PURE

CHANDELIER are a German Neo-Prog band and "Pure" is their debut from 1990. I've already reviewed the follow-up "Facing Gravity" and to be honest it would be hard to pick one over the other. Barely 3 stars for both.

"Steller Attraction" opens with faint sounds then it kicks in after 1 1/2 minutes and vocals follow. Catchy stuff and the bass is prominant too. "After The Day" is uptempo but the vocals are fairly laid back. I like this one the most because the vocals aren't as annoying as they sometimes are. "Stay" really reminds me of a band that I can't put my finger on during the chorus. It opens with a music box then a smash as the gentle music comes in. It does kick in fuller after a minute on the chorus before settling back. "Jericha" has reserved vocals after a minute.The guitar soars after 2 1/2 minutes then the drums pound. It then lightens before picking back up.

"Pure" opens with what sounds like harpsichord as reserved vocals join in. Not a fan at all. "Winterpause" is an instrumental. I like the guitar to start and also the bass that eventually follows. "Cat's Worst Grave" opens with acoustic guitar as fragile vocals join in. It's fuller around 3 minutes.The guitar leads 5 1/2 minutes in. "Dictator" is uptempo with synths.Vocals too and it's quite catchy. "The Ultimate Song" is similar to the previous track really. Uptempo with synths,drums and vocals standing out. "Call For Life" is mellow with almost spoken words. It's really ballad-like. A guitar solo late when the vocals stop. My edition has some live bonus tracks simply added at the end of this tune after a short period of silence, turning this five minute track into an over 29 minute song including a GENSIS cover.

Tough to recommend this one. I've got so many other Neo-Prog albums that blow this one away.