THE MUTE GODS – Atheists And Believers (2019)

THE MUTE GODS, featuring Nick Beggs (STEVEN WILSON, STEVE HACKETT), Roger King (STEVE HACKETT) and talented drummer / sound modeling Marco Minnemann (THE ARISTOCRATS, THE SEA WITHIN), will release its third studio album, “Atheists And Believers”, on March 22.
Arriving just over two years after its predecessor ‘Tardigrades Will Inherit The Earth’ (posted HERE) “Atheists And Believers” sees Beggs once again turning his attention to the state of the world as we know it now, focusing on universal topics such as politics, humanity and love over the course of 10 tracks that run from turbulent rock compositions to more sentimental proggy pieces of music.

For “Atheists And Believers”, Beggs has enlisted some very special guests, including Alex Lifeson, RUSH’s legendary guitarist; Craig Blundell, renowned drummer currently playing with STEVEN WILSON’s band; multi-instrumentalist Rob Townsend, with whom Beggs worked in STEVE HACKETT’s band; and his vocalist daughter, Lula Beggs.
“Atheists And Believers” kicks off with the title track, and it doesn’t disappoint. The song opens ominously, then quickly morphs into an almost peppy pop song from that point forward, featuring a catchy vocal refrain in the chorus. Beggs is a veritable master at writing these types of hooks.

Next to follow is ‘One Day’, which features iconic RUSH axeman, Alex Lifeson as a very special guest. Commencing with layered vocal harmonies over an acoustic 12-string melody, the song initially has an calm, ethereal feel. Once the drums kick in, a heavier, straight-ahead 4/4 hard rock beat is employed, albeit played at a slower tempo, so that it chugs along. Lifeson plays a hauntingly beautiful guitar solo, which is immediately followed by several rapid drum roll fills by Marco. A superb track overall. I absolutely love the collaboration with Lifeson, and am beyond ecstatic to hear him playing and recording more fantastic music after the retirement of RUSH.

“Knucklehed” is upbeat, with lots of funk-inspired bass work (akin to that of Flea) mixed with extraterrestrial keyboards. Fans of NEAL MORSE will dig this.
The substantially-heavier, guitar-laden “Envy the Dead” ensues, a no-frills rocker that makes you want to pump your fists. Here THE MUTE GODS rocks hard, and while there’s a little progressive touch, ’80s hard rock aficionados will enjoy this track.

An entirely instrumental track, the aptly-named “Sonic Boom” hits next. Craig Blundell, the drummer of STEVEN WILSON’s band, with whom Beggs has worked with for some time, cameos on this tune. Beggs “wrote this piece based around his (Blundell’s) original drumming style.” Blundell relies on heavily-syncopated drumming behind Roger’s spacey keys and Beggs’ Chapman Stick tremolo tapping.

There’s some beautiful Celtic melodies on “Old Man”, then “Iridium Heart” is quite slow, beginning with a spine-tingling mysterious intro synth. Fans with a prog sensibility will especially enjoy “Twisted World Godless Universe”, a dynamic song with some STEVEN WILSON and RUSH on it.
“I Think of You” is the final song on the record. An instrumental track, consisting primarily of piano and strings / synths atmospheres.

Over 35 years have elapsed since Nick Beggs’ music as a member of KAJAGOOGOO, but the superficial pop stylings he offered to that group have evolved into something much deeper and more thought-provoking with THE MUTE GODS, and the level of Beggs’ musicianship has increased exponentially with the years.
Along with King and Minnemann, Beggs has pieced together quite the supergroup. THE MUTE GODS are truly a musical juggernaut, and with “Atheists And Believers” have given us yet another remarkable work which we highly recommend.
Fans of STEVEN WILSON, NEAL MORSE, RUSH, SAGA and alike need to check this one.

01 – Atheists & Believers
02 – One Day
03 – Knucklehed
04 – Envy the Dead
05 – Sonic Boom
06 – Old Men
07 – The House Where Love Once Lived
08 – Iridium Heart
09 – Twisted World Godless Universe
10 – I Think of You

Nick Beggs – vocals, bass, Chapman Stick, keyboards, programming
Roger King – keyboards, guitar, production
Marco Minnemann – drums, percussion, guitars, sound modeling
with:
Alex Lifeson (Rush) – guest guitar
Craig Blundell (Steven Wilson Band) – guest drums
Rob Townsend (Steve Hackett Band) guest keyboards
Lula Beggs – backing vocals

PRE ORDER:
www.amazon.co.uk/Atheists-Believers-Limited-CD-Digipak/dp/B07M7Q521M
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