5th, leading to Guy Fawkes Night celebrations. The music charts a slower paced song, filled with the soft melody, of guitar, bass, keyboards, and drums. Whistles salute the event, adding a nice touch to the end of the song.

“Quiet Time,” is probably the best song on the album. It is a quiet acoustic guitar song, opening a little like Led Zeppelin’s “Going to California,” before taking off to discuss the ways of the past. The guitar playing on this track is the best on the album. A warm, yes quiet song about looking back on the good ole days of the past, during these modern times of trouble and dystopia. The vocal harmonies add so much to this soundscape.

The title song, “Tomorrow’s Relics,” is the second longest song on the album. It opens with slow played keyboards and a saxophone solo from Sven-Martin Keil, that adds so much to the album’s soundscape. Ramlee Oak sings about our divergent world separated by politics and cultural values. A great song of memories and discussions of making the best of the time we are given. The percussion sounds, towards the song’s end, from Ramlee Oak, are also wonderful.

“Risk Averse,” is all about taking risks and making your life what you want it to be. The bass soloing is magnificent and it adds a jazz feel to the song. They pay tribute to some of the people, like those adventurers who walked on the Moon, or those who dived deep to reach the Mariana Trench. A song of celebration; of the will to take on adventures and reveal discoveries.

“Ravenstongue,” is full of great drums, deep sounding bass, and electric guitar, at its opening. A song about all the disinformation that travels the globe daily. But it is the perfect drums, bass, electric guitar soloing, and elegant keyboard melodies which make this a great closing song.

Tomorrow’s Relics, is another fine album from Môr. The sax solo is the brightest spot on the album. Yes, the title song is a great way to remember this album and to fully appreciate all they worked on to create this gem. The keyboards throughout this album are innovative and different from most of the progressive rock keyboard leaders you know. This album is an extension of Môr’s ability to assemble great songs quickly and build a delicate and elegant soundscape. I would recommend Tomorrow’s Relics for any traditional progressive rock fan who would like to hear something beyond the classics, without completely abandoning the spirit of the past.

Tomorrow’s Relics was recorded during 2024 and 2025, in the UK, France, and Japan, and then stitched together expertly in the UK by our very own maestro
Chris Matthews, who also chipped in with the music for “Quiet Time”, just for good measure.

Album Track List: