Wherever Forever by Spirergy, album from 2026.
Spirergy is a project by the British multi-instrumentalist Dave Allen, a British composer and singer, who began playing and studying guitar at the age of 11 and then evolved towards electric guitar, bass, and keyboards.
His style is characterized by complex structures, long epic tracks (often over 10 minutes), virtuosic guitars, and extensive use of keyboards, Mellotron, and orchestral strings.
The name of the project is a play on words between Spiral and Energy.
Wherever Forever is his most recent work, preceded by Aeon from 2023, his debut album, and Journey Beyond from 2024.
The album deals with themes related to the human condition through symphonic and spacey prog atmospheres, with the 16-minute title track, "Wherever Forever," which tells the story of travelers searching for a new home in the void of the cosmos, in a dystopian future where Earth is now environmentally exhausted. But it also addresses the impact of war on women, children, and families, as well as insomnia and nighttime anxiety, describing an elderly man awakened at 3 a.m. by a nightmare that brings old fears back to life, all themes approached with a sense of hope.
The style is predominantly melodic symphonic prog, inspired by British prog classics such as Yes, Genesis but also IQ and the early Marillion at times, and in some moments a typically rock sound reminiscent of Deep Purple or the sounds and atmospheres of Santana.
Dave Allen plays all the instruments, blending 12-string acoustic guitars with soaring electric solos and layers of orchestral keyboards.
The digital version I listened to while waiting for the CD features an image associated with each of the 8 tracks.
Innocent Hearts begins with an atmospheric intro of acoustic guitar and a synth pad with deep bass, then a light rhythm with a steady pace kicks in. There's a captivating atmosphere in an instrumental section that soon rises in tone and emphasis. The keyboards have a beautiful vintage sound and the bass work is excellent. The vocal part is a great 90s rock song, both for the singing style and the nice falsetto backing vocals. It's an engaging track with an excellent structure, a beautiful chorus, and an overall great atmosphere. The guitar solo starts as the song's complexity increases with syncopation and great energy. The long ending reprises the initial atmospheric theme, over which the more energetic section and a beautiful guitar solo are layered. Catchy track, a potential hit.
When They Came begins with beautiful acoustic guitars and a light layer of keyboards, then the brass with a Genesis-like sound comes in and a guitar solo starts immediately, continuing until the tempo accelerates, becoming fast and direct rock. The vocals are not explosive but do their part excellently, the bass line is beautiful. The drums are not credited but I find them particularly complex in this track, great programming work. The sound recalls the atmospheres of early Yes, especially with the falsetto singing and the keyboard and guitar harmonies. Long instrumental section with splendid interaction between guitar and drums. There is a Hey You that made me tremble for just a moment, but it is part of a slower, dramatic phase, over a splendid deep bass line and crystal-clear guitar arpeggios. The piece starts up again with all its energy and a grand keyboard solo. Great energy and atmosphere with a neo-prog sound tending towards the symphonic rock of the 70s, but at times with a rock rhythm that could be on a Deep Purple album, but with less intensity and softer tones.
Carry Me Home opens with a beautiful intro of guitars, both acoustic and slightly distorted electric, a ballad with an upbeat tempo. The melody and the backing vocals are lovely. It's a neo-prog piece reminiscent of IQ, with guitar in the style of Hackett and vocals that recall Ian Anderson—truly great references. The melody and rhythm are very engaging, and when the instrumental section begins, we're in the world of Genesis with a fantastic, imposing, and ethereal epic atmosphere. A piano progression serves as the foundation, first for a great guitar solo and then for a melodic bass solo, while layers of keyboards are added. The tempo then becomes more complex, almost jazzy, with a beautiful drum and piano dialogue, an unsettling tone, and a rhythm marked by deep-sounding bass and synth. There's a splendid piano solo before the tempo picks up again, leading to the return of Hackett-style guitar and Anderson-like vocals with the initial theme. The melody in this track is also beautiful. The song fades out on the main theme, preceded by an interlude of acoustic guitar and vocals worthy of Yes.
See It In Your Eyes begins as a beautiful medieval-style ballad with splendid piano that, in the high notes, becomes a spinet over which first acoustic and then electric guitars intertwine. It is a very enjoyable instrumental piece with a beautiful melody, emotionally very compelling, even when the vintage keyboards come in with a fine solo and the whole piece becomes richer, enhancing the overall impact. There is a lovely interlude with guitar and keyboards in unison before the finale. A track that seems like a trial of the album, a luxurious preview made of melody and an absolutely relaxed and captivating atmosphere.
Falling From the Sky opens with synths featuring deep bass and imposing sounds that move between the right and left channels before launching into a sustained 90s rock rhythm, with a wah-wah guitar that soon gives way to a beautiful section of epic keyboards. Then the vocals come in, in fine style, with high notes that are never overdone and always under control. Here too, the melody is superb. There are echoes of IQ but also a very attractive pop-rock tempo, surrounded by the richness of the synths and an extraordinary bass part. In the middle, after an atmospheric phase, the track changes and the tempo becomes tight and full of syncopations, loaded with tension, then the epic phase resumes with a beautiful guitar that expresses itself in different styles, from the sharpness of rock guitar to the long notes of the Hackett school. At the end, the initial theme returns and there is a beautiful, very fast rock guitar solo at times. Another beautiful track.
It's Here Again starts with great openness and breadth, immediately captivating with splendid vintage keyboards to set the pace for a folk ballad in the style of Jethro Tull, featuring a beautiful vocal performance, full-voiced and passionate. The Folk phase alternates with the keyboard melody of the symphonic rock phase several times. The guitar solo in the middle of the track is beautiful. The voice is particularly focused and beautifully interpreted in a purely Genesis-like phase, where intertwining acoustic guitars provide the foundation.
In the Small House begins atmospherically with keyboards and guitars, in a long intro followed by a crystalline voice over a bed of keyboards. The intensity of the track is beautiful even when it becomes a fine prog ballad with breaks in the metal style that add to an epic plot.
Great guitar work both in the arpeggio and in the rhythm and solo. Here too, the guitar is played with different styles within the track.
Wherever Forever starts with pure rock, featuring a decisive guitar and a sustained rhythm. Here, we find ourselves in a Marillion-like sound, both in the pace and the vocal style, alternating between bright and fast phases and slow, atmospheric ones, which leave room for Genesis-like moments of remarkable quality. Double guitars and sweeping, epic progressions. After about 5 minutes of the 16-minute track, the atmosphere becomes suspended and ethereal in a long, soft phase, followed by beautiful choruses and vocals supported by guitar arpeggios. Then vintage keyboards come into play, adding greater emphasis to this section in a splendidly executed Yes-like manner. This is followed by a brighter up-tempo section with choruses and vintage keyboards, maintaining the same mood. Then, a sudden return to the epic phase, with a slower tempo and a full, relaxed voice. After 10 minutes, at two-thirds of the track, the beautiful Genesis-style vintage keyboards create a splendid intro to a fast guitar solo. The alternation of these phases throughout the track is great, with complex composition and Santana-like atmospheres alternating with symphonic rock and neo-prog. About three minutes from the end, the most intense and engaging phase of the track begins, followed by the long, epic finale.
In an album made up of exceptional compositions, with sumptuous keyboards, guitar, and bass, but it lacks the explosion I expected from the epic tracks, which are very structured but always under control, and I believe this happens because it lacks the dynamics that would have come from more complex drum work, which in my opinion would have given more weight to the tracks. Instead, at times, the drums simply mark out even complex rhythms with precision and diligence, but from a percussive point of view, they remain soulless. For this reason, I give the album 4 stars, which are those of an excellent album nonetheless.
Great start to this 2026.
Note: All links to the musicians' works are in the TAGS under the article title or on the "Artists" page
Tracklist
1. Innocent Hearts (6:38)
2. When They Came (9:04)
3. Carry Me Home (10:20)
4. See It In Your Eyes (5:10)
5. Falling From the Sky (7:13)
6. It's Here Again (7:09)
7. In the Small House (9:31)
8. Wherever Forever (16:00)
Duration 71:05
LineUp
Dave Allen - guitars, bass, keyboards, programming and vocals
Listening Link:
Some Tracks from the Official YouTube Channel of Spirergy
