In continuation of PQR’s incessant quest for those one-off gems of U.S. Prog, we bring you the first ever reissue of a classic among prog collectors and enthusiasts at large, the sole album by EARTHRISE. In fact, this edition is 2 albums in 1, as, over and above the 4 main tracks, it features 5 previously unreleased ones, spanning key member Bill Drobile’s different compositional phases, from fuzzed out psychedelia to prog.
Emerging from New Jersey’s fertile musical landscape in 1975, EARTHRISE crafted a work of remarkable depth and vision, punctuated by Dennis Orlando’s sci-fi inspired cover art. Although evidently influenced by the likes of Camel and ELP, the four long tracks that are featured in this album constitute nuanced approaches to the chameleonic tapestry of prog.
From the opening “Eden’s Child” that thrives with lush organ and gentle, floating textures, expressive vocals, and a captivating instrumental section where electric piano and synths engage in constant dialogue, and the organ-driven “Arcturus” that wavers between placid, aethereal and suggestive threads to punchy stretches of augmenting intensity, with rampant rhythmic shifts, to the spectacular self-titled track that blends a dreamy soundscape spearheaded by a spacey, futuristic theme, with symphonic elements and the concluding “New Clear Dawn” that adds a slightly more introspective psychedelic cadence to the album’s enigmatic fabric, EARTHRISE captivate the listener in their multi-dimensional enclave.
The album comes in 400 numbered copies (200 in black and 200 in splatter vinyl), including a 2-page insert with the band’s extensive bio.
Will appeal to fans of: Easter Island, Mirthrandir, Westfauster, Camel, ELP.
