BATTLE SCARS

As far as I'm concerned, the British band Galahad doesn't have a single weak album to their name. Since 1991, the quality of their output has been good, better, best, with the absolute highlight being the album "Battle Scars" from 2012. What makes the band so great here is the way they masterfully balance creativity and exuberance. With sound quality that's finger-licking good (read: incredibly rich), Galahad doesn't shy away from blending powerful guitar chords and invigorating dance-tinged keyboard parts into their melodic neo-prog.

The album, which together with "Beyond The Realms Of Euphoria," released later that year, forms a solid diptych, marks the passing of bassist Neil Pepper from cancer. He wrote three tracks for "Battle Scars," in which he was also still active as a musician. For the rest of the material, it's Lee Abraham who takes over on bass.

The regular album contains seven tracks that seem to burst with sorrow and hope. You could say that personal tragedy almost always leads to creative excellence, and "Battle Scars" is certainly no exception.

The album opens impressively with the title track. In fact, it opens its gates twice. First, keyboardist Dean Baker lets you float for over three minutes on an orchestral intro of unparalleled beauty. When the actual song kicks in, we hear how bombastic chords give way to a brisk Galahad number with a rhythmically and melodically extraordinarily original vocal line. The following track, Reach For The Sun, brings gothic rock à la Within Temptation to the table. The band excels in everything, and that's thanks to their own craftsmanship. At the heart of the album are the tracks written by Neil Pepper: Singularity, Suspended Animation, and Beyond The Barbed Wire. These intense songs perfectly encapsulate the essence of Galahad. At times, the music drags; other times, it's reminiscent of Threshold. Bitter And Twisted and Seize The Day are by far the most interesting tracks in terms of individuality. Here, the features mentioned in the first paragraph shine the brightest. Bitter And Twisted, built on a stoically driving keyboard pattern, shows how the guitar beautifully slides under the keyboards. With Seize The Day, the band delivers an ode to life, shaped into a grand dance piece reminiscent of Tiësto and Arena. Stunningly beautiful.

After the regular "Battle Scars" ends, the album truly concludes with a re-recorded version of the old track Sleepers. Nearly fifteen minutes of pure neo-prog. There are two good reasons to embrace this bonus track. Firstly, this song has a strong composition that, despite being written in the nineties, still feels incredibly fresh in its new arrangement. Secondly, it's quite nice to be able to kick back after the heavy "Battle Scars" experience.

I would say that "Battle Scars" is top-notch. Make sure you remember that well.

Orginally posted on www.progenrock.com