BEYOND

A great new original album from Fragile. I have seen the band live in their past life as a Yes tribute band, both with original singer Steve Carney and later with Claire Hamill, who I am also a fan of. To me the whole sound evokes warm memories of 70s Yes, whilst also being fresh and original. There are obvious Yes inspired passages but no copying or plagiarism is evident. There are also some definite classical style sections which stand out. This album seems to have more originality than their 2020 release 'Golden Fragments'. Production is clear and powerful with thundering 'Whitesque' drum passages, powerful riffing and highly varied bass, which like Squire, plays higher delicate melodies as well as powerful syncopated riffs. The guitar and keyboard interplay is highly skilled and Claire's beautiful voice soars above. A great addition to my collection.

The title track Beyond slowly builds in intensity with hypnotic vocal chanting before launching into extended Keyboard and Guitar interplay, sounding very classical. The main song begins with a pounding rhythm and innovative wordplay from Claire. There are further highly organised instrumental passages. The use of tricky time signatures is done with ease and actually groove very naturally. There is a beautiful atmospheric section and then another new section with a different groove and lyrics referring to paying the ferryman to get to the other side. We are then lead to another highly organised instrumental in 5/8 with repeated motives interspersed with highly original solos evocative of Howe and Wakeman's interplay. This leads to a beautiful ending at approx. 22 minutes. The next 2 tracks (each over 14 mins) follow similar paths with varied lead interplay between Day & Hunt and great grooves, riffs and acoustic atmosoheric passages. Claire Hamill's vocals and lyrics are highly varied and highlight vocal syles that match the music well from delicate acoustic to full-on rock.