GALAHAD “BATTLE SCARS”

A & R development over the years. Oh yes this is the key-let the band breathe and grow on masses of record company loans, make sure the public want to have the beautifully crafted product at least for Christmas, the look and sound must be essential...

The album I`m playing here at the moment, you could have turned down to barely audible volume at a dinner table and passed it off as an offering from the nightmarish but sadly true stabling illustrated above, heavens! -=it even features progressive music, but I can tell you that I have not heard a delivery like this from a band of this genre, well- ever really, but GALAHAD have not fallen down any holes lately nore ever gotten stuck into  a cliched prog groove of cloning any other act in their class. They don`t actually sound like anyone but themselves and its a sound comforted by being happy with knowing what they are and furthering that knowledge with a passion and longevity that is just so rare in any form of entertainment that is presented with such authoritywith dignity and ,now, after  25 years or so doing what they do, such experience. These guys were doing DIY when anyone else except the indie punk labels were too busy sneering at it-it certainly wasn’t`t a “prog thing” to do-well one would have thought...

None of the songs on BATTLE SCARS have been tugged and pulled in a direction to which they might prove to be better for “that territory” or “that market”, the beauty and integrity of the song-crafting is coming from none of the usual places out of the speakers and thrills  in the perfection of mix and exactly enough playing ,unlike many of the acts that they no doubt would have been listening too in a bedroom away from spiky haired, skinny legged pogoers that were their contemporaries.

This album is a film, but I don’t want it to be-I want it to be a record. From the opening power and dignity of the title track itself we are sucked into this aural movie and its only when we get to “BITTER AND TWISTED” that we realise that the album is such an absorbing work that nothing else is actually getting done. Prog Rock didn’t of course go away, to many people, it just painted itself in a shade that was not as popular as it thought it would be-GALAHAD without a doubt carried on listening to themselves and what their loyal  and indeed lifelong followers, in many cases,  wanted from the music that they create. Surely, that is the best A+R crew in the world and to be able to have the strength in work and deed to turn around and face a new crowd in 2012 and say-“hey people-heres our new record-you might like this as well..”, is an unchallenged gift that acts would pay a great deal of money to have. (they cant of course-it takes too much dedication, work and time!)

And-in case anyone has not mentioned it to you, with the excellent “SIEZE THE DAY”, the prog ship and dance floor have been immaculately fused by a band for the first time and not a computer programmer.

Galahad/Battle Scars  Avalon Records 2012 9.5/10

Martin Kitcher