This symphonic rock concept album is Rick’s response to further Martian discoveries made since the release of his previous album “The Red Planet”, back in 2020. With additional research into Mars, Rick realised there was much more to influence him musically, and the result is an album that successfully combines science and imagination with his musical virtuosity.

Rick studied many reports and hundreds of new photographs of the planet to find influences for all the compositions on this album. He is accompanied by his “English Rock Ensemble”, Adam Falkner (writer/drummer), guitarists Lee Pomeroy/Dave Colquhoun and guest vocalist Mollie Marriot, daughter of Steve Marriott. This time he was able to have all the musicians in the studio working together at the same time, which he was unable to do when recording “The Red Planet” due to Covid restrictions.

Unlike his previous album, which is purely instrumental, Mollie’s vocals feature on five of the nine tracks. Mollie's singing credits include working with Oasis, The Who, Mark Knopfler and Paul Weller. She was considered the perfect vocalist for the difficult role of creating an atmosphere and understanding of each featured area of Mars. Her vocals on “The Epochs of Mars” are particularly beautiful and ethereal.

“The Jezero Crater”, an area being investigated by the Perseverance rover and thought to have been flooded with water in the past, provides a bright start to the album with a catchy retro-synth lead melody which then gives way to a slower and quieter section for Marriott’s calm, descriptive vocals. These have a classic rock opera structure where the lyrics for all tracks combine to tell the Red Planet’s story. This vocal section is immediately followed by Rick’s very pacy and jolly keyboard solo - a typical example of the frequent dramatic tempo shifts throughout the album. An almost 7-minute adventure, this is an epic track in itself and was released as the first single at the end of July 2026.

Another notable track, “Bowie’s Vision”, also addresses the time when Mars may have been blue and possibly harbour life. It is an homage to Rick’s good friend, David Bowie, who was fascinated with the cultural mythology of Mars, and wove these themes into his work. Rick worked with Bowie as a session keyboardist on several key recordings, notably “Life on Mars?” from Bowie’s 1971 album Hunky Dory and “It Ain’t Easy” from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972). This track has impressive guitar and keyboard solos and ends with a theatrical choral and organ climax.

The instrumental tracks are consistently good, multi-layered keyboard- and guitar-driven progressive rock tracks with plenty of variety. My favourite is “Noctis Labyrinthus” (Labyrinth of the Night), named after the maze-like system of deep, steep-sided valleys located in the Phoenicis Locus quadrangle.
There is a lot going on in this track, which is arguably the finest on the album, with more fantastic high-tempo keyboard and guitar solo interplay. An opening melody of short, catchy staccato rock notes is followed by a quirky retro 80s synth reminiscent of the sort of games Rob Hubbard would play, stretching the old C64 SID chip to its limits.

Another favourite is “Martian Dust Devils”. These swirling whirlwinds are evoked by back-and-forth ascending/descending melodies which introduce Marriott’s lilting lyrics. She describes “Martian Devils in disguise” before the track adopts a playful funfair atmosphere suggestive of sentient, mischievous beings rather than mere atmospheric phenomena.

Overall, it is clear that it was well worth Rick’s return to the Red Planet, and he is clearly enjoying himself throughout. Some may consider that a good progressive rock concept album is best as purely instrumental, but in this case I think Mollie’s vocals are a worthwhile addition in telling the Red Planet’s story. This album certainly puts a smile on the face of the listener, who may also learn a bit about Mars as a bonus.