Campbell, Neil: The Smoky God

It’s a crying shame that Liverpudlian guitarist and composer Neil Campbell flies under most people’s radar, this multi-talented musician offering up invigorating, engaging and thought provoking music on a very regular basis. Equally impressive is that you never quite know what to expect from this individual - style and sound an ever evolving plaything in his hands. From classical to acoustic rock and from progressive to cello collaborations, somehow it all makes sense coming from Campbell, and his latest mini-album The Smoky God is no different.

On this occasion I’d suggest that we’re heading into possibly the most progressive rock direction I’ve heard from this musician as he expands his instrumental armoury to include all manner of synths and keyboards along with ‘electronics’, the latter of which are provided at various times by Marty Snape (who also produced this release), Stephen Cole and Jon Lawton. Add in additional bass from Roger Gardiner and drums from Viktor Nordberg and the talent on show shines through at every turn.

Opener “Setting Sail� leaves little doubt as to where this voyage is headed, synths reverberating as though we’ve hit Rush at peak prog period. However, with Campbell’s fantastic acoustic/classical guitar work weaving in an out of that foundation and Nordberg’s drums driving things on one minute and calming them the next, this is no pastiche, instead being a masterclass in poise and power, restrained and moody though it all be. Those are all words relevant throughout, “Franz Josef Land� darting and frantic in the most controlled of ways, “Fresh Water Streams� bubbling and gurgling on more surging synths and electronics - oh and even a gritty riff here and there!

The central theme across all eight songs is ‘The Smoky God, or a Voyage Journey to the Inner Earth', written by Willis George Emerson and published in 1908, which is a story presented as a true account describing the adventures of Olaf Jansen, a Norwegian sailor, who sailed with his father through an entrance to the Earth's interior at the North Pole. In the story, for two years Jansen and his father lived with the inhabitants of an underground network of colonies who, Emerson writes, were 12 feet tall and whose world was lit by a "smoky" central sun - the Smoky God. At the end of the story our protagonist Jansen returns, via a South Pole passage. Nobody believes his fanciful tale and he is institutionalised for many years in an asylum. Only on his deathbed is his personal testimony transcribed by Emerson in the book.' Now, it’s never easy portraying a story in a lyric-less setting but Campbell is a master of this art, “Anthem Of The Giants� a bombastic, foreboding surge that harks back to the opening piece, whereas the title track takes a more playful route.

What really stands out right across this whole mini-album is just how thought through the entire endeavour is, each track interesting in its own right but also carefully guiding you on the journey through the colours and textures offered across this ‘story’. It’s also worth highlighting the outstanding guitar solo on the aforementioned title track as it engages with the keyboards - it’s really quite breathtaking. As mentioned above Neil Campbell really never lets his standards slip, but The Smoky God maybe stands tall as the best thing I’ve heard from this incredibly talented musician. Yes, I’ll admit that on this occasion his wilful move into something much more progressive in approach lands right in my own personal sweet-spot, but that would matter not a jot if the results weren’t as captivating as they are.

Track Listing
1. Setting Sail
2. Franz Josef Land
3. Fresh Water Streams
4. The Opening
5. Anthem Of The Giants
6. The Smoky God
7. Returning
8. Recollection

Added: February 23rd 2024
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Neil Campbell @ bandcamp
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Language: english

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