There’s, as usual, a couple of different ways i could start this review. For once, let’s set my ramblings on my own writing aside and let’s focus on Pallas‘ own.
For those of you who happen not to ever heard of them before, here’s some news: that’s normal and you, my dear ladies and gents, are part of a vast majority. But as this record itself shows perfectly, it’s never too late. XXV is none other than the conceptual follow-up to Pallas‘ very first album, which dates back to 1983. As a result of a troubled history with record companies (which has absolutely nothing to do with their undeniable talent), Pallas‘ releases have been rather sparse throughout their career, and to listen to XXV makes you wish they were luckier with that. And i mean: for your own amusement.
I must confess XXV woke my interest in the band’s work to the point I set out on a search for their previous releases (most notably to this album’s predecessor, The Sentinel) without much ado. But I realise it wouldn’t be too fair to judge their most recent effort as a mere comparison to their grand opus of old. For starters, it wouldn’t be fair to those who (just like me till a couple of days ago) are not acquainted with the band. Secondly, it wouldn’t quite be true to XXV itself, for it would fall short of doing it justice.
The music on XXV is undeniably a progressive kind of rock or, if you will, “neo prog”. Such a label is obviously nowhere near telling, even more so if you think it encompasses too long a history of changes in musical technique and tastes. To be true to the definition, the aforementioned The Sentinel would for instance have to share a position with its baby follower within the boundaries of said genre; problem is, they actually couldn’t be more apart than they are.
Given they’re both (not-so-)little gems in their own right, XXV bears heavy signs of the times gone by or, if you like, of “modernity”. The sound’s very clean, the song structure is somewhat more listener-friendly and the whole album is much heavier overall, although there’s no lack of soft episodes. I would actually go as far as to call them hints at heavy metal. In spite of this, XXV never strays from the intended direction, which is that of a prog rock concept album whose sound is much in the vein of the so-called British “neo prog” (IQ, Pendragon and the likes can’t but come to mind).
Now, some of you will be probably aware I do have something for concept albums. No doubt that has an influence on this review, though the positive side of it (meaning: I have a slight preference for conceptually developed albums than not) is kind of balanced by the negative one (meaning: my high expectations are not always met). As a matter of fact, the first spin already convinced me Pallas‘ comeback was well worth the wait, no matter what they might’ve done earlier.
You can read more about the concept on their website, where they even offer one song for free download. Here I’ll just briefly mention the narration (which we get to hear snipets of, in the form of speech rather than lyrics) is set on our Earth in the 25th century (hence the album’s name), and it involves the fall of our civilisation as it confronts with alien “saviours”. You might think this is a bit cliché, but Pallas are not new to it (story-wise, the links with their the sentinel are very strong) and know how to deal with it. Although some verses are quite cheesy and way too easy to predict (some rhymes seem to be forced), they’re still well sung, even in an emotional way i would say, and varied enough.
Heavier and softer moments are very well balanced. Pallas‘ experience takes care of the matter, making the listening flow smoothly from start to finish. You might actually be left to wish it lasted longer, though an hour without fillers of sorts or silly intros fits just fine. The long opener, Falling Down, is quite catchy in its turn, and manages to set the tone right for what’s to come. Crash and Burn takes it to a hard rock kind of level, a mere hint at the heaviness to be found later in The Alien Messiah, with its anthemic feeling. Another juicy “heavier” moment is Young God. Monster could be called the most AOR-iented song of the lot, while Something In The Deep‘s very relaxed, almost ambient feeling anticipates that of Blackwood and Violet Sky, two tracks that might as well have been fused together, as they rely so much on each other. The perfect synthesis (a word I almost feel compelled to use, thanks to the abundance of keyboard layers and beautiful solos throughout the album) of the heavy and soft side of the coin is to be found on the title track, split into two movements in the middle and at the end of the album. It’s an excellent multi-structured piece of prog rock which sums up the lyrical and musical “quid” of the album.
THUS SPAKE THE CENNSOR: To sum it all up in my own turn, I’d say if you’re a fan of (prog rock) concept albums, you can’t miss this one. If you’re not, but have nothing against an album that can offer a lot of variety managing never to go too far from the core ideas, give it a go – as a side effect to just enjoying the music, you might find yourself caught up in the threads of a thrilling sci-fi story, written and developed with gusto and skill. Much credit to the inventive Pallas for a release which proves mature in many a way. 8,5/10
