Pendragon has always been one of my favourite British prog rock bands mostly due to the amazing, melodic guitar playing by Nick Barrett. In 2008, the band celebrated its 30th anniversary and they released with Pure one of their best albums ever. Pure is heavier, darker and obvious less neo progressive than the other seven studio albums. The five new tracks are all excellent and the David Gilmour-like guitar solos are sometimes ‘not of this world’. The opening track Indigo is sheer magic, classic Pendragon material, but then again at a higher level. Especially the two breathtaking guitar solos prove why the Classic Rock Society chose Nick in 2001 as best guitar player. An up-tempo guitar riff dominates Eraserhead, but the melodies and guitar hooks are typical Pendragon stuff. The long epic Comatose is divided into three parts and filled with rather heavy riffs, strong melodies and the very recognizable voice of Barrett. Freak Show also features a heavy guitar melody, but is also rather different because of the bombastic orchestral passages. The last song It’s Only Me, takes a while before it really comes to life but it ends with a glorious gooseflesh guitar solo. If you like melodic prog metal, then you need to have Pure. Sheer magic. ***** Martien Koolen (edited by Peter Willemsen) Where to buy? |
