▄█████▄ ░█████▄ ▄████▄░█▄ ░█▄ ▄█████▄ ███▄██ ▄██ ▄█▄ ▄██████ ▄█▄ ▄███ ░████░██▀████▓ ▀██ ▄██░▀█████ ████ ███▓ ██████▓██ ▓███████ ███▓░▀█▀████ ███▓ ███▓ ▓███░ ██ ██▄ ▄██▓██ ▓███▓██░ ▓███░███░███████████▄ ███░███░ ███░ ▄███ ███ ▄█▀░ ████████░██ █████████▄ ▓██░███ ███▓█████████ ███████ ███ ███░ ███████ ███▓ ░██ ██ ██████▓ ░██ ▀██ ███░███▓██████ ███▓███ ███ ███ ████████░███░ ███ ██▄ ██▓███░ ██▄ ██░██▓ ███ ▀▀████ ███░███ ███ ███ ███▓░███████░ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███▓██▓██░ ███ ▓████ ███ ███ ▓██▓ ███ ███░ ▓██████ ███ ▓████ ▓██▄ ▓████████ ███ ▓███ ███ ███ ███░███ ███ ░██████ ███ ░████ ░███ ███▓███▓ ███ ░███ ███ ███ ██▓███ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███ ▓██▄ ███░███░ ███ ███ ███ ███ ░█████ ███ ██▓░██▄ ███ ▓█▀ ▓██▄ ███ ██░ ███ ██▓ ███ ███ ░███▀ ░█▀ ██░ ██ ░█▀ ░███▄ ▀ ▀ ▓█▀ ███░ ░█▀ ██▀ ██░ ▄██▀ ░█▄ ▄███▀ ░██ ░ ██ ▓░ ▓░ ██░ ▓█░ ░█▀ ▀█░ ░█▓ ░ ██ ██ Artist: Galahad ██ ██ ▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Nothing is Written █■ ░░█ ■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2007 █ ▀▓█ ░ █ ▓ Rel. Date: 2019-01-05 ▓ █ ▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒ █▄ ░ Label: Pony Canyon Records ░ ▄█ ░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█ ░ █▓ Type: Remastered ▓█ ░ ▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓ ▓ █ █ ░ ▓ ▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■ ░█ █░ ▀ █ This is one of the modern neo-prog acts which I █ █ absolutely love through and through. GALAHAD █ █ combine the progressive sophistication of █ █ MARILLION with the early sound not unlike GENESIS. █ █ This album has an under-produced feel to it and I █ █ think that may be why I am so attached to it? █ █ GALAHAD create a nice array of moods and emotions █ █ on this album and get into some real nasty proggy █ █ moments. "Face To The Sun" is still one of my all █ █ time favorite tracks that they have ever recorded. █ █ █ █ --- █ █ █ █ Galahad's first CD is a typical exemple of a █ █ highly derivative band who still manages to █ █ deliever an excellent work. The production is █ █ thin, it is obviously that band had a lot to █ █ learn. They have a lot against them (even the time █ █ it was released). And Nothing Is Written is █ █ nevertheless a great album of songs. It takes a █ █ little to get used to, but, hey, in prog rock what █ █ does not? If you're a fan of neo prog you can go █ █ no wrong with this CD. Yes, they are very much in █ █ the vein of early Marillion. So what? I thought so █ █ of Pendragon, IQ and Twelfth Night, and after some █ █ time I found that everyone of them has its own █ █ sound and character. Even Marillion was for many █ █ years accused of being nothing more than a Genesis █ █ clone. The list goes on... █ █ Galahad would develop in the next years, but I █ █ really think Nothing Is Written as an excellent █ █ piece of work in the neo prog vein. I don't rate █ █ it higher because the production (or lack of it) █ █ really annoys me, but that's only my opinion. the █ █ songs are very good, the musicians are as sharp as █ █ you expect from any prog act worth the label and █ █ there are no fillers here. Nothing is new or █ █ groundbreaking, but all is very well done. Do you █ █ like Marillion, Pendragon, IQ and other neo prog █ █ acts fo the early 80's? █ █ █ █ --- █ █ █ █ Nothing Is Written was Galahad's debut CD release, █ █ but they had already been around for half a decade █ █ or so at the time and recorded a cassette in the █ █ late 80's. The Fish-like vocals of Stuart █ █ Nicholson readily brings to mind early Marillion █ █ and in their early days Galahad fitted neatly into █ █ the early British Neo-Prog family with bands like █ █ Pallas, IQ and Pendragon. The present debut album █ █ hold up quite well among the early albums of these █ █ other bands but like with many of these bands it █ █ took years before they found their own direction █ █ and Galahad too had yet to find their individual █ █ style at this point. Still, the potential was █ █ clearly here and Nothing Is Written is a fine but █ █ slightly anonymous album. There are occasionally █ █ some fairly heavy riffs here, but this is not █ █ quite as hard edged as more recent Galahad albums. █ █ Rush seems to be an early influence on the band █ █ and Nicholson does indeed sound a bit like Geddy █ █ Lee on the more aggressive passages, most notably █ █ Motherland. █ █ With the exception of the weak Evaporation and the █ █ strong closer Richelieu's Prayer, the best songs █ █ of this album come during the first half. The █ █ highlight for me, however, is the superb eight █ █ minute closer Richelieu's Prayer with its █ █ medieval-flavoured middle-sections with tasteful █ █ but all too brief Rick Wakeman-like harpsichord █ █ and church organ passages and some nice flute-like █ █ keyboards. The guitar sound often reminds me of █ █ Andy Latimer of Camel and Nicholson provides one █ █ of his strongest vocal performances on this █ █ number. It is quite unclear whether the song is █ █ about the famous French cardinal, but it is an █ █ interesting lyric nonetheless. █ █ Aqaba (A Matter Of Going) features a lovely Far █ █ Eastern-flavoured lead guitar melody that brings █ █ to mind the Arabian dessert, the chorus of the █ █ song is, however, a bit trite and the keyboards █ █ are very 80's sounding here. The closest to 80's █ █ Pop the band come is though on the rather silly █ █ The Automaton. Songs like Evaporation and Don't █ █ Lose Control are rather poppy ballads which █ █ probably will put many Prog fans off, but while █ █ the former falls rather flat the latter is saved █ █ by some tasteful acoustic guitar lines, an █ █ emotional vocal and a nice electric guitar solo at █ █ the end. █ █ Overall, this is a well-made and somewhat █ █ underrated Neo-Prog album that will appeal to fans █ █ of the genre. It is worth it for Richelieu's █ █ Prayer alone! There are a couple of really good █ █ further moments here too, but the band would do █ █ better latter on. █ █ My version has 12 tracks one of which is a bonus █ █ track called There Must Be A Way and with the █ █ short organ introduction Bark In D Minor leading █ █ into a song called Legacy (which is not listed █ █ here for some reason). █ █ █ █ --- █ █ █ █ GALAHAD has become one of the better known bands █ █ to fall into the broadening neo-prog section of █ █ the progressive rock universe in the 21st century █ █ but the band actually started all the way back in █ █ 1985 as a seven-piece band inspired by the usually █ █ prog revival suspects such as Twelfth Night, IQ, █ █ Pendragon and of course Fish era Marillion. The █ █ band actually started out as a cover band playing █ █ everything from symphonic rich prog like Genesis █ █ to more crossover prog and classic rock such as █ █ Led Zeppelin and Rush. Lead singer Stuart █ █ Nicholson readily admits that the whole project █ █ was only put together for fun and that nobody in █ █ the beginning was the least bit concerned with any █ █ sort of professional career to emerge out of it. █ █ In a similar storyline of Steven Wilson and his █ █ Porcupine Tree project, GALAHAD gradually garnered █ █ enough attention by their contemporaries and ended █ █ up playing live with some of the neo-prog heroes █ █ they were emulating. █ █ All of this turning of the tides forced the band █ █ to take their project more seriously as they found █ █ themselves in an unforeseen trajectory. Around █ █ 1990 the band started to realize that they might █ █ have a real musical career in their future and █ █ began to craft what would become their first album █ █ NOTHING IS WRITTEN which emerged as was an █ █ independent release. This debut was pretty much a █ █ DIY enterprise as it was self-financed, █ █ self-produced and self-promoted and despite the █ █ poor quality in both production and performance █ █ managed to sell several thousand albums which was █ █ enough impetus to launch the band's career into █ █ the next level. While the band's lineup has █ █ changed substantially throughout the decades. █ █ Three members: vocalist Stuart Nicholson, █ █ guitarist Roy Keyworth and drummer Spender Luckman █ █ have been with the band since the beginning album. █ █ Anyone who is familiar with the later works such █ █ as the excellent "Empires Never Last" or their █ █ other modern day albums that incorporate a heavy █ █ guitar heft to the mix will be quite underwhelmed █ █ by what lackluster performances are displayed on █ █ NOTHING IS WRITTEN. Although i rarely agree with █ █ harsh vitriol dished out by the critics, this one █ █ is often cited as uninspired and down right bland █ █ with too many derivative aspects lifted from the █ █ 80s neo-prog movement without adding anything █ █ original. In the case of NOTHING IS WRITTEN, i █ █ would have to completely agree with every single █ █ word. This is indeed one of the most carbon copy █ █ and paste examples of a neo-prog i've ever heard █ █ all dished out in the most generic fashion █ █ possible. █ █ Think of this one sitting more in the territory of █ █ the IQ album "Are You Sitting Comfortably?" Like █ █ that turkey of an album, NOTHING IS WRITTEN's █ █ material lies somewhere between bland 80s AOR and █ █ the weakest aspects of neo-prog all the while █ █ offering boring cliche melodic and instrumental █ █ performances. Likewise Nicholson sounds more like █ █ a tired has been who has ruined his voice through █ █ too much touring throughout the years. Clearly the █ █ focus of the band had changed but the talent was █ █ still on amateur mode at this point and when █ █ hearing this debut release at the time, it would █ █ have been impossible to predict that GAHALAD would █ █ actually get their act together and become one of █ █ the major players in the neo-prog world. While i'm █ █ usually pretty lenient on early albums because █ █ they often provide some sort of interesting █ █ origins, this one is truly a mess in every way and █ █ should be completely avoided by all but █ █ completionists. █ ▓ ▓ ▒ ▒ ░ 1. Face to the Sun 7:59 ░ ░ 2. Chamber of Horrors 5:25 ░ ░ 3. Evaporation 5:54 ░ ░ 4. Mother Land 6:42 ░ ░ 5. Room 801 7:03 ░ ░ 6. Aqaba (A Matter of Going!) 5:35 ░ ░ 7. Bark in D Minor 0:42 ░ ░ 8. Legacy 4:03 ░ ░ 9. The Automaton 4:35 ░ ░ 10. Don't Lose Control 5:29 ░ ░ 11. Richelieus Prayer 8:11 ░ ░ 12. There Must Be a Way 5:35 ░ ░ 67:13 ░ ░ ▒ ▒ ▓ █ ░ ▓ ░ ■ █▄ ░ ██ ▀█▄░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ▓ ░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ░▄██░ ░ ▀████▓█▄▄█████████▓░ ███ ███▓░ █████████▄▄██████▀ ▓ ▓▀▓ ▒███████▀▀ ▀████████▒ ░████████▀ ▀▀███████░▓▀▓ ■ ░ ▄█░█▀▀▄████▄▓ ▀█▀ █▓░ ▒▓█ ▀█▀ ▄████▄ ▀███▄░ ▄█▀░ ░███▀▀▀███▄ ▀█▒ ██▓ ██ ▓█▀ ▄███▀▀▀███░ ▀█░ █▀ ▓██▓ ▄███ ▀█▓ ████ ▒█▀ ▓███▄ ▓██▓ ▀█▓ █▀ ▓██░ ▒██████▓ ▀█ █▓ █▀ ▓██████▒ ░██▓ ▀█ ▒ ▄██ ░███ ▓███▓ ▀░██░▀ ▓███░ ███ ██▄ ▒ ░█▀ ███ ▄▀ ███▄ ▓████▒ ▄███▀▄ ███ ▀█░ ▓█▀ ▄██▄█▀ ░ ██████████████ ▀█▄ ██▄ ▀█▓ █▀ ████▀█▄▓░▄█ ▀██████▀ █▄▓░▄█▀█▄██ ▀█▓ ░ ▄ ██▀ ▀████▀ ▀█▓▀██ ▀████▀ ▀███ ▄ ▒ █░█▓ ██░ █░ █ ░██ ▀██▒█ ███░ ▒█░ ▄ ▓ ▒ ░█▒ ▓███ ░ ▓██ ░ ██▓ ██░ ░██ █▒ ░ ░█ ▀█ █▀ ▓ ░ ░