Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway
Barely a month has passed since the band of Canadian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Morgan Rider, a.k.a. MORGAN RIDER & THE DEEP DARK RIVER, issued their sophomore album.
The North Soul Records release, ‘Leviathan And The Deep, Dark Blue‘ is the second portion in a planned four-part release, the latest chapter designated Part 2 in ‘The Deep, Dark River Quadrilogy‘. As a whole, the conceptual undertaking is one telling the story of an oceanic guardian who has taken the form of a colossal grey whale.
As the modern era of humankind usurps and steals the protector’s mastery of the seas, its powers ebb, and its waters begin to sour and darken. Musically, this is a revealing, highly ambitious amalgamation of doom-influenced metal, blues, and classical folk molded into a well-balanced, artfully crafted, aural reflection on life and hope.
Morgan Rider is no stranger to the creation of musically profound artistic expression, having been part of such bands as Vesperia, Crimson Shadows, and SIG:AR:TYR, among others. Here, Rider handles vocals, guitars, bass, piano, and percussion primarily, with collaborator Nathen Morrison enlisted as cellist for the cello passages.
Today, a new official video arrives from the record, the second such, this time for the single “Ignite The Tempests“. With a freshly contemporary, uplifting listening experience at its very heart, the song provides the foundation for an equally stunning visual accompaniment. Morgan Rider delved into the song and the story behind it a bit more, saying:
“For ‘Ignite The Tempests’, the choruses are slower and doomier, they give a reprieve from the harder intro, midsection, and outro to tell the story of The Tempest, who is enraged and casts his full weight upon the shore-dweller structure – crushing it utterly. His throes ignite the storms of the oceans and his writhing withers the numbers of the loathsome shore-dwellers. With a titanous gale of might, he sends the waters in full force at the green shores – crushing the structures of the poisoning shore-dwellers, bringing ruinous death to their kind and drowning the lands for many miles.”
“Ignite The Tempests“, the second video released from the album follows the previously premiered “Dread” and both are streaming below. MORGAN RIDER & THE DEEP DARK RIVER are currently touring throughout Ontario and the remaining dates of the trek are listed here, while ‘Leviathan And The Deep, Dark Blue‘ is out now from North Soul Records. It is included here for your listening enjoyment and can be found at Bandcamp where it is currently designated NYP (Name Your Price).
– MORGAN RIDER & THE DEEP DARK RIVER Ontario Tour 2020 –
Jan. 10 – Lindsay, ON – Boiling Over’s Coffee Vault
Jan. 11 – Cambridge, ON – Jackass Brewery
Jan. 12 – Bowmanville, ON – Chronicle Brewing Co.
Jan. 25 – Campellford, ON – That Little Pub
Feb. 01 – Belleville, ON – The Beaufort Pub
