THE POWER AND THE GLORY

The Power and the Glory' is probably Gentle Giant's most complex, and consequently the hardest to get into. Though I believe this album represents the band's sound and style just as well as Octopus.

'Proclamation' starts off promising, but the terribly dissonant vocals near the end really hamper it. Still, this is probably my favorite track from the album.

'So Sincere' is a very avant-garde type track that seems to go all over the place; definitely not my favorite.

'Aspirations' is probably the most poppy song on the album and also the most listenable, though not as complex as the others. I especially like the floating keyboards which give a loose jam feel.

'Playing the Game' is a fun song based on a pretty catchy riff, and is probably the most straightforward song on the album.

'Cogs in Cogs' is another highly regarded song from the band. The song is in a few odd times like 7/8 and 15/8, and changes frequently. But it is fairly catchy considering.

The remaining 'No Gods A Man,' 'The Face' and 'Valedictory' are classic Gentle Giant tunes, and nothing out of the ordinary really happens in either.

While this is not nearly as good as their previous In a Glass House, I would rate it above others like Octopus, due to its insane complexity, but also relative listen ability. Regardless, this is still a difficult album for me to get into, and takes a very special mood for me to enjoy it fully.

5/10