MUTTERED PROMISES FROM AN AGELESS POND

A very good band from Spain,GALADRIEL were formed in 1985,possibly in Madrid and through several hard rehearsals they recorded their debut ''Muttered promises from an ageless pond'' in four different studios (!!) in 1988.In this album one can detect a large amount of influences and numerous nostalgic moments.They sound mostly like YES with fantastic Squire-like heavy bass lines,many tempo changes,Wakeman-ish classical piano parts,Anderson-like vocal lines (FISH also comes to mind) and a guitarist who must be a great Steve Howe-admirer.There are also plenty of romantic Hackett-ish acoustic guitars and nice synth passages in the vein of GENESIS or even MARILLION.I warn you,GALADRIEL's debut is a great record,but it demands quite a few spins to be trully appreciated.A really strong 3,5 star release!