It’s been eight years since Tiles guitarist and songwriter Chris Herin had unleashed any form of music. The last time we heard from him was the band’s sixth studio album from the Laser’s Edge label entitle Pretending 2 Run. And that was it. Now, Chris has come back into the limelight once more unleashing his debut album as a solo artist called Hiding in Plain Sight.
The album is a conceptual story dealing with his Dad’s 10-year struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. Hiding in Plain Sight isn’t just a prog-rock album, its an album that deals with hardship of moving forward after we leave this earth, knowing that we will never see our loved ones again.
It has the powerful prog-rock influences Herin has unleashed to prove all of the views and difficult momentum he had to go through by taking care of his dad. Not just having the weight on his shoulders, but pouring his heart and soul throughout the entire album.
Chris has teamed up once more with fellow producer Terry Brown (Rush, Klaatu, Max Webster, and VOIVOD), and Grammy award winning mastering engineer Peter Brown, a sonic tour de force, followed by Hugh Syme’s imagery that is unfolding in front of your very eyes.
And allowing to have musicians such as: Peter Frampton, Alex Lifeson, Saga’s Michael Sadler, Kim Webster, Colin Edwin, Discipline’s Matthew Parmenter, and of course Tim Bowness to name a few, they knew they got Chris’ back to bring the story to life.
The orchestral-like waltz behind ‘Living in the Night’ sees Chris writing a letter to his dad, letting him know that he will never forget the love, the hardship, and thanking him for not just being there, but supporting him all the way as it blossoms into a romantic orientation while ‘The Heart of You’ walks into the Supernatural-era from Santana with ascending organ work and walking into Kansas’ territory that locks horns to reach the mountain top.
But its ‘The Darkest Hour’ takes us into the heat of the dark forest with heavy percussion work, flute-like improv, and a collaboration between Tull alumni’s Martin Barre and drummer Doane Perry playing for the first time since 2011. Mikel’s voice sets up this film-noir atmosphere, trying to catch the criminal, because he’s finally put the jigsaw puzzle in about 13 minutes, knowing he’s onto something.
‘Secret Adversary’ at first, you think of going back to the late ‘70s, revisiting the golden-era of the Arena Rock years. Going through the records of Boston, Styx, and the 90125-era of Yes that comes to mind. There’s the 12-string like acoustic intro, pounding riffs, heavy blues-like hard rock improv, and getting down to business when it comes to getting Stadiums packed with audiences enjoying the performance, top to bottom.
‘Safe House (Isolation)’ is where everything becomes the day after the sudden loss of a loved one. Bowness portrays this piece as a one-man song, going through the funeral, the reflection, the piano playing in the background, sounds of string sections, and ascending guitar chords, crying out into the sky to let it all out.
