BATTLEMENT

This band is a copy (I avoid the word rip-off because of its derogatory connotations) of Peter Gabriel era Genesis, but in spite of this I don't think any Genesis fans would be disappointed by this album.

A lot of the songs or on par with those Genesis releases and it's as if suddenly we've been given the present of an undiscovered complete release, lost in the vaults somewhere perhaps.

This album was released in 1978, and what we have here is an album consisting of individual songs that sound as if they're meant to represent different eras of Genesis from Trespass through to Selling England, but with a distinct emphasis towards Trespass. I mean that positively, I enjoy Tresapss quite a lot more than some tracks on Foxtrott of Nursery Cryme.

We have a singer, who sounds uncannily like Peter Gabriel, during the time of Trespass, and I mean much more than Fish or others ever sounded. It's so much like the real thing except that there's a very slight hint of an accent. As this was a German band, I was surprised to learn that apparently the singer was French. Very strange, because I could have sworn that he's got a slight German accent. Really quite puzzling. But otherwise incredibly close. He actually seems to sound naturally like PG, not trying to copy him.

As for the Guitarist: It's amazing, but he sounds as if Hackett were already playing on Trespass, with lines flowing in and out of the themes just as Hackett used to do.

The keyboarder has one thing going in his favour: He creates a beautifully lush Tony Banks background without his obtrusiveness that came into evidence later, at the same time being able to put in a few fantastic solos and filling some spaces with flowing synthesizer passages.

The bass and drums are mixed into the background and fulfil their purpose there more than adequately, although I can hear that especially the drummer lacks some of the intricacies that Phil Collins managed to insert so well. But this is hardly noticeable.

But the thing that makes me relish this release so much is the production. It was 1978 after all, and production had improved greatly between then and what was possible during the early '70s, so what we have here is something akin to an early Genesis release with sound that would have been impossible at that time.

If you're put off by copyists, then stay away, but you'd be missing a lot, but is you do decide to have a listen, I'm sure you'd be in for a very pleasant ride.

I give this album four stars, without any hesitation at all.