IMPENDING ASCENSION

After their mixed-bag debut, Magellan improves dramatically with what is my favorite album from them; and also what I consider as their peak. What Magellan does here is expand on their better and longer tracks from their debut. Trent Gardner's keyboard work is exceptional and again the subject matter of the songs is mostly historical in nature. So in addition to great music, we can obtain a history lesson at the same time!

I have a hard time pinning a comparison to other groups for this album. Kansas seemed a big influence on their debut, but I don't sense that comparison much here. There are occasional nods to ELP and Yes (for the vocal harmonies), and maybe a teeny bit of Genesis. I guess what I am saying is that Magellan have adopted their own sound.

Programmed drums are still a part of the band (with the exception of a guest performance by Doane Perry), but don't think of that as a hindrance like it is for so many other bands and artists. This is the kind of album a drum programmer should listen to to hear how it is done correctly. Magellan would acquire a human drummer on their next album.

I still listen to this album a lot and I think it is vastly underrated. I consider it one of the gems at the forefront of the recovery of prog rock taking place in the early 1990s. The only sad thing about this album is that none of the following Magellan albums comes close to matching its quality.