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"With a quasi-acoustic album, Galahad surprises and allows Stuart Nicholson to show all his talent as a singer."
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4/5
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"A new Galahad album, with a difference". This is the official presentation of "Quiet Storms", the eleventh album of the English band. The fans of the band will be curious to hear this announcement: Galahad has built a reputation as a dynamic and theatrical neo-progressive rock band, with three last albums of good quality. It's hard to imagine that the quintet will venture into unknown lands...
And yet, there are precedents in their discography: as early as 1994, Galahad dared to release an (incompletely) unplugged album, and then, 20 years later, they released 3 EPs, each of them offering different versions of the same track ("Galahad Acoustic Quintet, Not All Thérèse"). With "Quiet Storms", he wants to show a calmer, more pastoral side of his inspiration. To do so, he reworked old tracks and gathered acoustic versions (or almost) developed on the 2014 EPs. Add to that two covers and three unreleased tracks, and you get the item we're interested in here.
With a minimalist accompaniment (mostly limited to piano and acoustic guitar), and a most discreet rhythm section (except on the last track), Stuart Nicholson's voice is propelled to the forefront. It is the occasion for him to remind that he is an outstanding vocalist, whose sensitivity and the smoothness of interpretation burst here in the great day: 'Beyond The Barb Wire', 'Weightless' or 'Guardian Angel' are moving and full successes, as well as 'Termination', where Stu finds in Christina Booth (Magenta) an ideal complement. Among the successes are the two covers 'Marz' (John Grant), for which the singer composed two additional verses, and 'Mein Herz Brennt' in a less superbly decadent piano/violin version than Till Lindemann's (Rammstein, 2001), but carefully mastered.
It is in the minimalism that this 'Quiet Storms' is at its best: when the layers of keyboards become more invasive ('Melt', 'Don't Lose Control'), they anaesthetize the sensibility, and if the group tries to be more orchestral ('Easier Said Than Done'), a more artificial, less sincere side emerges. Similarly, the 'Hybrid' version of 'Guardian Angel' with its drums, only appears at its best in the quiet terminal break.
This album is a winning bet: by putting forward a finesse of interpretation that was less apparent before, Galahad weaves delicate atmospheres that at times recall the atmospheres of the very first Marillion ("Fugazi" on 'Picture of Bliss' and 'Willow Way'). Few of us would have believed this band could do it : well done ! - Official website
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TRACK LISTING:
01. Guardian Angel
02. Iceberg
03. Beyond The Barbed Wire
04. Mein Herz Brennt
05. Termination
06. This Life Could Be My Last
07. Pictures of Bliss
08. Willow Way
09. Easier Said than Done
10. Melt
11. Weightless
12. Shine
13. Don’t Lose Control
14. Marz (And Beyond)
15. Guardian Angel (Hybrid)
LINEUP:
Dean Baker: Claviers
Roy Keyworth: Guitares
Spencer Luckmann: Batterie
Stuart Nicholson: Chant
Tim Ashton: Basse
Christina Booth: Chant / Invité
Karl Groom: Guitares / Claviers / Invité
Louise Curtis: Invité / Violon
Sarah Bolter: Invité / Flûte, Clarinette, Saxophone
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(0) MIND(S) FROM OUR READERS
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Top of the page
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(1) COMMENT(S)
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READERS
3.5/5 (6 view(s))
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STAFF:
3.4/5 (5 view(s))
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IN RELATION WITH GALAHAD
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OTHER REVIEWS
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OTHER(S) REVIEWS ABOUT GALAHAD
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