Full of energy and pulse-pounding riffs, this is Metallica's debut album with which they changed the heavy metal world back in 1983. Although the songs are a lot more immature than Metallica's later material, in both lyrical and musical content, the songs are still great if you're after a straight forward headbanging album from start to finish, with many of these songs still being a major spotlight of any Metallica live set today.

Although some tracks are weaker than others, the album as a whole runs smoothly without giving the listener a chance to catch their breath. Metallica classics such as 'Seek and Destroy', 'The Four Horsemen', 'Hit the Lights' and 'Whiplash' make this essential for all metal fans.

It won't be your favourite Metallica album, but your metal collection won't be complete without it.

It's understandable that progressive rock is not always the easiest music to pick up, and an album like this, featuring just five tracks that range between seven and twenty-one minutes in length, certainly takes repeated listens before things start to fall into place. But the juice is worth the squeeze, because 'Shadowlands' is an enjoyable and infectious album, full of tasty melodies and catchy vocals.

With plenty of intricately-layered melodies, making full use of various instruments and multiple singers, Glass Hammer's sound, described as "symphonic prog", is as grandiose and epic as you can imagine. With interesting harmonies and some well thought-out lyrics, it's a shame that progressive rock, a genre that should be so appealing to so many people, is so easily overlooked.

Featuring some true gems such as 'So Close, So Far', 'Run Lisette' and the centerpiece of the album, 'Behind the Great Beyond', Glass Hammer's 'Shadowlands' is an awe-inspiring effort, which doesn't come across as pompous or self- indulgent. It's just one epic after another. The production does a fine job of giving every instrument enough clarity without being overbearing, which is quite a feat when there's so many things going on at any one time.

A true marvel of symphonic prog, this album is an absolute joy to listen to, and an essential addition to the collection of anyone who yearns for those classic days of yesteryear, when bands like Yes, King Crimson and ELP were all the rage.

And so, at long last, I have published my 1000th review on ProgArchives. I have written many, many more than that over the years, but I recognise this as some sort of milestone. It is only fitting that it is about the band that in many ways started me on the path I have been travelling for the last 25 years.

Over the years, Galahad have always dared to be different, and have always produced music very much on their own terms. This has seen them produce an acoustic offshoot, a dance offshoot, as well as mixing and melding the styles that have seen them always moving forward, always progressing. When I first came across them they had won the Radio 1 Rock Wars, and had released their first CD: it seems like a very long time ago, but that's okay because it was. They were the first band I wrote to in the progressive underground (yes, it was snail mail, no other type had been invented yet), the first band I wrote a complete piece on, and the first band I felt really close to. Through Stu I was introduced to others in the scene, and he told some mates of his to contact me which is how I came across the demo of some lads who were calling themselves Big Big Train, but that's another story altogether. And so, at long last, I have published my 1000th review on ProgArchives. I have written many, many more than that over the years, but I recognise this as some sort of milestone. It is only fitting that it is about the band that in many ways started me on the path I have been travelling for the last 25 years. So here we have it, prog with a difference, in Galahad's own very unique manner.

What's different about this album? Well, for starters it contains some already released songs, although they are here in different versions ? therefore the booklet contains lyrics only to some numbers, as they are the new ones. But, the largest difference outside the style of music (more of that in a minute), is that here Galahad are performing as a trio with guests. A trio? Well, yes, and often they are a duo. This album is based around Stu's vocals and Dean's delicate touch on piano and keyboards, with just occasional percussion from Spencer. There is no room for bass, so "new boy" Tim Ashton, who returned in 2014 after 22 years off for good behaviour has taken a break on this one. But where's Roy? Roy Keyworth was the founder of the band more than thirty years ago, but in March the band announced the sad news that Roy had decided to retire from music. He makes an appearance on the very final song of the album, "Guardian Angel (Hybrid)", which originally appeared on the "Guardian Angel" EP, but that is his swansong. Guitar features on just one other song on the album, and producer Karl Groom provides acoustic on that, somewhat different to his normal crunching day job with Threshold. Sarah Bolter is back as a guest again, providing woodwind and backing vocals, reprising her role on "Iceberg", which appeared on 1994's Galahad Acoustic Quintet album.

Yes, if you hadn't already worked it out, this is a far more pastoral album, one that relies on tone and technique as opposed to force and power. I honestly believe that Stu is one of the most under-rated singers around, and he has lost none of his pitch, breath control and range, while in Dean Baker he has found the perfect accompanist. Their relationship makes me think very much of Martin Orford and Gary Chandler, in that they complement each other so perfectly, and make incredible music without anybody else being involved. Christina Booth from Magenta duets with Stu on "Termination", old boy Mark Andrews appears on "Don't Lose Control", which he originally played on back on that debut CD, while Louise Curtis provides violin on their take on Rammstein's "Mein Herz Brennt" (I much prefer this version to the original).

This isn't a prog album in its truest sense, but instead shows a band that are always confident in their ability, and move around in different styles yet deliver the goods time and time again. I think it was more than twenty years ago that I confessed that I was losing all ability to write rationally about any release by Galahad, as I love their music so much. The reason I love it so, is because they are always refusing to conform to anyone's expectations, and keep producing works of outstanding brilliance and quality, like this one.

The band still don't know who their new guitarist is going to be, but Karl Groom has kindly agreed to play on 'Seas Of Change', which is going to be released later this year as well. That is going to show a very different side to the band I'm sure. But for now, play this to your friends and astound them with wonderful music from deepest Dorset.

The adventure begins with the cover, a phantasmagoric melange of images: a Polar bear, a mummy, a half-naked chained slavegirl, a speeding red General Lee-type car (all of which turn out to be characters in the songs) boldly arranged like an iconographic movie poster, with the title "Hard Chargin'" streaking across, some Tarantino / Rodriguez / Carnahan mash-up, a poster for a movie that was never made, or rather a movie that gets made anew in your mind every time you hear the soundtrack.

Have a Drink with Dreadnaught: the music begins with this jaunty, bouncey tune, a straight-forward upbeat rocker that is as close to anything "conventional" you are going to get on this disc. A psi-fi warbly keyboard theme interjects like an escaped flying saucer from a B-52's album, and with lyric lines like "spread your seed on the new grid" and "there's a polar bear!" we are in another dimension indeed! (Is that you Modine?) The lyrics to this tune, btw, refer to a story (penned by Geoff "Red Fez" Logsdon) about the band playing in some quasi-mystical bar where dead rock stars live and Duane Allman beats on Dennis DeYoung's balls with a bat, and you can hear his Broadway-worthy vocals howling into the night. You should read it sometime. Have a Drink With Dreadnaught.

Gaudy Baubles: it gets a bit more exotic here with strange effects on the instruments, proof in the pudding of the "veritable [&*!#]load of analog effects pedals" mentioned in the credits. And good for them! Let's hear more outboard effects than all this inboard added-later stuff! The impression of a movie soundtrack holds, a movie for your ears ala Zappa's "Hot Rats". Flute makes an appearance in the sonic mix to great effect.

That's The Way That You Do it (My Way) Suddenly Mr. Bungle roars in, a demonic distorted voice over a fast Ska?type beat, then a micro burst of Steely Dan-ish chords, like a window thrown open on The Royal Scam album, LA Fusion, then slammed shut by Bungle again, a riotous mob of hooligans chanting. This is where the adventure truly begins for me. And its only a 58 second song.

Takin' a Ride with the Fat Man (Fatta Fatta Puck Puck) the Bungle comparison continues for me here, and since I use Bungle as a touchstone / symbol of a certain type of radical genius (in your face energy / unpredictability / a will to craziness) it is one of the highest compliments I can give. I don't know about this fat man or what his deal is, but riding with him sounds like a night on the road with Mr. Toad on acid. A happy driving-down-sunny-highway melody "takin a ride with the fat man / takin a ride / fatta fatta puck puck! (my old percussion instructor taught drum parts by singing them ? "dakka dakka flubba flubba bang!" ? and you have to sing along with them to see how well it works) gives way to pantonal Mothers of Invention-like vocal parts. Rhythmic patterns come and go before you can fully get a grip on them. The music changes constantly then exuberantly unravels into a drum solo, toms rolling down a stairwell. It's over and then it isn't. This song gets the furry kitchen sink thrown in, and reminds me of an old review of Yezda Urfa where the writer advises "don't fight it just let it run bug[&*!#] thru your brain". That is good advice for Dreadnaught and their music: just let it run bug[&*!#] thru your brain!

A note on comparisons: I hear (and you will to) many similarities in Dreadnaught's music, snippets of Dixie Dregs chicken pickin', Zappa / MOI style humor, Bungle manic-ness, pick your favorite band that makes the notes jump thru hoops and do circus tricks. The band members draw from the vast palette of styles and sounds that are now available to us courtesy of the most musical century in our history. The way they put it all together is uniquely their own. Dreadnaught reminds me of many great bands yet they sound like none of them. They have their own style and sound.

Bo-Leg-Ba: One of my favorite tunes. Sounds more like "Ber-Leg-Ba" to me but no matter J Does it have anything to do with the magical-liminal figure Pappa Legba of Voudon mythology? It sounds Caribbean in places so maybe? Happy fun music, makes you wanna dance naked on the beach. And the drum sound is awesome, the toms ring round my head, I can feel there resonance as if I am sitting amongst them as they are played.

Express Delight ? More movie for your ears exoticism. In fact this whole album is the most avant / noisey Dreadnaught recording yet. Sure, meaty slabs of odd-time prog rock riffage abound, but the music is just as likely to go off into left-field noise-scapes as anything. Moments of beauty emerge amidst constant change. The Rock-In-Opposition (RIO) label applies here as a handy guide.

That's The Way That You Do it (Your Way) A return to this lyrical theme but this time as sung by a Hank Williams / Jimmie Rodgers yodeling cowboy in a honky tonk. "That's the way that you do it / that's the waaaayyyeeeeee!" I milk much hilarity out of imagining a drunk Hank groanin' an slobberin' his solo into a mic-driven distortion pedal, as he would have to do on this song! That's the waaaayyyyeeeeee!

Gets the Grease: More slice of avant garde sound sculpture, like something off Zappa's Uncle Meat, but with sax and ethereal piano, to my ears an unintentional echo of American bands like However and The Muffins. Atmospheric.

Slave Girls: My favorite tune on the album. Meaty slabs of odd-time monster riffage stalking thru the forest, knocking over trees. It Rocks! Then?completely different territory, a lilting violin plays a traditional American-sounding melody like something from Copeland's Appalachian Spring. Heartbreakingly beautiful, brings tears to my eyes.

Mummies of The Cobbosseecontee: Actual title that. More movie for your ears, sweeping, cinematic, ambient and noisey. Epic. Goes everywhere. Honestly I haven't heard it enough to fully know what it is. It's an instrumental. Let the ending riff run bug[&*!#] thru your brain!

That's The Way That You Do It (Our Way) Ends on a return to this theme, but now sock-hoppy and poppy. The Grease car flies away into the sky as the credits roll. Did I "get the Grease" there? WTF did we just hear / see? Have to play it again! 

First off, this is no ordinary reissue. Besides having the original album receive an incredible Steven Wilson re-mix, CD1 also includes 8 "associated recordings." Some of those recordings are unedited alternate versions of the originals. Newly revived, they become quintessential Jethro Tull.

The most jaw-dropping of those associated recordings on CD1 is Track 10, "Old Aces Die Hard." It will blow away any longtime Tull fan. Previously unreleased and recorded in '76/77, it is an amalgam of what would become "Dark Ages" and "Living In These Hard Times" intersecting with "A Passion Play" and the "Chateau D'isaster Tapes." At nearly 9 minutes, it feels like a whole new Tull mini-album that after repeated listens, only gets better. A true prog rock gem, "OADH" is a soft, loud, rocky, acoustic, weirdly complex and abstract thrill ride of 70s Jethro Tull. Seriously GREAT vintage Tull.

That track is followed by another previously unreleased original version of "Working John, Working Joe" with energy and instrumentation that totally eclipses the rather subdued version that eventually appeared on the "A" album.

And if the CD re-mix of SFTW and associates isn't enough, there is also a Wilson DVD surround sound re-mix of those tracks that is sublime. Oh yes, they also throw in the best songs from SFTW in their original Quad format and 4.0 surround. Why not?

But wait, there is more. 2 CDs worth of the full 1977 SFTW tour concert -- 112 minutes of the best live recording of JT that I have heard...a front row seat with Tull in their performance prime.

There is also a DVD of that same concert...great audio and video quality that is better than expected given the age of the original. Thank you Jakko Jakszyk for that production miracle!

A very cool, hard-cover 96 page booklet accompanies the 5 pieces of media, containing stories, lyrics, interviews, anecdotes, etc. Very professionally produced.

Five stars for this well engineered slice of prog rock history!

I am a long time fan of both Klaus and Lisa and this double cd contains (almost) all of my favorite things about both of them. Some of this reminds me of early Klaus, but most of it is closer to Dead Can Dance somehow.

Easing and thought-provoking, the combination of their musical personalities is so fascinating and pleasing that it seems that everyone should own and listen to this daily. So, get to it. ;)

This has been my favorite summertime cd since 2009. Re-listening to it today made me think that I really need to come here to remind all of you that it is, in every way, a wonderful experience.

Review Nº 125

"The Six Wives Of Henry VIII" is the debut studio album of Rick Wakeman and was released in 1973. This is true, if we don't consider "Piano Vibrations" released in 1971 as his debut studio album. However, his contributions on that album were limited to performing as a session musician and he didn't compose any of the tracks on it. "The Six Wives Of Hery VIII" is a very ambitious and risky conceptual album about the six wives of Henry VIII. It's an album with six tracks, each one inspired by one of Henry VIII's wives. As Wakeman said, this album is based around his interpretation of the musical characteristics of the wives of Henry VIII. Although, the style may not always be in keeping with their individual history, because it represents his personal conception of their characters in relation to keyboard instruments. However, always was a mystery to me, why Wakeman doesn't treats the ladies in the chronologically correct order on the album.

Wakeman chose to participate on the recordings of the album the presence of some of the members of his current band Yes at the time and also some members of his previous band the Strawbs. So, we can see on the album the presence of the bassists Chris Squire of Yes and Chas Cronk of the Strawbs, the guitarists Steve Howe of Yes and Dave Lambert of the Strawbs, the drummers Bill Bruford and Alan White of Yes and the leader of the Strawbs, Dave Cousins, on electric banjo. Beyond these musicians, many other artists participate on this working too. However and despite the presence of several Yes and the Strawbs' members, it doesn't recall the work of any of those bands, in direct sense.

"The six Wives Of Henry VIII" has six tracks, as we can expect, and all the songs were written by Wakeman except "Anne Boleyn 'The Day Thou Gavest Lord Hath Ended'". "Anne Boleyn" incorporates the hymn "The Day Thou Gavest Lord Hath Ended" written by Rev. Clement Cotteril Scholefield, arranged by Wakeman. The first track "Catherine Of Aragon" is one of the best and most easily recognized musical pieces of the album. It's the song most close to classic Yes' sound, with some complexity and at the same time catchy, and where the music flows with passages of varying speed, mood and intensity. It's the demonstration of a perfect marriage between a keyboardist and an orchestra. The second track "Anne Of Cleves" is a song more in the jazz/rock style and where the sound is predominantly of keyboards and drums. It's the most strong and energetic song of the album, making it the most exciting song to listen. Despite be an intricate song with some complexity it's a very simple song to listen to especially for those who aren't so familiar with progressive rock. The third track "Catherine Howard" is on the contrary a more complex and difficult song to hear. It's one of my favourite compositions created by Wakeman. It's the most calm, relaxing and melodic song of the album. It's a song with musical changes and rhythms that moves gracefully and wonderfully through several short musical pieces. This is really a great track. The fourth track "Jane Seymour" is a classical symphonic piece of music composed for a church organ. It's a fantastic musical piece where Wakeman demonstrates how great his virtuosity as a keyboardist. Here we can see clearly the influences of Johan Sebastian Bach, the master composer of the classical music of the Baroque period. The church organ was recorded at St Giles-without-Cripplegate church, in London. The fifth track "Anne Boleyn" is another fantastic and brilliant melancholic song with a mixture of many keyboard styles, played by several keyboard instruments, with lots of changes and a splendid choir work, and where the music flows beautifully. This is a lovely and soft song especially performed by acoustic piano that gives it a more sophisticated feel and a certain type of class. In the end, Wakeman plays a lovely piano rendition of the hymn "The Day Thou Gavest Lord Hath Ended". The sixth track "Catherine Parr" is the song that completes perfectly and wonderfully this album. It's a very dynamic song combining magnificently the keyboard working with an excellent drum working. I also want to highlight the presence of the mellotron with its majestic sound which gives an ambient of a choir all over the song.

Conclusion: "The six Wives Of Henry VIII" is a classic progressive album and an unavoidable evergreen presence of the progressive rock of the 70's. It's usually accepted that this is his better and most fine musical work in his huge and prolific solo career. It's also one of my first contacts, in the 70's, with his music, together with "Journey To The Centre Of The Earth", "The Myths And Legends Of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Round Table", "Lisztomania" and "No Earthly Connection". As I said before, this is Wakeman's personal interpretation of the musical characteristics of the six wives of Henry VIII. As I don't know exactly the personality traits of those historical figures, I'm not sure if he could interpret them well or not, with the keyboard instruments. So, the only thing I can say is that "The six Wives Of Henry VIII" is a completely instrumental musical work of the highest quality and an indispensable album especially for those, like me, who love the superb analogue keyboard workings. This is really an album with a very impressive set of tracks.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

After producing the classic Thick as a Brick album, Jethro Tull seems to struggle to come up with a strong follow- up.By the time of the alarmingly lacklastre Too Old To Rock And Roll Album released in 1976 their career seems to be on a downward spiral. Their next album 1977's Songs From The Wood was a stunning return to form and is my personal favourite by this band.

The opening title track is for me the definitive Jethro Tull track. With its richly harmonized a Capella opening, the song quickly develops into a stunning tour de force with its constantly shifting rhythms and ornate instrumentation. The musical backing continues to build and build as the song progresses in a most exhilarating manner. Jethro Tull have used this combination of additive rhythms and textural layering before but never as effectively as here and all in under five minutes.

The rest of the album does not disappoint.The next track" Jack in The Green" is a delightful acoustic song- essentially just Ian Anderson playing all the instruments. Cup of wonder is a wonderfully upbeat flute led track with a bouncy and complex rhythm. Hunting Girl gallops along nicely is probably the closest thing to straight ahead rock with some blistering guitar playing by Martin Barre.Ring Out Solstice Bells is quite a poppy number and was originally released on an EP the previous year.And that is just Side1.

Side 2 opens with Velvet Green which is a wonderful slice of Renaissance influenced progressive rock and incorporates a particularly complex instrumental section incorporating flute, portative organ and medieval drums.The opening harpsichord led passage is perhaps a little cod but really adds to the Early Music ambiance.Next to the Title track it is probably the most sophisticated track on the album.The following track, "The Whistler" is another whimsical and quirky upbeat song with a particularly complex and exhilarating whistle break coming after each chorus.Only "Pibroch" the penultimate track brings the mood down with a rather somber tale of a man being cheated on by his wife and at over eight minutes long is a tad long. Nevertheless, it is still highly inventive with Barre's guitar replicating the sounds of bagpipes long before the 80's band,Big Country tried to do the same thing.The final track is a fairly slight but upbeat song with yet another flute led instrumental section.

All in all this is a true masterpiece and arguably the most repeat listenable album they ever created. A solid 5 stars

I found this LP in a $1 bin at a local Eugene, Oregon record store, an original UK pressing on Regal Zonophone (unlike Fandangos in Space, this was never released in the States). Basically, much of the stuff in that bin being frequent thrift store staples: easy listening, '70s singer songwriters, and AOR acts. So it's a trip to see a Carmen LP sitting next to a bunch of James Taylor, America, Captain & Tennille, Dan Fogelberg and Linda Ronstadt LPs. I wondered why it was being sold for so cheap? The disc don't look warped. Side two did feature this unsightly fingernail scratch, so they thought they'd never sell it for going price. I brought it home and the darn LP plays at Near Mint, even that scratch you can barely notice it, if at all (I was expecting loud pops or even skips, given I only spent $1 and pleasantly surprised that didn't happen). The cover is a spoof of pack of Gitanes cigarettes. Funny how their labelmates Procol Harum had a cigarette pack spoofed on one of their albums, A Salty Dog spoofing Player's Navy Cut.

Being familiar with Fandangos in Space, it's really no surprise the music on Dancing on a Cold Wind is in a similar vein. Same unmistakable blend of flamenco and prog. The foot dancing from Roberto Aramal and Angela Allen really sounds great on this disc. I wasn't expecting John Glascock to crank up the bass to give it a full fuzz effect like he did on the opening cut, "Viva mi Sevilla". It's almost as if Jannick Top of Magma stepped in. Regardless, it's instantly recognizable as Carmen, even a revisit of "Bulerias" from Fandangos in Space is quoted. Angela Allen is one of the very few female Mellotron players out there (the other being Virginia Scott of Beggars Opera who put one to great use on Waters of Change, but not Keiko Kumagai of Ars Nova as she used early tron samples). Side two is taken up with a suite, which is clearly the most ambitious thing they ever did. There's even a brief flirtation with medieval music, but that's because Tony Visconti played recorder on that part (as he did with Gentle Giant and even David Bowie). Still a very good record, but it may be a notch below Fandangos only because it doesn't quite match that album's intensity, while there are some intense parts, there are more calm and relaxed parts. Finally glad to own the second Carmen album. So I'm with popular opinion: a notch below Fandangos but still worth it if you dig what this band does.

Five years after the release of the albums Battle Scars and Beyond the Realms of Euphoria, Galahad returned with a rather different and beautiful album. Quiet Storms is a collection of their older songs in mellow versions, but it is also including a few new songs as well. You can find the original versions of most of the songs on the band's previous albums and on a couple of singles as well. Here, the listener has the opportunity to enjoy the melodic and more dramatic side of the band, without the loud guitar riffs and the usual powerful tempo. The piano and the keyboards are the dominant instruments, which, together with Stuart Nicholson's excellent performance, are creating a wonderful overall experience. Songs like This life Could be My Last, Guardian Angel and Termination, sound totally different than their original versions, which is very interesting, to say the least. Personally speaking, I like Galahad a lot, so I couldn't miss this new release of theirs. I added the album in my collection and never regret it! I am sure that I am going to enjoy it more on a rainy afternoon, together with a glass of red wine, rather than the heat we have right now in Athens. I feel that there is no reason to write more on the subject, because you should listen to it and form your own opinion. I definitely recommend it to the fans of Galahad, but also to those who can enjoy an atmospheric, melodic and kind of melancholic album.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5.0 stars (But I will give 4.0)