Chandelier - Pure (1990)

Great German band that is very much in the Marillion/Aragon style. Excellent Fish-like vocals. They have a single release out entitled Pure. Anyone who enjoys prog rock of this nature should have this in their collection! Chandelier is generally touted as Germany's answer to Marillion. There is some merit to that general idea, especially between singer Martin Eden and Fish, but outside of that comparison, there are many other similarities as well. Pure is their first album, released in 1990, and is not bad for a debut album it offers although it doesn't really break any new ground. The playing is impressively tight, the songs are well written, the vocals (in English) are quite good, and the lyrics even stand on their own, it's just that they could be so much better if they were not so intent in following in the wake of others.

A typical neo-prog release which is clearly influenced by the early Marillion, IQ and the heyday of Saga. Most songs are quite simple, yet not less effective. I remembered being impressed by the excellent song writing when hearing the music for the very first time. There’s some top notch melodies in “Stay”, “Call for life”, “Jericha” & “Cat’s worst grave”. Unfortunately there’s also some flaws like the instrumental “Winterpause” which can only be called boring or “The ultimate song” which is more pop than prog. I can imagine that some prog lovers will find the instrumental side of the band too predictable but just remember that this was only their debut album. The next album of this German band would contain more adventurous compositions. “Jericha” & “Cat’s worst grave” have some IQ influences and may be the best compositions of the bunch thanks to a series of magnificent moods and atmospheres. “Dictator” is a satisfying popish track that holds influences from both Genesis’ supper’s ready and Saga.

Overall the atmospheric keyboards are sounding great, if not, a little outdated. The guitars are quite enjoyable and reminiscent to both Steve Hackett & Steve Rothery. The closing solo on “Call for life” is simply breathtaking. Fortunately Singer Martin Eden has a characteristic, dramatic voice that you won’t forget. Sometimes he reminds me a bit of Fish or Peter Nicholls but in essence the sound of his voice is highly original in progressive music. “Pure” has a clean, crisp sound that suffers from eighties production techniques which is especially noticeable by the rhythm section which would have been more suitable for an AOR band.

Conclusion : An album that definitely has some highly enjoyable moments but overall this is more like a collection of very different songs than a real album. Sometimes the arrangements are too less elaborated and the songs are too simple and popish but when listening to the excellent closing track, you’ll forgive them all…. (http://www.progarchives.com/Review.asp?id=85181)


Track Listings
1. Stellar Attraction (7:00)
2. After The Day (4:27)
3. Stay (4:56)
4. Jericha (7:10)
5. Pure (2:02)
6. Winterpause (4:03)
7. Cat's Worst Grave (6:37)
8. Dictator (3:41)
9. The Ultimate Song (3:46)
10. Call For Life (5:12)

Total Time: 48:54

Line-up/Musicians
- Martin Eden / vocals
- Udo Lang / guitars
- Stephan Scholz / bass
- Tobias Budnowski / keyboards
- Tom Jarzina / drums

Guests:
- Christine Frenz / flute

Download:
link to RS folder

COMMENTS ARE WELCOME!