THE VISITOR

I suppose i'm in the minority here as I prefer "Immortal ?" to this one. I was surprised at how many times I was reminded of PINK FLOYD.Thankyou Hibou for recommending this album to me, your reviews and opinions are held in high esteem by me as you know. 6 of the 14 tracks have mellotron on them and it's kind of funny to see them thank in the liner notes a couple of guys who restored the mellotron they bought off of Martin Orford (IQ). This is some sort of concept album about an angry (inside) guy who falls through the ice, and we hear his thoughts on his life and different things as he's drowning. Then his rescue by the visitor (read the lyrics in "Running From Damascus").

"A Crack In The Ice" is a great way to start the record, especially the drums and guitar melody 2 minutes in. "Pins And Needles" is a spacey, slower paced song that blends into "Double Vision" which is an uptempo song with lots of keys as the drums pound away. I like the guitar melody that comes and goes. "Elea" is one of my favourites on this record with waves of mellotron crashing the soundscape as the guitar soars over top. Nice. "The Hanging Tree" is my favourite. It opens with acoustic guitar and a haunting background. Fragile vocals come in and the synths sound like FLOYD, as do the guitar melodies later on. "A State Of Grace" is a bombastic song that rants against religious hypocrites (himself ?). "Blood Red Room" is a short spacey song with a monologue.

"In The Blink Of An Eye" bursts forth with keys and drums in a frenzy that slows down when vocals arrive. "(Don't Forget To) Breathe" is a catchy mid paced tune with some nice guitar solos throughout. "Serenity" is another great song with an atmospheric FLOYD-like song with some amazing guitar. "Tears In The Rain" is a ballad with piano and vocals and it ends with mellotron as it blends into "Enemy Without" with more mellotron. "Running From Damascus" is a great sounding, upbeat song with some more great guitar and fast paced drums. I'd like to know who is the visitor. And why is Damascus mentioned ? And is the guy who fell through the ice the religious hypocrite in "A State Of Grace"? In the Bible Paul (religious hypocrite) met Jesus in a vision on the road to Damascus, and got saved. Any connection ? The final song "The Visitor" is a reflective song with mellotron and some beautiful soaring guitar. A good way to end the album.

This album and the next one ("Immortal ?") are both worth checking out.