SYMPHINITY

It's amazing how many 70s albums get compared unfavourably with Yes. Both Sebastian Hardie, this band's forerunner, and Windchase fall victim to this. Essentially the same group with the same sound, Hardie/ Windchase were a very melodic group of Aussies led by guitarist Mario Millo and keyboardist Toivo Pilt. The music is classy, showing just as much of a Pink Floyd influence, certainly in the guitar playing and some of the slower passages. There is much less emphasis on guitar and keyboard virtuosity, which is a good thing. Guitar and keyboard parts are allowed to breathe without packing the notes in. The vocals are very strong, perhaps Jon Anderson-y, but certainly not a blatant hijacking of styles like the vocals on Starcastle and Druid albums. The pieces vary from sweeping ballads to jaunty tunes, all with a nice airy, positive feel to them. Not a spectacular album, but a very pleasing symphonic rock experience, and one of the better symph albums from the late 70s, along with Sebastian Hardie's Four Moments.