PASSION

Pendragon's passion for Passion seems a little overheated and burned out after having some excellent hits in the past, the most notable of which was Pure a few years prior. Not to say that all the spirit isn't gone, but instead of creating a more creative and original facet for themselves Pendragon dipped more into the undoubtedly more manufactured version of neo-progressive, with the widened use of heavy guitars and growling vocals. These elements alone in rapid succession with a very short amount of tracks can usually lead down alleyways of vapid sounding art-style. Some of the more "progressive" tones they take seem forced yet at some points fairly aesthetically pleasing. The most enjoyable point perhaps in the album is 'Empathy', which does incorporate great drumming and different complex sections with varied and excellent structures. At points it seems that Pendragon tries to harness the echoing ambiance of IQ, and rarely hits it's mark. Unfortunately Passion is an album that loses color after a second listen. Nice points, but overall average to unremarkable.