LORD OF THE AGES

Lord Of The Ages was for me one of the nicest finds when browsing through a large collection of second hand elpee's, the cover immediatly grabbed my attention (not knowing it was a Roger Dean cover), combined with the mythic title, I knew I had to have it. Also the name Davey johnstone was present in the liner notes, knowing him from Elton John fame that was an additional reason, only later to find out he left and wasn't part of the album. It didn't took me long to realise I had bought myself a great record, soon to be replaced by a new CD version, because there were some minor scratches on the vinyl.

The mostly accoustic songs, with dual guitar are carried by a beautifull voice, probably one of the most excuisite voices I heard in folk music and rock music in general, soft and angelic like Jon Anderson, but more ethereal and floating through the music creating incredible sweet harmonies (Think Gentle Giant, Simon & Garfunkel or Queen). Lord Of The Ages surelly is the ultimate highpoint in Magna Carta's long carreer, and with this album all the pieces seem to fit perfectly together.

The bulk of the songs consist of slow almost pastoral medieval folk in a troubadour style, but the centre piece of the album the mythical epic Lord Of the Ages is the reason this album deserves the recognition from a progressive perspective. A slow build up with accoustic guitar and spoken verses creates a good tension bow only to be broken by a burst of electric guitar and a speeding midsection that never fails to excite me.

All in all Lord Of The Ages is a great record to have, certainly if you like medieval folk, with lots of soft tunes and lush accoustic guitars, and above all some great vocals with nice melodies, after this album the band begins to fall apart over direction to take (Glenn Stuart wanted to keep in a soft melodic style while Chriss Simpson was slowely turning into more rocking territory (relatively speaking that is)). It's not excactly prog, but a nice album for sure.