Forever Aespa

The most popular and successful lineup of Return to Forever – Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Lenny White, and Al Di Meola – was coming off the Grammy-winning No Mystery when it recorded its third and final album, Romantic Warrior. It has been suggested that in employing a medieval album cover (drawn by Wilson McLean), using titles like "Medieval Overture" and "Duel of the Jester and the Tyrant," and occasionally playing in a baroque style, particularly in Clarke's "The Magician," Corea was responding to Rick Wakeman's successful string of albums on similar themes. Certainly, the music suggests that the musicians have been listening to Wakeman's band, Yes, among other progressive rock groups.

This Return to Forever set finds guitarist Al DiMeola debuting with the pacesetting fusion quartet, an influential unit that also featured keyboardist Chick Corea, electric bassist Stanley Clarke and drummer Lenny White. On this high energy set, short interludes separate the main pieces: "Vulcan Worlds," "The Shadow of Lo," "Beyond the Seventh Galaxy," "Earth Juice" and the lengthy "Song to the Pharoah Kings."…

The second incarnation of Chick Corea's influential fusion group released only a single record, the magnificent Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy. Featuring a more rock-oriented approach than the Flora Purim-Joe Farrell band that was responsible for both Return to Forever and Light as a Feather, Corea and old standby Stanley Clarke join forces here with propulsive drummer Lenny White and electric guitarist Bill Connors…

The most popular and successful lineup of Return to Forever – Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Lenny White, and Al Di Meola – was coming off the Grammy-winning No Mystery when it recorded its third and final album, Romantic Warrior. It has been suggested that in employing a medieval album cover (drawn by Wilson McLean), using titles like "Medieval Overture" and "Duel of the Jester and the Tyrant," and occasionally playing in a baroque style, particularly in Clarke's "The Magician," Corea was responding to Rick Wakeman's successful string of albums on similar themes…

The fourth edition of Return to Forever was a band that emphasized the screaming wah-wah guitar of Al Di Meola and every electric keyboard Chick Corea could get his hands on to play furiously fast runs. Where the initial, airy Flora Purim/Airto/Joe Farrell edition gave way to the second undocumented group featuring Earl Klugh, and the third band with electric guitarist Bill Connors, this RTF was resplendently and unapologetically indulgent, ripping through riffs and charted, rehearsed melodies, and polyrhythms like a circular saw through a thin tree branch…

Edge Of Forever has never been so active since the 2019 reunion, returning to the scene with two strong albums: "Native Soul" and the critically acclaimed "Seminole" (2022). The new line-up - consisting of Aldo Lonobile (Secret Sphere, Sweet Oblivion) on guitars, Nik Mazzucconi (Labyrinth, Sunstorm) on bass, and Marco Di Salvia (Hardline) on drums, and rounded up by singer, keyboardist, and founder Alessandro Del Vecchio (Hardline, Jorn, Revolution Saints) - has become a true force of nature after the numerous tours and headlining shows that brought the band to successfully open for the likes of Skid Row (Belgium, The Netherlands), FM (Italy, Switzerland, Germany), Eclipse (UK), Mike Tramp (Spain) and many more. They brought their music to thousands of people and multiple stages across Europe in the 16 months and 30 plus concerts supporting "Seminole".

The name (an acknowledgement of mankind as parasite-in-chief) is High Parasite; the voice, that of Aaron Stainthorpe - longstanding frontman with doom metal maestros, My Dying Bride…
The 10 tracks are produced by the legendary Gregor Mackintosh of Paradise Lost, who also adds some signature guitar lines and programming, and as a body of work, ‘Forever We Burn’ heralds the arrival of a new name and a familiar, formidable voice.
As a revered and recognised performer, a founding member of My Dying Bride and singer with the groundbreaking act for over three decades, the spotlight will doubtless focus on Aaron’s distinctive profile to start with; pull back the red velvet curtains…