NOT OF THIS WORLD

I would probably give this two-and-a-half stars, but we can't do that here. There are some good ideas here, some of which are executed well. However, the album suffers from two fatal flaws. First, as with so many European prog bands I'm listening to now (and reviewing), Pendragon lacks a good vocalist. (That said, none of their lyrics are particularly creative, so it might not matter.) Second, as another reviewer notes, much of the album sounds the same; there is too little "difference" between songs. True, there are two "themes" (lyrical and musical) that "show up" at various times. But this is not what I'm referring to. Rather, when you get to the end of the album, you truly cannot remember which song was which. Still, as noted, there are enough good ideas here - and enough good musicianship - to warrant a listen. Whether you add it to your permanent collection will depend upon how much you enjoy this type of thing. / As an side, the band description notes influences as Pink Floyd, Camel, IQ, Arena. Yes, there's a bit of Floyd, especially in the guitar work. However, I've got two comments here. First, on this album, the band "refers" to the main theme of "Heart of Lothian" (from Marillion's "Misplaced Childhood") - almost note for note - not just once, but twice. Second, I hear more Genesis influence here than anything else. In fact, just for fun, listen to this album and try to count the number of times that it "refers" (musically) to Wind & Wuthering and, even moreso, And Then There Were Three. A point for each one you catch. 10 points wins a trip to Willow Farm.