THE NEW CRUSADE

Konchordat received some recognition a couple of years ago when they released their debut, 'English Ghost'. A band that certainly knows what it wants, this dual partnership is intent on letting the now-aging sounds of neo prog live on. Certainly inspired by bands like Pendragon and Marillion, there is a sure audience for Konchordat, but the lack of innovation and cheesy execution results in a fairly mediocre impression from me.

From start to finish, the two main ingredients in Konchordat are the synthesizers, and the vocals of Stuart Martin. The 'neo prog' scene has always been heavy on keyboards, but Konchordat almost entirely centers their sound around them. Adding the melodic aspect to this band's music are the vocals, which perform in a fairly straightforward neo-prog fashion; anthemic, highly theatrical, and brooding. What this results in is a sound that is best described as 'dramatic', but also rather thin, and cheesy. Throughout the course of 'The New Crusade', listeners are barraged by the same passe synth textures, and Martin's nasal voice is not strong enough to leave me wanting more.

The album does begin off on a pleasant note; the epic title track has a tense vibe to it that fits the album and song's title perfectly. There are moments where the arrangement is further fleshed out as well, which is all to the band's credit. The synths sound rather thin still, but times where harmonies are used give Konchordat a somewhat classical feel. For fans of dramatic, very British melodic prog rock, 'The New Crusade' should do well, but as a relative outsider to this sort of music, I am seeing so many bands doing this sound better than Konchordat. There is strength here, and though Martin sounds too much to me like a disciple of Genesis, his vocals should not disappoint the majority of listeners. The music is good, but tame by today's standards, hence a lukewarm rating.

Share this KONCHORDAT review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to Conor Fynes
• Report this review (#572145)
• Buy KONCHORDAT music online with PA partners
• Show all KONCHORDAT MP3/Stream
• Go to KONCHORDAT page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to The New Crusade page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for KONCHORDAT related discussions