On RISE ABOVE (2002), savagely pruned in the course of recording to it’s leanest, meanest form, the intensity and grandeur of traditional tracks such as Blackwaterside and Bright Morning Star were a significant extension of the band’s aesthetic range. During the sessions they also picked up Irish piper James O’Grady, who played on five of the tracks, as a temporary addition to the line-up; and that diversified and enriched the band’s live sound for a couple of years.
