Short Reviews [Pangaea - 1998 - "Welcome to the Theatre"]

The quartet were back in the studio with Robert Berry to work on this album in August 1997, releasing it a few years later. Back then I was regularly being sent promos by Angular Records to review and this was the first time I came across the band. There were very few of us regularly writing about prog at the time, and I have not seen any other reviews of this album from that period, but I certainly liked it when I came across it in 1999, saying “while it may be a tad bland for some prog fans, if you like music like 80’s Yes in some parts while more AOR in others then this is worth investigating.” Now, there has been a lot more prog through my ears since I wrote those words and don’t think the Yes reference is accurate, as there is much more neo going on, but the mix with AOR is certainly accurate. This was a direct follow-on from the debut with the same line-up and producer working together in the same studio to continue where they left off from the previous one, although some of the guitar is a little fierier. It is obvious they were trying to expand, with some very different percussive elements in “The White Shaman”, which was written by drummer Andi Schenk. Looking back at my original review I see I rave about that song, but “The Fall of Rome” has a lot to thank GTR for, and I can’t help but think that Robert must have had a hand in the arrangement for this one and it makes me smile just playing it. Yet another solid neo-prog album from back in the day, with the same line-up producer and studio, what would the next one bring?