Magic Pie balance the heavy rock by progging out big style on Maestro – a sumptuous feast for the Pie Army.

Release Date: 16th May 2025

Label: Karisma Records

Format: DL / CD / LP / Bandcamp

Magi Pie have always been about old school Prog Rock values. The school whose ethos of ‘if it ain’t broken why fix it?’ While the likes of Dream Theater, Genesis, Pink Floyd, Kansas, Deep Purple, Yes and many more may have left a mark in the Magic Pie stylings, they create their own unique blend of classic prog. Incorporating the tried and trusted ingedients – complex time signatures, lush keyboards, and dynamic guitar work, mixing elements of symphonic rock, jazz, and even pastoral folk – Maestro bears out the ambitious claims of its title.

OPUS PERFECTUS

Seven tracks are bookended by the two part Opus Imperfectus. Across almost twenty minutes, Part One establishes the credentials with fanfares, crescendos, a melodic lead guitar line, a hint of quirkiness and E Street piano. In the same way that prog peer Neal Morse has the innate knack for building long form musical pieces, Opus Imperfectus knocks it out of the park with a stirring arrangement. A mid song breakdown enters into an ominous area, while the dynamic shift is born by winding guitar soloing back to the musical theme. The story of a composer and the search for the missing chord to complete his opus may be incidental – it’s a happy ending though. A baptism of fire for new drummer Martin Utby who has certainly earned his stripes.

By comparison, the relatively compact Part Two which forms the finale still packs a punch in its brief appearance. Building smartly to a suitably Prog-tastic intense climax, the goosebumps of the returning theme are again Morse-esque, a compliment if there ever were one.

HARDER ROCKING

The meat of the album sees some lovely the slide guitar/pedal steel in the laid back demeanour and poignancy of By The Smokers Pole, yet a handful of tracks hand much more focus on energy and immediacy. The organ gets a good lashing in Someone Else’s Wannabe and donning their finest Deep Purple bibs, the Pie are at their cock rocking best in the bravado of Name It To Tame It that douses the prog fire in favour of a heavy rocking alternative with a dash of colouring from a guitar/keyboard duel that wouldn’t be out of place in the Dream Theater canon.

Relatively new singer Eirikur Hauksson is right at home with some suitably authentic Metal stylings. The same alternative gets a revisit with Everyday Hero that’s a fun outing. Further evidence of the Magic Pie nous for a hook that fellow heavier rockers Uriah Heep and Rainbow have in their armoury.

An album that makes for a perfect fit in the Magic Pie catalogue. There’s no denying that Maestro combines the cream of a plethora of influences, yet the result is a heavy rock tinged Progressive tour de force.

Here’s Someone Else’s Wannabe:

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