XXV

Well, the return of a band who, alongside Marillion and IQ, were the archetypal neo-prog band in the UK prog revival of the 1980's. This is, of course, the follow up to the acclaimed concept album, The Sentinel, released in 1984, and is a story which the band have threatened/promised (delete according to your tastes) to return to for years now. The album has received some critical acclaim in the music press, but, surprisingly, little notice really on this site. The question, of course, is whether it deserves the praise heaped upon it.

I think that the answer is yes. This is a brave album, one that holds the listener's attention throughout, and also is absolutely nothing like any of the stereotypical neo prog that the band and others in the sub genre are so often accused of. If anything, much of this is a glorious heavy prog album, with some thunderous and pulsating riffs, interspersed with some delicate passages. The playing is excellent throughout.

The opener, Falling Down, spends seven and a half minutes grabbing you by the balls, and squeezing extremely tightly. It features some exceptional rhythm work, and new vocalist, Paul Mackie, at once, renders all memories of his illustrious predecessors into the distant past. His is a fantastic debut.

As with all of the best concept albums, it is pointless entering into a discussion of individual tracks, because this album needs to be appreciated as a coherent whole. I'll get around to reviewing the original story soon, but I really do think that this, released 25 years later (hence the title), forms far more of a seamless work of music and story. The original was basically an album of two halves, with much of the first side attempting to gain commercial success. In 2011, no such constraints hold the band back. In addition, the advent of digital technology certainly improves the effects essential to such a story.

Amongst the heavy, pounding tracks, there are some moments of quite beautiful contemplation. Something In The Deep is the first such moment, and is a very understated piece of music, with a great symphonic passage, that grows upon you with each listen. In fact, that could be a good summary for the album as a whole.

This is an album of contrasting moods. At turns very heavy, symphonic, classic neo, and, at times, almost post indie, I really like this album. Certainly people who downloaded the excellent Monster, which is a great commercial track that deserves hit single status, for free at the end of last year should, in my opinion, now go the full hog and go to their usual music supplier and get the full work. This is a truly progressive album, in that Pallas have made a conscious effort to move their sound and ideas forward, rather than taking the easy option of remaining stuck in the past. The two part XXV title track is as good an example of pomp prog I have heard in many a year.

Four stars for this. There will probably better contenders for album of 2011 as the year progresses, but I would be staggered if this wasn't in my personal top five.

This album is quite a monster - and I do not mean that in a positive sense!

After having returned to the music business after a long hiatus, Pallas returned in 1998 with the excellent Beat The Drum album which was followed by the masterpiece that was The Cross And The Crucible and after that another quite good one in The Dreams Of Men. In the light of this strong trio of albums, XXV must be seen as a disappointment. Advertised as the sequel to the band's classic 1984 album The Sentinel, XXV is actually quite different musically from that album as well as from anything else the band has done before. The sound is a lot heavier than on previous Pallas releases and while I am certainly not an enemy of heavy music, this is not really convincing to these ears. Some parts actually remind me of the final album by Black Sabbath (Forbidden, released in 1995). It is clear that they wanted this album to be a dark affair, but they somehow fail to deliver in musical terms the gloom that is promised by the album's concept which involves the end of the world. The concept of the album actually sometimes appears a bit silly!

There is at least one thing that the present album has in common with The Sentinel and that is the absence of singer Alan Reed. Listening to this album, it becomes clear that Reed was indeed an essential part of the band's sound. But even so I don't think that Reed would actually have been able to help these songs up. The problem is thus not just that this is not really recognizable as Pallas, it is a more serious problem that the compositions are not particularly memorable. There are some good parts for sure, but there is simply nothing here that comes close to the standards set by previous Pallas albums. A song like Monster - that was actually released as a single before the album was released - is really a very simple and quite banal piece both musically and lyrically.

Considered as a Pallas release then, XXV is the weakest ever in my opinion and certainly the least good one since 1986's The Wedge. However, evaluated on its own merits, XXV is a decent and fairly agreeable album nonetheless. It is surely worth a listen or two for those with a special interest, but it is hardly an album to get back to again and again. It is certainly not recommended for all.

Well, this album caught me quite by surprise. Pallas always had an edgier sound than most of the so called neo prog bands that appeared in the early 80´s, but XXV (which I heard is supposed to be a kind of sequel to their offical debut, 1984´s The Sentinel) is definitly more a hard rock album than anyrhing else. Not that that per se is bad. Several prog metal CDs are on my top twenty prog records of all time. But this is surely too different, and not quite as inspired as what this group have been making since their excellent come back Beat The Drum.

Longtime singer Alan Reed is gone now. I sorely miss him here. But it seems that, no matter how good and important for the band he was in the past, he couldn´t save this album. The songs are simply too simple, too heavy and not all that great. Sure, nothing here is truly bad, but totally uncharacteristic. The instrumentation is excelent as ever (specially Graeme Murray´s bass runs and Niall Mathewson´s guitar solos), although Ronnie Brown´s keyboards are a bit subdue here. New singer Paul Mackie is good, but he needs time to adjust just yet.

Pallas never did two albums that sounded the same, but clearly, this one is weaker than all they had put out since their triumphant come back in 1998. And indeed, I may be waiting too much since they did so great job with The Cross And The Crucible and The Dreams Of Men. Still, XXV is a bit too bland for my taste. XXV is a hard rock album with some prog bits here and there. The story is ok, the songs are ok, the new vocalist is ok. Such a pity they have done much better so many times before.

I want to believe that this is just a transitional period and that the band will rise above and find their feet again.

Rating: 2 stars.

In the year 25... thousand

The sacking of lead singer Alan Reed after he had collaborated on the writing but just before the recording of this album, appears to have surprised him as much as it did the rest of us. It would be inappropriate for me to presume to comment on the rights and wrongs of his dismissal, all I can do here is recognise his immense contribution to some wonderful albums over the years. Reed's replacement Paul Mackie therefore makes his album début for the band on this their sixth studio album.

Conceived as a follow up the the band's first studio album "The sentinel" (which was released just before the arrival of Reed), the title is not actually intended to reflect the gap between the release of the albums, which is in fact 27 years. Admittedly, it was probably around 25 years after the release of "The sentinel" that the decision to release a part 2 was taken, but the "Twenty five" nomenclature refers to the setting of the album (25,000 years in the future), the number of leaders who then run planet Earth, etc. The album's concept is that of said planet's obsession with technology over civilisation.

According to the band, the superb opening track "Falling Down" forms the bridge between "The sentinel" and this album, by borrowing melodic themes from that album. The track pre-dates the others on the album, as it was developed live in recent years, this version being slightly different though to that in the live set. The track literally takes off as soaring synths and scything guitar riffs pound out the opening theme. Mackie's vocals are impressive, although for my money they are not quite up the the standard of his predecessor (with apologies for the inevitable but necessary comparisons). There are all the tenets of good neo-prog in this fine opener, including some impressive guitar and keyboards from Niall Mathewson and Ronnie Brown respectively.

"Crash and burn" finds our superiors visiting from planet Atlantean coming up with an amazingly simple way of ridding our world of its leaders in a chaotic melting pot of quasi- improvised, controlled noise. "Something In The Deep" softens things completely, with ambient synth sounds ebbing and flowing as the sentinel sent from Atlantean sends his craft deep into the ocean to rendezvous with a waiting machine. The distorted vocals which are a feature of the track sound mechanical yet emotional. As the piece concludes, a delightful orchestrated section develops.

"Monster" reminds me of Arena, and in particular their "Contagion" album. This plodding piece of power prog at first sounds like one of the album's most accessible tracks (and indeed was released as an internet single), but in reality it requires a number of plays before it actually reveals itself. Lyrically, "The Alien Messiah" seems like an extract from the Who's "Tommy", as the sentinel presents himself to an admiring crowd in Egypt. There is something of a theatrical/musical feel to the track, indeed while listening to the song my thoughts drifted to Clive Nolan's "She" project, which ironically starred one Alan Reed.

"XXV [Part 1: Twenty Five Good Honest Men]" finds the sentinel trying desperately to find a small group (yes 25!) of good humans to assume the leadership of the planet, or else... Once again, I am reminded of Arena's "Contagion", in particular its final track "Resurrection", this piece having the same power and majesty. The sentinel's frustrations with our (humanity's) lack of vision continues in "Young God", another heavy song with some find lead guitar at its core. "Sacrifice" sees the humans finally beginning to realise they they are in a war of the worlds situation, with the odds stacked against them. The track itself is probably the most straightforward on the album, both musically and lyrically. The basic rock song on which it is constructed does however hold within it a fine instrumental core.

The brief "Blackwood" is intended as a prelude to the following "Violet sky" This beautifully emotive piece takes us by surprise by featuring a female lead (vocalised) vocal by guest Melissa Allan. As we move seamlessly into "Violet sky", Mackie's vocals come into their own. This gentle, highly moving piece offers a breathing space in terms of the story and in the generally full on nature of the music. The closing track, "XXV [Part 2: The Unmakers Awake]" offers an appropriately anthemic conclusion to the album, while leaving the way open for a further chapter in the story.

In all, a fine comeback album from Pallas, who prove that they have lost none of their ambitions. The tracks are of a consistently superior standard. I have to confess that I do miss the fine vocals of Reed, but if the choice is for the band to continue without him or not at all, then the former is by far preferable. Recommended.

This album has been with me for quite a long time but I still keep it on hold for review for some reasons which one of them is to get to know better about the music. I have been a fan of this band since I had 'The Sentinel' at the first time and later I loved their 'The Wedge' album. To me personally, the music of Pallas fits my taste really well and there are two things that characterize their music. First is the vocal style of Alan Reed that is so peculiar and had blended nicely with the music of Pallas. I was actually bit disappointed with Alan when I saw their DVD for the 'Blinding ...' where his stage performance was so standard. But later I got used to it and I started to accept him the way he was. His voice style has truly represented the music of Pallas. The second is Graeme Murray's typical Rickenbaker bassguitar style that is so unique and becoming excellent part of Pallas music. I also like his stage act during their live performance.

So ..when I got this album I was bit disappointed hearing one of the characters in Pallas music had lost with the departure of Alan Reed. It's so sad seeing Alan go especially when I followed through the separation process that seemed not making Alan happy with the situation. However, I fully understand the reasons put forward by the rest of the band members that let him go for reasons of not fully participated with the making of this album. Well, I don't want to discuss about the matter because i think the band knows much better than me. But I was quite sad because I do not have Alan Reed unique voice here with XXV album. Fortunately, it did not take quite long for me to adapt with the new singer whom I think his voice is excellent too. It grew on me and finally I could accept his voice being part of NEW Pallas music. Lucky that I still have the dominant bassguitar work by Graeme Murray.

An Excellent Concept Album

Overall, I really enjoy this album in its entirety. In fact, I have been playing this album in its entirety more than 15 spins already. I have always played them full one length album because I could not afford to stop the music as it flows beautifully fro start to end. On thing surprising is the fact that the music is in a way getting harder with some metal style at the beginning of the album. The opening track "Falling Down" (7:29) is really a great opener with relatively fast tempo that reminds me to metal music especially on the speed of the bass drum work. I love this opening track. It follows nicely into the second track "Crash And Burn" (5:28) in similar style like the opening track. Unfortunately the music style dramatically changes into a mellow track ""Something In The Deep" (6:50) which I think is actually to early to enter as the first two opener are truly a rocker each. It's like an abrupt change into quiet music. The track itself is not bad at all; in fact I enjoy the track especially with its string arrangement.

"Monster" (6:21) brings the music into neo-prog music with excellent melody and stunning guitar solo. "The Alien Messiah" (6:50) starts in an ambient mode followed with nice neo- prog music using excellent guitar riffs combined with powerful basslines and nice keyboard work. "XXV [Part 1: Twenty Five Good Honest Men]" (6:08) brings the music back to the origin of Pallas music with opening part that represents an ambient nuance followed with nice narrative-like vocal work. As the music flows, it brings with it a nice melody. I can see now the quality of the new lead singer as he can play his role nicely in this nice song. I like the way he sing in this lyrical verse "I am not God, I am just the man....". Well ....this is the part of music that makes me like neo-prog especially during this segment where Paul Mackie sings while the music is playing symphonic style at background. Excellent!

"Young God" (5:18) brings the music back into metal-like style with tight bass lines. It grows even faster with the next "Sacrifice" (4:22) where I love the guitar work and the vocal. It's more of hard rock music than a neo-prog one ...but it's still really nice. The guitar solo part at the end of the track is really nice. "Blackwood" (2:02) serves as transition piece to the very nice and very melodic and mellow "Violet Sky" (5:07) which tells about the end of the day. It's a sad song and it's really wonderful. Even though at the end of the world it's useless to stay at the top of the hill because everything will be totally vanished according to The Koran. "What would you do if this is the end of the world?" Wow! What a nice voice, Mackie! The album conclude nicely with "XXV [Part 2: The Unmakers Awake]" (6:00).

I think the neo-prog lovers would love this album like I do. Thanks Pallas for making such a wonderful music like this one. Overall, this album is a 4+ rating; it's an execlennt addition to any prog music collection. Keep on proggin' ...!!!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Aging with class.

Remember your uncle who patronizes you with phrases like: 'In my days, cars were sturdy..In my days, kids were polite...' ? He's finding tough to age and remembers the past with nostalgia. Well, we cannot accuse Pallas of being like that. I'm not saying that they revolutionize the genre, but they do walk the walk musically.

Finally, Pallas reached the venerable stage of 'prog veterans' BUT they also learned to play well enough to create a sound that rivalize with youngsters. Funny. Because young bands are targetting the Old School and the older ones are trying to catch the train again. Well, with this album they succeeded at it, without sounding too corny (I'm looking to you Arena) or to re- create faded magic (Thick as a Brick 2). They definitely can play (steroids rage guitar solos and double bass drums) and neat-O keyboard licks.

To me Pallas still have gasoline in the reservoir. Do I like them? I think so. Would I run 5 miles into the slush to give them a high five? No.

3 stars is enough.

Welcome to the end of the world. Though I haven't read the official version, the story I gather from the lyrics and from passing mention in other reviews is that this is a concept album about the Atlantians or some other advanced race coming to give us one last chance at making an ideal world of love and peace or we all get obliterated. Nice deal.

When I first listened to this album I found plenty of things to like about it but also some things that weakened my impression, most notably some of the lyrics. But after a few listens, I thought more about the story and well, once you consider that this is a concept album, there are some things forgiven, and my impression became more favourable.

The album begins welcoming us while a DJ from a rock radio station tells us it's going to be a scary day in a big bad world. A few synthesizer notes prepare us for the music to come and when it comes it's an eruption of dramatic heavy metal. Heavy power chords and synth chords are backed by a pummelling drum performance. This track, 'Falling Down' sounds impressive and there is a wonderfully rocking bass riff that carries the verses. However, the excitement wears down a little as the lyrics begin to sound like they were written by some eighties metal band: 'Our world is falling down. Spinning round. Falling down. We're out of control. We're falling down. Spinning round. Falling down.' It sounds quite familiar, and one thing I have noticed as I get older is that as you follow more world news and read more about history then you will realize that the human race has been pretty much the same since history first was recorded. Which leads me to conclude that we are not spinning or falling anywhere. We just are like this and we actually should be trying to climb up from the bottom.

Anyway, there's a guitar solo which sounds alright and then a somewhat annoying synthesizer solo. The Moog solo that follows, however, is sweet and the song has my attention again. It closes with dramatic chords and sounds like symphonic metal almost. The song is a good start though I find myself looking forward to something better.

Communications over static and some spooky SF keyboard effects introduce what is a very bombastic peace of progressive metal, the second track 'Crash and Burn'. Guitar and Hammond organ boom like thunder and those drums just don't let up. The verse parts are a little calmer but once the solos come in the guitar work is bordering on insane. If Pallas was a neo prog band before, they have sure ventured far into prog metal on this album. There is one instrumental part that reminds me of Dream Theater, but not for long. This is more as if modern Uriah Heep decided to do something really powerful and prog-like, instead of a hard rock album with prog bits thrown in (like the disappointing Sea of Light, which I bought a few months ago, was like).

'Something in the Deep' takes us below the waves into a peaceful world with a synthesizer sound that makes me think of a slowly swimming manta ray with bioluminescence illuminating its underside. The song itself is not so interesting and at first seems like a track to skip. But the lyrics tell us that someone deep beneath the waves is watching and is disappointed in the way we live. Finally we hear, 'They are watching,' and the music soon changes to a powerful orchestral peace with what sounds like real strings. Then abruptly it ends with an ominous deep keyboard rumble of notes.

A lone repeated piano note and more disjointed voices over static open the fourth track, 'Monster'. It soon becomes a heavy rock tune and musically promises to be pretty interesting without being actually impressive. The lyrics reach a very low lameness at one point though: 'I am just an ordinary guy. The world's gone crazy. I couldn't tell you why." Again, I refer to my theory that the world has always been crazy and you just have to live long enough and read enough to realize that. Again, young metal band lyrics.

'Alien Messiah' is where the album's story really begins to take shape. In the spirit of Voivod's 17-minute epic, 'Jack Luminous', a being speaks to the people of earth to offer to lead us to a world of peace. 'I offer you direction you have never seen before.' The mysterious being then reveals his true purpose in a partially whispered monologue, which is not included in the lyrics. He tells us that he's not really here to rule us but to see us return to the better life the Atlantians intended for us millennia ago. Our greed and hatefulness and our cold use of technology are ruining us. I wonder if this visitor stands outside supermarkets and hands out booklets for better, happier living. I actually love the song but this spoken part is a little embarrassing if my wife hears me listening to this. As far as the drama of a story-telling concept album goes, I guess it suites the album.

Now the deal is stated in the next track. 'XXV Part 1: Twenty-five Good Honest Men' is what they human race must produce for this visitor within 25 hours or we are all toast. The song has an arena rock chorus and a power metal feel. I like how this race from a 'higher intellectual plane' says that if we can't live in peace we will be exterminated. Sounds like Judgement Day but without the Saviour. 'We are our own saviours,' sang Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull and this alien visitor seems to bring the same message. Except that these guys want to 'turn (our) children into ash'. Are they expecting a warm welcome with fighting words like that?

'Young God' is probably one of my favourite tracks off the album. It's heavy and aggressive, though perhaps not as progressive sounding as 'Crash and Burn'. There are no embarrassing spoken lyrics. This being is warning us that if we can't comply with the request, 'there will be no second chances'. We will be destroyed 'nation by nation.' By now Pallas have proved that they can play very well as a progressive metal band. Aside from 'Something in the Deep' and a few bits here and there with piano, this album is really packed with high energy, heavy rock.

'Sacrifice' rocks in with a great guitar riff. By now we are probably wandering into Uriah Heep territory, stylistically speaking. The song tells us that the human race is not going to sit back and take this and asks what we are willing to do about this threat. 'We'll fight for our children that they might survive'. However, we also know that 'This is a war we cannot win'. The guitar solo is really a wonderful piece of heavy metal work.

'Blackwood' is an instrumental peace with more orchestral sounds and later a female vocalist singing high notes. It's a serene peace that calls to mind images in slow motion of Gandalf appearing with the bring white light that makes the goblins run away. Or perhaps we can imagine the faces of the main cast of humans in this movie as they look at their loved ones one last time, faces smeared in sweat and dirt, before the final moment. 'Blackwood' segues into 'Violet Sky', a slower piece that suggests our time has come to an end. We did not comply with the visitor's demand for 25 good honest men (perhaps mixed with some women too). The singer speaks to his lover, talking about watching cities burn and rivers run dry and them making love for the last time (I think I'd be a little distracted to think about making love before such a spectacle but maybe that's just me). The picture inside the CD booklet shows a smiling woman in her man's embrace while pod-like crafts rise from a sea under a dark cloud sprouting water spouts. I wish the acoustic guitar in this song were a little louder. It seems to have been recorded as if it were meant to be background music and yet it is quite beautiful.

'XXV Part 2: The Unmakers Awake'. That's it. Huge mechanical centaurs are spouting fire and totally trashing our cities in the picture. Apparently the Unmakers have come from the sea, and so the notion that it is the Atlantians who are now pissed at us and the plan to wipe us out seems confirmed. There's soft acoustic guitar at first, then sounds of a radio voice, sound effects that could be of war, and dramatic a keyboard and a choir. Piano and sound effects, then the heavy rock song kicks in. The lyrics are brief. We are going down. It's a very dramatic and heavy ending with an orchestra for extra punch, and the track concludes with what sounds like real choral vocals and not that fake synthesizer chorus setting that appears earlier in the album. At last we are back to a static radio broadcast and we are left to wonder what has become of the world and the human race.

As a heavy prog or progressive metal album, 'XXV' doesn't rank as highly as albums by some bands whose pursuit of the genre is their career. But overall I find myself enjoying the music more and more after each listen. There are plenty of sound effects thrown in to add to the imagery of the story and I like the use of the orchestra and choir. I read that this is a continuation of a story that began on their first album 'The Sentinel'. Now I am looking into getting that one as well. One other interesting note, the photo for the song 'Monster' shows a bunch of TV sets with different pictures on each screen and two of the screens have the cover for Pallas' previous two albums 'The Cross and the Crucible' and 'The Dreams of Men'. It makes me wonder if there is any connection. I have listened to samples of both and I am planning to get 'Dreams?' later.

I don't know what Pallas fans will think of this as this is the first album of theirs that I have ever heard, but I think it's worth checking out. I am torn between giving XXV 3 or 4 stars, so I will give it 3 for the PA community but I give it 4 stars for my own preference. It could be an excellent addition to any prog collection if this is your kind of prog. I'm glad I bought it.

After the strong 'The Cross and the Crucible' of 2001 and 'The Dreams of Men' of 2005 Pallas was dropped by the InsideOut label. It would take the band six years to release another album, but not before loosing its charismatic lead singer Alan Reed. On 'XXV' the band would introduce Paul Mackie who has a powerful voice of his own, but less of that sense of natural neo-prog drama. The band would engineer and produce the album by themselves and that is something you can hear; the album is less dynamic and not as intelligently produced than its predecessors. Moreover, on two songs ('Sacrifice' and 'Young God') the vocals sound as if it were a demo take. The guitars don't cut the mix that well and the keyboards drown during heavier moments. The band moved away from their typical neo-prog vibes towards a more regular symphonic metal style, though this is still clearly Pallas. The album is a concept album about the end of the world, yet lyrically this has given the band little inspiration. Now, clearly I'm not very enthusiastic about this record, but it does have some great songs. The first two songs are intense, fierce and full of energy (as much as the mix allows) and the third track 'Something in the Deep' is a great melancholy ambient track. 'Monsters' is a bit simple, but catchy in a fun way. The title track 'XXV part 1' is also a great heavy neo-prog track with those typical spot on Pallas moments. The rest of the album sounds rather flat to my ears and the album ends rather uneventful. After 'XXV' the band ended up with no label at all and their 2014 release 'whearewhoweare' got way too little attention, for that record is actually really good, even among their best, in my opinion. On that album Paul Mackie sings brilliantly throughout by the way. The vinyl print of 'XXV' sounds as good as the digital edition, but printing 60 minutes of music on a single vinyl is of course not ideal.