https://www.backgroundmagazine.nl/CDreviews/AmbientDenAmbientDen.html
Ambient Den – Tim, Ben and Dean anagram by the way – is the new space rock project from Down Under prog musicians Ben Craven, Tim Bennett and Dean Povey, and the band’s self-titled debut album is a cinematic concept album that tells the story of humanity’s search for a new home. The music on this great album is obviously inspired by bands like Pink Floyd, Hawkwind and Eloy, so you can expect awesome melodic progressive rock, packed with lots of guitarwork indeed.
After the short intro Future History Part 1 Ambient Den explodes with For All Mankind, a typical Bren Craven track with beautiful melodies, lots of orchestration, an exceedingly long – maybe too long – keyboard solo and an amazing guitar solo as well. Then it is time for the milestone track of Ambient Den’s debut album, which is called Provenance. This is an instrumental one where the guitar of Craven really dominates the song, as it is packed with glorious guitar solos in the veins of David Gilmour and Michael Holmes (IQ); play it loud and you will be blown away indeed.
Follow up Earthrise is also an extraordinarily strong track with excellent vocals, impressive melodies and again a poignant Craven guitar solo. Terraforming is the second instrumental song, and it is a neo prog instrumental “monster” of more than sixteen minutes!! This one really has an Gilmourian vibe if you listen to the guitar solos, but furthermore Terraforming offers lots of keys, formidable tempo changes and wonderful duels between the keyboards and the guitar indeed.
Ambient Den’s debut is a must have for fans of melodic, guitar driven neo prog, so buy or die, my friends out there. For me, this is a candidate of best album of the year 2025!! Play it LOUD, or with your headphones on and you will love it, for sure!!
****+ Martien Koolen (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen)