Galleon - From Land To Ocean

Year of Release: 2003
Label: Progress Records
Catalog Number: PRCD 011
Format: CD
Total Time: 111:00:00

Not so long ago I read a review on the new Galleon album where the reviewer described the band as "subtop." This term surprised me and made me wonder what the top then is. Personally, and most likely this reviewer also vented his personal feelings, the eighth studio album From Land To Ocean impressed me very much and would make me place Galleon in the top of progressive rock. So read, then listen, and form your own opinion on this stunning concept album.

Formed in 1985, the guys from Galleon [have been] around for some time and have made some very good albums, but have always found ways to stay progressive and this especially applies to From Land To Ocean, a concept album, stretched out over two [discs], and the first thing I noticed was the second disc had only one track! But, let's begin at the beginning: CD 1 is labeled "The Land" and holds the first part of the story, with two songs that stand out: "Three Colours" (11:32), the opener of the album, and "The Price" (14:36), the closing track, as being the longest on the disc. Of course the keyboards, by Ulf Petterson, play the most important role in the music, but the foundation by Dan Fors (drums) and G?ran Fors (bass, vocals, guitars and keyboards) is very good; take for example the instrumental "Liopleurodon" (what's in a name?), which also has very a very tasty guitar solo. "Land" brings you back to the medieval times, with the flute like keyboard sounds, wonderful! In "Fall Of Fame" the band brings in a hint of Deep Purple ("Smoke On The Water") in the music, but very subtle and it fits the arrangement of the song. Closing track "The Price" opens with a sharp guitar riff and excels in various guitar and keyboard solos.

Then we move on to the second disc: "The Ocean," one, just over 52 minutes long track, divided in 9 sub themes. It opens very quietly, with soft keyboards, making you imagine you are under water, looking at the views around you. It builds up very nicely: first keyboards, then vocals, soft drums, bass and guitar. Despite the length, it never gets boring, but shows a lot of variety, melody and tempo changes, solos, and a good story. This song really impressed me very much, especially as I love this kind of songs. Although I mentioned the Flower Kings as being a similar band, I prefer Galleon for their song writing skills. With the Flower Kings I tend to get a bit bored at times, but with this album it is not the case.

Of course the vocals are a matter of taste (which applies to the entire sound, of course), but I find G?ran Fors not a bad singer. Not the best either, but his voice fits the music very well. The production is very good and the nice artwork comes from keyboardist Petterson. Again it is made clear Sweden is the land where many of the best prog bands come from!

Similar Bands: Flower Kings

[This review originally appeared at the ProgPower Online review site -ed.]

Tracklisting:
Disc One: Three Colours (11:32) / Fall Of Fame (9:53) / The Porch (5:16) / Liopleurodon (5:49) / Land (5:55) / Solitude (6:11) / The Price (14:36) Disc Two: The Ocean (52:07) (Beginning - And On .. - Tsunami - International - Killer Green - Bermuda - Atlantis - Polar White Part 1 - The Abyss - Polar White Part 2 - Blood Waters - Into The Deep - Blue Richness - Black Sea - Tidal Wave - Undertow - Swirl - On The North Shore Part 4 - Paradise Or What?)

Musicians:
G?ran Fors - lead vocals, bass, additional gutars, keyboards
Ulf Petterson - keyboards, background vocals
Sven Larsson - guitars, background vocals
Dan Fors - drums, percussion

Guests:

Tanja Hedlund - vocals
Johnny Martinsson - additional drums
Stefan Olsson - Irish bouzouki
Kristina Olsson - flute

Discography:
Lynx (1993)
Heritage & Visions (1994)
At This Moment In Time (1995)
King Of Aragon (1995)
The All European Hero (1996)
Mind Over Matter (1998/2005)
Beyond Dreams (2000)
From Land To Ocean (2003)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin SE

Added: December 20th 2004
Reviewer: Marcel Haster
Score:
Artist website: www.galleon.se
Hits: 2820
Language: english