Shadow Gallery – Shadow Gallery / Carved In Stone (double re-issue)

Magna Carta is re-issuing the first two Shadow Gallery albums as a single package. Two veritable classics of the Prog Rock genre revived for new audiences…

“Shadow Gallery” officially kicked off the band’s career in 1992. With music dominated by keyboards (courtesy of Chris Ingles) the style and spirit affords more than a nod to Keith Emerson and ELP. Great songwriting and captivating melodies make the album quite enjoyable, even decades later. ‘Mystified’, ‘Darktown’ and the 17-minute-plus epic ‘The Queen Of The City Of Ice’ are full of vivid emotional drama. Unfortunately a weak production mars the listening experience for me.

With “Carved In Stone”, originally released in 1995, Shadow Gallery took a deeper plunge into the sonic gustos of Rush. The production had improved, even though it wasn’t quite perfect. From within “C.I.S”, ‘Warcry’ is a majestic number, powerful yet touching and effortlessly gets under your skin. ‘Alaska’ with its acoustic guitars and the amazing vocals of Mike Baker, is a memorable ballad. It’s one of several Shadow Gallery songs to feature the flute.

Mike Baker, who in 2008 suffered a fatal heart attack, was an extremely talented and versatile singer. He possessed an instinct for latching onto whatever song he was singing. Both “Shadow Gallery” and “CIS” are a testament to all this.

Speaking of “CIS” I cannot fail to mention the majesty of ‘Ghost Ship’. Sailing close to 22 minutes in length (sorry about the pun….couldn’t resist), it’s an epic composition about a forsaken naval voyage.

Overall I always felt “Carved In Stone” is the superior album of the two…in fact it’s arguably Shadow Gallery’s magnum opus…but the album “Shadow Gallery” has some unforgettable songs too.

Doubtlessly two essential components of a Prog Rock fan’s collection.

Tracklists:

1. Cliffhanger 8:50
2. Crystalline Dream 5:45
3. Don’t Ever Cry, Just Remember 6:25
4. Warcry 5:56
5. Celtic Princess 2:04
6. Deeper Than Life 4:33
7. Alaska 5:21
8. Ghostship 21:56

Ratings: 79 (“Shadow Gallery”) / 90 (“Carved In Stone”)

Playing time: 2:07:50

Release date: 07 August, 2015

Label: Magna Carta

Website: www.shadowgallery.com