Dec Burke is a UK guitarist/vocalist who has written recorded and performed with Frost* and Darwin’s Radio. He has also toured with Frost* supporting Spock’s Beard and Dream Theater.
Dec formed Darwin’s Radio in 2003 with Mark Westworth now keyboard player with IQ. The band released the Pictures EP in 2003 and then, Eyes of the World in 2006, culminating in their appearance at RosFest in Philadelphia in 2007. Following its success the band released the follow up Template for a Generation in August 2009. At the end of 2009, Dec announced he was moving on from Darwin’s Radio to concentrate on a solo venture.
This results in his first release ‘Destroy All Monsters’ a nine track album coming in at 45mins, it’s a more pop take on the prog genre. The sound is described as a meld of Depeche Mode/ Foo Fighters. The album was signed to Prog Rock Records, and the label is arranging its general release in Set 2010.
Dec intends to tour to support the CD release with a live band.
OTHER BANDS:
Dec is also a member and has performed with UK prog band Frost* alongside Jem Godfrey, John Mitchell, Nathan King, Andy Edwards.
The band also performed at RosFest in May 2009, with Nick D’Virgilio of Spock’s Beard on drums. The live album, The Philadelphia Experiment was released in June 2010. Frost supported Spocks Beard in the UK and Europe in 2008 and then went on to support Dream Theater in the UK in June 2009 for two dates on their Black Clouds and Silver Linings tour.
11.07.10
Welcome to the new website. Lots of new stuff on the way but let's kick off with a review of 'Destroy All Monsters' from Classic Rock magazine:
It's not an easy task keeping tabs on Declan Burke. He fronted the excellent but relatively inactive Darwin’s Radio. Then he also fronted Jem Godfrey’s Frost* at the same time, Then, having just released Template for a Generation with the former, he quit, although drummer Mark Westworth is intent on keeping the band going. Frost* may have a new live album out (not to mention their cover of ELP’s Fanfare for the Common Man on this issue’s free CD) but are hardly the most active of acts.
Now Burke makes his solo debut, although unless you scoured the world with the biggest magnifying glass you’d probably not be aware, so far under the radar does this man seem to operate. Which is most strange given the abundant talent that literally pours out of him.
Having previously managed to make a three-track album one of the most enjoyable listening pleasures of last year, Destroy All Monsters sees Burke opting for shorter material, and yet it is as equally enthralling and progressively enjoyable as anything he’s thus far achieved with Darwin’s Radio and Frost*. Described in ProgRock Records’ website (the label has signed Burke and will undoubtedly reissue Destroy All Monsters after the initial self-released version – available from www.decburke.com – has sold out) as Depeche Mode meets Foo Fighters, it is actually nothing of the sort. Yes, the meandering Promised might perhaps hint at the former were they laden with effects dripping guitars, but most of Destroy All Monsters, somewhat unsurprisingly given the nature of Darwin’s Radio, sounds like Rush-inspired prog rock.
At a mere 45 minutes, it’s a concise set of material, but a majestic one nonetheless. The bristling Signs of Life is both a dextrous tour de force and as catchy a prog tune as you are likely to hear, whilst the equally compelling Small Hours manages the feat of being something the most ardent prog head can revel in and something you might expect to hear on the radio (if radio programmers ever removed their heads from their rectums that is). Sometimes it is quite staggering to realize just how much the man can cram into a relatively short piece of music, especially the elegant title track, which rounds proceedings off at just over seven minutes but somehow makes you feel you’ve been rapt in its charms for hours – and believe me, that is a good thing.
So maybe, with the weight of Shawn Gordon’s impressive label behind him, Burke will move to impress himself on the audience that is inevitably waiting to claim him, instead of seemingly releasing an album and then informing the press of the matter as something of an afterthought. The talent that he’s thus far displayed in the two Darwin’s Radio albums and Frost*’s Experiments in Mass Appeal is writ large over Destroy All Monsters. It will undoubtedly feature highly in the end of year polls. Assuming enough people get to hear it, that is!
