Pallas - Moment To Moment
Performance
Production
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Pallas - Moment To Moment
Performance
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Pallas' Moment To Moment is yet another first-rate concert DVD release from Poland's Metal Mind Productions. During the last few years Metal Mind has lured damn-near every progressive rock band in Europe to their recording venue of choice, the Wyspianski Theatre in Katowice, Poland, in order to capture some killer live concert performances for all the world to see. This latest concert DVD from the Metal Mind camp only continues their record of excellence. Pallas are a Scottish neo-progressive rock band, who, along with their British contemporaries, IQ and Marillion, helped to launch the neo-prog genre back in the early eighties. The band formed in 1980 and released their first full-length studio album, The Sentinel, in 1984. They have only released six other studio albums since then, due in part to a 12 year dormant period between 1986 and 1998. Their latest studio release is 2005's excellent The Dreams Of Men, which is featured prominently on this DVD. Moment To Moment was filmed on October 31st, 2007 at the Wyspianski Theatre, and it also marked the band's first ever concert on Polish soil. Pallas' music reminds me a lot of early Marillion, since Andy Reed's vocals often sound remarkably similar to that band's former frontman Fish. Reed also effectively incorporates a lot of Misplaced Childhood style spoken word interludes throughout the songs, which gives them their unique appeal. So, if you like your music loaded with gorgeous melodies, dramatic vocals, haunting synthesizer landscapes, and long-winded guitar solos, then Pallas is definitely a band to check out. The concert begins in dramatic fashion with the theater completely darkened except for a large video screen at center stage that is displaying the ominous image from The Dreams Of Men album cover. Eerie keyboard sounds fill the air and eventually melt into the opening track, "Warriors". This emotionally charged number from The Dreams Of Men album deals with the subject of fanatical, suicidal "holy warriors", and the music also reveals the band's Rush influences with Niall Mathewson's "Spirit Of The Radio"-like guitar intro and Graeme Murray's fleet-fingered bass lines. The setlist alternates mostly between the newer Dreams Of Men material, and their 1984 album The Sentinel. Nine of the twelve songs performed are taken from those two albums, which is not a bad thing since these are probably their two best. Some may argue that 2001's The Cross And The Crucible is also befitting of that accolade, but that album was already covered almost in its entirety on the band's previous concert DVD, 2003's The Blinding Darkness. At times it was hard not to focus on Reed's protruding ears, which were overemphasized by the large, silver, sound monitors he wore in each one during the performance. Must... not... stare... at... ears... must....re... focus. The guy is also a dead ringer for American Idol star Clay Aiken, which was distracting enough. It took a couple of magnificent guitar solos from Mathewson to snap me out of Reed's spell, and to refocus on the music. All kidding aside, Reed is a superb singer and charming frontman who really gives Pallas their unique personality. Moment to Moment captures one of the more enthusiastic and inspired performances from this veteran rock band. Pallas' songs fluctuate dramatically between dreamy melancholic, dark and foreboding, and intensely energetic themes, and the dazzling light show and intriguing visuals really enhanced the various moods revealed throughout each of these performances. Pallas fans, and fans of the neo-prog scene in general, should not miss out on this excellent new video. The production quality of this DVD is comparable to most other Metal Mind releases, and that is top notch. Audio choices are Dolby Digital 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo, and although they seemed to be mastered at a slightly lower level than normal, they each sounded superb. The colorful widescreen video presentation was very clear and sharp and the camera work put you right at the show. Bonus material includes a tour documentary, rehearsal footage, and an interview with Alan Reed and Graeme Murray. Also included is a band biography, discography, photo gallery, and desktop images. Reviewed by Paul M. Roy - April 2008 |
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Running Time: 90 Minutes |
DVD Release Date - April 2008 |