PILGRIMAGE

Got this album on the advice of a Brazilian prog site review, the cover itself got me hooked in firstly [ magnificent artist ] but the music takes the front seat once listened to with soaring hammond organ and eerie haunting mellotron, very reminicent of early King Crimson / Yes. The vocals are crystal and remind me a little of Dave Gilmour/ John Wetton. backing track production is also very full. The opening track kicks in with a wall of vintage synthesizer sounds and Hammond with melodic twin guitars holding the very very catchy melody, lyrics are a bit surreal but the chorus has the potential of a classic hit, there is also Believe me now which is a bit Asia in content but also a contender for FM radio. Th mainly instrumental Building the perfect universe gives you a trancy intro but soon transforms into a full on ELP organ bash with shades of Genesis and again Gilmour assosiation crops up in the screaming giuitars from Tony Drake. Tony Drake takes lead vocals on the last track which is recorded live and proves the band can addapt thier music very well to the live enviroment, this track too has the haunting early 70s feel given by the ever present Mellotron. All in all a great new sounding band and a must have album for all progressive and classic rock fans !!!!!!, Four stars ****

Mmmh listened to this a few times not and its not too bad but I do not hear anything new or original on this album. Also not too sure where the Dave Gilmour reference comes in on the vocals. I think the lead vocalist is average at best. The songs are in the main not true prog rock but more akin to Asia/Arena and at times Kansas.

Its a nice album but there are better ones on the market like Bigbigtrain's new superb album "Gathering Speed" which I would go for first. Nice first album but material needs to be a bit stronger next time. Oh by the way, like Tony Drake's vocals on the live track - maybe he should take lead next time?

This album might be a rather fine one in AOR or arena rock if released 20 years earlier.In fact it has one quite good track this is "Black Sun" and one really bad commercial and AOR type radio-friendly one that is track #3, the rest is quite mediocre, as well the musicianship. Certainly nice for 1 or 2 spins, but really nothing special and quite okay for a British release in prog nowadays when it's hard to find good ones from there. The heyday of British Prog has definitively gone. Only good for 2 stars!

Quite surprised to see such a low rating for an excellent debut album - it deserves much better.

Despite the strange vocals the muscianship is strong and very competant. The album appears to have a dark side, maelovolent and brooding, though this is no detraction, quite the opposite, it provides an alternate stance the prog genre and actually uses this trait to drive the album forward.

If you ignore the bonus material, what is left is coherent, pleasing and worthwhile.

Very surprised to see this with average under 3 stars. Even I understand that many parts of it are typical AOR (Ghost of Years or Believe Me Now). Better one is first track, Circus Of The Absurd and something like epic composition of Building A Perfect Universe, which stands above them all as the best song here. With addition of exceptional rest of songs here.

This album is really weird, it stars as good prog album, but then continues as almost "Asia" like weak music before reaching last 2/3 of album, which are really great. Well, I suppose it's not problem, so if you can get yourself over first part, I'm sure that

4(-) is proper rating. With one flaw - drums are really terrible.

I have been reviewing some other subgenre albums lately but I started to miss my warm cradle that's called neo prog; so therefore time to return. And what better place to come back with than this (so far) flash-in-the-pan album by Pilgrym: Pilgrimage. By listening to this one I know what I've been missing. Simply a very fine little album with far from groundbreaking material but oh so wonderful !

First two songs bring me immediately in the great mood the band wants to get their audience in. Stunning melodies executed in a terrific way. Well, ok, let's not get carried away too much. Like I said, it's not groundbreaking and it really sounds like what neo sounds like for decades. Also next few tracks sound very harmonic and accessible and I can only conclude this album is a very fine listening for almost an hour. Highlight is the added live song Reborn with some excellent guitar leaving the listener enchanted.

Passages like that once again tempt me to give this album four stars. But after some long contemplation I have to admit that this album isn't really an excellent addition to ANY prog rock collection, just to neo fans. And even I have to conclude I've heard more impressive stuff in this subgenre. So I'll leave it at three but strongly rounded down (3,4). Once again the half star possibility would have been a welcome outcome here !