The British prog band Pendragon was founded in the zero year of punk 1977, out of love for music by Genesis and Pink Floyd. A love that was deep because it would take until 1985 before the group debuted with The Jewel. Especially in the nineties Pendragon, led by singer, guitarist and composer Nick Barrett, flourished as a pioneer of neo-prog, alongside bands like Marillion and IQ. The eighth album
… Pure is a concept album about losing the childlike open-mindedness. Musically the album itself has hardly any moments of open-mindedness. With audible perfection, all the ingredients of neo-prog are forged together in five spun pieces. With unwieldy metal riffs, complex transitions, drawn-out, spacy guitar solos (David Gilmour patent), and melodic, predominantly calm vocals, Barrett seems to have mainly listened to the new generation of prog bands with names like Porcupine Tree and Fireside. Everything played with gusto and conviction, but there is not a single original (or progressive) idea to be found on Pure. (MR)more
