Prog-rock pioneers and veterans, Crack The Sky, releasied their 20th studio album, From The Wood, on Friday, June 9. Physical orders are available here. The band has shared an acoustic performance video for the track "Don't Close Your Eyes". The song tells a somber tale about teenage suicide and the toll it can take on loved ones set to melodic guitars, gently strumming along to Palumbo’s temperate vocals. Watch below:
From The Wood sees Crack The Sky breaking new ground, surprising fans with a mostly acoustic album. Acoustic guitars, piano, dobro, ukulele, banjo, accordion, mandolin, bass, toy piano, djembe, and drums, the result is a ten-track opus (plus two bonus tracks) that inspires, enflames, and reassures the listener with twists and turns along the way. From The Wood is introspective but still unique and progressive. John Palumbo continues to shape his vision of a world with his unique writing style. The guitar interplay from Rick Witkowski and Bobby Hird continues to propel the band in both new and familiar directions.
Songs cover an array of poignant topics including isolation (as experienced from the pandemic), teenage suicide, and social and political commentary on songs such as “Don’t Feed The Tigers” about how we, as a society, put our blind faith in the government and those who run things. “Fun In Isolation” is a rocking track about the desperation of wanting to be left alone during pandemic to get away from the circus that went on politically surrounding it. “Heart Of The Lion” with its classic rock sound and smooth vocal harmonies, pays homage to Ukraine. “My New World” is a lament on how much things have changed told from the perspective of a skeptical man. The album’s hopeful closing track, “Circle Of Life” is about the feeling of being in a state of Zen and being one with the universe.
Some bands have the innate ability to put their collective finger on the pulse of the zeitgeist, and then be able to channel that level of awareness into poignant, affecting music that transcends the bounds of the here and now. Crack The Sky is just such a band
Crack The Sky is comprised of John Palumbo (lead vocals, guitars, keyboards), Rick Witkowski (guitars, vocals, studio production, engineering), Bobby Hird (guitars, vocals), Joey D'Amico (drums, vocals), Glenn Workman (keyboards, vocals), and Dave DeMarco (bass, vocals).
(Photo: Rei Peri)
