THE SENTINEL

For the Lowson years, "The Sentinel" was the definitive reference of what Pallas stood for as part of the British 80s new wave of prog rock. Unlike most of Pallas' companions, their basic sound didn't receive a massive influence from Genesis and Camel, but from late 70s Rush, "Drama"-era Yes and "Animals"- era PF, plus some hard rock undertones inherited from Deep Purple as well as standard AOR, and some new-wave infections, too. You can tell from the prevalent keyboard inputs provided by Ronnie Brown and the featured bass interventions by Graeme Murray that there is more influence from Wakeman and Squire/Geddy Lee in Pallas' global style than the "mandatory" Hackett-Banks element; there are also some Lifeson leanings in a host of Matthewsons' leads. A concept-album about Atlantis regarding the dangers of war and the need for a new worldwide pacifist conscience (remember that this was a time when the atom bomb was a permanent concern in society, consciously or subconsciously), "The Sentinel" had its first public appearance as a "castrated" vinyl that even included a remaining track from the "Arrive Alive" years. Yes, it was actually the title track, serving a catchy yet irrelevant opener for the concept to be developed. Now, with the CD edition, we have the concept as it was originally conceived without thinking about vinyl constraints and stuff like that. 'Shock Treatment' kicks off the CD's repertoire with effective catchiness and appealing power, a power that is immediately enhanced with a much proggier sophistication in 'Cut and Run' (a perpetual Pallas staple). 'Arrive Alive (Eyes in the Night)' keeps the punchy momentum, but by now I wish I had some art-rock predominance instead of an insistence on the potential catchiness of neo-prog. So here comes a welcome 'Rise and Fall (Part 1)', harboring artsy structures that bear that typically Rushed-up Yessian sound that Pallas took as a main model. Since I had gotten used to my vinyl edition, I felt and still feel a bit weird about this epic being divided in two separate parts, but luckily, the tracks set in between are awesome. There is the majestic power ballad 'East West' (here's a manifesto from a young generation concerned about the atomic menace destroying their lives before their time): a special mention goes to Matthewson's solo, arguably his best in the entire CD. There is also the eerie 'March on Atlantis', which alternates ethereal moods and martial mid-tempo deliveries that stand somewhere between somberness and light. The soliloquy at the end of 'Rise and Fall (Part 2)' culminates the solemnity built up by 'East West' and 'March on Atlantis'. I like the whole suite in itself but. why did the final guitar lead have to be diminished by a fade-out that comes in too soon? Anyway, a good concept, like I said. 'Heart Attack' delivers a perfect, complete set of moods: unjustly underrated after the passing of time, this gem should be recued for the band's live setlists more often. 'Atlantis' and 'Ark of Infinity' fulfill the concept with ideas of human unity and new starts: 'Atlantis' is the most bombastic piece in the album (its melodic development picks up some melodies from 'Cut and Run'), including a pacifist anthem right before the Wagnerian coda; 'Ark of Infinity' is a slow epic with a fast interlude (brilliant bass lines in there - cheers, Graeme!). Perhaps the fact that this track's grandeur is les pronounced than the previous track's coda may shock the listener (especially after you got used to the vinyl's tracklist), but all in all, the sequence feels right, generally speaking. So many years after the first listen and 2-3 years after listening for the last time, I remain convinced that "The Sentinel" deserves its status as a neo-prog classic. Pallas took real advantage of their creative juices back then for this monster concept: in perspective, the old vinyl edition was just an extended sampler.