THE SENTINEL

Pallas first official release by a major company is kind of a mixed bag. It has some prog numbers, but also some rockier stuff. They certainly were quite unique at the time, being very different from other neo prog acts pioneers like Marillion and IQ. Instead of Pink Floyd and Genesis overtones, they sound heavier, a bit Yes influenced, specially in terms of lyrics, but still their had an edge, and this made them stand out.

Composition wise, The Sentinel does not fulfil its objective. The rockier numbers (Shock Treatment, Cut And Run, Arrive Alive) are very good ones, with great chorus and nice guitar and keyboards work. They rock, and still they are unmistakably progressive in both structure and arrangement. Nice work. The prog concept suite (Atlantis) on the other hand has its good moments, but is far less effective, lacking focus and better structure. Maybe they were not mature enough to handle such an ambitious task. And there is East West, a song that reeks of Eloy in every aspect (except the vocal). It could be on Inside or Might Cries. Very interesting

So The Sentinel has this uneven feel, not helped by the production. Although credited to Eddie Offord (of Yes fame) it could be a lot better. Still, they show some promise and you can only be sorry for Euan Lowson not staying longer with the band. It would be nice to see how they would handle the band if he was around. Unfortunately their next move would be the near disaster The Wedge. It would take them more than a decade to prove they could mature to become what The Sentinel promises. Long time, but they did.