FACTORY is a progressive rock outfit that was formed in Hastings, East Sussex, England in May 1970, but never officially recorded any content, except one single back in 1971 entitled 'Time Machine/Castle on the Hill'. They reformed in 2015. So this being their first full-length record (40 years in the making), it was released back in 2016 on Sumareider Records at Broadoak Studios. The album was produced, mixed, mastered and recorded by Harvey Summers

Let me just say, first and foremost, this album is quite the journey through a myriad of 1970s rock legend influences and with the firs track after a short intro, we hear a nice DEEP PURPLE meets BLUE OYSTER CULT vibe in "Call Of The Wild". The main vocals are very soothing and peaceful and add a great deal of richness to the music. "Castle On The Hill" is a much more mid-tempo piece which has a bit of two strong elements in it, the legendary BEATLES in its upbeat happy tone, but in a more modern approach, they definitely sound a bit like THE FLOWER KINGS here, a nice easy-listening track.

"Lightning From Heaven" takes a much more festive approach that should appeal to those who enjoy the circus-like atmosphere at times of NEKTAR and the joyful side of JETHRO TULL. There are some other great standouts here including "Angel From The Sky" which takes pride in tapping into the soul of JIMI HENDRIX and his guitar sermons, as well as "Scarlet Lady" which really sounds like a cross between YES and the song "Fly By Night" from RUSH. "I'll Sing You A Song" is probably what would happen if you were to match the intensity of VAN HALEN with the party-like atmosphere of GENTLE GIANT and "Howard" shows off some well-executed violin parts amidst a great musical progression.

Overall, this is a trip down memory lane for those who crave the great 1970s progressive rock era. Whether they are using some elements from bands I mentioned above or carving their own recipe of modern meets old school "prog", these guys deliver on every single track.<