Pendragon – Passion (Madfish)

One of the original wave of so-called “neoprog” bands in the 80s, Swindon’s Pendragon has now been running for 30 years, long enough to be grizzled veterans instead of young bucks. Passion is pretty much state-of-the-art 21st century prog rock, with heavy guitars powering melodies that move back and forth between minor key darkness and major chord uplift. If anybody in this act is a virtuoso, the musicians keep that side hidden – even during tunes of epic length masturbatory solo keep to a minimum. Instead the focus is on the melodies themselves, which break no new ground but maintain instant appeal for genre fans, and the sociopolitical lyrics, which leader Nick Barrett delivers in a personable rasp. Indeed, on “Skara Bare” and the title track, that rasp occasionally becomes a roar – Barrett seems to be spinning a few metalcore records in his spare time. It’s a bit jarring, given his decidedly non-metal melodic sense, though it’s not nearly as odd as his stab at rap in “Empathy.” But ultimately the record is about varied, lush cuts like “Feeding Frenzy” and “This Green and Pleasant Land,” where the tunes, libretto, arrangements and performances come together for classic-sounding pieces of progressive rock pie.

http://www.pendragon.mu
http://www.madfishmusic.com