HOUR OF RESTORATION

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One of those US releases that everyone praised so much in the early 90's and that I loved to hate it and with good reasons as IMOHO this type of music sucks . Just kidding but I supposed it was the year it came out as it must've been the only kind of slightly-remotedly-faintly-progish-in-a-sort-of-way album. Again, I am kidding here, but really this was not my cup of tea. I understood that a new generation of kids actually loved this type of group, because it was actual and contemporary to what they were living , that these bands could actually get them to take a leap to more challenging musics afterwards so I was avoiding to say such comments as I do nowadays about such groups. Please do not get me wrong, the album is hardly botched up (quite the contrary), but it was aiming at a public from which I certainly felt a great distance from. But the level of musicianship and the general producing qualities of this album is reasons enough for its success back then.

I was always one to think that scarce offering of prog makes for over-rated so-called masterpieces of starving Progheads . This was the case in the early days of Magna Carta label releases .

Schoolhouse prog rock, as MAGELLAN condenses the history of the human rights struggle into under an hour of dynamic music. Of course neo-prog bands like MAGELLAN are lovers of history or they wouldn't bother dusting off the old musical adventures of their forefathers. The operative reference point here is KANSAS (and thus GENESIS is already filtered into the equation), MAGELLAN retracing the Midwestern band's original course in songcraft better suited to the times. The result not surprisingly feels like KING'S X with KERRY LIVGREN aboard, ambitious but occasionally sprawling in its architecture. I don't listen to a lot of neo-prog (which this is), but it's obviously my loss. "Hour of Restoration" isn't a classic in the making, but the band clearly bears watching (while KANSAS, at this juncture, did not). The knock on MAGELLAN's maiden voyage is their presumption that important subjects equate to important statements. You can say as much about human rights by watching a children's game (e.g., "Jeux Sans Frontier") as dredging up historical milestones like the signing of the Magna Carta or the American Civil War. The band would also seem to be short a drummer, but the final product doesn't show it. Although the band doesn't appear to have released any singles, "Friends of America" is a good candidate for the honor, concise and powerful like early ASIA. The trouble with neo-prog in general is that the bands often branded themselves as belated beatniks by clinging to the musical idols of the past.

Did the world need a new KANSAS or ASIA in 1991 when the old ones were struggling to capture an audience beyond hardcore devotees? Depending on your allegiance to progressive rock as a genre, yes or no. I tend to hear things in terms of good and bad rather than prog and non-prog, so sticking close to the prog blueprint doesn't buy any points with me. "Hour of Restoration" is good because it's filled with ambitious and engaging music, not because it reminds me of the old days. Whether you need to expand your world to include MAGELLAN is up to you. I'd certainly suggest buying this effort and getting your money's worth before blowing it on some of KANSAS' later stuff.

Why are people generally down on this album? Personally I love it! Sometimes maybe it needs to calm down a bit,as a with all Magellan albums, otherwise excellent stuff. If anyones never heard it , its in the style of ELP ,Yes , Genesis sort of....well lots of bombastic keyboards anyway, with harmonised vocals. Makes me feel good to hear it and thats what music is about.

Underrated!

Magellan's debut stands as one of my personal favorites from the early 90's prog-metal scene. This band, leaded by Keyboardist/Vocalist Trent Gardner, mixes classic prog-rock elements àla Yes and Kansas together with metal in an unique and interesting way, especially the lyrics too are very interesting. In 43-minutes, Magellan takes you through eight songs about the history of England, like the signing of the magna carta and the union war. Musically, It's very adventurous, bombastic and epic, without going way overboard though it's a notably complex album, often dominated by keyboards, but also backed up with an effective use of guitar too. No real drums here, only a drum machine, but it isn't really a problem since it's used in an incredibly effective way that it doesn't really sound tiresome at all. The song arrangements are very complex at times, but they still carries an acessible style to them. I have to admit that the wonderful cover art by Shawn Lux was the main reason I wanted to check this one out, but by this point, I can definitely say it was worth it.

The highlight here have to be the fantastic opener "Magna Carta"; a very progressive and dynamic track which stands out as Magellan's best track, In my opinion. As Mr. Connolly said, "The Winner" and "Friends of America" would have been fine single releases, actually, considering their accessibility and shorth lenght. Both tracks are fine too. The rest of the album is very good as well; these tracks all shows a clear similarity to "Magna Carta" although in a bit stepped down way. Still, all of them are highly enjoyable with the glorious "Union Jack" being a standout of those.

In overall, a highly enjoyable album, too bad it's so overlooked and rather forgotten, cause this is an excellent release. Fans of Dream Theater and Shadow Gallery should especially like this. It's hard to find, but if you are interested, give this one a spin (if you can find it, of course!) This one's available at the Magna Carta online store or perhaps on eBay. This is also a good starting point with this band. Highly recommended! 4/5

I remember the release of this album gave me a sign of hope there was a possible future for the prog genre. At the time not many prog albums got a proper distribution deal so the search for new prog releases was long and unfruitful. Possibly this infected my opinion about this album in a positive way. Though "Hour of restoration is an enjoyable progmetal album, it's far from the masterpiece I initially thought it was. This album seems clearly influenced by Kansas and in lesser degree Yes for the vocals and Elp for the fascinating keyboard parts. Yet its own character is quite unique. When I read other reviews on this site, it seems this album is underrated. To my opinion, no one can deny the skilful playing of the instruments, the excellent vocal harmonies and the splendid symphonic sound throughout the whole album. The opening track 'Magna carta' needs a concentrated listen as the different rhythm patterns, melodies and atmospheres are changing rapidly. I remember the time signatures reminded me of the first Dream Theater release. Unlike Dream Theater, it sounds a bit patchy by times even though many excerpts are fascinating to listen to. The formula is working better on "Breaking the circles" or "Another burning". Here the succession of the different parts is more logical as some of the fragments simply are musical variations of the previous ones. The haunting atmosphere and the inspired melodies of "Breaking these circles" are appealing but the little atmospheric keyboard interludes I love the most.

Tracks like "friends of America" or "The winner" show the aor side of the band. The chorus of the latter could be from a typical Asia album while the bridge would suit a Rabin era Yes album well. The inclusion of such accessible songs is the perfect antidote for the complex tracks that make out the major part of "Hour of restoration". The reflecting atmospheres in "just one bridge" and "turning point" are other psychological resting points.

Even though this music definitely is prog metal, there is a noticeable influences of eighties pop. This gives the album a lighter feel which is good because the musical structures are rather complex. Especially the colourful sound of the keys and some vocals parts are referring to vintage neo-prog.

The electronic percussion is the disturbing factor of "Hour of restoration". It sounds too clean and cheap. Surely the album would benefit from use of real drums. Another weak point is the flat sounding vocals of Trent Gardener. I don't mind he tries to sing like Jon Anderson but there's not emotion involved in his technical way of singing.

My previous spin of this album dated from 10 years ago. Still I enjoy the bombastic sound of this album. Sure it sounds overblown but you can discover a thousand details in the majestic wall of sound. I think what makes this album different from other Magellan releases are the more compact tracks and accessible melodies.

In too deep, the progressive movement recognized a lot of changes upon the decade of reminiscences or refulgences that was the 90s, and many of those changes proved worthy of excellent appreciation, whilst others really missed (or still miss, since they share an on-going resistance in front of time and composition) their chance or, if not, their quality. I myself don't know how well, how much directly or in what exact way to speak about Magellan's breakthrough and everlasting proposal of progressive rock (one existing, but sometimes giving confusion like it would be part of the art, one finding open vivacity, but sometimes realizing it is, even with that, far behind the clock and pulse of good music) , since I am not such that much of a fan or an impressed listener on most of the Gardner trio's programs and projects. Nevertheless, the idea of its creation has definitely something clear, anyway anyhow, about the movement of a new sound and of a different orientation. Whether that's something that truly changed the discretion of progressive rock or made it have a fuddle look.

Out of a discography that will seem so ravishing over the next years, plus also under the close reminder that the Gardners broke into many other projects, with typical or unusual, evolved or imploded, common or (in)different styles, Magellan's prime opus, with a name worthy of a concept and a music worthy of some bickering, titled Hour Of Restauration, is impatiently, but also very relaxedly, an album which defines Magellan's roots and the new-wave of style progressive rock can get from it. A new-ave pretty much artificial, explosive, intangible and nerved, with occasional artistic works and aesthetic meanings; much like Versus X or King's X, Soniq Theater or Enchant, or even Erik Norlander from across the more spacey music (though these artists and bands relate little in any broadly way) have discovered a sense of popular, artistic, pulp-challenged and deeply sojourned progressive modern rock, pop and, bit, heavy art. The expression is comfortable and innovative, but hardly enough to not raise a few questions about how smaller or bigger hissings of density, ergodicity, true concepts or fascinating dynamics could have been used. In style with, mostly, the classic Kansas losing its orientation, the "American" expression of power and control, but also with the fainted power, of the unique kind, that shouts after some neo-progressive impenetrable bombastic moves, some art rock gloomy or reluctant impressions of...well, art, plus a prog metal skeptical but valid kind of dynamic and hard to beat down energy, Magellan do the trick and even impress beyond what's rightful and listenable. They simply get the credit.

As music and surround, Hour Of Restauration is between good and sadly trapped in those already mentioned "perfect" and "programmed" ways through which Magellan gets a brand and an new-time affection. As a debut, it can't be under-valued, since it isn't a typical waste of beginning's art, nor a frantic incoherence of pulses and orientations. In fact, liking this album rather than much weaker, though mature and already acquainted, future albums, is a good idea, entirely. The bit of stress will come when this entire "hour of progressive restauration" will not be seen as fantastic and overwhelming as the feeling would take it, but few will be the moments Magellan really play a sorrow excuse of rock, pop and sound-operatic fusion. The weakest signs are those of melody, of intentional new-wave and new-age (I have the feeling of Rick Wakeman playing bigger and booster rock, but only in some points), of heartless bombastic traits and of the kind of "rhetorical" art, much addressed to the listener's joy, but hardly making him enjoy it. The shorter pieces, like Winner, Union Jack and Turning Point will prove that. Instead, Hour Of Restauration sounds okay thanks to vocals (not sure if songwriting as well), impressively clean and exciting, thanks to hard-edge rock, something less piquant than expected yet very incisive, plus some concept rhythms, impossible to feel good except they do indeed progress up to a standard of breathing freshness. And Magna Carta, like any esteemed epic (without exaggerations), tops this.

Magellan will become an important figure of progressive rock "restauration" and "reanimation" over the years and the next full albums, with little visible importance on whether that's a deserved or much spoiled quality and recognition. Hour Of Restauration has all the pros and cons Magellan's style can perform, pondering, afterwards, on being a decent album. That's the meaning of these three stars.

After the dismal and bleak 1980s, progressive rock started making a small, but significant comeback. It would be slow throughout the 1990s, only picking up steam in the latter half of that decade. In the early 1990s, one of the first labels to focus completely on prog rock was Magna Carta. If it wasn't for the tribute albums Magna Carta had successfully marketed back then, I might not have rediscovered prog rock for quite a few more years. Through listening to their tribute albums, I soon started purchasing CDs directly from Magna Carta of the bands that appeared on their tribute albums. This included the likes of Cairo, Shadow Gallery, Enchant, World Trade, and Magellan. With Magellan, I started with Hour of Restoration, their debut album, and their sophomore release, Impending Ascension.

I was extremely excited to hear this music, and although I knew it wasn't exactly comparable to the greats from the 1970s, I was so very eager to overlook any negatives. It was prog rock and it was new (new being the key word). But now that I've had about 15 years to digest Magellan's debut, and have digested a horde of fabulous new progressive rock releases since then, Hour of Restoration seems more of a quaint album and quite a bit less significant, even though it was so pivotal in my returning to prog rock. Still, it blew away the prog rock that was available to me at the time (like Asia and a pre-Brave Marillion).

The core of Magellan consists of the Gardner brothers, Trent (keys and vocals) and Wayne (guitars). In addition, they were accompanied by Hal Stringfellow Imbrie on bass (he would depart after Impending Ascension). Drums and percussion were credited to "Magellan," but after listening to this you could tell almost right away that all of the drums were programmed. It wasn't like the awful programmed drums Phil Collins was incorporating into Genesis and his solo music at the time, nor was it like the crap that was being used in the dance music of that era. It was programmed exactly like what one would expect a progressive rock artist to create. Time signature changes, drum rolls, complicated rhythm patterns. True, it was awkward sounding, but it was in a way groundbreaking for a genre that had almost completely disappeared.

In addition to the weird programmed drums, we find that Trent Gardner is quite a skilled keyboardist. No, not on the level of an Emerson or a Wakeman, but maybe a level under these guys. His brother Wayne is quite diverse in his guitar playing styles, ranging from soft, to complicated, to downright metal. Trent's vocals take a little getting used to. He kind of has a whiny sounding voice, but at times sometimes seems similar in delivery to Ian Anderson. This vocal delivery would become more prevalent in future Magellan albums. The music itself seems like a mix of Kansas, a little bit of Rush, a little bit of Yes (mostly from the harmonized vocals), maybe some Asia (maybe because some of it has an AOR feel), and a good dose of weird. Time signature changes come suddenly. This becomes more pronounced on future albums. Transitions between sections are not real cohesive. It's like slamming on the brakes while your foot is still on the gas. That took some time for me to get used to, but now I enjoy this charming aspect of Magellan's music. Some have labeled early Magellan as neo-prog. I don't know about that. Eclectic seems more fitting to me. Magellan would incorporate more metal in future releases and eventually abandon whatever you want to call their style on this album and Impending Ascension.

Trent Gardner tends to write about historical subjects. On Hour of Restoration, he tackles the Magna Carta (the document from 1215 and not the same record label that released this--interesting coincidences aside), the Falkland Islands War (on Union Jack), and the civil rights movement of the 1960s (Another Burning). Clearly the best songs on this album are Magna Carta and Union Jack, the two longest pieces. The rest of the material feels incomplete, like an afterthought or just ideas that didn't quite get developed enough, but were put on the album to make it long enough to be released. That's about the only unfortunate thing about this album. If these songs had been properly developed into longer and more sophisticated structures, this debut would not have been just pivotal, but significant to the genre's development in the early 1990s.

Even though this is far from being a perfect release, I still have a place in my heart for it and fond memories of the joy it gave to me that yes, there was still hope for progressive rock. It's an interesting release for historical purposes and definitely worthy for Magellan fans for understanding the development of this band since this sounds nothing like later Magellan releases. I can only give it three stars because much better stuff was coming down the pipeline in the years following this release, including the next Magellan album, Impending Ascension.

This one is the debut album of MAGELLAN, a very interesting 2-man band from the US prog scene and I consider it their best effort so far among their 3 first releases...This is pure hard progressive rock with leanings towards bands like CAIRO (in their keyboard driven parts), KANSAS (especially the vocal lines and melodies) and RUSH (song structure and general atmosphere of the album)...There are also some nice heavy parts of music in this album- almost metal - which make me think (and I think you will agree) that this album is the closest one to the sound of the later excellent Trent Gardner's project THE EXPLORER'S CLUB!...Although my actual rating for MAGELLAN's debut is 7/10 I'll give them a 4-star rating since this one is one level front of their next efforts...Recommended for fans of hard prog like RUSH,ENCHANT and CAIRO...

I only know this band for some five years and I don't have a bad feeling when I listen to their debut effort.

The "opus magnus" is without doubt the long opening song "Magna Carta" which holds very good musical skills, fine instrumentation and very decent vocal work. Influences are many (ELP, Yes, Genesis and subsequent Pendragon as well) and the whole is very well structured: mixing heavy with symphonic parts (even short metal lines can be noticed). This song is the highlight of the album and it is difficult for the other songs to shine after this one.

The one that can potentially hold the comparison is "Union Jack". Between neo and heavy prog, it holds less melodic moments but more upbeat parts. This song is heavily keyboards oriented and vocals are again rather good.

The almost metal "Breaking These Circles" is the third song from this album that shines: there are several theme swaps and the whole is really well balanced. It rocks you down, but in style; A good song indeed.

This album is pleasant to listen to, even if some songs are on the average side. But seventy- five per cent of the timing is on the good to very good edge. Three stars.