Wow, it was great to hear that Haze are recording again; it’s a long time since I last spoke to Chris and Paul McMahon about their favourite prog rock albums for a Classic Rock Society survey which was published by Acid Dragon Books. “The Water’s Edge” comes in two formats: a physical CD with nine tracks and a digital download which adds four bonus tracks. There are many notable pieces on the album including ‘Water Rising’, a mellifluous, visceral ballad about climate change with dreamy flute with a fluid guitar break to conclude; the 11-minute plus ‘The Outlandish Knight’, straddling folk music and progressive quite brilliantly with some great synth work. doleful flute and fluent and at times heavy guitar creating vivid atmospheres; another wonderful, heartfelt ballad, ‘Belong’ (“I can’t deny there’s a darkness in me” expresses the dissatisfaction many of us feel in today’s twisted world); ‘Drinking with the Devil’ marks a rare foray into the blues with heavy guitar, some guest sax (Derek Nash) and an organ break; ‘Paradise’ is at the darker end of the musical spectrum. I am sure I will be exploring this album in much more depth in the days to come.
Meanwhile, do give it a listen. Apart from being an accomplished that will appeal to crossover prog fans, but is a real family affair with original members Paul (the guitarist) and Chris (the keyboard and bass player) joined by Danny McMahon on drums and no less than three other family members on backing vocals; Catrin Ashton’s fiddle also plays a significant part on the album.
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