Galaxy are a Dutch prog/AOR rock band which existed from 1983 till 1997. The album called Runaway Men was already recorded in 1997 but not released until now, 25 years later. It was definitely worth the wait! The eight songs featured on this album are all splendid examples of neo-prog, melodic rock and AOR, in the veins of notorious bands like Giant, Tyketto or Cannata. The track Answers, an excellent neo prog one with beautiful harmonies, opens this album and the sound/vibe is as fresh and vibrant as if the album was recorded just yesterday. Follow up Look Into My Eyes stands out due to the superb keyboards and guitar passages and melodies. Vocalist Bart Schwertmann (now lead singer of Kayak) of course needs no further introduction as his awesome vocals make the songs even better; especially during the semi-ballad and closing song of the album Runaway Man, where his emotional vocal performance is top notch indeed. In Her Head is another ballad and this one is more a kind of AOR song filled with acoustic guitars and lots of great melodies reminding me of good “old” Tyketto. Gallery Play, a fitting title indeed for this song, is an instrumental marvel, featuring exquisite organ, synthesizers, and guitar solos/melodies, making this song one of the highlights of the album. Lady Of Fire and Talk To Me are both immensely powerful and melodic with again superb vocals by Schwertmann, making this album a very fresh sounding prog/neo-prog AOR album for sure. Runaway Men is a MUST for fans of melodic rock/AOR and for those who like the aforementioned bands like Tyketto, Giant and Cannata; highly recommended indeed!! **** Martien Koolen (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
