THE QUEST

In recent years some of the bands have started performing again or recording, and such is the case with these guys as after the small gap of 26 years they released 'The Book of Caleb' at the end of 2022 and have now followed it up with a remastered version of their second album, which was originally released by Now & Then Records at the beginning of 1996 (I reviewed it in Oct 1995). Although they can be thought of as progressive rock, this album demonstrates their AOR stylings as well, with a real mix of melodic rock with prog to create something which is both immediate and a lot of fun and there is no doubt this has aged really well indeed. If I had been sent this out of the blue I would not have guessed its age, and if someone put me on the spot as to the label I would state with some confidence that it had been released by Melodic Revolution as there is much on here which Nick Katona would just love. Looking back at the original review (TPU Vol 2, page 241 ' what do you mean you don't have it?) I see I raved about the single 'Turn Away' and that it should have been a hit single. Coincidentally that is what I am listening to at present and nearly 3 decades on I find myself agreeing with the younger version, as this has wonderful vocals and great hooks.

If The Quest were attempting to take on the world with this album in 2023 as opposed to 1996 I am sure they would get a lot of publicity and would be touring with great bands, as they did back then, but while this will never gain the kudos it deserves this still a very fine melodic prog rock album indeed.

My first question on hearing this, is where on earth have the guys been and what have they been doing for the last 25+ years? This is fresh and new, melodic with strong links into Neo: they do cross the boundaries between prog and AOR, which was the direction they were moving in when I last heard them. In Murray they have a superb singer, not afraid to hit the high notes and hold them, but what really strikes the listener is the power of the music, the way it is driven hard from the back, and while Dorman can be restrained and add nuances, he also likes power chords. Woodcock works in a similar vein, sitting back at times and taking control at others. The result is an EP which is highly enjoyable the very first time it is played, and only gets better the more times it is listened to.

The sections do make sense as individual pieces of music, so they can be split if wanted, but I prefer to play it as it was intended in that the changes are more dramatic, yet they are linked. We get some nice lengthy instrumental passages which allows the guys to really show their stuff. Hopefully this release will help the guys gain some momentum and get back into the spotlight where they belong, as this is not a band relying on past glories (many of today's progheads will not be aware of the anyway) but instead has produced something dramatic and exciting.