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Jadis - More Than Meets The Eye CD (album) cover

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

Jadis

 

Neo-Prog

3.85 | 192 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

Jared
4 stars 'More Than Meets The Eye' is Jadis' debut album, and the yardstick against which all successive releases continue to be judged, thus far without success. It would be true to say that the debut offers both the widest variety, musical complexity and technical prowess of any of their studio albums, and as a consequence the best vehicle for Chandler's clean, catchy guitar work, which can alternate with ease between melody and aggressive hard rock riffs. That this is often reminiscent of Steve Hackett, (and for me, at times, Andy Latimer) for many is Jadis' raison d'etre.

For those new to Jadis' work, they give us a richly layered, upbeat and optimistic form of neo-prog, ideal for listening to while driving through country lanes on a summer's day. The compositions are never complicated, but varied enough to be interesting, and are of a consistent strength throughout the album to never sag, or disappoint. While looking at the track listing, it would be difficult to give an adequate description of each, as many of the tracks move through different phases, tempos and styles.

Having said that, 'Wonderful World' is generally a more straightforward rocker, containing more hard-edged power chords, while during the title track, Orford accompanies Chandler's acoustic guitar on flute, lending a pensive atmosphere to the melancholic ballad. It is rare for me to pick out an instrumental as the highlight of an album, however 'Holding Your Breath' is the exception which proves the rule, as from the opening keyboard solo to the twinkly guitar work, this 9 minutes worth of toe tapping pleasure embodies all that is good about Jadis' contribution to the neo-prog scene.

There are of course criticisms of Jadis. Because this is Gary's band, while the bass and keyboards are always highly effective, I feel that neither Orford or Jowitt are ever quite given the free reign to express themselves here, as they are in IQ; both of whom contribute enormously to the intense, sombre atmosphere which is so evidently lacking here. Secondly, the main interest will always be in the musical arrangements, as Chandler neither has the vocal range to amaze, or the lyrical prowess to dazzle, with the heart of tracks often revolving around enigmatic emotional imagery laden lyrics and choruses. These however are minor criticisms of an album, which I would thoroughly recommend to all neo-prog fans, as this is surely one of the cornerstones and principle statements of the genre.

Jared | 4/5 |

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