Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Arena
Label: Verglas Records
Released: 2000
Length: 55:18
Rating: 5/5
“Immortal?” is the fourth studio album from cult British neo-prog rockers Arena. Before it came out, most people expected that after the conceptual masterpiece “The Visitor” (1998) they’d slow their work rate a little and maybe ease off the creative throttle, but exactly the opposite happened. The album was another top-notch achievement that didn’t lag behind its predecessor in any way, and in a few places even outdid it. Anyone who knows the artistic habits of keyboard wizard Clive Nolan (Pendragon, ex-Shadowland) surely wasn’t too surprised that after such a triumph he refused to let his band rest on its laurels. Drumming legend Mick Pointer (ex-Marillion) has always had an important say in steering the band and setting its direction, but it was Mr. Nolan who established himself as the main writer of the compositions, lyrics and concepts.
“Immortal?” brought an important, I’d even say crucial, change to the band’s lineup. After the successful “The Visitor” tour, the charismatic singer Paul Wrightson decided, to everyone’s surprise, to say goodbye. Plenty of the band’s fans found it pretty hard to come to terms with that, but his phenomenal successor Rob Sowden made sure the mourning didn’t last long. Rob admittedly doesn’t have quite as much vocal theatricality as Wrightson, but he’s all the stronger and more convincing in the emotional expression of individual lyrics. You won’t find that characteristic neo-prog theatricality of his predecessor in his voice, the kind that drew heavily on the charismatic legacy of singers like Peter Gabriel and Fish, but he shines all the more with a completely distinctive timbre and even better movement between high and low registers, which also shows up very well in his interpretations of Arena classics from before his arrival. In that respect Arena gained a lot with him, especially in developing a sound of their own. The second change was on bass, as John Jowitt decided to devote himself exclusively to his main band IQ. The tough job of filling his shoes was successfully taken on by Ian Salmon, Nolan’s old buddy from the Shadowland days. Ian also proved himself an excellent acoustic guitarist.
Unlike “The Visitor”, “Immortal?” isn’t a concept album, but that’s far from saying Mr. Nolan didn’t leave a whole lot of deeply profound lyrical messages on it, which offer the listener plenty of intellectual food for thought. The album’s dark mood is a perfect fit for various themes, mostly sci-fi (some inspired by well-known films), which touch on human existence and the unexplored depths of the soul. A single glance at the grotesque, chilling cover is enough to realize this is once again a very special album, one that will leave you breathless every single time you play it. The cover shows a grown man in a diaper, with a baby bottle and an implanted alien fetus, watching TV. The image can be read as the embodiment of a collapsing social system and the decay of human spiritual values, and it also hides an allusion to the album’s sarcastic title. Modern man has advanced technologically beyond all limits and developed technology that could even subjugate alien races, yet spiritually he has regressed to a chilling degree, all the way back to infancy. That’s where the symbolism lies in the sarcastic question of his supposed, self-sufficient immortality, which in reality means great personal smallness, loneliness and spiritual emptiness.
I’d call all seven compositions superb blends of symphonic progressive rock and progressive metal. On quite a few tracks, mostly thanks to Mitchell’s punchy guitar phrases and Pointer’s cataclysmic drum swings, but also Rob’s vocal expression, they sound heavier than ever before. Maestro Nolan, meanwhile, uses his keyboard antics to strike just the right balance between symphonic subtlety and aggressive metal flights. The album’s main strength, with which they keep up their tradition of ambient contrast, lies in its refined construction and the way it moves between moods that are dark yet also majestic, melancholic and uplifting. The gloomy atmosphere of decay and rot, which makes it easy to imagine the album cover, hits you right away on the excellent “Chosen”, an uncompromising opening classic hiding a lyrical allusion to Big Brother and the long arm of surveillance institutions. After the opening buzzing of flies, the creepy rhythmic build-up and the enigmatic singing, a veritable thermonuclear bomb drops with a hellish guitar riff that sucks the listener into the track’s dark atmosphere in an instant. Mighty synth textures flow with incredible dynamics through the killer guitar phrases and frenzied drums. Mr. Sowden proves himself from the very start with a phenomenal vocal performance, pouring every last bit of contrasting emotion into it. Mitchell, meanwhile, keeps impressing with his refined feel for moving from brutal riffs to strikingly subtle passages. At live performances of this classic Rob usually wears a long black coat and fluorescent shades, which makes him look like one of the protagonists of the sci-fi film trilogy The Matrix.
With “Waiting for the Flood”, a post-apocalyptic ballad of indescribable beauty, comes one of their most shattering compositions. Rob’s dramatic yet delicate singing is accompanied by enchanting pastoral passages on acoustic guitar, creating an incredible Celtic melancholy. In the middle section there’s a lovely transition through Nolan’s synth solo, followed by mighty waves of sonic textures and the rebuilding of the hypnotic acoustic melody. Among the many dark and chilling tracks in their rich catalog, the gloomy epic “The Butterfly Man” is probably the top candidate for the most phantasmagorical composition in the band’s story. The core of this classic’s creepiness, in which the figure from the cover comes to life, hoping in vain, scorned by society, that one day he’ll turn from a caterpillar into a butterfly, lies in Rob’s dark vocal and the building keyboard passages, which feel like they were lifted from some horror movie. After the escalating eerie atmosphere comes a dramatic transition with majestic symphonic harmonies and a shattering chorus. Through weeping guitar solos, Mitchell makes the mood even sadder than at the start of the track. The chilling confession of the butterfly man ends with a repeat of the opening motif and the flap of butterfly wings.
On the futuristic drama “Ghost in the Firewall”, where cyber ghosts come to life, they also play around with electronic sound samples that flow between impulsive guitar passages and aggressive drum swings. Rob’s singing brings new qualities with its sensitive shifts between low and high registers. His melancholic performance is backed by majestic waves of synthesizer lines, which bring a feeling of liberation to the composition. The bouncy “Climbing the Net” is by far the closest to their early creations in structure and mood, mostly thanks to the characteristic neo-prog synth passages. For a short while, this splendid track manages to bring a distinctly positive vibe to the album. Rob’s mighty vocal expression is backed by layered instrumental harmonies, witty solos and dynamic tempo changes.
All of these compositions are excellent at the very least, and yet they come across like a warm-up for the album’s magnum opus, the nearly 20-minute sci-fi super epic “Moviedrome”, with which they created a timeless masterpiece that can hold its own with the greatest achievements in the story of progressive rock. During this unforgettable post-apocalyptic adventure, shivers run from head to toe and every hair on your body stands on end. Its dark, cybernetic atmosphere is incredible and matches the lyrics to the letter, a story about a controlled society longingly waiting for a savior (which is a lot like the story of The Matrix). Its structure is no less fascinating, built from an incredible number of dramatic arrangements, layered harmonies, unexpected tempo changes and insanely good solos from all the instrumentalists. There’s no shortage of subtle shifts between aggressive, half prog-metal phrases, uplifting ambient moments and gentle balladic moments either. Rob’s phenomenal layered singing conjures the atmosphere of a shattering tale about an enslaved civilization to the last detail, so it can’t be praised enough. The symphonic arrangements add an indescribable sense of grandeur. The shattering guitar passages in the closing section are “to blame” for Mitchell finally earning a place among my favorite guitarists, while Nolan once again confirms his role as the most sincere heir to the legendary Rick Wakeman. The closing section of this unforgettable epic, which got its title from a popular British film show, is one of the best in the history of progressive rock super epics.
The gorgeous closing ballad “Friday’s Dream” is the perfect ending to the album. With its positive message and romantic chorus, it makes a very good and welcome contrast to the album’s predominantly dark nature. Rob’s passionate vocal performance is laid over a beautiful acoustic guitar melody and majestic waves of keyboards. The lyrics contain a convincing metaphor for a symbolic break from everyday problems, when the average member of a collapsing turbo-capitalist world treats themself to a well-earned weekend break after a grueling week and manages, for a while, to wake up from the nightmare.
With “Immortal?” Arena have created yet another progressive rock masterpiece of staggering sonic and ambient dimensions, delving into the darkest corners of the human psyche and revealing some bleak visions of the near future. Through most of its compositions, the album offers a vivid cross-section of the moods and fears of the average member of today’s society. Despite the official absence of a concept, most of the pieces on the album build a shattering post-apocalyptic mosaic that nobody can stay cold in front of. “Immortal?” is an extremely important album in the story of this fantastic band, the one where their classic and, so far, by far most consistent lineup first established itself. In terms of quality, it can stand shoulder to shoulder with its studio predecessor at any time, and with its no less fascinating successor “Contagion” (2003) too.
Lineup
Rob Sowden – vocals
John Mitchell – guitar, backing vocals
Clive Nolan – keyboards, backing vocals
Ian Salmon – bass guitar
Mick Pointer – drums
Production
Clive Nolan and Simon Hanhart
Tracklist
1. Chosen
2. Waiting For The Flood
3. The Butterfly Man
4. Ghost In The Firewall
5. Climbing The Net
6. Moviedrome
7. Friday’s Dream
