Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Pendragon
Label: Madfish
Release: 2001
Running time: 76:18
Rating: 4/5
Cult British neo-prog heroes Pendragon needed almost five years, which is how long it had been since their previous studio album, the excellent »The Masquerade Overture« (1996), before they put out »Not Of This World«, a record that was in many ways a stylistic continuation of its predecessor, the one most prog rock fans consider the more famous of the two. In that time, band chief, guitarist and singer Nick Barrett had stacked up a whole sack of fresh songwriting ideas, and with the help of his longtime sidekick, keyboard wizard Clive Nolan, bass virtuoso Peter Gee and old drumming tomcat Fudge Smith, he turned them into yet another very good studio effort. »Not Of This World« in many ways, you could even say a bit too much, sticks to the tried-and-tested formula of the previous three Pendragon albums, except that they’ve beefed up most of the symphonic arrangements and gone even deeper on the backing female vocals.
Some of Barrett’s songwriting ideas on this album even stand as the peak of his career with Pendragon, but on the other hand, certain already-familiar motifs, even from the previous album, keep coming back around, which is going to bug everyone who swears by innovation. That’s also the only serious complaint about the album and the main reason why »Not Of This World« isn’t a better record than its predecessor. Most of the lyrics, as usual, are pretty ‘philosophical’ and wrestle with the fate of the world, human frailty and the end of the world. They’re definitely not among the strongest sides of »Not Of This World«, but they still fit the individual motifs quite nicely.
»If I Were the Wind (And You Were the Rain)«« is a mighty album opener in true, epic Pendragon style, with lavish symphonic arrangements and a ‘weeping’ slide guitar solo, as befits a ‘diligent student’ of the legendary Dave Gilmour (Pink Floyd). The melancholic-mystical atmosphere floods the listener with its intensity in an instant. Right from the start, Pendragon manage to fuse the inconsolable melancholy and subtlety once radiated by the legendary Pink Floyd with their own classic neo-prog tricks, especially when it comes to layered synth variations. Barrett’s energetic singing is backed by dramatic female harmonies, which deepen the intense atmosphere even further, and it hardly lets up across the whole album. The piano-backed, ballad-leaning final section is actually a rearranged motif from the »The Masquerade Overture« classic »As Good As Gold«. That’s not the only time the album echoes the same or related motifs from earlier records, which is definitely not a sign of innovation, but considering that »Not Of This World« kind of rounds off Pendragon’s 1990s output, they’re half-forgiven, let’s say.
»Dance of the Seven Weils« is an epic suite split into two parts. That’s an established practice, one they repeated on most of the other tracks on »Not Of This World«. »Faithless« is a power ballad with yet another melancholic guitar variation, artfully laid-down synth textures and an inconsolable chorus, while the dramatic »All Over Now« is a mighty anthem with a superb, damn catchy melody, surely one of the best in this cult band’s history. Barrett’s solo in the closing section is finger-licking good, while the triumphant finale is one of the album’s highlights.
The title track is split into three interlinked parts. The first part, »Not Of This World«, has a hyper-dramatic instrumental intro, where a proper epic showdown unfolds between Nolan’s keyboard orgies and Barrett’s slick guitar passages. Gradually a thoroughly pleasant, upbeat, downright cheerful melody takes shape, the kind that was typical of Pendragon in this phase of their career. Around the halfway mark Barrett’s vocals kick in, and then, with passionate female vocals alongside, the main motif of the whole album comes back in. The second part, »Give It To Me«, where Nolan’s rich synth textures take the lead, sits somewhere between overly playful and solemn in ambient terms, while Barrett rages ‘at the whole world’ in the lyrics and sounds a lot like some angry little forest gnome. Good thing he gets plenty of support from the excellent female vocal harmonies this time, so he doesn’t come off as ridiculous when he’s venting his anger. The third part, »Green Eyed Angel«, is one of the most beautiful power ballads in the band’s history, grabbing the listener in an instant with its infectious ambient magic. Pendragon once again prove themselves technically stunning masters of subtlety and finesse, and the vocal harmonies, especially in the chorus, are so catchy it’s almost shameless.
The enigmatically soaked epic »A Man of Nomadic Traits« is a noticeable stylistic contrast to most of the other pieces on the album, with an interesting pastoral intro that Pendragon use to quickly build a subtle, hypnotic melody. Here Nick and the gang once again show themselves to be remarkably skilled builders of gorgeous ambient bridges between exceptional technical chops and arranging finesse. The mighty chorus is once more beautifully set amid magnificent symphonic arrangements and piercing guitar passages, and together they create a truly magical mood and carry the listener straight into the heart of the lyrics about nomads and Bedouin sisters.
The epic closing masterpiece, »World’s End«, is also split into two parts. »The Lost Children« is another sprawling yet not-for-a-second-boring composition, opening with the well-known, melancholic »If I Were The Wind (And You Were The Rain)« motif, which means it’s yet another ballad with piercing guitar variations. These eventually make room for an epic ambient ‘revelation’, a monumental instrumental section with plenty of melodic guitar improvisations riding on flowing curtains of Mellotron. The suite’s closing part, »And Finally…«, features a ‘Queen-style’ rearrangement of the album’s central motif, meaning the whole thing gets repeated once more, even though there’s no mention anywhere that »Not Of This World« is a concept project. For the big finale, the female vocal harmonies chime in again amid mighty symphonic arrangements and once more land a magnificent, if already somewhat predictable, effect.
»Not Of This World« was the logical follow-up to the stylistic blueprint of »The Masquerade Overture«, which it even tops in places and in sheer sonic depth, though innovation and variety in the individual motifs aren’t exactly its strong suit. It’s precisely these two shortcomings that keep it from claiming the top spot in Pendragon’s discography so far, even if in many ways it marks their peak when it comes to ‘baking’ melodic-symphonic prog rock throughout the entire nineties and beyond. After »Not Of This World«, the band members themselves realized they were at risk of becoming prisoners of a sonic routine, so on their very next studio album, »Believe« (2005), they made a pretty radical stylistic break. Sadly, that first attempt at trying ‘something new’ wasn’t a change for the better.
Line-up
Nick Barrett – guitar, vocals
Clive Nolan – keyboards
Peter Gee – bass guitar
Fudge Smith – drums
GUEST SINGER:
Tina Riley – backing vocals
Production
Pendragon
Track list
1. If I Were The Wind (and You Were The Rain) (9:23)
2. Dance Of The Seven Veils (part 1): Faithless (4:09)
3. Dance Of The Seven Veils (part 2): All Over Now (7.30)
4. Not Of This World (part 1): Not Of This World (7:20)
5. Not Of This World (part 2): Give It To Me (2:23)
6. Not Of This World (part 3): Green Eyed Angel (6:40)
7. A Man Of Nomadic Traits (11:43)
8. World’s End (part 1): The Lost Children (10:46)
9. World’s End (part 2): And Finally… (7:13)
