NEO-PROG

Formed in Northwich, England, SONIC TAPESTRY emerged around 2009 starting as a local Cheshire jam band but steadily began to find interest in classic 70s prog artists ranging from Yes, Focus, Caravan, Pink Floyd, Gentle Giant, Rush and most of all early Genesis. The band that features Steve Forster (lead vocals, bass, flute), John Byrne (vocals, drums), Giles Ashley (lead guitar) and Sean Byrne (keyboards) has played well over 100 gigs in its locality and released its first album "Aftermath" in 2017. Haven taken its time to construct a competent followup, the newest release INTO THE SUN has emerged in 2024 with a total of nine tracks that slight exceed the 61-minute mark.

While thrown into the neo-prog camp, SONIC TAPESTRY is one of those melting pot prog bands that actually finds inspiration in various nooks and crannies tucked away in the greater prog universe and beyond. While neo-inspirations are derived from bands like Arena, IQ, Pallas and Marillion, so too are the spacier realms derived with Porcupine Tree, Ozric Tentacles, Pink Floyd and Eloy finding some moments of recognition. Also SONIC TAPESTRY infuses ample doses of harder rock. Rush, Porcupine Tree, Riverside and other heavier prog bands find a bit of contrast to the mostly mellower side of the prog equation on INTO THE SUN. Likewise symphonic prog from Yes, Kansas and Camel weave their way into this tapestry. Sticking to the neo-prog protocol, INTO THE SUN features an overall nebulous concept about being overwhelmed by the state of the world we find ourselves in at the moment in the 21st century and the effects of over-stimulation in the information age.

While the album starts off with the Eloy sounding keyboard introductory track "Aurora Awakens," the album takes off with the 11-minute plus "New Beginning" which reveals the band's proclivities for reaching outside of the world of neo-prog for more electronic based textures from Steven Wilson or Porcupine Tree but soon finds itself wending and winding through various motifs and genre changes with folky strummed guitar ceding into a heavier distorted rock drive. Likewise the vocals also sound a bit Wilson influenced although rather distinct however Steve Forster doesn't quite have the distinct vox box of Mr Wilson and has a rather middle of the road vocal style without a very dynamic range which deflates the musical performances significantly however he plays a mean Tullish flute throughout the album's run. The album features synth-rich layers of atmosphere as well as orchestral tidbits. The neo-prog characteristics are fairly diminished and even Giles Ashley's guitar soloing evokes a bit of the Steve Hackett sweeps but also offers more bluesy approaches.

The production is really good with the recording and mixing done by keyboardist Sean Byrne with all the instrumentation sounding extremely well recorded and each sparkling with the proper tones and timbres. Overall SONIC TAPESTRY delivers a competent slab of neo / symphonic prog however the band seems to be lacking that extra something that really makes this album sound dynamic. My biggest complaint is the mediocrity in the vocal department as a more animated singer would do wonders. One of the biggest mistakes so many prog bands make is focusing on excellent instrumentation but skimping on the vocals which always makes the album sound lopsided to my ears. Likewise the compositions are elegantly designed but nothing here really sticks out as memorable either. It's not that the band's sound is generic but rather it sounds like its a watered down version of too many ingredients that didn't gel together completely during the alchemic process. A good modern prog release but not a great one either.

Here is finally the worthy successor to the magnificent 'A Day at the Beach' of 2020. Airbag is back in 5 tracks and 46 minutes with the album 'The Century of the Self'. The Norwegian group further asserts its personality with this album by offering music that appears simple but in which treasures of details are nestled. The style is rather spacey and "Floyd-ian", but it would be simplistic to extract only this component. To give an image, I will compare the group to a kind of sculptor: starting from a very basic raw material (in this case it can be a riff of two notes or three simple chords), the musicians will little by little shape a work by adding a multitude of details for which each sound, each note, each rhythm is perfectly thought out and worked. Of course, appreciating the full dimension of the work will require several listenings in order to become familiar with the structures and appreciate every nook and cranny.

Opening track "Dysphoria" is a perfect example of the band's method for creating an impressive build-up. The basic foundation is made up of a guitar riff of only 3-4 notes, then the drum entry makes us realize that this riff was in fact played off-beat. Well seen. It's very airy, the development really takes its time via the addition of discreet layers of keyboards, then the entry of Asle Tostrup 's vocals , so characteristic, gives a false impression of fragility. The whole thing is completed by some sharp chords from Bjørn Riis' guitar , and the first bass notes only appear after 2'40, giving a new groove to the track. The music gains in thickness until the bridge marked by a bass sound as fat as a duck liver overfed with grain, and a drum rhythm which at a certain moment evokes "Sabotage" of the Beastie boys . At the end of the piece it is again the bass, whose sound has become perfectly round again, which gives a new direction to the title by making it brighter and allowing some guitar incisions.

At this stage, a word on the theme of the album: presenting a less than enthusiastic image of our times, the lyrics evoke the influence of technologies on our lifestyles, cancel culture, the rewriting of personal stories and our dependence to this environment. This is perfectly supported by the music of the group which knows how to develop atmospheres that are sometimes worrying, even depressing, or open to reflection.

"Tyrants and Kings" is carried by a more dynamic approach with a slightly more synthetic sound leading to a particularly effective chorus. Once again, we find remarkable sounds on the bridge, opening the door to a second part which is harmonically enriched until the traditional final guitar solo.

The mood of "Awakening" is given by the acoustic guitar, on which we find the known markers of the Airbag style . A little gem of musical refinement, it is also a call to vigilance, particularly on the chorus ( "Wake up and feel again").

The recipe for musical construction is once again applied on "Erase" which begins with an almost single-note bass plan enriched little by little by the different instruments (note the admirable rhythmic placement), all perfectly served by a high-end production range. The chorus unfortunately seems a little weak to me in comparison with the rest of the album, and that's the only small criticism I can make of the whole record.

For once, it is the drums of Henrik Bergan Fossum which opens the last track "Tear it Down" and its 15 minutes of sumptuous development. The vocals are particularly lively, the keyboard sounds are silky as can be, and the increases in intensity on the chorus are perfect reminders to maintain the dynamic throughout.

There is a fine line between simplicity and ease. In this little game, Airbag comes out with flying colors by offering with 'The Century of the Self' an album which manages to get to the essential, masking a large volume of work under false obviousness and whose repeated listening only reveals shine.

Review originally posted on www.progcritique.com.

Review Nº 796

Pendragon was formed in 1976, in the small town of Stroud, Gloucestshire, England, by the young enthusiast Nick Barrett and some schoolmates. Initially the band's name was Zeus Pendragon, which would be shortened two years later. The band struggled hard to stand out among hundreds of other bands that formed almost daily in the British Isles. A big force came when the group was invited by another big name, Marillion. The two bands got along so well that Marillion invited Pendragon to open their shows at the London's prestigious Marquee Club. With Marillion's concerts attracting a large number of many new fans, the group began to establish their own identity and audience. Due to that, Pendragon became as one of the biggest names in the neo-prog sub- genre and made a very impressive musical career.

"Love Over Fear" is the eleventh studio album of Pendragon and was released in 2020. The pattern of the last two few Pendragon's albums have been an alternation between an experimental album followed by an album where all the new elements crystallise, and the band reaches a new plateau. But, with this new album, Pendragon breaks the pattern, and is instead a dramatic shift in mood, leaving behind the raw anger of "Pure" and the resigned darkness of "Men Who Climb Mountains". So, this is a true unexpected treat to hear the familiar Pendragon's elements in an uplifting context.

The line up on the album is Nick Barrett (vocals, guitars, Roland V-Piano, Nord Stage 3 piano, mandolin and keyboard programming), Clive Nolan (keyboards), Peter Gee (bass guitar) and Jan-Vincent Velazco (drums and percussion). The album had also the participation of Zoe Devenish (backing vocals and violin) and Julian Baker (saxophone).

"Love Over Fear" has two editions, the standard edition and the limited edition. The standard edition with one CD or two LP's has ten tracks plus two bonus tracks. The limited edition, besides the CD's of the standard edition, has two more CD's, an acoustic CD and an instrumental CD, with the same tracks. My review will be about the standard edition.

So, as I mentioned before, the standard version of "Love Over Fear" has ten tracks. The album opens with the power of "Everything", an in your face a blast of keyboards, guitar, bass and drums. It starts off with a fast beat and a heavily influenced 70's organ, but soon the song moves into its own more familiar territory. "Starfish And The Moon" is a nice captivating song where the focus is on Barrett's vocal performance. This is well combined with the piano and the guitar melodies, in addition to a string support. Everything makes of this a work of extreme smoothness and beauty. "Truth And Lies" is a classic, an intelligently constructed and powerful symphonic track with a compelling guitar solo by Nick. The rhythm section of Gee and Velazco provides the foundations and the Nolan's elegant keyboards the added layers of class. "360 Degrees" is a nice bright and breezy track that sees Pendragon goes with the folk. It's a track full of joy and bonhomie, a pleasant surprise extremely fun and with very high spirits. "Soul And The Sea" has a great atmosphere showcasing the band's talents where the strings and Nolan's keyboards combine effortlessly before the track breaks open with an uplifting guitar riff and a dynamic rhythm section to deliver grandeur and splendour. "Eternal Light" is a great track where once again the band have created a wonderful journey composed of epic components that combine together to deliver something quite wondrous. The inspiring chorus is divine and transcendent living up to the name. "Water" is an insouciant and a laid back track that gradually is building up as a piece with a slightly darker atmosphere, as shown so far. It has its main attraction and another excellent guitar solo. "Whirlwind" is a wistful, contemplative and nostalgic track. It's another piece dedicated to the piano and certainly another surprise for the listener. It has some chords with great influence of jazz, especially due to an excellent saxophone work. "Who Really Are We?" has a little bit of everything the band does. It's the only moment on the album that we can say is a nod to their most recent heavy albums. A song that epitomises what a truly dynamic progressive rock track should be all about. "Afraid Of Everything" closes the album in a thoughtful and slightly melancholic mood with an achingly beautiful anthemic repeated theme. It finishes with a delightful, thought provoking instrumental section. This is an extremely beautiful and emotional ending.

Conclusion: "Love Over Fear" is great Pendragon's work. Not only are there no fillers among the ten tracks, but each song succeeds confidently and supports the flow of the whole. The diversity in songwriting keeps the listening experience fresh. While we can see references of previous albums it's also full of new and pleasant surprises, being an album where it's difficult not to get carried away by the positive energy of both in its themes and its tones. Verses, choruses and instrumentals are all rich in melodies. The instrumentation is wonderful and diverse, in addition to having a varied and well-structured dynamic. This is, without any doubt, one of the highest points in the career of one of the biggest bands in the neo-prog scene. I find it hard not to please any fan of the band. This is an album not to be missed.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

The Norwegian trio is back with another quirky slice of musical exuberance, loving all their previous albums, though I must say I was worried about 2023's "Songs of the Future" that just did not float my boat, even after numerous attempts. "Shelter" on the other hand, just might be their finest release yet, a darker and more organic presentation with an obvious concept that ties the songs together.

The sombre mood is evident with the raspy guitars of "A New Home", I actually thought for a second this was Neil Young playing, a clanging introduction that abruptly transitions into a dreamy and soporific vocal section, tingling piano and a light yet bluesy lead guitar outbreak before diving back into a fretboard sandstorm with arid intonations, evoking some faraway shelter from the savage squalls. Speaking of "Shelter", the concept further evolves into a sullen, almost deferential lament of eerie proportions, with a disillusioned voice flush with a sense of isolation and surrender. The melody is highly cinematographic, increasingly gloomy with a repetitive melody that heightens into a bombastic epiphany of sound and fury.

Change of pace on the initially bucolic and wistful "Roots Go Deeply", a descent into a reckless blend of tender and stark riffs, the electric guitars engaging in bitter tones, best expressed by a blitzkrieg solo that slithers onwards like a resolute viper looking for prey. A serene orchestration further confounds the listener with an unexpected flute outburst, and the piece veers into the earth from where it perhaps once appeared. Proving the concept point, the vaporous "In You" reignites the shelter theme, a decidedly melancholic vocal, forlorn drum beat in the background and an echoing 6 stringed axe swirl. The fog dissipates, swept away by a blast of coarse grooves, the distant 'guiding light' choir-like vocals plaintive and desperate. Excellent continuance.

The grand piano is in the spotlight, expressing the fluid expression of a "Waterfall", vivid guitar pearls flowing majestically into the bubbling pool below, observant birds chirping at the spectacle. Perhaps the ideal set-up for the highlight track here, the incredibly attractive "Sticks and Stones", a noticeably Floydian organ leading the way, crowned by sorrowful vocal melody that spellbinds from the outset, both cosmic and convincing, sliced by a swooning Gilmourian phrasing straight out of that classic canon. This is one hell of a track?" leaving the darkness, beeee-hind"!

A lighter moment comes with "Radio", a simple, sunshiny ballad that looks back at a time when radio was the main source of information, musically or otherwise, that was made available to the multitudes, before the arrival of television. The vocal has a vintage Roxy Music feel, elegant, unhurried and pensive, dialed in through a fluttering organ and distant drums.

In an utterly astonishing twist, the final two tracks offer a dozen minutes of Tim Bowness, a distinctive voice that is immediately recognizable. "The Flood" is the longest track here, zeroing in on 8 minutes of cleverly constructed music, peaks and valleys of shifting atmospheres, from death-defying guitar and bass cliffs, stop-on-a-dime breaks, to ambient soundscapes that shimmer in hazy silence, Tim's hushed voice enters at the mid-way point, piano used as sonic muscle and also features a magnificent trumpet solo from Terje Johannessen to elevate the mood into the wild blue yonder. As a most welcome bonus track not featured on the LP, "Memories" is a fitting finale, with Bowness once again most convincing on the microphone, a more concise reprise of the previous number, with a focus on the vocal and the piano, both presented in a more naked environment.

A rewarding listen that will surely please the more romantically tinged prog heads out there.

4.5 asylums

One of the lesser appreciated neo-prog bands in the scheme of things, the Hamburg based German SYLVAN started cranking out uniquely designed albums since its debut "Deliverance" in 1998 although it took many years to get to that point. After losing its bassist Patrick Münster, SYLVAN returned two years later with Lars Koster on bass as well as the saxophonist Soren Grimme. ENCOUNTERS was released in 2000 and found SYLVAN upping its game in a number of ways. While the debut was excellent in its own right, this sophomore release found the band expanding its sound and confidence level to a more sophisticated approach with tighter song structures and increasing complexities. It features a typical neo-prog trait of a nebulous concept, this time about a journey to ENCOUNTERS that will change the world. Well ok now!

While broken up into 12 tracks, ENCOUNTERS basically features two distinct tracks followed by the ten suite title track that swallows up 40 minutes of the album's near 54-minute run. Continuing its primary focus on catchy neo-prog melodies, SYLVAN focuses on more guitar, bass and drum based compositions without all those heady layers of atmospheric keyboards however the keys are without a doubt a vital part to the band's sound. "No Way Out" starts the album and worthy of being released as a single although the band never went that route. Catchy and bouncy, it's more of a typical symphonic rock song with the typical verse / chorus structure and predictable developments however it's chock filled with energetic drive and is a great way to get the juices flowing as you're introduced to the band's second offering.

Next up, "Essence Of Life" provides a transitional approach that is overtly more proggy yet retains some of the immediacy of the opener. At eight minutes plus it's definitely one that delves more into the neo-prog sound with emotive guitar sweeps and keyboard based moments of placidity. The song also showcases SYLVAN's mastery of dynamics with faster motifs trading off with the slower more contemplative moments. It also revs up the prog aspects in the songwriting territory but still has those staccato guitar stomp sort of catchy choruses that give it a slightly commercial feel. Like the debut album ENCOUNTERS benefited from an excellent production job with lots of nuances to tones, timbres and electronic effects that are delivered below the surface. This one has more atmosphere as well and pretty much sets the stage for the ten suite title track that follows.

The real treat of the album is without a doubt the 40-minute title track broken into ten distinct suites. This is where SYLVAN really comes of age and showcases its ability to craft super complex compositions that wend and wind and yet cohesively construct a larger theme. Displaying influences from Marillion, IQ, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Eloy and others, the band offers a bit of metal light with feistier guitar moments and keeps the individual suites on the shorter side and distinct. While "Overture" displays a multitude of sounds, "About To Leave" opens with a trippy spaced out keyboard sequence out of the Eloy playbook. "Your Source" is the ballad that mixes a jazzy sax with a rather AOR sounding rock style and my least favorite part of the album. Exercising their skillful use of dynamics though, the guitar crunch fueled instrumental "Tremendously Different" offers some nice proggy workouts on the keys with some more demanding moments of technical wizardry.

"Long Ago" is basically a piano based warm up that adds some guitar crunch before ceding into the funky "All Of It" which sounds more like a progressive metal band like Dream Theater than neo-prog. "Presentments" jumps back into neo-prog territory with lots of keyboard parts, passionately delivered vocals in the IQ or Pendragon style and cedes to the similar sounding "Would You Feel Better" only with variations in keys and bass more abundantly displayed. "In Vain" operates with an acoustic guitar intro before breaking into rock and then offers an abrupt jazzy saxophone performance. The title track part of the title track suite ends nicely with a Dream Theater flavor in the vocal department and a neo-prog grand finale sort of coming down vibe.

Perhaps a bit overweening at times but ENCOUNTERS is a decent slice of high quality neo-prog without enough diverse elements and a competent dabbling of prog to be worthy of an ENCOUNTER. Marco Glühmann doesn't display any trace of a German accent and rest of the band flawlessly executes its British and American influences while whipping them into a style all their own. Kay Söhl's guitar work is above average in a neo-prog context adding tastefully delivered solos and traces of metal without losing that connection to the world of Steve Hackett's influence. Likewise Volker Söhl finds exciting ways to keep the keyboard and piano runs from falling into staleness. Perhaps the drumming of Matthias Harder could be, well harder! While not a perfect album and it does feel a little lopsided with a commercial sounding opener that slowly ratchets up the prog until a 40-minute sprawler but overall this is a brilliant delivery of extremely competent prog.

One of the legions of neo-prog bands that has sprung up in the 1990s and 2000s in Poland, GRENDEL was formed in 2002 in the small city of Białograd in the northwestern part of the nation by guitarist and singer Sebastian Kowgier, keyboardist Ula Swider, bassist Czarek Swider and drummer Wojciech Bilinski. Unlike many of its Polish contemporaries, GRENDEL had a short shelf-life and only released a single album in 2008 titled THE HELPLESS. Whether the band is on a very extended hiatus or simply an undeclared defunct entity is a mystery but one thing is for sure and that is the fact that this quartet delivered an interesting intricately designed album of neo-prog music.

Named after the hideous monster from the epic poem Beowulf, this GRENDEL (as opposed to the gazillion other bands of the same name) delivered music that is the antithesis of a hideous antagonist bent on chaos and destruction. Au contraire, on THE HELPLESS we are treated to eight beautifully designed tracks that display the best of what neo-prog has to offer, that being carefully crafted and instantly connecting melodies, warm passionate performances by competent musicians and a singer who can evoke an emotive connection to the lyrical contents at hand. Add to that the adherence to tradition with elegant guitar sweeps and layers of keyboard atmospherics and you are in for a real treat. While hardly on par with the bigwigs of the genre, GRENDEL nevertheless held its own for a band that emerged from such a remote region fo the globe. Somewhat of a concept album, THE HELPLESS deals with humanity's lifelong struggles with shortcomings and frailties.

While on the surface just another neo-prog by the numbers type of band, GRENDEL distinguishes itself through the subtle differences that not only share connections to the softer varieties of Polish neo-prog such as Collage, Satellite, Quidam or Millennium but also offers the touches of Pink Floydian space rock, the ambient metallic sensibilities of Riverside and the more electronically infused space rock antics of Porcupine Tree. Lead singer Sebastian Kowgier delivers compelling vocal performances getting him compared to Riverside's Mariusz Duda with a soft tenderness approach that blends well with the dreamy placidity that GRENDEL conjures up with its soft breezy easy-going style of neo-prog. As the band's guitarist Kowgier also delivers some spectacular guitar performances with expansive sweeps and the occasional harder-edged tastes of soft metal.

While i would hardly call GRENDEL an innovative band in any particular way, i do have to say that these guys did an excellent job of infusing their easy listening style of neo-prog with extremely compelling pop hooks that find the perfect instrumental expressions. Starting with the instantly endearing "Signal" and consistently following through all the way to the ending 12-minute closer "Illusions," GRENDEL mastered the art of balancing the beautifully enigmatic atmospheric aspects with the perfect mix of bass grooves, guitar majesty and restrained percussive drive but most of all what animates THE HELPLESS most of all is surely the vocal nuances of Sebastian Kowgier who really does have the perfect velvety vocal style for the world of neo-prog and similarly styled mellow prog styles.

While the album skirts on without many surprises, the more upbeat "Full Of Pride" features some interesting unique contrapuntal piano runs and a bit of crunchy guitar heft. Overall i'm surprised how much i love this album. While more reserved than much neo-prog, somehow GRENDEL crafted the perfect hybrid effect of bands like Riverside and Quidam with a touch of Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree and other neo-prog greats seeping into the mix. While the band surely would've developed a more creative approach had it continued to release albums, i still find THE HELPLESS to be an instantly addictive and utterly captivating neo-prog release as the delicacy of the mix walks the fine line between so many elements that could easily derail the overall effect. One of those rare albums that is saved by the perfect chemistry of the band members and an excellent detail in the production department.

One of the quintessential prog revivalists of the early British neo-prog scene, TWELFTH NIGHT formed as far back as 1978 predating pretty much every other band that would rekindle the Genesis inspired symphonic prog that was only beginning to falter and fade away to the banishment of the underground during the 1980s. The band released a series of demos and singles throughout the late 70s and early 80s and although it's a murky distinction between what an official album is and what constitutes a mere demo, it seems the consensus is that the band's first album isn't it's more famous "Fact And Fiction" but rather this 1982 cassette-only release SMILING AT GRIEF. Amazing how prog acts had to claw their way back up out of the gutter with the same DIY ethos that propelled punk, metal and other outsider musical experiments to the forefront of the music industry.

While not nearly as famous as its UK counterparts Marillion, IQ and Arena, TWELFTH NIGHT was fundamental in summoning the world of progressive rock out of its forced exile and while bands like Yes, Genesis and Jethro Tull were crafting catchy pop music to cash in on the 80s trend of simpler music, TWELFTH NIGHT actually started out that way with a unique blend of early neo-prog, art rock and new wave however this band was overtly less commercial with the catchy pop influences kept in check by emphasizing more complex elements that made this album more prog than not however no doubt about it, TWELFTH NIGHT established neo-prog as one of the most pop influenced subgenres in the greater prog paradigm. Originally a self-released cassette album with nine tracks, the album has been reissued many times with the latest Steven Wilson remastering job having emerged as recently as 2022 to great effect with 13 bonus tracks. The album also featured two tracks: "Creepshow" and "This City" which were reworked and included on the "Fact Or Fiction" album.

This so-called demo turned official album is woefully overlooked in favor of what many actually consider to be the debut album, "Fact And Fiction" and that's really too bad because it's chock filled with excellent compositions accompanied by passionate performances and tight instrumental interplay. It was the first album to find Geoff Mann return as vocalist after a short stint as an all-instrumental band that found a surprisingly receptive audience once the "Live At The Target" album was released in 1981. Although the original release featured a really good production job considering it was a mere demo, the Steven Wilson remasters boost it up to top notch album status with respect to the album's original mood and feel without overdoing it. What's cool about these early TWELFTH NIGHT releases is it makes more sense how neo-prog developed through the 80s and how it incorporated aspects of post-punk, new wave and other more popular musical genres into a more sophisticated tapestry that crafted more demanding compositions.

SMILING AT GRIEF is an interesting mix of early neo-prog and 80s new wave with some tracks such as the opening "East Of Eden" and "Three Dancers" showcasing a bouncy more accessible approach that sound more like Ultravox than Marillion, however the album also features a few proggy excursions such as on "Creep Show," "This City" and the closing "Fur Helene Part II" which somehow mixes the new wave grooviness with proggy diversions from the bouncy bass bounce. The rest of the album also skirts the fine line between new wave and prog only in more subtle ways. It's all performed quite brilliantly and as an accessible catchy pop hook album, it's quite effective in crafting instant ear worms while the more complex elements are tastefully teased out of various passages where they fit in perfectly. Overall visiting this album is like going to the fusion factory to see how neo-prog was being engineered and perfected at its early stages, a sound that would propel Marillion, IQ and Pallas into the limelight and ultimately rekindle the entire prog revival scene that would really take off in the 90s. Many may cringe at the new wave aspects but i love new wave so it works for me!

One of the many 90s neo-prog bands that caught the bug in the wake of the British 80s prog revival propelled by Marilion, IQ, Pallas and Twelfth Night amongst others, the Dutch LIKE WENDY was basically the brainchild of guitarist / vocalist / keyboardist Bert Heinen who frequented the pubs with his mates. While he and his friends all aspired to play in a band all but Bert Heinen kept it as a mere fantasy. Heinen's passion was fiery enough to carry through and after a few years of forging an arsenal of material and technical skills started LIKE WENDY and has been active in the neo-prog scene ever since. While the 'band' has been a duo since 2005, basically the early albums are a one-man act with a few guest musicians popping in to add some extra touches.

Such is the case with this debut THE STORM INSIDE that was released in 1998 with Heinen covering guitars, vocals and keyboards with someone simply named Marien adding drums and extra keyboards. LIKE WENDY basically followed in the footsteps of the English neo-prog scene with all the typical neo-prog traits that were all the rage in the 90s with bands like IQ, Arena, Pendragon, Fish, Jadis and Citizen Cain. That being dreamy melodic passages that feature mid-tempo rock with a grooving bass line, guitar sweeps and layers of atmospheric as well as virtuosic keyboard runs. Add to that the passionate vocal delivery that brings and 80s Marillion vibe to the mix. This album was long for a debut as it featured eight tracks that sailed on for 65 minutes.

Although the Netherlands found bands jumping on the neo-prog bandwagon right from the start, most of them released an album or two and fizzled out quickly becoming mere footnotes in history however even by the 90s this nation still wasn't a huge neo-prog hold out and although a few bands like Flamborough Head and Egdon were dabbling in similar terrain. LIKE WENDY though was one of the few to emerge in the 90s and remain relevant throughout the 2000s but never reached the heights of the top dogs of the British and Polish scenes. Basically this debut skirts on going through the neo-prog by the numbers routine without adding anything significantly different to the craft. While the 90s was a bit of playing catch up for many bands it wasn't until the 2000s when the genre really started to explode into myriad directions.

Overall THE STORM INSIDE is fairly impressive for a single guy to create simply fueled by his love of the neo-prog genre and everything is performed quite elegantly and sounds like a classic neo-prog album in every aspect including Heinen's vocal style however the album also feels very generic and simply copying what's already been done without developing a distinct LIKE WENDY style that set the act apart from the multitude of other neo-proggers getting in on the act at this point. There were so many crafty creative bands at this point in the genre that the bar had already been raised a few notches. This is a perfectly listenable album with every box checked off with grace however it doesn't provide much that latches on and takes a hold of ya either. Nice beginning and LIKE WENDY would evolve as time elapsed but this debut is the perfect representative of a merely good album without being great. Add to that the album is way too long for what it has to offer.

This expansive boxed set from Esoteric brings together on CD freshly spruced-up presentations of essentially everything that Palllas put out during the 1980s. The title is a bit of a misnomer - nothing on this box was recorded after 1985, the Wedge album having been held up for a while and then released with a total lack of publicity. (The included booklet has a hilarious anecdote about how the band appeared at an HMV store to promote the album - the chain being owned by EMI at the time - only for interested customers to discover that they didn't have it in stock, prompting them to go to the rival Virgin Megastore to buy it!) It's also worth noting that this doesn't include the band's absolutely earliest recorded work, the Pallas EP from the late 1970s - but the band have essentially disowned it.

Still, this is arguably Pallas at the moment they made their biggest cultural splash - a moment in the sun which they'd hoped would lead to the sort of success enjoyed by Marillion, their sometimes-rivals sometimes-comrades in the early days, but which was squandered, leading to a long hiatus until 1998's Beat the Drum. First up is their self-released live album Arrive Alive - finally issued on CD in its original running order, with none of the live tracks swapped out for studio demos! (The Arrive Alive single, the source of some of said demos, is appended as bonus tracks.) Having heard prior CD reissues of Arrive Alive, I can say that the album sounds better than it ever has - the original masters having, astonishingly, been unearthed after all this time to give the album a much-needed spring cleaning.

Naturally, you also get The Sentinel in here - in fact, two versions of it, one with the original UK mix and one with the updated mix released in the US. Both discs follow the original running order, with the UK mix disc including all of the Atlantis-related tracks cut from the original album and relegated to B-sides (along with Crown of Thorns, a lynchpin of early live shows) - presumably different mixes for the US were never prepared for those cuts.

The decision to restore the old running order takes a little fiddling if you want to listen to the Atlantis Suite in a rough approximation of its intended order, but playlists and programmable CD players make that easy these days, right? For my money, I find the most satisfactory order being starting off with the poppier, self-contained numbers (Shock Treatment, Cut and Run, and Eyes In the Night), moving on to Crown of Thorns as a palette-cleanser to ease into the proggier tracks, and then an Atlantis Suite running order of Rise and Fall, East West, March On Atlantis, Heart Attack, Atlantis, and Ark of Infinity.

Much fun and good-natured debate will surely be had as other listeners tweak their running orders - and bicker over which of the US and UK mixes they prefer - the band prefer the punchier US mix, but I actually like the gentler UK one somewhat better. With the box providing you all of the Sentinel-era studio recordings (with alternate mixes where those exist), it gives you everything you need to come to your own conclusions.

The band's first Alan Reed-fronted album - the aforementioned Wedge - is included, and as bonus tracks you also get the Knightmoves EP, including two demo tracks (Mad Machine and A Stitch In Time) released as a 7" bonus single with the original release of Knightmoves. On top of that, the included Blu-Ray offers both original singer Euan Lowson and Alan in action - Alan gets the lion's share of it in the form of the Live From London performance (originally broadcast on the same TV show which recorded memorable gigs by Twelfth Night and IQ), whilst the Eyes In the Night music video captures Euan mere months before he'd be cut from the band.

Both the Euan-fronted and Alan-fronted versions of the band have more to offer here, however! The "At the BBC and More" disc includes the Paris Is Burning single and B-side (The Hammer Falls) from early 1983, the band's triumphant 1983 set at the Reading Festival (from right before they jetted off to record The Sentinel with Eddy Offord), and a BBC session from early 1984 to promote The Sentinel. Taken all together, this offers an alternate spin on the band as they existed at the time of The Sentinel, with familiar material often given a punchier spin than attained on The Sentinel itself (in either mix).

On the Alan Reed side of the coin, the final CD here is a live show from Ritzy's in Aberdeen in late 1985 - chronologically it's the last material in this boxed set to be recorded, and it finds the band continuing the process they'd begun on Knightmoves and The Wedge of reconciling their commercially-inclined side (always a factor, as the Arrive Alive single demonstrates) and their proggier instincts. It's decent, and a nice chance to hear live cuts from The Wedge from shortly after the album was recorded... but maybe I detect a touch of weariness in the performance.

I could be wrong - maybe I'm just being influenced by knowing what was to come for the band. But it's hard not to listen to the band trying their best in a comparatively small venue here and not be reminded that, simultaneously, Marillion were conquering he world with Misplaced Childhood. Pallas had the next-best run with the major labels after Marillion of any of the early neo-prog bands; remember that it only took one major label release to derail Twelfth Night, Pendragon and IQ were only ever signed to arm's-length satellite labels with distribution deals rather than signing to a major label proper, and Solstice flat-out ignored the mainstream music industry altogether.

And yet where Marillion had thrived, Pallas floundered. This boxed set aptly demonstrates that this was not due to inherent shortcomings in their music as such - they might have never put out a true five-star classic in the 1980s, but there's potential here which, nourished sympathetically, could have flowered into something wonderful.

Pallas' major label debut displayed a stark gulf between the more commercial-leaning tracks and their more prog-leaning pieces. With Euan Lowson out as frontman, Alan Reed installed in his place, and the band on borrowed time, The Wedge finds them trying to more smoothly blend the two approaches. Their commercial side seems to have the edge - and Alan Reed is able to switch from the prog turf of Abel Ganz, his former band, to the more arena rock sound of this album fairly deftly. You can absolutely imagine this incarnation of Pallas opening for Asia, and whether or not that's a good thing overall depends on your tolerance for Asia.

The running order puts the more poppy efforts like Dance Through the Fire and single release Throwing Stones At the Wind at the start, leading to slower and slightly more prog-inflected material bringing up the rear - an approach take on on some latter-day CD rereleases of The Sentinel, come to think of it. I can understand why prog purists might turn off the album after the first few songs - and those who exert patience might find that the album is too light on complexity and intricacy to win them over by the time the gentle closing track Just a Memory fades out. What it lacks in those categories, however, it makes up for in a sort of mid-1980s atmosphere which some (like me) may find cool and appealing, but others will find it doesn't emotionally connect with them.

On balance, I quite like it, but I can see why it was perhaps time to go on hiatus for a bit and reconvene with new purpose later on.