BEYOND THE REALMS OF EUPHORIA

I've seen many reviews for this album, and I generally agree with the others: This album is one of Galahad's finest. 2012 saw Galahad busily releasing two albums among other things, Battle Scars being the other release. Both albums represent the best that Galahad has to offer.

The performances on Beyond the Realms of Euphoria are top-notch. They used a very synthetic approach here; but piano, awesome drums, interesting bass lines, and excellent guitar work are also prevalent. The vocals, as always, are outstanding: One of my favorite singers in Neo-Prog (or Modern Prog Rock, as they like to be called). So, the album has some very catchy tunes, some very proggy ones, and all of them are well executed.

However, I do take issue with this album. The philosophy, concepts, and lyrical content of an album mean just as much to me as the music itself. I don't feel connected to an album until I have reaped the philosophical harvest that an album has to offer. So, I loved Battle Scars especially for its wonderful themes of condemning inhumane activity to humans, emotionally scarring other people, and so on. I felt it was quite appropriate. Beyond the Realms of Euphoria, however, contains a philosophy that does not quite match up with their last effort. I don't want to explore this too much, but let's just say that "Believe in your own bloody, beating heart" doesn't quite jive with their message against arrogance in Battle Scars. Why would I place all my faith in something so fragile and prone to error? The album only spirals out of logical control from there. The philosophy in Beyond the Realms of Euphoria is faulty and fallacious at best. Because of these conceptual problems, my mind cannot give this album anymore than a 4/5, though this still represents a great album.