CREDO

"Against Reason", although not being consistent all the way through, has some charming and wonderful moments worth returning to.

Credo is just one of the many incarnations of this small gathering of musicians that have been almost all active since 1971. However, they attributed to themselves the name Credo only in 1993, and ever since, they have released a total of three albums, the first one being "Field Of Vision" and second one being the more recognized "Rhetoric". "Against Reason" though is the most popular of their releases so far, and the one that guaranteed the band a small place among the greats of the newer wave of Neo Prog.

Like on previous albums, Credo aren't afraid to show their influences, from bands such as Marillion and IQ. Mark Colton's vocals are theatrical, passionate, and reminiscent of Eighties Prog Rock, just like all the different synth sounds and the soloing electric guitars, influenced by David Gilmour's playing more than anyone else's. Credo however develop a more unique sound, compared to the more stereotypical feel "Rhetoric" had. The songwriting has noticeably improved, a lot of the songs present on this new release are much more memorable and original at the same time, giving a pretty big impact on the listener. The tracks are also longer than an average Neo-Prog song, even though the structures of the songs aren't as puzzling and ambitious as the lengths would suggest.

Rarely Credo go towards dark themes, and prefer sounding cheerful or haunting for most of the time. There is however some sort of social awareness behind the lines, and sadly their take on trying to be a little aware is a bit cheesy in the lyrics, some moments more than others. At times, what Mark Colton sings is very banal and could make one cringe pretty easily. However, besides the lyrics, the world "Against Reason" portrays with it's music has a certain charm to it.

This album reaches almost the seventy minute mark, but overall the time seems to pass pretty quickly, especially in the first part of the album, definitely the better side: from the positive vibrations of "Staring Of The Sun", ending after more than ten minutes, that are very well constructed and executed, follows the best song of the album, "Cardinal Sin"; in many parts epic, the beautiful echoing guitars, the soothing keyboards are a delight to hear and will guarantee any Neo Prog fan an eargasm. Most of the melodies in this track are extremely full of passion, whether it be frustration or melancholy. The album doesn't quite reach those levels, however there are still moments to enjoy greatly like the subtly mysterious title track. The rest of the songs have interesting moments, others are very generic and not at all memorable. "Ghosts Of Yesterday" is unfortunately the track that has the most of these parts: it gets very tiring in many spots, and the fact that it is the last song of the album makes it even worse. "Conspiracy (MCF)" is also a bit forgettable, the melodies not being that focused and the performances by the musicians not being really unique.

Credo with "Against Reason" have definitely improved songwriting-wise, but they still haven't made an album consistent all the way through, because of some forgettable and practically time wasting moments. However, some songs truly shine with emotion and beauty, hopefully next time they will manage to do so for the entire album. Only then will I be completely satisfied with this band.

So here is the recipe: Tim Birell on guitars, right out of the Rothery school but with occasional forays into other styles, Mike Varty supplies the keys that not only decorate but also paint a few slippery streaks on the musical canvas, the firm bass held down by Jim Murdoch keeps everyone in check while the Martin Meads drums are ruthless and yet seductive. All that is left is a vocalist that does wink at the 2 neo giants mentioned above but Marc Colton has his own style. A major plus is the crystalline production that provides a wide sonic berth that quickly envelops the listener. Theses prog vets then decide to put together a human theme that proves that we are not in the presence of random poppy tracks. They ain't poppy and there is a story for each song based on a famous quote. The musical story starts out in the finest Fish-era Marillion style on "Skintrade", a passionate voice that occasionally yelps in pain (like on Assassins) "technically obscene", swirling synth solos veering into the ether searching for "release" , pastoral acoustic guitar arpeggios that shimmer in the aural ecstasy and a clear sense of drama. The violent "Turn the Gun" is more rambunctious, as its title would imply, complete with an eerie middle section that hides between the two massively different bookends. The next 3 tracks form a sort of a mini-suite and is the undeniable heart of the recording , as both From the Cradle , To The Grave and the splendid The Letter combine to exalt, titillate and explode in a proggy paroxysm that is simply put stunning. "She cried herself to sleep last night" is just the opening seconds of a wondrous anthem, where music, lyrics and delivery are so attuned with each other that the emotion can seep through undiluted. The grandiose 2 part chorus is to expiate over just let the stupendous "Like bird in a gilded cage?. And she knows, she shows she can't let go?" flow over you and feel the angst. The subsequent axe solo evokes the deep pain brilliantly, finely chiseled and yet restrained, as if unbearable. The second stanza repeats the same feelings but with different words. Clever! "To the Grave" is the instrumental blow-out that divulges this band's capacity to adorn their craft with some interesting twists and turns, choir-mellotron aiding in the crime. "What gives you the right to rampage through my dreams", hmmmm back in early Marillion mood, not a bad thing that, especially when done this well. The extended jam is quite exceptional. The killer track remains the ballad "The Letter" a poignant eruption of melancholia, beautifully sung and expertly played. This is a bluesy, romantic dirge, exuding a sense of class that makes it timeless , not at all a pop song, but closer to PF than anything (some prog purists swear that Floyd is pop anyway!) . The brooding gets progressively intense (did I just use the P word?) and ratchets the "after all the hell I have been through" up quite a few notches, a Tim Birell fretjob adding to the slashes. Then things get outright angry and Colton really shows off his lungs and it hits home as I am dealing with a broken relationship right now. I will mail her the song and the lyrics soon. Not that it would change anything but a romantic is a romantic to the bitter end. "The Game" barrels forward all cylinders piercing the night air, another acerbic essay on infidelity and fluid relationships that find no anchor to weigh, just deep pain and disbelief. The brilliant 2 part mini-epic "Too Late" and "To Say Goodbye" is another stunner, the very essence of sad, melancholic prog done to the hilt, lyrically extremely vivid and disturbing. This time the theme is the futility of war "The eyes of exhaustion and those of the dead" . The finale "Seems Like Yesterday" puts this bleeding heart story to rest, proggy blues at its finest, healing words though painful they may be.

Granted, its not RIO or Avant-post-math-space but it's still definitely entertaining. Fans of Arena, IQ, Pendragon and Marillion will gobble this up but a wide array of prog fans will enjoy this for its melodic content and expert execution, perhaps some even shedding their silly misconception that Neo-prog sucks! Hey, the current media-music sucks, remember!!!! This is a very enjoyable hour of epic and uplifting music.

4.5 stylish doctrines

"Staring at the Sun" A thick synthesizer run opens the album. The main riff seems to borrow heavily from the Rush tune "Xanadu" (the section beginning about two-and-a-half minutes in). My tongue even instinctively clicks Neil Peart's percussion bit in between each part. The vocals occur over light clean guitar and deep, plodding bass. I would say that this is the most memorable and brilliant of the tracks, but perhaps that is because of the obvious influences present.

"Cardinal Sin" There's a slight Marillion vibe to this tune, particularly with respect to the vocals. The piano passage and lead guitar work midway through are elegant. The second half of the song begins with a thin synthesizer riff in a 1980s rock context before launching into a well-performed organ solo. The piece is a hodgepodge of musical ideas that, while not quite cohesive, is generally enjoyable.

"Intimate Strangers" With a verse in 5/4 and plenty of synthesizer and guitar tones, this song remains surprisingly consistent even if it may not be especially memorable. For this fairly straightforward song, I would draw comparisons to IQ.

"Against Reason" Airy dark tones set the stage for a mournful, siren-like lead guitar.

"Insane" Again working over five beats, this song I think exemplifies Credo's penchant for unusual and sudden shifts in rhythm.

"Reason to Live" "Reason to Live" is one of the weaker and more forgettable tracks- just a quick bit of lyrics over uninspired music.

"Conspiracy (MCF)" The high frequency tone in the introduction of this track hurt my ears the first time I heard it- not cool. Is there any reason to include something like that in the beginning of a song that has no ostensive relationship to the composition? The listener is hereby warned to turn his speakers down or off during the first few seconds. The song proper involves a variety of synthesizer tones in various roles (the whiny one midway through isn't one of the better ones), and while the music displays their usual assortment of rhythms and penchant for stringing multiple musical sections together, this song has always failed to grab me. Oh, and did the listener miss that painful tone in the beginning? No worries- it ends the song too.

"The Ghosts of Yesterday" Acoustic guitar and synthetic strings provide a bed for soft vocals to awake in. This final track is the most powerful and anthem-like of all the songs on the album, even if overall it feels somewhat generic.

"Was it worth waiting for ???"

"Was Rome built or perfected in a day ???"

These are of course RHETORIC-al questions !!! (Please excuse my extremely bad humour.....)

And of course 'AGAINST REASON' IS truly the sublime chunk of ultimate, epochal, trouser- tenting, neo-prog minstrelsy that we all hoped (and knew) it would be.

In fact the opening track exceeds expectation. 'STARING AT THE SUN' is one of those songs that is so good that it defies belief that humans actually created it !!!! It's a pop song, it's a heavy metal anthem and it's both classic rock and neo-prog nirvana rolled into one holy grail-type opus. I bet when the band wrote this they knew they'd hit the jackpot. Cleverly, they gave the track away with 'Classic Rock Magazine' and on the F2 website, knowing it would seriously whet the appetite of anyone with any sort of musical taste. Hopefully this clever marketing ploy created the sales levels that this band deserve. This is a song with totally universal appeal (if you don't believe me play it to your better half - they will like it - trust me !!!)

These guys are professional musicians who have to operate on a semi-pro basis, partly due to the niche-market popularity of prog-rock and partly due to the difficulty of the current day music market. So when I talk about marketing ploys they are only hoping to break even and still be able to give us fans what we want....I am not talking about profits...

The band are of course fronted by vocalist , raconteur and ace showman Mark Colton. Often (deservedly) compared to Fish, who was probably an inspirational mentor, Mark has now established himself as a big fish in the prog-rock pond in his own right. Commanding and yet amiable on stage, he is sublimely-intonated and inspirationally motivated in the studio. Since he got together with Tim and Jim, CREDO have definitely become the jaw-droppingly good band he always knew they were going to be....their name is defined as 'a statement of belief' in the dictionary and I believe it sub-conciously originated from the band's own perpetual and totally warranted self-belief in their endless possibilities as a united and progressive musical unit. Tim Birrell delivers 'PRS thru Mesa-Boogie' guitar licks that ache with passion and melody. Mike Varty conjures up harmonies and atmosphere like only a keyboard-ial and compositional Gandalfian wizard could. Bassist Jim Murdoch vibes with Tim like he was his long-lost brother (well he probably is !!!) and then batons down the hatches solidly with drummer Martin Meads.

How do you follow a track like 'STARING AT THE SUN' ? The obvious and correct answer is : with the remaining tracks of 'AGAINST REASON' !!! Initially the dark subject matter of 'CARDINAL SIN' yields to the ultra-melodic soundscapes of 'INTIMATE STRANGERS'. Whilst melodically the former track might entice fans of Pallas, there is something of the latter track that to me evokes Wishbone Ash at their very, very best. The melody on the latter track is in fact so strong, that to me it creates a similar vibe to that magical feeling you get when you meet someone really, really special for that magical first time.....

The title track then kicks in with an incredible air of mystery and suspense ....before 'INSANE' rocks you into prog overdrive and hooks you line and sinker with a commercial and anthemic chorus, just like 'STARING AT THE SUN' did a few tracks beforehand......

'REASON TO LIVE' then brings melody to the fore again before 'CONSPIRACY' raises all of those questions that none of us can answer, even though we all know we wish we could.........

'GHOSTS OF YESTERDAY' closes the album. This is a very contemporary song for everything that all of us feel today. Probably the ultimate CREDO track ???......and if Carlsberg made a classic rock track this of course would be it............Or would it in fact be 'STARING AT THE SUN' ???? My friends, this (for once) is not a RHETORIC-al question....I think you guys and gals will answer this question for yourselves in the future, when you listen to this superb album and decide for yourselves ....................................

If you like melody, if you like neo-prog, if you like Classic Rock : buy this album !!! ...it is 'AGAINST REASON' that you will ever regret your purchase....

It became apparent that keyboard player and main lyricist Mik Stovold wasn't going to be the right fit going forward, and Shadowland (and now Landmarq) keyboard player Mike Varty came on board and this was where the band really started to get traction. While drummer Paul Clark and bassist Jim Murdoch provided the solid background, guitarist Tim Birrell and Mike Varty lifted Credo to new heights while Mark was the consumate frontman. But although the band were improving all the time, writing great music and having storming gigs, all was not well. It transpired that Mark was seriously ill, and at one point was only a few hours from death, while Paul was also having some issues. This meant that the band while working behind the scenes seemed to have gone dormant to many prog lovers minds.

Mark started singing with a folk rock band where he met drummer Martin Meads, and when Paul announced he was leaving Martin was the obvious replacement. It was the new line-up that released 'Rhetoric' only eleven years to the day from the debut. During the intervening years myself and Mark has located to different parts of the country, so I wasn't so up todate with the material but the album blew me away and I did manage to see them play again before I moved to the other side of the world.

And so, onto the third album. I haven't seen the band play live for more than five years, so this was all new to me. Mark had been raving about it to me, so it was with some trepidation that I put it on the player. Straight from the opening of "Staring At The Sun" I was captured and enthralled, and everything that I had planned to do for the next 69 minutes was placed on hold. The band may be accused of playing neo-prog, but what's wrong with that? I like neo-prog! I was lucky enough to be heavily involved in the UK prog scene in the early Nineties, and while it could be argued that this belongs to that time it is way more polished and musical than most of what was coming out then.

This really is a musical tour de force ? it is everything that a prog fan could want and much, much more. I have always previously viewed Mark as more of a frontman than I have as a vocalist, his passion onstage is what lifts the band and the performance. While he is often likened to Fish I feel that it is an unfair comparison ? there may be similarities but his range and intonation are quite different. However, my view has now changed as having heard just about everything he has ever recorded (including much that has never reached the public domain) I can categorically state that this is easily his best performance ever. The control and pitch are superb, and the rest of the guys have also stepped up considerably. Tim Birrell has been their secret weapon since the very beginning, one of the finest guitarists ever to grace a UK prog stage (if you don't believe me then search out "A Kindness?" from their debut and imagine how much better that was live) ? and here he is using a controlled restraint as he links with Mike to provide incredible interplay. Martin and Jim provide the bedrock, which allows Mike and Tim to really stretch out. If you want to listen to just one minute of how good this album is then start playing about two minutes into "Insane" and the next sixty seconds provides everything you could ever wish to hear from this style of music.

Credo's best album to date? Definitely. My favourite prog album of the year? Oh yes. Any regrets? Yes, I'm the other side of the world so haven't heard any of this being played live. If you enjoy progressive rock music, melodic rock, neo-prog, art rock, or any of the other labels that get bandied about then you owe it to your ears to get this.

Credo 'Against Reason'. It doesn't get any better than this

I just hope they will get a more own sound and try to put some variation in for their next album.

I am totally newbie in understanding the music of Credo because I only knew the band from their "Against Reason" album which I already gave my views right here at this wonderful website. I put my overall comment as the heading of my views as "You don't need to push the envelope to make good music". And now I am more convinced when I am tracing back their previous album "Rhetoric". Yes, actually the music of Credo is not something new and I would say it's an OLD SKUL neo-prog music which bands like Pallas, Pendragon, IQ, Marillion and those that follow. Well, sometimes I don't understand actually what is my musical taste as I am a great believer that "music is emotion" and of course it should be something to do with musical taste as well. Indeed, I love wide range of music in the genre of progressive music, from symphonic, progmet, jazz rock fusion, eclectic and in fact I also enjoy krautrock and caterbury as well. What kind of person I am! That's OK ....as long as the music really stirs my emotion - why bother with categorization? Music is music period!

It's the same, it's different ...

That's what I felt the first time I spun this album couple of days ago when I enjoyed it in its entirety. Man ... I have to admit that I was hooked with the musical flow these gentlemen offer in this excellent album. Frankly, I felt nothing new about the music and it's basically telling me "It's me ...! It's the kind of music that I have been through since late 70s and early 80s which sometimes I felt bored with some bands that follow the path of Marillion, but actually not quite good in making the music ...". There are many segments that bring me into true neo-prog nuances and it's so captivating listening to the stunning guitar solo that really kills me, the beautiful melody that is sung by the lead vocalist, the soaring keyboard work, the tight basslines.... Oh man .... everything is so nice. It's different because every single song gives me good experience and it's different with other neo-prog songs ....

I can feel there is cohesiveness of musical composition and real performance these gentlemen perform in this album. The opening track "Skin Trade" already shows the dynamics of Credo's music through its stunning guitar solo, tight basslines and good vocal work. In the context of individual song, there are segments with great melody, variety of styles as well as ups and downs in terms of energy - there are mellow parts as well as energetic or high-energy styles. The acoustic guitar part in the middle of track 3 "From the Cradle" followed with electric guitar solo is really a killer even though the song is actually a mellow one with clear lead vocal work. From one song to another one there seems like a good position of tracks because at the end the whole album provides me a good insight on what sort of music they offer. The metric is simple: at the end of the last track I wanted to repeat the music again. That's an important metric.

In terms of melody all songs were composed beautifully so that the listeners got a chance to enjoy the music not just on the prog elements of the music but also on how each segment ties beautifully with another. So, for those who concern about song orientated kind of music, yes man ... you got it right here! I can see this album provides song orientated view as well as progressive signatures over the music. I don't get bored to repeat the music from melody perspective because at the end I repeat again.

In terms of change of styles, there are many things you can find in terms of how melody takes turn and how the gentlemen in the band provide their solo work. Even though there is no 'abrupt' changes you can find throughout the album. Hey, remember ...this is neo-prog ....do not expect the music turns abruptly into jazz because this is neo-prog. It would be awkward if it turns dramatically into jazz kind of music. But the music still offers change of styles in the corridor of neo-prog music.

Overall Conclusion

With basically no major shortcomings, I definitely consider this album as an excellent addition to any prog music collection with overall rating of 4+. I invite you to enjoy this album and also "Against Reason" and write your views. What ever different your view, it does not matter to me because I always enjoy differing perspectives because we live in progressive world. Differing views are really welcome. OK man...let me re-spin this album from the beginning, again ...because ..... I LOVE IT! JRENG!..... Keep on proggin' ...!

(If do not review on song by song basis, it's because each individual song is excellent.)

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW