BURNING OFF IMPURITIES

Though not quite as good as their previous release, "The Black Tar Prophecies" this still deserves a 5 star rating. It's kind of like saying Pink Floyd's Animals is not as good as Wish You Were Here. I get the impression that this new material simply didn't gestate as long as the earlier collection. That's not to say that the songs aren't well composed or played. The talent displayed here is still superior to that of many of their post rock contemporaries and on par with many classic psychedelic and prog icons. Grails draws from a wide variety of sources and explores a wide variety of moods. Because of this it's difficult to describe the Grails sound in detail. Yet they still achieve a sense of continuity on every album I've heard. Fans of Pink Floyd, The Future Kings of England, Popol Vuh, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Porcupine Tree, Steve Hackett, Six Organs of Admittance etc may want to grab hold of this. But by all means download the "Black Tar Prophecies" first.