EMPIRES NEVER LAST

Galahad started out as a typical Genesis clone. But at mid-point in their career, they started infusing this unoriginal neo-prog foundation with doses of metal and techno music. Empires Never Last is the first album where this came to full fruition. It's produced by Karl Groom of prog metal band Threshold and this explained his trademark cold and powerful production. The end result is a combination of Pink Floydian uneasy celestial atmospherics and metallic riffs, topped off by Stu Nicholson's highly theatrical voice. There are cool moments here, from the bass riff of title track to the crushing crescendo on I Could Be God. But the album is dragged down by its single-mindedness. It is basically an hour-long rant against politics of George W. Bush, and some songs kind of blend in together. The closing This Life Could Be The Last is more to the highly melodic neo-prog stuff, but excessively repetitive.