JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EYE

As much as I enjoy Nektar's 70s repertoire as a whole, I must admit than their first opus is their best, a stunning piece of psych-oriented symphonic prog that was not to be surpassed or even equalled by their following efforts. The Nektar guys were residents in Germany for a number of years, and maybe this is the factor that explains their notable approaches to krautrock suff (hence, the PF influence through a Teutonic filter), while keeping a very distinctive British sense of melodic textures, already present in Procol Harum, The Nice and the Moody Blues. This concept album is centered on the narrative about an astronaut's adventure in his travel to a different Universe, in which he learns some peace of mind, but also witnesses the sad nuclear holocaust of Planet Earth. The somber, pessimistic thorough mood is properly conveyed by the agressive guitar riffs, solos and effects, the opressive organ chords and harmonics, the dramatic layers on mellotron, as well as the recurrently affected vocal leads and ensembles: the instrumental ensemble works fluidly and proficiently, with a special mention to Moore's powerful bass sound, sometimes achieving a co-starring role next to the lead guitar. Generally speaking, the melodic lines are inspired and touching, hence allowing the tracks maintain an even level of intensity and evocative grandeur along as the album goes on. But still you can find some particular highlights, starting with the melancholic beauty of 'Astronauts Nightmare' as the starter for the sad concept of witnessing the world's apocalypse, the overtly progressive pomp of 'Burn Out My Eyes', the emotional climax fluidly developed in the sequence of tracks 10-13. It is not fair to overlook the Haendelian 'Countenance' or the hyperfloydian 'Warp Oversight' as the most stunning intrumental sections. As paradoxical as it may seem, the poor sound production served as an accurate catalystic for the expression of the repertoire's gloomy mood. Since I've never considered Nektar as a premier league band, I really wouldn't feel comfortable by giving their (IMO) top opus the perfect rating, but it is the definitive Nektar masterpiece, no more and no less.