Over the many years I have been reviewing it has become very clear indeed that some bands are more prolific than others, while others take their own sweet time on releasing their debut album then finally get in the groove, but I must confess to this being the first time I have heard of a band taking nearly half a century to get their act together! Stoggam were originally formed as Maggots back in 1977 by composer/multi-instrumentalist Peter Fallowell and while the initial enthusiasm passed away the band never officially broke up, and everyone kept in touch with each other. Fast forward to 2022 and Peter found the song he was working on (opener and single “Feel Life”) made him think of the guys, so perhaps they should get together and record it? One thing led to another, and the result is their debut album featuring Peter Fallowell – (composition, drums/percussion, rhythm guitars, mphonic orchestra, lead vocals), John Duffy (solo and rhythm guitars, vocals), Martin Lawrie (keyboards, vocals) and Dave Harding (bass, vocals).
If I didn’t know the story behind the band, I would have expected this to have been released by people somewhat younger as this is first and foremost a rock album, albeit highly melodic and progressive. Peter states the songs were influenced by classical music as well as artists such as Magma, King Crimson, Weather Report, Yes, Genesis and Can, but I hear virtually no Can and Magma within this and find it surprising they don’t mention Gentle Giant (particularly with the keyboards and vocal harmonies) while there is also a very strong Seventies melodic rock feel about the whole thing. It certainly feels analogue as opposed to digital, and in many ways crosses into the neo camp, especially the scene of the Nineties before it morphed more into prog metal yet there are also times when it is feels quite commercial which much more of a crossover appeal.
Although it is enjoyable the first time this is played, it is also very much a grower and the more I listened to this the more I gained from it and within the current scene I can imagine fans of Steve Bonino definitely picking up on this. They may have taken more time that normal to finally get around to the debut, but in many ways, this was worth the wait, and I certainly hope we hear some more so. As for the name, 1977 was full-on punk so ‘Maggots’ seemed appropriate as a name, but possibly quite not so much for a prog band in 2026, so when they discovered others were using that they instead reversed it, hence Stoggam! 8/10 Kev Rowland
