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THE CROSS AND THE CRUCIBLE
Tracklist: The Big Bang; The Cross and the Crucible; For the Greater Glory; Who's to Blame; The Blinding Darkness; Towers of Babble; Generations; Midas Touch; Celebration.
When Pallas released 'Beat the Drum' in 1999, it was clear that the band's wilderness years were over. Now, with their new album, 'The Cross and The Crucible', they prove that they are still a force to be
reckoned with.
I was worried about whether or not this album would live up to its predecessor, and I confess that on my first run through I thought that perhaps it did not. But this is an album that takes time to grow on you
and - unlike 'BTD' which was a collection of songs, some of which had immediate hooks - with 'TC&TC' you find that with each hearing you notice aspects that were not apparent previously.
Whereas 'Beat the Drum' had combined newly written material with older tracks that had not yet had the chance to see the light of day, 'The Cross and the Crucible' is a brand new work in every sense and sees the band
building on their earlier success. This CD, while not a concept album in the strictest sense, is conceptual with the songs all linked by a common theme as the band "attempt to understand the mystery that
is the human race".
This is a truly ambitious project, and to discuss the possible interpretations of the songs is way beyond the scope of this review. Suffice it to say that during the course of this journey both Religion (the
Cross) and Science (the Crucible) feature prominently but, at the end of the day, it is really down to the listener to decide what conclusions they may wish to draw.
As Alan himself states (in the interview which you can read elsewhere on the site) "It's not a lecture! ... It's not trying to put one argument more than another and different songs take different viewpoints".
Very aptly the starting point for the album is 'The Big Bang' which builds gradually from a very quiet beginning before coming to a stop; this first section has a strangely chaotic feel to it. A second build up
then occurs, this time taking a more structured course over which a short vocal section sets the scene for what is to follow.
The 'Cross and the Crucible' follows on seamlessly without a break. Through the soft opening you gradually become aware of choral effects from the mellotron, adding a strong religious flavour to the track.
As the bass bursts onto the scene the build up becomes even more intense and it's not long before the guitar and drums break in to really inject some life. Continued bursts of mellotron followed by sweeping keyboard work give a sound comparable in many ways to Arena's 'Moviedrome', and the effect is very uplifting. Alan Reed's singing hits the spot as ever and really conveys a sense of passion, and the choral vocal sections interspersed with Graeme Murray's pounding bass line really provides a continuing lift. After a false ending the music starts up again while soaring guitar work and more mellotron bursts power the track to its ultimate climax.
'For the Greater Glory' introduces an almost eastern element to the music, and the powerful rhythm of the percussion strikes a very positive note. Reed's vocals are inspiring and never fail to deliver, and
again the choral effect from the backing vocals is inspiring.
As the track develops the drumming takes on a military precision delivered with an almost tribal quality that creates a central powerhouse for the continuing backing vocals. Suddenly, the pace slows right down and we are treated to some soaring guitar work which is very emotionally charged, leading to the final blaze of glory that ends the track - these two last tracks really show the band at their best, working as a very tightly knit team.
The nature of 'Who's to Blame' is far more laid back, with an acoustic guitar lead in and softer piano style keyboards. The track follows a more traditional verse/chorus structure and has a vaguely retro
quality, and possibly because of its more simplistic approach is probably one of the catchier songs on the album.
'The Blinding Darkness' is another track that begins with a quieter instrumental lead in, followed by hard hitting guitar and percussion. Presentation here is solid but the track holds few suppress and contains
echoes of the 'Beat the Drum' album hidden away in the backdrop. In the latter stages sweeping guitar work soars and glides to good effect and again Reed's vocals come across well.
'Towers of Babble' is another excellent offering which has some superb touches that carry a strongly religious flavour.
The chant like qualities of the backing vocals and the marvellous church organ sound that issues from the keyboards make this one of the outstanding pieces on the album to my mind.
The pace is brought down again with the softer style of 'Generations' which, like 'Who's to Blame', has a more restive feel to it. Vocals and guitar carry this track from start to finish, but bass work cuts in
well to lend some additional texture to the piece.
At just over the eleven minute mark 'Midas Touch' is the longest track on the album, and at the start of the track there is a soft spoken section set against sounds of thunder, but for me this failed to work well as
you will see from my later comments. Once things start to get properly underway however this track really works well, and although the mid section of the track sees to loose the plot a little at times much of
the instrumental work is outstanding.
The final track is 'Celebration' which, as the title would suggest, has a more upbeat flowing rhythm and is a great end piece for the album. The closing section in particular is pure unadulterated Pallas with
rising keyboards and a strong bass line, which suddenly drops away leaving a slightly cheeky sounding pipe organ to play out the last few bars.
So having completed a run through the CD track by track we get to the part of the review I wish I did not have to write. I feel I have to say that while I love the music, sadly it's not all roses with this
album. The one thing that prevents it from being head and shoulders above 'Beat the Drum' is surprisingly the sound levels.
It may be that I received a bad pressing of the CD, but at times the vocals came across very poorly. I should stress this is not a problem with Alan Reed's delivery - far from it - but rather that the vocals come out far too low in the mix and, without the benefit of the lyrics in front of me, I was hard pushed to actually hear what was being sung at times. The errant sound levels were also noticeable on the tracks which start out quietly and build up, 'Midas Touch' in particular, the only option here was to turn the volume up or miss what was going on - and then hope to be able to turn it down again when the power cuts in before the cat had a heart attack or the neighbours complained! This really is not what I expect in terms of quality from a Pallas album and I only hope that I have got a duff CD!
These comments should not lead anyone to think this is a bad album, it's not, and I stress that the previous paragraph is not applicable to the majority of the album! In terms of material this is, without
doubt, the pinnacle of what Pallas have written to date.
As an album 'The Cross and The Crucible' holds together superbly well and carries a depth and sense of conviction that provides a real boost. The lyrics, hopefully, provoke thought without preaching to the listener, and the music has now moved well beyond the traditional neo-prog boundaries and is reaching new levels. Not quite full marks this time around but an excellent album that I heartily recommend.
Simon 23rd June 2001
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THE CROSS AND THE CRUCIBLE Digipack
Over a month has now passed since I originally reviewed Pallas' new album 'TC&TC' and, regardless of some minor niggles that I felt at the time, this album is still on my current play list and it continues to
impress.
When I wrote the main review I had in my possession a promotional copy of the CD which, as is often the case, was supplied in a cardboard slip case without any additional frills.
Now however fortune has smiled, and I know have a brand new copy of the CD in the limited edition digipack version - consequently I feel a minor update is in order.
The 28 page booklet which accompanies the CD is really excellent and creates a powerful first impression.
With the rich golden cover on the outside and deep blues and warm reds inside, the strong use of colour and contrasts is immediately striking. The symbols that adorn the front cover to such good effect also form a central theme that pulls the artwork in the following pages together.
The lyrics for the songs are printed using several different fonts and are easy enough to read, even in the case of 'Who's to Blame' which is printed in white against a backdrop of newspaper cuttings! The
booklet also contains photos of the band members as well as a central spread of studio shots and, while each image is fairly small, the clarity is good and again the overall impression is more than favourable.
Another feature of the digipack version of the CD, not present on the standard pressing, is the inclusion of an extra CD-Rom section. Again the graphic presentation of this section is good and there are options
to watch a video, view a photo gallery or to access the Pallas web site - if you are online.
The photo section contains a number of pictures of the band on stage and they capture the Pallas' light show very well indeed. The video, with a run time of just over eight minutes, on the other hand contains
footage of the band in the studios. The lighting is at times a little on the low side, and although I suspect it's not something that I will replaying frequently it is a nice extra feature to have included.
So five weeks on has my overall impression of the album changed?
Well, I must say that the fact that I can now read the lyrics while listening to the album has gone a long way towards negating the problems I had previously mentioned with regard to sound levels. I think that had I seen the album packaged in this manner it may have had full marks from the outset. Certainly the packaging - which let's face it is an important part of the CD buying experience - has boosted my already high opinion of 'TC&TC'. One thing that has not changed however is that I am still happy to stand by my original comment that this album represents the band's finest work to date.
I understand that stocks of this particular pressing are fast selling out, but you can still find it in some shops. If you have not yet made the purchase I would urge you to do so while the chance is there - this
album is a winner!
Simon 29th July 2001
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THE BLINDING DARKNESS
Tracklisting: The Cross and the Crucible; For the Greater Glory; Who's to Blame; The Executioner/Rat Racing;
Crown of Thorns; Beat the Drum; Blood and Roses; The Blinding Darkness; Tower of Babble; Midas Touch; Celebration!
Encore: The Atlantis Suite (featuring Rise and Fall (Part
1), East West, March on Atlantis, Atlantis); Cut and Run; The Ripper
This is Pallas's first DVD, recorded in The Netherlands in September 2002.
They had a big hand in producing the disc for themselves, hence it's taken a fairly long time to come to market. It is readily available but I purchased my copy from their website.
I must admit that I approached this with trepidation - I have been disappointed with some self-produced DVDs, basically because I felt they have been a bit amateurish - I should have had more faith.
This perfectly captures the majesty and excitement of a Pallas concert.
The set features material from their recent album 'The Cross and the Crucible' with a selection of tracks from earlier albums. You get over two hours of music plus additional features; more of which later.
The band are in the groove from the off with a powerful performance of
'The Cross and the Crucible' which sets up the rest of the concert nicely. Next is 'For the Greater Glory' and this comes off a lot better than on the CD. The lyrics have a lot to say, especially the verses about the horrors of the First World War - unfortunately you can't hear what Alan Reed is singing because the vocals are too low down in the CD mix - this has been rectified here and Reed gives an impassioned performance. The song has plenty of emotional punch and the band really to it justice. The ballad 'Who's to Blame' is next and is pretty faithful to the original.
The set then moves on to a section featuring material from earlier in their career: 'The Executioner' doesn't quite have the same air of mystery as the original, but 'Rat Racing' has plenty of punch,
while 'Crown of Thorns' is the highlight of this part of the show. Niall Matthewson injects a lot of emotion into his performance - no shredding - but a really well played solo which contributes a lot to the
song.
The main set finishes with four more songs from 'The Cross and The Crucible'.
Ronny Brown gets a solo spot during 'The Blinding Darkness' and acquits himself admirably. To my mind 'Celebration' is one of the weaker tracks on the original CD, but in the live setting it comes across with so much more power and is truly uplifting.
Another highlight of the show is the rendition of 'Atlantis Suite'. This, the truncated version which also showcased on the 'Live Our Lives' CD, is much,
much better than the "as originally
intended" version featured on 'The Sentinel' CD. With the live setting, there is much to savour in this twenty three minute track: from the crashing chords at the start, some superb singing from both Alan
Reed and Graeme Murray, emotional guitar playing from Matthewson during the passionate 'East West', through to the majestic ending.
The remainder of the encore features original vocalist Euan Lowson on two songs.
These are darker in tone due in part to Lowson's intense delivery. 'The Ripper' is wonderfully OTT with Lowson donning a white all in one boiler suit and blue mask, very reminiscent of Peter Gabriel in early Genesis. The band hadn't performed the song live after Lowson's departure. It's all wonderfully grotesque and proves a fitting end to a superb performance.
If I had a quibble it's that they play too many songs from the recent CD (7 out of 9 or 7 from 8 if you don't include 'The Big Bang' which wouldn't work in a live setting anyway) and these are all played one after
another, as they appear
on the CD. In my opinion they should have done one less and interspersed them more throughout the show.
The DVDs additional features are a mixed bag, there are two photo galleries, one pre-show the other taken during they show.
These are largely forgettable. 'From the Centaur's Mouth' is much better, it features interviews with all the members where they talk about themselves and the band. This proves quite insightful but a minor complaint here - it's too short. The other item is a piece on Euan Lowson who was coaxed out of retirement to sing on a couple of tracks.
To sum up this is an excellent package, the show is an absolute stormer, the playing is really tight and the instrumental performances are exceptional.
A special mention to Murray who plays a mean bass guitar, punches the bass pedals with gusto and sings to boot.
For anyone who enjoys Pallas music this is a must have purchase.
James Petrie 25th January 2004
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THE DREAMS OF MEN
Tracklist: Bringer of Dreams (9.50); Warriors (7.15); Ghostdancers (7.30); Too Close To The Sun (11.34); Messiah 4.57); Northern Star (4.01); Mr Wolfe (5.48); Invincible (10.45); The Last Angel (11.28)
The latest album from Pallas in my opinion is a masterpiece and ranks highly among their finest work to date. There are two versions available, a double disc with the usual demo pieces and other versions, and of
course the basic album. Since their last release The Cross And The Crucible, Pallas have progressed and created a more heavier sound, but still retaining the quiet instrumental moods and feelings which give the
album a nice edge.
A shade over seventy three minutes containing nine tracks make up this 2005 release, and the opening song Bringer Of Dreams starts off very medieval sounding with strings such as violins, and puts images in your mind
say of Venice in which the cover suggests. Around the 2:40 mark, the piece erupts into the guitar riffs and the choir like keyboard sounds, and Alan Reed's vocals are very noticeable as you would expect, and the
true sound of Pallas takes hold. The track twists and turns, and you can tell from this that a lot of time and thought has gone into this as it is well produced also.
Warriors follows and is in the rock vein sort of sound, but for me Ghostdancers is the albums highlight. Starting with the violin and moving keyboards, and then the slow plod with the chorus and lines such as
'Sailing to America on the ship of dreams' make this a pleasant all round track.
The epic Too Close To The Sun is packed with layers of sounds and moves and flows very well indeed. Niall Mathewson's guitar work is a high point also, with the power riffs and Ronnie Brown's keyboard sounds give
more scope to the opus. Graeme Murray's bass opens Messiah which again is a rock style sort of song with the guitar riffs, but the added Britannia statement in the middle of it gives it another angle. After the
instrumental Northern Star, which again is a moving sort of piece, Mr Wolfe blasts in complete with the church organ sound which in style is similar to The Executioner from The Wedge album, but still houses the high
production sound.
Closing the album are two more epics Invincible and The Last Angel. Invincible starts in the Atlantis style, but then breaks down with the electronic percussion sounds, and as you would expect from a ten minute plus
song, twists and turns, and Graeme puts his vocals in the mix too. The Last Angel is I would say the most produced track on the album, with so much going on music and vocal wise, and a exciting climax to the whole
album.
To sum up, this is a truly great album, one of the bands greatest work, and should gain a lot of respect on the sales front. Album of the year is going to be a difficult choice for sure!
Danny Mayo 27th October 2005
THE DREAMS OF MEN (2nd Review)
Pallas' latest album The Dreams Of Men is somewhat similar in style and content to their previous studio album, The Cross And The Crucible. I think it also raises the bar for Pallas and will come to be regarded as one of the best of their career.
Bringer of Dreams deals with humanity's penchant for worshipping gods and needing their dreams fulfilled. It begins with gentle strings, giving way to some wonderfully fluid guitar work from Niall Mathewson and then the whole band kick in with one hell of a bang. Graeme Murray's bass and Colin Fraser's drums are well to the fore here. Oh, and there are a few cheeky little nods to Rush, with a bit of a Zeppelin feel to it as well. It's an epic but very compelling song, a great start to the album.
Warriors asks the question why do we fight, and what makes people commit unspeakable acts of terror. It has a terrific Steve Howe/Sound Chaser style guitar intro from Niall, and is a reasonably fast-paced rocker with a great chorus and a driving rhythm.
Ghost Dancers is a paean to the Irish immigrants who first came to America, and starts with evocative violin and strings, and fittingly has a distinct Celtic flavour. Alan Reeds superb vocals perfectly capture the sense of wonder and eventual disappointment that those early settlers must have felt. It's one of those songs where I found myself able to imagine myself standing in the middle of a crowded venue at the next live gig singing along with the crowd.
Too Close To The Sun questions whether man should be tampering with nature in his quest for knowledge, and warns that his reach should not exceed his grasp. A bouncy, almost funky bassline carries it along, and Ronnie Brown gets a chance to shine, especially during a wonderful mid-section instrumental. Great vocal harmony work here too, Graeme Murray in particular I have always thought has a particularly fine voice. A fine guitar solo from Niall brings the song to a rousing climax.
Messiah is probably my favourite track on the album so far a stinging attack on false prophets/politicians (or are they one and the same?). It has a great Squire-like, stalking bassline from Graeme, and is sung with real passion by Alan. I love the "Land Of Hope and Glory" section, replete with a heavy dose of irony, and Nialls's Rabin-like guitar work. A terrific number, and the use of female backing singers on the outro is a very nice touch.
Northern Star is a short, gentle but very appealing guitar-driven piece that shows Niall's ability for subtlety. Definitely not just a filler track.
Mr Wolfe is the only track so far I have not quite managed to get to grips with. It deals with faceless, corporate moneymen and just seems to come across as a standard rocker with some predictable, clich้d lyrics. Mind you it does have a wonderfully intricate bassline from Graeme, who also contributes some great vocals. It is a listenable track it just does not seem to stand out very much for me. Perhaps live it will have more impact.
Invincible is very much a high point of the album, and lyrically for me one of the strongest with it's nod to Floyds "Another Brick In the Wall", with even Graham's backing vocals sounding very much like Roger Waters. The lyrics deal with the notion of the dreams a lot of us had when we were young and what we planned to do, only to end up stuck in 9 5 jobs and living a life of boredom and routine. Musically it's superb, one of the best tracks on the album It has an instrumental break in the middle that really rocks, and the interplay between Graeme's bass and Colin's drums is sublime.
Closing track The Last Angel reminds me very much of Gabriel's Biko in the opening section, and has that same sense of melancholy. It tells the tale of an angel lamenting the fate of mankind and what we have become. Alan's vocal on this section is quite simply one of the best things he has ever done; he performs it like it was the song he was born to sing. A magisterial epic in every sense of the word, helped along by Ronnie's pipe-organ sounds and rounded off with the help of some female operatic vocals.
Now, I can see that perhaps some Pallas fans may yearn for the shorter, simpler, rockier tracks of old, and the band are taking a few chances and experimenting here but I think people that have followed and stayed
with the band through to the previous album should really get a kick out of this, because it's simply a logical progression of where the band have been heading up to now. Some fans may have a problem with a few of
the minimalist musical passages in the longer tracks, but it's all about light and shade, contrast you cannot beat people over the head with endless guitar/keyboard solo's, there has to be variation.
I will also say that it sounds absolutely superb a great production job with all instruments and voices sounding crystal clear. And does it rock or what? When bass and drums kick in it really has a hard edge to it
that reminds you of the best of Zeppelin.
I believe it's one of the best if not the best album Pallas have made, and I cannot wait to hear how it sounds live.
John Morley 20th October 2005
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MOMENT TO MOMENT (DVD)
Tracklist:
The Concert:
Warriors; Hide and Seek; Ghostdancers; Cut and Run; Heart Attack; Queen of the Deep; Northern Star; The Last Angel; Invincible; Midas Touch; Fragments of the Sun; Arrive Alive
Bonus Videos:
Tales from the Tour Bus; The Rehearsal Tapes; Interview with Graeme Murray & Alan Reed
LINEUP
Alan Reed - Vocals
Graeme Murray - bass, bass pedals & vocals
Niall Mathewson - guitars
Ronnie Brown - keyboards & vocals
Colin Fraser - drums & vocals
REVIEW
On the night of October 31st 2007, Pallas performed their first ever show in Poland at the Wyspiański Theater in Katowice. This show was one of three recorded that night as part of a series of concert DVDs
released by the Metal Mind label, and it is a superb testimony to the outstanding ability of what is possibly one of the best of the new wave of progressive rock bands to emerge (and survive) from the late 70's
music scene.
The original intention for this show was to present a mix of material old and new which would be split between the band's current front man, Alan Reed, and their former vocalist, Euan Lowson. The reason for
this was in part due to the fact Alan Reed was appearing in the performance of 'She' by Caamora later that same evening.
Sadly at the eleventh hour, events turned against this plan, and Euan was unable to make the show, which left Alan Reed to front the whole affair.
In view of this one might have expected a slightly restrained performance from the man who had some three and half hours on stage ahead of him, but this is Pallas, and Pallas don't do things by halves.
The first two songs, taken from the albums 'The Dreams of Men' and 'Beat the Drum', get things underway in fine fashion and it is very quickly apparent that whole band are throwing all their energy and enthusiasm
into their performance.
'Ghostdancers', again from 'The Dreams of Men', is a truly inspiring piece, which looks back a couple of centuries and tells the story of settlers travelling to forge a new life in America, only to find it already
occupied. This is beautifully played from start to finish and the audience response is duly appreciative.
Next up comes a series of older numbers with 'Cut and Run', from 'the Sentinel', followed by 'Heart Attack' and 'Queen of the Deep', both from the 'Arrive Alive' album, which are guaranteed to please the older
members of the audience (myself, sadly, among them) - as expected they do not disappoint! 'Cut and Run' is a particular favourite of mine - I vividly recall seeing this performed at Reading Festival way back
in 1983, and it still sends a thrill down my spine to hear the band working their way through this number. The combination of the punchy bass line, the excellent keyboard playing and the flowing guitar work
show just one of the many reasons why Pallas have remained so popular over the years.
After hearing music from the early years we jump forward again to three tracks from the last Pallas studio album, 'The Dreams of Men'. The first of these is a beautifully performed instrumental piece played out by
Niall Mathewson (guitars) and Ronnie Brown (keyboards), after which we are back into full band territory once again with performances of 'The Last Angel' and then 'Invincible'.
The latter of these two is an awesome track in it's studio version, but seeing it played as part of a live set manages to give it an extra boost. The lighting effects in particular here are very strong and add considerable atmosphere.
'Midas Touch' is the only track to feature from 'The Cross and The Crucible', but this is fair enough since that album was pretty well covered by the last Pallas DVD, 'The Blinding Darkness' and it would make little
sense to repeat the same material over and over again.
The main set is brought to a close with as perfect a performance of 'Fragments of the Sun', originally featured on 'Beat the Drum', as you could probably hope for.
This is a very dramatic and moody number, with strong undercurrents that just builds and builds to it's wonderful climactic finish, that leaves the audience clamouring for more.
No show would be complete without an encore, and it comes here with a final return to the early years and 'Alive Arrive', a superb choice to finish off with as it gives the chance for the audience to engage with the
band for a sing along, and ultimately delivers a high to finish the evening on.
The concert itself is superbly filmed making very good use of multiple camera angles which do a super job of capturing not just the action from the guys in the band, but also the excellent light show and video
backdrop that are an important feature of the band's stage show. Use of a camera on an extended boom also allows the director to make sweeping shots that dive from the top of the circle right down to stage
level, which helps add atmosphere as well as emphasising the fact this is a live show. The quality of the footage too is really good with crisp sharp images throughout making this show a real pleasure to
watch, again and again.
In addition to the concert, which runs for a good 90 minutes, this disc comes with the usual array of extra features, which make this series of releases great value for money.
There are three bonus film sections consisting of a very interesting interview with bass player Graeme Murray and singer Alan Reed, a documentary titled 'Tales from the Tour Bus' giving an insight into life on the road with the band, and finally the somewhat amusing 'The Rehearsal Tapes'.
As if that were not enough the disk also includes a band biography, discography, photo gallery and for those who like such things desktop images that you can use as wallpaper on your PC.
All in all this disc is hard to fault.
It really does show Pallas at their very best, and it also captures faithfully the events of that evening - a fact I can fully vouch for having been lucky enough to be present. It goes without saying that fans of the band will want to get their hands on this release, but I'd go further and suggest that anyone who regards themselves as a fan of modern progressive rock music should not think twice about adding this one to their collections. Highly recommended!
Simon - May 11th 2008
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