Detailed Reviews [Pallas - 2007 - "Moment to Moment DVD"]

Prolusion. PALLAS is one of the veteran bands playing what has later been coined as neo-progressive rock, spearheading the second generation of progressive rock bands in the United Kingdom. Originally based in Scotland, the band formed in 1980 and released three albums in the 80's before record company hassles and the realities of everyday life saw to it that the band broke up. In the late 90's the band got together again and has been active ever since, releasing new albums on a steady basis and in many people's opinion producing better and more interesting music these days than when they first started out. "Moment to Moment" is a live DVD recorded on October 31st 2007 in Poland, when the band was one of two opening acts for Caamora that evening.

Analysis. This DVD may be the best concert ever recorded by Pallas past or present in terms of high quality footage. As Caamora's show "She" was set to be recorded in the same venue the very same evening, this meant that the band had a plethora of extra options available that I presume they wouldn't normally have if they were to record a later show for DVD release: A big stage for starters, of course, plenty of lights and a professional lighting crew to handle them, cameras to take all manner of shots of the band, the members, the audience and the venue, and high class sound recording equipment. The negative aspect of being an opening act, time limitation, is in many ways outweighed by the advantages the elements mentioned above give the band here. And sure enough, the footage here is excellent. The sound recording seems impeccable, all instruments clearly defined and the performance generally sounding good from a technical point of view. The same goes for the movie footage, which is nicely and tastefully edited. We get shots of all individual members; close-ups as well as distance shots, gliding cameras above the stage, venue shots and generally all variations of camera footage you could expect - and then some. It's not a multi-million dollar production of course, but this is a good as it gets for a recording not in that class. As for the performance, it's obvious that the guys are having a swell time here. Performing in this kind of venue with the options available to them here is a bit more high class than what they are used to, I would guess, at least they give an inspired performance first and foremost dominated by the feeling that the band is having a jolly good time. The only slight letdown for me are the vocals. Now, I'm extremely picky in that department, so this is something that others may not even notice. But still, I thought the vocals are just a tad off on some tunes, not much but enough to catch my attention. Fans of the band will probably be the least likely to notice this, though, but those unfamiliar with the band might. Apart from that this seems to be a generally good performance. The band has chosen songs from all periods of their career without letting any particular album dominate the track selection, so most fans should get their needs catered to. The bonus material on the DVD will cater to fans of Pallas first and foremost, but also people unfamiliar with the band will find some nice tidbits in this section. The interview with band members Alan Reed and Graeme Murray is informative as well as humorous; the guys don't take themselves too seriously and are generally fun and engaging to listen to. Tales from the Tourbus is mostly material for the fans, but this section is also dominated by light spirits and a few laughs, and the same can be said of the material from the rehearsals as well. The biography section is an interesting read, and the individual members’ biographies are another section where humor takes the driving seat.

Conclusion. As with most live DVDs, this one will also be a release appealing first and foremost to fans of the band. The wide selection in tunes and the generally high quality of the release should also make this an interesting release for people curious about this outfit, fans of so called neo-progressive rock in particular.

OMB: June 21, 2008
The Rating Room