The Tirith is a UK-based Progressive / Classic Rock Band. It has a long history stretching back to the '70s; the present band reformed in 2010 and has been playing festivals and selected gigs since 2011.

The 11 songs (1 hr, 06 min, 57 sec) on Tales from the Tower were written by Tim Cox and Richard Cory, with most of the content dating back to the '70s, when the two musicians were... we'll, a lot younger. The songs on this new album have been rearranged, and in some cases new lyrics have been written, to bring something from the '70s up to date for a new audience.

The end results speaks for themselves. This is an incredibly impressive rock album that manages to capture the spirit of the '70s while being modern enough to not alienate a younger, new audience.

There's a story flowing through the tracks, if you're interested... It starts with an alien tower on a distant planet, surrounded by methane snow... The CD's linear notes spell out the story, for those that want to learn more of the album's origin. Personally, I wasn't that bothered (it involved aliens and a strange alien tower - and I've had my fill of this rather cliched and over used setting).

What I did care about was how wonderfully crafted and performed the songs were. On the first listen through I was impressed with how many interesting themes there were... and each subsequent listen just made me love this album more and more.

It's a soft rock album that ticks all the right boxes. Give The Tirith a try, you won't regret it.

10

Nick Smithson