Herd of Instinct "Unravel"

Country: USA
Genre(s): Instrumental Progressive Rock
Format: digital
Release date: October 16, 2020
Tracklist: 

1. Conjure 

2. Alice Krige Parts 1 & 2

3. Torso

4. National Anthem

5. Unravel

6. Furnance

7. The Plot

Line-up: 

Mark Cook (Spoke of Shadows) - Warr guitar, guitar, fretless bass, beat construction, string arrangement, programming (1), electronics, percussion (2), piano (2), samples, Rhodes (3),  synth (3)

Gayle Ellett (Djam Karet, Fernwood) - Mellotron, Rhodes (2), Moog (3), Hammond organ (4)

Jason Spradlin - drums, percussion, programming (2)

Bill Bachman - drums (7)

Rick Read - Chapman Stick (7)

Mike McGary - synth and electric piano (4)

Mike Davison - 12 string acoustic guitar (2)

Bob Fisher - flute (2)

Joel Adair - trumpet (2)

Joe Blair - lapsteel guitar (2)

Eric Yacula - electronics and samples (4)

Markus Reuter - U8 touch guitar (6)

Dave Streett - bass (6)

Stephen Page - violin (7)

Description/Reviews: 

Unravel is a journey through the life span of Herd of Instinct. The album consists of unreleased tracks from previous albums, improvisations, and newly recorded material.

Furnace, recorded in 2011, is an intense improvisation featuring Markus Reuter on his newly developed U8 Touch Guitar. The experimental track, Alice Krige Pt. 1 & 2, is the complete 10-minute version as it was originally intended. The piece was cut in half for the Conjure album. Alice was based around an improvisation with trumpet player Joel Adair and drummer Jason Spradlin. Later additional players were asked to improvise over the foundation to keep the spirit of spontaneous composition.

Conjure and Unravel are high energy pieces that take the band in a new direction of progressive rock and electronica.

The Plot, Torso, and National Anthem are tracks completed in Mid-2020. Bill Bachman’s bombastic drumming is the driving force of The Plot. Gayle Ellett’s wild Moog solo is the highlight of Torso. The biggest surprise of the album might be the cover of Radiohead’s National Anthem. The band has rarely played material by other artists.

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp
Trailer

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Herd of Instinct "Incantation"

Country: USA
Genre(s): Progressive Rock
Label: Firepool Records
Format: CD, digital
Release date: October 21, 2019 (digital), October 31, 2019 (CD)
Tracklist: 
1. Sun Gun (5:48)
2. Incantation One (6:38)
3. Coin Locker Babies (4:31)
4. Prey 4 Winter (5:52)
5. Myth And Ritual (2:52)
6. Abaddon (4:33)
7. Pavement Grey (6:17)
8. Temples (4:24)
9. Incantation Two (5:35)
10. Torture Garden (3:38)

Total Time 50:08

Line-up: 
Mark Cook (Spoke of Shadows) – Warr guitar, fretless bass, guitar, keyboards, and string arrangements
Bill Bachman (Spoke of Shadows, Neil Morse) – drums and percussion
Mike McGary – piano and synth
Rick Read – Chapman Stick, bass, and keyboards
   With
Elaine Di Falco (Thinking Plague) – vocals and lyrics
Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree, Ork) – fretless bass and ebow
Gayle Ellett (Djam Karet, Fernwood) – Mellotron, Rhodes, Moog, Hammond, harmonium, guitar, and tambura
Adam Holzman (Miles Davis, Steven Wilson) – Rhodes, Moog, Mellotron, and Hammond
Stephen Page (Stonebriar String Quartet) – violin
Craig Shropshire (Impending Bloom) – hand percussion and gong
Dave Streett – Warr guitar

Description/Reviews: 

Herd of Instinct’s fifth album, Incantation, is the band’s most dynamic and radical release yet. The music explores the band’s progressive rock vocabulary mixed with excursions into densely layered post-rock compositions and hybrid orchestral styles.
Incantation moves through pieces that fit neatly with the band’s previous work. The band also travels into new areas that take their music into new directions. It’s this “otherness" that makes this collection such a unique and challenging album.
The minimal orchestral piece Myth and Ritual is a homage to avant-auteur Scott Walker, written a short time after his death, that references his stark and brutal compositional style. The two-part title track is a trip into avant-prog featuring a superstar list of players who help produce one of HOI’s most adventurous pieces. This is also the first album that features vocals since their self-titled debut release, back in 2011.

Media/Samples 
Bandcamp (from release date)
Incantation One
Myth and Ritual
Trailer 1
Trailer 2

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Herd of Instinct "Drone Priest"

Country: USA
Genre(s): Instrumental Progressive Rock
Label: Firepool Records (FP007)
Format: CD, digital
Release date: October 31, 2017
Tracklist: 
1. Fragments Of A Portrait (2:46)
2. Cosmos (4:17)
3. Drone Priest (5:29)
4. Slow Current (3:56)
5. Orphan (4:25)
6. Filament (4:23)
7. Count To 5 (4:32)
8. Zero Point Flow (4:45)
9. Soft Glow (6:20)
10. Almost Transparent Blue (4:42)
11. The Blood Jet Is Poetry (6:23)

Total Time 51:58

Line-up: 
Mark Cook  (Spoke of Shadows) - Warr Guitar, Fretless Bass, Fretless and Fretted Guitars, Keyboards, Samples, and Beat Construction.
Bill Bachman (Spoke of Shadows, Neil Morse) - Drums
Gayle Ellett (Djam Karet) - Mellotron, Moog, Hammond, and Guitar
Bob Fisher - Flute and Sax
Adam Holzman (Miles Davis, Steven Wilson) - Moog, Piano, Rhodes, and Ring Modulator
Marco Machera (EchoTest) - Bass
Mike McGary - Rhodes, Synth, and Vibes
Rick Read - Chapman Stick
Ross Young - Cymbals

Description/Reviews: 

 Drone Priest takes the listener on a journey exploring mood, texture, and experimental song structures. The most dynamic and varied album the band has produced to-date, Drone Priest seamlessly layers elements of prog, post rock, ambient drones, jazz, and complex percussion, while showcasing Warr guitar and synths to create a unique blend of genres.

Media/Samples 
Drone Priest
Count to 5
Fragments of a Portrait
Teaser

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Herd of Instinct "Manifestation"

Country: USA
Genre(s): Instrumental Progressive Rock
Label: Firepool Records
Format: CD, digital
Release date: February 2016 (digital), March 2016 (CD)
Tracklist: 
1. Manifestation Part Two (5:54)
2. Gridlock (3:37)
3. Baba Yaga (4:35)
4. Manifestation Part One (5:16)
5. Saddha (7:00)
6. Nocturne (1:48)
7. Dybbuk (6:08)
8. Time And Again (3:26)
9. Shatterpoint (6:34)
10. Waterfalls And Black Rainbows (3:46)

Total time 48:04

Line-up: 
Mark Cook: Warr Guitar, Fretted and Fretless guitar, Fretless Bass, Mellotron, Thumb Piano, Synth, Samples
Gayle Ellett (Djam Karet): Mellotron, Moog, Hammond Organ, Guitar
Mike McGary: Mellotron, Rhodes, Organ, Clavinet, Synth, Piano, Bells
Rick Read: Chapman Stick, Fretted and Fretless bass, Taurus pedals
Ross Young: Drums
   With
Bill Bachman: Drums (1, 3, 7)
Bob Fisher: Flute (4-7), Saxophone (2, 8)
Stephen Page: Violin (2, 6, 9, 8)

Description/Reviews: 

Herd of Instinct’s third album, Manifestation, is a transitional phase for the group. The group has expanded its sound from the original three-member unit to a larger ensemble. The music’s densely layered sound gives the listener a “textural” listening experience with pieces ranging from the bombastic Dybbuk to the somber flute/violin piece Nocturne. Many songs are based around Mark Cook’s Warr guitar and Rick Read’s Chapman Stick combined with Ross Young’s detailed drumming to create a clock-like precision of a layered polyrhythmic machine. Keyboardists Gayle Ellett (from Djam Karet) and Mike McGary play a crucial role in adding mood and texture to the music. Ellett also adds rhythm guitar to a few tracks and a poetic guitar solo on Shatterpoint. Bob Fisher, flute and saxophone, and Stephen Page, violin, are featured soloists who add diversity to the sonic palette of the band. Drummer, Bill Bachman, came on board towards the end of the recording process to add another element of intensity to the mix.

Media/Samples 
Manifestation Part 2
Trailer 

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Herd of Instinct "Conjure"

Country: USA
Sub Genre: Eclectic, Jazz-Rock/Fusion
Label: Firepool Records
Release date: January 22, 2013
Tracklist: 
1. Praxis (5:14)
2. Dead Leaf Echo (3:18)
3. Brutality of Fact (3:17)
4. Alice Krige pt.1 (5:54)
5. Solitude One (4:25)
6. Ravenwood (3:27)
7. Mother Night (4:23)
8. Vargtimmen (4:59)
9. Malise (3:15)
10.New Lands  (4:12)
11.A Sense of an Ending (5:30)
12.The Secret of Fire (5:16)

Line-up: 
Jason Spradlin:  drums and programming
Gayle Ellett: Moog, Mellotron, Hammond organ, Rhodes, and Dilruba
Mike Davison: guitar, 12 string acoustic, and guitar synth
Mark Cook:  Warr guitar, ADG fretless bass, guitar, and programming

Special Guests:
Lisa Lazo: keyboards on track 5
Bob Fisher: flute on tracks 1 & 4
Colin Edwin: fretless bass on tracks 1 & 11
Joe Blair: lapsteel guitar track 4
Joel Adair: trumpet on track 4

Description/Reviews: 

While the debut featured vocals on two tracks out of 10, with Conjure Herd of Instinct have chosen a completely instrumental format. The album expands on the ideas presented on the debut, introducing subtle adjustments to the band’s distinctive sound rather than opting for a dramatic change in style – though avoiding the all too common syndrome of the sophomore effort being an inferior copy of its predecessor.

Read the whole review by Raffaella Berry at progmistress.com

Media/Samples 
Progstreaming
Preview

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