BIG BIG TRAIN – Woodcut (Album Review)

A band’s evolution has seldom felt so right. After 15 albums over a 30-year timeframe, Big Big Train’s twists and turns have resulted in a remarkable career featuring an ever-evolving cast of musicians. Having confidently achieved a stunning comeback with The Likes Of Us after the crippling tragedy of losing previous lead singer David Longdon, here we are two years later with the arrival of the natural next step: a concept album from a story-based band.

That Big Big Train haven’t specifically written a concept album before almost seems beside the point, so rich is the storytelling that runs throughout the band’s discography. Still, Woodcut is definitely taking the band to a new level, as band co-founder Greg Spawton shares that they genuinely saw the album as one entire piece: “In the studio, that’s kind of how we viewed it – seriously. It’s a single epic song from which other shorter songs can be pulled.”

Spread over 16 tracks, the whole album runs just over an hour to tell its story of the Artist and his psychedelic woodcut journey. While the run time isn’t quite on the scale of a classic prog double album, that might be for the best: it’s definitely a long ride you need to strap yourself in for, but it doesn’t become tiresome or indulgent. This is mostly due to the consistently high level of songwriting, arrangements, and performance. It’s simply one marvel after another. If anything, the songs only get better and better as the album progresses, ensuring that the listener is compelled to enjoy to the end.

Special appreciation needs to be given to the cohesiveness of the musicians and how collaborative a family this band has become. Lead vocalist Alberto Bravin is the ringmaster, taking over the daunting production duties, but it truly feels like a group effort throughout, much to everyone’s credit. The songwriting is shared by a wide swath of the band, sometimes individually and often collaboratively. Lyrics were also a shared effort all around, with violinist Clare Lindley coming more to the fore to pen many of the words.  

Vocally speaking, the album shines with lush harmony arrangements that make the most of all 7 members singing. Everyone gets a lead vocal spot at some point, too, even the usually reluctant Spawton. While Bravin still carries the album with his artful tenor voice, key lines are given to other members like Rikard Sjöblom’s striking cameo lead on “Dead Point”. Backing vocal harmonies are also rich and abundant, often breathtaking, like at the end of “Chimaera”. There’s even some Gentle Giant-style vocal interplay, like Neal Morse is fond of exploring.

On the instrumental side, everyone gets their areas to shine. Rikard Sjöblom now covers the bulk of the electric guitar, and his solos are extraordinary throughout the album, such as on “Light Without Heat” and “Counting Stars”. Clare Lindley’s violin has found a perfect sweet spot in the mix, from the lilting grandeur of “Arcadia” to a more searing tone at the end of “The Sharpest Blade”. Elaborate keyboard performances run rampant throughout the album, and while four musicians are listed on keys, we can credit Oskar Holldorff as the main genius behind this role.

I suspect that Bravin contributed a good deal to backing guitars and keyboards during the recording process, both stemming from his pervasive songwriting credits, and delivering the finishing touches as producer. Only the newest member, Paul Mitchell on trumpet, seems to be underutilized on the album. Although occasionally adding nice flourishes to some of the arrangements, his involvement here would seem to suggest he’d be listed as a guest musician rather than a full-fledged member.

Of course, Nick D’Virgilio remains BBT’s drummer extraordinaire, and he packs a punch throughout this odyssey. The thrilling instrumental track “Cut And Run” is an NDV tour de force, continuing the tradition of excellent instrumentals from albums past like “Apollo”. Also holding down the rhythm section, Spawton’s bass playing has always been one of BBT’s very top strengths, and this holds true once again, whether it’s propelling forward the D’Virgilio burner “Warp and Weft” or laying down a more melodic groove on the gorgeous “Light Without Heat”. 

This Big Big Train is on a roll and, almost unfathomably, keeps getting better and better. And although it’s true that the credit goes to the entire collective, there’s no denying that the band struck gold by choosing Bravin as their frontman. Little did they – or perhaps even he – realize how instrumental he would be behind the scenes as well. His songwriting, arranging, multi-instrumentation, producing, and sheer enthusiasm have undoubtedly helped gel the rest of the family together even more tightly than they might have imagined possible at this stage, and the results speak for themselves.

As the album’s lyrics conclude in the final thrilling song: “There’s gold in the skies. Find it, keep moving on.” 

Release Date: February 6th, 2026
Record Label: Inside Out Music / English Electric Recordings
Genre: Progressive Rock

Musicians:

• Alberto Bravin / Lead vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards, Moog, Mellotron
• Nick D’Virgilio / Drums, percussion, keyboards, acoustic and 12-string guitars, vocals
• Oskar Holldorff / Grand piano, Wurlitzer and Fender Rhodes electric pianos, Hammond organ, Mellotron, synthesizers, vocals
• Clare Lindley / Violin, acoustic guitar, vocals
• Rikard Sjöblom / 6 and 12-string guitars, Hammond organ, vocals
• Gregory Spawton / Bass, bass pedals, 12-string acoustic guitar, Mellotron, vocals
• Paul Mitchell / trumpet, piccolo trumpet, vocals

Woodcut Tracklist:

1. Inkwell Black (0:56)
2. The Artist (7:16)
3. The Lie of the Land (2:55)
4. The Sharpest Blade (4:16)
5. Albion Press (5:46)
6. Arcadia (5:46)
7. Second Press (0:37)
8. Warp and Weft (3:45)
9. Chimaera (5:37)
10. Dead Point (5:28)
11. Light without Heat (3:22)
12. Dreams in Black and White (2:34)
13. Cut and Run (6:19)
14. Hawthorn White (1:54)
15. Counting Stars (5:40)
16. Last Stand (3:34)

Order the album here.