Iona another realm free download

It's all talk of personal beliefs, at almost annoying length, and next to nothing about the band's music or history. The drummer, Van Essen, in a short clip from a band rehearsal, talking about how he joined the band, and a little about how they work on new music together, is the sole exception.

This gives the documentary a good flow, which is one of its few redeeming qualities. The music overall is nice enough, but there isn't very much Celtic folk to be heard here, and certainly not progressive folk. Iona may have developed a more Celtic folk feel to their music later on in their career, but here they sound more like a new agey happy-Christian band, like a cross between Enya in her solo world music years and The Kelly Family, than a Celtic folk band.

Fitzgerald's sax, often resembling the sound of the sax in Dire Straits' "Your Latest Trick", is very much in focus, and you could almost say it goes perfectly hand in hand with the 80's quality of the video footage.

Watching this film hasn't put me off wanting to investigate Iona's music further, 'cause I think the few tracks I've heard off the "The Book of Kells" album showed the band could do much better than what's on offer here. That said, I'm not in any great haste to continue the exploration. I do not recommend this DVD as a starting point for exploring Iona's music, but I'm pretty sure fans will find it interesting. It wouldn't hurt being a Christian when trying get something of value out of watching this DVD though, 'cause it's as much a film where the main objective seems to be promoting Christianity as it is a music documentary.

This album contains a variety of songs that range from instrumental movements to folksy ballads that feature incredible female vox. The range of variety here is really great, and you never will feel bored as you join this spiritual journey. I have to admit my interest was perked for this album because of my love for "The Secret of Kells", the best animated movie I've ever seen.

This album digs into some of the same musically territory as we experience a true sense of spirituality through the emotive vocals and the wildly appropriate instrumentals for each of the Gospel authors. This band knows how to compose for certain themes, and I immensely enjoyed this album.

Review by kev rowland Special Collaborator Honorary Reviewer. Thanks to their musical style, combined with Joanne Hogg's vocals, these guys will always find themselves compared to Enya and Kate Bush but in many ways that is unfair as they don't really sound like the latter and there is way more complexity and layers than the former.

Together they produce music that is timeless, folk and prog coming together to wrap around the listener and create a world that in many ways is far away from the present day. If ever there was music that should only be played on headphones this is it, as to get the full benefit one needs to play this without distraction, preferably at night with a glass of Springbank Malt in hand, just sitting looking at the stars and drift away into their world.

So why am I looking at a compilation album that only covers a subset of their releases, which in itself is more than 15 years old! Easy, Iona have made this available as a free download from their site. Yes, that's right, free.

No payment required. So what excuse can you possibly have now for not discovering one of the finest bands around in their field? This is wonderfully atmospheric album from start to end, with a warmth provided by fretless bass and a cut through by drums and whistles, while the keyboards and guitars build a blanket of sound that allows Joanne to rise above it all. In some ways it is somewhat reminiscent of Renaissance and Annie Haslam, with complex layered music allowing a free vocal to really dominate the overall sound This album has reminded me just how wonderful their music really is, and has inspired me to find out more about the albums I don't already have.

Easily four stars in anyone's book, this is a great compilation and given that it is free why not give them a try? Copyright Prog Archives, All rights reserved. Please consider supporting us by giving monthly PayPal donations and help keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.

They've been making music since There's simply no denying that these five are among the most skillful musicians in Christian music, if not the entire music business. For an interesting and fresh take on symphonic and folk rock, it would be hard to find a better band. Mostly Autumn vs.

Iona Iona New Iona album Create a topic now. Studio Album, 3. The Circling Hour Iona Prog Folk Review by brainsuccasurgery Iona albums offer alternate very strong pieces, full of fervor and passages soothed, comfortable and moving songs with folk arrangements "mainstream", interspersed with floats "new age".

A slope that might not be the most popular with fans of hardcore prog. If Open Sky had two or three more titles like this, too smooth, it is no longer the case here. And if The Circling Hour is in the tradition of its predecessors no stylistic revolution , it is also much more lively, more raw, more dense, free of any incentive to sleep or sentimentality.

Even the more accessible songs, those that can sing in the shower, have something to bite them moving away from the simple refrain. Martial battery, like a heart beat and pulse shaking. A line of low aerodynamic, which darkens gently, is melodic, took singing without losing its dark resonance , "Wind off the Lake" is a kind of helping hand to the music of U2, a symbol of timeless modernity. With "Sky Maps," as explosive signed Troy Donockley we speak well of bravura set pieces if there were none at all over the record, marching without downtime.

It is not bravery, it's temerity. In fact, the most "big" piece is called "Wind, Water and Fire," and listening, a real pandemonium of rhapsodic fantasies comes at your fingertips. I just desire to describe these synth sounds, both short and wide as muffled; describe the contact fingers Dave Bainbridge on guitar strings, neither stroke nor caress, a touch, an outcrop that seems to come from so far away, when he embraces the guitar body; describe the vehemence deployed to love God, so close to universal human thoughts; describe this force and what force!

In his own hesitations, repetitions. In this profound and incomprehensible song that raises this desire, this desire to go to God. Uncover the mystery. Snowdonia-realm of the Ravens Dome of Harlech. Snowdonia-realm of the Ravens Above the clouds. Snowdonia-realm of the Ravens Song of the waves. Snowdonia-realm of the Ravens Moondawn.

Snowdonia-realm of the Ravens Winter. Castlerigg Reels. Song of the Waves Reprise. The Final Journey. The Ancient Wells Original demo. The Ancient Wells remix. Another Realm Original demo. Another Realm 2nd demo. Another Realm Monitor mix. Clouds Original demo. And the Angels Dance Original demo. And the Angels Dance Single remix. Foreign Soil Original demo. White Horse Demo. Between Heaven and Earth Unreleased piece. Gotta Lift Our Eyes up Unreleased demo. The Crossing Unreleased piece.

See More. Eliminator ZZ Top. Hogg's echoing vocals sounds, "Our King is here with us", set to the background sound of pipes and keys as if in a dream or a fog gets, 'An Atmosphere of Miracles' off to a mysteriously wonderful start.

Then the track fades out only to return with Hogg's 'La, la, la, do's" set to soft keys. A peaceful, morning in a field or on the edge of a mountain type song that is so tranquil and beautiful it makes you long for those quiet moments.

There are at least two openings before the actual lyrics to the main song begin. The guitar work and almost orchestra - like support of strings gives the track incredible power. This is by far the longest track on the album and it is full of powerful moods.

Hogg sings emotionally, "Our King is here with us". At over 15 minutes it is another epic highlight of the double CD set. Hogg repeats the title as she sings, "Holy Spirit come, please won't You come here? The power drums and keys that take over later complete the first CD of the album full of power and emotion.

CD2 'Ruach' is a violin and keys track set to a sad melody as compared to the first CD's more upbeat tracks. The track exhibits power with the sound of the keys and violin reaching high and loud. Uilleann pipes and Hogg's vocals open 'Speak to Me', with, "The beauty of the trees The pipes and acoustic guitar and bass are a wonderful accompaniment to Hogg's soft voice.

Carried high to a realm of light". The pipes and whistles join in to provide even more flavor. Then the pipes and whistles join in with the rest of the instruments and band. The acoustic guitar work is excellent and blends well with the bass and that 'soft sun' sound of autumn.

The piano accents and highlights are a welcomed addition to the piece. Hogg echoes the song's title as the rhythm picks up and the emotions grow. This is a mostly instrumental track allowing the full band to display their talents throughout. Hogg's emotional delivery of the spiritual lyrics with support of the bass, whistles, strings, guitars and keys lifts spirit's high.

The excellent tranquil acoustic work is fascinating. A loud horn beckons or heralds 'The Fearless One', full of keys, guitar, drums, and strings. Then Hogg's echoing and eerie voice joins in set to soft keys, like a morning dawn, full of heavy drums, whistles and cymbals.

Visions of the island of Iona drenched in fog as the soft light of morning stretches itself skyward fills your mind as you close your eyes and experience this excellent, over five minute experience of sound. Another of my favorite tracks off CD 2 is 'White Horse'. It opens with powerful drums, strings, and keys, before Hogg joins in, "Don't look back A flute joins in to add even more dynamic sound as the drums pound like horse hooves and the keys shine bright.

The percussion mix also adds to the dynamic vitality of this powerful track. The bass work is yet another highlight. Hogg takes us out with a beautiful reprise of "Iona of my heart. Iona of my love. As it was". The Phantom Tollbooth. This is yet another project from one of the greatest bands recording music today in any genre. Since this is a double disc project it gets 10 tocks. Review: The Phantom Tollbooth. This album is about a number of things, but I believe it is mostly about longing, desire and fulfillment.

Some have said that this release marks a new start for the band. Others have stated that it marks a return to the groups early recordings, in some aspects both are valid points.

More importantly though, this is yet another project from one of the greatest bands recording music today in any genre. Musically this album covers familiar territory, yet the band sounds fresh and vibrant as always. A mixture of progressive rock, symphonic rock and traditional celtic folk music blend together to make Iona one of the most unique groups in the world.

I said that I felt some of the main themes of this project were longing, desire and fulfillment. Lyrically there is present in the songs a longing for the sense of the presence of God in the world that we live in. A desire to be more fully aware that the veil between this world and the other realm can at times be very thin.

An sense of fulfillment in knowing that the creator of all things is not only aware of our daily lives and the struggles that we face but is actively involved in those lives There are times when Another Realm reminds me of the Open Sky project, especially in the tune entitled "An Atmosphere Of Miracles. One of the refrains of the song repeats the phrase, "Our king is here with us. Another track on disc 1 is called "The Ancient Wells" and speaks of the places where the veil between heaven and earth is indeed thin--oh to be aware of more places like this.

It is also one of those times where the band kicks loose with their trademark harmonic playing between guitar and pipes. Disc 2 opens with an instrumental piece entitled "Ruach" the Hebrew word for among other things, Spirit. I can only look on this song as a meditation on the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead. It is a calming combination of vocal loops, keyboard washes and violin playing.

It is tunes like this that remind me of the power of music to bring the worshiper into the mystical presence of God. I can almost see the flames running up and down the neck of his guitar.

Yet his pyrotechnics are so beautifully tasteful it adds to and does not distract from this song in the least bit. If all recordings by artists who claim to be in a relationship with the creator of all art were this good I would probably alot less cynical concerning "Christian" music. Once again Iona has shown themselves to be a band worth paying attention to. My favorite band has once again spoken to the deepest realms of my heart.

Iona peer Hubble-like further and further into the unseen and give us the sound of wonder. Some of Iona's single albums have pushed the capacity of Some of Iona's single albums have pushed the capacity of the CD format, but even 80 minutes was too short for this batch of tracks and having two discs to spread their Celtic prog across has brought out their most chilled approach yet.

This almost makes Journey into the Morn sound like their tribute to Motorhead. You can sense the calm from the opening minute and this fits the theme.

Another Realm is largely about the unseen spiritual world that touches this one. Iona gives us the sound of wonder. Five years on from The Circling Hour the band says that this is a new start and from the listener's perspective it both is and isn't. Many of the core characteristics are there: near permanent keyboard washes, bursts of ecstatic guitar, Celtic twists, times when Frank van Essen gives up his thunderous drums for violin, Joanne Hogg's pure vocals and the obligatory fifteen-minute-long track.

But each release has its own characteristics and this could be the most overtly spiritual release they have made. Yes, they have always been about the faith that spread through the UK from the island of their name and it has coloured nearly every instrumental piece they have produced. But here there is a new intensity: less about God-related things and more about God himself; less about islands or the Atlantic and more about the cosmos; and here they peer Hubble-like further and further into the uncharted and unseen.

Even though there is pushing one hundred minutes of music here, you could probably count the loud bits on the fingers of one hand. Diametrically opposite the Paul Simons and Alex Turners of this world, who try to cram their overflowing lyrics into verses that struggle to contain them, here the lyrics have to wait until the instruments have had their say.

I calculate it as a scant 2. But the music is all the better for it, gaining an evenness that avoids the band's early tendency to create a mood in longer pieces and then blast a discordant section into it. The first disc is a true worship album. The title track and "Clouds" both explore the otherliness of God and how it can break into our world, then the excellent and somewhat free-form "Atmosphere of Miracles" both describes a sense of the numinous, while bringing it on.

It is one of Hogg's best ever performances. Her wordless vocals on this haven of ambient wonder are the most Clannad-esque thing Iona has done since Moya Brennan guested in the '90s, showing the mellow warmth in her voice. Yet at the end of the track, her rapturous proclamation that "Our King is here with us!

The first disc alone would be a fine release, but the second makes it a banquet. After "Ruach" comes a short batch of ballads that feature Jo Hogg and have a more Celtic feel. Direct and with a tricky time-signature, "Let the Waters Flow" is another highlight in the "Woven Cord" and "Castlerigg" vein of near-instrumentals, although this may well beat the former.

It leads into a final section that seems to switch to a Book of Kells sound. The arresting shofar cries ram's horn of "The Fearless Ones" recall its more haunting moments, while the Christology of "Saviour" and "White Horse" echo the gospel heart of that album. At times Iona have frustrated us with a sense that a killer hook ir melody could be just around the corner, but doesn't want to show its face.

Hard work and stunningly talented musicianship have often filled that gap. That criticism could be applied to this release. Sometimes the verse melodies lack dynamic and depend on a strong chorus to carry the weight "Saviour" ; at others it is an exciting burst of pipes or one of Dave Bainbridge's too short, emotional guitar solos that lifts a track that extra notch, as they do early on disc one.

In the past, the loud and soft have wrestled for supremacy within long pieces, or noodling has extended songs unnecessarily, but that complaint does not apply here, where they fearlessly and consistently create sweeping images of the invisible.

Think of this as a sonic Dali landscape painted by Turner: inspired, evocative, and yet conveyed with a breathy mistiness. I once described Journey into the Morn as "a sonic cathedral," but that label probably fits this release -especially the first disc - even more snugly. Cross Rhythms. For the first time Iona present us with a double studio album with over minutes of new music and it is absolutely stunning.

If like me you've miss Review: Cross Rhythms. If like me you've missed the Iona of the early years who mixed outstanding music with a deeper spirituality, then you'll welcome 'Another Realm'.

There have been some changes so the album introduces Martin Nolan on pipes and whistles but it also seems that across the board, there's something new and invigorating about the band. It's almost as if the band have undergone a spiritual revival and it underpins everything that is here. Right from the opening cut "As It Was" with its opening refrain "Iona of my heart," there are echoes of the band's early recordings as if they have gone back to their Celtic spiritual roots and once more journeyed to the isle of Iona.

Produced by Dave Bainbridge and recorded at different band members' studios in England, Ireland and the Netherlands, there is the usual huge panoramic sound we've come to associate with the band but this time it comes with a fresh warmth and richness. Not only that, the whole album is packaged up in a gatefold sleeve with the most beautiful and fully integrated cover art I've ever seen!

Everything you have ever loved about the band is here - astounding, multi-layered music, the gorgeous vocals of Joanne Hogg, the pipes, whistles and violin work which adds so much character and songs that make the heart glow.

From the haunting Wytze Valkema collaboration "The Fearless Ones" with its opening shofar blasts to the epic "An Atmosphere Of Miracles" and beautiful "The Ancient Wells", there isn't a single moment where this doesn't deliver. On the latter, Joanne sings, "The ancient wells will be opened again and your river will flow," and it feels like that thought sums up what has happened with 'Another Realm'.

Iona have rediscovered their passion and their purpose. Review Digest. Provided as a gorgeous cardboard triple panel gatefo Review: Review Digest. Provided as a gorgeous cardboard triple panel gatefold package with a full color booklet with band photos and full lyrics, the hour and a half collection is the UK band's first studio project since The Circling Hour and seventh studio album.

Although there have been a few lineup changes, Another Realm celebrates the band's 23rd year of growth since their debut self-titled album release.

Iona's albums and live performances have been reviewed extensively here and were named a Musical Discoveries featured artists in Fronted by Joanne Hogg vocals, keyboard, piano, beer shakers , Iona's current lineup includes stalwarts Dave Bainbridge electric and acoustic guitars, bouzouki, piano, keyboards, autoharp, beer shakers ; Frank van Essen drums, percussion, violins, violas, electric violin, vocal, gockenspiel, keyboard ; Phil Barker bass guiltar, electric upright bass; and Martin Nolan took over after Troy Donockley's departure during the gap between the band's last release and the new project reviewed here.

Since their last studio project, Iona released a live DVD and live album of the same material. The band members have also been active in their own projects, For example, Joanne Hogg released two solo albums entitled Raphael's Journey , with Frank van Essen and Personal following her contributions to the four album New Irish Hymns series with Maire Brennan or Kristin Getty and Margaret Fletcher.

Dave Bainbridge produced the second complilation in the Songs for Luca series reviews 1 2 and also co-released The Breaking of the Dawn with Nick Fletcher. Another Realm brings Iona, who are geographically separated by a significant distance, back together with all new material. The band have also launched a comprehensive new website to coincide with the album's release. Iona's music has always been centered between the three forces of progressive rock, modern Celtic tunes and lyrical Christian themes.

The fifteen tracks on Another Realm that include two very long tracks turn up the intensity on Christian themes almost throughout but also continue to demonstrate the artist's individual strengths. The band's music has become more diverse with songs that include sweeping orchestral passages, brooding Enya-esque vocal lines and very robust progressive rock arrangements. However the Iona sound is never lost. Recorded material is equally split between the two CDs in the package.

The album's first track is a short and quiet ballad entitled "As It Was. The first extended track "The Ancient Walls" blends Celtic sounds with progressive rock arrangements and an accessible melody. Listen for Clannad-style vocal harmonies. While Troy Donockley will be missed, Martin Nolan proves his strength immediately in the rousing uillean pipe instrumental breaks.

Joanne sings the album's lushly arranged title track precisely. Sensitively delivered verses are followed by memorable choruses.