Customer Reviews

Another Realm

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Only three years ago, the British progressive rock/folk/Christian band IONA seemed dead. Its last studio album, The Circling Hour (2006), had been released with little touring to support it. Band members moved onto other projects, and the mid-2008 release of a live CD taken not from a recent concert, but a nearly-four-year-old one, seemed to cement IONA's lengthy, protracted demise. (The band's inactivity in the first decade of the new century had contrasted greatly with the amazing output produced during the last decade of the previous one.) But then a wondrous thing happened: Drummer/percussionist/violinist Frank Van Essen invited the other band members to join him as musical support for a Spring 2009 charismatic Christian deliverance conference in the U.S., and his Christian peers apparently experienced spiritual revival. (The only member who did not profess faith left the band shortly afterward.) IONA had experienced a kind of resurrection, and we now see the first result of this transformation: Another Realm, the new double-album released in June of this year, presents a spiritually-recharged band that seems both united in purpose and bold in its exploration of old and, surprisingly, new territories.

Much of Another Realm will seem familiar to longtime fans of the band. The progressive rock/folk musical admixture is present in abundance, which should make IONA attractive to fans of those genres. We get two epic-in-length compositions: "An Atmosphere of Miracles" on disc 1 and "White Horse" on disc 2. The folk elements are most pronounced at the beginning of disc 2, in the tracks "Ruach" (which centers around Van Essen's marvelous violin-playing), "Speak to Me," and the reels-heavy "And the Angels Dance." "The Ancient Wells" serves the same musical function as "Empyrean Dawn" on The Circling Hour: It's a long summary track showcasing most of IONA's varied musical talents in miniature. The same song also serves the important, standard IONA function of being a track with lyrics early in the album that has a corresponding upbeat, instrumental counterpart near the end. (Usually, the instrumental piece is the next-to-last track on an IONA album, but this time it appears several tracks earlier as "Let the Waters Flow." That order change is significant, as I'll discuss later.) "As It Was" and "As It Will Be," the opening and closing tracks, respectively, also follow the common IONA tendency of tracks mirroring each other. Finally, throughout the album we have a clear theme lyrically: our need for God's empowerment that can only be gained in "another realm." This provides a unity to the tracks, and the strong clarity of the theme hearkens back to the well-developed themes of the band's '90s studio albums, rather than the far more nebulous theme of The Circling Hour and the more-clear-but-underdeveloped theme of Open Sky (2000).

Another Realm's theme and the handling of it constitute the most prominent new elements on this album. During its previous golden age of 1990-1997, IONA revolved each of its albums around a major theme, event, or song in Celtic Christian history, augmented by tracks that examined contemporary applications of the subject matter. Steeped in Celtic Christian spirituality, the band presented this material forthrightly, but lead singer and lyricist Joanne Hogg always wrote in the first person; the listener was usually left to draw his or her own conclusions about what such themes might signify for his or her own life -- or the world. But on Another Realm, Hogg surprisingly directly addresses the listener with often urgent appeals; examples include "Let us climb this hill in the footsteps of Patrick" (from "The Ancient Wells"), "There is another realm/And we can enter there" (from "Another Realm"), "Can you see the clouds?/There are storm clouds gathering" (from "Clouds"), and, most importantly, "We need a saviour" (from "Saviour"). The urgency finds its strongest outlet in tracks that depict spiritual warfare in the heavenly and earthly realms (touched upon in "The Ancient Wells" and "Saviour," and elaborated upon in "Clouds" and "White Horse"). Another Realm's prophetic warnings and admonitions are counterbalanced by a steady stream of exhortations and encouragements; both sets of traits are only rarely in evidence in past work. And while I've never associated IONA in the past with worship music (I'm not counting Joanne Hogg's forays into that genre apart from the band), "Let Your Glory Fall" is clearly made for that type of setting, and "An Atmosphere of Miracles" is a piece for longer services where participants are given much space to experience God's presence (often called "soaking" services). In all of this, both the influence of the deliverance ministry and the band's resulting spiritual renewal are palpable. The impact of the Christian charismatic renewal movement has always been noticeable upon the band, but never more so than on this album.

The order of the tracks on the album develops the overarching theme. "As It Was" serves as a prologue and opens Another Realm with part of St. Columcille's prophecy about the future of the island Iona, where he established both a center of learning that preserved books and a monastic order that spread Christianity across Britain and beyond. This introductory tune implicitly asks what it will take for the island to become the spiritually-alive center that it once was. Most of the rest of the album provides answers. It requires people who themselves are spiritually alive--who worship, proclaim God's word to the nations, and compassionately labor for peoples' healing, just as St. Patrick and other Celtic Christians did. When Christians do this again, "The Ancient Wells" are reopened. But this can only be done with God's power, and the storm clouds that we see in the sky point to a battle raging in heavenly places between fallen angels and those who serve Jesus Christ, "our King" ("Another Realm," "Clouds"). We will best be able to enter that other realm and miraculously be transformed when we experientially know that "Our King is here with us," spend time in his presence, and are empowered by the Holy Spirit ("An Atmosphere of Miracles," "Let Your Glory Fall," "Ruach"). Another mark of this renewal will be a love of creation as a realm that points to God ("Speak to Me"). All of this contributing to our own inner transformation brings joy in the other realm ("And the Angels Dance"). We will be people of prayer, longing to dwell with God ("Foreign Soil") and asking for God's power to be released in our lives ("Let the Waters Flow").

After this last instrumental, which reprises musical themes from "The Ancient Wells," the album shifts to focus more on Christ. We -- and everyone -- need Christ as savior, and we humbly petition for God's kingdom to come ("Saviour"). The heavenly shofar blast that opens "The Fearless Ones" calls us to a spiritual battle waged with love, not marked by fear. There is no reason to be afraid when the king will come and give us all of the power that we need; in fact, he stands at the ready to empower us. Then revival will come upon Earth ("White Horse," hearkening back to "The Ancient Wells"). It is when individuals are transformed in this way that Iona -- and, implicitly, the whole world -- will be as God intends it to be ("As It Shall Be," which provides the rest of St. Columcille's prophecy). Taken as a whole, the album's theme is considerably more contemporary than those on previous albums, with the Celtic Christian history serving more to frame the theme than drive it this time around.

One other major surprise differentiates this album from other IONA albums: the dominance of Joanne Hogg. Hogg took increasingly important responsibilities on the band's first four studio albums, only to suffer writer's block during the making of Open Sky and play a diminished role (even to the point of mostly borrowing lyrics from books or other published works) on The Circling Hour. For the first time since Journey into the Morn (1995), songs outnumber instrumental pieces on an IONA album, and two ("Clouds" and "Foreign Soil") are solely written by Hogg. Furthermore, Hogg's vocals often stand out on this album more than the music, unlike during the previous decade, when band leader and lead guitarist Dave Bainbridge (who plays many other instruments well during the course of any IONA album) and former member Troy Donockley tended to dominate. All band members are incredibly talented and turn in excellent work, but no new musical ground is broken. This is not a major detriment, since each band member seems content to be part of the ensemble, collectively creating the impression of a humble-but-confident and very unified band. Still, you might find yourself wishing for more of the spotlight given to new member Martin Nolan's pipes and whistles, Van Essen's violin, and/or Phil Barker's bass. Hogg's expanded role is even evident from the album artwork, which pictures her with a sword on a white horse; no other band member is pictured on the front and back covers. (Interestingly, too, Hogg's husband Stephen is credited as executive producer for the first time on an IONA album.)

The band's new directions may not be welcomed by everyone. While IONA's Christian faith has been present in every prior album, the plentiful spiritual counsel offered throughout Another Realm may not resonate with some fans used to the band's past descriptive (rather than prescriptive) approach to Celtic Christian spirituality. Any disappointments along those lines, however, should be overcome by the superlative musical craftsmanship; IONA never sounds less than majestic, and a sense of musical joy and wonder permeates this album. While there are arguably fewer contemplative tracks than on past albums, contemplative moments are still abundant. At these times, IONA seems lost in awe of the glory of God. (See, e.g., the "See his glory" section of "White Horse.")

Another Realm's spiritual renewal and lyrical appeals to the listener are somewhat reminiscent of another album which shared those traits, U2's All That You Can't Leave Behind. Although the two albums are otherwise very different, Another Realm conveys the sense of IONA deciding what it cannot leave behind as a band and choosing to focus on those things. It is the band's best studio album since Journey into the Morn. While it isn't as powerful as that album or the band's other early works, nevertheless its cohesiveness and the band's spiritual renewal point to a bright, promising future for IONA. The band is spiritually alive again and more energetic than we've seen in a long time.

Yes, I am given to hyperbole at times, but I think that on this occasion it's warranted - Iona, after 20 years of service to their heavenly muse, are still creating wonderful soundscapes and 'pushing the envelope' as any progressive act should. I agree totally with "Philox" and "tmdavis21" and also thank this band for offering us the depth and truth of their spiritual vision. With such integrity and dedication to their cause, and despite the many lineup changes and difficulties along the way, they have kept the faith while remaining open to innovation. True, they tend to farm the same furrow ( e.g. a yearning sense of place, recurrent images of sea and sky ) on each outing, but this reflects the steadfast singularity of their mission - to depict these esoteric themes in music as visceral and emotive as their Christian convictions. It's consistent, to be sure - and consistently excellent.

Joanne and Dave felt they were reaching back to the early days of Iona - their 'first love' - when the inspiration for this album visited them, and I hear echoes of "The Book Of Kells" on tracks like "The Fearless Ones". The intense beauty, the superb production, the sharp dynamics - all Iona trademarks - are there in abundance. And 'Another Realm' dares to speak not just of this world and the next, but of warfare in the space between them, a new motif that in lesser hands could have missed the mark. Once again, Iona manage to blend the ethereal and the down-to-earth with consummate skill. The playing is brilliant, especially by the very gifted Frank van Essen, while Joanne's voice simply captures the spirit of the whole project with every note. Set aside the time to listen to this one lying down, in the dark, with headphones, and you'll be transported, as I was.

Iona started out in the late 1980's as a "Get back to your Celtic Christian Spiritual roots via Progressive Folk Music" band with the trio of Dave Bainbridge, David Fitzgerald, & Joanne Hogg. Through the years musicians came & went with the core of Dave Bainbridge & Joanne Hogg remaining. One secondary member, though a major influence, Troy Donockley (1995 to 2009) has just left to join another band & is replaced with Martin Nolan on Uilleann pipes & whistles. On the DVD "Iona, Live in London" Troy seemed to down play the Christian roots of the band & the last 2 CD's "Open Sky" & "The Circling Hour" were more abstract or mystical in their musical presentation & message. In "Another Realm" Iona has returned to proclaiming Christ as Lord without being overly "Pop" or "Preachy". Some songs the words have great impact as in "An Atmosphere of Miracles part 3" where Joanne chants "The King is here with us" which is rather Awesome (a state of Awe). In another section of the same song Joanne sings in Gaelic, while I never know the meaning of the words, carries the beauty of the language. She is once again singing in top form after the whispered "The Circling Hour". Another highlight is "Foreign Soil" where one can interpret the song 3 ways: a sailor song about being away from home, 2 lovers far away, or one waiting for God's kingdom. Some songs "Let Your Glory Fall" & "Saviour" do come close to praise songs but Iona's skill of musicianship saves them from the standard "Pop". Dave Bainbridge is still one of the fastest & cleanest guitar players out there with King Crimson overtones. Frank Van Essen who mostly plays drums & percussion, also plays a beautiful violin specially in "Ruach" which has Vaughan William like themes within an Arvo Part chord structure; a Lark Ascending into Fratres.

The first song states what "Iona" is all about:

Iona of my heart
Iona of my love
May this be a place
Where Heaven's glory rests
An open well
Of timeless love
Of endless life
For Iona shall be, Iona shall be
As it was

2 CD's come in a 3 fold card board cover with multi colored photos of the band with words to each of the songs.

Thank you Iona for all the years of great music of spiritual depth & truth.

Amazon.con states "Order now and we'll deliver when available", I believe it took under 2 weeks & I am very pleased.