THE WEDGE

A good album! Just not necessarily a progressive rock one. Pallas' second release came in 1986, after a strong live album and an even stronger debut album. Unfortunately, the Scottish band replaced singer Euan Lowson for this album, with a guy named Alan Reed, about whom I can say that does a great job for what the record is. And this record is essentially a solid 80s rock album, with the British neo-proggers dropping the epic edge of their music that was so prevalent in the preceding album 'The Sentinel', for a more arena rock-oriented sound, and focusing on writing catchier hooks - another aspect of their music that could be attributed as a strength of theirs.

And so, this 'commercialization', in a way, resulted in the band producing a compact 7-song album containing pretty strong, in my opinion, "jumpy", energetic 80s rock numbers, most of which will certainly get stuck in your head after a listen or two. This album is begins with the heaviest track one can find here - 'Dance Through the Fire'; it sounds like it came right off 'The Sentinel' sessions. 'Throwing Stones at the Wind' has this aforementioned poppier touch, but is nonetheless enjoyable. Maybe the band tried to add a tint of Marillion as well, but managed to do it in a way that does not make them sound like their clones. 'Win or Lose' has a simpler chorus and falls into the category of the more forgettable songs, followed by the great 'The Executioner' ? electrifying fast-paced 80s rocker, which could be appreciated by the unprejudiced listener. 'Rat Racing' features some interesting keyboard sounds and is a bit more adventurous in nature, while 'Just A Memory' shows that Pallas were good at writing slower songs, too. The re-release features some pretty decent bonus tracks, too.

As much as 'The Wedge' is enjoyable and fun, and definitely more lightweight than its predecessor, it lacks the epic touch on 'The Sentinel' and seems to be a more forgettable record. It is really just a good 80s rock album by a band that was obviously pursuing a wider audience.