THE SECURITY OF ILLUSION

The previous The Beginner's Guide To Throwing Shapes had been an improvement over poor albums like Behaviour and Wildest Dreams, but it was with the solid The Security Of Illusion that Saga finally returned to form. Indeed, this album is more than just a return to form - it is rather a matter of achieving a whole new form! Saga is no longer a truncated band here, with Jim Gilmour and Steve Negus returning to the fold; they are once again a five-piece band here after two albums as a trio. As a result, the sound is fuller and more powerful. It is also heavier and slightly darker than ever before. Not as dark and positively haunting as the conceptual masterpiece Generation 13, but certainly so in comparison with the band's 80's albums. The songs are energetic and lead vocalist Michael Sadler simply shines here. The material is among the band's best ever and they seem to have a newfound inspiration.

Highlights include Mind Over Matter, Once Is Never Enough, the acoustic title-track and the closer Without You. While there are no weak tracks as such to be found here, power ballads like Alone Again Tonight might make some listeners slightly uncomfortable. There are two short instrumentals on this album, but the first one of these, that opens the album, is only a rather unnecessary introduction to Mind Over Matter (that is repeated again at the end of the last track). The second instrumental, though, is a very nice Keith Emerson-like classical piano piece.

While perhaps not a full-blown Prog album as such, The Security Of Illusion is a solid Rock album that I'm sure will please many fans of progressive Rock. Indeed, in my opinion this is one of the best Saga albums. While my #1 favourite Saga album - the conceptual and very progressive Generation 13 - was very atypical of the band, The Security Of Illusion is typical Saga at their finest. The cover art is awful, but the musical contents are very good indeed.

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