They’re flag carriers for classic 70s prog and Roadmaps and Rituals, the 4^th album from Norfolk virtuosos Stealing The Fire encapsulates the finest features of that oft-derided genre.  Is it their best yet?  It’s looking like it might be…

CLASSIC 70s PROG

Norfolk-based prog outfit, Stealing The Fire are a band that knows what they want.  And, in case you’re in any doubt, what they want is to concoct a hefty dose of classic 70s prog that takes its prompts from the likes of Genesis, Yes, Queen, Gentle Giant, King Crimson, Jethro Tull and the rest and remakes/remodels it for 2026.  And, with their 4^th album, Roadmaps and Rituals, Stealing the Fire have accomplished all of that, and more.

The band: Saffron Paffron (vocals), Chris Bond (synths, keyboards, production and lyrics) and Tim Lane (guitars, keyboards and music) came together in the mid-1990s in Norwich and they released their debut album, Hot Ice and Wonderous Strange Snow on New years Day in 1999.  A loooong hiatus followed that debut release and, whilst Stealing the Fire never officially disbanded, it was a further 20 years before the follow-up album, King Of Shadows, eventually appeared.

The gaps between major events are shrinking dramatically these days.  Third album, A Raven For A Dove, showed its face in 2023 and now, just 3 years later, here comes another!  They’re like busses!

IT’S ALL ABOUT MAGIC

Thematically, Roadmaps And Rituals takes its inspiration from the traditions and folklore of the English countryside whilst, at the same time, the band continue to express their fascination with all things surreal and with: “…the artists who travelled and documented the dream geography of the mind.”  Guitarist Tim Lane explains further: “It’s all about magic.  Not in the sword and sorcery sense or that of the stage magician.  It’s more to do with magic that comes as part of being human.  All of our everyday rituals and acts of creativity.”  And, I can assure you that those words will make absolute sense once you’ve given Roadmaps And Rituals an hour or so of your undivided attention.

Stealing The Fire’s love of classic prog is evident right from the opening bars of The Ritual Of First Joining, the epic instrumental track that opens Roadmaps And Rituals.  The tune takes all the band’s declared influences on board and gives the mixture a good shake.  All of the necessary ingredients are here: fluent guitar, clangy Rickenbacker bass, squelchy synth and quasi-orchestral organ – and they all slot seamlessly together.  Psych flavourings are blended tastefully with gritty rhythms and eastern influences, and the end result is out-and-out stately grandeur.

DON’T PROBE TOO DEEPLY…

Lyricist Chris describes The Debutante as: “The tale of a dangerous friendship between a young woman from an upper-class family and a hyena.  The song is based upon Leonora Carrington’s extraordinary short story of the same name and it’s about how we can’t escape our essential nature.”  The organic-sounding intro immediately recalls Pink Floyd’s Several Species… throwaway, but there’s far more substance on offer here.  The outré electronic accompaniment sits interestingly alongside the baroque folk of the vocal element.  Soaring guitar and swirling organ combine nicely during the instrumental sections and the overall impact is of a folk song like Reynardine being communicated from elsewhere in the galaxy.

Chris plays a tribute to ‘obscure working class artist and occultist’ Austin Osman Spare with Dancing With The White Bear.  His lyrics contain all the vivid imagery of such early Genesis songs as Get ‘Em Out By Friday or Return Of The Giant Hogweed and Saffron’s cod-cockerney accent consolidates the Genesis connection.  The music is brisk and fluent and, once again, all the pieces that make up textbook 70s prog are meshed together.

The chant that permeates …White Bear is continued into the instrumental Zos Kia and is developed into a meditation on Austin Osman Spare’s magical system, Zos Kia Cultus.  Synths grind, as echo-y guitars and keyboards paint a dreamy image of a tempting – yet probably highly dangerous – paradise.  The mood lightens as the music soothes – or is that just Spare’s magic exerting its effect?  Perhaps it’s best not to probe too deeply…

THE UNDYING APPEAL OF MELODIC PROG

Fantasy and reality come face-to-face with Airsphere – one of the album’s more immediately accessible tracks.  With his lyrics, Chris veers away from imagery and allusion to confront the issues of the world – and his own personal circumstances – with a directness that’s absent elsewhere.  The tune is lighter and airier than elsewhere, too, but it’s a long way from being poppy.  Saffron’s vocals are melodic and the guitars chime, whilst the runs up and down the organ’s keyboard and the ever-present swirls of synth provide the anchor to prog terra-firma.  And, when Saffron takes a break from telling Chris’s story, the band really cut loose – in a Brian May-inspired kind of way.

A Frost And Hawthorn Winter Charm is the third of the album’s three instrumental tracks – and it’s a pastoral delight.  Tim’s tune was inspired by one of his winter dog-walks and, according to Chris, it: “…highlights the hawthorn’s association with sacred wells or when they’re used as rag trees.  Hawthorns give protection from lightning strikes.”  It’s one of those tunes that offers the listener the chance to enjoy a visit to a world of his or her own making; a thoroughly pleasant place, without any doubt.  Melodic prog has never lost its appeal, as Stealing the Fire demonstrate here.

COMET? OR SPACESHIP??

And, to round off?  How about a sci-fi tale?

Roadside Shrines, the album’s finale, tells the story of a comet that exploded in 1908.  In his lyrics to Roadside Shrines, Chris speculates whether the incident involved a comet at all, or whether it was, in fact the arrival of an alien spacecraft.  Saffron sings an operatic, observational vocal as she describes the scene of the event, whilst guitars provide a ponderous accompaniment.  Tim’s bass is as resonant as ever, whilst the extra-terrestrial elements are covered by tinkly keyboards.  It’s a song with an anthemic finality – the perfect way to conclude this immaculately-crafted album.

Stealing The Fire believe that Roadmaps And Rituals marks a real development in their writing and that it’s probably their best album to date.  I wouldn’t argue with any of that.  If you have a taste for classic 70s prog, you’ll love Roadmaps And Rituals.  And, if that’s a taste that haven’t yet developed, Roadmaps and Rituals just might be the album that opens a door to new, exciting world.

Not on the album, but you can get a feel for what Stealing The Fire are all about by watching the official video to Stormwing – the opening track from the band’s debut album, Hot Ice and Wondrous Strange Snow, below:

Stealing the Fire: Bandcamp

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