Preacher - Aftermath (2016)

Preacher is a six piece rock band from Glasgow/Ayr in the United Kingdom that’s been making quite a name for themselves thanks to their stunning live shows and studio albums.

The band is made up of Martin Murphy (Lyrics, Vocals, Guitar); Arny Burgoyne (Keyboards); Greg Murphy (Lead Guitar); Iain Duncan (Drums); Gordon Munro (Bass); Ron Rodgers (Acoustic Guitar) and they are often joined for live performances on home turf with the fabulous backing duo of Angela Bell and Kerry McWhinnie.

Preacher’s distinctive sound is a sparkling blend of melodic rock and classic rock with subtle hints of Bowie and Floyd thrown in for good measure. Their stunning debut album Signals in many ways paid homage to the classic conceptual approach of crafting an album based around a single theme or ‘concept’ championed by bands such as Pink Floyd, Yes and King Crimson in their heyday and more recently with the likes of Radiohead opting for a similar aesthetic.

Their follow up album Aftermath was no different in this respect, as again, a concept was at the heart of the album, however, this time aesthetically, the band ventured into newer territory and importantly, they matured alongside it. The Aftermath album sounds fantastic: the band had the ABC O2 crowd in Glasgow rocking on a Saturday night as they launched the CD with great aplomb in front of a packed out, wowed crowd. Aftermath has demonstrated ably how Preacher have widened their scope as a band, incorporated some different stylistic approaches into their sound and absolutely nailed it in the studio.

As well being a genuinely outstanding live band, Preacher love to work in the studio too. Lead singer Martin Murphy and keyboard player Arny Burgoyne are perfectionists when it comes to the band’s sound, with both of them spending countless hours alongside their producer Larry Primrose putting the finishing touches to their final mixes.

Preacher can truly be considered as one of the finest rock bands, whether live or in the studio, currently performing in the UK today.