A FAREWELL TO KINGS

A Farewell To Kings is a transition work, connecting the first band´s phase where hard rock was very noticeable and present. The music here is still very heavy, mainly when the album comes to its end in the last moments of Cignus X-1. It is heavier than Caress Of Steel, an album I like so much although lacking a lot of specificities necessary for being labeled as a strong progressive work.

Xanadu is the highlight, very well composed, the second song running towards a real epic they recorded. That's because in Caress Of Steel and 2112 , musically valuable albums, what are called "epics" are IMHO a bunch of songs, good but different songs, just put together. The only exception is The Necromancer, which really makes things better for Caress Of Steel. Two more songs are very good, the proper A Farewell To Kings with its introduction very delightful to play in acoustic guitar; as well as the long closing Cignus X-1.

But all other songs do not match the same quality level. Closer To The Heart is definitively a radio friendly song, and just a few person may expect a job like this coming at that time from Rush . Madrigal is a kind of soft song lower by means of quality than Different Strings or Rivendell; it goes closer of what I call a bad song. The last one, Cinderella Man? well, this is really a bad song.

Well, this may be a three and a half star. I will put it to three, due to some weak moments and the excess of heaviness. It is not simple to make heavy progressive music; I really have difficulties tasting it cause this is not my preferred sub-genre . It was well done by GRANDMASTER Bob Fripp in King Crimson´s second phase (check the fabulous Red, for instance), or even Rush in their next Hemispheres? but this is another story, isn´t it ?