TALES OF ARDOUR & DECEIT

Tales Of ARdour & Decit was danich group Etcetera´s fourth and final album before they disbanded. And it came as a bit of a disappointment to me. Please, don´t get me wrong, the CD is good, you can see the guys in the band are superb musicians and they have all the right influences you may want for a symphonic prog band (Yes, King Crimson, Genesis, Gentle Giant, Pink Floyd). The problem seems to be that they were unable to come up with a personality of their own. Their music seems to be just the sum of the styles they like, not a mix.

Just like I said on my review of their second album, this CD is like a bunch of tracks put together with different styles and no common threat. Every song seems to be recorded by a different group. Even if no one is weak, it hardly sounds like a cohesive whole in the end. which is a pity because they are all good). It all starts very well with the 16 minute The Song Of Marsh Stig (strong KC beginning, but it lacks some focus in the end), then comes the very Gentle Giant-ish Songs (which sounds too much like that group´s Nothing At All). And so it goes. The band simply never reached the songwriting skills needed to match their terrific musicanship. With time and more persistence they very well may have reached another level completely, but since they have broeken up, we´ll probably never know. the production, the playing and the arrangments are all top notch.

In the end I found this Cd quite pleasant and tasteful. While they falied to have their very own distinctive sound, they still could deliver some fine tunes. If you like 70´s symphonic prog and don´t mind for the lack of originality, then this album is recommended. At least they did have the chops and the guts to do it all right. My rating: somwhere between 3 and 3,6 stars. Good (sometimes very good!), but non-essential.