MANDALABAND IV - AD: SANGREAL

My love for the Mandalaband dates back to 1976, when that tremendous album "Eye of Wendor" was released (on vinyl) with collaborations of members of 10cc, BJH and the Moody Blues(and Maddy Prior of course), what a beautiful album. David Rohl, the initiator of the Mandalaband was/is a producer turned Egyptologist. So it wasn't until 2009 he released, as Mandaland, a follow up on "Eye of Wendor": BC Ancesors. (The previous follow up albums were scrapped due to lack of income/interest for/of the record companies). Not with the "star" line up we saw in "Eye of Wendor" but still with the basic musicians and with Wooly Wolstenholme of Barclay James Harvest, came BC Ancestors in 2009. Now then, out of the blue (for me), the new album "AD Sangreal". With same line up as BC and probably the last musical contribution of Wooly Wolstenholme, he sadly died December 2010. This is a good successor of BC, somewhat more direction in the album I think. A lot more mellow moods as in BC. Not realy prog I think, but not far off. If you like BJH you're well off. What I like the most is the Gregorian chant on the album. But also the more up-tempo songs. For that reason I could compare this album a mix of "Journey" from Janus and the Enid's "Journey's End". As in every Mandalaband's albums there is a story to tell, and this one is: (from the website) Mandalaband IV brings you the legend of the Holy Grail? but not the tradition surrounding King Arthur and the Round Table Knights. This is the story as handed down to us through the Romano-Spanish tradition of the Sangria - the true history of the cup used by Christ at the last supper. Arriving in Europe with Mary Magdalene and Joseph of Arimathea, over the centuries, it was transformed into the mystical relic known as the Holy Grail. I think for every BJH fan a must have, for others this is a trully fantastic album if you like a fairy tale style of music, or indeed with a liking of British tradition/myths.

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