ARRIVE ALIVE

During their pre-historic era (pre-historic meaning the time before the release of their debut oficial album "The Sentinel"), this powerful neo-prog quintet from Scotland named Pallas had been building a solid repertoire (mostly filled with epic and dramatic compositions) and a fan base in many of the same small and medium venues that also welcomed acts such as Marillion, IQ, Twelfth Night, Abel Ganz and Pendragon (.and others). Well, the main input of Pallas consisted of a robust combination of hard rocking drive and ambitious melodic developments, stating a connection between the symphonic colors of Yas/Genesis and the heavier side of art-rock (Deep Purple, Rush), plus modern touches of what then used to be techno/new-wave and Goth rock. Truth is this Goth element can be noticed in some dense guitar riffs here and there, but mostly it was present in Euan Lowson's persona, whose peculiar vocal range (a limited yet effective mix of "baritonized Ozzy" and "Gabrielized Paul Di'Anno") and theatrical deliveries became an essential element of this adolescent Pallas. This is particularly true for the Amazing 'The Ripper', but we'll get at it later. "Arrive Alive" is the name of their first full length recording before the accomplishment of a proper recording contract. and it consists of 2 demos and 4 live tracks. This digital version brings an extra amount of 3 bonus tracks, all demoed - the sound quality is irregular and amateurish, but this CD reveals a somewhat improved sound mix. The title track opens up the album in a primitive form, a bit meandering but owning a sense of rocking power. It catches the listener's attention easily (or it should, anyway.). The album moves on with the first epic track, '5 to 4', based on long thematic developments and featuring a menacing mellotron (or Novatron?) in some strategic places. The abundant utilization of a slow 6/8 tempo makes the sense of menace work efficiently. It is in track 3, the anthological 'Queen of the Deep', that the band's melodic creativity begins to show in full splendor. With its synthesizer fanfare of Celtic allusions and its robust instrumental amalgam, the stage is set for a display of epic feelings and pompous colors in a typically progressive framework. It also comprises a lovely languid interlude that provides an air of ethereal mystery to the fold. An excellent neo gem, indeed! 'Flashpoint' intends to be as catchy as 'Arrive Alive', and it also finds the band indulging in a punchy jam that includes what are arguably the best Matthewson lead phrases in the entire album: 'Flashpoint' is hard rock a-la Rainbow with a symphonic rock guise. Now, here comes this other absolute gem of Pallas' pre-history: 'The Ripper'!! It is a 14+ minute journey to the sadistic mind of a serial killer, portraying his love for the rape and destruction of women's bodies as rooted in a horrible Oedipical sickness. The instrumental scheme states a powerful confluence of Goth-oriented terror, heavy psychedelia and Black Sabbathian metal in a progressive frame that evokes a sort of "Alice Cooper-ish" Genesis. Go figure! I won't even describe the tortured screams right near the end, where the horror of the female victim and the pleasure of the inner child mingle in one passion. Listen to the CD. and go figure! So sick that it can't help being lovely. Let's move on, shall we?... The album's official tracklist ends with yet another Pallas classic: 'Crown of Thorns', a song with similar epic intentions but a more spiritual tendency. This is Pallas at their most majestic for their pre-"Sentinel" era: the quintet is really headlong for the preservation of the legacies of Yes, Genesis and, why not, a bit of Uriah Heep. The bonus tracks are varied enough to show a band really concerned about bringing a clever eclecticism to art-rock: 'Paris Is Burning' is a well constructed semi-ballad with Chanson Nouveau allusions and a brief climax before the end; 'The Hammer Falls' starts on a very reflective mood until the 1'30" mark, when the band shifts to an extroverted ambience not too far from the sort of colorfulness we have found in 'Crown of Thorns'. Finally, 'Stranger on the Edge of Time' finds the band incorporating a stitch of Ultravox-related sonorities, albeit never giving up on the artsy element. A light-hearted closure for a very interesting item of neo-prog: this is Pallas showing off as a talented progressive adolescent headed for a maturity just around the corner. 2.75 stars for sound quality and production, 4 stars for the compositional skills delivered in the 6 official tracks, 4.15 stars for the energy... all in all, a 4 star rating for this one sounds OK for me.