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| Grey Lady Down - Fear |
 Released: 1997 Label: Cyclops/GFT Cat. No.: CYCL 070 Total Time: 58:07 | |
Reviewed by: Stephanie Sollow, January 1999 After three albums Grey Lady Down called it quits as a band. Fear is their last release. And I think that's a shame. My first thought as I sat down to review this, after having listened to it several times previously, was of Saga. I don't recall if I made this comparison when listening to their previous releases, but I am now. Certainly there is a Fish influence here, too, lyrically, and in some of the ways vocalist Martin Wilson phrases things. To be honest, one can make a lot of "there are hints of" comments here, and while accurate, don't really tell the whole story. While this may be a sentence to turn away progressive purists, the songs here are catchy enough to make you pause to listen. Like their contemporaries, Grey Lady Down have (had) a fine sense of the melodic line. For anyone who likes the usual suspects - yeh, I mean Marillion, Pendragon, et al - you'll like this as well. Despite many commonalities with their brethren, there is a sense of freshness, an energy of a band striving to break free of the comparisons I just made. The guitars, keys, and vocals are up front for most of the album. Every once in a while, the drums (Mark Robotham) come to the fore, often with some interesting timbres. In most reviews, I point out songs that I liked particularly, or were particularly effective. That is rather difficult here, because I find something to recommend about each track. This is far from a perfect album, mind you. Does such a thing exist beyond a Platonian concept? Never mind a perfect album, a perfect anything? But, what it does mean is that there is something of value over the course of the entire album. In some tracks, it is beautifully lyrical lines - dry on paper but given life by Wilson's vocals. On others, it is a guitar passage by Steve Anderson. No, Grey Lady Down weren't particularly challenging, say in the way King Crimson are, but then again, sometimes a poetic track gets a meaning or idea across more effectively. Don't let the fact that this band is now defunct deter you from adding this to your shopping list. More about Fear: Track Listing: And Finally (10:27) / Roller Coaster (9:17) / A Modern Day Cavalier (7:56) / Final Decree (4:36) / Sliding (10:33) / Usurper (7:55) / Paper Chains (The Crime Part Three) (8:43) Musicians: Contact: Website: www.greyladydown.co.uk Email: greyladydown@hotmail.com Discography
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