PRECIOUS SECONDS

Let me first of all dispose of the seemingly vexed issue as to the strengths - or otherwise - of Chris Campbell, the band's vocalist...by neatly sitting on the fence. Whoever Ned Flanders is talking about, I certainly didn't find that the vocalist was "consistently irritating", as he suggests. However, nor did I find him consistently "excellent" as Paul Gath (who may, understandably, be slightly prejudiced) suggests. In my view, Chris noticeably and audibly strains to reach (and sustain) the higher sections of, say," Livin' a Lie" and tends to substitute power for pitch, which is no substitute at all and offends the ear; but on the softer sections of, say, "More than I deserve", his voice is beautifully restrained and develops an easy-on-the ear, haunting quality that is a genuine treat to listen to. The answer seems obvious to me : play to Chris' strengths in future and cut out the more strident elements.

But enough of all that, TR3NITY is predominantly an instrumental band, so what about the music? Well, the CD comes in at 68.33. From this, subtract about five minutes of grunging, "worst of SPOCK'S BEARD" segments on "Livin' a Lie", and you are left with 63 minutes or so of pure magic. I loved it. Musically, the band is first rate. There are some odd, extraneous percussion noises supporting the drums on "From Afar", but these are too indistinguishable to be seriously off-putting. "More Than I Deserve" is a glorious rock ballad with piano and vocals working in perfect harmony before they give way to an equally stunning and powerful organ/guitar combination. And "The Last Great Climb" is, as others have commented, perfection itself. I have nothing to add to earlier comments: it's all here - layer upon layer of shifting and soaring sounds which propel you effortlessly across each of the seven seas before finally exploding like the fireworks on Sydney Harbour Bridge. There are not many - if any - better ways of spending 20 minutes of your life.

It is not always helpful (and usually unnecessary) to cite "influences", but, aside from "the usual suspects", I detected - doubtless unconscious - references at various stages to HOME (before Laurie Wisefield was enticed away to Wishbone Ash), FANTASY (In "Beyond the Beyond" guise) and, not least, The ENID's "In the Region of the Summer Stars" (which, let's face it, is about as good as it gets). More youthful readers may well query who these old gimmers are/were, but more venerable reviewers will appreciate the references and, I hope, be persuaded to give this record a listen. They won't be disappointed: it's a total fireball. Just 2 stars from Ned Flanders? Each to his own, of course, but, in my opinion, Ned Flanders wants shooting.