FOLLOWING GHOSTS

eOK, lets deal with what's already been said: Do Galahad wear their influences on their sleeves? That may be true of their debut release but it's certainly not the case this far down the line. Ff you listen you can no doubt detect similarities with other prog and neo-prog acts but this is not a derivative record. Indeed this is perhaps more progressive that it has been sugested so far as their is a clear attempt to be more diverse by introducing a broader range of sounds. There IS a genuine attempt to experiment that is missing on many contemporary releases. Is it always sucessful? Maybe not! but there is much here that works well. I'm not sure why this band seem to be the perenial whipping boys for many reviewers on this site. Several reviewers have commented on camel and twelfth night influences and imply that this is a poor man's version of those bands. I would suggest that Galahad are not countless neo- prog artists in being influenced by other artists but incorporating those influences in a non- derivative way. This may not be the most original album in the genre but is certainly making more effort to be original than much of the genre. It's ironic that a genre that is supposed to 'progress' rarely does more than reproduce the past. As to the vocals ... I don't hear the similarities to fish, gabriel or hamill.that I've seen mentioned ..... I really don't hear it - the vocal are of a high enough standard - they may not stand out as exceptional ... but they certainly aren't a negative. The musicianship is to a high standard. Is it perfection personified? well no, probably not, but it is of a high standard and certainly shouldn't be attracting undue criticism.

If you're perception of this band is based on their early sound then please listen again - this band is light years ahead of their admittedly dreary earlier material. i challenge you to question the harsh ratings and reviews that this album has received (and remember that the reviews by the 'experts'above count more heavily in the rating system)

There are many, many marginal albums out there - but this really isn't one of them.