Jade Warrior
's first album following
Tony Duhig
and
Jon Field
's emergence out of the
psychedelic
July
captures them abandoning the best of that band's whimsical moodiness in favor of a symphonic spirituality epitomized from the outset by the soaring guitars that ecstatically slice through the opening
"Traveller."
Reminiscent, in places, of a less-precious successor to
Quintessence
the Incredible String Band
in that moods and esotericism do sometimes get the better of the band's more conventional music impulses,
is nevertheless a remarkable album, all the more so since its makers could readily have given the likes of
Jethro Tull
the Moody Blues
some serious competition in the mellifluous
prog
stakes.
Glyn Havard
's vocals themselves can sound extraordinarily
Ian Anderson
-ish in places, with
Field
's wielding of the flute and some distinctly edgy tempos only furthering that impression. Elsewhere, however, the same tools combine to induce emotions that range from
trance
to terror, an accomplishment that means highlights of the album are difficult to single out. Although the ten tracks are clearly delineated, the song titles are little more than passing impressions of the music's own sensations, rendering
one of those rare albums that is best experienced as a seamless whole. ~ Dave Thompson