Stewart Bell’s solo projects:
The Antechamber of Being – Part 1 (2014)
The first of the Citizen Cain solo projects – The much anticipated debut solo album from the band’s main composer and keys player Stewart Bell, is a prog rock opera featuring five vocalists; Simone Rossetti, Arjen Anthony Lucassen, Bekah Mhairi Comrie, Phil Allen and Stewart himself. The story is based on his own experiences as a lifelong lucid dreamer and follows the adventures of a young boy as he masters the ability to control his dreams. A 28 page storybook telling the story of “The Cupboard Of Fear” (the basis of the first song on the album) is also available as an accompaniment.
The Antechamber Of Being – Part 2 – Stories from the Antechamber (2017)
Part 2 in Stewart Bell’s lucid dreaming themed trilogy of concept albums featuring Ayreon’s Arjen Lucassen, Simone Rossetti from The Watch, Bekah Comrie from Grace & Legend and Citizen Cain’s Phil Allen. This album continues with more stories from Stewart’s extensive collection of anecdotes related to his lifetime of lucid dreaming experiences. Experiences which highlight some of the more mysterious aspects of dream phenomena like: time dilation; out of body experiences; prophetic dreams, and more…
Citizen Cain’s Back Catalogue:
Serpents In Camouflage (1991)
The band’s debut album draws heavily from their musical influences with classic prog bands such as Genesis, Rush and Marillion inspiring their early writing style. Recorded and released in 1992 by SI Music the album was well received by critics who, despite pointing out the obvious comparisons, praised the musicianship and song-writing.
This first offering from the up and coming Scottish prog outfit gained them the reputation of being “the band that sounds more like Genesis than Genesis themselves” and was often referred to as “Selling England for a Jester’s Tear!” Re-released by Cyclops Records in 1995 after the demise of SI Music and now re-mastered and re-issued by F2Music as a double CD– the second disc of which contains the band’s original demo which consists of 3 alternative mixes of songs from the debut and the previously unreleased track, “Nightlights”.
Somewhere But Yesterday (1994)
Citizen Cain’s second album saw their song-writing and musical style develop and mature while still retaining their trademark sound. Comparisons were once again made with classic prog acts, especially early Genesis. This was due to the heavy similarity between front man Cyrus’ vocal style to that of Peter Gabriel and the overall sound of the material which again drew heavily from the band member’s influences. A new guitarist, bass player and drummer helped shape this new style and critics welcomed this change in musical direction with bands such as Gentle Giant and Jethro Tull now being referred to as inspiration.
Originally released by SI Music in 1994, re-released by Cyclops Records in ’95 and now remastered and re-issued by F2Music this second offering from Citizen Cain remains the favourite for many fans, who often refer to it as the album Genesis would have written after “Lamb Lies Down” if Gabriel hadn’t left.
Raising The Stones (1997)
This third offering from the Scottish prog rock outfit saw front man Cyrus return to bass guitar. Now also taking a more prominent position in the writing process he and keys player Stewart Bell delve into new areas of musical exploration. Reduced to a two-piece line-up they alone provide all the musicianship on the album and this new writing partnership saw the band move away from their musical roots on a voyage to discover their own sound and style.
Recorded in 1996, released by Cyclops Records in 1997 and now remastered and reissued by F2Music in 2013 this album is a more complex and challenging listen than their previous works, yet it still retains the now established Citizen Cain sound. Although Cyrus’ input to the writing process introduced influences from more obscure prog greats like Gentle Giant, PFM, Brand X and Yes, critics once again pointed out the obvious likeness to early Genesis and Marillion. Desribed as a highly technical and musically relentless work Raising The Stones gained the band many new fans who had passed off their earlier work as just another Gensis clone.
Playing Dead (2002)
Citizen Cain’s fourth album introduced new guitarist Phil Allen to the audience and with the addition of his unique playing style the band continued their musical exploration to find their own sound. The musical partnership of vocalist/ bassist Cyrus and keys/ drums player Stewart Bell continued and although Playing Dead marked a return to a more mellow and melodic approach in the writing it still retained the complexity and technical musicianship of their previous album.
Released in 2002, on the band’s own label Pig In A Poke Records, in collaboration with the studio where it was recorded, the album lacked the promotion and publicity required. Having recently been remastered and reissued by F2Music it will now hopefully get the recognition it deserves.
Skies Darken (2012)
After a long period of inactivity the band returns with Skies Darken, an album that many consider to be their finest work to date. Stewart Bell once again takes the reigns with the writing process while vocalist/ bassist Cyrus takes a back seat. Now with the added writing/playing experience gained over the years and the new tricks learned from working alongside Cyrus, Bell’s influences once again shine through. The result is the perfect mix of the early Citizen Cain sound, the “Somewhere But Yesterday” era, combined with the later style of the “Playing Dead” era. Guitarist Phil Allen’s prog metal background and playing style is unleashed on this album which adds a new element to overall style.
Released by F2Music in 2012 this latest offering from Citizen Cain has received very positive reviews and seems to have united fans of the band’s old sound with those who prefer the later, more involved writing style. It also marks the end of an era with Cyrus and Stewart, having achieved what they set out to say musically and lyrically as Citizen Cain, now concentrating on solo projects…
Ghost Dance
A collection of songs from the band’s early period as a three-piece (’84 – ’87). The only member from the current line-up present here is frontman Cyrus accompanied by Gordon Feenie (drums/flute/keys) and Tim Taylor (guitar). Without prominent keys the music is more rhythmic than melodic yet is still easily recognisable as Citizen Cain.
The band’s early sound was inspired by the more obscure prog greats such as Gentle Giant and PFM although the influences that also inspired the later line-ups of the band (Rush, Genesis, Yes etc.) still play a big part in providing the basis of the band’s sound in it’s infancy. It is a unique sound that would go on to set the foundations that later incarnations of Citizen Cain built upon.