STAINED GLASS STORIES

I actually enjoyed this album the more I heard it. True, they do have VERY obvious influences, the lighter joyous shades of Yes (and the insistent Chris Squire influenced Rickenbacker bass and Steve Howe-esque guitar), the dark intensity of King Crimson and some of the relentless complexity of Gentle Giant. The vocals, while not my favorite feature are still oddly charming, Paul Seal's tone and inflections laying somewhere between John Wetton or a lower key Derek Shulman.

However, the pros usually outweigh the cons here, compositions like Introspect and Gong pack quite a punch, between relentless time and meter changes that actually flow together, eerie Mellotron and organ passages and enough textural shifts to keep you on the edge of your seat. Can't say I'm that nuts about the lyrics (or most prog lyrics in general) but Paul Seal sings with conviction and earnestness. The odd percussion sections are actually pretty cool and engaging.

I wouldn't quite call it a masterpiece but it sure aimed high and tried its darndest. Enough that later bands like Anglagard studied listened and nicked a few ideas from it.