FROM LAND TO OCEAN

Is it possible to have nothing but good things to say about an album and still not be very impressed by it? "From Land to Ocean" is full of admirable instrumentation, tastefully impassioned lyrics, and airtight songcraft, forming a seamless modern progressive rock album. I just don't find myself blown away by any of it.

It's probably my fault; by now I've heard so many different approaches along the prog spectrum that only the most distinctive sounds tend to stand out. GALLEON is not breaking any new ground, but is that truly a necessity? Pure novelty or gimmicks passing off as distinctiveness can gain a band immediate but fleeting recognition, and many bands do great things with what we think of as old familiar elements (ANGLAGARD is probably the best example). So I won't criticize the band on the basis of lack of innovation; it's pretty daring, in a way, just to be a progressive rock band in the 2000s.

I'm a little unsure why this had to be a double album; ostensibly a concept album, either disc could have easily been released on its own. Perhaps the two discs are closer in tone or style than other GALLEON releases- unfortunately I haven't heard the others at all, so I can't be sure. Basically, the album deals with the relationship of man and nature, with a focus on how man is not living up to his side of the bargain.

There's a definite hard rock or metal foundation to most of the arrangements, but this is definitely not DREAM THEATER...sound-wise it's in a similar neo-prog style as IQ, with the harder edge closer to later RUSH or PALLAS ("The Sentinel", though inferior, resembles this album in several ways- even the cover art). The more atmospheric passages that spice up the second disc strike a largely positive balance between unnecessary filler and enjoyable transitions, although there is some tendency for irrelevant guitar solos. Generally, however, they do not tend to overemphasize their instrumental prowess; every part is played well and fits perfectly into the mix. The guitars and synthesizers are perfectly balanced, with good choices for tone- the synthesizers especially are more expressive and essential than many (prog or non- prog) hard rock bands. Nor are they guilty of sounding dated; they avoid the overly glossy 80s sound but also refuse to fall into the trap of trying to emulate a 'classic 70s prog' sound. Their songs develop with good use of drama and tension, and often build to a sweeping grandeur that characterizes the best rock anthems (the climax of "Three Colour", for instance). Göran Fors has a likeable vocal quality, neither too flat nor too melodramatic- often he seems to be speaking directly to you, somewhat of a rarity among the often cosmic and/ or isolated prog vocalist crew. I'm usually in favor of bands singing in their native language, but he seems to have no difficulty at all translating- in fact, his accent is quite minimal and certainly does not take anything away from the experience.

An interesting facet of the band is the presence of explicit socio-political commentary in the songs. Progressive rock lyrics, when they do discuss the workings of the real world, tend to favor either sweeping, veiled commentary or ultra-personal reflections on worldly themes; GALLEON, like several of the Italian bands, aren't afraid to speak directly about things that are happening in (or to) their locale. Ulf Pettersson's lyrics take no prisoners, especially where environmental issues are concerned. "The Porch" lets this facet take center stage on top of a pleasantly powerful metal-ballad foundation, and about twelve minutes into "The Ocean" we get a clear spoken example. The most emotive moments on the album are driven by such passion, and as it is a stance with which I sympathize, it is possible I'm being less than objective here (fair warning!).

In the end, however, I'm totally ambivalent about this album as a whole. It has a number of things in its favor, and never fails or falters in any respect (except for maybe a certain lack of uniqueness or innovation) and I have a feeling there are a lot of neo-prog or even prog-metal fans out there who could really like it. If you happen to be a fan of IQ and/ or PALLAS, it's definitely worth a try. For my personal evaluation: only two stars. For GALLEON's skills at making music, as well as the likelihood of attracting a good number of fans in the prog community, I'll raise the final score to three stars.

How would you go about describing the colour 'red' to someone who is blind from birth? About explaining the taste of bananas to someone who's never even smelled one? To convey the magic of "The Cinema Show" to someone who's never heard a Genesis song in his life?

There are lots of things in this world which words cannot express; describing music is one of them. Yet, it doesn't stop thousands of us from trying to translate our elation into a bunch of words, in the hope of giving readers at least some glimpse of what we're so excited about.

I wish I could convey to you the magical atmosphere created by GALLEON's "Land to Ocean". I could talk about style and say that it shares the awsome musicality of bands such as IQ, PENDRAGON and ARENA. That it has strong Tony Banks' inflexions yet displays the tightness of RUSH and SAGA combined. That "Echoes" of PINK FLOYD are never too far off.

Or I could get technical and mention its variety of moods and tempos, the excellent musicianship (especially the keyboards) and inspired compositions. I could say that the opening track "Three Colours" is a quintessential neo-prog tune. I could praise the hard-edged "Fall of Fame" for its incredible SAGA-like energy and guitar riffs. I could commend the solid ballad "The Porch" for its goosebump-inducing guitar solo - a tune that could very well have been penned by ARENA's own Clive Nolan. I could laud the driving instrumental "Liopleurodon" for its refreshingly cool, jazzy, Camel-like keyboard play (remember "Skylines"?). Or I could rave about the powerful epic "The Price" for its amazing musical phrasing, kalideoscopic themes and whose swirling guitar solos would have GENESIS fans reeling with pleasure (if you think "Three Colours" is good, wait till you hear this one - one heck of a powerful piece of neo).

I could also tell you that I've experienced those familiar goosebumps more than once on the second CD too: from that killer whirling banksian keyboard solo that keeps cropping up from the 9th minute on (neo fans will drool over this), those splendid haunting underwater passages with the eerie siren cries - also reminiscent of certain memorable passages from "One for the Vine" and "Firth of Fifth" - or the tight, ARENA-like pulse accelerators that drive at a furious pace. A 52-minute long track that manages to retain its focus on the wonderful melody and theme of "The Ocean": quite a feat.

But what about the soul of the album? What's its colour? Is it IQ red? GENESIS blue? PENDRAGON yellow? The only thing I can say is: it's totally GALLEON. What this band was merely hinting at on their previous material has finally come to life; like a stunninly beautiful butterfly spreading its wings at last.

The only thing that prevents me from giving the album its full 5 stars is the lyrics, which I find too explicit (IMO). The harsh words (a socio-political rant about man's genuine talent for destroying its own planet) almost mar the poetry of the music, especially on the second CD. Heck, I still would have given the album 4 1/2 stars.

I make no fuss about it: I love neo-prog and "From Land to Ocean" is right up my alley. But you don't have to take my word for it. Lend an ear to "Three Colours" from the MP3 clip above.

First, let me say that, if I didn't know better, I'd think James Lee somehow got into my mind and wrote my review (with minor differences). He expressed almost exactly what I had intended to say, and we agree almost perfectly, right down to his comment about Anglagard. Since we agree on so much, I highly recommend his review, to which I will add only personal notes.

Hibou and others have called "Three Colours" a "quintessential prog track." I'm not sure I completely agree, although there are definitely some great prog bits, and a clear approach to the writing. On the other hand, the piece seems to me like a number of interesting ideas not as well-realized as they might have been. It also seems a little short on thematic, and even musical, development. Indeed, some of the sections seem somewhat "ad hoc," and some of the segues mildly "forced." (This is my strongest overall criticism of the majority of the album.) Interestingly, there is a section at 7:51- 8:20 and 8:45-9:15 that sounds suspiciously like the verse section of "Slainte Mhath" by Marillion. Indeed, although Galleon does filter its influences comparatively well, I hear quite a bit of Marillion, some Genesis, and possibly a touch of Yes (among others).

"Fall of Fame" is probably more classifiable as "rock" than "prog. "The Porch" is a very well-constructed power ballad. The instrumental "Liopleurodon" is at best unimaginative, and at worst highly derivative, and is my least favorite track. "Land" has an interesting Irish flavor (from a Swedish band, no less!), with yet more musical references to "Slainte Mhath" (they must love that song). "Solitude" is, for my money, the better of the two ballads. "The Price" - a bizarre extended composition about human enslavement by aliens - is much better realized than "Three Colours," with a more cohesive thematic and musical approach. It opens with a piano highly reminiscent of Supertramp's "Crime of the Century" and includes quite a bit of Banks-style Mellotron and solo work.

"The Ocean" - a valiant, sometimes grandiose, but mostly successful attempt at a true "concept" album - is maddeningly inconsistent, but ultimately satisfying (though not to the degree it might have been). It takes on almost every issue that one associates with the ocean, both real and imagined: sea life, environmental issues, the Bermuda Triangle, Atlantis, melting ice caps, etc. As with "Three Colours," some sections sound strung together "because they could," rather than because they really fit. However, there is a really great jam at 9:00-11:45, some more Supertramp-style piano at 11:45, and some strong Genesis influence at 43:15-43:24 and 47:10-48:30. In addition, the "Blood Waters/Into the Deep" section sounds alot like ARK (whose album "Burn the Sun" I very highly recommend; among other things, they do the "environmental thing" even better than Galleon, though in the prog-metal genre).

As James Lee notes, this album is particularly maddening because it is obviously very good - with some excellent musicianship - but is ultimately uncompelling. The lyrics are direct and almost uncompromising in their power and sincerity - whether regarding politics, the environment, or fantasy - and yet they come across as simplistic and naive. Still, it is nice to know that someone is still writing stuff like this, and that they are doing a remarkably good job of it.

Again I find myself agreeing with much of what fellow reviewer James Lee has to say about an album, although I'll be more blunt: I find "From Land To Ocean" formulaic and essentially bland. However, unlike James, I do find Göran Fors' accent distracting and would rather he had sung in his native Swedish. Actually, to be honest, I'd rather listen to the music - unmemorable as I find much of it - without any singing at all. I find some of the English lyrics rather laboured, sometimes corny, and sometimes just jarring grammatically. I can see that the music on this album could appeal to fans of bands such as PALLAS and IQ (and, no, that is *not* intended to be supercilious). Popular as it may be to many lovers of neo-Prog music, this 2-CD release does nothing at all for me so I'll go with 2 stars (Collectors/fans only).

I bought this cd after downloading the free mp3 off this site. I wasn't sure what to expect, and at first I was a little disappointed, but, the more I listened, the more I liked it. A 2 cd set, both discs have some excellent moments running through them. Disc 1 is, in general, of a very high quality. Ok, it may not be original in parts, but it is melodic, and the musicians are technically profficient. the vocals are in English, and, as with nearly all Scandinavian groups, it is almost without accent. 'Three Colours' which opens the album, I already knew from the download, and is a very strong piece, which seems to cover three different tempos in one song. The production on the whole album is strong and bright, and the keyboards in particular benefit from this. The guitar, whilst a little sparser, intertwines effectively when necessary, particularly on this first track. A very nice way to start. Maybe the nearest influence I can hear here is 'The Sentinel', by Pallas, although they are in no ways indentical. Second track, 'Fall Of Fame' is a rockier piece, but the keyboards are wonderful here, and add nice fluid tones to the song. The ending slows down and becomes almost a nursery rhyme. A good song. 'The Porch' is more of a ballad, and I can imagine someone sitting on a Porch whilst listening to this. There is a short but nicely played guitar solo in this, and sometimes an influence that comes through is Canadian band, Rush. Not vocally, obviously, but musically. 'Liopleurodon' is a very good instrumental, a little harder and faster than most of the material on here, but again nicely played, with a Rush influence. (Most people won't know what Liopleurodon means, but, in fact, it was a whale- sized predator, alive during prehistoric times, living in the ocean and preying on, well, whales!) 'Land' is an adequate song, but not my favourite. It still has the Galleon sound however, with nice keyboards, and a semi-Irish ending. 'Solitude' is my least favourite on the album, as it doesn't seem to go anywhere. It is almost folky in a way, and reminds me of something that I can't, at this moment, put my finger on. Not bad, but it doesn't stand out for me. Finally comes the best track on, probably, either disc. 'The Price' is a superb piece of music. The lyrics, which I won't disclose here, are very good, and the whole piece aims towards a brilliant climax. The guitar is, again, understated, but integral to the song, whilst the keyboards are magificient. I love this piece! Now for disc 2. This is one whole piece of music, a grand concept, about life evolving through the ages, and the way in which man is destroying other living things through greed. Not original, I know, but well put here. the song is divided into various sub-titles, but is best listened to as one whole piece, as the each title flows into the next. Again, the keyboards provide the background, colour, and muscle, with the guitar nicely placed over them at the required times. It is a fine piece this, lasting over 52 minutes, but immensely enjoyable. The start, and the finish, fade in and out very atmospherically, and give the whole song cohesion. In summing up, this album is worth having, and, whilst critics may say it is nothing new, it is still enjoyable, and superior to many in the same vein. Download the free mp3 if in doubt, that is a good example of what to expect.

Humph.

I've been around what's best in the Néo-Progressive bracket, and frankly, getting deeper is getting me madder. Trying to find some new blood worthy of my hard earned dollars, I stumble amongst clones and wannabees (Illuvatar, Violet District, Everon, Red Sand, Mindgames and oh, so much more), making albums with not much passion or originality... Galleon for instance, has experience in the job, it is above average?

How this band got this far with so few good ideas? It's a normal band, so they know how to play; the keys are often interesting. But the overall feeling is boredom and déjà vu, even for a duo cd, with lots of material...but then came the last song of cd1: The Price. Hmm, not bad, not bad at all.... I'd even say very good track. Too bad the cd is not represented by this track. Galleon is making me feel less positive at first, but many, many listens are pulling towards them. Most of the songs are not taking off, the vocals are bo-ring and the drum is flat. I thought Sweden was a castle of good taste!

When Néo' hitting the spot, it gets you get there: Arena, new Pallas album, Sylvan, Satellite, Carptree, old Marillion, latest IQ. Towards those bands, the future looks bad. Don't waste money on Galleon, their prefab sound is unoriginal, but still enjoyable in some moments for the newbie.

I've got nothing against those guys, but the abscence of originality and perk is making me asking the question: 'Why are you in the buisness then?'

This double disc cd is really a scathing commentary on what man is doing to our planet. They break down the social commentary into two sections, "The Land" (Disc 1) and "The Ocean" (Disc 2). It really feels like the band is filing a grievance with the World Court saying "Stop abusing our world !" In the song "The Price" they take it a step further showing us that one day we may have to leave our planet because it won't be fit to live in. I have to agree with Hibou that I too wish I could convey to you the "magical atmosphere" that GALLEON have created.

"Three Colours" is a melodic tune that seems to gather strength, with a heavier sound the result. The song ends with spacey synths. "Fall Of Fame" has an edge to it with lots of riffs. Interestingly enough at 3 minutes the sound becomes quite jazzy. "The Porch" is a favourite of mine. The strummed guitar and the vision of one sitting on their porch reflecting on the way man is treating our planet. Some good soaring guitar and the sound becomes so lush and full sounding. "Liopleuroden" is an instrumental with heavy drums dominating the soundscape for about 3 minutes before turning light with synths and a cool extended guitar melody added. I like this one ! "Land" features lots of flute and piano and a good keyboard melody. It has a real Celtic flavour and i'm not a fan of it. "Solitude" is a melancholic, slow paced song except for the chorus. Not a fan. I've touched on "The Price" but instrumentally the guitar is the focus.

Disc 2 "The Ocean" is of course filled with tempo and mood shifts. Lots of spacey synths and some great guitar and drum work. The sound goes from dreamy to heavy, from loud and full to soft and quiet, this is a real ride that flows well.

Like most double concept albums there is too much of a focus on the lyrics instead of the songs. Lots to like here of course but at this length (over 110 minutes) there is also a lot of average sounding material.

All the elements of neo-prog

"From land to ocean", Swedish band Galleon's seventh studio album, is a sprawling double CD collection of fine neo-prog. The signature track is the 52 minute long "The ocean", which occupies all of the second CD. Nominally in 19 sections, it is very much a single piece, which flows well from beginning to end. The suite took the best part of two years to write and record, with a further year being spent on the "Land" tracks which appear on the first CD.

"The ocean" works its way through just about every trick in the book in prog terms, drawing in a host of influences including the classic bands (Genesis, Yes, Marillion) and more recent outfits such as Arena, Pendragon, IQ and The Flower Kings. That is not to say the music is overly derivative, but it is primarily the accented vocals which distinguish what we hear from anything by the band's peers. The English language vocals tell a doomy tale warning of the dangers of global warming, greed and pollution, interspersed with guitar and keyboard sections typical of the neo-prog genre.

The occasional breaks between sections betray the fact that the suite is constructed more in the way of "Supper's ready" than "Thick as a brick", with distinct tracks being pieced together to form the whole.

The problem I have with such an enormous piece is that it is very difficult to get into as a complete work. There are sections which are instantly enjoyable, others which grow on you, and others (such as "Blue richness") which seem bland and superfluous. It does not though seem to me that there is much, if anything, in the way of filler as such. A band does not spend two years working on a major project such as this just to pad it out unnecessarily. There is always something happening throughout the 52 minutes, but that does not necessarily mean that the listener's attention is held for that long. In the end, I find myself torn between the obvious delights in prog terms of a band having the courage to make a 52 minute track, together with the undeniable quality of many of the sections which make it up, versus the fact that the track as a whole simply fails to retain my attention throughout. Making such a long piece is inevitably something of a gamble. People will tend to remember some songs from an album better than others, and gravitate towards their favourites. By removing that option, you take the risk that people will either feel the suite as a whole is wonderful, or lose interest due to being unable to isolate their preferred sections.

The other disc, which is actually disc one, is more orthodox in that it is made up of seven distinct tracks ranging from 5 to 14 minutes. Without exception, these songs faithfully follow the neo-prog model with plenty of time changes, synth bursts, lush swathes of sound and melodic lead guitar. The lyrics continue the ecological theme but the lack of apparent passion in their delivery seems at odds with the intention.

The best of the bunch on the "Land" disc is probably "Three colours" which blends the sounds of Pendragon and ("We can't dance") Genesis. The song reminded me in particular of "Driving the last spike" from that album.

This what might be described as a "specialist" album, in exactly the same way as much of the avant-garde and Krautrock (for example) genres could be described. Those whose chosen sub-genre is neo-prog, and who enjoy the music of bands such as IQ, Pendragon, etc., should find this to be a very worthwhile acquisition. Thos however, who are less enthusiastic about the genre will probably feel that this album offers little if anything to attract them. Personally, I enjoyed the album a lot, although I have to admit to being left a little cold by it.

For my 400th review I wanted to pick a special album and it became this one. It's special because of the presence of one of the longest songs in prog history, the only track on the second disc clocking 52 minutes. This 7th album by Galleon can easily be regarded as the magnum opus in their discography. It's the classiest release, their only double cd and it also shows in the number of ratings, 29 by far the most. The only thing that does not prove my statement is the average rating (3,52) which is surpassed by quite some other albums by Galleon, albeit that they have far less number of reviews.

The first track is one I'm familiar with for a long time by now because it's a stream song here on PA and I checked this one out already in 2004. I was impressed, I had just one album by them at the time (Heritage and Visions) and that one never did much for me. But this lengthy track was a different story. It is a classy, distinguished sounding track as so often containing critical lyrics against humanity. The build up is magnificent, the song consists of three parts that follow each other prefectly. The production is excellent is immediately evident. Keyboards shine in this great overture. 4,25*.

Fall of Fame is a much more rocking song, a bit heavy and again with very fine keyboard contributions. The song clocks almost 10 minutes and is less impressive as a composition than previous track. Still some variation, such as after 3 minutes when a funky instrumental part takes place. The funky idea is caused by the guitar that almost sounds like in a 70's soul song. Interesting feature. Rest of the song rocks on. 4*.

Third is The Porch which is a ballad handling about a man who sits on his porch contemplating about things in life. Again the production is what strikes me most. Wonderful sound, the song is just ok. 3,25*.

Liopleurodon is a terrific instrumental with organ like keys and guitar alternating. It's an energetic track with great melodies and nice rhythm and mood changes, especially the one halfway the song works very nice for me. One of the higlights on the doubler for me. 4,5*.

So far it has been very interesting variation on this album where the type of song is concerned. I think we've had them all by now. 5th track, Land, also has something the others didn't have so far, which is the presence of the flute. It's an average song compared to the others though the flute makes up for this with some nice contributions giving the song an almost medieval feel in the second half of the song. Also here the lyrics are sharp and critical. 3,25*.

Solitude is a moving song about lonely people who lost their love ones. It's the second ballad of the album, to me slightly better than the first one mainly caused by a very nice guitar solo towards the end. 3,5*.

With last song of the first disc, The Price, we return to the style of the second song. This is also quite heavy, energetic and rocking. Highlight within this almost epical track is the instrumental part that starts after a few minutes and lasts till the second half of the song which is a bit less for me except for the impressive finale last two minutes. 4,25*.

Second disc is called the Ocean is the enormous epic I was talking about. In a way this reminds me of Waiting for Cousteau by Jean Michel Jarre, especially the start reminds me of it. Later on the song gets much more substance than the 45 minute JMJ track because that one kept on going like the first two minutes of this Ocean story. Another big difference is the presence of vocals here. Still I have the feeling this long one never really breaks loose like I actually hoped before I ever heard it. After about 5 minutes keyboard and guitar start a small duel but it hardly lasts one minute. For the next minutes the vocals dominate getting impressive after 8 minutes. After nine an up tempo instrumental part lasting almost three minutes and probably the strongest part of the epic. After this the vocals return and the epic quiets down completely again, at least until the 21st minute when a short guitar solo intervenes, after this the song goes on in its laid back vein. In the 26th minute another very fine guitar effort, second highlight of the epic. After 35 minutes the song goes through its next eruption but this doesn't last long, the song falls back into the quietness of the beginning, then revives again for about the 4th time. Could this be a metaphor for us humans always getting a second chance to live on and save the planet (what this whole album is actually about). Anyway, I can go on and on describing this huge epic but it will start to bore I'm afraid. It's an impressive compositional performance all in all by Galleon making this the magnum opus I was talking about. 4,25*.

Final words: in the end I like the first cd better than the second. Galleon have surpassed themselves with this release and it will be hard to top this in the future. Well, as I say this, I also know the successor and that's not bad at all either, just not as historical as this one. This whole effort reminds me a lot of The Empire album by Galahad who also did an unexpected incredible performance all over sudden. And in the end this gets the same score for me. 4 stars very well deserved and slightly better even. Highly recommended for all neoproggers.

From land to ocean is another well played and well produce album by this excellent neo prog band from Sweden. I realy enjoy this band and I think is one of the top neo bands from today and in last 10-12 years, and yet very underrated in prog circles. They play a wel crafted music , with long instrumental passages who alternates from mellow side to more uptempo, delivering some very fine moments as well on every album. This one is a double album with a single piece of one CD of 52 min and 7 pieces on first CD, total of 112 minute of classy neo prog arrangements, deep vocal parts and brilliant musichianship. But with all that something is missing here on this album, aswell like on previous one. They are no more so fresh in ideas as on Heritage and visions for ex, they play corectly , they are profesional musicians but the concept , the whole thing is not brilliant only good with flows here and there but as a whole is a good release. To me this album is too long, that is for sure. CD 1 is very ok, even great in places with nice arrangements, excellent instrumental passages like on Liopleurodon and Three Colours, great choruses, but CD 2 is that bothred me, the lone piece from here The ocean - divided in 19 little parts and have 52 min, is in my opinion to long and because of that I've lost the core of this neo prog journey piece. Galleon's remains one of my fav neo prog bands ever , real tallented band with a lot to offer, great musicians , brilliant voice of Göran Fors (who fits like a glove to this kind of music) and in this case another good album overall made me give 3 stars for sure to this release, nothing groundbreaking , but pleasent and full of heart and feelings all the time. Great band and yet very underrated by many listners, and this album is the most reviewed album from them, with all that I don't consider this one to be their best. More one to go for me to review to see if I remain to Heritage and vision to be one of the perfect albums of neo prog scene or their last release will change my fav list.

After some gigs in Spain and their homecountry Galleon focused on working on a double album, an idea Göran Fors was thinking of for a number of years.The band entered the Fenix Studios and worked there for three consecutive years, only interrupted for some rare lives.The album was titled ''From land to ocean'' and was released in 2003 on the Progress label.

First CD (''The land'') is structurally typical of a Galleon release, a mix of 10+ min. mini-epics with a few shorter tracks thrown in, built around balanced guitars and a combination of heavy synths and vintage organ.I get a feeling that the band comes a bit closer to contemporary Prog bands like SPOCK'S BEARD, adding a few jazzy and poppy tunes into the mix, revisiting more often the GENESIS fundamentals, but they have not lost their identity by any means.Lots of acoustic interludes and electric fests with powerful keyboards around, delivered via some spacey moods and overpowered by symphonic colors and neurotic flashes.Again the melodies are very good and the solos are sensational, Galleon were a mature enough band to compose another solid album.But the mellow parts and the overall arrangements sound now just an inch closer to the 70's, PINK FLOYD, GENESIS and MARILLION being the basic influences.

The whole centerpoint of this double album though is the second CD ''The ocean'', consisting of one single piece, clocking at 52 minutes.Was the band inspired by a similar attempt by THE FLOWER KINGS a few years back noone actually knows.I say this because ''The ocean'' contains lots of elements from the style of their compatriots, retaining a personal identity all the way.This is not all about classic Neo/Symphonic Prog here, the long duration allows Galleon to move comfortably between unrelated segments and the whole discussion falls into the track's cohesion.Several spins later I can say that this is an excellent piece of music with a great proportion between heavy rhythms, epic tunes, atmospheric soundscapes and symphonic textures, passing through ambiental moods, grandiose orchestrations and complex twists with the influences expanding to RUSH and KING CRIMSON and a few more doses of jazzy lines thrown in.Solid piece of art, always relying on the MARILLION school of Prog but with a more flexible and nostalgic style, similar to acts such as THE D PROJECT or DAGMAHR.

One of the top Galleon albums and a good candidate for the year's best Prog album.Mature Progressive Rock with strong inspirations from the classic era, mainly PINK FLOYD and GENESIS.Great music, highly recommended.

Galleon - From Land to Ocean (2003)

Swedish neo-progressive rock band Galleon has been operating since the early nineties without ever getting to hit it big in the worldwide appreciation of the neoprog genre. This is a bit a suprising, because they surely have a very recognizable Marillion/Genesis/Pink Floyd derived sound & style and guys are real pro's when it comes to musicianship and performance in the recording studio. I've been busy finding some new neoprog I like (I really love Arena) for listening with my mp3-player while traveling and so far I had trouble finding other acts that really connected with me, however the first song 'Three Colours' of this album got me right away.

Listening to the album I have two main impressions. On the one side I find a very well composed and played neoprogressive album with many really catchy moments, intelligent composition and some nice surprises when it comes to broadening the neoprog horizons. Moreover, this begin a double album, there's quite a lot of good material here. Guitarist Sven Larsson's playing is very enjoyable for me, him being a good stratocaster connoisseur who sometimes doesn't hide his love for jazzier guitar parts. Bass-player and vocalist Göran Fors often has a heavier and natural bass-guitar sound I learned to like his competent vocals as well - a bit typical for the neoprog genre. Ulf Pettersson on keyboard has professional sounding sounds/samples (something that goes wrong to often) and a very well balanced input.

My other impression is that the artistic approach of Galleon on this album is not without controversy. The very intimate & theatrical vocals have been a key-element of neoprog genre from the very beginning. Often the subjects of personal hardship or mysterious happenings have made a perfect fit with the music. Marillions singer Fish also found a way to handle political issues by relating to them in very personal way. Galleons 'From Land to the Ocean' is an almost purely politically themed album, yet the link with the personal or the mysterious aspects of the music is almost completely lacking. Themes like the problems with our economical infrastructure, the lack of political cooperation or goodwill and most of all environmental issues form the basis for the lyrics - yet they are kept abstract like a political pamphlet, which doesn't necessarily form a good basis for emotional musical experience on the part of the listener. This often leads to a lack of connection between the excellent moody neoprog played by the band and the lyrics sung by Göran Fors. Moreover, the fatalistic views on environment and politics are a bit tedious at times. Normally I can remove myself from lyrics that don't strike me as fantastic, but because of the harsh politically charged statements I can't escape them.

When reading other reviews here on the archives it is becomes apparent this album has been the subject of a lot of harsh criticism because of the lyrical content, perhaps a bit too much for my tastes. I just can't help loving the composition of the longer tracks and the album surely has the epic neoprog feel of a real classic of the genre. Therefore I think it would be quite nice if the neoprog listeners who do like the political lyrics or don't bother at all about them would give this album a spin, because I just know this could very well be a rewarding experience.

Conclusion. A very well composed and played neoprog genre-album with political lyrics that can be a bit of a hindrance, perhaps this album would have been a classic of the genre with different lyrics. I'm going to reward it with the big three-and-a-halve rating. Give the opening track 'Three Colours' a spin!