IMPENDING ASCENSION

With 'Impending Ascension', Magellan follow in the same vein they had started on their debut album 'Hour of Restoration': the same elements are here, although this new repertoire exhibits a more careful labour at writing and a more refined level of performing skills. The major references continue to be Kansas, Yes and ELP, as well as the occasional touches of prog metal's driving force and neoprog's melodic textures. With the exception of track 2 (actually, my all-time Magellan fave number - by the way, fantastic electronic drumming by Jethro Tull's Duane Perry), the drumkit/percussion sounds come from rhythm sequences, which are cleverly programmed in order to set complex patterns and varied tempo shifts. This factor helps Magellan to instill a very modern air into their symph prog, so heavily inspired in tha great classics' grandeur. The highlights are the longest tracks, 'Estadium Nacional', 'Waterfront Weirdos' and 'Storms and Mutiny': the latter, a suite inspired by the historical Magellan, is preceeded by the stunning instrumental 'No Time for Words' as a kind of linked prelude. The 5+ minute tracks are also quite good, though I miss some impressive guitar and/or synth soloing which may have enriched them properly. The last track is catchy prog metal oriented number that definitely should have been developed further: why is it so short? Gardner brothers must have had their reasons to keep it so, therefore the listener has nothing left to do but accept and respect it. My personal balance for 'Impending Ascension' is very positive, since I regard it a step onward in their artistic evolution toward a hard rocking prog sound.