SHADOW GALLERY

Not terrible, not very bad, but a rather mediocre effort, especially when compared to the bands later material, which sees them do incredible things with the same stylistic touches they utilize here. There are several things that just don't cut it on this disc.

The guys were young at the time, and it shows in their playing. Brendt Allman seems obsessed with playing flurries of notes that are barely discernible beneath the distortion. Chris Ingles' playing is rather pedestrian. Carl Cadden James is mostly concerned with being a steady timekeeper, but unfortunately takes the time to churn out some pretty bad bass solos along the way. Mike Baker is the best of the lot, and gives an emotional performance, even if his voice isn't for everyone.

Soundwise, it's horrible. Dated drum-machine, cheesy DX7 keyboard sounds, atrocious bass and guitar. The mix is unsteady and lacks clarity. The band itself admits to the sub-par sound quality, and points to that it was originally intended as a demo. Magna Carta went ahead and released it anyway, to cash in on the popularity of Dream Theater at the time. Composition-wise it's a mixture of cheesiness and latent brilliance. Dance of Fools is a good song, as is Queen of the City of Ice. Considering the 80's context these were written in, they aren't bad at all. I'd not recommend this record, but it's a vital listen for fans!