Final Conflict perfoming live at Rotherham Rocks - 9th May 2009
Review in the Classic Rock Society Magazine - June/July 2009
Final Conflict, popular CRS award-winners, were on a tight schedule; none-the-less the lads from Stoke, as always, gave us more than our money's worth. They opened atmospherically and dramatically with the heart-beat that introduces the slow-building Solitude, the start of a varied set which included Stand Up, The Following and The Janus; the latter with Brian Donkin's superbly manic vocal sections being a highlight. Brian ribbed the two youngsters in the band, saying that when Final Conflict was first formed Barry Elwood (on bass) wasn't even born and Henry Rogers (on drums) hadn't even been thought of! All Alone was another highlight, the balance between keyboards and guitars was excellent throughout and witnessing live how Andy and Brian deliver their counterpoints on both guitars and vocals was a delight. We used to describe them as Stoke's answer to Pink Floyd but their sound, as evidenced tonight, is much more individualistic and varied. Before their last song, Brian said that while he was sad for those wanting more, they were so hot on stage they were relieved it was a shorter set! We were treated to new song Lonely Man, featuring a piano-intro, plus splendid dual-guitar work over a solid bass and drum beat, including great solos; a tantalising taster of the new album and finishing off a great performance, earning them huge applause. (DK)

Final Conflict ~~ Another Moment in Time - Live in Poland ~~ Metal Mind Productions
Review in the Classic Rock Society Magazine - June/July 2009
Yet another British band that has had to travel to Poland to produce a DVD, (with gig, interviews, biog, discography, photo gallery etc - just like a real band hey Andy!), to assist in the expansion of their name, but a band that is also one of the most under rated within its genre too. Final Conflict are part of CRS history and have been playing live for the CRS ever since day one almost. It has not been easy thus far with tragedy amongst the successes, but with the assistance of the excellent Polish label the Stoke-based band now have a product to show just how good they are. Put this aside many a DVD sitting on the shelves at major record stores and FC would not look out of their depth - and not only do the band sound good, the production now projects the visual side. It seems a long, long time since the first CD, Redress The Balance, but now the band move forward with youthfulness in the team (a back line of the brilliant Henry Rogers on drums and Barry Elwood on bass). With this comes the eighteen years of team work between Andy Lawton, Brian Donkin and Steve Lipiec and all is well within FC. GET A COPY NOW! Martin Hudson

Review of FC at the Wyspianski Theater, Katowice, Poland, on 13th October 2008
I went to Katowice to watch a night of good progressive rock and I was not let down; opening the show was English band Final Conflict consisting of two guitar vocalists (Brian Donkin, Andrew Lawton) Keyboardist (Steve Lipiec) Bass player (Barry Elwood) and drummer (Henry Rogers). From the start of the set the atmospheric Solitude to the end of the set the powerfull guitar pushing Waiting for a Chance,as one excited member of the audience commented "this band is like a wall of sound" which I have to agree! At the front you have harmonic powered vocals and sublime guitar inventiveness laying each brick layer by layer and then the keyboards cementing the sounds togeather. With drums and bass pushing up the pillars to retain its strength, this band as something for every one ,classics like the 15 minute Stop with some stunning guitar work from both guitarists to the beautiful layered keys in the aforementioned Solitude but even more surprising was the drum solo at the beginning of Can't Buy Experience leading into some blistering drum and bass pushed rhythm, wow by the end of the set I was exhausted and I was sitting listening. These guys just never stopped moving! This band is now at the top of my top ten bands - if you want pure original live entertainment you need to see Final Conflict.

Review by "A NEW FAN!!!"

Review of FC at The Summer's End Festival - September 2007
What can I say about Final Conflict? Why this band isn't huge is beyond me. Another full on set with tracks from most of their albums. All delivered with the trade mark FC harmonies, power, craft and poise. Each track from this band has something different, you can't not listen. Special mention to Henry on drums who had to cope with having to almost stand up to play the huge kit spread out in front of him, but he didn't miss a beat and astounded yet another audience with his amazing talent for one so young. It must be good to be surrounded by a bunch of better than average musicians who are all amazingly professional once on stage but who just love playing. A great bunch of people fantastic music. A perfect way to close the afternoon sessions.

Review by Paul Baker (Prog Paul - Rock247 Online)

Harmonie Magazine (N°59) Review of "Simple"
Final Conflict released this, their fifth album, in the last days of 2006. This British group, which began its career in the middle eighties, remains faithful to the basic principles that it has practiced since its beginnings: solos of guitar percussion and keyboards, strong melodies, well constructed, with harmonious developments. Simple does not break this rule: neo done with a velvet paw and built around the two guitarist-singers (Andy Lawton and Brian Donkin) and keyboardist Steve Lipiec. This neo is the kind in which the principal protagonists return the ball constantly: how not to think about the first years of Arena, Pendragon or the Marillion?

Nevertheless, this CD is a marked seal of the pain and sorrow for the members of the group since the drummer of Final Conflict, Chris Moyden, died in September 2005, after he had participated in the recording of seven titles of the eight presented here. The CD evidently is dedicated to him. Before this, Simple was for the musicians the most adequate means to celebrate twenty one years of creation of neo progressive music. The opus is composed of rerecorded titles originating from the first albums released on cassette (The following and Channel 8) and of other titles drawn from the first two CDs of the group. From Redress the Balance we rediscover Rebellion and Pangea’s child, off The Quest, All alone). It equally contains new compositions (including the last title: It should have been simple). The impression which dominates is precisely that of an assessment and a brilliant attempt to show all the facets of a proven know-how. European neo prog bands which can count to date more than twenty years of existence while having recorded opus regularly must amount, to the maximum, on the fingers of two hands.

If Final Conflict has arrived at the year 2007, it owes it to the fact of counting in its discography two major pearls of neo-prog, The Quest and Stand Up, in which all its creativity burst. In Simple, the keyboards are at once melodic and progressive, the guitars effective and enchanting, the rhythm section simply top-class and the first track of the CD, the seven minutes of Solitude, is mind-blowing with its long intro, its atmospheric keyboards in weightlessness, the work lavished on the vocals, that takes us towards an acceleration of rhythms and a guitar solo that dear Nick Barrett would have found to his taste. Rebellion keeps the nostalgia of the beginnings of neo with an effective riff, a nervous and involving rhythm just like Channel 8. The Janus takes us towards the delightful shores of Script for a jester’s tears and Chelsea Monday with its laughs up one’s sleeve, its Fish-like inflections of voice. The second pinnacle of Simple is the track that closes the album. “It should have been simple” very certainly will become the new classic of the group. Final Conflict shows us here the whole way traversed for twenty-one years and gives us the proof with ten minutes (forty-six) of their creative capacity. Soft intro with the guitar, old story, sax in abundance, melody in every moment, breaks, solos of all kinds; accelerations; bombastic vocals; riffs; far-away bells, all passes there for our greater happiness.

Simple is not the masterpiece of Final Conflict, it is a boundary, a passage, a sum that announces a new future with a new drummer. By the quality of its compositions and recording, as well as the constant effectiveness of the work of its musicians this new opus, solid and passionate, is a good beautiful album of neo.

Review by Raymond Sérini

www.progressive-area.com Review of "Simple"
Les anglais de FINAL CONFLICT font déjà office de vieux baroudeurs puisque le groupe se forma en 1985 autour des 2 chanteurs guitaristes, ANDY LAWTON et BRIAN DONKIN. FINAL CONFLICT se forgea une solide réputation scénique outre Manche avant de monter leur propre label et présenter un premier album en 1991 "Redress The Balance".

Le style se rapprochait d'un néo progressif typique de MARILLION des années 80, mais aussi d'un GENESIS 70th, et ce à partir de vocaux travaillés, de belles mélodies et des envolées instrumentales solides. Plutôt que de remplir une carrière discographique au risque de lasser son public, FINAL CONFLICT a choisi le critère qualitatif dans sa production qui se résume à 5 albums dont le remarqué "Stand Up" sorti en 1997. "Simple" présente une histoire singulière, effet cet opus est devenu bien involontairement un hommage au batteur CHRIS MOYDEN décédé en 2005, ce dernier a néanmoins participé aux séances d'enregistrement. Plus anecdotiquement la majorité des compositions de "Simple" provient de matériels issus de vieilles bandes des années 80 jamais pressées sur disque, bien entendu, dépoussiérées, ré-enregistrées, et accompagnées de quelques nouveautés.

Commençons par prendre le pouls de "Simple" avec "Solitude" qui rappelle non pas MARILLION, non pas GENESIS, mais plutôt PINK FLOYD au moins dans son approche instrumentale. Ensuite les réminiscences du passé resurgissent au fil des morceaux, néanmoins le néo progressif des 80th a été largement remanié et modernisé avec une production comme d'habitude chez FINAL CONFLICT, toujours soignée.

On reste frappé par le travail des 2 vocalistes aux timbres complémentaires, écoutez ainsi les duos de "Channel 8" . L'intérêt des compositions va crescendo pour aboutir à 3 splendides morceaux à partir de "The Following" au refrain entétant, aux interventions limpides et variées des claviers, jusqu'au solo de guitare final empli de fougue mélodique . Et que dire de "All Alone" morceau à l'ambiance nostalgique magnifié par les 2 guitaristes dans un style néo accrocheur bien soutenu par la section rythmique et le clavier à la MARK KELLY.

Nous arrivons déjà au bout du chemin de "Simple" avec une introduction tout en délicatesse à la guitare acoustique et au piano. Il s'agit du morceau le plus long de l'album, un condensé du style de FINAL CONFLICT avec ses qualités déjà évoquées mais aussi ses défauts notamment une appartenance parfois trop marquée au néo Marillionesque des 80th. Pour les amateurs du genre, ce dernier disque de FINAL CONFLICT présente les ingrédients nécessaires pour captiver l'attention des auditeurs, achat recommandable donc.

Écrit par Anglagard 28-02-2007

Classic Rock Magazine Review of "Simple"
Final Conflict - Simple - GAOL CD02
Back in June 1993 five simple blokes from Stoke-on-Trent stepped on the stage at Nightingales in Rotherham to make their CRS debut. Not simple mentally you understand but simple in their outlook, nothing complicated, just make the music, enjoy it and hope that a few punters would like it enough to buy it. Well here is the fourth album some fourteen years later and the outlook remains the same, but this time it’s nice and Simple.

Sadly drummer Chris Moyden passed away at a time when the band were recording the album and looking forward to stepping out on to a stage or two again. The good thing is that Chris can be heard here on all but one track, a nice way to say goodbye. He would be pretty pleased with the end result and for the quintessential British prog-rock fan it will be pleasing too.

As with the three previous albums Andy Lawton and Brian Donkin strike out with some blistering guitar work and blunt and to the point Potteries vocals with Steve Lipiec adding the spicy keyboards and a bit of saxophone too. Dave Alexander came in to add drums on one track so bassist Chris Chalk had little need to strike up a massive new partnership in the engine room, so through all the strife and sad events a Simple album has been born. Those that have managed to see the band live over recent years will recognise the spooky but excellent All Alone. (Available on the CRS Sales List).

Review By Martin Hudson

Prog4U review of HINDSIGHT
When this CD landed in my hot little hands for review I said, "Final Conflict, I know this band." I immediately went to my music collection and there it was, "Stand Up" released way back in 1997 but started in 1991 just before SI Records bought the bullet, so to speak. Hindsight is Final Conflict's 5th release if you count Channel 8, released on cassette in 1987 and Time Has Arrive also on cassette in 1989. Their CD releases are Redress the Balance in 1991, Quest in 1992 and Stand Up released in 1997.

Time warp ahead to 2003 (or 2004 since I'm reviewing it this year). I had listened to "Hindsight" twice before I could actually verify that this was by the same band that made Stand Up. All I can say is that understanding that Stand Up was originally started in 1991 and not released until 1997; the leap in musical ability and sonic quality found in Hindsight is easily understood.

Hindsight is in fact neo-prog at it's finest. Yet, it is different. It does not TRY to be different on purpose. No, it is just different because the band members have matured, their playing ability has improved, and their musical composition has REALLY improved. As I said, my last exposure to Final Conflict (who has now changed their name to simply FC) was Stand Up released in 1997. The music on Hindsight while some what the same as Stand Up is actually totally different. It is definitely like a new band with the same name. Much like Witsend and Syzrgy.

Musically you will hear many of the things we so love about this style called neo-prog. The guitar work, the keyboards, strong and powerful bass and drums. Whew, I love this CD. Both lyrically and musically this CD pushes every one of my buttons. Okay, not my heavy metal buttons but this CD is NOT supposed to do that.

Not only will you not necessarily hear new ideas in this music, you will hear old ideas redone in the most fantastic of ways. Andy and Brian's guitar work will remind you of some of Steve Rothery's licks. You'll hear familiar keyboard work but my goodness it comes across as so fresh and alive that it seems like FC developed this style. Track one opens with an almost techno keyboard type riff hidden specifically in a neo-prog style. Now go figure that. It comes across as if Ozric Tentacles was now doing neo-styled prog.

I think the signature song on this CD is track 4, Dead of Night. The opening guitar line wraps you in a warm wool blanket of understanding (this is the familiar part) with a silk lining of new and exciting pleasures against your skin (this is the new part). All vocals are right on and are never annoying or overly cheesy. None of the songs are long just to be long. In fact I'm finding it hard to listen to anything else over the last couple of days. This one gets my highest rating in months. Honestly, if you have always liked bands like Pendragon, IQ, Clepsydra, Chandelier, and Pallas then you will love this CD. I guarantee it.
Rating: 9.5 of 10

Review by Stephen Ellis

Eclipsed Magazine review of HINDSIGHT
With hindsight everybody is wiser. So, when the English band Final Conflict looked back upon their musical past, they decided to break the silence after seven years - despite the ungracious, British music scene - and to release a new album. At the same time they started fc-music and abbreviated their band name to FC (if puns with football clubs are welcome, the editorial board doesn't know at the moment). Of course, the lyrics on an album with the title "Hindsight" deal with recollections and clean sweep of the past. Still, there is no melancholic atmosphere neither thematically nor sound-wise. It is a very diverse album which proves that FC have their own style. The most proggy song of this album is the title track that clocks up to almost 10 minutes and reminds sometimes of IQ or early Marillion. Something very different is "Shadowdance" with its flute-sounds that comes across as a prancing folkrock-song. Mostly, there are clear structures with catchy choruses and sometimes the vocals are a bit edgy, but the songs never lack atmospheric instrumental parts and playful breaks. Synthesizer-Solos in the vein of Pink Floyd like in "Dead of Night" or the crisp guitar riffs in the opener "Empty Promises" underline the need of existence in every prog collection.

Review by Heike Muller

Classic Rock Magazine Review of "Hindsight"
It's been too long since the last album and last visit to the CRS by Stoke's Final Conflict. They remain one of the most underrated prog bands in the UK and the potential is, it appears, still there to be discovered. In the time since they were regular visitors to the CRS the Society has gained many new members. They are another one of those UK prog bands that has the capability to take the rest of the world on within the genre, but I fear the dominance of certain American bands might just hold this back - I hope I'm wrong because they and the album deserve a break.

Andy Lawton and Brian Donkin continue to share the vocals and lead guitars and along with the excellent keyboards of Steve Lipiec (not to mention sax and backing vocals) the colour at the front of their music remains rainbowesque. Behind it all are Chris Chalk on bass and Chris Moyden on drums and they lay a solid base for the long awaited return.

Lovers of Marillion, Pendragon et al will drool over some of this music, especially the title track and others like "Dead of Night" where Lipiec's saxophone becomes a welcome bonus. Give this a listen and you will surely be hooked.

Review By Martin Hudson