STEALING THE FIRE

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Norfolk, United Kingdom

Warranties and Disclaimers

"'Hot Ice and Wondrous Strange Snow' is surely different compared to the majority of today's releases. It's a mixture of neo-progressive and experimental, at times almost psychedelic, [this kind of music] isn't something you will hear a lot. And although the music sometimes goes to regions that aren't normally touched upon by "normal" neo-progressive bands it all stays very enjoyable to listen to. The mixture of instrumental and vocal tracks is also something that keeps the album interesting. The production is also very good considering it seems to be a 'homegrown' album." - Xymphonia, Progressive Rock Radio

"The first song of the CD 'Stormwing' (6:25) gives us a good idea of the musical taste and influences of these guys. A short intro with the help of soft keyboards and melodic guitar submerges us in an instrumental topic built from guitar riffs that sound as a hard Rothery and from a changing keyboard that sometimes reminds us from English neoprog and others from the latest ELP. A very rhythmic, versatile and lively composition.  Equally good is the second song, Sirius Rising, that displays a more commercial proposal with a clear Marillion and English neoprog influence. A weak introduction opens the way to Cumulonimbus 101, a very energetic and progressive instrumental topic in which it seems as if keyboards were competing between [each]  other while the guitar (very good, by the way) has fun playing all kind of solos in between the mountains of keyboards. After this song, one of the biggest surprises of the CD comes, the twelve and a half minutes of Unknowing Angel. It begins in a soft way, with a vocal melody that reminds too much from Sirius Rising (it is necessary to look for more original vocal melodies), opening the way to magnificent instrumental moments, replete of rhythm changes, in which the guitarist pegs a heavy sound to the lattice of keyboards. In these instrumental sections we can really see the quality of these musicians, as their influences are diverse and sometimes surprising.  The Moriarty Cube is another very original composition that holds Arab music as a main influence, to gradually developed in more progressive textures than the previous songs and ending in fusion notes. Without a doubt, and in spite of the fact that this is not my favourite song of the CD, I must recognize that here the musicians have experimented with success. The longer piece of the album is the last one, Spitfire Eros, without a doubt, my favourite. A lot of instrumental imagination, some more original vocal parts than previously, and a lot of technique to make rhythm changes, to change atmospheres, and to create intensity, and a good starting point for future works." - Alfonso Algora, progVisions

"When a band uses its album credits to thank William Shakespeare, you know you're in for a theatrical listening experience. And Stealing The Fire, a trio from the Crude Apache Theatre Company in Norwich, England, doesn't disappoint. Hot Ice and Wondrous Strange Snow, quite simply, is stunning in its dramatic effect.  Stormwing, an instrumental with complex, synthesized textures, sets the stage for these seven majestic songs, which owe a nod to the elaborateness of early-70s Yes. Sirius Rising introduces the angelic vocals of Saff Edye, who could out-sing Sarah McLachlan, Annie Lennox or even John Anderson any day.  Her aggressive performance on Unknowing Angel elevates that song from highly listenable to sublime.  Meanwhile, bandmates Chris Bond (keyboards, drums) and Tim Lane (guitar, keyboards, bass, percussion) shine on three more instrumentals before they and Edye throw themselves into Spitfire Eros the disc's 17-minute finale.  Loaded with guitars and synthesizers, as well as Edye's mystical vocals, Spitfire Eros brings down the curtain on this satisfying release that's well worth seeking out.  The old bard would be proud." - Michael Popke, Progression Magazine

"In 1994 Earthstone released the album 'Seed'. The project, led by Chris Phillips, had keyboard and songwriting assistance from Chris Bond. In 1999, Stealing the Fire is a Chris Bond project, featuring Phillips' bass on four tracks, together with collaborator Tim Lane (guitar, keyboard, bass and percussion) and vocalist Saff Edye.  The band readily admit to Genesis, Floyd, It Bites through to King Crimson influences, and the female vocals have led to favourable Solstice comparisons.  However, this is a near 60 minute album of '90's prog-rock, mixing traditional and modern elements into a distinctive sound with clear influences within the three vocal tracks and four instrumentals. 'Storming' bears similarities to Peter Banks' 'Instinct', while 'Cumulo Nimbus 101' seems to lift a riff from John Wetton's 'Arkangel' album and throughout the keyboard sound of Genesis (circa 'Fading Lights') is used to good effect. That said, there is plenty of power and a progressive feel to this album. The instrumentals, in particular, provide complex listening, utilising excellent guitar and keyboard in intense, driving prog that develops intricate melody. The more listens, the more impressive the themed tracks (flight and strange weather) become. This deserves high praise and greater availability." - The Classic Rock Society

"The album "Hot ice and wondrous strange snow" of STEALING THE FIRE offers great neoprog, highly suitable for fans of PENDRAGON and early MARILLION. The sound is dominated by beautiful keyboard-sounds and melodic guitar-playing. The good voice of singer Saff Edye goes with the sound very well. If you like neoprog and melodic progrock, you'll like this disc ! 7 points" - Gunther Eisenhofer, DURP.com

"Stealing The Fire's Hot Ice And Wondrous Strange Snow is a rather eclectic release. Just when you think its instrumental with some Italian influences and some contemporary jazz influences ("Stormwing") it becomes abstract, a little Tangerine Dreamy. "Sirius Rising" is proggy-pop. Vocally a dash of The Gathering, a dash of 10,000 Maniacs -- yes, vocalist Saff Edye has that kind of voice. The track itself is a bit spacey. Ayreon comes to mind, though what I first thought was IQ with female vocals. "CumuloNimbus 101" is different again - experimental collage of sound effects, leading into what you at first might think is Pink Floyd's "Young Lust" before melting into folds and pulses of synths; not like TD, but, well, I thought of "Wow" by Supersister, actually. High energy and churning as one zips through white, puffy clouds at 100 mph. "Unknowing Angel" sounds mournful initially in a much slower pace than that which precedes it. I'm not overly thrilled with the vocal performance here. Keys are in the lead role, guitar providing accents with a repeating riff - after a few bars they switch places. "Spitfire Eros" is a bit quirky in contrast to rest of the album.

Not to knock Eyde as a vocalist, as she has a good voice (with a few bad moments here and there) but Stealing The Fire are more interesting in their instrumental guise than their vocal guise. On keyboards and drums it's Chris Bond, who also wrote the lyrics; Tim Lane on guitar, keys, bass and percussion. Chris Phillips plays the bass on three of the albums 7 tracks. It's a mostly interesting album, and pleasant enough. On a scale, it's at the high end of average, meaning I like it, but it hasn't commanded control of my CD player." - Stephanie Sollow, ProgressiveWorld.net

"Stealing the Fire's only (so far) release is sort of a follow-up to Earthstone's Seed, though this one is Chris Bond's brainchild with Chris Phillips helping out rather than the other way around. If you've heard Seed, Hot Ice and Wondrous Strange Snow is along the same lines, but Hot Ice a lot more interesting in several ways.

The most obvious improvement is the addition of Saff Edye's vocals on most of the tracks. She likes to double-track her vocals, singing 2-part harmonies. Like Seed, the music is symphonic, emotional and hypnotic by repetition, though on this CD there's more variations on the themes within the repetition than on Seed. There are also real drums on this CD, which is another big improvement.

Imagine, if you will, Ozric Tentacles with some Floydian guitar solos and female vocals on top, singing lyrics that often allude to mysticism. If you can imagine this, you'd be in the ballpark of what this music is like. There's also one piece, "The Moriarty Cube" which has a guitar part that reminds of Discipline era Crimson, at least rhythmically.

If you care, Seed was said to be a "techno-pagan" album, and I'm guessing by some of the lyrics that one of the band members of Stealing the Fire may be a follower of Thelema or some related spirituality, but I'm not sure.

The album is crisply recorded and performed ... some of the songs are a bit too long for my taste, especially "Unknowing Angel", but on the other hand I haven't had a chance to really sit quietly and space out to this CD, which it seems like it would be very good for. Bottom line is that I recommend it. Check out their web site for ordering info or the Kinesis site for some song samples." - Fred Trafton, New Gibraltar Encyclopedia of Progressive Rock

"Not really a sequel, but certainly a long time coming. Anyone recall the Earthstone album Seed? At the time it was receiving some good reviews, actually people were raving about it; I know I liked it. The Earthstone album was a side project for Stealing the Fire’s Chris Phillips (he was joined by Chris Bond.) Aside from Mr. Phillips Stealing the Fire features Tim Lane on g/k/b and Saff Edye on vocals. Musically this album is very much in the vein of the Earthstone album; lots of guitars and keyboards and the dreaded electronic percussion. Saff’s vocals are great; she fits this music well. She’s more folk than rock. The real strong point here is the interplay between guitar and keyboard, and a knack for tasty little instrumental breaks. This is very much a modern album, but you can tell the players are well versed in the golden age. I can’t really describe it well, but I find the keyboard sounds to be just, well, perfect. They bring to mind a few bands, but it would be a disservice to say they sound like anyone. The bottom line here is lots of guitar over heavy keyboard sequences. Hard driving themes thick with electronics. And a very sophisticated drum machine. Listeners to Earthstone will like this for sure, but I would recommend this to all." – Dane Carlson, Expose.org