The Journey Home
From the guitarist who has played for bands such as Neverworld, Liquidate, MindsAlike, The Wind Up Dolls and Spinning Silver comes the long awaited solo album from Chris Timms, “The Journey Home”
“The Journey Home” features 8 tracks of impressive progressive rock music showcasing bright melodies fused with heavy riffs, dynamic changes, complex time signatures and a vast array of influences.
The track listing is as follows.
I The Working Enemy (10.46)
II For Your Life (5.27)
III Grey Skies (5.01)
IV See Me No More (10.21)
V The Touch Of God (7.10)
VI Save Me (7.53)
VII My Joy My Strength (8.18)
VIII The Journey Home (reprisal) (17.34)
“This album has been close to 4 years in the making.” Chris explains.
“I began this Journey mid September 2007 and I found that during the writing process, the ideas came very fast and natural. While a lot of this music was fresh coming in, some of this music like “The Touch of God” for example, I’ve lived with now for close to 6 years and it has slotted in perfectly on this album.”
“I’ve always been quite eclectic in my musical taste,”Chris explains. “I wanted this album to be a representation of that. I borrowed from many styles like metal, blues, 70’s rock, pop, Christian worship and funneled it through my own creativity. What you hear is music that’s very honest and natural as well as very energetic, dynamic and layered. Whether you are into epics like the title track (The Journey Home) or ballads “The Touch Of God” or whether you want a fast straight ahead rock tune “For Your Life” , I really believe there’s something for everybody on this album. A “musical smorgasboard if you like!”
Even though “The Journey Home” is a solo release, Chris thought it would be great to get friends involved on the album and also giving the opportunity for some of his students some “on the job” training.
“Working with friends always makes the job more fun! I had Marcus Mclaughlin (from Spinning Silver) play most of the keyboards on the album as well as lending some backing vocals on two tracks. Marcus is a talented musician and an old friend of mine so it didn’t seem like work at all even though there was a lot to be done. Tim Wotherspoon also played keys on “The Touch Of God”, Michael Sebastian (played together in Neverworld and ZFX) lent two guitar solos on “The Working Enemy”, Louie Johnston (a student) laid down a solo on “The Working Enemy”, Jay Sibthorpe (a student) put a solo on the title track “The Journey Home.” Everybody did fantastic work and contributed a unique flavor to the album”
The album boasts some outstanding guitar work.
“Guitar was my first instrument. I love it now more than ever and I tried my very best to bring something fresh on this album. This album is definitely for those that love a guitar solo. I experimented with different effects, phrasings, tones, amps and guitars just to try and create something that hadn’t been heard before. I’m quite proud of what ended up on “The Journey Home” as it showcases the many sides to my playing.”
This album also marks Chris’ first release singing lead vocals.
“I was required to sing and I knew it would be a big step for me. I have always been in the back vocally, supplying harmonies and counter lines during my time in bands. This album has very challenging vocal melodies so I decided stepping into some vocal lessons prior to recording was the way to go. Daniel, my vocal teacher, really opened up my voice and I discovered singing was fun and not just something that I just had to do out of necessity.”
As well as all the instrumentation and songwriting, Chris also engineered, produced and mastered “The Journey Home” from his home studio.
“There was a great deal of work but my comfortable home studio made the process pretty easy. I could work till 2am and my bed was only just around the corner! I had a particular way I wanted everything to sound on this album and since I knew how to achieve it, I decided to handle the production duties”
With the album completed and the release date closing in, anticipation is on the rise not just to hear the album, but also to see Chris perform the tracks on stage. As anyone who has witnessed his electrifying live performances can attest to, Chris’ passion for sharing his music with an audience makes for an exciting show.
“I feel that in a live setting this music will shine on whole ‘nother level and I’m looking forward to putting an awesome band together, rehearsing the songs and doing some shows. It’s going to he a lot of fun! I hope that you find “The Journey Home” a rewarding listening experience. See you at a show real soon!”
The Journey Home is out now on CD and ITunes. Click below to purchase your CD copy or follow the ITunes link