SEIZE THE DAY

A good EP should always provide plenty of interesting content, especially if it's an EP based on one of the songs off a previous album. That is what amazing modern prog rock band Galahad has given us in this new "Seize the Day" EP. It's a bite-sized chunk of Galahad goodness that will especially please fans. In fact, it is the first of multiple EPs that the band plans to release in 2014.

Basically, Galahad took one of the best songs off of their brilliant album "Battle Scars" from 2012, a year in which they released two wonderful, full-length albums, and made a nice EP with some goodies added. The song of choice is "Seize the Day", an excellent medley of trance keys and guitars with a nice, hopeful message. It's definitely one of the best songs they've ever written, and so I can understand why it was used this way. The album contains both the single and full versions, even though I don't think I'll be listening to the former that much. Some of the most interesting parts of the song are cut in favor of accessibility. I understand this, but I don't have to like it.

Two other songs get similar treatment here. Galahad has a knack for re-recording their older songs to make them into something even better. These other two songs are an example of this. A short little track off of their 1993 "In A Moment of Complete Madness" album gets a full re-work into something truly extraordinary. "Painted Lady" becomes "21st Century Painted Lady" and displays the band's recent exploration of trance music. In fact, all of the songs on this EP display the eerie keys I've come to love. The guitar work, however, is as strong and powerful as ever. "21st Century Painted Lady" gets two versions, the full version and an instrumental version.

The final re-worked song is "Bug Eye" off of their 1999 album "Following Ghosts". Again, it features the trance keys, but also features quite a psychedelic, quirky mood that I find sublime. It is really quite different from the original version to where it is basically a new song. I think this might be my favorite of the tracks on this EP. "Bug Eye" also comes in two versions, the full version and a much longer live version that is really impressive.

So, even though there are only about three songs on this EP, Galahad gives us enough interesting content to warrant this as a purchase. The re-recordings are especially impressive, as they have been on their past couple albums, too. Indeed, this EP is about quality over quantity, methinks. I found much to love about this EP, and I think fans and Galahad virgins alike will appreciate the quality music here.