PHYLTER

Phylter is another of those bands that came a little too late on the scene when the music world had changed completely from a few years before (1978). If the situation was already bad for established bands, what to say about newcomers? Sometimes you can find interesting and even excellent stuff (Anyone´s Daughter comes in mind). But, with punk and disco rising high at that time, they all had little chance to get notice. And this is the case with this band from Belgium.

Their sound is actually closer to light space/krautrock than "real" symphonic groups like Yes or Genesis. The songs are OK, I guess, but really not that good. With time it is possible they would eventually evolve into something bigger and more exciting. Judging from their debut´s LP perspective, it is no surprise that they did not have the opportunity to release a follow up. They had a lot to learn in terms of arrangements and songwriting. Vocals are only average too. Production does not help much either, being far from satisfactory.

Don´t get me wrong: their sound is pleasant enough. I liked the 3 last songs, they are far better than the previous 3. Patrick Philips is surely the best musician here and his keyboards are the highlight of the album. Even so, I can´t say it is any better than several other bands that were struggling to get somewhere at the period. They were at least four years late in terms of style and playing.

Conclusion: more interesting than really good. Not essential at all. But if you like searching for obscure bands of the late 70´s, then Phylter might be worth checking out. The CD has a few good moments that fans of the space rock movement might like.

Rating: 2,5 stars.