MAGELLAN

This is one of the few albums in my collection that I have no recollection of purchasing and still here it is collecting dust on my shelf. Well I guess a revisit is in order!

After listening to Impossible Figures it all came back to me and I once again remembered why I never bothered listening to this album after the first couple of spins. This release works the first couple of times but after that you're pretty much left with nothing new. It's prog for prog's sake and there is no major improvement with each listen, which is something that I happen cherish a lot with these kind of albums. That is ultimately the reason why I forget this type of music very fast and move on to something a lot more challenging and exciting!

Killer Of Hope is undeniably my favorite track off the album and it's also the longest track which almost takes up 20% of the album (if we include the 5 minute bonus track to the total album length). The rest of the material is not nearly as good and it all comes to a halt towards the end when the compositions start getting thin.

Hopefully my remarks can serve the purpose of reminding me why there isn't really a point of revisiting this album again.

**** star songs: Gorilla With A Pitchfork (1:24) Killer Of Hope (10:03) Bach 16 (2:46) Confessor's Overture (2:24) Counterpoints (5:59)

*** star songs: Late For Church (6:15) Hymn For A Heathen (3:15) World Groove (6:30)

** star songs: Feel The Cross (6:36)

This album was my re-introduction to prog rock after I lost touch with during the 80's. The guy in the record shop promised me my money back if I dodn't like it. So I bought it and for a while this was my absolute favourite CD and even now 19 years later, it is still in my top 10.

Well it's heavy in places, but not prog-metal. Some people have a problem with the programmed drums - not me. Others can't get on with Trent Gardner's voice - not me, it's perfect for the music.

So what of the music? Well mix up prime Kansas, ELP, Yes and you are getting something approaching thier style. This is epic, bombastic, sprawling stuff - great. Actually, I hear something of Delain's style with the staccato drumming and bass.

Track by track

Magna Carta - This sums up the whole album in a magnificent 14 minutes. One of my all time favourite tracks. 10/10

The Winner - A short high-tempo interlude, that Yes might have recorded, but hardly single material! 7/10

Friends Of America - A slower track with a great tune and magnificent chorus. 8/10

Union Jack - The second epic. Some really interesting vocal lines. I found I really had to work hard to 'key' into the style, otherwise it is just a racket. 9/10

Another Burning - Now this is your single! Fantastic vocals on this one and another great tune. 10/10

Just One Bridge - As it suggests, a gentle guitar and vocal bridge to the next track 8/10

Breaking These Circles - The heaviest and fastest track. 7/10

Turning Point - A short vocal over a keyboard wash sees this album out in heavenly style.

Overall, then a start to end classic. What impressed me most was the melding of superb musicianship, dynamic and bombastic arrangements allied with sensible vocals and really strong tunes. Absolutely essential.

Last album to date from this US combo. And not their best one to tell the truth. Even if I only moderately appreciated the band, their first two releases were fine and held some very good pieces of music.

What's available here is of another calibre. Inexpressive music, dull vocals, third division heavy / neo prog with little feeling. I would have hoped that the long title track would have brought us into some sort of the splendours of the early days ("Magna Carta"), but we are from there.

It is difficult to find a song which is worth mentioning. But it was mainly the case already for several of their previous albums. This music just doesn't speak to me; vocals are average and transparent as far as I'm concerned.

I am not saying that this is a bad album, but to be transported to heaven doesn't apply either. A song as "Found" is especially boring though. And the mellowish and almost religious "Who To Believe" is not my cup of tea.

The instrumental and pompous "Sea Of Details" is one of the good moments from this album (at last!), but the closing track brings the listener back to a standard heavy rock song: average to weak vocals (again) are not going to make of "Slow Burn" a highlight. But these are scarce to none while listening to "Innocent God".

Two stars.

The early days of the band were quite alright ("Hour Of Restoration" and "Impending Ascension"). The long pieces from these albums were quite well achieved and were really attractive. What came after was much less performing.

What would this sixth album (in fourteen years) delivered?

Some classical introduction (somewhat ELP-ish) that can be easily skipped ("Symphonette"), a "Kansas" oriented song ("Why Water Weeds?") but lacking in some splendour of the great model (of which Steve Walsh is playing during the opener).

The best number so far is the short "Wisdom": it features aerial (almost symphonic ) keyboards and some very and convincing vocals. A simple and straight forward song but which consists of some fine elements.

As I have mentioned earlier, epics like "Magna Carta" or "Estadium Nacional" were their best songs ever written and I was quite interested to know if they could perform at the same level with "Cranium Reef Suite". An eighteen minutes epic which opens as a short pop tune will do. I was quite suspect after this short intro to say the least.

What follows in this "Cranium?" is very much of a neo-prog affair. But there is nothing wrong in playing neo-prog, right? At least if a band can take some distance from the glorious predecessors and sound somewhat original.

This song is throwing a bunch of basic keys tones combined with average vocals. Not quite a thrilled mix alas. Again, "Kansas" is the reference apparently. But not the best of this great band, unfortunately. Such eighteen minutes are quite long even if some parts (like the closing guitar) are quite decent.

"Symphony For A Misanthrope" holds many more neo prog aspects (even symphonic ones with the short and classical "Pianissimo Intermission") than heavy prog or metal ones. What I would say though, is that there is a great lack of originality on this album. " Doctor Concoctor" is a real pain to my ears.

Some heavier lines can be experienced during the closing track whose title is not an example of subtlety: " Every Bullet Needs Blood". Again, the "Kansas" feel is much present. Almost pastiche even if the song isn't bad at all.

I don't feel like rating this album as a good one. Average is more the trend. Two stars.

This US band released some good albums at the start of their long career, but their third one ("Test O Wills") showed a serious downfall in terms of originality or creativity. I also found that their music was more metal oriented from this entry point.

What we get here is an intro which sounds to come out of an unreleased ELP album: bombastic but pedant ("Gorilla With A Pitchfork"). The very heavy (and uninspired) lines come with the "epic" from this offering: "Killer Of Hope". Vocals are rather average (sub, sub par Anderson at times), the beat is uselessly complex and keyboards sections are again very much ELP oriented.

Nothing very personal nor memorable. The usual "Kansas" suspect can also been thrown as influence in here but sounds very shy from themodel.

But the ELP gimmick is much present over here: "Bach 16" is another example. A short instrumental which features a classic piano intro, followed by pompous organ. "Late For Church" is another one these. Of course it is on a very hard, heavy edge. Just imagine ELP playing heavy rock music?Vocals again aren't helping much here either. Basic heavy metal. No more. Same is valid for "Counterparts".

The worse moment is the pitiful "A World Groove": heavy noisy pop tinted with funky mood. I quite dislike the mix: press next of course. This is quite a boring album actually. But their latest two were no big deal either. "Impossible Figures" is by far their heaviest work released. I'm not really enthusiast about it. Too much metal oriented for sure.

Two stars is the farthest I can get.

Third album of their career named Test of wills from 1997 is a step forward in Magellan's musical adventure, this time the album must be considered a real test for them if for the public aswell. This time Magellan has lefting aside the symphonic/neo elements of previous two albums and concentreted more on heavy prog even in places prog metal at it's best are added. To me this is third as best after Impending ascension and Impossible figures, delivering some outstanding moments tipycal for Magellan sound but a little diffrent aswell. Again the influences are Yes and Kansas but this time are added more like Jethro Tull and even Rush. As on previous album s the epics, the longer tracks are the best same is the case here, the title track Test of wills must be considered a real prog metal piece with solid musicianship and crafty moments. The rest of the pieces are aswell great like, A social marginal again heavy prog with prog metal lening but same the symphonic elements are not forgotten but puted diffrent and melted very well with the rest, here is some realy awesome crunchy guitar riffs and excellent druming, the drum solo of the beggining of the piece is great. Some Jethro Tull elements are here like on Walk Fast, Look Worried , the beggining is almost the same with Dun Ringill from Stormwatch, same folky acustic atmosphere and on last track Critic's carnival with some flute who innterludes very well with the rst of the instruments, realy like the master Anderson, quite intristing and well executed. So a pleasent album for me, among their best in my opinion, even is more metalized as previous and next efforts Test of wills is a album to have if you like Magellan, the symphonic arrangements are in less quantity but they are and are melted very well with the overall sound of the band.Again 3.5 rounded up to 4, because as I said I have a soft spot for Magellan and is one of their better albums.

Latest release to date is Magellan's seventh studio album from 2007 named Innocent god, well is a little diffrent this time then on past works. The music on this album is simpler then usual in Magellan's music, the instrumental passages don't have so much space this time, no more longer and great interplays between musicians, only some moddy pieces with atmosphere but keeping the progressive elements more or less in places. Innocent god is not a bad album , as many said , is diffrent then the predecesor and even mellower in places, the heavy/neo /symphonic ingredients are almost gone here, living space to amuch more calm sound as whole with some exceptions of course like the instrumental Sea of detail, the best piece from here without doubt, is heavy with dark atmosphere and good musicianship, another worthy one is Found a mid tempo piece with some intristing lyrics and nice interplays between musicians, the rest of the pieces are only ok, nothing realy great as on more recent albums like Impossible figures, their best work of this decade and far from the greatness of Impending ascension. Slow burn is a hard rock number with some keys on background not quite typical for Magellan but pleasent anyway. So, this must be their weakest work for sure, but not bad, some good moments here and there makes me rounded up from 2.5 to 3, because I like Magellan's music and because they have an unique manner of composing.

Magellan's second album from 1993 named Impending ascension is a natural follow up to Hour of restoration. I always have a soft spot for Magellan, I don't realy know why because they are not one of my fav prog bands, but their music has something that I like to listen constantly. Magellan is considered one of the bands from second armada of progressive rock artists and they always were and are in the shadow of other names, strange because has a pleasent and in places quite complicated music. The music on this second album is chalenging and has some very unique moments, typical aswell for Magellan's music. The Gardner brothers has an unique and intristing manner of composig from symphonic moments to heavy prog and even in places some neo prog and prog metal are here But what they make diffrent from the other bands is thier unmistakeable sound and manner of composing taken influences from Yes or Kansas, but melted very well and with intelligent manner in Magellan's sound as a whole. Impending ascension is among their better albums if not the better one among with Impossible figures and Test of Wills, delivering some amazing moments like on Watefront weirdos a 11 min journey to what Magellans has best to offer, another goody is Estadium nacional again great and typical for Magellan and Virtual reality, toying a little bit with prog metal like on the last track Under the wire as well. They have invited on drums on second piece Waterfron weirdos the talented Doane Perry from Jethro Tull, he dis a good job and integreat very well in the sound of the band. Magellan's music must take some time to get into, but when you do will be pleasent surprise about thier unique manner of composing. I will give 3.5 rounded to 4, because is among their better works and among my fav Magellan albums aswell, and always like them for what they do.

"Magelan" is fortunately moving away from the metal sounds of their prior album but unfortunately they are (I mean the Gardner brothers) heading towards some more neo stuff which is not of the best.

The band released some very good songs out of their first two albums, but this one is just maintaining the scale. Even the thirty four minutes epic is not a gorgeous moment. Some good parts here and there (this is the minimum required) but no superb development as far as I'm concerned.

I quite enjoyed their music with their debut, but this album is very far to reach the same level. There are lots of blunders during the epic which can be divided into lots of short slices of music. The global result is just below average IMHHO. Loose and uninteresting, this very long song (which is NOT always a guarantee of quality) is not transporting myself to the high prog spheres.

To summarize my thought, this is only an average neo-prog album. I have never felt that "Magellan" belonged to the heavy-prog style. Maybe that one of these days, they will be moved from this category? "Magellan" tried to make it complex and failed here. They should better return to their basics and deliver good songs instead of this pitiful "epic" which lasts for almost thirty-five minutes!!!

I was really expecting much more from this album, not only because of their prior releases but the presence of excellent guests could have lead to better music. But I can't blame Levin nor Anderson for the average song writing here. The very much inspired "Kansas" closing number won't change anything to my judgement. Too metal oriented to be good to tell the truth.

Two stars. That's all folks!

For the first time, the opening number of a "Magellan" album is not an epic nor one of the best tune from the album. Not that "Gameface" sounds bad, but the heavy metal edge sounds quite different to their previous and good works.

It is true to say that in their earlier albums, the epics (or longest numbers) were by far the best songs available. It is again the case on this "Test Of Wills". The band is leaning into the neo- prog territories (which has always be their main genre) with the good "Social Marginal".

Even if some Anderson type vocals can be experienced, this song holds good ingredients even if too much metal oriented to my taste. But I'm not a fan of this genre.

The band unfortunately investigates some more metal sound throughout this album (not "heavy prog" but metal stuff). The longer title track is clearly heading to this style. On top of this, there are some weak wind instrument appearance as well.

The band is now truly a brother's affair, and little to no input from outside seems to be involved. Even if they were omnipresent before this album (and essential to this band), I can only feel some weird performance with this album ("Jacko"). And I can't be thrilled by the awful "Crucible" to tell the truth: a funky to the dead track with little prog to be listened to.

"Magellan" could please during their first two albums (especially with their long songs), but this album is definitely not on par. I still rate it with two stars but I don't like this album. Below average and willing to cover too many different styles (even the "Genesis" while they were three is featured in" Preaching The Converted").

There are just some twenty seconds during which you might think that something great is taking place: a great flute intro fully reminiscent of the mighty Tull during the closing "Critics Carnival". Unfortunately, it is soonly ruined with these metal sounds. These flute sounds will come back much later in the song and be quite performing to be honest. I only would have wished these to be more present in the whole of this work.

I am quite critical about this carnival...although the closing number is quite good and fully "Kansas" oriented.

Just past your way, this is not a good work.