Debut album from Norfolk Progressive Folk-Rock duo Book of Moons. Strange & Wylde Majick explores a world of ghosts, vampires, strange creatures and ancient magic – with a large serving of 70s prog rock.
Release Date: 29th May 2025
Label: Self Release
Formats: Digital
THE BOOK OF MOONS
Strange & Wylde Majick may be the debut album from Norfolk progressive folk-rock duo Book Of Moons but the band’s members – Tim Lane (guitars, bass and keyboards) and Leighton Melville (vocals) have been together for quite some time. The pair met back in 2001, as fellow actors in a Norwich community theatre production, where they discovered they shared a mutual liking for classic 70s rock, 80s goth, folk horror, and the fantasy literature of writers like Alan Moore and Tim Powers. It took until 2025, however, before Tim and Leighton took the plunge and decided to pool their musical resources, initially in alt-folk outfit, The Punch House Band.
The Book of Moons take their name from the 17th century Bedlam ballad, Tom O’ Bedlam and the pair’s shared interest in occult matters was the spur to them forming the enterprise. Tim is also a member of Norfolk proggers Stealing the Fire and has his own solo space rock project, Ubermodo. Leighton, originally from South Wales, is a man of eclectic musical tastes – he’s equally happy listening to Kate Bush, thrash metal or The Divine Comedy – and he’s an afficionado of all things strange and weird. And, like several of us in the At The Barrier team, he really, really, really loves cats. Sounds like our kind of guy…
…THINGS IN WHICH MERE MORTALS SHOULD NEVER DABBLE
For Strange & Wylde Majick, Tim and Leighton have enlisted the help of drummer Tim Dew and co-producer Chris Bond. The album is a collection of songs that explore a world of ghosts, vampires, strange creatures, ancient magic, forbidden love and “those things in which mere mortals should never dabble.” The flavours of 70s prog rock pervade this album like the word Blackpool pervades a stick of stripy rock. Composer Tim takes his lyrical inspiration from the horror/fantasy writing of HP Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe; mix that lot together and you’ve got an album awash with deft musicianship, heartwarming melody, vivid imagery and engaging showmanship. Strange & Wylde Majick is a truly fulfilling piece of work.
THE SPIRIT OF 70s PROG
The spirit of 70s prog is there right from the start as the blast of heavy guitars that launches opening track Burn immediately recalls Larks’ Tongues in Aspic. The song is “…the lament of an eternally damned soul in thrall to a demonic lover.” The well-balanced sound occupies that wide patch of ground between Jethro Tull and Spinal Tap, with bass, guitar, drums and keyboards all meshing together nicely; Leighton’s voice is way up front and Tim’s meandering guitar solo is amazing.
The folkier edge to Strange & Wylde Majick, the album’s title track, is apparent both in the strummed acoustic guitar and in Leighton’s vocal styling. But… the listener shouldn’t be lulled; prog bombast lies just beneath the surface and it doesn’t take too long to break on through. Leighton brings real drama into his vocal delivery – as befits the song’s title and subject matter – and, as the song ‘progresses,’ all the classic elements come into play: demonic vocals, Keith Emerson organ flourishes, fluid Martin Barre guitar licks and thunderous-yet-disciplined drums.
PEEL BACK THE DRAMA…
Things take a distinctly melodic turn for the evocative People Of The Mountain. Tim kicks things of with a relaxed, tasteful, guitar passage and the foregoing drama is peeled right back, in favour of vivid imagery. That is, until the “People of the mountain, people of the stone – when you dream, you don’t dream alone…” chorus, when Leighton fires off with both barrels.
The folky, storytelling lyrics, sharp, crisp, instrumentation and Celtic flavourings to the engaging Shadow Song recall the Irish prog of Fruupp, or even maybe Horslips. The song is described as: “…a progressive folk-rock fairytale featuring an uncanny maiden who ensnares a well-intentioned traveller with her eldritch music” and that’s a story that comes alive in the song’s classic prog arrangement. It’s one of the album’s older songs, having been a staple feature of The Punch House Band’s repertoire for some years.
A DRAMATIC CONCLUSION
Speaking of (Come To Me) In The Cold Small Hours, a ghostly ballad that serenades a dead lover, composer Tim says; “I wanted to write a big dramatic piece that could really showcase Leighton’s emotional range as a vocalist.” Well, Tim – that’s another mission you’ve accomplished! Leighton is on top vocal form throughout in a number that evolves gradually from a baroque folk song, through a strident ballad into a quasi-orchestral epic and he exercises every extent of his impressive vocal range during the process. And Tim’s soaring guitar solos are equally fulfilling.
Strange & Wylde Majick is brought to its dramatic conclusion by The Harlequin Rides, a 13-minute epic that, once again brings every facet of classic prog rock into play. Rickenbacker bass, guitar and drums all stretch out, with a precision and discipline that’s admirable. The expression in Leighton’s vocals is Hollywood standard and the song’s lyrics evoke vivid images of an alternative, less mundane, infinitely more interesting world than our own. OK – the dog-barking and rumbling carriage sound effects add a bit of humour but, somehow, they fit and the anthemic ending is exhilarating.
ADD SOME MOONS TO YOUR LIST
Strange & Wylde Majick is a tremendous album. If your tastes include a selection of Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, ELP, Marillion, Tull and the rest, you really should have a listen. I’ve a strong feeling that you’ll love The Book of Moon just as much…
The Book of Moons are just setting out on their new venture and they haven’t yet shared any of their sound or video recordings online. However, you can get a feel for what a performance by Tim and Leighton is like by watching them perform I Walk By Night, in their other incarnation as The Punch House Band, below:
The Book Of Moons online: Facebook / Bandcamp
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