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On the Edge - Dave Bainbridge

Here are some notes & reviews for the new Solo recording by my friend & IONA co-founder Dave Bainbridge.

On The Edge (Of What Could Be) - Dave Bainbridge

• “Without question, one of the most stunning and emotionally resonant albums I`ve heard in years. It`s a rare double album where not a single note feels extraneous. Dave Bainbridge has created a masterwork that fuses Celtic heritage, progressive complexity, and sacred yearning into a unified sonic landscape.” Greg Cummins, DPRP.net
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• “Dave Bainbridge’s On The Edge (Of What Could Be) stands confidently alongside the great masterworks of progressive rock.” Angel Romero - progressiverockcentral.com
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• “This is without doubt going to be the best album of 2025, if not the best progressive rock album of recent times!…I absolutely love every minute….it’s very, very beautiful. Virtuoso music that’s not about ego is such a rare thing; music that is rich and hedonistic, music that you can enjoy, but is not about overindulgence; that a very difficult thing to pull off. Coltrane could do it, the Mahavishnu Orchestra did it, Dave’s done it.” Andy Edwards (Podcaster/YouTuber)
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• “Amazing, amazing music Dave. So beautiful.” Mike Keneally (Frank Zappa, Devin Townsend, Steve Vai, Solo artist)
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• “A masterpiece” progarchives.com

Bringing together all the elements that have characterised his music since he co-founded the band Iona, ‘On the Edge’ is perhaps Dave’s most ambitious album yet. 83 minutes of new atmospheric, spiritual and powerful music over 2 CDs, that seamlessly merges folk, rock, progressive, jazz and modern classical elements.

Dave is accompanied by a stellar cast of musicians including world renowned drum master Simon Phillips (Jeff Beck, Gary Moore, Toto, The Who, Mike Oldfield, Protocol), Uilleann pipes and whistle maestro Troy Donockley (solo artist, Nightwish, Iona, Auri, The Enid, Midge Ure, Maddy Prior etc), Sally Minnear (Lord of the Dance, Pendragon, Celestial Fire etc), Iain Hornal (solo artist, Jeff Lynne’s ELO, 10CC etc), Randy McStine (solo artist, Steven Wilson, Porcupine Tree), Ebony Buckle (solo artist, Solstice), Jon Poole (Cardiacs, The Wildhearts, Lifesigns), David Fitzgerald (Iona co-founder), Frank van Essen (Iona, Martin Garrix, Within Temptation, Auri etc), Rachel Walker (renowned singer of Scottish Gaelic folk music) and more.

Exploring themes such as the thin veil between this earthly life and the heavenly, mysterious stories of ancient Celtic saints and the wonder and glory of the natural world, Dave cleverly interweaves these with present day concerns such as climate change and deep societal divisions. ‘On the Edge’ encapsulates a deep sense of the sacred and of hope. The hope of what could be in a world of turmoil and uncertainty.

With the combination of this cast of uniquely talented musicians and Dave’s trademark, soaring guitar lines, expressive keyboards and evocative compositions, here we have a glimpse of what could be, in a world that is truly on the edge.

• “A wonderful album and an essential purchase.” Frontiers Magazine (UK)
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• “An opus with Celtic atmospheres, wonderful voices, and great instrumental performances, such as the intoxicating guitar passages of the master himself. The best Celtic folk prog, which really should be made into a movie.” Walter Sehrer, Eclipsed Magazine (Germany)
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• “With On The Edge (of what could be), Dave Bainbridge has sculptured, with the help of his fellow musicians, a truly beautiful, spiritually rich, ethereal and instrumentally stunning artistic triumph. Progressive rock, Celtic folk, classical, jazz and rock influences intertwine, with light and shade, virtuosic complexity and accessible simplicity, shaped into a deeply poignant and thoughtful musical statement about our place in the world, and the hidden cords between the past and the present, as well as the seen and the unseen. Easily one of my albums of the year, and it is so lovely to see the spirit of Iona living on in his solo work, but with refreshingly different ingredients as well. Highly recommended!” theprogressiveaspect.net
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• “Soaring both in composition and through its many excellent musical performances, Bainbridge has created his finest work to date.” Patrick McAfee, DPRP.net

On the Edge (of what could be) is currently available on OPEN SKY RECORDS / GONZO MULTIMEDIA as a 2CD double album and digital download.

www.davebainbridgemusic.com 
www.musicglue.com/iona/ 
https://open-sky-records.myshopify.com/ 

Watch the album promo: https://youtu.be/JMiFXkID9go?si=PSut7pcwpy1kjFAc