In the old days, before streaming hastened the collapse of the music industry, artists would release one or two projects a year. Rock musicians primarily made their statements on stage – until COVID put a fork in the touring business. Everything, it seems, has changed.
Apparently, no one has told this to Mark Anthony K, who created a new record label and formed a new band called the Dark Monarchy with Brit Joe Bailey. Both K (as Projekt Gemineye) and Bailey as a solo artist have produced fine albums over the last several months. Coming soon is yet another weapon in their musical arsenal with the Dark Monarchy album All Roads Lead to Rome, coming soon.
“Drain the Sea” whets the appetite as the first single, with Mark Anthony K’s layered power chord driven guitars, Bailey’s John Wetton-like pounding bass and double bass drum-driven percussion. The touches of synthesizers orchestration add color to the endeavor, and the prominently featured piano helps distinguish this from previous works.
Sure, this is a layered song, but the production only enhances the power of the project. The vocals, handled by K and Bailey in tandem, are complementary to the powerful music. The question I now need answered is how this taste of All Roads Lead to Rome fits into the final work.
We’ll await the new album for that answer. Right now, the single is available on Bandcamp.
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