Artist: PENDRAGON
Album: BELIEVE (CD)

Year: 2005
Media type: CD

Twenty years after the release of their debut album "The Jewel" - which was recently reissued as a remastered edition - British prog rockers Pendragon unveil their seventh studio album "Believe". After the keyboard heavy, darkly theatrical "Masquerade Overture" (1999), and the fanciful and atmospheric "Not Of This World" (2001), Pendragon return with an almost uncharacteristic rock edge to "Believe". The album also has some strong classical overtones and obviously retains the band's classic sound.

While other artists seem to release albums in rapid succession at the expense of quality, Pendragon choose to take a more careful approach. After all, five years separates "Masquerade Overture" and "Not Of This World" and the earth has orbited the sun four times since that release. What does Nick Barrett think about these extended breaks? "I need a sense of passion to work on something. My feeling is that we all are on a quest for something, as if you can only settle when the lost brother has been found. It's the same with my music. The long breaks are very annoying for me, but they also give me fire. They enrage me and you can hear this energy".

Fire - this is meant literally regarding "Believe". Pendragon has rarely had such power. The reason for this is the theme behind the album, and the way in which Barrett has set it to music. "I have been reading books by a guy who claims that history as we learnt it at school is rubbish, and that we are told lies all the time. The books deal with conspiracy theories, and the more you think about it the more it seems to be a possible truth". Many would set such a message to mysterious, atmospheric sounds but Barrett has chosen another way. Songs such as "No Place For The Innocent", and passages from "The Wisdom Of Solomon" or "We Talked" (a section from the four-part song "The Wishing Well") sound unusually hard and rocking.

"I never make deliberate decisions about how the music should sound", explains Barrett. "A lot of music for 'Believe' was composed on the guitar, and when I saw the riffs were really good without too much keyboard upholstery I wanted to have them as loud and aggressive as possible because this is also a strength of that instrument. I felt a lot of passion for the themes about which I sang, and I thought the guitars should partly sound really angry. I needed a certain kind of grumbling in order to heartily speak about human affairs". The guitar on "No Place" is at first reminiscent of Led Zeppelin, and manages to pick up the thread of the triumphant rock songs of the 80's. In the rather extravagant "We Talked" there are even subtle but quite clear elements of New Metal. On the other hand there is the classically inspired "The Edge Of The World", with acoustic guitars, orchestrated sounds and romantic vocals producing a plaintive ballad, which could sit comfortably alongside the work of Hackett or Howe.

"My star sign is Gemini", laughs Barrett. "So I still like music which goes to the heart. Some time ago I heard someone saying music should make people laugh, cry and sigh. I really agree with that". True to this maxim "Believe" is a roller coaster ride of emotions, a progressive album with a great expanse of feelings. "The Wisdom Of Solomon", which deals with the fact that one can exaggerate 'political correctness' and even drive a wedge between cultures with such behaviour, sounds exotic and mysterious, and manages to unite different cultural flavours. "Wishing Well", utilises the help of classical influences, sumptuous choirs and a few hints of early Genesis to ponder the question of what makes a man; his art, his laughter, his sexuality.

The Mediterranean feel of "Learning Curve" sums up Barrett's process of realisation over the last few years. "I wanted to find good music into which I could put my passion, in which I could believe, and with which I could express my new insights. Now I have found it and I am really glad about that".

Tracklisting:

01. Believe 02:57
02. No Place For The Innocent 05:36
03. The Wisdom Of Solomon 07:07
04. The Wishing Well 21:07
05. Learning Curve 06:38
06. The Edge Of The World 08:20

Total Running Time: 51:45 min.

Line-Up:

Nick Barrett (Guitar, vocals)
Clive Nolan/Arena (Keyboards)
Peter Gee (Bass, Guitar)
Fudge Smith (Drums)

Discography:

"Believe" (2005)
"Not Of This World" (2001)
"The Masquerade Ouverture" (1996)
"The Window Of Life" (1993)
"The World" (1991)
"Kowtow" (1988)
"The Jewel" (1985, Reissue 2005)