Short Reviews [The Mighty Ra - 2022 - "All Secrets Known"]

Having recently reviewed the second album from The Mighty Ra, 2025’s ‘Now In A Minute’, I am now listening to the debut which was released in 2022. Apparently, drummer Rob Griffiths was the instigator behind the band being formed, and I am grateful he decided it was worth doing, as this is a load of fun which takes me back thirty years. Back then I was enthusing over Welsh proggers Ezra, who had a very close link to Robert Reed (then of Cyan, now most well-known for Magenta), who was even a member of the band for a while. Their frontman was guitarist and singer Andy Edwards, who also appeared in The Fyreworks (also with Rob Reed), and he is now the main songwriter in The Mighty Ra with the line-up being completed by bassist Dave Rowe and keyboard player Rob Wilsher. Rob was a founder member of Multi-Story and played on their first two albums in the Eighties as well as since they reformed and released two more in 2016 and 2020. So, the expectation is that we will get neo prog, and I am glad to say that this is exactly what we get and certainly fits in with what was happening in the Nineties, when the internet was still some way off and email was only a dream for many. Back then it was all about poorly photocopied fanzines and press releases, physical review copies on tape and CD, and even snail mail! But the music was great, even if everything around it was hard, and what we get with The Mighty Ra is a wonderfully vibrant and solid rhythm section, a guitarist and keyboard player who were playing this type of music back in the day all combined with great songs and vocals. There are many people who feel the term “neo prog” is somehow demeaning, but for me it is about describing a sub genre of prog which is no more or less important than symphonic, crossover, eclectic etc. Inspired by the symphonic music of the Seventies but also influenced by the “do it yourself” punk ethic, neo bands often have a heavier rock element to their music with guitar being a main focus, and melody being very important with less self-importance, and in many ways, this is a classic example of the genre. I must confess to not enjoying the introduction to “Freedom”, which I find quite childish, but that is just a small complaint on an album which is very enjoyable indeed. The highlight is “Bigger Lie”, which is the final track as well as being the longest at 12:30. This is quite Floydian in nature, and we even get spoken clips from people, similar in many ways to DSOTM, and the swelling in the sound and dynamics is very powerful indeed. This album seems to have somewhat slipped under the radar as there are not many reviews on PA, and that is a shame as anyone who enjoys melodic neo prog will find much on here to enjoy.