INNOCENT GOD

I bought Impending Ascension on the year it came out. I was only 16 then and since I owe all of their albums I consider myself fair & good judge of Magellan music. It's funny that Innocent God was by far the toughest CD buy so far (not on sale anywhere in Slovenia or near countries, nor on Amazon till this summer), therefore being the most anticipated release of past year and a half. And what do I hold in my hands after all this sweet mayhem? Firstly - the most dissapointing release from the band so far, and secondly - the most coherent release from the band so far. With this in mind it's hard to judge this album as a whole. Songwriting is pretty simple (for Magellan that is), while 45 minutes in seven evenly-recorded songs is exactly what you could hope for (for a rock record that is). I must admit that The T's review tells it all - it's fair, true, and honest, and I don't need to add anything to that. Slow burn is a real surprise, as Magellan were never before so straight and rock-catchy, and Innocent God as a title song is simply not worth of Trent Gardner's songwriting. The album is bad only in comparison to other Magellan releases (with Impending Ascension and Impossible figures topping the chart), while in comparison to many other prog-rock and rock releases, this album stands very solid and strong. Personally, I never believed that such straight (even commercial) release will see the light of the day under the Magellan moniker, but it did! And it's funny I actually like that! Why? Well, it's quite simple, as we all know what usually follows after such estranged trip... rougher, edgier and more experimental next release from one of ther finest prog bands on earth.

All in all, a solid rock album, essential for Magellan fans and adult rock music-lovers, but of no importance to eminent prog-music fans.

Take care and prog on, Vens, Slovenia