Band: Pendragon
Label: Pendragon Toff Records
Label Website:
Release Date: 2005
Band Website: www.pendragonuk.net
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),
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.