Pallas - XXV

After a hiatus of five years I was asked to return as an editor for the Dutch progressive rock magazine iO Pages. I decided to return back to the music which I hardly listened too for the past years, and see what it would do to me. It was quite a surprise to receive the new album of Pallas as a review copy, since their last studio album was released five years ago.

So let me come straight to the point, I think for a lot of us it will be a strange experience to listen to an album of Pallas, where, for the first time in 25 years, Alan Reed is not the singer. Paul Mackie is the replacement, an Aberdeen local, who does a very good job. His voice sounds pleasant, and somehow the vocal arrangements with Graeme Murray are stronger than during the heydays with Alan Reed. It's a gamble, but it pays back very well. Without a doubt musically the album is as strong as you can expect from Pallas. In eleven songs the band returns to Atlantis, where after the optimistic celebratory ending of The Sentinel had been corrupted by human nature and the Sentinels return to take their experiment to its ultimate completion.

As a Sentinel part II, it is not surprising that instrumental parts link back to The Sentinel. Besides that the rich history of progressive rock can be linked musically to this album. Since their reunion in the late nineties Pallas has worked on to their own sound, which is a great mix of prog, rock, classical and pompous music, in which atmospheric nuances reminds you to certain reference.

XXV is a very strong album, which for sure can be find in a lot of top ten list at the end of this year. And highlights, well okay: starter Falling Down, Crash and Burn, with a strong Spock's beard alike opening, after which the band continue with strong references to The Sentinel, with Dream Theater alike breaks, the beautiful The Violet Sky; the ballad of the album and strong ending song XXV Part 2 - The Unmakers Awake. But honestly this album is pure joy for the ear and a great returner for the Scotch men.