With the digital age, many artists are reissuing music they recorded decades ago (no pun intended). I enjoy all the tracks on this CD, but I’m always drawn to Tempest and Space every time I’ve listened to it. It’s always nice to see treasures such as Passing Decades unearthed and released. I think we’ll hear more from Rory Ridley-Duff either as a solo or part of Protos and I believe the best is yet to come! Until then do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Passing Decades ASAP! (Ron awarded Passing Decades 4.5 / 5 in e-mail correspondence dated 18th May 2007)

Rory winkles everything possible out of his synthesizers, so the recording's sonic palette is rich in sounds that imitate various brass, chamber and string instruments. Passing Decades is subtitled "Jazz / Rock" and two of the tunes, Passing Decades and London-125, suitably fit the requirements, both standing out for their 'slap bass'. The title number combines natural symphonic and quasi-improvisational patterns and is generally more intriguing than London-125. Variations, Tempest and The Maiden, are each a fully-fledged art-rock creation, the former being the absolute winner in my eyes. As to allusions, Variations is beyond comparison; Tempest in places resembles Genesis, The Maiden ELP, and Hunting Extremely Large Animals, Rick Wakeman's late-'70s work. The influences, however, are usually transitory and originality is one of this recording's main virtues.

This UK musician has put together some fine instrumental progressive rock here sprinkled with bits of classical as well as fusion, and with nine tracks, including two that go past the 12-minute mark, there's plenty to enjoy and sink your teeth into. The opening title track is a joy to listen to, very symphonic in nature, led by Rory's wall of bombastic keyboard melodies. Coming across more like a classical orchestra than a one man symphonic band, both "Variations of Theme by Iain Carnegie" and "Night Time" just ooze class and mystery, with the latter featuring rich synth textures, gongs, and chimes for a great effect. The quirky "Hunting Extremely Large Animals" sees the keyboard ace revealing his prog rock influences, namely Genesis, Gentle Giant, and Yes, with sweeping keyboard orchestrations soaring over majestic lead melodies. A little funk goes a long way on the Latin jazz tinged "London 125", while the herculean "Tempest" clocks in at near 14-minutes and features a wide variety of prog and fusion sounds that bring to mind Genesis, Return to Forever, and Yes. An old Protos song, "The Maiden", gets an updated treatment here, as Ridley-Duff adds in modern keyboard sounds to this classy prog rock number. Gone are the guitars and real drums, in their place are blazing synth melodies, programmed rhythms, and a lighter, more prog-fusion feel. The other epic, "Space", closes out the CD in fine fashion, this one a dripping with vintage prog & space rock flavor that recalls Genesis, Pink Floyd, Camel, and Yes. At times Rory's keyboard work takes on a haunting, classical edge here, and overall it's a very classy piece to end this very solid album. Originally recorded between 1992-1993, let's give kudos to Rory Ridley-Duff for newly mastering this fine CD and making it available to the prog rock enthusiasts. Passing Decades is a fine testament to a very talented musician and composer - check it out.

"..this music deftly moves from near ambient space excursions to rather jocular symphonic Prog twists and turns. The most complex and elaborate compositions, and also the most interesting, are found in the second part of the CD. The first half presents more up-tempo pieces, weaving through breezy strands of Prog Rock interspersed with funkier moments and lashings of Jazz. Sometimes it evokes memories of Tubular Bells (Mike Oldfield) but without the darker and more serious overtones - the music always nearer the state of happy-go-lucky jocularity. On this album, Rory has re-arranged three pieces from the Protos repertoire, but the better quality compositions, at least for this writer, are right at the end of the CD. 'Tempest', 'The Maiden' (by Protos) and the conclusive 'Space'. These pieces create angled, spacial, gliding atmospheres, a positive inspiration and pleasant conclusion to this good album." Translation from the Italian by Charlie (Progressive Ears), 23rd January 2007.