QUATERMASS

If we wanted to find the sources from which this work is inspired we need to think of two groups well known to the fans of classic 70's rock: Deep Purple and ELP. In fact' the style of Quatermass is the middle ground between these two giants of rock music. The group formed from the ashes of a previous band in which militated none other than Roger Glover and Ian Gillian, the celebrated bassist and voice of Deep Purple. After the release of Gillian the trio is made up: a classic prog trio with a bassist, a keyboardist and a drummer.

Deep Purple's influence is felt immediately in Black Sheep Of The Family (the first song Entropy is a short introduction), one of the best songs of the album: it's a convincing hard rock with a very catchy riff and the powerful voice of the bassist John Gustafson.

The first section of the following song Post War, Saturday Echo, is very similar to ELP style: it is an organ intro that soon, however, fades into a long, slow and painful progressive blues with filtered voice and long organ solos. This is one of the highlight of the entire album.

Good Lord Knows is a song most delicate and intimate, at times marred, I think, by too bombastic symphonic arrangement that has nothing to do with the general style of the album.

The rest of the album is what best represents the band's style. Up On the Ground has a very distorted organ riff' and very good instrumental part, occasionally played in jazz style in the middle. Gemini is another excellent heavy song, always very close to the style of Deep Purple, with great piano and organ solos by Robinson. Not always, however, the quality of the music satisfies me: Make Up Your Mind has beautiful vocal parts but is not always effective in the instrumental long section in the middle of the song; Laughin Tackle is a long instrumental piece with a bass riff that ends, however, to annoy.

In conclusion, Quatermass is a very good album, very well played, with a excellent rhythm section and good technical performance by Robinson, who compensates for the lack of a guitarist with deliberately distorted organ sounds; But I think it is precisely the lack of guitar that makes Quatermass a little too cold for my taste.

A must for heavy prog fans. Good but maybe not essential for the others.

Rating: 6/10.

Best song: Black Sheep Of The Family

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