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“this band reminds me of RUSH . . . but totally original . . . they [just] feel like RUSH.”
The Obelisk - JJ Koczan
Boston progressive heavy rockers Raibard release their second album, Dark Realm of the Daylight, on Dec. 3. The record is as proggy as the day is long and probably then some, and twists itself readily around its contrasts — dark, daylight, etc. — via an overarching organic sensibility as manifest through the vocals of guitarist Daniel Gil, who doubles both as a folk composer/performer and music teacher, drawing on elements from Jewish traditionalism (he’s also a Talmudic scholar) and classical arrangements. His “Peacemaking in Three Movements” — not by Raibard, but available to listen here — is gorgeous.
In Raibard, Gil is joined by bassist Greg Dellaria (also Oxblood Forge) and drummer Phil MacKay, both veterans of sludge metallers Ichabod, and across seven tracks, the three-piece weave together stretches of ’70s-style progressivism, jazzier fluidity, and indeed, flourishes of folk melodies. The PR wire’s noting of Opeth as an influence is apt given Gil‘s breathy vocal approach and some of the bouncing nuance of guitar, but from “Angel of the Clockwork” on through the seven-track/46-minute offering, Dark Realm of the Daylight sets its purpose across a range of styles and fluidly weaves between them.
At the core of Raibard‘s presentation in this follow-up to 2017’s The Queen of the Night, however, is the blend of the natural, as-sans-studio-trickery-as-can-be vibe — dry vocals, acoustic guitar, not trying to be huge sounding or anything like that — and the breadth of the material. This is a balance not so much walked as danced upon throughout, as “Angel of the Clockwork” and the catchier title-track give way to the electrified “Eternal Rise,” bringing Michele Morgan in for guest vocals over loosely Eastern scales and a more atmospheric feel, but still remaining consistent with the surroundings — though the sun-baked, near-Blind Melon twang at the outset of the subsequent “Visions of You” feels like a willful, playful contradiction as the centerpiece unfolds.
“Forever After” and “Walkin’ On” both dare more electric guitar, the former heavier, the latter jammier, both underscored by Dellaria and MacKay‘s it’s-cool-we-got-this surety as a rhythm section, right up to the drum-solo-into-wah-funk as “Walkin’ On” meanders through its second half, casual-like, making its way toward a minimal acoustic conclusion that leads into “To the Dawn,” which rounds out.
And the closer — which is premiering below — is a somewhat humbler affair, but brings a flourish of horn (or horn sounds) to its ending that hints at a George Martin arrangement influence as part of its progressive folk rock foundation. Melody carries through unencumbered by weight, but the structure beneath is solid and the chorus memorable just the same, and in that, “To the Dawn” is emblematic of Raibard‘s work here on the whole. They dig into the exploratory aspects of songcraft, but do not lose their footing as part of that, and even when they ‘walk on,’ as it were, they do so in contemplative rather than directionless fashion.
Metal Temple - Kevin Lewis
RAIBARD is a three-piece band from Boston, Massachusetts, United States. They are a blend of styles that shift and twist through various styles of music. Parts of their record sound a bit like 70s progressive rock, some is a bit folksy, others turn up the intensity and edge towards to metal. All of it sounds well written and performed. “Dark Realm of The Daylight” will be independently released on December 3, 2021.
The record opens with “Angel of The Clockwork.” This has a distinct early RUSH feel to me. Like first four albums early. There is also almost middle eastern flair to some of the guitar work. The bass guitar does not act like a rhythm instrument, instead mirroring the guitar riff through much of the song. The drums are kind of doing their own thing at times, putting some fills in at various spots, but all within the structure of the riff. Definitely a progressive feel to this one.
“Bright Kingdom of The Night” begins with some haunting guitar work. The drums come in softly and the vocals seem to mirror the rest, having an eerie tint to them. The bass is quick, but quiet. While it is present, it seems to hang under a little in the mix at times, adding to the dread the song emits. The whole thing feels a little eerie as well. Dark of the day and bright of the night are the exact opposite of reality. The tension in this is palpable. You feel it. Interesting use of words and tones to give a creepy feeling that is a bit uncomfortable.
“Eternal Rise” uses a lower register on the guitar to turn darker. The vocals are again haunted, using a lower register with a female singer. The eerie vocalizations are nicely done, adding an ethereal feel. This song seems heavier even though it really isn’t. The tempo is very similar to the others before but feels different due to the tone. By contrast, “Visions of You” is lighter and brighter. There is a little bit of LED ZEPPELIN-esque guitar work in this one. Again, nods to the past while staying new.
“Forever After” is the longest song on the record at just over eight minutes. Also lighter in tone at the start, it gets heavier in the middle, ramping up the guitars a bit. The bass and drums are a little faster and more frenetic, making this one of their harder rock songs. This one borders on metal at times but does not dive off the edge completely. The progressive leanings come out after the halfway point, dropping back into an at times jazzy sound, before going back to the mid-tempo style they often use.
“Walkin’ On” is a good, middle of the road song that eases along, never getting in a hurry. The record wraps with “To the Dawn,” a song that starts a little like a 70s ballad. The song is catchy and builds at just the right pace. It’s a good end to this record. It has that feeling like it incorporates all the elements that were introduced earlier, making it the song that beings the record to its’ logical conclusion, not just the last track on the disc.
RAIBARD is a bit of a funky mix. They are quirky, catchy and have a consistent, coherent feel to them. The songs are melodic and feel very much like classic hard rock from a bygone era. I enjoyed the laid-back sections and liked when they introduced more tension and drama into the mix as well. I look forward to hearing more of this in the future.
Songwriting: 8
Musicianship: 9
Memorability: 8
Production: 8
Rock Queen Reviews - Jenny Tate
Boston, Massachusetts rock trio Raibard present their new 7 track album, ‘Dark Realm Of The Daylight’. Designed to appeal to those of us deemed misfits, the album celebrates non-conformity, individuality and open-mindedness to other perceptions.
Drawing on a wide range of influences, from Led Zeppelin and The Beatles, to Opeth, founder Daniel Gil also draws on his own spirituality as inspiration. Unusually, the album’s title track is actually influenced by dyslexia guru, mind mapping creator, author and teacher Tony Buzan, whose teachings spread, into the realms of higher consciousness, self-awareness, self-care and living empathically.
Combining psychedelia, distortion, ambience, prog, profundity, artistry and ever-changing atmospherics, ‘DROTD’ is intended as a journey through the internal landscape. It’s an independent release, due out on 3rd December 2021.
Raibard is: Daniel Gil (guitar and vocals), Phil MacKay (drums and percussion) and Greg Dellana (bass guitar).
Angel Of The Clockwork – Groove studded intro. Low-key atmospherics, but very authentic feel. Now, the mysticism enters, through those tones, though it’s still kept quite quiescent. Dreamy vocals, gently enigmatic accompaniments. It’s very classically proggy, with mystery injected into it. Raising the volume, a bit, from the mid-section, but it never really leaves the quiet side of alternative. On the one hand, it’s fairly old school, atmospherically, but it still employs its own unique flourishes.
Dark Realm Of The Daylight – Softly played, acoustic intro, with equally genteel percussion and bass, then the vocals lift. Very mystically fantasy-esque. The instrumentals do lift, gradually, but again, it’s so gentle, it’s almost a lullaby. In saying that, there are light vague hints of Van Halen’s ‘Finish What Ya Started’. A vague melancholia enters the melody. It’s folky, on one level, but actually, more lullaby than anything else, remaining soft, in emphasis, to the end.
Eternal Rise – Moodier, lower toned intro, with a sense of creeping menace. Feminine vocals enter, now. Again, it retains the well blended sound and sultry lounge atmospherics appear. Remaining peaceful, in delivery, but growing into a bigger sound, periodically. Brief track, ending with a light orchestral section.
Visions Of You – A slightly twangier opening, featuring country vibes. Bluesy, to an extent, with convincing vocals. Revealing a hidden strength in that voice, yet it still sustains that same softness of general delivery. Quite beautiful, lyrically and performatively.
Forever After – Shadowy vocals intro, followed by matching accompaniments, till it boosts up the volume and emphasis). Still inserting stop-start sections, occasionally, but with a little extra verve. 1/4 in is where the mystical thread emerges. From then on, the percussion takes centre stage. Especially so within the shimmery cymbal action. Changing the riff tones, alternately, moving through various styles and tempos. Here, the accompaniments are much more central, experimenting with different deviations, throughout. Submerging the pressure, 3/4 in, before peaking, with slight, but effective top end riffage. Quiescent scales play out, at the end.
Walkin’ On – A louder, but similarly groove infused, bluesy opening. Again, just as well synced. Another gentle one. A bit of slide, here and there. It’s got that sense of mystique, once more, changing up, towards the mid-point, to a tropical sound, before returning to that same groove centre. This is definitely one of the most experimental tracks. Adding some funk into the equation, giving the riffs the chance to shine and scream, briefly. Very colourful stuff here, speeding up, then ending on some melodic reverb riffage. Almost like a harp, blending with a guitar. Very creative.
To The Dawn – Getting straight in there, with a gentle, soft alt rock riff intro. Sentimental lyrics. A mid-paced rhythm, fitting right in, with that melody. An easy listening track, with folk leanings and summer festival vibes. Beautifully melodic, well delivered. Quick track, with a seamless end.
Overall – A pleasant Sunday afternoon listen, ‘DROTD’ is perfect summer folk festival fodder and fits well, into fantasy and general alternative realms. Revealing the lighter side of prog, it’s a very visually evocative album. Flexible enough to translate into lounge rock, c&w and light blues aswell, this is an eclectic, easy listen, for those drawn to the softer side of rock.
8/10 ********
For fans of Cat Stevens, Venus Rising, Mostly Autumn, Hand Of Kalliach, Papa Shango, Gent, The Fizz Fuzz, Rebsie Fairholm and Marving B Naylor, The Steve Miller Band, Lindsey Buckingham.
Queen of the Night reviews
Jack Rabid, The Big Takeover issue No. 80, Spring 2017 - The Boston based trio fronted by guitarist Daniel Gil runs a 1968-1973 classic rock gamut. When Gil plays acoustic folk, such as "Always Home," it's like Greg Lake singing for Pete Townshend on Quadrophenia, while a similar prelude to "The Queen of the Night" might be Jimmy Page channeling Bert Jansch picking Steve Howe's hushed opening of Yes's "Roundabout"; "False Prophet" begins on a Hendrix/Cream tip before a mid-section like a less slick Mark Knopfler; "Ophra" picks up ominous omens of Black Sabbath and Machine Head Deep Purple. Call them folk-prog/hard rock? Somewhere between Status Quo, Bloodrock's "D.O.A.," Led Zeppelin III, and the Lake sung, epic title track of King Crimson's The Court of the Crimson King, Raibard takes rock back to its weirdo heavy blues and Britfolk base before prog went off the rails.
Dan Weston, Divide and Conquer, July 2017 - Daniel Gil, Adam Morrison and Phil Mackay are Raibard. The band recently released The Queen of the Night which is a complete DIY effort. The bandapparently has been compared to bands like Pearl Jam, Dinosaur Jr. and The Who to name a few. To my ear the band has a distinct ’70s sound. It mostly fits into classic rock but some prog certainly makes it way in there as well.
he band did a good job in the production area. They used good gear and the results are impressive. That being said when the band really rocks some of things that a professional studio can do get lost. The stereo image can become a little narrow. In this case I think the album may have benefited by being passed to a top notch mastering engineer.
Up first song is “Forest of Song” which is almost a ten-minute song. Get used it because all the songs are long with a couple of others are also around the ten-minute mark. The song bursts open with a riff that sounds like it came from a Led Zeppelin back catalog. They switch it up rather quickly and keep a couple of good grooves coming. The band eventually launches into a breakdown section that is somewhere between the song “Moby Dick” and Pink Floyd. They eventually find their way into another ’70s inspired riff.
The band pulls back the reins with “Always Home.” It's more atmospheric in general and the first couple of minutes is carried by an acoustic guitar and vocals. “False Prophet” is a fairly straightforward rocker. The title track could certainly be considered the centerpiece. It's dynamic and contains a couple of epic guitar solos and continuous crescendos.
The song “Meaning” arguably has a tint of ’90s alternative while“Ophra” contains a drum solo part that you would never hear on FM radio these days. It's felt like a homage to John Bonham. They end with “Pomegranate” and “Witness” which are both solid tunes.
There is no denying that Raibard is ambitious. The influences from ’70s rock is undeniable and builds upon the aesthetics of a number of great dinosaur bands. Overall, I can’t say this band is reinventing the wheel but the songsare well crafted and enjoyable. At the very least if you are hankering for more ’70s inspired rock this should satiate your appetite.
