| The
Review |
I must admit to having a soft spot for Pendragon. You
see while in England during the mid-eighties doing research
for the Progressive Rock Files, Pendragon’s Nick Barrett and
Pete Gee were one of the first who consented to being interviewed
by me. I doubt that they remember that event, but I sure do,
and it’s wonderful to see the band continuing to produce music
that is inspiring as well as thought provoking. For some time
now, Pendragon has consisted of Nick Barrett (guitar/vocals),
Pete Gee (bass), Clive Nolan (keyboards) and Fudge Smith (drums).
With a substantial musical catalog now behind them, Pendragon
has come a long way since those early days of homemade cassettes.
***
Pendragon’s latest release is entitled Believe and more
than simply carrying on the band’s trademarked style, they’ve
stretched further to include an even wider variety of influences.
The new sounds include a variety of ethnic influences such
as Middle Eastern and Native American chanting as well as
delicately played acoustic guitar with a strong sense of Spanish
flamenco. In fact the acoustic guitar makes quite a number
of appearances in any number of styles. That said, how these
and other influences are incorporated is perhaps the trademark
of a band that has a strong sense of identity but is able
to slide in and out of new influences almost in stealth like
fashion. As one listens, songs on Believe morph into one another
magically sometimes connected together with atmospheric affects
and sometimes not. There’s more than the usual amount of tempo
changes and dramatic musical moments. ***
As you would expect, the song lengths run the gamut;
the shortest being just under 3-minutes, a couple 4 or 5-minutes
and a couple 7 or 8-minutes. The longest composition, the
21 minute “Wishing Well” begins with atmospheric drumming
and opening vocal lines before thinning out to highlight Nolan’s
keyboards and choral effects, sounding almost like the soundtrack
to the movie Gladiator. And this choir effect makes a number
of repeated appearances that provoke many melancholic, emotionally
charged moments. Barrett’s spoken vocals contain a pleading
quality here and at other moments as well. One gets the impression
this recording is much closer to the heart than some of their
other material. There is a poignancy here that comes through.
At the same time Pendragon are quite capable of crafting some
of the most stirring anthems or heart warming melodies I’ve
heard in a long time. ***
Believe is a wonderful addition to the Pendragon catalog.
If you’re already a fan it’s a “slam dunk” that you’ll like
this. If you’ve hesitated getting to the music of Pendragon
because of what some might have written about them, this is
the perfect time to set aside any preconceived notions and
sink your teeth into some great music. Pendragon’s Believe
sets the standard for modern symphonic progressive rock. I
highly recommend it. ***
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