Progarchives, the progressive rock ultimate discography
Lyrian - The Jester's Quest in the City of Glass CD (album) cover

THE JESTER'S QUEST IN THE CITY OF GLASS

Lyrian

 

Crossover Prog

3.72 | 34 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

tszirmay
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
4 stars Lyrian is a dedicated medieval-prog influenced group that certainly carves their own destination, uncaring of any slight and that bodes very well for another mind-blowing adventure, as presented her on their third album, "The Jester's Quest in the City of Glass". I was very impressed with the band's debut album "Nightingale Hall", as there is a definite Tolkien-esque feel to their music, combining modern electronic keyboards with more medieval structures and inspiration. The eccentric guitar musings are heavily reminiscent of vintage Steve Hackett, what with all those glittering sustained notes played by John Blake, who supplies the narratives and at times, shrill, high-pitched lead vocals that owe more to castle troubadours than anything more modern. Tightly allied with a rhythmic tandem that blends in natural sounds as well as programming, there is a constant clash or interweaving of musical eras, harpsichord one moment and synthesizers the next. Whilst not adorned with the most glittering production or seeking to follow the line to success, these musicians are very intent on creating their own little universe, musical story-telling that was once, long ago, the 'raison d'etre' for the court minstrels, the troubadours and the jongleurs. Old world fantasy blended with new world technology.

"The Jester's Quest in the City of Glass" is functionally narrated, as any epic concept should be, a fictional adventure in a fictional world of fragile existence, generally as a spoken introduction to the tune to come. An opener like "A Million Stars" certainly sets the tone with some rather vibrant sonic extravagances, adorned by liquid synthesizer flurries and slippery electric guitar spells, all bundled up in massive melodic swirls that really hit home. Both following tracks, "Ancient Spirals" and "The Scented Chamber" evoke both a grandiose sense of bombast as well as profound lamentation. It's precisely this contrast between hard and soft, old and new that is so beguiling. The middle section gets a wider, more progressive berth, a series of longer pieces that have been lovingly crafted, such as the daring "Here Lies a Mermaid" with its initial acoustic drama that showcases the band's ability to articulate a fine yarn, excruciatingly delicate , sounding like Gabriel in a non-angry mood! Definitely one of the highlight tracks. The colossal "The Fall of the Cards" infuses a Trespass-era organ that haunts adoringly, Blake's oddball and very English vocals busy recounting the tale, part Ian Anderson, part Fish and a dash of insanity. There is a blaring synth blast that really shakes the ramparts, Blake's voice may take getting used to for the uninitiated but it's the correct, squeaky and baying tone one would expect from some unhinged modern minstrel. The sweeping synth is more Ultravox than, say Emerman /Wakeson but it really drills nicely into the storyline. On the equally epic, nearly 10 minute "Flight of the Enchanter", the keyboard maelstrom gets some serious added cavalry from the glassy guitar, the arrangement veering into multi-voiced melodrama, like a gentler Gentle Giant, quite a daring enterprise. And the voyage meanders further with more epic long tracks like "The Humours of the Grave" (7.56) and its woodwind sounds as well as the lengthiest piece here, the masterful "Mister Silver", clocking in at 10.16, welcoming the jester's arrival into the city with a long Hackett-ish guitar foray, arching far and wide into the skies, adding bombastic keyboard and drum structures in a highly medieval context, a very original style indeed. Adding modern accouterments like vocoder and synthesized snippets makes the whole banquet even more palatable. Lots of rhythmic twists and melodic turns, careening in various directions, the voice remaining strident and slightly demented. Another enjoying highlight, "I Trespass in the Kingdom of the Black Doll" is another acoustic ditty, aided by a haunting mellotron choir egging on a clear melody that woos the ear from the get go. The narration appears midway and it's squarely bizarre, fans of the obscure will adore. The recorder plays a massive role here, front and center, in full armor if you will. Great piece of complex music that sets the bar. "The Ship of Jesters" kills this mad dragon off, a fantasy finale in the making, booming drums from Edgar Wilde (a perfect Brit name, no?) and what sounds like an accordion , could 'the city of glass' be perhaps slightly Paris? The high-pitched plea keeps on giving, a sorrowful lament and a sad beat , waving a magical goodbye and hoping for another future adventure with 'wizards, mermaids and moons'.

Definitely a rebellious and idiosyncratic oddity that should please those fans who tire from any kind of formulaic prog. Some will love, some will hate and many will just enjoy. And so it goes in the City of Glass, everything being so utterly fragile.

4 minstrel treks

tszirmay | 4/5 |

MEMBERS LOGIN ZONE

As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.

You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).

Forum user
Forum password

Share this LYRIAN review

Social review comments () BETA







Review related links

Copyright Prog Archives, All rights reserved. | Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Advertise | RSS + syndications

Other sites in the MAC network: JazzMusicArchives.com — jazz music reviews and archives | MetalMusicArchives.com — metal music reviews and archives

Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.