INCREDIBILE

The gap between albums by this German Celtic Rock band keeps widening, with 5 years between "Ladhivan" and "Incredibile", which, in spite of its 2011 year of release, remains their last offering as of April 2018. Luckily this is another quality offering, albeit a tad uneven as is their wont.

The opening cut is certainly fun, but its rather hackneyed play on words cheapens the effect somewhat, and, in any case, when a band promises that they are here to folk me, I expect ecstasy and not mere enjoyment. The following song is far better and one of several mystical sounding pieces that brings GALAHAD ever closer to more prog oriented groups like THE MORRIGAN. Even though its title is based on a pun, this seems more like the innocent juxtaposition of those for whom English is not native, or just a more oblique and rewarding double entendre. Musically this is also much more rewarding. Tina de Vlinder weaves violin with her vocal duties, and somewhat dissonant harmony vocals. "Incredibile Galahad" is also brilliant, sung in Latin, so here what looks like a play on words regarding "bile", is actually the correct Latin, and pronounced "Incredeebeelee". The lead guitar excursions here demarcate the progress of the band towards a harder edged folk rock as well as an improvement in Dieter Horlitz's technique. "Tender Crazy" is a lilting piece of pure joy, a reminder that sometimes a melody that one can follow even before it unfolds can soothe the tattered soul. "The Princess and the Frog" asks the question "What if the objective of kissing the prince is to find the right frog"; it does so with class and, like so many tracks here, sweet flute work from Paul Alexander Yost. As before, between the outstanding songs are a few of average caliber, like the rather static "Next Step", the heavy but unfocused "Busy Lizzie" (the only one where Yost sings lead) , the soporific tale of "Malley-O" , and the silly but unfunny "Go Sit on a Tack".

The album has a higher quotient of instrumental tracks than before, and they are a bit of a mixed bag. "Ride to Akkon" and "Way to Tara" both depict the voyage with a sense of discovery and awe, while "Wolkenstein's Tanz" is at best remembered for its title, and "Rookie's Rondo" could have been performed by thousands of less distinctive bands in the genre.

At its best, "Incredibile" justifies its title and GALAHAD's longevity, while augmenting their already prolific legacy, but the excess of filler impedes its destination on the virtual top shelf.