THE BOOK OF INVASIONS - A CELTIC SYMPHONY

Though I call myself an ardent lover of Celtic rock, I find this album too much a part of its time. Only a few of the songs are progressive rock- most of this is Irish rock from the 1970s. The vocal melodies and chord progressions are uninteresting, but the instrumentation is quite lovely.

"Daybreak" Inspiring harmonics introduce a pleasant electric-based song that is centered on a dual lead guitar harmony, followed by a flute and organ duet.

"March into Trouble" The lively clavichord runs around the acoustic guitar before lively flute enters.

"Trouble with a Capital "T" Vocals mimicking the flute similar to Camel's stunt on The Snow Goose ends abruptly when a singer bursts in sounding very much like John Wetton. Speaking of which, there's excellent bass playing. The main theme sounds like what my favorite Celtic rock band Seven Nations would do.

"The Power and the Glory" Keyboards lead into a grungy rhythm. This is a simple rock and roll song with deceptive fiddle and synthesizer.

"The Rocks Remain" Surprisingly, this sounds like Boston. It is more folky and has a slide guitar.

"Dusk" Beginning with an electric guitar and organ reprise, this brief interlude has Celtic violin bursting in.

"Sword of Light" Integrating elements that came before into something consistent, "Sword of Light" gives way to the Wetton-like vocals. This is a very lively track that is among the most progressive here.

"Dark" The opening harmonics remind the listener of the opening track, but lead right into a full-bodied piece of music. The woodwind and organ are there close behind, followed by a more grandiose rendition.

"Warm Sweet Breath of Love" After a concertina introduction, a piano-based boogey ensues. The guitars, from the dual leads to the quickly picked acoustic, are nice.

"Fantasia - My Lagan Love" Channeling Carlos Santana in both style and tone here, there is a sprightly piece run by lead guitar, electric piano, and lively drums.

"King of Morning, Queen of Day" This is a lively, quasi-medieval styled song. It is electric piano-based with some nice guitar and bass things happening.

"Sideways to the Sun" Lovely electric guitar, violin, and harmonics set the listener up for a simple Three Dog Night-like song.

"Drive the Cold Winter Away" Acoustic guitar and concertina move swiftly through a cold chord progression.

"Ride to Hell" The final track is a disjointed one, with calming acoustic guitar that moves quickly into busy organ, cowbell, and heavy rock music. The chorus is happy, hippy dippy 1960s music. The bass playing and the organ lead are both stellar, as is the violin solo. The ending cadence sounds so much like Echolyn.