H TO HE, WHO AM THE ONLY ONE

H to He is the first VDGG album where they come to grips with their dazzling musical strengths. The result is a solid album with some of their best material.

I'm referring to Killer of course. This is one of VDGG strongest tracks and would wind up somewhere high in my favourite song list (if I would ever get to making one). The reason is that it combines all things typical VDGG (strong melodies, disturbing singing, weird instrumental sections, insane sax work) with a slightly ironic touch that gives it a nice extra twist.

House With No Door and Emperor display a calmer side of VDGG and are both gorgeous tracks. With Lost however, they lose me. It fails to convince me and reveals one of Hammill's weaknesses: Even though he is one of my favourite singers, he needs a strong musical backbone. If the music is not good enough to sustain his vocally excessive style, then he easily becomes very irritating and spoils the entire track in the process.

With Pioneers over C, they are back on the right track. I believe this is another fan favourite and indeed it has a lot of things going for it, but I think it is too long. With the middle section cut out it could have been twice as much fun.

VDGG had not yet achieved the restraint of the Godbluff era and from time to time their ambitions run ahead of them, but the album has still some of their lighter, romantic side and might therefore appeal to the prog heads that aren't appealed by the anger of their later years.