CARVED IN STONE

Carved in Stone is one of the most celebrated Shadow Gallery albums, and quite rightly so, since it filled a space that usually signified a certain gasp between the standards of symphonic prog and prog metal: noticeably following the heritage of DT's Images and Words and classic Queensryche, while simultaneously retaking the grandeur of Yes, ELP, The Wall-era Pink Floyd and Kansas, SG delivers an impressive repertoire that shines through its versatility, melodic richness and sonic power. The opener 'Cliffhanger' is an adequate indicator of most of the main features to be displayed in the tracklist: metallic-oriented guitar riffs and leads, epic treatments of keyboard harmonies, complex dynamics, well-ordained mood and tempo shifts, chamber-flavored piano lines, polished vocal and choral deliveries. 'Crystalline Dream' is pure punchy prog metal structured in a reasonable complex pace, and surely one of the most remembered songs from the album. Later on 'Deeper than Life' will go for a similar mood although leaning more on the metallic side of prog metal. Sandwiched between the two are 'Don't Ever Cry, Just Remember' and 'Warcry', two particular pinnacles of SG songwriting. The former is a hauntingly beautiful power ballad full of eerie piano chords, dreamy backgrounds of synth and string arrangements, even a Moody Blues-like flute solo right before the solemn, carefully orchestrated multi-layered guitar lead. The latter brings more of the epic feel that had been so flamboyant in the opener, only this time being more focused: the song includes a good deal of Gothic- inspired textures in the choral arrangements and the final keyboard layers that assume the leading role for the final minute. Simply irresistable these two tracks are. The fact that almost all these songs are linked in a continuum due to the use of brief segues (written and arranged by the never-shy newcomer Gary Wehrkamp) helps the album to go beyond the grandiosity of each individual track and make it grandiose as a whole. 'Celtic Princess' is not a segue, properly, but a deliciously Wakemanesque piano solo at unison with acoustic guitar as a mirrored complement. This makes it a convenient bridge of classicist relaxation between the epic fade-out of 'Warcry' and the in-your-face opening section of 'Deeper than Life'. 'Alaska' is the acoustic ballad, bringing shades of Jon Anderson's bucolic feel, Pink Floyd's calmer side and Genesis' acoustic facet to a song that goes beyond the mere melodic approach of your current acoustic guitar-based ballad. The controlled tasteful piano flourishes, synh layers and the pastoral flute solo serve as great ornaments. 'Ghostship' is the album's ultimate gem, an exciting tour-de-force that finds the band exploring their usual domains of prog metal and symphonic prog, adding psychedelic and space-rock textures in places, plus a majestic piano solo sandwiched between the suite's heavier instrumental section and the solemn last part. The various moods and motifs make perfect sense with the storyline delivered in the lyrics. The album does not end here, but with the last segue (actually, the epilogue), a very symphonic treat full of candid feelings that flow through the track's patently epic structure. My only two complaints are: the sound production doesn't take full advantage of the band's sonic potential; the two members of the rhythm duo don't complement each other 100 %, despite the fact that Soffera is an undisputed terrific drummer (his style would make more sense in a band like Pain of Salvation or Fates Warning than on this bombastic SG). Nevertheless, Carved in Stone is an excellent item in any good symphonic prog collection: it also works as a hint of the maturity incarnated in SG's style, soon to be reinforced in the follow-up album Tyranny.