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The year is 1979. Outside the snow is faling on the ground. It is freezing cold. The tempature is 26 degrees below zero. Inside it is a different world. It is warm and the sound of "Everyday" is coming out of the speakers at the Wisseloord Studio in Hilversum, Holland. Steve Hackett had just recorded this track for his third solo album "Spectral Mornings". Keyboard player Nick Magnus, lead singer Pete Hicks and flute player John Hackett look at Steve's face to see if he is satisfied with the recordings. At the time they did not know that 25 years later the same musicians all would contribute on "Hexameron". Not another solo album made by the former Genesis guitar player. It is the title of the third solo album made by Nick Magnus. The keyboard player who played from 1978 until 1989 in Steve Hackett's backing band. He at least contributed on 12 albums. After his time with Steve he somehow got away from the prog scene. He made name with Project D, a synthesizer project, and his Pan Pipe Moods albums. They all became very popular. In 1993 he released his first solo album "Straight On Till Morning". Followed by "Inhaling Green" made in 1999. I do not know how much prog is on them, maybe I will hear them someday. But I do know that his last record "Hexameron" is a must for all lovers of great progressive rock music. On some of the tracks we even hear the memories of old days. The above mentioned musicians are certainly to blame. Steve's guitar sound is still very melodic as we can hear on the tracks "Singularity", "Seven Hands of Time" and "The power of Reason". But also Procol Harum's Geoff Whitehorn is a wonderful guitar player. If you listen to "Dancing on the Waters" and "Marduk" you know what I mean. Just awesome. The flute played by John Hackett is certainly related to the music which Steve Hackett made in the seventies. This can most of all be heard on the two songs on which the two brothers perform together: "Singularity" and "The Power of Reason". But even on the short "Double Helix" you get the impression you are listening to the two brothers. You indeed can hear John's flute but this time the acoustic guitar is created by Nick himself. Only the violin is a real violin. Ninian Boyle touches it. We can also hear him playing on the celtic track "Sophia's Song". Siobhan McCarthy's great voice gives the song an even more gaelic feeling. She is together with Pete Hicks, Clare Brigstocke, Tony Patterson (ReGenesis), Debi Doss and The Bears' Chorus Choir one of the many voices which Nick used for this concept album. It is for the first time that he uses them on his solo album. He has found in Dick Foster a man who can write great lyrics. Therefore it became easier for him to write songs which includes the human voice. The drums that we hear on this album are not played by real humans but they are all created by Mr Magnus himself. No drums are harmed in the making of this album as he wrote in the booklet. A big complement can be made because they certainly sound like real drummers of flesh and blood. But we already knew that he could make machines sound like humans. Listen for example to "Cured" made by Steve Hackett. On this record Nick used the Linn Drum and programmed it as if a real drummer did all the beats. But Nick did not only program the drum patterns he also produced, engineered, composed, arranged and played the rest of the instruments. We can hear great piano playing, marvelous synth solos and beautiful mellotron and organ sounds. All the tracks on this maybe too short album are real beauties. I kept playing them over and over again. It made me sometimes think of that cold winter of 1978 when also great music was created. Music that melts everything and keeps us warm when ever it is played. How important Nick must have been 25 years ago can now be heard on "Hexameron". A great album made by a great keyboard player and composer. Hopefully we don't have to wait another 5 years for another fine product.
**** (Henri Strik)