IN THE WAKE OF POSEIDON

Looking at it retrospectively, King Crimson virtually had the impossible task of following-up what is arguably the most difficult album to ever follow up, in the face of 'In the Court of the Crimson King', and whatever the follow-up would have been, it should have been destined to fail, right? Yet, the album that came after, despite being an overall difficult listen, is a courageous offering by a band that was having some internal turmoil at the time, and was looking for the definition of its musical path. And 'In the Wake of Poseidon' is rightfully seen by many as a worthy successor of their debut album, even if it dares to follow what could be considered as its template, in terms of the album structure, or the musical direction.

The album nevertheless does not fail to deliver in terms of power, ingenuity, and experimentation, revealing the band members' neat dynamic and mastery of a variety of styles, with an important aspect of the album being the increased emphasis on the counteraction between silent and loud, exemplified perfectly by the musical theme of 'Peace' framing the album, and the longer pieces and their leaning to the tropes of 'Court'. 'Pictures of a City' might be the obvious continuation of the sound King Crimson shocked the world with in 1969, yet in a slightly more streamlined sense, while 'Cadence and Cascade' is a poignant peace of acoustic music from the band, harshly in contrast with the manic fiasco that is the 11-minute instrumental 'The Devil's Triangle', the strongest stylistic divergence from the debut album, and the piece that would eventually indicate a possible future direction for the band. 'Cat Food' stands as a highlight at the same time, with its chaotic expressionism, counteracting perhaps the Mellotron-ridden soundscapes of the 8-minute-long title track.

With this in mind, 'In the Wake of Poseidon' is an album of opposites, a worthy successor of 'Court', even if less innovative and influential; The daring but strange album cover is another aspect of the album that makes it even more valuable in the eyes (and ears) of today's listener, together with the album being a generally intriguing listen.

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