PEPPER'S GHOST

Lots of ghosts and no pepper this time for the Arena. The great ideas shown in the preceding "Contagion" only peep round the door in this work of the Marillion clone group. It is clear that one more time the sound is widely inspired by Genesis at the first and Marillion subsequently. Nevertheless, while in "Contagion" the same inspirations were at the basis of an album rich with "good vibrations", due also to the well inspired Rob Swoden, "Pepper's Ghost " is flat, without a shock, a little boring. Though the cover is inspired by "tales of Mystery and Imagination" by Edgar Allan Poe, what we miss in this work is truly the imagination, seeing that the group emulates the great bands of the past (the ghosts.), adding here and there only a little spice (pepper!...). The only two tracks which can save the album are: Purgatory Road, where Mitchell starts with a great crying Blackmoreish guitar, and suddenly Nolan breaks with his keyboards solo. There is no doubt that the echoes of first Genesis and Marillion Fish-era are in the air; Opera Fanatica, the real epic track of this album, where the five musicians reach high intensity and great feeling, with choirs and guitars and keyboards alternating, bringing us with satisfaction to the end of the album. What else? The rhythmic section, as ever in Arena, suffers from the presence of a drummer poor in expression, fills variety and bass drum technique. Three stars for affection.