Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

After a break of nearly a decade, Iona founder members Dave Bainbridge and David Fitzgerald have teamed up to produce a stunning new album of instrumental pieces based on the book of the same name by Lindisfarne artist and writer Mary Fleeson. Featuring Fitzgerald's flute set to a backdrop of bird and sea noises recorded on the island itself, "The Unknown Destination" sets the scene for an emotive and deeply spiritual album that is designed to compliment Fleeson's work whilst allowing both entities to exist in their own right. An album of virtuoso performances, Fitzgerald expertly works his way through a number of wind instruments such as soprano sax on the haunting "Your Breath" and whistles on "Light Eternal" whilst Bainbridge's considerable guitar skills come to the fore in the epic "Tree". For the most part, the two musicians work against a setting of atmospheric keyboard washes and ambient sounds but are arguably at their best getting their musical teeth into some complex reels in the enthralling "Magnificat" which adds pace to the proceedings. A captivating and passionate release from the Celtic veterans.

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