FANATIC

This album introduced me to Jadis last year. Jadis is a guitar based band with a guitar sound owing much to Marillion. One of the other reviewers' definition as light-prog is very fitting (Arena and Fish's Marillion are heavier). The singing is beautiful but there are problems in the songwriting department. Having read a few of the reviews here on this and other works of the band (and knowing all Jadis studio albums by now) I must say I can understand why people have difficulties with the songs or might even lose their patience. All to often I had the impression that the songs consisted of a bunch of themes (sometimes not even very good ones) - and that's it. Only with about 50 % of the songs Jadis seemed to have a clear vision of the shape the song to take. So half of the songs is mock-prog because it is not derived from abstraction but a result of carelessness. That makes it so hard to come to terms with the music.

Nevertheless there are some good tracks on each of the studio album - speaking of this one, they are named INTO TEMPTATION; FANATIC; YOURSELF ALONE; WHAT KIND OF REASON and the bonustrack of the digi version: THE FLAME IS BURNING OUT. Jadis belongs to me to the kind of bands which are mediocre if you consider all songs but very good if you start picking the right ones. A little hint: In my experience some of the Jadis songs begin to shine only when you change the running order! See for yourself if it works.

3 stars.