Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Pallas
Label: Metal Mind Productions
Release: 2008
Rating: 4/5
Scottish neo prog rock greats Pallas are back in the thick of it via Polish label Metal Mind Productions with a new live DVD, their third so far. “Moment To Moment” captures their entire show in Katowice, Poland, recorded during the band’s October tour in 2007. On that tour Pallas were promoting their (still, for now) latest album, the excellent “The Dreams Of Men” (2005). Even though “Moment To Moment” has a good chunk of songs from that album, the recording also, much to the delight of longtime Pallas fans, packs in a rich selection from every era of the band: from their first live recording “Arrive Alive” (1981) and the cult studio debut “The Sentinel” (1984), through the first three albums with singer Alan Reed, all the way up to their latest record. The production isn’t top-notch and the sound gets “swept away” a few times, but the camera was always in the right place and caught the individual band members at just the right moments.
Visually, Pallas are a pretty unglamorous bunch, at least when it comes to the stage presence of the individual members, though they’re likeable, modest guys who these days are happiest just playing the music they love, no matter the size of the venue or the commercial success of their albums. Singer Alan Redd could do with a few more charismatic stage moves, if he’s already ditched the theatrical approach typical of most of his neo prog rock peers (as the show goes on he does gradually “wake up” and then confidently runs the “show”). He’s a real pipsqueak among mountain men, personified by guitarist Niall Mathewson and above all bassist Graeme Murray. With his towering presence, Murray is without a doubt the most charismatic member of the band, and with the way he plays his Rickenbacker bass he stays faithful to the legacy of his idol Chris Squire (Yes). Pallas make up for the band’s lack of visual appeal with eye-catching animation, varied use of lighting effects, outstanding technical chops and (as far as this recording goes) a very tight performance, too. What sets Pallas apart from their neo prog kin is the sound of the keyboards under Ronnie Brown’s control. They add a whole new dimension to songs that would otherwise sound like plain old hard rock tunes.
Most of the performances were spot on, and the band built up the atmosphere bit by bit over the course of the show, even though the Polish crowd never joined in the way the band would have liked (luckily you can hear them at all; the hall was nicely packed, though). After warming up with “Warriors” and “Hide And Seek”, Pallas eventually find their true sound and connect with the audience through the epic “Ghostdancers”, dedicated to the meetings between the first Scottish settlers in the New World and the Native Americans. This is where the first noticeable problems with Reed’s vocals show up, especially in the higher registers, which is no surprise, since this song is a real challenge for any singer. He’s also pretty average on the older material from “The Sentinel” and the era with his technically stronger and more theatrical predecessor Euan Lowson. Still, Reed deserves credit for his hard graft, since before the Pallas tour he also took part in the stage production of the prog rock opera “She” as part of the Caamora project, alongside his buddy, keyboard wizard Clive Nolan (Arena, Pendragon). The big surprise, and in my opinion the highlight of the show, is the very good rendition of the ancient, epic and highly dramatic classic “Queen Of the Deep”, which first appeared on the cult live recording “Arrive Alive”. With “Northern Star”, Mathewson treats himself to a guitar solo spot with some subtle lead work. As expected, Pallas closed the show with a solid version of “Arrive Alive”, though Redd didn’t exactly nail the vocals here either. And despite the crowd’s wild reaction, the band couldn’t count on much help from them with the sing-along choruses.
The DVD also has a few goodies for the true fans of the band, like interviews with Alan Reed and Graeme Murray, two bonus videos, “Tales from the Tourbus” and “The Rehearsal Tapes”, info on the lineup and discography, and photos from the tour.
Despite the shortcomings listed above, “Moment To Moment” is a very good recording, and it’ll be of special interest to die-hard Pallas followers, since it catches the cult band in the right light, with all the strengths and flaws of their performance. It should also appeal to those who aren’t quite into their music enough to bother traveling to see them in various faraway Central and Northern European countries, but who still appreciate most of what they’d put out up to that point.
Lineup
Alan Reed – vocals
Graeme Murray – bass guitar, bass pedals, backing vocals
Niall Mathewson – guitar
Ronnie Brown – keyboards
Colin Fraser – drums, backing vocals
Production
Tommy Dziubinski
Track List
1. Warriors
2. Hide and Seek
3. Ghostdancers
4. Cut + Run
5. Heart Attack
6. Queen of the Deep
7. Northern Star
8. The Last Angel
9. Invincible
10. Midas Touch
11. Fragments of the Sun / Outro
12. Arrive Alive
Bonus video:
13. Interview with Alan reed and Graeme Murray
14. Tales From the Tourbus
15. The Rehearsal Tapes
